BigMountain

Yes but they did not overthrow the elected government. And apart from two occasions over 40 years ago they did not kill their own people. Neither did I! Try to think things through a bit before your knee jerk comments and use of insults. It's not very clever.

How about concentrating on the relevant comment from siampolee, instead of pretending to ignore them: "No matter what the status you perceive the current Prime Minister to be he seems to be trying to clean up some of the corruption that has flourished without restraint over the recent years and indeed many years before"

Prayuth has achieved more in the months that he has been in charge, than prior governments, put together, in decades.

Off topic...but what specifically has he done "in the months he has been charge"? thats better than "prior governments, put together, in decades"? You can't make a statement like that on this forum without evidence.

I was stopped by the Thonglor police for a urine check 2 years ago. I don't believe they had anything to check it with and they were just trying to shake me up, but I didn't give them a single baht and they got bored of me after a while and let me go. Regardless, I heard of the military checking in on the seedy massage joints around their jurisdiction and I agree that the increase in police shake-ups is a way to compensate for the loss of revenue. Corruption to the core. Glad I moved the business elsewhere....good luck

I am starting to have my doubts about Sean's accusations too. Take a look at this video of him singing with his guitar, seems like a wacky guy to me. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SNSKUvkPHYo&feature=player_embedded

Are you for real?

He's performing a Pixies cover, and pretty well too, I think.

Agreed, thats a classic Pixies song and in good taste

all the anger towards the US is quite hilarious. I hope they end all military assistance, the quicker the better

I'll take Thailand any day over the US. Yea, why don't you go back there? The land of private companies determining your credit ratings and dictating what public services you're eligible for, where the people operating TV cameras at stop lights look to see if your tire merely touches the white line so they can send you a $750 fine, where if you carry too much cash in public you can be detained and your money confiscated as suspected "drug money," where courts order you who to hire and even sell your property to, where being too critical of Obama gets you a visit from secret service, where the military uses US citizens as cannon fodder to service the greed of banksters, oil companies, pharmaceutical cartels, and Hollywood cyber monopolists. My personal anger towards the US predates the martial law declaration by decades. These threats from the Ichabod Crane in the State Department are merely the latest moves in preserving the greedy desire of American oligarchs to enrich themselves and their vassals at the cost of average people's security and safety throughout Thailand.

feel better now? lol

Meanwhile, HRW puts out a strong statement saying the opposite:

http://www.hrw.org/node/125713

He sounds like one of my students

The Bangkok Post to which we can't link here has made a breathtaking in its audacity op-ed piece about the real game at play here ( called Thaksin's Real War) and made hints that can surely only have been approved at the highest level at what is really going on. Maybe the game is about to change.

Excellent read, thanks. That's what I hear too from Thai, when you can get their confidence. He didn't mention a couple points, but I think only because they are not central to his opinion. Certainly he hit the nail on the head. I too wonder what approval he would have.

good read, thanks for the heads up

Definitely pathetic. Although, he's right on one count...Suthep sure is easy pickings! The whole protest since November speaks to an utter lack of creativity on Suthep and the PDRC. Mocking Suthep and his ridiculous rants is the only entertaining aspect of this very tragic situation (OK...Chalerm too!).

Did you forget the 2 years before November. democratically elected government--fouling up everything they touched.---Sutheps going so how about not being in denial---you did mention Chalerm---you forgot the rest.

Denial? ... I have no idea what you are talking about. You are sounding a big hysterical ginjag, maybe its a good time to take a TVF break for the night!

That's brought 11 of you out very quick, just up your street, another thread about government blunders--no one.

Spot on ginjag, 11 of them led by #1 resident troll "phiphidon" himself.

So obvious the cowards trawl through the forum looking for easy pickings. And their silence is deafening on the many topics focusing on Chalerm, redshirt atrocities like children being killed by the red scumbags, rice farmers being ripped off etc.

What a pack of gutless trolls !

Another keyboard tough guy. Pathetic. Atrocities indeed, total BS.

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Definitely pathetic. Although, he's right on one count...Suthep sure is easy pickings! The whole protest since November speaks to an utter lack of creativity on Suthep and the PDRC. Mocking Suthep and his ridiculous rants is the only entertaining aspect of this very tragic situation (OK...Chalerm too!).

