jamesbrock

3 hours ago, Buffy Frobisher said:

He's clearly never taken a ride on the Ram Intra/Chalong Rat Expressway in peak hour! I live out at Soi Watcharapol, and what used to be a 35 minute run in peak hour is now no less than 1.5 hours...on a good day!  How about the dear Pol Gen Chakthip gets all his "traffic police" OFF the expressways in the morning, stop them blocking on and off ramps and trying to control traffic flow, and let the expressways do their job. The ONLY time it is ever a good run these days is when the the cops take a day off.

I never fail to be amused by those traffic cops blocking a lane waving traffic along the way they would have gone had he not been there in the first place... In most cases they are utterly pointless.

15 minutes ago, tgeezer said:

I was told that the flooding in 2011 was due to holding water back in order not to lose a rice crop to flooding. Had the dams been relieved earlier there would have been time for water to drain at a rate which the river could handle. I was surprised that they arrested the flooding at the canal South of Chatuchak. They know what they are doing and since my place didn't flood I can afford to believe him.

Yes, that is apparently the case. Director of the RID Hydrology Department, Suthep Noipairoj, said at the time that they reduced dam discharge from April because agricultural lands downstream were already flooded.

They just weren't prepared for the La Nina-enhanced monsoons and tropical storms.

1 hour ago, halloween said:

The other major difference is that Bhumipol dam is already discharging heavily, causing some low level flooding, in anticipation of the coming inflow.

I'd say, in my ignorance, that if any dam should be discharging, it is the Sirikit - it's closer to capacity, and rising far more rapidly than the Bhumibol. 

Edit: But I'm sure they are spooked by the failures of the RID in 2011 by not discharging enough water early enough to cope with the monsoonal rains.

In June and July they were discharging on average 4.5 million m³/day from Bhumibol, after Tropical Storm Nock Ten hit on 31 July they increased the discharge to an average 22 million m³/day. In September this increased again to 26 million m³/day (avg), and, again in October, they were discharging 77 million m³/day (avg).

From Sirikit, the discharge rates averaged 54 million m³/day from August 1 to October 14, five times more than in June and July.

Of course we can all remember this pearl of wisdom from the then Science Minister...

As a comparison, Bhumibol dam is currently at 43% capacity.

and Sirikit is at 74%.

7 hours ago, colinneil said:

Anything that Prayut and his cronies can do to make previous governments look bad is being done.

How ironic it is, then, that every thing they do makes the previous governments look good!

Well of course, but it has nothing to do with anything the junta has, hasn't, might or might not do.

• Rainfall in March 2011 over northern Thailand was 344% above the mean. 
• Bhumibol Dam in particular received 242.8 mm of rain, well above the normal 25.2 mm.
• Since 1 January the dam had accumulated 245.9 mm, 216.0 mm or 186% above normal.
• The monsoons that started in May and brought the highest levels of rainfall in Thailand in the previous 50 years.
• Major flooding began as Tropical Storm Nock-ten raged through 14 northern provinces, killing 7, from 31 July. 
• At the end of September 2011 Bhumibol Dam and Sirikit Dam were 97% and 99% full respectively.

There is a vast difference between the starting point in 2001 and this year's starting point, and it has zero to do with the junta's management.

Bangkok will flood, that's a given, but, no, it won't be as bad as 2011/2012. That being said I'm curious to see how the junta handles the floods it's going to get...

1 hour ago, Inyourendo said:

 

They have boats and submarines at the ready .... prop power.

 

As for the eco environment ... yes, pristine environment needs looking  after .. if there was one in anywhere in los

Yes, understandably, the BMA thinks an environmental impact assessment study is not necessary because the project is categorised as a "bicycle lane".

I think the powers that be are so keen to get their snouts into the trough and divide the 30-40% of 35 billion baht amongst themselves, that they completely ignore the very real possibility that "the promenade would make water beneath it putrid because the slower river flow from the poles would trap garbage in the river."

