drdoom6996

I think Yingluck might resign soon. This is not what she signed up for. Her donning of US$350 Burberry boots to visit flood victims without a second thought typifies how far removed from reality she is and she may be close to a nervous breakdown by now, along with Kittirat who also looks close to breaking point in front of the cameras. The only senior PT minister who has not discredited himself in the flood crisis is Chalerm....

Why should she resign?

She did all the important tasks well. Protecting Shinawatra assets, bring family members in key positions and as soon as the water goes away there is a lot bribe money to make on repairing everything.

Exactly

they should engage the army, with their equipment and manpower, from the very beginning. They have hundreds of thousands doing nothing, but highly organised, structure. Generals are probably waiting to be bribed off to offer some help.

You got the first half right but not your conclusion. The Army was begging the PM to declare a SOE so they might more widely deploy their assets to mitigate the flood and provide relief to those afeected. The PM demurred and instead used smaller units and put them under the comtrol of incompetent politicians, with the result being what you see now.

If you look up incompetent in a Thai dictionary it say Thai Politicians.

"The laws would give the authorities the power to forcibly evacuate people or ban them from certain roads or other places. The government has said the decree is not necessary and would hurt investor confidence".

What investor confidence is it that she is talking about.

The Dems had years to address water management issues, including the current crisis which began under their watch, and now we are now seeing the results.

Goodness, so the current gov't could have done nothing better than they have done and it's all the fault of the previous gov't that was in power for a couple of years with two major Red Shirt protests stuck right in the middle.. of course it can't possibly have been looked at during the what 5 or 6 years that the various Thaksin gov'ts were in power before that as well could it?

Your argument is actually quite insulting to anybody with an IQ above 80

I disagree. It is insulting to anyone with an IQ at all.

We have a real, natural crisis, which calls for a State of Emergency so that it can be dealt with effectively but 'State of Emergency' is a dirty phrase since it evokes memories of the army clearing out the red shirts, which of course was a contrived crisis. It's a times like this that the army are useful, and need powers to get on with the job but can't because Yingluck is averse to making the call.

I don't think "State of Emergency" is a dirty phrase at all. The Army is far more effective and trustworthy than the government.

How was the occupation of Bangkok by armed Red Shirt insurgents a "contrived crisis"?

It's only a shame that the army wasn't given the order to clear out the red shirt terrorists earlier.

Boy do I agree with that statement.

Somebody forgot to read the job description of Thai PM to Yingluck before she took the job. Did she really think it would be a walk in the park? Did her brother assure her that his cronies, ahem, advisers would take care of all the day to day operations of running the country and that all she had to do was show up for photo ops, smile a lot, and end all talks with "na ka"?

The title of the article is wrong; it is Thaksin who must decide as Yingluck was never in a position to decide anything to begin with.

Yes YL is inept at making any decisions that effect "The People". But don't let Taksin decide. He wanted Bangkok to burn. What's the difference, burnt down or washed away?

The Dems had years to address water management issues

The Thaksins ver. 1.0, 2.0, 3.0, and now 4.0 had three times as long to address water management issues as the Dems.

.

Agreed, the drains in Pattaya have been plugged up for ten years. The only time they are cleaned out is when it floods. If it is not raining then drains are of little consequence. If it ain't broke don't fix it.

Yeah that's right, don't tell anybody and blame it on the weather radar that can't blame back. What a ridicules statement, "my weather radar is old and that caused the flood". But what will they do with the people that got caught and didn't panic do to a lack of information. TIT

Tis best to pass the blame to the weathermen than to those DAM administrators. No pun intended. This what happens when people who control the dam gates are too afraid to act preemptively to avert disasters such as this. Blamig the weather bureau is the least painful option and may even land them a hefty windfall (ha ha) such as more modern radar equipment. If I may be so bold to say - you don't need those equipment to know when to let some water out of the dam. But then common sense is not common.

So, you advocate letting water out as needed based on the current level of the dam_n? Well, then you should be happy to know that is what they did. Without proper radar and forecasting you are simply left with reacting and not strategically planning. The dam_n situation is just one of many issues that could have been handled better but the bottom line is this was a very bad monsoon season and that is what caused the flooding ... which would be much worse if the infrastructure was not in place. Thailand is just one of a number of countries having severe flooding problems from this season's monsoon.

