<TABLE id=msgUN cellSpacing=3 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD id=msgUNsubj vAlign=top>Coffee Shop Talk - Thais in S'pore support PM Somchai </TD><TD id=msgunetc noWrap align=right>
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Thais in S'pore support PM Somchai
By Crystal Chan
December 01, 2008 Print Ready Email Article
SHOP assistant Namdee, 35, backs his country's prime minister, Mr Somchai Wongsawat.
Click to see larger image
And that is because Mr Somchai is ousted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra's brother-in-law.
Mr Namdee is one of 15 Thais at Golden Mile Complex interviewed by The New Paper on Sunday. They were asked to give their opinion on the protests in Bangkok.
Ten interviewees expressed support for Mr Somchai, two felt the premier should step down to pacify the protesters, and three were nonchalant.
Since Tuesday, anti-government protesters have besieged the main Suvarnabhumi international airport, forcing the suspension of all flights.
Mr Namdee said: 'Of all the prime ministers Thailand had, I like only Mr Thaksin.
'Mr Thaksin did a lot of good for the poor people.'
Thaksin's schemes - such as the 30-baht healthcare system, and the One Tambon, One Product programme which promoted locally-made goods - made him popular with the country's poor.
Mr Namdee said: 'Those people who are protesting, they don't know what's good for them. They were probably against Mr Thaksin in the past, and now, they're against Mr Somchai because he's in Mr Thaksin's family.'
Click to see larger image
Mr Namdee, who is from Udon Thani in north-east Thailand, has been living in Singapore for two years.
Another pro-government supporter, Miss Adulkit, 23, a waitress, feels the protesters are hurting the country.
She came to Singapore to work after Thaksin was ousted in a coup in September 2006.
She said: 'Mr Thaksin was the best prime minister we ever had. I was a shop assistant in Bangkok and my monthly salary rose from 70,000 baht ($2,900) to 90,000 baht after he became prime minister.
'Things became worse when the military took over. Mr Somchai isn't as good as Mr Thaksin, but I believe that being relatives, they would have the same ideas.
'I think those protesters are just not giving Mr Somchai a chance.'
Other pro-government supporters like Mr Songkhram, 35, a waiter, questioned the protesters' agenda.
Paid to make trouble?
He said: 'They could have been paid by the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) to make trouble at the airport. I don't think Mr Somchai is bad. I think the PAD dislikes him because of Mr Thaksin.'
While none of the interviewees were against Mr Somchai, a few said the premier should consider stepping down to pacify the protesters.
Mr Pridi Chatchawal, 25, a tourist from Bangkok, said: 'The protesters have said they won't quit unless Mr Somchai quits.
'I think Mr Somchai hasn't been given a chance to prove himself. But in a situation like this, he should step down if it brings peace to the country.'
There were also Thais who were not bothered either way.
Mr Samdee, 44, a shop assistant who has lived here for 16 years, said he is used to the instability in Thai politics.
He said: 'Since our kings stopped having power, there have been many coups. This won't be the last time that such a thing happens.'
Since 1932, when King Prajadhipok ceded absolute power in favour of parliamentary democracy, there have been 18 coups.
Noting that Thai army chief Anupong Paochinda has urged Mr Somchai to resign, Mr Samdee said: 'I don't know why the military touches politics, but it has been happening for a long time. There's nothing we can do about it, except to leave it to the government.'
Other Thais interviewed seemed more concerned with getting a coach ride back to Bangkok and Hat Yai.
A tourist who gave his name as Sulak, 38, said: 'Flying into Bangkok is impossible now. Taking a coach will take 24 hours, but at least, there's still a way for me to go home.
Coach operators in Golden Mile Complex said that demand for coach tickets to Thailand has dropped since the riots, as people are shying away from travel to the troubled country.
A sales assistant at Gunung Raya Travel, who did not want to be named, said: 'People still want to wait and see before going to Thailand, because they worry the unrest may spread to other cities.'
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Thais in S'pore support PM Somchai
By Crystal Chan
December 01, 2008 Print Ready Email Article
SHOP assistant Namdee, 35, backs his country's prime minister, Mr Somchai Wongsawat.
Click to see larger image
And that is because Mr Somchai is ousted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra's brother-in-law.
Mr Namdee is one of 15 Thais at Golden Mile Complex interviewed by The New Paper on Sunday. They were asked to give their opinion on the protests in Bangkok.
Ten interviewees expressed support for Mr Somchai, two felt the premier should step down to pacify the protesters, and three were nonchalant.
Since Tuesday, anti-government protesters have besieged the main Suvarnabhumi international airport, forcing the suspension of all flights.
Mr Namdee said: 'Of all the prime ministers Thailand had, I like only Mr Thaksin.
'Mr Thaksin did a lot of good for the poor people.'
Thaksin's schemes - such as the 30-baht healthcare system, and the One Tambon, One Product programme which promoted locally-made goods - made him popular with the country's poor.
Mr Namdee said: 'Those people who are protesting, they don't know what's good for them. They were probably against Mr Thaksin in the past, and now, they're against Mr Somchai because he's in Mr Thaksin's family.'
Click to see larger image
Mr Namdee, who is from Udon Thani in north-east Thailand, has been living in Singapore for two years.
Another pro-government supporter, Miss Adulkit, 23, a waitress, feels the protesters are hurting the country.
She came to Singapore to work after Thaksin was ousted in a coup in September 2006.
She said: 'Mr Thaksin was the best prime minister we ever had. I was a shop assistant in Bangkok and my monthly salary rose from 70,000 baht ($2,900) to 90,000 baht after he became prime minister.
'Things became worse when the military took over. Mr Somchai isn't as good as Mr Thaksin, but I believe that being relatives, they would have the same ideas.
'I think those protesters are just not giving Mr Somchai a chance.'
Other pro-government supporters like Mr Songkhram, 35, a waiter, questioned the protesters' agenda.
Paid to make trouble?
He said: 'They could have been paid by the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) to make trouble at the airport. I don't think Mr Somchai is bad. I think the PAD dislikes him because of Mr Thaksin.'
While none of the interviewees were against Mr Somchai, a few said the premier should consider stepping down to pacify the protesters.
Mr Pridi Chatchawal, 25, a tourist from Bangkok, said: 'The protesters have said they won't quit unless Mr Somchai quits.
'I think Mr Somchai hasn't been given a chance to prove himself. But in a situation like this, he should step down if it brings peace to the country.'
There were also Thais who were not bothered either way.
Mr Samdee, 44, a shop assistant who has lived here for 16 years, said he is used to the instability in Thai politics.
He said: 'Since our kings stopped having power, there have been many coups. This won't be the last time that such a thing happens.'
Since 1932, when King Prajadhipok ceded absolute power in favour of parliamentary democracy, there have been 18 coups.
Noting that Thai army chief Anupong Paochinda has urged Mr Somchai to resign, Mr Samdee said: 'I don't know why the military touches politics, but it has been happening for a long time. There's nothing we can do about it, except to leave it to the government.'
Other Thais interviewed seemed more concerned with getting a coach ride back to Bangkok and Hat Yai.
A tourist who gave his name as Sulak, 38, said: 'Flying into Bangkok is impossible now. Taking a coach will take 24 hours, but at least, there's still a way for me to go home.
Coach operators in Golden Mile Complex said that demand for coach tickets to Thailand has dropped since the riots, as people are shying away from travel to the troubled country.
A sales assistant at Gunung Raya Travel, who did not want to be named, said: 'People still want to wait and see before going to Thailand, because they worry the unrest may spread to other cities.'
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