rickirs

"..a people’s government must be set up as soon as possible so that rice in state stockpiles would be urgently sold to get money for farmers" .... A big order from China was already lost due to the anti-government protests. Just exactly to whom would the rice "be urgently sold to" to pay for the farmers - Big C stores? Suthep and any of his "people's" committees or governments have no standing with any foreign government to conduct such sales and also reallize that the rice is currently in the PTP government hands. So Suthep is blowing smoke to get the farmers to embrace his insurrection and nothing more. Now if the wealthy in the Democrat Party were to bundle their private funds and/or get personal loans from the banks to buy the rice from the government, that would be beneficial to the farmers. But I think you'll find the Democrats are very close to their money and, if there's no immediate political payback, they're uninterested in the farmer's plight.

I hope that the farmers get paid soon. This is Bulls*&t, leaving the farmers hanging like this, after promising them the money for their rice, to be paid last October.

If not for the current political impasse, I'm fairly certain that payments would have been forthcoming. As it is, the caretaker govt's hands are tied and no one has any solution other than saying that they should have been paid already (which incidentally, is NOT a solution).

Some will undoubtedly say that the simplest solution is for YL to resign and magically, everything will be fine again. Unfortunately, it is not as simple as that. This is a high stakes game and only a naive child would think that that is a feasible solution.

If not for the current political impasse, I'm fairly certain that payments would have been forthcoming...

Yes, but where from? Let's just pretend for a minute that there was no political impasse. Now where do you suppose the Yingluck administration would have raised the money?

Loans from the banks or sale of treasury bonds.

"he could initiate legal action to stay in the country or seek a huge compensation pay-out." Somebody can actually get Thailand to pay you compensation for deporting you? Is this real or is someone just spouting things they don't know about? I can't think of any country in the world that provide such compensation but Thailand is often different in its immigration laws.

If all that had been reported were accurate, he should be arrested, charged, trial, and imprisoned and after prison term, deported. It does not matter how much a person is seem or perceived as contributed much to Thailand.

Maybe he can ask Yingluck for amensty.... yuk, yuk, yuk.

Ahh the Mandela of the east. I remember the demonizing of Nelson Mandela in 1963 after he had 193 acts of terrorism to his name. They called him an undemocratic terrorist. He actually did have arrest warrants for murder (not made up ones). He was charged with making explosives and participating in a violent revolution. If the people then knew what sprouted from that terrorist I wonder if they would have been so quick to judge him. So quick to demonize him. The people that harbored Nelson Mandela were demonized. They wanted those people killed.

I think the directors of the hotel may well look back in 20 years time and hold their heads high knowing they knew something then that "1 principle of democracy" lovers didn't see. Saw something that the terrorist wing of the Shin regime doesn't want you to see. They saw hope. They saw all the principles of democracy being adhered to. They saw farmers getting paid.

There is hope for Thailand when you have decent folk like these hotel's helping a just cause to make Thailand a better place free of the cancerous regime's that are more at home in Zimbabwe or North Korea or Iran.

Peaceful protesting used to be a democratic right. The transgression to a dictatorship is a slow one. So slow in fact that before you know it your supporting the dictatorship under a guise of democracy.

I pity those poor confused souls.

Did you examine Mandela's history? He did not contest the terrorist charges as being false after being found guilty. But in his encarceration he came to reallize that violent protests were not the means of change. And that is was through peaceful demonstrations and development of a political force that could take power through the electorial process. Obviously Suthep is no Mandela.

Right or wrong, as the law currently exists - Charges can be brought against any parties who continue to support PCAD "financially." So I would expect that if the two hotels did not charge for lodging, food and services to PCAD leaders or offered an unreasonably high discount (ie., 70%) not normally available to any hotel membership type program, then the hotels did support PCAD financially as a matter of fact. Given no details that would point to the guilt of the two hotels, perhaps the CMPO is going to investigate hotel billings for the leaders to establish what the facts are. Suthep is certainly capable of providing room & board for his top leaders without the hotel comping rooms. But Suthep also shows a preference of threatening people for things he wants.

Dusit Thani Hotel and Intercontinental Hotel, harboring anti democratic terrorists with arrest warrants for murder.... great headline.

