MrSlatersParrot

This picture

On thai social media it's claimed suthep is meeting with popcorn shooter in this picture

When i read on another site claims by red shirts that the pdrc has a hit list of 3000 red shirts, liberals, intellectuals etc to assasinate perhaps we're beginning to see the evidence for this or the planning for it.

Suthep a new low.

So the only argument is as to whether the farmers should be subsidized by their government to grow rice, rubber, palm oil, whatever or just allow market forces to dictate the price.

Should market forces be allowed to prevail with no protection for the farmers how would Suthep's rubber farmer protestors from the deep south currently in Bangkok feel if instead of the demanded 120 baht per kilo (90 baht offered to farmers throughout the kingdom) they would now only be entitled to the current 60 baht per kilo?

If farming were left solely to market forces subsistence farming would continue but many farmers would soon go out of business and you would see the consequences further down the line of food shortages.

The agrarian economy has to be planned to some degree.

France is the same size as Thailand with similar population and similar lack of natural recourses.

Ask the french farmers?

No. The argument has always been how to devise the BEST way to give a decent payment for product for vitally important crops. This scheme failed miserable . do you agree?

Vietnam is a poor country with poor farmers yet as far as i understand THEY are making changes/savings in the actual producing of the rice, increasing productivity (but not reducing quality)

Extending and improving cooperatives, Decreasing costs. these things help business around the world, they can help farmers.

The scheme is failing but as other posters have pointed out before these policies need time to bed in but those crying foul are those who do not wish to see these policies succeed.

The Dems, PDRC, yellows have further resorted to scare tactics, claims of poisoned rice, rotting rice, theft of rice,corrupted rice? with no duty of care to sustain the countries indigenous farm culture.

They're not even patriotic as they have sought to demean and destroy in the eyes of the world the countries agricultural products despite all their parading around with their flag.

"Patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel."

There's is just a posture, an arrogance,an assertion of dominance.

Destruction, sabotage their only weapons. A hate campaign with nothing absolutely to redeem about.

Go figure.

So the only argument is as to whether the farmers should be subsidized by their government to grow rice, rubber, palm oil, whatever or just allow market forces to dictate the price.

Should market forces be allowed to prevail with no protection for the farmers how would Suthep's rubber farmer protestors from the deep south currently in Bangkok feel if instead of the demanded 120 baht per kilo (90 baht offered to farmers throughout the kingdom) they would now only be entitled to the current 60 baht per kilo?

If farming were left solely to market forces subsistence farming would continue but many farmers would soon go out of business and you would see the consequences further down the line of food shortages.

The agrarian economy has to be planned to some degree.

France is the same size as Thailand with similar population and similar lack of natural recourses.

Ask the french farmers?

Relax guys, it wasn't the PCAD who had weapons and were firing at and killing the police, it was 'mysterious people' who then left the weapons behind them which the innocent PCADers picked up.

You couldn't make it up.

RT@Aim_NT: Suthep said a group of mysterious ppl helped attack the police. Police fled, protesters seized guns, ammunition.

You couldn't make it up

Suthep did.

Watch the video in the link below -

The grenade is thrown from the protestors, it hits the police shield and settles, one policemen then attempts to kick it away and it explodes just as he tries to kick it - I image that is the policemen who lost his leg.

What an utter disgrace to humanity some of these PDRC thugs are - shooting and killing police, throwing grenades at police.

All in my opinion of course.

links to video please?

Excuse me, but are the above posts actually made by expats living in and out of Thailand?

I have been here for over 20 years and was on the front line on the night of May 17 1992 when Thai security troops under the Suchinda government opened fire at protesters gathering at Sanam Luang.

I am so proud (then and now) to see the heart of the Thai people out on the streets farmers and all.

Expats....do your homework. Do just a little research and you will find a history of a man (Thaksin) who has been a hugely corrupt and an unscrupulous and greedy parasitic megalomaniac who will NEVER be able to steal enough money from this great country.

He is a convicted criminal who has siphoned billions upon billions of baht from the Thai people and now under his own sister has completely ruined the best quality and best producing rice industry in the world!

