Well- here are a few impressions about Thailand these days-
BURMA- increased fighter activity in Udon with assembly of up to 16 fighters from the Issarn wing along with some aircraft from Singapore and other ASEAN countries. It is apparantly a Monday-Thursday thing with everybody flying home on the weekends. Aircraft are mostly F5E and F16.
Thai economy- getting murdered by high oil prices. There is a huger gap between rich and poor here and almost no middle class. Thai minimum wage is about 150 baht a day which equates to about 3200 baht/month or about 95 dollars at current exchange. A degreed professional out of school will expect about 25000 baht a month in salary. There is age and sex discrimination so if you dont have a job in your 30s you are almost unemployable. Women returning to the workforce after childbearing do not return at all as they are not employable.
Thai currency- is expected to continue to rise against the dollar, which is weak to begin with and, with the poor US economy, some experts are expecting a return to the historic 25:1 ratio. This will probably result in much less exporting to the US from Thailand but will do little to help US products in the country.
Armaments purchases- The US has lost out on bids to sell fighters, Humvees, and APCs to Thailand. Thailand's aging F5E fleet is being replaced by Swedish products and Ukraine will provide the 95 APCs.
The US products are just way too expensive for the Thais-even with the subsidies being offered by the US. In the case of the Humvees, the vehicles would be unable to be used in the jungle environment for which they are intended. 4WD Toyota trucks were purchased and modified to operate in their stead. In addition, in comparison to the military of surrounding countries, why buy a Rolls Royce when a VW will be more than enough.
Thai Real estate- there is no secondary market in this country. Most houses are purchased new and then lived in for years. The rental market is very weak in comparison to the cost of a home. The minimum cost of a home is about a million baht.
Thai government- the post coup election is in December. Everythng is sort of on hold. They are cracking down on vote buying, which is an art form in thailand, by limiting currency access. In the days leading up to an election, the banks run out of 100 baht notes. Promoters drive busses to the countryside, load up farm workers, take them to the polling booth after a big lunch, and then pay a 100 baht for them to vote, reminding them as to who they owe the favor to.
Muslim separatists- In the three southern provinces, known as Pattani, muslims have been engaged in a war for their own country for years. They have been learning from the actions of their brethren elsewhere with frequent bombings.
Thailand has controlled these provinces for about 100 years. Thailand provides all of the infrastructure and there is no local economy independent of Thailand. Malaysia, the muslim country to the south, does not want the area back because they do not want to expend the resources necessary to produce a viable transition to Malaysian rule. An independent Pattani would be unable to stand alone in the world. SO- what are they fighting for? What will they gain? Stay tuned.