I read one article that said there was also going to be a 3.7-metre high flood wall running along the length the promenade blocking off all the canals it crosses.

1 hour ago, Baerboxer said:

Same old defense of no defense. What about him, her, them etc. 

 

When are we going to actually hear or read your defense to the specific charges made against you? 

But that's exactly the same argument you and others use whenever someone talks about the untouchable junta and its cronyism.

1 hour ago, Baerboxer said:

When are we going to actually hear or read your defense to the specific charges made against you? 

I'm pretty certain she's made many public statements about the junta's witch hunt if you cared to look, but her quite valid point can be gleaned from mtls2005's post below:

1 hour ago, mtls2005 said:

Out of one corner of the mouth comes a justification for using "special powers", while out of the other corner comes the prevarication that everything is being done "according" to the "law".

 

He really has no sense of shame, or irony.

 

The void in whatever minimal moral authority might have existed here has been filled by this man.

1 minute ago, Baerboxer said:

Difficult to fight corruption when the whole pile is thoroughly corrupt to the core.

That I certainly agree with. 

16 minutes ago, smedly said:

just to put this into perspective, we are comparing tendered for contracts  to the value of 20m baht I believe - to the rampant pillage and thieving of trillions of baht over several decades

No, you and a few others are comparing that.

Everyone else is comparing YL's general incompetence and other peoples' thieving (she hasn't been found to have personally thrived or profited in any way, remember) to Preecha's son's firm "winning" seven projects with the 3rd Army Region between December 2014 and April this year worth a combined 97 million baht. Allegations that Preecha admitted occurred.

As I wrote in another post, Chart Thai Pattana controlled the Agriculture Ministry, who the Irrigation Department is under, in both the Abhisit and Yingluck governments. I suggest they look at the facts rather than continue their witch hunt.

However, it should be noted that blaming anyone for floods five years ago is not going to distract anyone from their incompetence and illegitimacy.

1 hour ago, Thechook said:

 international "OVERNIGHT" visitor arrivals, with 21.47 million arrivals projected for this year.

 

So these are people who are purely transiting through Thailand and not actually selecting Thailand as thier holiday destination.   Is TAT counting these people on a stopover as part of thier record breaking tourist numbers.

From the report: "City level international overnight arrivals are those who actually stay in the destination city for at least one night. In other words we only count cases where the disembarkation city is also an overnight destination city. This is opposed to cases where the disembarkation city is merely a transit point while the destination city maybe some other city in the same country."

41 minutes ago, Rorri said:

I would like to know where the numbers come from, if from AOT then it includes arrival and departures as well as demestic travellers, let's  face it Bangkok is not that attractive as a tourist destination.

"The sources for city level overnight arrivals by foreign visitors are typically the National Statistics Boards of the relevant countries or their Tourism Boards."

We all know how TAT like to exaggerate, so the figures in the report are a projection based on official TAT figures - is it any wonder Bangkok came out on top?

31 minutes ago, Rorri said:

I do agree, but where in Thailand would you find someone pure enough, strong enough and untouchable to stand up to cha cha.

You can't. Thanks to the plethora of laws prohibiting free speech, no one is untouchable; so those who are pure enough and strong enough to not only stand up to the general, but defend free speech on all matters, aren't in Thailand.

It's all quite convenient when one controls an illegitimate "government."

Well, he left himself wide open for this by saying that he applies the law equally. Time to put his money where his mouth is.

Right, so police "reform" is not actually "reform." Who'd have guessed?

13 hours ago, AGareth2 said:

brave comments on her FB page

No matter what you think of her, you can't really argue with what she wrote: 

Quote

"Since the prime minister has given a confirmation from his own mouth that the legal actions against me are based on the law and are not persecution, I would like him to apply the same logic and justice to me as he does to ensure justice and protection for his brother and other people who are regarded to be on his side.  All laws should be applied to everyone, not discriminately against my side."