<sarcasm> really smart move by the executive directors of these hotels </sarcasm> if they dont get criminal charges brought against them, they at the very least should be sacked.

Actually, I would say the authorities should be the one's sacked for dereliction of duty in knowing where these people are residing, but failing to arrest them even though warrants have been issued.

lol

Derelection of police enforcement is no excuse to break the law.Can you name a country where that would be allowed?

All the farmers want is their pay. They don't care why the government defaulted, whether its due to over expectations of rice sales and/or market prices, government corruption, or government inability to borrow the funds. Those causes don't pay for next year's rice seed, food, rent, etc. And since Yingluck is only an interim PM (thanks to Suthep), she is limited to what solutions can be found to pay for the farmer debt. So law suit accomplishes nothing for the farmers; it would help Suthep though in applying even more political stress to the government which plays to HIS needs. For the farmers there are two viable solutions. Take back their rice already suggested by the government as have a nice day, or continue to hold until after February when voting is complete and parliament can convene to address the problem, ie., sell treasury bills to cover the debt. Some might argue that the latter will take too long but the government could not have foresaw the prolonged disruption by Suthep of normal administrative operations; so the farmers will be the ones to "pay" for Suthep's insurrection.

PTP's suspicions are well founded. EC has repeatedly misdirected the administration by its supposed authority only to repudiate any authority for its "suggestions" and "recommendations." Throughout the election process it has allowed obstruction to the electorial process and repeatedly issued conflicting directions. Name a single DECISION by the EC that in any way promoted a quick and dependable electorial process. Even now it claims additional voting dates for those blocked polls cannot now be held because of the PM selections end of March. But guaranteed if the EC is asked by the government to issue such a decision, the EC will tell the administration it should go to the Constitutional Court for a ruling because its not in its authority to do so. The EC has played that song over and over. So again, the PTPO has good cause for their suspicions. The PTP might be better to insist the remaining electorial process go forward, citing compliance with the Constitution.

Based on past India government practices, they'll make Sehgal an Indian consulate in Thailand and claim he has diplomatic immunity.

There is nothing to gain and more to lose for the government to agree to such a panel. Suthep will require Yingluck to step down anyways as a precursor to formation of such a panel. It seems like everytime suggestions or solutions are made to the government, they require the government to give up political control while there is never anything required of Suthep. He is not held accountable for not keeping his word (repeatedly proven to be tenuous at best) and has no qualms in disregarding the law and constitution. In response to some past proposals the government has simply asked Suthep to stop the protests for consideration and he refuses.

What is the best time to go to this zoo, maybe late afternoon because of the heat? And is there only one fee schedule or do they charge differently for foreigners? I hold a retirement visa and a thai driver license if that has any relevance.

Now... Let's take a look at those who have fled Thailand.

Thaksin

Arisman

Ko Tee

Yoobamroong times 3

What do they all having common?

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And you forgot to add in the "politicians" still currently playing an active role with PT despite their convictions. Start with the ones breaking the law in your own party then move on to the rest.

I wonder how many PTP people were in the 25,500 corruption cases the amnesty bill sought to expunge...

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

And how many Democrats would have been covered by the bill?

For the sake of the foreign hotels, I hope the PDRC leaders guaranteed their hotel reservations.

Infuriating. His account directly contradicts the accounts of the farmers. Why doesn't he meet with them ? He seems quite comfortable meeting with the press. Why not meet with them ? Why not tell them to their face that they have not waited as long as they say they have ?

" The Commerce Minister pointed out that it needed a nod from the Cabinet and the Election Commission (EC) to secure loans to pay the overdue payment. "

What a smoke screen. If if had been up to the " cabinet ", the money would have been plundered from errant Viking ships long ago. And the EC - as he well knows - has said no. Repeatedly. Because of the election laws. And as this election is apparently now in perpetuity, the money isn't surfacing any time soon. And neither is this administration.

I believe the EC first told the administration that it needed the EC's permission to borrow the funds because the amount was "

significant." Then when the administration requested the EC's permission, the EC said it had no authority to approve such loans, whereby the administration began to directly contact banks for rice loans. No was no smoke screen other than the one delivered by the EC.

