Red shirts in Loei: Bangkok is not Thailand
You would almost forget it with a newspaper that is full of anti-government news, but Thailand also has red shirts. So far they have been conspicuously in the background with the exception of a rally in Ramkhamhaeng that claimed four lives. But they still exist and they are ready to spring into action if necessary.
In a restaurant in Loei, 520 km from Bangkok, red shirts gather every morning to discuss the political situation. It really is a red base with red lettering, red tablecloths and red shirts. When the elections are disrupted by protesters in Bangkok, we will organize a counter-rally, they say.
Daragon Pakdewan (60)
'Elections are necessary and they will take place on February 2. This is a democratic country. We have a right to support what is right. If the mass rally disrupts Election Day or if it is canceled for some reason, we will also protest. Just wait. We don't sit around and do nothing. You have no idea how many people we are and what we are capable of.'
According to Daragon, the 'Thaksin regime' (an expression of action leader Suthep) does not exist. Thaksin has no influence on our decisions. We have no connection with him. Justice is the only thing we support. Do you think we are brainless people? Please don't insult us and think we're stupid because we're peasants.'
Daragon also counters the much aired accusation that red shirts are anti-monarchy. “We have learned that His Majesty the King has done much for our country. We know how hard he worked to improve our livelihoods. How can we not respect him? How can we not love him?'
That red shirts are paid by Thaksin is also not true, according to Daragon. “Every baht we spend comes out of our own pocket. We like good people and we like justice. We distanced ourselves from Thaksin a long, long time ago. What we are fighting for now is real democracy.'
Arnuth Saetor (61)
"I don't understand why it's not over yet. At first, Suthep said he just wanted the amnesty proposal to fall through. That happened, but it wasn't enough. Then they forced Yingluck to dissolve parliament. That happened, but it still wasn't enough. What more do they want now?'
“I am furious with how the protesters are treating democracy. You must respect the law, you must listen to the voice of the majority. Now they must stop. You don't think the people rallying in Bangkok are the voice of the country, do you? If you really want to measure that, you have to ask everyone in the country.'
'Elections are the best way to measure what the majority thinks. Not everyone agrees with what the protest leaders are trying to do. Do you think all rural people hillbillies [who comes up with a nice translation?], whose voices can be bought? I admit we are not trained. We are not as handsome as the people of Bangkok, but we have our dignity and we don't cheat like they do. Please don't insult us.'
According to Arnuth, action leader Suthep is a fraud. “He cheats the voice of the people, cheats the laws of the land, and cheats the rights of the people. If you want a fair fight, you have to hold elections. If you want public hearings on reform, don't forget to listen to our voice too.”
'Remember,' finally says another, 'Bangkok is not Thailand. The voice of the people of Bangkok is not the voice of the country.'
(Source: Bangkok Post, Dec. 23, 2013)
A few notes:
1. Of course Bangkok is not the countryside. A very recent analysis of the demonstrators shows this even more subtly. The red protesters in Rajamangala a few weeks ago come from the north and northeast, have lower incomes and lower education levels and have come to Bangkok more by organized transport. The Suthep demonstrators come more from the higher income and educational groups, more from Bangkok and the south and came by private or public transport.
2. A clear majority of Thais are not satisfied with the democratization in this country. A majority thinks that something really needs to change.
3. In a country like Thailand (with rich and poor and a yawning gulf between them) it is of course necessary to think about how to distribute wealth more fairly. So far I have not heard a Pheu Thai politician say that the poor in the north and northeast should be happy with the working people in Bangkok (who generally vote Democrats) because they pay the tax that, among other things, the rice system and free healthcare are funded. The people in the north are under the impression that everything, absolutely everything, is due to the Pheu Thai.
Dear Chris,
Not only the Bangkokians pay taxes. Only 16 percent of state revenue in Thailand comes from income tax, the rest comes from indirect taxes such as VAT, excise duties, etc. See the link below. That means that all Thais, including the poor and the middle classes throughout Thailand, not just Bangkok Thais, pay for all those 'populist' programs. But I know that Suthep's supporters think otherwise.
https://www.thailandblog.nl/achtergrond/armen-thailand-betalen-relatief-veel-belasting/
dear Tina
where is the most sold, do you think (and therefore the most VAT paid? In isan?
where do you think most of the big companies are located? in Isan?
where is the most income tax paid, if the limit is 150,000 Baht salary per year? In Isan?
@ Tino Kuis I think you are forgetting the import tariffs and the business tax. Wouldn't these be the government's largest source of income?
Dick,
Total government tax revenue of Thailand: 1.6 trillion baht, divided into (percentages):
personal income tax: 16
corporate income tax: 25
VAT, sales tax: 30
excise duties: 15
and then 14 percent divided among many small receipts. Import tariffs is very little.
Chris is right: two-thirds of all tax receipts come from Bangkok, especially those two taxes mentioned first. On the other hand, Bangkok also receives a lot more (I don't know how much) in state expenditure per capita, in the areas of education, infrastructure and health care, for example.
I want to thank the Bangkok Post for also giving the 'red shirts' a say. And a word of thanks to Dick who makes this so quickly, objectively and completely accessible to us.
Nice article about the red shirts. A strong language is spoken at a safe distance from Bangkok. About democracy and respecting the law. That was different in 2010 when Bangkok was set on fire.
How credible does it sound that they have nothing to do with Thaksin? Do they no longer support the meaningless Prime Minister Yingluck? Who only cares about one thing, namely that the interests of Thailand's richest family to which she belongs are not harmed.
The departure of Yingluck and preventing the government of Thailand from falling back into the hands of the richest in the country. That is the demand of the protesters. In my view a justified demand. Thailand deserves real democracy.
The fact that two-thirds of the income comes from Bangkok is only due to centralism. Everything important is located in Bangkok. Nothing can be achieved in the provinces without the fiat and blessing of “Bangkok”. Do you want to buy something in Mukdahan, Chiangmai, Phuket or Khonkaen, or do you need a spare part, it has to come from Bangkok.
As far as excise duties and VAT are concerned, all layers of the population pay for them. That is obvious.
dear Rene
Of course everyone pays VAT. But with an average income in Bangkok that is many times higher than in the north, the residents of Bangkok spend much more and therefore also pay more VAT if you calculate in nominal amounts. The percentage is the same. I don't know if people in the north drink more alcoholic drinks.
The comments about who pays the most taxes and VAT are, in my opinion, unjustified. In Bangkok and the surrounding area, entire industries rely on cheap labor from the north and the Isaan. It's about what other parts of the country get in return.
If we make a comparison with the Netherlands, the Dutch prosperity is largely due to the west with its many industries that started with natural gas from Groningen in the past. What did Groningen get in return? it is about the poorest region of the Netherlands!.
The same also applies to Thailand, Bangkok and the surrounding area have become richer due to the cheap labor from the north and the Isaan. But which government is going to ensure that there is better social equality in many areas, so not only income, but also in all other services and above all, more work in those areas. I have little confidence that at the moment there is only one political party that will make that happen, the red one, the yellow one.
Mr. Suthep wants (democratic ?) reforms first, and tries to boycott the elections.
He wants to install a reform council without it being clear who may sit on that council.
How democratic can you be if you don't let the majority decide.
I am not in favor of YingLuck or any other politician. But enforcing reforms like Mr. Suthep does without involving the Red Shirts only creates chaos, so I don't see the future of Thailand rosy