And if you compare the infrastructure of those countries to Thailand it is just more embarrassing for Thailand.

Funny, I always thought that PR management was the PTP's forte but given the absence of a true leader you'll always end up like this during a crisis. I can imagine the Thai FM and Commerce Ministers having their hands full in the months to come explaining to Japanese investors what went wrong.

Its VERY easy to explain, Although this new government knew well in advance about the looming potental of a huge flood this year, there was something much more important to them... that was finding a way to bring back their Golden Idol, Mr Thaksin... They care about 2 things... bringing the Daddy Mafia home and lining their pockets with tax payers moneys... Water, what water...? And really, which person in government gives a Dam.......

I totally agree with both of these statements. Priorities have been misplaced. Everybody knew it was coming to Bangkok since Chang Mai flooded. The Thai people voted and...........................................................

Red Shirt Philosophy: You are free to campaign anyplace in Thailand for any candidate in Thailand so long as your opinion does not disagree with my preconceived notion of what is right.

Yellow Shirt Philosophy: You are free to campaign anyplace in Thailand for any candidate in Thailand so long as your opinion does not disagree with my preconceived notion of what is right.

All other Shirt Philosophy: You are free to campaign anyplace in Thailand for any candidate in Thailand so long as your opinion does not disagree with my preconceived notion of what is right.

Seems pretty straight-forward to me....

That says it all in a nutshell.

I do wonder why the army isn't just helping, but i think they are not allowed.

I don't know how broad the military's involvement is.... but they're clearly already involved..... How much good they're doing, that's another question.

It was the Army that was in charge of the efforts to keep the flood waters out of a couple of high profile Ayutthaya industrial estates...which ultimately failed...

And I believe they're responsible for some of the supposed canal dredging that's supposed to be going on...as well as some helicopter relief work and supply ferrying...

Whether they have the ability/orders to protect flood dykes from being dismantled by civilians, that's a question I haven't seen asked or answered.

This issue is discussed in a Bangkok Post article published earlier today. Not allowed to link it to this forum

The Military could do more if the government would declare a state of emergency.

The government has known about the impending floods for MONTHS but only ordered the dredging of Bangkok canals yesterday.

Ironic isn't it that during the last campaign Thaksin's party criticized the Democrats for their tardy response to flooding. This year the shoe is on the other foot, with Thaksin's clone Yingluck facing criticism that her government failed to act fast enough to the flood crisis.

Shocking incompetence!

If it aint't broke don't fix it. This statement goes for all infrastructure in all areas of Thailand. Pattaya would not have been so bad, IF THE DRAINS HAD BEEN CLEANED OUT! IN Thailand foresight is doing nothing until something happens or you need it.

So 3 different opinions it seems, pm says bkk will be safe, govenor not so sure and now the military calling for emergency measures.

Glad to see we are all on the same page.

In other news, tide is coming back in and river is rising as expected-looks similar to yesterday.

Welcome to the land of miracle smiles.

"Thaksin might not be the most honest and ethical man in the Kingdom, but overthrowing him in a coup was wrong and deplorable"

So Thaksin breaking the law it's OK, but law must be upheld at all costs... except for Thaksin.... and no double standards!

And not to forget that at that moment Thaksin wasn't premier anymore. His 3 month caretaker time was expired and there were not enough MPs.

No No No we have to forget that. God will be returning. And the rule of the law that still exists will be leaving.

Better question is to wonder why a head of such a prestigious university with a decent history of political activism actually accepted the request to help write the constitution under the military government.

Of course, brownie points for time served weren't to be expected. Some people just can't help themselves, but there are certain types of people who shouldn't be so obviously politicisied. His job is to run a university, pinning his flag to an army coup isn't the smartest thing in the world to do. But of course, the pooyai thinks he is above criticism, so, so be it. He obviously comes from the same school of political science as Kasit.

MONEY

This person isn't pro-Thaksin and if you know the history of Thammassat and its stand against military dictatorships you'll know that he's right. However, he's treading a dangerous line if you read between the lines of what he's saying. Students at Thammassat have frequently been the target of military and extrajudicial police purges in the past because they have spoken up too often about freedom and democracy. During bad old days students there were hung from trees and beaten to death.

He may not be pro Thaksin but I find it amusing that he states that the military must respect the law and the government and yet pointedly ignores all the times Thaksin hasn't! Thaksin to him is just someone who 'might not be the most honest and ethical man in the Kingdom'. Hardly seems fair don't you think?