It is gone with Cambodia winning last years Best Jasmine rice in the world award and India and Vietnam's rice harvests both out producing Thailand.

They have ruined the country and totally divided the Thai people.

For God's sake! These poor rice farmers are the very people the Shinawatra's convinced to vote for them.

Yingluck doesn't even have the integrity or consideration to even show up to appease these poor farmers and Chalerm is running scared and half mad as he knows that if the Shinawatra Regime crashes his career and life is over and that includes his alleged murdering son.

The alleged murdering son comment is simply information taken from public domain (Google it!) and should not be omitted.

Wikipedia: Chalerm Yubamrung: In 2001 Duangchalerm was arraigned for the murder of a police officer. After deserting from the Army and fleeing to Malaysia, he returned and handed himself in. He was released from jail on bail terms in 2003, and finally acquitted as the court considered the evidence insufficient and the witnesses accounts contradictory.^[

^{Notation: In Thailand the word contradictory is often a synonym for purchasable.}

Yes, it does seem that you have to organize a band of corrupt thugs to become Prime Minister in Thailand but plundering the nations funds, ruining the country while turning Thai citizen against Thai citizen and then spitting on our King is just NOT in the cards folks.......it ain't gunna happen!

Yes, Suthep has his own allegations of a corrupt history......but which one of you would walk in his shoes today....for even a minute!

The man is and will go down historically as a super hero and servant to our King and the people of Siam......want to bet?

Stand up Khun Thai! Stand up every Thai farmer that gave their rice harvest and received nothing in return!

Fight this insanely evil piece of dung and through every generation of his family out with him as they have disgraced our King, our country and the very souls of our people.

Yes, I'm white but I'm no expat!

This is my home, my King and my brothers and sisters.

Fight on and drive the snake out of the land!

Now let's turn this over again to the usual ignorant barking dogs so they can shoot their uneducated and sorry asses off!

Nicely put, but hopefully you do realise that many millions of Thai people disagree with you.

Many millions also agree. Thaksin is a past master at manipulating the media and fighting a mis-information propaganda war. Once the majority find out or accept that the Thaksin regime continually lies and spreads false information, then it's easy for them to switch sides. I wish some of you right wing farangs could actually understand the bigger picture.

It's a shame you have to resort to silly insults, when, as you well know, right wing & left wing have nothing to do with this. You might find it difficult to believe but some farangs don't have "a side" in this matter and just wish for the majority of the Thai people's wishes to be respected and a peaceful solution to be found. I would respectfully suggest that it's those who are slavishly attached to one side or another that don't understand the bigger picture.

Too true.

The majority just want to get on with their lives and outside of the centre of bangkok that is just what they are doing.

However chaos is being orchestrated in Bangkok and as we know organised since august.

Nothing spontaneous about it but today we see guns on the streets, pokice and protesters dead.

Boz, above, and others seem encouraged by this.

Perhaps they have nothing in thailand really. Can easily leave if they are even in thailand as a friend claims most of those are not.

They duck and dive, float about. No commitments.

Excuse me, but are the above posts actually made by expats living in and out of Thailand?

I have been here for over 20 years and was on the front line on the night of May 17 1992 when Thai security troops under the Suchinda government opened fire at protesters gathering at Sanam Luang.

I am so proud (then and now) to see the heart of the Thai people out on the streets farmers and all.

Expats....do your homework. Do just a little research and you will find a history of a man (Thaksin) who has been a hugely corrupt and an unscrupulous and greedy parasitic megalomaniac who will NEVER be able to steal enough money from this great country.

He is a convicted criminal who has siphoned billions upon billions of baht from the Thai people and now under his own sister has completely ruined the best quality and best producing rice industry in the world!

It is gone with Cambodia winning last years Best Jasmine rice in the world award and India and Vietnam's rice harvests both out producing Thailand.

They have ruined the country and totally divided the Thai people.

For God's sake! These poor rice farmers are the very people the Shinawatra's convinced to vote for them.

