SamMunich

First CAPO, then CMPO, next ISA (again), they all need money to pay the attendance allowance of all members at the rate of several thousand Baht a minute...

"Hey, we're in politics for the money, not for showing responsibility for the state!"

Another question I could not find an answer yet:
What changes from SoE to ISA, in term of what the government can do or may not do???

gcbruk wrote:

Why do you think visa runs are horrible? I do regular runs to Mai Sai from Chiang Mai. OK it's a long bus trip but I usually overnight there or in Chiang Rai to break the journey and enjoy the evenings. Visa runs can be fun, at least the one I do. What is it that make visa runs horrible from other locations? I'm interested because I think sometimes of relocating and would 'factor in' areas which have the horriblest runs. Which are the worst? Is it more than just a question of distance?

I can only support this, especially if it is only every 90 days or so.

From Bangkok/Pattaya it is something like 2,000 Baht, hop on a minivan in the earliest morning (and continue to sleep on the bus), do teh border run and get a free breakfast buffet (incl in the price), run teh minivan back to home and arrive wome time in the early afternoon, if traffic permits.

OR fly up to Chiang Rai or down to Had Yai. If you know, when you're due, you can order the tickets so early and so cheap, that the price is close to that of a bus trip. In Dec I ordered a ticket for Feb BKK-Chiang Rai-BKK for below 1,700 Baht. When there, take a bus to Mae Sai or from Had Yai by van to Padang Besar, each time a ride of less than 2 hours. Burma charges 500 Baht, Malaysia nothing for the visa. Fly on day one, re-enter Thailand on day two and fly back on day three. Or stay a bit longer, if you can, so making it a mini-holiday.

Quite frankly, my attitude is to use this as a chance to get out of the usual routine...

Sure the court can rule on it, just like in any other country of this world, but only on the formal aspect of this or any other law.

The court did NOT say, the law is good or bad, the court said it was created in a formally wrong way. If the Shins had adhered to the correct way, no court would have rejected this law. But these things like how to take the correct path to spend government money is something the Shins and Co never learned... Their attitude has always been "Might is Right".

What I think is a great relieve for all taxpayers is the fact, that most likely the money missing for the pay-outs to the farmers would have come from this 2 trillion Baht budget. And it would have meant, that the rice pledging would have gone on for the next couple of years... until Thailand would have been completely broke. But by then all the politcians and other bloodsuckers would have had their pockets full and left the country.

Sounds as if the UK visa rules are different from the German visa rules.

The last visa I got was at the end of October last years at a honorary consulate in Germany and that was a Non-Im - O with multiple entries, good for a year, as I'm >50 years old. For that I had to proof at least 1,000 Euro for each requested month, i.e. 12K Euros. No problem, issued in one go. Of course now I have to leave the country at least every 90 days, but quite frankly I don't mind, as it gives me a chance to visit other border areas North or South or fly to neighbouring countries.

And my experience has always been, that honorary consulates are more lenient than embassies or official consulates. Must be, because they need the fees more than the official ones...

I wonder, if foreigners are allowed to listen without being threatened to be deported afterwards.
It would be interesting especially for all those foreign reporters, who have been complaining, that the protesters have no plan how to proceed after the downfall of the Taksinistas.

That is not one million tons of rice we should be talking about but one million liters of hot air, emanating from the Commerce ministry, enough to float several hot-air balloons...

The whole thing is to keep the farmers hoping, that a wonder will happen nevertheless and they will get their promised money.

Well, fat chance...

If the farmers were clever, they would have long ago started to re-organize themselves without these fake leaders, that only lead them in circles. And they would have come to Bangkok, Chiang Mai and wherever the government tries to hide.

it is so easy to say "we have a mutual understanding", but nothing will come out of it. If they had sold the rice some 3 or 4 months ago, they could have the money now, maybe!

About this "deal" no additional information has been given as to exact dates and amounts of shipment, prices, payment terms etc. What if the Chinese reallt buy the rice but pay only 90 or 180 days AFTER the last shipment.

So lets wait for actually signed contracts and for the exact conditions.

