Yunla

I want to really like her, when I see that picture I'm thinking she's a nice cuddly News Lady, dutifully telling me about traffic hot-spots and cats trapped down wells. She looks lovely and at peace in that News Room setting. But having followed her family for a while now, I can't shake the feeling that the room is on the Death Star, and all the news is very bad indeed.

In any case, she is guilty of not taking charge of the rice policy and ruling it with an iron grip from start to finish. Whoever stole the money and led to farmers being unpaid, it is fundamentally Yingluck's fault as she is the boss and if she had not intended to do rice pledging in a secure and professional manner - she should not have done it at all. And that is the least corrupt of the possible crimes committed, yet it in itself is enough to cast grave doubts on her ability and integrity in performing such a critically important job.

This isn't politics, this is "an offer you can't refuse."

Multiple /sadface here.

I've got this crumbling old poster on my wall for years, with the "Seven Ladies Of Songkran" all riding around on their animals with arrows etc. Our ancestors knew how to create some great imagery, it is a shame people nowadays often don't take the time to look at this stuff.

Didn't Khun T refer to himself as Thailand's CEO?

I guess now he's moved on and up he thinks of himself as life president instead.

He's the classic narcissist, and depending on the day of the week and probably time of day, he thinks he's Robin Hood, Joan of Arc, Taira no Kiyomori, and probably some of the more stylish solar deities too.

On the topic though, I think the Chief was right in many ways, and he was trying say something to diffuse the volatile situation, so I don't think he deserves the strong criticism mentioned. Most people understand they can vote out the ruling party, I think what he was saying went beyond that and was talking about the importance of being part of a successful team, and how in business there should be leaders who are worthy of the workers' support, this makes the operation run smoother.

"We want to show our force, so they will see that a majority of the nation does not agree with PCAD's goals"

I would go one step further, and confirm that everyone I talk to is astoundingly tired of both main parties, and both of their street-teams too.

"What have you done for me lately" etc. and of course "both as bad as each other" are phrases I hear a lot. The political sphere is totally lifeless and there's nothing there worthy of support or even casually peeking at. That's why the street-teams both have to shout so much about how they're the best. If the actual parties were offering appealing policies and trustworthy leaders, you wouldn't need to summon a rally of any size at all. Good products sell themselves, pretty much.

Another fitful entropic lurch in the wrong direction.

RIP to the poor victims in this cowardly and pointless attack. My prayers are with their families, I hope they have caring friends around them at this terrible time. Another story that makes me ashamed to be human.

Firstly, I come from the UK, just to put my comments in context.

Do any of my compatriots or any other nationals in Thailand see similarities between what is happening today, in Thailand, and what happened in the UK and other countries

in the whole of the 20th century?

Re: class struggle.

I do not consider myself rigidly, a capitalist; socialist, etc.

Britain had to be dragged kicking and screaming into the 20th century. I surmise that we are seeing a similar process in our beloved Thailand.

There is staggering amounts of wealth in Thailand, as there is in our respective countries. It would be nice to see it spread around a bit more evenly!

Andy

I totally agree that we all want to see greater meritocracy / social mobility here (and everywhere else too) but the problem is that the Red Shirt's CEO is a grinning gargoyle, a grand larcenist billionaire who steals from the poor and gives to himself. He is the very opposite of class struggle, he represents high level criminal enterprise, and likes to associate with other larcenous tycoons - not the common worker. He is happy to have poor people executed without trial, if he thinks it will boost his ratings.

Ironically the metaphor to the UK is apt in regards the miners' strikes, portrayed at the time as the ultimate class struggle. More recent documents have revealed that Scargill actually tried to use Thatcher's "right to buy" scheme to obtain a luxury London flat, where he would live to the end of his days as a debonaire gentleman of leisure.

http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-25731328

Socialism is always doomed to fail because of the crooks who are "more equal than others", only meritocratic capitalism offers any kind of freedom from oppression and rising-tide social enhancement. But it is a system that requires a lot of checks and balances, and good leadership, which are conspicuous by their absence in many nations. The PTP are not even in this classless full-wage game at all, they are basically grab-stuff-while-you-can opportunists and very ruthless with it too.

I have high hopes for Thailand in the future, as a more meritocratic inclusive system, but it will not happen until a real political movement arrives, with a leader people can actually trust. Probably not happening for ages, sadly.

"Suppose you work in a company, and you decide to protest against the company owner," Gen. Prayuth asked the reporter instead

He's trying to invoke the Japanese business teamwork mentality, where many employees are expected to engage in group-singing of the company anthem before work starts, to solidify teamwork spirit and unity. But Thailand is not Japan, and you can't import deep-rooted cultural behaviour patterns.

I think the Chief is right, people do need to unify and work together for peace and prosperity. Our species is always at its best when it works together for the common good. But unity needs to start at the top, working people need to feel that they are part of a team which includes the bosses. This is impossible when the bosses are hiding from justice in the desert, or when they come across as being vastly more important than the other team members. Unity demands a leader with both feet planted firmly on ground-level, somebody who is more akin to his employees than not.

The mass rally to be staged by the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD) on the Aksa road in Bangkok’s suburbs this Saturday and Sunday is just a “final exercise before the big war” after Songkran festival, said Jatuporn Promphan on Wednesday.

Very diplomatic words that will surely end the bitter factional divisions and bring about a new dawn of unity and friendship.

And as a bonus, when they march they don't need to buy whistles. On windy days that big empty object ontop of Jatuporn's neck makes a melodious whistling sound when the breeze blows through his ears.

Yes hold the elections ASAP, before we lose more public support and votes due to our goons killing and maiming innocent citizens, and before our scheme afflicts any more poor hardworking farmers.

And hurry with the elections, before a credible opposition party emerges and leaves us with only our eyes to cry with. Time is of the essence, we can't keep up this facade of rectitude forever, you know.

There is a difference between belief in the spirit world or God/s, and the corrupt practice of these beliefs by individuals or groups. This story sounds like mismanagement of funds, we were going to build a new temple but the money seems to be gone now.

But I have no doubts that there are spirits both good and evil in this world, and not just those residing inside living humans either. I also believe that some places are haunted or cursed by tragic events. But I don't know if this story is about that really, it sounds like they are anxious because they were familiar with their temple and put their prayers into it for a long time - then suddenly it is gone and so are the funds to build a new one. This would make people panic from losing something familiar to them, and when people are anxious and panicking they start seeing curses and spirits everywhere.

"Hot rods are not gods."

[De La Soul.]

RIP, my prayers are with the injured and the relatives of the deceased.

This might be the delayed reaction to the STR leader calling for the kidnap of Yingluck and family some time ago. I was expecting a violent response to that statement, and this looks like it.

Cowardly ugly violence is not political. It is just cowardly ugly violence without any purpose, regardless of how political the person might be. Politics is about using language to construct, not about using weapons to destroy. Anybody who has been trained to use a weapon as part of their job, will tell you that it is the last resort, and it is to some degree a sign of weakness - in the sense that you failed to resolve or diffuse a situation without violence.

I've said before I feel sorry for this kid. His dad left our planet decades ago, and is just floating around up there somewhere. It is not healthy for kids to grow up in the public spotlight, or under an egomaniac parent, and this kid got the double whammy. Obviously the son has involved himself in the media, but I think he subconsciously feels that he has to defend this crumbling Castle Thaksin to the last toppling turret.

And my point is that this is not healthy for kids, or young adults. They shouldn't have this kind of pressure. I would take myself down to the river and drown myself, before I inflicted this kind of pressure on my kids. They should be living their own lives, not cowering in the shadow of their parent. When I look in this kid's eyes I hear that little voice going "help me, help me" like in all the best horror films.

"upset but not surprised"

Is how I feel when I read most of the news stories here. The last time I didn't feel this way was when the boy wonder Thirawat Kongnukul won the Magician award.

and a ban from politics

The cut and thrust of hearty political dialectics will not be the same without her Boudica-like courage on the debating floor.

I've got my stockpiled dried rations and emergency medicines, in readiness for more of these "democratic" actions. And attending my prayer group almost daily, in the hopes that no more people will be injured or killed in this pointless circle of belligerency.

Public debate is the lifeblood of democracy since day one, and with the advent of technology these public debates can be seen by a large percentage of the population. These public debates should be enthusiastically embraced by any politician who claims to uphold principles of democracy.

The fact that so many of them avoid the public debate arena is because they lack conviction, and only feel safe when they are protected by auto-cues and scriptnotes in unchallenged statement-giving situations. We don't want our leaders to be wrapped in cotton wool, or wheeled from one auto-cue to the next. We want to see them defend their policies in open and robust discourse.

She is particularly upset because this news story has put her in the limelight and made her a household name.

I wonder what percent told the pollster to stop asking them stupid questions.

His face turned pail when he herd his future is now at steak. He's in veally big trouble.

Moo means moo.

Maybe they went to this school ;

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/11/world/middleeast/suicide-bomb-instructor-accidentally-kills-iraqi-pupils.html?_r=0