Yingluck doesn't even have the integrity or consideration to even show up to appease these poor farmers and Chalerm is running scared and half mad as he knows that if the Shinawatra Regime crashes his career and life is over and that includes his alleged murdering son.

The alleged murdering son comment is simply information taken from public domain (Google it!) and should not be omitted.

Wikipedia: Chalerm Yubamrung: In 2001 Duangchalerm was arraigned for the murder of a police officer. After deserting from the Army and fleeing to Malaysia, he returned and handed himself in. He was released from jail on bail terms in 2003, and finally acquitted as the court considered the evidence insufficient and the witnesses accounts contradictory.^[

^{Notation: In Thailand the word contradictory is often a synonym for purchasable.}

Yes, it does seem that you have to organize a band of corrupt thugs to become Prime Minister in Thailand but plundering the nations funds, ruining the country while turning Thai citizen against Thai citizen and then spitting on our King is just NOT in the cards folks.......it ain't gunna happen!

Yes, Suthep has his own allegations of a corrupt history......but which one of you would walk in his shoes today....for even a minute!

The man is and will go down historically as a super hero and servant to our King and the people of Siam......want to bet?

Stand up Khun Thai! Stand up every Thai farmer that gave their rice harvest and received nothing in return!

Fight this insanely evil piece of dung and through every generation of his family out with him as they have disgraced our King, our country and the very souls of our people.

Yes, I'm white but I'm no expat!

This is my home, my King and my brothers and sisters.

Fight on and drive the snake out of the land!

Now let's turn this over again to the usual ignorant barking dogs so they can shoot their uneducated and sorry asses off!

Nicely put, but hopefully you do realise that many millions of Thai people disagree with you.

Many millions also agree. Thaksin is a past master at manipulating the media and fighting a mis-information propaganda war. Once the majority find out or accept that the Thaksin regime continually lies and spreads false information, then it's easy for them to switch sides. I wish some of you right wing farangs could actually understand the bigger picture.

I don't think so.

I suppose you've always got the trustworthy nation reporting and the BP?

Let's not forget that there are still 2 foreigh journalists that Suthep and the PDRC respect.

Michael Yon and that pakistani from UK, the landdestroyer fellow, Cartolucci (made up name!)

Yellow criminals showing their true (deadly) color...

It's time to suppress Suthep and his mad following dogs before more innocent people get hurt

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No I don't like this. I HATE this. My wife's family, poor country farmers, are in Bangkok backing Suthep. Why? Because they are intelligent enough to understand the damage that the fascist autocrat and convicted criminal fugitive Thaksin and his family are doing to this country. They re not elite. They are good people who understand far more than some of the ultra-right wing farangs that post here in support of the reds. Go for it Suthep.

Amazing thailand!

Your wife's family are protesting to have their rights taken away with the removal of democracy and you accuse those farang ( very few of the thais posting on here) of being ultra right wing?

All i see here is a repeat of 2006 and 2008. The succession and who can get his nose in the trough.

If there is a military coup and civil war follows (may have started today) you can just go and congratulate your wifes relatives can't you?

"The arrests don't affect us. The will of the people is still strong. The government is trapped. It has no way forward."

Yes, the will of .00064 % of the people. C'mon, get the riot gear on and get these mobsters off the streets. Of course give them a 24 hour heads up to clear their children and elderly (that they are using as shields) off the sites.

BTW What happened to the purple water cannons that were being used in the beginning? I thought that was a good idea along the line of ink bombs in banknote heists.

Yes they should.

Then identify and arrest.

Did you see the abhisit interview on CNN at the time when the police had just used the purple water cannon?

He alluded darkly to the bewildered unknowing interviewer that the police were now using chemicals, whoah, like maybe he was meaning chemical weapons all the while really knowing that purple dye was being used.

i'm just new here, but i've been following news, especially the latest turmoil in the land of smiles. if i've got it right "most of thai people" are tired of the current government, but in a true democracy the only and right way to bring a government down is by election. i mean Suthep or whatever his name is can't claim he is obeying by the rules when he and his followers prevent thai people form voting!

Point is most of the people aren't tired of the government because if they were they would be demanding a fresh election but you see the yellow don't want elections as they know they would lose hence all the theatrics.

The PCAD fascists where shown the door by the pro-democracy reds!

They run like cowards when they don’t have their southern thugs with assault rifles to protect them.

Yeah, bunch of brave Reds that only know violence. No politician or political party is worth anyone's life. So backward the reds and apparently you.

The cowards are the Reds. You ever known a bully in school. Those are the weakest form of people ever. They mask their insecurity by violence, much like you and the red shirts. Sorry, just exposing the truth. Time for you to grow up son!

Speaking about "school", "cowards" and "son"... It reminds me the case of the 10 years old child that was attacked by yellow (adult) extremists.

That was the gravest act of cowardice ever, ... and committed by crazy yellows who don't have respect for anything anymore.

But, of course, farangs supporting Suthep's insanity will reply that "it never happened"

It's a bit like continuing to pretend that the yellow protesters are "peaceful", while the social media is inundated by pictures proving the violence of the protesters and countless pictures of protesters caught will all sorts of lethal weapons...

Keep these crazy people away and prevent them from regrouping is the best possible defence against escalation.

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Bottom line, whenever Red Shirts confronts anyone, there is bound to be violence. The violence escalated, once the reds came into town and once Chalerm declare free for all against the protesters. More cowardly acts. You can only name one incident and out of one incident, So does that give anyone the rights to seek retribution? The reds MO. If someone screams at you shoot them. And there were no violence at the protest at the poll, only when the reds came to shoot at them. Yeah..like I said cowards.

And for your information, these are not yellows only. For once I agree with you, keep the Red Shirt radical out. We already know what damages they can do back in 2010. Inciting riot and burning buildings and all around bangkok and Thailand. Yeah...tough guys. Silly action for one man's greed. Silly lost of lives too.

just not posh enough are they the reds?

Do you think Suthep would consider himself fair game if the PTP formed teams to hound him and his PDRC leaders? Or would cry persecution and have his private armed guards enforce PDRC leaders' body space with all available means? Suthep seems all to ready to dish trouble out but very intolerant to be on the receiving end.

Quite!

They're diabolically childish but they've created gridlock.

All their supporters stuck in traffic. Ho hum. The traffic is murder and the only way it seems to get about is by motorbike taxi.

If 50,000 farmers do end up going to Bangkok, its game over.

Well, unless Suthep manages to find another way of screwing up a sure thing

Well it wasn't game over when there were 6,000,000 so keep your fingers crossed.

I think it's safe to say that the PDRC backers are one and the same as those backing the "democrat" party.

After all Suthep's main role as former deputy prime minister and party chairman for the dems has been to raise party funds.

Silom has been turned into a street market. The edges are getting blurred.

Beer Lao not Leo beer then?

This should hit their sales up north

Weren't we told that paragon didn't get torched because they backed the red?

@ Alwyn post #134

Sorry to do it this way but there were too many quotes to allow me to reply directly.

AFAIR murder is a premeditated act where one or more persons deliberately set out to end the life of a particular person. If somebody employs others to do the dirty deed then that one person would certainly be guilty of perhaps incitement or collaboration but possibly not murder.

In Abhisit and Sutheps case the charge of murder doesn't really stand up because as far as I can see no particular persons were chosen to be killed on their direct orders and without knowledge of the full evidence it will be hard to prove.

They most probably gave the order for weapons and live ammunition to be issued but would have deferred to the military as to what, when, where and how the weapons were to be used. The top army leaders would have given general instructions when, where and how much which would have gone down the chain of command to whoever was in charge at the scene.

They in turn would have passed the orders on to the local troop leaders who would or should have been the ones to give the actual orders to the troops who for the most part were and are conscripts. If one of the conscripts or regulars panicked or misunderstood the instruction then they could easily have opened fire without orders which may or may not have been the problem.

Whilst in my time in the RAF I was given basic training in riot control but I was a regular and in the line of men behind me were sergeants etc who I feared far more than any rioters and our officers and SNCOs were for the most part experienced troops who knew their job but that was many years ago. Now riot control is mostly a police job with specially trained police even in Thailand but at that time the police had disappeared and the job was dumped on the army as there was no other choice.

