rickirs

So Suthep's new strategy is to get the government and the Election Commission (EC) to agree that the February 2 election was "vexed" and throw out the results? There definitely was vexing but it lays with Suthep. His passion for politics should be respected but I think the time has come for him to take a serious vacation.

Don't back down now... you got them on the ropes... keep the pressure up and soon Yingluck and her henchmen will be either locked up or in exile!!!

They are not giving up. Just giving them a chance to negotiate their surrender.

Another chance to surrender again, again, and again. Maybe if Suthep said "pretty please with a cherry on top?" But why would a publically elected government "surrender?" And why would Thai people allow an unelected Suthep controlled committee take over the government and kiss elections goodbye for at least 1-2 years during which the majority become disenfrachised from voting?

"RETAKE BANGKOK". For the sake of the city, its residents, employees, and businesses these protests need to end. Seeing as Suthep is not trying to overthrow the government, Yingluck is still the PM, the Feb. 2nd elections have taken place for 80% of the country, and the remaining elections will be complete before April, there is no further legitimate point for the illegal occupation of Bangkok public property and the government facilities. Whether the re-opening of Bangkok and government facilities happens without violence is Suthep's responsibility. Let's see him get his supporters peacefully OFF the streets and OUT OF government facilities. Happy Makhah Bucha.

".. evidence submitted to NACC included cheating at five rice mills, adding that they wanted to conduct thorough checks but could not enter the rice mills." So no verifiable evidence? But in Thailand court however, there doesn't seem to be any standard for evidence. So maybe an allegation of evidence is sufficient for conviction.

Note to Dr Seri: you have a week to clear out your account!

You can't be serious.

Try postponing murder charges in any US or EU court with the reason that you are busy trying to topple a democratically elected government.

Not according to the Civil Court. Overthrowing the government is just an exercise in freedom of speech according to a recent court decision. Now say good night to democracy and hello to anarchy. Notice that although Thailand has a very significant economy, population, and strategic position in Asia, it is not on President Obama's tour of Asian allies (Japan, South Korea, Malaysia and Philippines)? Thailand is fast becoming a role model for anarchy and perhaps not a country US wants to associate with at this time. If the government is overthrown, you can expect the beginning of economic sanctions by the West.

Vowing to overthrow the govenment is clearly not a violation of Article 68 of the Constitution based on the recent court ruled in favor of Suthep. So why not jump into the fray? Though I have to wonder just exactly how overthrowing the government gets the farmers a single baht for their rice anytime in the near future. If anything, the formation of a new government will take, according to Suthep, 12-18 months for new elections once he can figure how to prevent the PTP and farmers (irony) from participating in those elections....I mean reform government corruption.

This rumor is "garbage in" and comments are "garbage out."

The other paper says it is Chalerm Yoovidhya, father of the absent Ferrari driver and head of the Red Bull empire, not Chaleo.

Can you post the part of the article that shows that?

A very sensible man, that cares about the well being of his countrymen.

Very sensible to try to grab credit for the banks making loans to the government you mean. Once it's a done deal between the government and the banks after the PTP is on ots way to win re-election Suthep had to do something to give creditability to his revolution.

Why does Suthep feel the need to tell the banks that no one is opposed to the banks granting loans to the administration? Why would the banks care what Suthep has to say now? It's because they don't care and don't need now Suthep's blessings to conduct business with the government that will obviously continue on past March 2014. Until the Feb 2nd election the banks had doubts of who the admininstration would be. Suthep's meaningless announcement is a desparate attempt to show he is still in charge of opposing the government and a person to be reckoned with now. And should the goevrnment get the bank loans to pay the farmers, Suthep will try to spin the events with him saving the farmers by "allowing" the government to pay them.