I would hope the farmers get at least some of their money, so they can survive, but I guess it will be good farmers get money, non-UDD folks have to wait eternally. Just like Taksin used to say: Those for us will get a better treatment than those against us.

Let's see, how many ambassadors will show up and how many second grade shove-ins will attend.

I doubt any foreign government (except maybe the US of A for obvious reasons) takes this bunch of hobby politicians serious...

The Thai and international bussiness might know better than a member of a tainted government, what is good for them...
And as the government is not listening to others, why should anybody, including business, listen to the government?

AFAIK most international business is in a holding pattern re investment or decisions, but that does not say, that they are pro-government. In fact they are anti-corruption. And they want a solution in that direction, not a step back.

clockman wrote:

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In both cases, Eruope as well as ASEAN it is a matter of how much the members will want it. That's all that is to it.

And in addition they expect to gain economically from such a coalition. At least that worked in Europe, somewhat. And now don't come up with Greece or Italy, tehy gained from it for many years, only at some point they have to pay up for past mistakes.

Fact is, that Thailand is far behind in preparation for the common market. The bottom level workforce will come in, unrestricted, from Burma, Laos and Cambodia, the middle to top level will come in from Singapore and Malaysia. And a lot of local expats will have to look for new jobs as well, as the folks from SG and MY are simply cheaper to employ...

Nobody in his right mind would agree, that extending state of emergency is necessary to keep peace and order and...

No, that's a purely political decision and it is one of the very few trump cards the gov't still holds. Maybe the likes of Chalerm get an extra emursement for that additional position, who knows?

moonao wrote:

Get these thuggish protester guards in handcuffs before dropping the SOE.

The "peaceful" guards are continuing to bash and intimidate citizens.

And they all look like your avatar...

99 counts of murder? Why do the numbers keep increasing?

Looks like they are charging him for all the people killed by the reds as well.

No, they added Value Added Tax (VAT)

This Tarit Pengdith is such a laughing stock, he should switch to work as a clown in a circus!

If it would hurt to damage your own "face", he would be crying day and night because of his pain.

At least there should somewhere be an inactive post for self-damaging bigmouths...

smedley's tagline:

Do not argue with a fool. He will drag you down to his level and beat you with experience

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I like that tagline. Reminds me of the Red Shirt taxi drivers, that want to convince me that Taksin is a good man.

SamMunich

Unfair? Depends on the actual issue he was sentenced for. A traffic ticket would be unfair to hold against him, but e.g. a corruption or a lying in court is a much bigger issue. In other countries even ministers would have to step down for such things as corruption etc.

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I guess this separatism trump card is one of the very last trump cards they have up their sleeves. It smells of desperation, red shirt syle.

And I also wonder, if this is - again - only being discussed among the top echelon of the red shirts. The interest and intentions of the regular red shirts and their leaders are rarely identical nowadays...

Hasn't that guy, Mr. Promphong Nopparit, been found guilty of something criminal? How come he is still representing the government?

I would suspect that is on purpose... one among many?

Does that mean they will take down now these awful traffic-obstructing girlie posters of Ms. Yingluck ???

Thai at Heart wrote:

.... Spread through the well known chinese route to Hong Kong. Yeah right. 1.5bn smuggled out through a supposedly secret chinese tunnel.

I think you might find that this technique moves billions of USD for more than just the shinawats.

All gossip and bulls**t. This isn't a soap opera or james bond. Thaksin with his desert island using ancient smuggling routes to Hong Kong. ...

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SamMunich replied:

Sorry, but that's reality, not James Bond stuff.
There is a name for it as well, though I would not know. ...
... This is perfectly suitable to move corruption money.

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And then disbelieve on the side of Thai at Heart:

You believe this bit of hearsay?
Glad to see the authorities have moved to crack down in this well established network.

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And then SamMunich adds (now):

Believe it or not, it's a fact. If you don't believe it, you have the problem with it not "it" with you <wg>.

OTOH if you don't believe it, how can you acknowledge, that authorities have cracked down on this "well established" non-existant monetary transfer system?

Bearboxer:

phutoie2 wrote:

Thai at Heart: