Des elections se tiendront le 23 décembre prochain en Thailande. Les premières depuis le Coup d’Etat militaire et la mise en place d’une Junte au pouvoir. Alors la bataille est rude sur le terrain, ci-dessous un article, en anglais, faisant état de tentatives d’achat de votes à l’aide de… Viagra! L’article ne dit pas si le Viagra sera distribué à la sortie des urnes…

Quel pays formidable!

Thai candidates accused of vote-buying with Viagra: official
Posted: 30 November 2007 1413 hrs

BANGKOK: Parliamentary candidates in Thailand’s upcoming election are trying to buy the votes of elderly men by passing out free Viagra, a local government official said on Friday.

Thais head to the polls on December 23 for the first time since the military toppled the elected prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra in a bloodless coup last year.

Residents in Prathumthani, on the northern outskirts of Bangkok, reported some of the candidates were passing out doses of the anti-impotence drug in exchange for promised votes, said Sayan Nopkham, a local government official.

“The villagers told me they have been given one or two pills of Viagra by candidates. Then they come to me to ask for more pills, or sometimes coffee, in exchange for voting for my brother, who is also running for a seat,” he told AFP.

Thailand has a long history of vote-buying, but laws banning it have recently been toughened.

Anyone found guilty of buying votes could face up to 10 years in prison while voters who accept money face up to five years in jail.

Charungwit Phumma, an investigator with the Election Commission, said he had received no formal complaints about a Viagra-for-votes scheme.

“It’s a funny claim,” he said.

Charungwit said the most common complaints filed with his office were voters being paid to join a political party or being promised cash for going to the ballot box.

Bangkok Post

Saturday November 17, 2007

His Majesty the King waved as he left Siriraj hospital yesterday after visiting his ailing elder sister being treated there, much to the delight of a large crowd of well-wishers.

Hundreds of people who gathered at the hospital to get a glimpse of the revered monarch promptly shouted ”Long Live the King” on seeing him in good health.

The King, who appeared in a blue jacket and black trousers, used a walking stick. He waved and smiled to the crowd. Some wore yellow shirts, others were in pink.

The King, who was recently discharged from the hospital after being treated for an insufficient blood supply to part of his brain, stayed over at the hospital as he visited HRH Princess Galyani Vadhana. The Princess was in stable condition.

Before leaving the hospital, the King paid homage to the statues of his parents. The colour of the King’s apparel was still the order of the day.

Many speculated about the colour of the King’s jacket when he left the hospital. Some said yellow, others said pink, only a few thought of blue, the colour associated with Friday in Thai tradition.

Champee Komolsane, 60, said she would definitely buy a blue shirt after seeing the colour of the King’s jacket.

The sale of pink shirts was still brisk at a market near Siriraj hospital yesterday.Pink shirts were the most sought-after items because, when the King left the hospital on Nov 7, he was wearing a pink jacket. However, some vendors had already stocked blue shirts in response to their customer’s demands.

”I already stocked over 200 blue shirts because I thought the King might pick the colour in accordance with the day. Today I sold more than 20 blue shirts after the King left the hospital. But I think it’s pink shirts that are in high demand,” said vendor Somsri Puengchinda.

Meanwhile Justin Matheson, an Australian who accompanied his wife to Siriraj Hospital, said he appreciated the chance to see the King. He said he had studied the King’s life and his contribution to his people.

”I feel very excited and am touched the way Thai people love the King. It was great to share the happy moment with Thais when they saw the King wave his hand. I can see that Thai people are very close to their King,” he said.

Supol Chawkaew, a 34-year-old disabled man from Ayutthaya, said he left the province by himself on Thursday evening and hoped to get a glimpse of the King.

”I am so happy to see him. He looks very healthy,” he said.

Princess Galyani Vadhana’s overall condition was stable yesterday, the Royal Household Bureau announced.

According to the bureau, the Committee of Royal Physicians reported that the Princess can sit upright on her bed for longer periods. She is able to go outside her room by wheelchair.

Clothing vendors are ready to go green to cater to public demand after His Majesty the King appeared in a green jacket on his return to Siriraj Hospital on Tuesday to visit his elder sister, Her Royal Highness Princess Galyani Vadhana.

Somying Puangjinda, 26, a retailer at Pran Nok pier close to the hospital, said many people were already asking for green polo shirts bearing the royal insignia after they saw His Majesty in a green jacket on television and in newspapers.

”I received at least 30 orders in the morning. By late afternoon, I picked up two sample green shirts from Bo Bae market and wore one as a sales promotion. I sold the other one immediately for 250 baht,” said Ms Somying.

The first lot of 50 green polo shirts arrived at her stall by late evening and she managed to sell 10 in just 20 minutes.

But the demand for green shirts might be too sudden for manufacturers as the country had gone pink only last week, she said.

The King wore pink when he was discharged from Siriraj Hospital on Nov 7. People immediately began wearing the summery pink, alternating it with the yellow shirts they have been wearing for the last year.

”The yellow, pink and green trends are all because of people’s loyalty to the King,” she said.

”If he wears orange, I will also have to put orange shirts on my stall. That’s a way to express our love of the King.”

Pink is thought to be auspicious and green can help bring success for a person born on a Monday.

His Majesty was born on a Monday.

”Some manufacturers seemed to be caught off guard by the green trend, as the pink ones are not yet sold out. I don’t think they should be concerned as the demand for both pink and green shirts is on the increase,” said Ms Somying.

Sunisa Rungsomsap, 23, another vendor, said she had sold more than 1,000 pink polo shirts since last week.

She bought short-sleeved shirts for 220 baht and sold each for 250 baht.

The long-sleeved ones were a little more expensive at 300 baht.

Ms Sunisa is also offering photos of the King in pink with his camera in his hand as part of the deal for her customers.