Sure. The protesters clean up after themselves, but they leave their bombs behind.

Pity that they did not clean up... Even the PDRC journalist Michael Yon put some pictures yesterday with the rubbish devastated park.

Staff from BMA is doing the cleaning.

And about bombs discovered... They could have been planted, or be left behind, nothing changes. Violent thugs are on both sides, so nothing is a surprise anymore.

Exactly. The bombs could have been planted but it is just as likely they actually belonged to PDRC guards as claimed. Neither one is out of the realm of possibility. However, the PDRC trashed the park, and given the amount of time they occupied it, probably aren't even aware of what was left behind.

The PDRC came out with a clever PR campaign to "clean up the park" before they left. All they did was get a handful of BMA employees and cameras and many people fell for it.

The biggest flaw in the idiot Suthep's plan is that he doesn't really have one, he is just winging it. This whole thing seem to be just a personal vendetta by Suthep against Thaksin and people are getting hurt in his private little bitching.

The notion that this has been some grand game of chess is silly. Its more like watching the same movie over and over again.

Ginjag you are just never going to be able to convince me and many others that reform before elections is pro democracy. Parties should contest elections on policy platforms of reform. ASEAN and the UN could provide monitoring support to ensure a democratic election.

If your party is innocent why are you suggesting monitoring ??? before said that your PTP was clean are you saying it isn't clean and needs monitoring???

I think Asean is aware now of the governments record, and is awaiting court verdicts. You cannot have a democratic PTP because the 3 years have proved the opposite.

It's not my party

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Please go home uncle suthep. You sound completely unhinged.

Geoman makes great points. Thx for the info.

Sutheps crew trashed lumphini and now its disgusting. I used to love taking my family there on weekends. Hopefully it recovers

But. ... what about suthep and his d-day(s)?

Finally got to watch the video. Well done Vice on another great short doc that gets to the heart of the matter. These guys have been doing this for years.

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Yes elections are the only way out of this. Allow asean and the UN monitor, then put an elected govt in place. Its the only way forward

This is funny....obviously the udd doesnt have the numbers. They are bankrupt

Please dont include me with the suthep backers tho...hes just as bankrupt. Win for the thai ppl...now find a real leader ! And elect him before the old powers appoint their person and further mess up thailand with their antiquated systems

thats why everyone wants reform before an election..to shake up this pile of dung

Yes everybody wants reform but the ppl proposing it are the same ol same ol! Every old hand is on the scene!

it makes not the slightest bit of difference who proposes it..its whether its implemented and adhered to me thinks..what has this country got to lose if it doesnt try at least to give it a go..

And thats precisely the difference between us: we both agree reform is needed but we disagree on who should be conducting. I hold no faith in suthep and his cronies and superiors!

This is funny....obviously the udd doesnt have the numbers. They are bankrupt

Please dont include me with the suthep backers tho...hes just as bankrupt. Win for the thai ppl...now find a real leader ! And elect him before the old powers appoint their person and further mess up thailand with their antiquated systems

thats why everyone wants reform before an election..to shake up this pile of dung

Yes everybody wants reform but the ppl proposing it are the same ol same ol! Every old hand is on the scene!

This is funny....obviously the udd doesnt have the numbers. They are bankrupt

Please dont include me with the suthep backers tho...hes just as bankrupt. Win for the thai ppl...now find a real leader ! And elect him before the old powers appoint their person and further mess up thailand with their antiquated systems

This is no comment one way or the other on Suthep's verbal ramblings... But just a question.

Is there any real difference between a military coup, of which Thailand has had made, vs. a, for lack of a better term, a "people's coup"?

AFAIK, the military have no legal right under any Thai law to overthrow a sitting, elected Thai government -- no matter how bad it may be. Yet they've done so many times.

So how would a people's coup be any different -- other than that the military has the weapons and force to better execute such a thing, compared to the average citizens on the street. Although, these days, based on the numbers of shootings and grenade attacks occurring, the citizens on the street seem to be pretty well armed.

This struck me as odd, as well. He seems to think that a military coup is acceptable based on historical precedent, but a "people's coup" has no precedent, and therefore unacceptable. I happen to agree with most everything he writes here regarding Suthep's speech folly (geez man, you weren't supposed to actually come out and SAY it!), but it does unintentionally shed light on the role of the military in Thai politics.