Yes but then why the use of snipers?

Most of those killed were taken out through high velocity headshots.

It was much commented on at the time that when abhisit announced the use of "marksmen" this was viewed as a political decision rather than a military one.

It could reasonably be regarded as a terror tactic.

The thai army were brought in in the full knowledge that their only responce ultimately could be lethal.

Furthermore by this time abhisit was describing the red shirts as just terrorists or like a dog that had to be put down and put down they were.

In a recent interview abhisit in his soundbite mode to western press spoke about the use of chemicals on the PDRC supporters, implying obliquely the possible use of chemicals/ weaponry or something dastardly, just planting the thought when in fact some protestors got hysterical because water cannon was used on them that had dye ostensibly to identify those sprayed.

Either he was just speaking off the cuff or more certainly planting a story unknown at the time to the western press. Either way it was totally irresponsible.

I think the eton, Oxford veneer is beginning to wear off leaving only the thai rich boy, aloof and spoilt.

Chalerm says he will disguise himself to arrest Suthep

BANGKOK: -- Centre for Maintaining Peace and Order (CMPO) Director Chalerm Yubamrung said Thursday that he would disguise himself to mingle with the protesters in his attempt to have protest leader Suthep Thaugsuban arrested.

The labour minister said he would wear moustache, sun glasses and a hat to prevent protesters from recognizing him when he would venture in disguise into the protest site together with a special police team tasked with arresting Mr Suthep.

However, he stressed that the special team would try to avoid a direct confrontation with Suthep’s bodyguards who, according to intelligence sources, are heavily armed.

Chalerm claimed that Suthep, secretary-general of the People’s Democratic Reform Committee, normally travels in a convoy of three cars and about 50 motorcyclists for protection.

Suthep, according to Chalerm, has a hideout at Dusit Thani hotel and occasionally eats at Inter-Continental Hotel.

He said CMPO would invite executives of the two hotels to warn them about providing sanctuary to Suthep and other protest core leaders who are facing arrests for violations of the emergency decree.

He went on saying that he would have Phra Buddha Issara, another protest core leader, arrested immediately after the court approved the police request for an arrest warrant against the monk.

Source: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/chalerm-says-will-disguise-arrest-suthep/

-- Thai PBS 2014-02-06

Don't need a long neck to be a goose!

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ROOM SERVICE!!??!!!

The man is a highly respected figure within the international financial community and as such his comments will and do carry weight.

No he's not - quite the opposite. He trashed the SET with his mishandling and was removed under grey circumstances.

Just one quote from that wiki:

Pridiyathorn instituted capital controls to attempt to reverse a strengthening of the baht, but reversed the measure after the Thai stock market crashed, destroying US$20 billion of market value in one day. Pridiyathorn later noted that “This was not a mistake. Measures always have side effects. Once we knew the side effects, we quickly fixed it.... Just one day of stocks falling is not considered much damage.”^[11] He came under harsh criticism. Bratin Sanyal, head of Asian equity investments at ING in Hong Kong noted, "The one thing worse than an incompetent central bank is an incompetent central bank that flip-flops." Catherine Tan, head of Asia Emerging Markets at Forecast in Singapore, noted, "They are proving themselves to be very unprofessional. Their actions are very irresponsible. They have totally lost credibility... I don't see foreigners returning to Thailand any time in the near future. Markets now have no confidence in the government."^[12] The Export-Import Bank of Thailand also criticized the capital controls.

The international financial community have already made their feelings known via publications like WSJ, Forbes and the FT, all of which slaughtered Suthep and the Dems this week.

Hats off to him though in trying to go after Sondhi and his ex CFO rewarded the post as CEO of Sondhi's creditor and bank who forgave his 1.6 billion baht debt, £32 million!!!!