Transparency in any political areana is a difficult task no matter how old a democratic society may be. And the Thai government is not yet a wholly democratic system. But there is this thing called "politics" that when combined with "elections" can provide a very powerful message an incumbent administation and its constituents. But it's not as simple as blockading election polls, marching in the streets, or occupying government buildings. It requires a comprehensive campaign to educate the constituency of what is wrong, why it is wrong, and what can be done to correct what is wrong. That campaign, if successful, will result in winning the election by a majority. If the PTP succeeds to continue its majority in the government and successfully fends off further challenges made to the courts to remain in office, the Democrats need to change their political tactics to broaden their support base by appealing to the low income and poor classes if it wants its message of government corrption to mean anything. That will be difficult because Suthep will have to racthet down his language or step aside and allow more moderate Democrats to lead the party.

Beggars belief.

One wonders if they are trying to renegotiate with the banks or are threatening the banks ?.....maybe let Jataporn loose with a box of matches again ?

Suthep is the one who threatens banks. If the hai-based banks want business, and business with the federal government is one of the best customers you can have, they'll make deals with the government. The alternative is for the government to go to foreign-based banks for business.

You might have missed the latest news on this

""I hereby announce that non one is opposed to the banks granting loans to the administration," Suthep said."

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/703969-suthep-urges-commercial-banks-to-approve-loans-to-govt-to-pay-bt130bn-debt-to-farmers/

Mind you, not sure if commercial banks are really interested and if they are what premium interest the government will be charged.

And Suthep NEVER LIES and his Occupation Bangkok never ends.

The farce of the Yingluck administration continues. Just yesterday alone, the narratives from within the administration substantially contradicted each other. Kittirat said that there were " many banks " that were interested in issuing loans ( only they wanted to remain " anonymous ", you see. ) At the same time, Yingluck - presumably the prime minister - said that the banks felt constrained and felt they could not loan. And so, the very next day - yet again - there is yet another push to get banks interested. An auction was held two weeks ago where the top 34 banks in the country were invited to attend. Not one showed up ! This is nothing more than a shell game - a way to keep the farmers on a string with ever more extravagant promises and more dates to look forward to. But the bottom line is this - none of it will happen - because the administration does not have the power to raise or delegate the money. And reassurances from Nattawut - on any subject even remotely connected with fire - isn't going to cut it.

There is a timeline you need to follow. First is that the EC said it has no authority to stop borrowing after it did. Then when the government went to the banks, Suthep waded in with bank occupations and threats. The banks backed away. Now the Feb. 2nd was held and the banks see normalcy returning with the current administration remaining in control. So now the banks are interested. But Suthep remains a physical threat that not even the police can control, so as a precaution they have had secret contacts with the administration to make loans. Who doesn't want to see the government get the loans to pay the farmers? Only Suthep.

Rice is subject to spontaneous combustion, must be what's happening here http://www.waltersforensic.com/articles/fire_investigation/vol1-no17.htm or perhaps not.

Judging by the burn marks on the inside of the bags I'd say you're right about spontaneous combustion. Especially if the bags contain rice dust caused by excessive movement of the bags such as throwing the bags into stacks.

Beggars belief.

One wonders if they are trying to renegotiate with the banks or are threatening the banks ?.....maybe let Jataporn loose with a box of matches again ?

Suthep is the one who threatens banks. If the hai-based banks want business, and business with the federal government is one of the best customers you can have, they'll make deals with the government. The alternative is for the government to go to foreign-based banks for business.

Anyone seen a better interpretation of the ruling? Does this mean the court didn't think it had the authority to rule on this petition? Or that it threw the petition out (which would presumably mean the election is valid).

It threw the petition out which means the election is valid. This is a procedure common to any level of courts.

....I thought it had already been deemed invalid and illegal....

Only by Suthep who throught for a moment that he was still Deputy PM.

The Constitutional Court obviously can't make a judgement on an election that is not yet completed.

The (care)taker government obviously have enough other things to worry about at the moment: unravelling rice scheme, angry farmers, proposed indictment of Yingluk, lacklustre support even in their strongholds. So I can imagine the Constitutional Court thinks it's more prudent to sit back and watch them create even more problems for themselves, rather than throw them a life-line by declaring the elections invalid and letting them try again.

