rickirs

Ideas for improved Thai Airways ticket sales:

- Change name to Martial Airways, each plane to carry a military LINE sticker on tail/wings, inside decorated with 12 Values LINE stockers

- Offer discounted "Having Fun in Martial Law" tourist packages

- Have constitution requireThais to use only Martial Airways to/from Thailand

- Pass a law that farangs must fly Martial Airways to/from Thailand

- Provide Thais with income tax deductions for flying Martial Airways

- Frequent flyers can earn Get Out of RTP Searches passes, free urine sample cups, fake 1,000baht notes, etc.

- Free Happiness meals (rice in palm oil)

- Free seating and boarding priority for Bt2,000 (farang Bt34000)

- Discounted one-way nonstop flights to Pyongyang, North Korea (free if military)

Will there be special lanes and transportation for human traffickers?

This violence is just an aberration.

General Prayuth has promised a peace agreement with insurgents by the end of 2015 and has guaranteed that by designating Malaysia as "The One" to bring the insurgents to peace talks. General Prayuth has also launched his formidable "They just need to understand" offensive to pacify the Muslim Southern countryside using the "Win Their Hearts and Mind" formula used by the Americans during the Vietnam war. Meanwhile the military-led government is working to enshrine Buddhism in the new constitution as a state sponsored faith for Thai society What can possibly go wrong?

For a Junta that was going to codify laws against populist ideas, it seems to come up with far more populist policies than the Thaksin and Yingluck administrations combined in just its first year of rule. One would almost think that the Junta's pursuit of Happiness for the Thai people borders on unrestrained political pandering.

But of course, the Junta is nonpolitical because it says so and General Prayuth has no concern about his image as Head of Government (though he is rather dashing in his uniforms).

Igor and Victor may find themselves "on vacation" as pro-Russian separatists in Ukraine soon. Failure as a Russian spy is serious.

"temporary work for farmers during the dry season"

Totally missed the point of the issue of sustainability. The whole of Thailand agriculture needs to be organzied into a stable, diversified, and PROFITABLE industry. Patching it with odd job opportunity is a ridiculous and flawed solution. Loans are not an end to a means. And "dry season" isn't the only cause for a failing agricultural industry. It seems unique to rice farmers. But do not other farmers with other crops such as rubber, palm oil, canola, cassava, etc. have similar economic distress caused by other factors such as unsustainable market prices.

If it was just a matter of farmers getting a paycheck during a dry season, conscript farmers into the military, state-owned enterprises, or coperatives for gainful state-sponsored employment as opposed to outright welfare. The Junta-led government for all its talk about "vision" lacks real vision for change. But what can you expect from a rigid and self-perpetuating military institution? Thais need a civilian government that best reflects its needs and aspirations.

"religion was the most important institution for Thai society. Through the teaching of religion, national stability could be better promoted."

How is that going to work for Muslims? And Christians, Jews? Will every faith have equal weight as important institutions for Thai society? The answer is "no."

Religious freedom is a sham if the governance of a society is biased to a sponsorship of religious preferences. It is irrelevant that freedom of religion is "guaranteed" by a society when in policy and practice only one faith dominates as a governmental institution at the deliberate omission or absence of any other faiths. The NRC will be building institutional walls around Thai society to purify and insulate it from other societies - Thailand will never become part of an ASEAN Community, much less part of a global community. It will smother and decay culturally.

This looks positive, if it gets the final nod. I am not sure i am just very cynical, but whenever i read good ideas like this, i automatically start thinking of the likely loop holes which will be left for selected people to jump through.

Wealthy people can make "honest" mistakes. It's not like they can be responsible to do their own asset declarations accurately.

Case in point is Gen. Prauth's brother, assistant army commander General Preecha Chan-o-cha and his wife, who declared their bank accounts in his capacity as a member of the National Legislative Assembly having 42 million baht when it should have been 80 million baht.

"Democrat Party leader Abhisit Vejjajiva made an interesting remark last weekend - he said Yingluck's impeachment was possible due to unusual circumstance."

Interestingly, Abhisit's own impeachment could be in the making if he doesn't lower his profile. While the Supreme Court ruled that he and Suthep cannot be tried by the Administrative Criminal Court for alleged murder of red shirt protesters in 2010, thus dismissing charges against them, it did rule that the appropriate authority to investigate such charges is the NACC. The rationale was that the allegations relate to a time when both Abhisit and Suthep were government officials. The murder of protesters by government-directed forces under the eladership of Abhisit and Suthep could constitute abuse of power.

The question now is whether the NACC operates on a political agenda with regards to justice. Or whether it functions without political bias or political pressure to investigate Abhisit and Suthep for potentially impeachable and criminal acts. Both may find as a consequence that unusual circumstance is more frequent than they expect.

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The US doesn't have many friends in Asia. I am not surprised. Asylum for Yingluck in the US it is then.

Partners don't have to be friends. The USA has and had many relationships of common interests with communist China and will continue to do so even through China's current economic uncertainty. Being partners is not giving up a nation's sovereignty. USA has had and will continue to have disagreement/conflicts with some of its own staunchest allies.

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This should never ever ever have been allowed to happen. The embassy and the foreign office of the USA should be very embarrassed about this.

If they are going to have meetings like this they may as well just come out and declare that the NLA and the junta are not legitimate.

"declare that the NLA and the junta are not legitimate"

Sometime you don't have to state the obvious.

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Meanwhile Obama has to fly away with all speed to grovel to the latest dictator of a country where they just chopped an innocent Burmese womans' head off in the street like an animal. "Hypocrisy" does not even begin to describe...


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Don't you believe in the "rule of law?"

So long as the Thai government owns 51% of the airlines, it will remain solvent.

The government can just keep injecting capital into the airlines regardless of financial performance. But the issue for the government should be solvency at what cost? What other investments could the government make with the same or less financial risk which would better benefit the Thai people?

When the nation's economy NOW desparately needs capital investment to regain its economic growth, Thai Airways should not be the first priority. About 70% of the Thai GDP comes from exports which are contracting at below expected annual growth rate. Of the remaining 30% GDP, about one-fifth comes from GOVERNMENT INVESTMENT with the balance attributable to domestic consumption and agriculture. Only the government now is capable of providing any significant economic stimulus to grow the economy and, thus far, it has failed to do so like a miser who still has his first earned baht.

The government needs to liquidate its 51% of Thai Airways stock that should fetch a 20%-30% premium over its publicly-traded share price. Then put that money to WORK for the nation. Use the funds to generate small and mediuam size businesses, employment, wages, domestic consumption, etc.

“Scout training will teach them the value of morality, harmony, rules, positive attitudes to society, and emotional control when facing problems,”

Looks like they will at least escape Prayuth's 12 values.

I've always understood that the Scout salute was a three fingered salute. The same as the forbidden guesture. Will the prisoners be able to salute each other in the traditional scout manner or...............oh, the mind boggles.

Maybe the scouts will have to go to a one finger salute so there is no confusion.

At least for the first time General Prayuth doesn't try to fool anyone with the "US doesn't understand" or "US needs to understand" mockery.

But Prayuth can take comfort in that he conquered a nation to become its leader. Obama only got his nation's majority vote. Prayuth has so much more reason for his pride.

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Not just a snub but a full on reprimand in the lecture that US State Dept Official Russell gave at Chula Uni today. I bet the yellow shirt PDRC academics in the audience were seething.

"We are concerned about the significant restraints on freedoms since the coup," he said. "Ending marital law throughout the country and removing restrictions of speech and assembly – these would be important steps as part of genuinely inclusive reform process that reflects the broad diversity of views within the country."

http://www.khaosodenglish.com/detail.php?newsid=1422273247&typecate=06&section

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"Broad diversity of views?" Amb. Kenney seemed to be concerned only with the views of YL's government.

China opens its arms and doesn't care either way and this is China's backyard.

Kenney seemed to be concerned only with the views of an elected Thai government. As was President Obama.

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US and Saddam Hussein were real buddies for a couple of decades, economically and militarily.

True democracies make real friends.

You make joke, Da?

Iran and Iraq were at war and the US in a little payback to Iran for its US Embassy takeover years before supported Sadaam's fight against Iran.

Surely you are familiar with the old adage, "The enemy of my enemy is my friend."

Also, please be reminded that Sadaam's relationship with the US was literally "the death of him." Maybe not so nice to have American friends.

The Junta adopted a much maligned Home Buyer program initiated during Yingluck's administration. That should help spur the real estate market.

BANGKOK, 2 January 2015 (NNT) – The Government Housing Bank (GHBank) is allocating five billion baht towards providing low-interest loans for home buyers, in an initiative the bank has branded as a New Year's gift to the public.

Angkana Chaimanat, president of GH Bank, said the allotted money will fund low-interest loans for low- to middle-income home buyers to enable them to buy their own homes. The loans may be taken out for home purchase as well as for home construction, expansion and repairs. The borrower will only be charged 0.87% interest for the first year. The interest will rise 4.85% on the second year, after which the rate will be MRR plus 0.5% for the average loan taker. The adjustable-rate loan amount will be capped at 2.5 million baht per borrower.

The operators/farmers want a guarantee 30% profit margin which would come from prices (rubber sheet: Bt80-90/kg) much higher than current market prices (rubber sheet: Bt40-50/kg). In September 2013 in response to farmer protests, the Yingluck regime gave them subsidies and loans. In December 2014 in response to Southern farmer protests, the Prayuth regime gave them even greater subsidies and loans. But while both regimes provided subsidies higher than market price, neither provided sufficient subsidies to allow a 30% profit margin. And still the operators/farmers are dissatisfied.

Regarding the tappers not making enough wages, that is a matter between the operators/owners and workers. There is a minimal national wage of Bt300/day. If workers are not getting minimum wage, they should file a complaint. it is not the responsibility of the owners to pass through to employees any revenues or profits from the business.

Happiness is not paying all your bills and still get "gifts" from the government.

How about the Best Buildings in Bangkok to Jump to One's Death?

Is there a sport in Thailand that is like bungy jumping but without the bungy?

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"He said the military junta decided to seize power with strong determination to resolve the political impasse and end conflicts in the country."

And I believe him and trust him.

He can deliver and will deliver to the contrast of the previous muppets being in charge of this country.

You can always trust a man who delivers amnesty for himself first before he judges everyone else.

"Thailand sees Japan as an "Asian power" with its sphere of influence in Asia. Thai-Japan security cooperation will certainly be upgraded."

Upgraded to what - serious intent?

Japan only has naval defensive forces. It relies on the USA Navy to project naval power in the areas surrounding Japan to guarantee the right of international transit through the Sea of China and outlying areas. Japan relies on the USA Navy as a deterent to Chinese aggression. But Thailand meanwhile has begun to isolate itself militarily from the USA, especially with Thailand's Security Agreement with China last summer. Maybe the joke will be on Thailand when it asks for Japanese Naval support in the Sea of Thailand and Japan sends the US Navy.

Looks like the ASEAN community will have to revise their radio frequencies as well. Otherwise they'll "jam" Thai military channels.

We can't let the Thai military have its radio communications interferred with. Think of the threat to national security!