virtualtraveller

it's pointless calling an election in Thailand 'democracy', it's a joke, we all know that, Peua Thai knows that, and they've got the dosh, so they're laughing all the way to a win-win situation.

Pulling out all the stops to legitimise an election that will mostly likely be a farce.

it amounts to 1,000 baht per head, seems rather excessive to me. And if a third of the electorate follow a directive to boycott, it will be an incredible waste of money. They will, non-the-less, go ahead in a futile attempt to legitimise themselves.

It's a complex situation, you cannot read it in black and white if you properly follow politics. On the surface Suthep seems fascist, to say those that support the overthrow of the Thaksin cancer on democracy are fascist for agreeing with his initiative is naive. A lot of us recognise he's off his rocker and being unreasonable, but put it in prospective to the utter BS we've all put up with for two years under a so-called 'elected govt' that turned out to be a one-man whitewash and money-grab 'whatever' and you can see why 400,000 people turned out to follow this fascist.

His suggestions for a people's council seem far fetched but if managed properly, without any controlling influence from either him or PT, we have the potential for a unelected temporary council to reform democracy and avoid an endless cycle of phoney elections that produce a govt so self-serving that they draw the biggest ever protest crowds in Thailand's history.

Face it, Yingluck has been a disaster, and simply having an election to solve the deadlock will just return us, in due course, to the same deadlocked disaster situation. Thus, Suthep's neo-fascist suggestion starts to gain traction, blame it then on our politicians.

One last thing, as long as farangs live here, pay tax, lose business to this nonsense we have every right to comment even if we are denied the vote.

This case has had a very significant bearing on the way Yingluck has dealt with this protest. She simply cannot afford a single death from ordering a crackdown else she too goes on trial. In the end she was forced to dissolve the house.

Abhisit could score big here if he got to sit in jail. Would put Thaksin's exile and balls, in true perspective. Incarcerating the leader of the opposition ahead of an election would certainly make front page of the international papers. Make a mockery of Yingluck. Do it Abby, you know this trial will collapse.

Quite apparent that at least 48% of the electorate are simply too immature and lack the mental capacity to participate in an electoral process. Most serious observers agree that a better solution is for a benevolent force to lead the country while education levels and judicial/law enforcement systems are drastically improved. Suthep would be as good as anybody to assume power for the next decade to allow the democratic bedrock to be laid squarely and without the corruption and violence that has become synonymous with regime Shinawat.

The guy was being sarcastic, you all missed that.

Prompong said the meeting 'would' unanimously vote - anyone see a democratic flaw in the ruling party's election of a number 1 candidate (this would violate the EC rules btw).

So, now you see why elections are a waste of time and a 'people's council' though unelected, probably a healthier short term solution. I'm sure if PT and Dems and others put their heads together, each given a few veto votes, they could come up with a sensible temporary govt to oversee a proper 'people's' charter, before wasting time on another election in which 48% of the country think that Yingluck was a good idea for prime minister.

This should be interesting!

Typical in-yer-face PT move that demonstrates a pig-headed, ostrich in the sand, attitude. Obviously haven't learnt a single thing from 250,000 voices on the streets.

They might have waited a few weeks before announcing that they are still very much the Shinawatra political party. A little tact might have avoided adding fuel to the fire.

Idiots.

This was key, Thaksin really needed these to go through before new election, now he may not win back outright majority in which case coalition partners can 'check and balance' him

And he couldn't get his hands on the 2 trillion vote buying money.

I'm active on it, post often, their moderating seems irrational but they at least edit strictly, unlike arm (well no comment), so it's better quality comment. Most the posters are anti-govt, post too much and they get selective.

One thing I've noticed in the past few days is it's been hijacked by a very obvious vote buying campaign whereby all of a sudden comments supporting Yingluck get way more likes than dislikes, which is totally counter to the usual trend, it only occurs on specific articles and it's so damned obvious because the likes run into the 100s which is very unusual. Basically, someone somewhere with access to lots of computers is clicking away in a blatant attempt to affect public opinion. Police state?

I find it hilarious when she comes out with such statements while just days earlier Thaksin orders his cousin Surapong to take over CAPO and go on the offensive with super loyal policemen set on protest leaders like a pack of dogs, seeking arrest warrants. The fingerprints of Thaksin all over that move eh?

Elections as soon as possible? What about the reform talks she was talking about a few days ago? What's the point, Dems will boycott like they did in April 2006, since it's too easy an exit to gain a fresh mandate and pretend nothing is wrong. One could say Yingluck won't win an outright majority this time, a potential game changer, but on the other hand Thaksin likely has BJT factions bought off, so it's debatable whether they will actually be punished at the ballot for their two years of mis-management. Thus we can see Suthep's point that this democracy is broken and elections are a waste of time for now.

Because their leader told them to quit.

Good excuse for the coup.

The boss said they would all get their jobs back and some money.

Thinking about this makes it all the more funny.

So all the minority group has to do in Parliment to oust the majority ruling party in the UK is to simply resign?

No election needed is there for you in Thailand who wear yellow?

My oh my are those Republicans in America stupid then. They hate the President there and you say if they all simply resigned they could get a committee to run the nation and no election needed?

OH--that only works here you say.

OK--and the UN will not like it?

But you do not care as long as you are not hammered with trade sanctions like Myanmar was.

If that happens, you go to plan B and have an election and lose again.

If the Baht goes to 45, better for exports is it.

Besides, it is not as if you caould ever win an election with the current hate for your group is it.

Good plan BUT

What if the other side fights back or what if the PM refuses to leave office and simply calls for another election?

What?

You use the army again?

How old fashion of you.

Myanmar reborn to the east.

Good point, same applies to the Red Shirt tactic to oust the previous govt and force an election, BUT when a govt like this has lost all sense of legitimacy (read newspapers over last 2 years if you disagree) then it becomes understandable that the Dems quit en-mass, why be part of a farcical parliament in which it ultimately all depends on the dictating of one unelected individual.

Surapong orders arrest of Blue Sky executives

Good luck with that, haven't you figured it out yet, last time you let Dubai tell you what to do it ended disastrously.

Just too absurd for words, kind of like joining the dots to make Abhisit a murderer, it really gets me down that such stupidity is found in the upper echelons of this country's leadership. Please, tell me that even the Red faithful don't buy into such nonsense.

Doesn't surprise me, Surapong and Thaksin are cut from the same cloth, being cousins, just the sort of absurd idiotic offensive you would expect.

By mutual agreement, the army could stage a 'mock coup', tear up the charter and appoint a people's govt, that has both Dem and PT and others in it, with a neutral, acceptable PM selected by Yingluck herself. Write a new charter together, have a referendum to get the people to agree to the whole thing in the first place. Leave the king out of it.

A junior coalition member? Must be one of those free-loading, ideology-less parties with about 2.5 seats in parliament, paid to weigh on with this super important bit of gossip.

Good for her. Following through sincerely on this might restore my respect for her, it's in tatters at the moment. Here's her moment of truth

Would love to have been a fly on the wall in that meeting. Specifically, to see the look on the face of poor traumatised Yingluck, and to read between the lines in the poker faced military looking on.