The issue before the court was whether the election of Feb. 2nd was valid, not whether it was complete. And plaintiff argued it was not valid regardless of any turnout. The Court rejected the argument by refusing to hear it. End of issue. Constitutional decision by the Constitutional Court.

The petition was filed under Article 68, which clearly the Constitutional Court felt wasn't strong enough a case. The petition ought to have been filed under Article 108 - as that is the one that talks about an election's fixed date within the 45 to 60 day parameter. There will doubtless by a filing of a petition to the Constitutional Court under the directive of Article 108. Article 7 is set to be activated on April 1 when the parliament that failed to achieve a quorum in 30 days, will have failed to nominate a prime minister in the following 30 days. On April 1 a political vacuum will have officially taken place. Article 7 addresses the possibility of a political vacuum.The administration is at that point stripped of its caretaker status. It will officially no longer be in power. Article 7 concerns the appointing of a new prime minister, under a specific set of provisions.

Yes ever since the election you have been banging on in post after post that the election will be anulled under article 108. Yet your yellow friends didn't think that section merited a court challenge at all, so you ought to admit you were wrong. And there won't be any filing under 108 because they will look more ridiculous than they already are. They went for article 68 and the CC said it wasn't interested.

Now tell us who you think will be appointed PM on April 1st if article 7 is invoked.

The PM is elected by a majority of the House, not appointed as you have written. In order for the House to do this, there has to be at least 475 elected MP's on April 1st. There won't be. That is the vacuum that Scamper is discussing.

From a legal standpoint, let's see how this plays out

Sent from my iPad using Thaivisa Connect Thailand

Is it April Fool's day yet? Completion of the elections will occur in March which according to Western Calendars comes before April.

I can not see how this has any thing to do with the legitimacy of the election, but more to do with the legitimacy of serving/former ministers of government, and an attempt to disqualify them from public office.

I can not see this voiding the general election, but if any person disqualified has been elected, it would require by-elections.

And the court refused to rule until they have heard from expert witnesses.

Expert witnesses are related to the legality of the Bt2-trillion borrowing bill, not the Feb. 2nd election which they have alreday ruled on.

"The fire at this rice warehouse also came just a few days after a former Democrat party MP and a rice expert Dr Warong Dejkijwikrom warned of possible arsons at rice warehouses to destroy evidence of rampant corruption in the rice pledging scheme."

Man this just gets better by the day !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am not really sure if Suthep is a good person or not, but I sure hope he gains power so the entire rice scam can be exposed. Pretty sure rice does not burn very well, so if the strategy is to cover up missing rice by burning warehouses, do not think that dog is going to hunt very well.

Looks like only a few bags were burned....

I am sure Suthep dislikes being left out of a good money scheme that is not of his own making.

Use every dirty trick to save face,... those black lying cowards.... alt=beatdeadhorse.gif> alt=beatdeadhorse.gif> alt=beatdeadhorse.gif>

Where does "black" come in to play?

Caretaker Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra reassured farmers that they would be paid as her government’s financial status is sound enough to seek loans from financial institutions to pay farmers

Dear YK if the financial status of the goverment is sound, why do you need to take loans out from finanical institutions to pay the farmers ?

As regards investigations of corruptions, based on an article today, the relevant department has already stated they expect to lay charges by month end and one of the repondents is you...therefore one assumes the investigation is over...

If the financial status of the government is sound, it should be able to get bank loans to make the payments. Being financially sound doesn't mean you have bags of cash sitting around. It means you have the capability to borrow. An analogy is an individual who is financially sound who wants to buy a home. It doesn't mean that person is going to be able to pay cash out of pocket but that the person can borrow the funds to make the purchase. Most government budgets are set by pay as you go obligations and typically do not sit on unearmarked cash.

Suthep will make this Valentine's Day go down in Thai history as the day used tires ruled the streets in mass protest against the government. There weren't enough rubber plantation owners to matter and their workers are anti-Democrat, so Suthep approached the Tire Kingdom to join his anti-corrpution protests and it agreed to put wheels in motion and roll out their forces. Peace and Love this Valentine's day.