Thanksin wasn't a military dictator but he sure as Hell was trying to be one. Luckily he got thrown out first.

Correct

All they need to do is take a legal system or constitution word for word from another country which has a constitutional monarchy as its system and follow the rules.

This endless "thai-ification" of laws simply ends up with the law being subverted. The system is either capable of standing rigorous testing or not. The mere fact that they keep re-writing bits and bobs here and there to suit the flavour of the day shows that it is not capable of explaining and codifying what the roles of the army, parliament, civil service and their relationship to and the rights of the people.

Of course, this will never happen because how could it be possible to implement a foreign concept into Thai culture the people will cry? But then they can't have their cake and eat it. The constitution in Thailand has been subvertered, re-written, bent and busted so many times because this is exactly the way some people want it. They don't want a clear, concise and simple role for the parties I mentioned earlier that stands the test of time, because it would render hundreds of powerbrokers completely redundant over night, or make it far more simple for the people to hold them accountable for their decisions and conduct.

My daughters teachers told her that she would get 100% on her test as the Thai constitution is ever changing and the teachers can't explain it properly. Even if they do explain it properly, it gets changed. Then the teachers have to try and explain/teach the children why. Example, Taksin changers the law the day before he sells Shincorp so he pays no taxes. How many people and projects would that tax money have helped?

Thaksin is once again being used to explain all the bad things that have gone wrong in our domestic politics.

That is so wrong! Not sure where the writer was during Thaksin was in power.

"he was the main driving force" for all this mess. "He amplifies all the bad thai's habit to the new level." He shows it. with the right amount of money, tactic and timing he can do whatever and no one can touch him under what i call twisted democracy!

Then the military feel the same and they did what they have done. Those wearing yellow feel the same, they close down the airport and gave full support to the military. The red saw it and they too want to do the same and they burn down Bangkok.

Thaksin might not be the most honest and ethical man in the Kingdom, but overthrowing him in a coup was wrong and deplorable.

Now that I am totally agree.

Thailand without military coups? It could be in dream. I don't know if they have class in "how to launch a coups" in the thai's military academy or not. It seem like they must have.

( just look at the country's history of democracy!)

What history of democracy??

The Army were dead right to oust Thaksin, Thailand was headed for another Phillipine-like, Marcos dictatorship with Thaksin at the helm.... the only way out was the quiet and silent coup. At that time almost no one in Thailand complained , it was so obvious what Thaksin was up to. It was a coup for the people and for freedom ..... and for "True Democracy"....!

Can you please explain how a coup is democratic. Lots of countries have democracies but they weren't the results of coups they were the reults of elections. A minority stages a coup and that is democracy? geez I would hate to live under your regime. The likes of Burma and many other places around the world were the results of coups, democracies I think not.

THIS IS NOT A DEMOCRACY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

What about the Goverment respecting the law ,the Boss as proved already he doesnt

Right On. I wonder where that company gets its money from?

It sure would be nice if they stopped promising stuff they can't do or provide.

Looks like somebody woke up.

I can only say that it is too bad. But, "If it seems too good to be true it usually is".

As the reds champion democracy, how democratic is the establishment of these red villages?

Who decided that they were red? Where in a democracy do you have such enclaves?

Alas, the general ignorance of the populace and their idolisation of moolah, please don't tell me Thailand is in anyway educated or Buddhist, has them thinking that democracy equals zero tolerance and government handouts. The fact that the handouts are a pittance and will stop when those in power have established their Hitlerite regime never occurs to them.

Was there a coincidence in the Nazi parade being in Chiang Mai. You only have to look at their leader's ranting speaches to realise who his role model is.

Good luck Thailand. You're gonna need it.

Oh come now. Democracy is not the goal. The goal is to stir the pot more rapidly. It's not going fast enough for the people who voted for this rabble. And they want what was promised now. And they still believe Mr. T can give it to them even if his sister does not give it to them. What they don't understand is they are getting all they are going to get. Everybody that can read knew the current government could not keep 95% of their promises.

Can you imagine you have to live in such a village?

Things in Thailand are getting more and more like Germany under Hitler and The Soviet Union under Stalin.

It's 'Heil Thaksin' or else.

I'm trying to imagine why I still live in Thailand. 7 months to go on my lease.