“Wall Street Institute” est une école privée en Thailande pour apprendre l’anglais. Il y a quelques mois, ils ont lancé une campagne de publicité dans le métro aérien (BTS) à Bangkok. Le thème était grosso modo: pourquoi partir à l’étranger, chez les farangs, où vous serez mal traités (forcément) avec des petits boulots cheaps? Chez nous c’est mieux.

Sur l’exemple posté, la jeune Thaïe se retrouve jeune fille au pair en Australie et forcément c’est l’enfer. Impossible d’apprendre l’anglais dans ces conditions inhumaines. Bouuhhhh vilains les Australiens. Plusieurs pays avaient le droit à leurs sympathiques panneaux dans le BTS.

Bref, cette campagne composée de plusieurs visuels sur le même thèmes m’a plutôt choqué. Encore une fois, l’ultra nationalisme est exacerbé. Pour vendre sa soupe, Wall Street Institute ne trouve rien de mieux que de taper sur le méchant “farang” (l’étranger).

A ce jour, les publicités ont été retiré.

Qu’ils aient appris l’anglais à l’étranger ou non, les Thaïs parlent en général toujours aussi mal l’anglais.

Hello Kitty est devenu le symbole de l’infamie et de la honte pour la Police Thaïe au mois d’Août dernier. Les mauvais éléments se verront affubler d’un brassard à l’effigie d’Hello Kitty. Je ne sais pas si la mesure est efficace mais je remarque une chose: la couleur est rose… 

Ils doivent être contents les gars!

Mesdames, une bonne adresse pour une épilation du visage à Bangkok. Cela se trouve dans le quartier Chinois et ce n’est pas cher… A noter le fameux t-shirt jaune !!!

Le Roi de Thailande Bhumibol Adulyadej a quitté l’hopital le 7 novembre dernier. La couleur de la tenue qu’il portait est d’une importance capitale. Ce fut donc le rose qui fut choisi. Pourquoi le rose? Les astrologues auraient décidé que c’est la nouvelle couleur porte-bonheur. Un emblème royal, à base de couleur rose aurait même été crée pour les 80 ans du Roi.

Il n’en fallait pas plus pour déclencher la  frénésie. Tout le monde veut maintenant acheter un t-shirt rose. Les magasins sont pris d’assaut et il faut faire la queue très tôt le matin pour en avoir.

Dans les semaines à venir les usines de textile vont tourner à plein régime dans le Royaume pour faire face à la demande. On trouvera du rose partout dans les rues.

Le rose prendra-t-il la place du jaune?

J’avais juste envie de poster cette photo. Le BTS est pratique, propre, peu cher (pour les étrangers). Bref un beau succès. Parfois un peu difficile aux heures de pointe mais c’est normal!

Reuters

Le très respecté roi de Thaïlande Bhumibol Adulyadej est à l’origine d’une nouvelle mode dans le pays: le rose poupin.

Depuis que leur roi a quitté l’hôpital mercredi en chemise et blazer roses, les sujets de Sa Majesté se ruent dans les magasins pour se procurer des vêtements de la même couleur.

“Les ventes de chemises roses ont bondi de 60% entre hier et aujourd’hui, après que les gens ont vu le roi portant cette couleur”, a expliqué vendredi une vendeuse de polos portant l’emblème royal, dans une rue de Bangkok.

Certains avaient néanmoins pris de l’avance.

Une femme travaillant pour la princesse Maha Chakri Sirindhorn a expliqué dans les colonnes du journal Matichon que des astrologues avaient établi que le dieu Mars, représenté par le rose, aiderait Bhumibol à se fortifier.

“Depuis que son Altesse royale a pris connaissance de ces suggestions au début de l’année, il porte du rose tous les mardis”, a ainsi confié Katavalee Napasap.

En Thaïlande, où chaque jour de la semaine est associé à une couleur, Mars régit le mardi.

Le jaune, jour de naissance du roi Bhumibol, est la couleur du lundi. De ce fait, Bangkok est envahi le lundi de personnes portant du jaune et qui expriment ainsi leur soutien au roi, une personnalité très respectée dans un pays qui a connu 18 coups d’Etat depuis que la monarchie s’est dotée d’une constitution en 1932.

Le rose est maintenant devenu à la mode dans l’espoir qu’en porter aidera le monarque, qui fêtera ses 80 ans le mois prochain, à être en bonne santé.

Le roi Bhumibol, dont le portrait est accroché dans chaque foyer thaïlandais, avait été hospitalisé le 13 octobre à Bangkok suite à un problème d’irrigation du cerveau.

Bangkok Post

The pink-shirt craze continued into its third day yesterday as crowds overwhelmed vendors around Siriraj Hospital and the eight Phu Fah shops in Bangkok.

People from all walks of life, particularly students, continued visiting Siriraj Hospital to wish a speedy recovery to HRH Princess Galyani Vadhana.

After writing get-well messages in a guest album, many of them checked out shops around the hospital where various styles of pink clothes were flying off the shelves in response to the growing popularity of the colour as an auspicious symbol of his His Majesty the King’s health.

His Majesty left the hospital on Wednesday wearing a pink shirt and jacket.
At branches of Phu Fah, a chain under the patronage of HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn, customers formed long queues from early in the morning to snap up the latest pink shirt with a logo designed by her.

The pink shirts sold out briskly.

The manager said the company would have 70,000 more when it restocked but perhaps only at the Siam Discovery and Sukhumvit Soi 7 branches.

The collection with the Princess’ logo also comes in yellow, green, blue, purple, grey and white.

Yanyong Phuangrach, director-general of the Internal Trade Department, warned sellers that if they tried to charge more than Bt250 for cotton shirts and Bt350 for nano-fabric they would face legal action.