CalgaryII

If local developments are an indication, the BJT show signs of 'making nice' with the PTP. Is that the case in Buriram as well?

A very positive position, both emerging from effective Flood management evolving back to normality going forward.

Very thoughtful and instructive.

An interesting point.

• Hell of an idea
  
• I've seen other Heads of State being incorporated within Tourism marketting initiatives.
  
• Doesn't take much of an effort to do so, and adds a human dimension to normal tourism marketting upbeat stuff, often seen to be an unrealistic promotional gimmick..
  
• Thailand is particularly blessed with one of the most telegenic PM's. So why not use the asset.
  
• Would also be cheaper. Better than hiring some overpriced celebrity to do the same thing.
  
• I don't think Thailand has one of International stature anyway, and by virtue of her position, she would give instant credibility to the project.
  
• The experts would be able to determine which target markets would be best influenced by this, if any.
  

• None of the many and variant "public' circles I am in every day, suggested this conclusion.
  

I've got it now....... you're a Bangkok taxi driver.

LOL

But dam_n, is that Taxi driver ever proficient in English.

• When the media tries everything in its' power to denigrate Ms. Y. and company, from silly non-substance stuff like language proficiency, to blanket negative smears about her public appearances (think Davos), makes this broad generalization of "the public' sound very agenized.
  
• None of the many and variant "public' circles I am in every day, suggested this conclusion. So I will chalk it up to the opposition again confusing themselves with "the public".
  

• I checked some of my sources about their opinions of this guy. The evaluative responses I received were the following:
  
  • >A very smart guy
    
  • >Very effective in fighting back against Democrat Party shenanigans
    
  • >Was especially compelling and convincing in eviscerating Mr. Abhisit and Suthep when the occasion warranted (Suthep - the famous 'people running into bullets" guy)
    

  [*]The reference to "the Red Shirts" in this instance, again deprives them of a political context. When understanding them as being a significant political force in the country, the primary anti-coup protagonists and the political sector largely responsible for marshalling the electoral majority which elected this Government, makes referencing them by their affinity clothing colours somewhat diminishing. Probably the intent.

• Negativity dripping all over the place.
  
• Given my above noted evaluative comments about this guy, and if I am correct, this being the role Nathawut first earned his spurs, could set the stage for the emergence of yet another political heavyweight in the future.
  
• My only knock on this guy, is perhaps his limited ability in the English language - but I am not sure about that. This article doesn't alude to it, but is a question in my mind. But this is a circumstance throughout the UDD/RS organization. It is essentially unilingual. Neither Natthawut nor Jatuporn speak a lick of English. The most English proficient guy they have I think, could be Dr. Weng. I am surprised they don't use him more in that capacity.
  

• Did Korkaew say all that?......Hmmm, somehow I doubt it.
  
• I notice it was not a direct quote.....Just somebody saying Korkaew said it. In effect puitting words in his mouth.
  
• I know it is a favorite bit of misdirection by the Opposition. to state baldly that Thaksin is judicially illegal, as if it was within a normal judicial context. For that reason I don't think Korkeaw laid it out quite that way.
  
• The Opposition often fail to qualify this thing within the circumstance at the time. The wee tad of extra information about it being during a coup administration who deposed him for self-serving reasons, and then launched into an equally self-serving criminalization campaign in an attempt to exculpate themselves.
  
• Hardly the stuff of judicial normalcy and therefore the focus of the Nitirat proposals.
  
• Gives some indication why this opposition is so opposed to Nitirat, that they will even send goons after them.
  
• This is also a repetitive statement of mine, but when some media have no qualms about such repetition, neither will I.
  

Don't think the Govt. is responsible for advancing Opposition agenda's

• That was certainly the case in 2006, and the coup consequences. "Rule of Law" wasn't a consideration then.
  
• It wouldn't take a 'Kwanchai' to mobilize the Red Shirts. that would happen all by itself.
  
• The opposition needs to come to some accomodation with the fact that the coup and their criminalization campaign justifying their coup, was never endorsed by their political opposites, as evidenced at R'song, and validated by last years election.
  

• Viewing that judicial process within the coup rooted political conditions at the time, make them null and void,
  
• That is the substance of the Nititirat proposals and the view of the electoral majority.
  
• To continue and try to suggest otherwise according to the Opposition agenda doesn't fly.
  
• Using means to eliminate political opposition other than through competitive elections doesn't compute.
  

• Actually I agree with that.
  
• Kwanchai can say anything he wants. Same way Mr. Abhisit and Suthep can talk about 'men in black'. These guys can say whatever they want, substance be damned.
  

• It is not Thai society who constantly denigrate, besmirch, disparage and contemptuously look down their arrogant noses at a huge sector of the Thai population, suggesting they are too ignorant, ill-informed and being led around by the nose in an unthinking manner.
  
• It is not Thai society who usurped political power via coups in order to avoid competing electorally.
  
• To impugn all of Thai society with the actions of an unelectable elite is misinformation.
  

• Not sure if those who consider themselves entitled to Govern by virtue of their status, are inclined to stoop to give equal political space to those who they constantly denigrate. Political equitableness and justness is not in their genes. Yet they are the ones on the political sidelines. This fact doesn't seem to penetrate however.
  

• To accuse both sides of the MO of one, doesn't fly.
  
• The enmity of one side to the other is because of the denigrating arrogance they constantly face. Even to the point where ideas are floated to deprive those of a lesser status with their voting rights, as has been suggested by some. What kind of reaction would they expect from such paternalistic condescension.
  
• The main body of this article summarizes this perspective very well.
  

• Referring to the majority electoral block as "the Reds", disrespectfully deprives them of political context. There seems to be a real aversion to acknowledging the existence of increasingly powerful electoral anti-coup and pro-democracy forces. To refuse to admit that a "democracy Movement" exists, is 'ostriching' to the extreme.
  
• Until the last vestiges of the coupist vengeful and vicious assault of those defending electoral prerogatives fade into history, it will be difficult to expect such tolerance as above quote describes.
  
• Accountability and responsibility for those who perpetrated the deaths at R'song when political solutions were readily available, would go a long way to achieving reconciliation............................ Don't hold your breath.
  
• Bottom line, fohget about coups and limiting the timeframe of an elected Government, respect elections and let them resolve politically ingrained prejudices.
  
• Not complicated
  

• Being a communication technique, such provincial liaizons by the Govt. ought to be applauded. If I recall Mr. Abhisit and Co. did the same thing. Not to do so, would invite a much more serious accusations of being Bangkok centric.
  
• Perhaps this opinion piece is suggesting that the Govt. will not act upon input from locals. I see no evidence of that being the case.
  

• To call those who met with Ms. Y. as protesters is perhaps Opposition agenda.
  

• Again, this opinion piece is suggesting lack of Cabinet attention, and trying to paint this thing as a publicity stunt.
  
• I wonder of Mr. Abhisit's past efforts were similarly characterized.
  

Two instances where she excelled IMHO, and which weren't mentioned in the article were:

1. Her empathetic and hard working leadership during the flood crisis. No other national leader I have seen, matched her genuine and sincere compassionate approach, all the while managing some powerfull influences pulling her in disparate directions.
   
2. Her muscular Cabinet reshuffle. It shocked the PT Party. Apparently she had been dogged by some Cabinet members seeking second opinions, when receiving her directives. The changes she wrought has insured current cabinet members don't make the same mistake. She has also made it crystal clear, she will not be above doing it all over again when the 111 return. Current Cabinet guys are working very hard as a result.
   

Regarding #1 above, and to pre-empt any unsubstantiated, agenized claims about flood mismanagement, most don't believe a word of that oppositional mantra, unless one can prove other nation-states did better, in similar circumstances of a similar magnitude.

• The only slippage I saw involving opinionating from her support base, was just prior to the New Year.
  
• This concerned what they perceived as foot-dragging, regarding Constitutional reforms.
  