What the heck, in anything this man has said, is a result of the protests?

The title has nothing to do with the content. Bizarre! width=18 alt=w00t.gif>

Nothing to do with the protests whatsoever!

He stated it quite clearly. When you interject uncertainty into the economy such as the business disruptions caused by the long drawn out political rallies by protestors who are promoting insurrection, physical removal of the government, and installation of an unelected cadre, investors get worried. Businesses start to liquidate, shutdown businesses, and withhold investments. Combine these factors with a government that cannot provide services to support businesses such as visas for foreigner workers and tourists and customs clearances, and slowdown of commercial transportation services, you start to see an economic slowdown, aka depression.

First understand that the American government shutdown was due solely to a congressional opposition political party not supporting a raise in the nation's debt ceiling that would have paid government civil service and military wages, and government interest on its treasury bonds. That party was holding approval of the debt ceiling as hostage for the repeal of a healthcare insurance program. The shutdown lasted two weeks and cost the country $24 billion. Americans found the shutdown to be an intolerable disruption in their lives and even the party that caused the shutdown complained about the problems it created. The debt ceiling was passed without the repeal of the healthcare insurance program and all government employees were paid retroactively. All the activities related to the shutdown and reconciliation were conducted within the Constitution. The opposition party did not leave the congress nor proceed with an insurrection to force the President and his party to vacate the government.

Suthep marched yesterday (Fri) to collect money "for farmers". He plans to do the same on Monday.

However, he says that he will withhold "some" of this money to be used (by him) on behalf of the farmers.

Old habits die hard ....

Hasn't Suthep bought enough property that he needs more? Maybe he's planning on becoming a rice farmer.

Not bad for someone who has declared himself to be in debt

Debts that has not been audited. If the debts were made in the form of intracompany loans, nonrecourse loans, or loans that allow interest and principal to be deferred for an unspecified time, they are not legitimate debts.

A new countrywide general election should be what is required with such a low turnout, whether it will change the political climate is open to debate. No quick fixes here as no one will accept the result unless they win, if you get my drift.

Now theres a thought, send the Thai politicians to Midsomer Murders, all the locals are dead!

There's no grounds to redo the whole election, especially with 80+% of the polls reporting. The Court directed the election to continue where not conducted; it showed no concern for interrupted polls or low turnout. The Constitution sets the final completion date. The EC wants a royal decree so it can be held blameless for any further problems like its own inability to conduct an election. The issue is not with the EC or the administration but rather what happens if Suthep continues to successfully keep polls closed - peacefully of course. This will be Suthep's last chance and given desparation I wouldn't be surprised if he decides to make things really nasty.

While I respect the educational credentials of the NIDA, it's difficult to accept that out of a 30 million electorial base that a survey of only 1,259 samples can give any meanginful results, much less with only a narrow margin of error. If the sample size was a roll-up of multiple polls stratified into homogenious groupings, ie., by gender, age, by employment, income, education, and so on, statiscal significance drops dramatically.

Oh whoops, I'm going in to Ekamai from Bangsaen, I'm hoping to BST it to Asoke and then MRT it to Hua Lamphong,

Can anybody tell me if I'm going to have a problem at Asoke/Sukhumvit changeover please?

Yesterday during the day I was at several BTS and MRT stations in Bangkok and had no problems. The protester crowds were small and confined to street level, felt like a festival. Street vendors outnumbered the protesters. No protesters were blocking BTS and MRT entrances.

Or denounce your citizenship to whatever country and become a Thai

You reckon having citizenship would stop them throwing you out, do ya? Doesn't that Indian have a passport? You could have citizenship, a Thai passport, have lived here 50 years and would still not be 'Thai'. It's all about your face.

As I understand it, Thailand does not recognize dual citizenship. So you are either Thai or a foreigner. If you renounced your citizenship of origin and successfully became a thai citizen through the prescribed procedures, you would hold a thai national identity card and be entitled to vote, run for office, own land, etc. I would guess the soon-to-be deported Indian-Thai holds a passport from Indian and entered Thailand on a visa, not with a Thai passport.