Survey: Thailand heading in the wrong direction

The survey, conducted on 1,500 Thais in 26 provinces, said that 58 per cent believe the nation is going in the wrong direction, with 64 per cent of them blaming the bad economic situation.

According to 60 per cent of respondents, the economic crisis is Thailand's biggest problem, followed by the ongoing political conflicts (24 per cent). Some 67 per cent of the respondents feel their own economic situation has deteriorated in the past two years.

Despite this, 53 per cent are satisfied with the current government and see democracy as the best form of government (95 per cent), even though 68 per cent agree it makes decisions difficult, because there is always conflict.

However - even if 70 per cent are satisfied with democracy in Thailand and twothirds see the nation as a democratic one, 80 per cent of Thais are still not convinced they have influence over national government decisions, with the majority feeling alienated by their politicians.

The survey also found a large portion of respondents are politically tolerant (79 per cent), meaning they would accept all political parties to hold meetings in their areas. This is the highest percentage compared to other countries in the region where the foundation has conducted similar surveys in the last decade.

The foundation's country representative, Dr. James Klein said the survey showed Thais have a "very deep and sophisticated understanding of democracy."

Currently, Parliament is discussing amendments to the 2007 constitution.

The survey found that a large majority of Thais (84 per cent) want these changes to be ratified by a referendum, while twothirds want public participation in shaping the amendments.

The controversial Article 237 - where political parties can be dissolved if any senior executives are convicted of electoral fraud - should not be subject to change, according to 62 per cent of participants. However 69 per cent think convicted politicians should not be pardoned, and more than half want the pardon for the coupmakers of 2006 revoked.

"The results show Thais are tired of the impunity of powerful elites," said Tim Meisburger of the Asia Foundation, who directed the nationwide survey.

The survey also asked Thai citizens about their trust in various institutions, resulting in high percentages for the courts (64 per cent) and the Army (44 per cent). The police are seen as the least trusted institution, with 39 per cent ranking their integrity as low or very low. They are also regarded as the most biased (84 per cent), equal to the media (84 per cent) and the electoral commission (67 per cent).

The results should provide lawmakers, politicians and other influential persons with a comprehensive picture of the Thai electorate, the foundation said while presenting the survey in Bangkok on Wednesday.