• The initiatives since the New Year have put those grumblings aside.
  
• The UDD/Red Shirts have as one of their primary objectives, to protect this Govt. They strongly believe that the current Coup-rooted Constitution is an existential threat to this Govt., and accordingly lamented what they saw as inaction.
  

• All-in-all, an excellent summation of Ms. Y's continued strength amongst her electoral base.
  
• This thoughtfull approach puts into perspective the agenized, unsubstantiated negativity I have seen coming from the Opposition.
  
• No Prime Minister could be safer in their job than Ms. Y, as long as a bright light continues to be shone on Coupist machinations. Mr. Jatuporn is looking after that little matter.
  
• I get a chuckle out of the "good cop - bad cop" game Ms. Y. and Chalerm are engaged in.
  

• It is unlikely Thaksin's lawyer used the word 'fugitive', as this quote suggests.
  
• That characterization is a favorite of the Opposition in advancing their criminalization campaign against their political nemesis, now a political exile.
  
• Attributing criminal terminology to their Political opposite, is an attempt to validate their power-grab.
  

• Unfortunately this sector of society is completely compromised, given their vengeful and vicious support of the coupists at R'song. A protest easily solved politically.
  
• To suggest 'helpfullness' now, falls flat with a huge political and societal block within the country.
  
• Paid and pensionable service could be construed as 'helpfullness, but not in the way it is hoped, with a 'volunteerism, good guy', spin.
  

• I understand that there is some resistance from teachers and their Associations, being projected via other avenues, such as sympathetic Senators.
  
• The resistance is in part due to teachers who are Luddites, and for whom a program such as this is a challenge.
  
• Most teachers are also not fans of Ms. Y and Thaksin.
  
• They were one of the societal sectors Thaksin upset, ie:
  
  • He upset the Underground Lottery people trying to bring that thing under control
    
  • He upset Government Officials, by forcing them to be "Civil SERVANTS"
    
  • He upset teachers by imposing performance standards
    

  [*]So resistance from teachers can be expected.

  [*]These young students are technologically, light-years ahead of many teachers. One can speculate that in some cases, it will be students teaching their teachers how to teach with these tablets.

Forgive my cynicism, but considering the post-coup and pre-election political and judiciaL realities, Mr. Abhisit should certainly know what he is talking about.

Justifying the yellow shirts would be expected from Mr. Abhisit.

Ignoring the power-grab for unelected governing power by unelectables is not referenced.

This would be expected from one of the primary beneficiaries of said coup.

Their violence occured after being attacked by pro-coupist armed aggressors.

What else did the coupists expect.

It is also troubling to see this constant focus on property damage, to the exclusion of taxpayer killings.

Is yet another indication of the condescending attitude and contempt that one side of the political divide holds for citizens of the other.

It is gratifying however, to see the repudiation of these arrogant elements in the last election.

Yet again, the attempt to denigrate those who stood up to the armed, pro-coup aggressors.

Calling the 'pro-coup coup aggressors' the authorities, implies that the coupists had 'authority'

It can be said for certain, they had no electoral based authority.

I notion thoroughly disputed by the protesters and validated in the last election.

Nobody needed to be inflamed any more than they already were.

The coup and R'song attacks on taxpayers did that all by themselves. It didn't need Thaksin to accomplish that.

Another statement whitewashing the coupists by characterizing them as "the authorities"

The protesters were not standing up to "authorities", they were standing up to the coup perps, masquarading as "authorities"

Non-elected authorities are not authorities.

Not complicated.

What political conflict?

The opposition are constantly promoting the refrain that if they ar5e not in power, things must be in political shambles.

Last year's election resolved political conflict, as elections are wont to do.

The beauty of elections.....validates some, and repudiates others.....end of political conflict.

Not sure if this is possible, when one side is hard-wired to believe the other side has no political awareness. Who holds the other side in contemptuous disdain and politically unequal.....even when they are the ones on the political sidelines.

An arrogance that is accordingly amusing.

A subtle little put-down isn't it. Either by this guy, or by a reporter isolating this comment out-of-context.

Suggesting she is devoid of political acumen.

Her success strongly suggests otherwise.

Obviously an Opposition operative.

Denigrating some key rationale for Constitution Reform from a different direction.

The following reasons to revisit the constitution after the coupists fiddled with it, directly challenge this guy's assertions:

No problem, in spite of the opposition's hopes otherwise.

She is where she is legitimately as a democratically elected PM.

Her ability to calm the political waters in Thailand after her election, keeping her electoral base in tack and the Opposition nuetralized, is significant political achievement.

As for the charge she is a proxy for someone else, this doersn't fly either. All circumstances were fully declared and understood by the voters.

As a result she has no difficulties with Foreign audiences. I have seen many instances where significant international figures were only too happy to be photo-opped with the well respected and photogenic Thai Prime Minister.

Only by those who would be advantaged, if such a perception found traction.

Her politiocal support has no such concerns, in fact they don't even think about it.

This is pure Opposition agenda.

Says who?

The bureaucracy better be in line, recognizing their place vis-a-vis the political leadership.

Why not mention a name?....Who is biting his/her nails?

Who?

Should this be true, this is more an indication of the PTP not cleaning house well enough after their electoral victory.

I have often heard accusations of the PTP electoral victory being followed by the installation of their "cronies'.

Should the above be true, obviously they didn't do enough, leaving some of Mr. Abhisit's cronies in place.

I have seen this frequently mentioned by the Oppositiuon media. This opinion stated as fact.

A little bit like saying the flood disaster management was not up to par. Another statement projected as fact, with no supporting data.

When compared to other Nations handling similar disasters of similar magnitude, Thailand's handling of it may be deemed exemplary.

When opposition accusations are expressed as fact, raises many red flags.

The Democrats and their coalition partners (with arms behind their backs) amended the electoral format, expanding the party list representation in parliament and moving the remaining constituency seats from a multi-seat to a single-seat format. Chris Baker, a respected Bangkok analyst, said the amended system could boost Mr Abhisit's Democrats, the lead party in the governing coalition, but which has been comfortably beaten by pro-Thaksin parties in recent elections.

He said that the Democrats ''did much better last time on the party list than the territorial constituencies. Shifting seats from territorial to party list should favour them."

What has the seat changes got to do with vote rigging?

As for the Bangkok vote rigging; The exit polls ABAC; PT 299 Dusit: 313. All of the seats that happened to swing mysteriously to the Dems were in the BMA democrat stronghold. PT MPs in the last parliamentary debate openly accused the Dems of electoral fraud in BKK.

Votes are counted in front of everyone. How do you suggest that they actually rigged the votes?

Mere details and facts will never derail a good conspiracy theory.

BirdP. Has the details and listed them.

It has been a well-known fact that the BKK. vote did not go as pre-election indicators showed, and that some vote rigging and fraud ocurred to change what was firmly and confidently forecast.

I'm becoming more and more convinced that Chalerm's main job function is to redirect criticism that might been aimed at Yingluck towards himself.

Good cop, bad cop!

Politically very astute.

But it can certainly appear to be so.

When one considers that it was anti-Thaksin motives for coupists when they tampered with the constitution.

Because their revisions were done with him in mind, to have legitimate electoral based corrections made now, can seem to be pro-Thaksin, when all they are doing, is undoing coup sourced damage.

An unqualified statement such as this can be very misleading without contextualizing it.

The context being that this was part of the self-serving crminalization campaign of their electoral nemesis by coupists, to justify their power-grab.

It is what the UDD/Red Shirts characterized as the 'judicial coup" which followed the original one.

Unless one contextualizes it, can seem to be different than it is.

The conflict is not that.

It is a conflict between coupist remnants and those who subsequently voted this Government into power, with fully declared Thaksin association.

To equate the country's legal system to coup machinations does not fly, and is denigrating to the legal system. It only resonates with the various elements and motives of the Opposition.

This statement by Chalerm reflects above perspective, and is shared by the electoral majority.

As much as the Opposition would love the country to get behind their anti-Thaksin campaign, and to share their spin that constitution reforms are singularly motivated, it doesn't resonate beyond their own circles.

Poor farmers do not have the skill to manage wealth. Not that they are stupid, but just lack of experience.

Give credit card, they will just go shopping happy, like buy AIS mobile phone (while their land line is fine), fly AirAsia (while the bus/train is free), go stay in hotel like SC park (while relatives house is fine), etc. There is a conflict of interest here, because Yingluck give out credit card, to poor farmers, and in return some (not all) go to spend on the businesses that Yingluck family own. Ask me if there is a hidden agenda? Sama same when Thaksin give credit to Burma govt, they came to buy phone/satellite services from AIS.

people with money have the same problem... living beyond their means.

This is an alternative source of credit. It's an option. Better than a loan shark.

Can certainly be abused - any credit can.

As if PTP cares anything about the farmers or the poor.

Electoral results suggest otherwise.

More smoke and mirrors.

And

The premier noted that many have gone too far by speculating on the details of the amendment, as the constitutional provision currently in consideration concerns the selection of a constitution drafting assembly....

... Chalerm added the details of the bill cannot be disclosed at the moment because he wants to make sure that the public really understand its objective. He expects the bill to be submitted for Parliament's consideration in the next four or five months....

Please do not think ahead, of what we tell you to think about,

because you might guess what we are doing, before we do it to you.

We will not say what the details are

because we want everyone to understand what we say we are doing

without any details or facts to confuse them

Then when we do it, if they don't like it,

we can say they simply didn't understand.

Sure befuddles the Opposition.

Political brilliance!

Mr. Abhisit should watch and learn, or rather, listen and learn.

Not that he will ever need the skill.

dam_n, she is smooth.

She far exceeds my expectations.

The way she has skated through the Opposition minefields, and they haven't laid a finger on her.

All the more remarkable, she is doing it while retaining solid support from her political base.

The pressures on her must be immense, when one checks off the numerous and powerful Oppositional elements - think about them.

What may appear to be political double-speak and obfuscation, is political brilliance, given the political environment within which she needs to function.

Her disaster leadership were second to none, and her muscular cabinet reshuffling, with threats of more to come if the boys don't pay attention to her, and no-one else, was impressive.

Now, this Thaksin thing.

I think he offers a refreshing alternative view to the one prevalent here . . . and the fact that everyone is quite adamant in putting him down, or trying to, is testament to that

Refreshing is not quite the right word. The trouble with self-proclaimed political so-called junkies is that they forget that a junkie is someone who injects themselves with a poison that is going to eventually kill them and post-injection talk whatever rubbish will get them their next fix. A suitable description here of a wannabe Thaksin apologist. It is worth noting that for a number of Westerners, Thailand provides a perfect playground for their juvenile liberationist fantasies. They think they are on the left, but in their own countries generally run a mile from any serious socialist organisation. Having the opportunity to hitch their poor political understanding to an adventurist crook flirting with neo-fascism is sooo exciting. Not quite grown up posturing. And so it goes.

• I would argue we are all political junkies. It is a term of endearment. It is no fun talking politics when someone doesn't care in the least. And disagreement is essential to get ones jollies. Who wants to debate within a banal, uniform, group think environment.
  
• This is all the more enjoyable for me, with my perspective being definitely in the minority here, but nationally in the majority.
  
• Actually a 'wannabe Thaksin apologist' doesn't describe me at all. I object to misleading agenda driven characterizations, but he is not my primary interest. The discussion of Democracy vs. anti-Democratic practices such as coups are of interest, especially with those who have varying views on such a thing.
  
• Speaking of The Left" and other political spectrum things, suggesting that Thaksin is neo-fascist is ridiculous. Most discerning 'political junkies' would agree I think, that those behind the coup were far right to the extreme. PADite pronouncements always point to that, with their border adventurism being directly out of the Fascist playbook.