Quote

The prime minister also defended that the BE 2539 act regarding liability of wrongful acts involving state officials has been invoked to deal with more than 5,000 cases and not just invoked against those responsible for the rice pledging scheme.

Good, so we can expect to see charges and asset seizure orders for those responsible for the blimp, plane-less aircraft carrier, dodgy chinese APC's, the Chinese jets that had engine lifespans measured in hours, the engine-less harriers, the GT-200?

What's that? Statute of Limitations? How fortuitous. Perhaps you can charge Yingluck for malfeasance in office in accordance with Section 157 of the Criminal Code because she didn't charge you??

11 minutes ago, Baerboxer said:

You think there was any scrutiny before?

Yawn.

11 minutes ago, Baerboxer said:

I was involved with the ADB during end of the Abhisit regime the early years of the Yingluck/Thaksin regime. The consensus was that the amount creamed off public funded project budgets went up from around 20% to 30%. 

"Our assessment points to a significant increase in cost to the procurement process of up to 30-40%."

http://government.defenceindex.org/generate-report.php?country_id=5652

By the look of this image, it looks like drone they're using is based on a Penguin B.

According to Drone Life, the Penguin B starts at US$17,650 

http://dronelife.com/cms/product/Penguin-B-UAV-platform

5 minutes ago, jamesbrock said:

"Thailand’s GI ranking in Band E places it in the “very high” risk category for corruption in the defence and security sector.   Since the May 2014 military coup, there has been no independent scrutiny of defence policy by the legislature, a lack of budget transparency, and insufficient institutional measures concerning most aspects of the procurement cycle. While pre-coup anti-corruption organisations like the National Anti-Corruption Commission still enjoy a quasi-legal status, they lack sufficient influence to curtail military involvement with the proliferation of organized crime in southern Thailand or ghost soldiers. Taken together, these corruption risks not only pose a serious threat to the stability of the state but fundamentally undermine its accountability to the people of Thailand."

NNT Headline: Government Defence Anti-Corruption Index praises Thailand for maintaining NACC

2 hours ago, rooster59 said:

He noted transparency is the first line of defense against all forms of corruption. 

"Thailand’s GI ranking in Band E places it in the “very high” risk category for corruption in the defence and security sector.   Since the May 2014 military coup, there has been no independent scrutiny of defence policy by the legislature, a lack of budget transparency, and insufficient institutional measures concerning most aspects of the procurement cycle. While pre-coup anti-corruption organisations like the National Anti-Corruption Commission still enjoy a quasi-legal status, they lack sufficient influence to curtail military involvement with the proliferation of organized crime in southern Thailand or ghost soldiers. Taken together, these corruption risks not only pose a serious threat to the stability of the state but fundamentally undermine its accountability to the people of Thailand."

Source: http://government.defenceindex.org/countries/thailand/

2 hours ago, JAG said:

It won't work.

It is just another agency with powers to arrest, seize and prosecute.

Just another cog in the repression machine.

 

31 minutes ago, Tatsujin said:

I like the optimism.

Of course it won't work. Of course those two 'ifs' would never be the case. I was just leaving the conclusion up to others. 

It will only work if:

1. the EC is cleaner than every other government agency. If not, then it's just another funnel for corruption.
2. the EC is free from the influence and/or meddling of the junta/government.

12 minutes ago, halloween said:

In one 300,000 tonne secret deal, Siam Indica, a company run by one of her brother's cronies, made a B900 million profit, while the people of Thailand suffered a B3.3 billion loss. Hard to imagine their wasn't a kickback or profit sharing arrangement in place.

Agreed, very hard to imagine. But one needs more than imagination to justify seizing someone's personal assets. If any crusade could convert "close ties" to "personally profited," the junta witch hunt via the Thai (in)justice system can. When they do so, I'll cheer the seizing of her assets alongside you.