Katipo

It's easy to paint all the police with one tar brush, but we should not forget that every organisation, good or not so good, is made up of individuals. It's obvious from this man's act that the police have at least one courageous and selfless member.

Yeah 4 dead and it's a 'third party'. Your police were armed and they shot the protestors. Why can't you admit it? Your 'personal beliefs' mean nothing since you're just as dishonest as the masters you serve.

Why does Thailand attract so many farang conspiracy theorists? Next it will be sightings of Elvis and Jimmy Hoffa having lunch in Thong Lor

I agree that there are plenty of conspiracy theorists on here, as well as those 'lao khao' soaked farangs without anything much better to do. In this case however I think the conspiracy is the existence of 'unknown third parties'. Someone knows full well who they are, and someone is controlling them. It just seems to convenient to blame them for all the atrocities and violence carried out since 2010.

"She will be summoned to hear the charges on February 27".

Who wants to bet she won't turn up? Thaksin in Dubai, Suthep still running around like a raving loony, the Red Bull Heir....ummm... somewhere, a certain Deputy PM's son now in the police after a 'stint' abroad. It's not like there isn't a precedent for the rich and powerful getting away with pretty much everything.

1,300 people deprted without any official paperwork to back it up? bullsh*t!

It's disgusting what's going on with these people here. Forget everything else, this is the true shame of Thailand.

The Islands will all be selling, especially as Makhabucha concoides with a Full Moon. By coincedence, I will be heading to Koh Chang early tomorrow morning... with a boot full o booze, just in case.

The government have dug themselves into this huge hole. It’s obvious they can’t dig themselves out. Now it seems no one they ask is willing to dig them out either, or even give them a spade for that matter.

The current administration is a sinking ship, and those with any sense have well and truly abandoned her.

I am not normally one for conspiracy theories. The timeing of killing of the 3 children and their parents by 'unknown gunmen' seems a little coincedental. It does not bear the modus operando of the Army, and could be being used to create problems for the Army that divert their attention from Bangkok.

This is pure specualation on my part of course, but given all else that is happening is it really beyond the realms of possibility?

If the thus far quiet Isaan crowd join the fray, that'll be the end of it.

The Reds are very deeply embedded up there though, and every single improvement to infrastructure etc they have seen has been accredited to Thaksin and PTP. Although I am not saying this is entirely untrue, it has been grossly exaggerated, and the money has come from hardworking taxpayers such as myself, not Thaksin himself.

I find it incredible that YIngluck hasn't met with even one of the farmers' representatives on even one single occassion. She is Chairwoman and PM. Insult to injury,

So they stayed at a hotel or two, and? It's not like the Police don't know where these guys are. The authorities are the ones who should resign, for dereliction of duty..... yet again.

Finally someone stepping up to the plate and saying it how it is. Refreshing.

Getting back on the stage again last night is not going help him, the bloody idiot should keep a low profile if he wants to fight deportation.

Disagree. it's easier to take action against someone quiet and tame than if there is a lot of noise surrounding them.

Just look at Suthep etc etc.

"Rice traders, exporters would be invited to rice auctions"

Yingluck tried that and nobody appeared.

Why does he think he will succeed?

If you hadn't noticed, sometimes rhetoric is all you need.

These are politicians, remember

This has to be a joke.

Doesn't anyone else find it strange that the government is seeking loans rather than just selling the rice? It was obvious a long time ago they were never going to get the price they thought they would, so better to sell for something than stockpile it and borrow the money.

As I am someone involved in import/export I feel qualified to add this comment.

The major problem that the government has with selling the stockpiles too fast, is that they would have to flood the global market with more than it is able to take. Under normal release conditions, it would take years to get rid of it all, even at a low price of $312USD per tonne which is what they are quoting.

If they want to sell it faster, they would need to drop the price to around $200USD per tonne, they should offload it over a couple of months.

However, this will have 2 major effects.

It will create outrage with almost every rice exporter from the middle east and east rice producing countries that will return later with a huge boycott as they move towards a lengthy period of very cheap global prices as wholesalers are top heavy with rice and want to buy less in the coming 2 years say, they won't like the price coming back up again as stocks are building up globally and that means there is a knock on effect keeping prices low until there is another global rice shortage caused probably by massive drought. Like 2007/2008.

Second is that the next harvest in Thailand will see massively shrunken prices and demand making it diffidult to sell the rice and almost impossible to sell at a profit putting every Thai rice farmer in the same boat as the 1.4 million farmers still awaiting payment. This will last for years to come, and I doubt the rice farmers can expect any subsidy after this as it will just see the economy being hit for possibly hundreds of billions per year, and this won't be acceptable for the people of Thailand already smarting at the losses so far.

Any subsidy for rice from here on will be seen as a pure populist policy.

In summary. This government with its amazingly corrupt system has seen the disappearance of at least 400 to 500 billion baht under the scheme, and also wrecked the entire industry that the vast majority of their voter base is 100% reliant on. They have knocked Thailand down from world's largest exporter to the 3rd largest and that will drop a lot more when they piss off the global rice exporters who already are hesitant about the quality of the infested and rotting rice in the reserves. Adding to that the huge price drop and demand for rice over the coming decade as a result of the scheme.

PTP and Thaksin are the only people anyone can blame for this . It is not just about the poor unpaid, it is about the killing of the entire industry.

Thank you for that. Nice to get a sensible answer.

Hmmm, with this secondary anti-governemt group also becoming a huge, critical issue, one would think the Amazing Thaksin would make it go away with his vast financial resources. Ironic that this potential death-knell to the gov't is not so much political, as being from the poor farmers and of a financial/business nature!

Thaksin is still thinking he may be able to spin this so that his believers blame the banks and anti-govt protestors. Truth be told, he probably can for a significant amount of them.

Secondly, even though the vast majority of his money is pretty much stolen, he no doubt thinks it is really his legitimate wealth. There is no way a narcissitic sociopath would return give up that money unless he had absolutely no other choice.

Doesn't anyone else find it strange that the government is seeking loans rather than just selling the rice? It was obvious a long time ago they were never going to get the price they thought they would, so better to sell for something than stockpile it and borrow the money.