worldexpress Posted January 22, 2021 Share Posted January 22, 2021 The title is not complete. Should read something like: "1.5 Million Thais Near Poverty and15 million at poverty." If 1.5 million is correct that's helluva better than the US. ???? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greenmonkey Posted January 22, 2021 Share Posted January 22, 2021 Still.... at least those people have the space program to get excited about! #shameonthegovt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charmonman Posted January 22, 2021 Share Posted January 22, 2021 1.5 million approaching poverty and several times that already there Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
khunPer Posted January 22, 2021 Share Posted January 22, 2021 The article don't mention if it's absolute poverty, i.e. "a condition characterized by severe deprivation of basic human needs, including food, safe drinking water, sanitation facilities, health, shelter, education and information. It depends not only on income but also on access to services", or relative poverty, i.e. "poverty as socially defined and dependent on social context. It is argued that the needs considered fundamental is not an objective measure and could change with the custom of society". There's a (huge) difference between not having shelter for weather and food to eat, and not being able to buy a new iPhone, to say it in hard terms. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chopinbkk Posted January 22, 2021 Share Posted January 22, 2021 Sometimes, living in BKK, it feels as if I know most of those poor. I have my own small NGO to help in my neighbourhood, however, no matter what I do, it will always be too little. The sad thing is, no matter how dire the situation, it seems that simple Thais never think of fighting back against those at the very head ...... No way things will ever get better like this. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Delight Posted January 22, 2021 Share Posted January 22, 2021 20 hours ago, darksidedog said: I suspect the true number of those in dire financial straits, far beyond what "poverty" means is a lot more than 1.5 million. The government has spent lots of money on military hardware, which would have been much better spent right now on its financially distressed people. Not if the Prime minister is -at heart- a Military General Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raphus Posted January 22, 2021 Share Posted January 22, 2021 I find 1.5 million people very hard to believe and such a low figure. fullfact.org (source) puts the UK at 14.3 million people in poverty for a developed country. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Madeline Thompson Posted January 22, 2021 Share Posted January 22, 2021 Far more than 1.5m ... before Covid there were at least that many living in poverty. Since Covid - it's mushroomed. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pravda Posted January 22, 2021 Share Posted January 22, 2021 I am noticing a lot more beggars around poorer BTS stations specifically in Samut Prakan. It certainly wasn't like this before covid. Every farang on pension here should kiss their homecountry feet instead of whining and complaining about councit tax and immigrants. How many thais would love to be in your situation and live in relative luxury. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tosseroon Posted January 22, 2021 Share Posted January 22, 2021 They are only NEAR poverty. Someone ask him how many ALREADY IN poverty!!!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sambum Posted January 22, 2021 Share Posted January 22, 2021 17 hours ago, uncle_tom said: I'd wager that 75% of the population of Issan alone are in acute financial difficulty right now. Dependence on the tourism sector to keep families' heads above water was so widespread - so that's fifteen million people for a start.. At first, I was going to say that Issan/Esan is not exactly the hub of tourism, so it was not so dependent on it at all - not compared to Pattaya and Phuket etc. But then I thought about the number of bar girls/hostesses that there are in these places, and where the majority of them come from. So yes, Issan/Esan is dependent on the tourism sector as most of these girls are helping to support their families back home. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post ChipButty Posted January 22, 2021 Popular Post Share Posted January 22, 2021 6 minutes ago, sambum said: At first, I was going to say that Issan/Esan is not exactly the hub of tourism, so it was not so dependent on it at all - not compared to Pattaya and Phuket etc. But then I thought about the number of bar girls/hostesses that there are in these places, and where the majority of them come from. So yes, Issan/Esan is dependent on the tourism sector as most of these girls are helping to support their families back home. Almost every bar girl is from Issan, they are effected by the lack of tourist $$$$$$$ 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrandPapillon Posted January 22, 2021 Share Posted January 22, 2021 so what does that mean? less iPhones and back to working the rice fields? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ronaldo0 Posted January 22, 2021 Share Posted January 22, 2021 10 hours ago, gunderhill said: Yet trying to find someone to do work for you as a full time job as a caretaker /gardener with benefits is near impossible in rural areas even with covid doing the rounds. Many of those poor only want to work a day or two then have a day or two off. This is the reality of how many of the poor choose to live. Feast and famine way of life . Do a days work , get paid , blow it on little bit of food and drink and then starve a couple of days before doing it again. People do it all over the world in some form . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kainor Posted January 22, 2021 Share Posted January 22, 2021 22 hours ago, KhaoYai said: Far more than 1.5 million. Since very few Thai's pay income tax, it would be interesting to know what the world bank base their figures on. Reality probably multiple 5 and up... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KhaoYai Posted January 22, 2021 Share Posted January 22, 2021 8 hours ago, 5633572526 said: Nor will the world bank Which is exactly what I was replying to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KhaoYai Posted January 22, 2021 Share Posted January 22, 2021 21 hours ago, herfiehandbag said: Probably the figures which the government give them. Asked the wife about this - there is no requirement to complete an annual tax return for those with an income below the income tax threshold so the Thai government have no idea of their financial situation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fex Bluse Posted January 22, 2021 Share Posted January 22, 2021 23 hours ago, KhaoYai said: Far more than 1.5 million. Since very few Thai's pay income tax, it would be interesting to know what the world bank base their figures on. World bank generally bases these things on a combination of survey data and data provided by the governments in each country. And therefore only gross approximates of the truth. And, often wildly unreliable Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KhaoYai Posted January 22, 2021 Share Posted January 22, 2021 8 minutes ago, Fex Bluse said: World bank generally bases these things on a combination of survey data and data provided by the governments in each country. And therefore only gross approximates of the truth. And, often wildly unreliable Yes but as I've said in other posts, the Thai governement doesn't have any data. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post geisha Posted January 22, 2021 Popular Post Share Posted January 22, 2021 22 hours ago, ChipButty said: Got to be more than that in Phuket alone When there was the bird flu crisis in Thailand ( can’t remember the year?) I was living in Patong . A big stage was put up on Bangla rd , and free food stalls on each side of the road. Taksin came and gave a good speech to convince the Thais that to eat chickens was not dangerous to their health , and to cook them properly . I sat there having my coffee and was totally shocked at seeing the Thai people who turned up for the food ! You could easily see they were dirt poor, and I’d never seen the like of it. They looked so humble and hungry and I felt so awful for them I was actually crying. I was told they came from the hills and country side around. Back to the future, I have seen more and more destitute families sleeping on roadsides, babies and kids too. I lost my illusions of Thailand long ago. 4 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChipButty Posted January 22, 2021 Share Posted January 22, 2021 Even the freelancers are struggling to make ends meet 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pookondee Posted January 22, 2021 Share Posted January 22, 2021 8 hours ago, condobrit001 said: Surely there is a great opportunity here to retrain these people as rocket scientists or nautical engineers? C'mon man, isnt it enough, they gotta pull Somchai off the rice farm to go to Bangkok and be a chemical engineer and vaccine maker? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kingdong Posted January 22, 2021 Share Posted January 22, 2021 On 1/21/2021 at 10:51 AM, darksidedog said: I suspect the true number of those in dire financial straits, far beyond what "poverty" means is a lot more than 1.5 million. The government has spent lots of money on military hardware, which would have been much better spent right now on its financially distressed people. Why should they?the farangs feed the peop!e in their hour of need in pattaya. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fakser Posted January 22, 2021 Share Posted January 22, 2021 On 1/21/2021 at 12:49 PM, KhaoYai said: Far more than 1.5 million. Since very few Thai's pay income tax, it would be interesting to know what the world bank base their figures on. 8.8% from 70 M = 6.6 M Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
connda Posted January 22, 2021 Share Posted January 22, 2021 Seems a little low. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MartinBangkok Posted January 22, 2021 Share Posted January 22, 2021 Every Thai earning less than 15-20.000 Baht a month is poor. That means about 50 million Thais. At least. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post SupermarineS6B Posted January 22, 2021 Popular Post Share Posted January 22, 2021 1.5 million ? There's probably that much in Bkk alone nevermind the country...... you get up into Isaan it's verging on 4th world up there......... Has TAT been doing these figures ? 3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SW Happy Posted January 22, 2021 Share Posted January 22, 2021 On 1/21/2021 at 5:49 PM, KhaoYai said: Far more than 1.5 million. Since very few Thai's pay income tax, it would be interesting to know what the world bank base their figures on. It certainly would be interesting. If they base it on the Thais that do pay tax you can take the decimal point out of the 1.5 mill. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swimfan Posted January 22, 2021 Share Posted January 22, 2021 On 1/21/2021 at 10:44 PM, jonclark said: Irrespective of how these statistics were arrived at 1.5 more people in poverty, despite government interventions, is a shocking number. I imagine this sadly speaks of the utter devastation covid has brought to the tourist industry and the businesses that support that industry. What government interventions ? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smudger1951 Posted January 22, 2021 Share Posted January 22, 2021 22 hours ago, sammieuk1 said: It will all end in tears when the lid blows off the pressure cooker as it surely will ???? It surely will, I understand thais have a lot of personal debt and when they start losing cars and motorbikes and are still hungry ? ? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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