"In 2004, the state-owned Krung Thai Bank (KTB) shocked Thailand's financial world by reclassifying approximately 40 billion baht as problem loans. Pridiyathorn threatened to fire KTB chief executive officer Viroj Nualkhair if he did not resign. Viroj was a former financial advisor to media proprietor Sondhi Limthongkul, having helped him make the initial public offering one of his first companies.^[3] As Krung Thai Bank head, Viroj had forgiven 1.6 billion baht of Sondhi's debts and arranged for further rounds of forgiveness. Using all his media outlets, Sondhi attacked Pridiyathorn and defended Viroj.

Viroj was eventually forced to leave Krung Thai Bank. Sondhi's public criticism of Thaksin started to increase, eventually leading to the establishment of the People's Alliance for Democracy. This was a factor behind the September 2006 coup.^[4]"

"Despite working in the civil service for over 25 years, Pridiyathorn is tremendously wealthy. Disclosures to the National Counter Corruption Commission revealed that 30 days after leaving his Cabinet position in March 2007, Pridiyathorn had 730 million baht in assets, a slight drop from 754 million baht when he took office in October 2006. His wife Praphaphan has a net worth of 283 million baht, while his daughter Pudjeep has 7 million baht.^[26]Despite working in the civil service for over 25 years, Pridiyathorn is tremendously wealthy. Disclosures to the National Counter Corruption Commission revealed that 30 days after leaving his Cabinet position in March 2007, Pridiyathorn had 730 million baht in assets, a slight drop from 754 million baht when he took office in October 2006. His wife Praphaphan has a net worth of 283 million baht, while his daughter Pudjeep has 7 million baht.^[26]"

^{Examples of high-ups malfeance and can you trust what they say?}

musical chairs, but one day it will stop.

somebody is going to win,

does not look like the rice farmers will.

the rich get richer and the poor get the picture

Another thai neo liberal thought he knew better, blew his whistle, didn't see the red card.

I love it the reds never appear on a thread about the rice scam, I am still waiting for GK to tell us what went wrong especially after his big post several years ago how successful the rice scam would be.

Well it ain't been sold yet.

It's a loss until it's sold right?

What about the fuel subsidy baht costing the government 170 billion baht per year? You don't hear many complaints about that.

Obviously wherever you come from you never heard of subsidies before, like the CAP?

There are reasons for the non sale of the rice but would you be interested?

Like maybe India flooding the market for instance?

The vietnamese cannot sell their rice.

Easy to criticize but not so easy to offer creditable opposition together with constructive policies unlike Suthep's call to reduce the minimum wage from 300 baht to 200 baht.

Delusional.

He's right. The situation is beyond dire for this administration and the country. Investment is indeed going through a steady exodus, the financial underpinnings have appeared to collapse, and the inner-workings of the administration that are now being exposed through the NACC's investigation have capsized investor confidence, coupled with the collapse of the rice scheme, coupled with the collapse of the rice industry itself, coupled with the protests on the streets, coupled with the debacle of the election, and last but not least, coupled with the administration being stripped of all power, and frozen in incapacity, and without any credible pathway to shift out of that for now or in the foreseeable future. And then there are the impeachment proceedings and constitutional challenges facing it, including the amnesty bill, the senate bill, the rice scandal, and the emergency decree. For all these reasons, he's right.

The situation is indeed dire for the country, for all the reasons that you have mentioned. But we have arrived to this point not purely because of YL and PTP. Suthep's actions have played a big part as well. So I would say that all are equally to blame.

It takes two to tango after all.

So the wheels of government are coming off?

You reap what you sow.

Let's see who hurts the most?

The scammers or the scammed.

Progress or the tied system.

You, Thais, decide.

My money, my business, exists so long as the tourists/farang come.

I vote they keep coming.

Simple, bring in the forensic accountants, follow the money, jail the guilty parties that benefited illegally from the rice program.

Then end the program it's just stupid.

I guess the Common Agricultural Policy is stupid too.

It's been around for 50 years now.

In a civilised society it pays to look after your farmers otherwise if they don't who's going to feed you?

Yes, we are specifically discussing CM here.

Gotcha

Does Mr pussy galore acknowledge that the "EC now says official voter turnout is 47.72% "or too busy otherwise engaged?

Sorry, was that aimed at me?

I dont recognise that user name

According to Wikipedia: