marcusd

What exactly are they spending on?

Most of the really big ticket infrastructure projects at the national level are still in the planning/environmental stages AFAIK, and haven't progressed to the actual awarding of construction contracts or actual construction work, as yet.

However, I'm not sure about the exact status of the plans for buying the submarine they so desperately want/need...

That's the 1.57 trillion baht question!

They spent a truckload fighting the drought, there was that housing project, but I'm not sure of any other big ticket projects. It would be very interesting to see where this money went, and how much of it was siphoned off as 'commissions'...

Yes its really hard to fight a drought. It takes new submarines, new tanks, new planes. Oh yes and new uniforms too

There is no helping thoroughly sick individuals.

I disagree. Everyone can be helped and cured.

Its called Euthanasia

This is total garbage! The Junta paid everything and sorted these loan sharks when they came in. I read it here on Thia visa

"Where will this end?" - when Thailand gets the one gateway for the internet, maybe there will be no social media allowed here.

Same Same China.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Websites_blocked_in_mainland_China

when Thailand gets the one gateway for the internet,??

Think you are not following, they already have started this project...... 2-3 months ago...

And they will not tell you when complete.... due to national security....

I think it's you who is not following.

Yes, they have started the project, but I doubt it is operational as yet.

We will know when it has gone online, or should I say, "offline" when the plug has been pulled, at a precise time when they need to keep the masses offline, disconnected, and in the dark.

Supposition gentlemen! I use the GATEWAYS for my business needs - dedicated leased line and I can tell you without looking deeper the system has shrunk already and slowed to one third. And yes we have an outsoide IT monitoring and they advised us THE AGTEWAY is reduced already.

Has anybody ever noticed that Thailand has never had Free Speech, before or after the Junta, so all in all not much has changed.

Even under Mr. T, you had to tow the line. If not from fear of the government, you could have to deal with personal revenge back then.

It seems that this Government is better at controlling themselves. Haven't heard of any forced dissapearences lately.

Arrests yes, and they seem to be quite soft for the first time, and letting people out of custody within a few days.

A far cry from China, where dissenters are locked up for many years with no release date in sight.

So think again, things are not nearly as bad as some posters here would like to portray them.

Business as usual.

If all the whiners would take a break for a few years we may see this country get back to some level of stability & prosperity.

All this infighting to get there noses in the trough has gone on far too long.

Mr. NO BRAINER - I think if your think this is any way a step to the democracy that was supposed to happen then I need not say anymore as your already have in one word!

like that will really help the queues of cars and trucks on Hang Dong Road!

Typical behavior of gangs anywhere in the world.

yes it is of gangs but not of the people,who stood up and walked away - the man in the video!

I have never seen this elsewhere in my travels or life!

Another gang attack?

The attack on the British couple still being fresh.

Thailand, Quo Vadis?

AND LOOK AT THE THIA MEN!!! Totally disgusting

Loving caring families who really don't care!

JUST A DOISGRACE

i am hating this place day by day more and more

R.I.P Thailand. This could be the last nail in the coffin for western tourists. Its a shame because these folks were regular visitors to the Kingdom. Thailand, you can enjoy the low rent Chinese mobs from now on. There's billions of them.

well deserved Thailand. Only asian tourists. Western tourist number have been falling as total of visitors. Under 10% soon!

I see Thailand really with a BAD image problems now. Too many incidents lately (this year alone). There is huge marketing for Philippines. That will be the next FAVourite place to go.

Cheaper too

Thailand deserves a kick in the guts and sorry but so do the people who stand by and say Sollee I can do nothing.

If everyone did that attitude nothing, anywhere in the world would change

Songkran, friends, is a free ticket for a small percentage of xenophobic hateful thugs to attack foreigners at will to let out all their pent up hostilities.

Because of small aggressions I experienced some 20 years ago, I learned to not go out during this "holiday".

It is a shame the small number of xenophobes is rapidly increasing

Lewis said he was not sure why they were attacked.

“I didn’t know them, it was just random,” he said.

It wasn't 'random', they were beaten up because the mother slapped one Thai man in the face and the father punched another one while the son held him from behind. The clip being shown in the UK edits out all this, but it can be seen clearly in the full clip that the Brits throw the first punches.

Do you have the video? We would like to see this because The USA news also shows the Thais chased and pursued the Brits

Photoshop is such a wonderful program.

And MONKS who follow the teachings of BUDDAH who actually teaches one how to live. Well I be damned.

Yep siree. Green is lovely when all else is brown. Safe for Songkran and making the hospitals full. Good for tourists. Now the tourists have buggered off its dangerous.

Yep siree Welcome to whacko land

Sure, sure, and my cheque is in the mail......

No Bob your cheque is not in the mail. A letter from This dimwit is saying he has "borrowed" your funds.

Dubious science form very dubious people.

And rain comes from Smoke haze?

Yeah right

IDIOTS!

Yeah Right! Who and I mean not THAIS but actually WHO owns the other 52%??/

I think you would be really amazed to see that the same people who own SCB and Thai airways??? Methinks...

I have police friends and even they are saying the police loyalties are dividing. They are worried. They also say they their army friends are dividing in loyalries.

All because of what we are seeing more and more.

Their words to me... you are going to be safe in your housebut doubt step outside.

Their advice is to leave.

I am taking that advice as I hear it too mNy times now.

I really hate how this country is tearing apart. Sad.

What? Has he suddenly noticed his coffers ar enot as full as they should be? maybe that money went to OTHER generals.

Why write them in English? What a load of croc. I have seen more Thais recently given tickets and naughty farrangs who disrespect all laws so too bad.

The vehicles I see do not have Plates from UK, USA or Australia on them but I do see a lot from CHINA.

Now why not print the tickets in Chinese so when they return home the Chinese have a nice souvenir as they wont pay

When you see what the rich and famous can get away with in Thailand it is easy to see how the rural poor feel that there is one law for the rich and one for the poor. I do believe however that when they allowed themselves to be conned into voting thaksin into power they made a great mistake, somewhat akin to voting for the fox to look after the chickens. They do have a legitimate grievance, but letting themselves be manipulated by this man is not going to solve their problems. Far better for them to completely distance themselves from the whole family and come up with a viable representative (not motor mouth either !). Incidentally I do believe Charlie Manson has never admitted his guilt, a basic rule among crooks

Not just Thailand. Have you read about the Panama Papers recently? EEKS.

"Prime Minister Prayut appeared to have the habit of putting the blame on the other people for all the problems in Thailand without taking any responsibility"

​What a coincidence. Seems that Prayut learnt this off thaksin and the PTP.

The PTP run by thaksin blamed the tax payers, the rural doctors, the rice farmers,the corn farmers, the woman's league, the first car buyers that defaulted on loans, the environmentalists (garbage), the rubber farmers, academics, unions, students, teachers, public servants, consumer advocates, economists, scientists, judges, lawyers and professors for all the faults of the PTP.

Did I miss anyone...Oh yes, they also blamed the World bank, Moody's, UNHCR, Human Rights Watch, Supa, global economists, IMF, private banks, GSB, the EC, AoT, the courts, military, bangkok middle class, business owner, state enterprise staff, Buddhist monks, civil servants, labor unions, Green Politics group, Thai Constitution Protection Association, The Thai press, NIDA poll, Bangkok Poll for their own shortcomings as well.

Glad I kept the list of entities or people the PTP have blamed before. I knew it would come in handy one day.

Fortunately the majority have woken up to the shenanigans by thaksin and his ilk with this hypocrisy they spew.

Yes, but but but

I've yet to see one of these protests which he's supposed to be responsible for, unless Mr P's referring to red bowls, calendars, hitting the 'Like' button on Facebook, going to a park by train, expressing a personal opinion on the charter, reading a book or eating a sandwich.

Thaksin is a convict criminal. During past year he always try to destabilize Thailand for is own interest

And of course Prayuth only wants happiness for his people? He has failed miserably. Speak to the Thai people in Private and you will hear growing sympathy for Thaksin. They feel he brought business and chinese business is only befitting a select few. More than Mr T who I feel from listening is getting more favourable with thia people as they feel HE DID SOME thing and this whacko only yacks and does nothing. No decent country wants him either. Go home now we are busy they say

"Prime Minister Prayut appeared to have the habit of putting the blame on the other people for all the problems in Thailand without taking any responsibility"

​What a coincidence. Seems that Prayut learnt this off thaksin and the PTP.

The PTP run by thaksin blamed the tax payers, the rural doctors, the rice farmers,the corn farmers, the woman's league, the first car buyers that defaulted on loans, the environmentalists (garbage), the rubber farmers, academics, unions, students, teachers, public servants, consumer advocates, economists, scientists, judges, lawyers and professors for all the faults of the PTP.

Did I miss anyone...Oh yes, they also blamed the World bank, Moody's, UNHCR, Human Rights Watch, Supa, global economists, IMF, private banks, GSB, the EC, AoT, the courts, military, bangkok middle class, business owner, state enterprise staff, Buddhist monks, civil servants, labor unions, Green Politics group, Thai Constitution Protection Association, The Thai press, NIDA poll, Bangkok Poll for their own shortcomings as well.

Glad I kept the list of entities or people the PTP have blamed before. I knew it would come in handy one day.

Fortunately the majority have woken up to the shenanigans by thaksin and his ilk with this hypocrisy they spew.

Jaimie I think everyone has woken up and realised everything is much worse now and next year will be even more and terrible too.

This clown is just another in a long line of clowns and is forcing decent people and those who really like this place to leave ... seems only the impoverished are staying. Or desperate. I am taking my whole tahi staff to the Philippines as evebn they do not wnat to stay as they feel things are going to get very heated. So why would 10 thais say that?

Hmmm I wonder maybe we should ask that luminary Gen Prayuth.

"Thaksin said that he had kept his silence all along and stopped making any comments"

So Al-Jazeera are fabricating claims such as "After nearly two years of relative quiet, Thaksin Shinawatra, Thailand's controversial former prime minister, has gone on a media offensive with a series of interviews lashing out at the country's military government and its proposed constitution." which they reported on 24th February ?

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2016/02/thaksin-thai-military-government-long-160223053538667.html

also confirmed in other media ...

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/feb/22/thailand-thaksin-shinawatra-draft-constitution-is-charade

or http://www.wsj.com/articles/thailands-former-leader-thaksin-shinawatra-says-juntas-election-plans-a-charade-1456043195

or Reuters in http://www.reuters.com/article/us-thailand-politics-thaksin-idUSKCN0VX0PA

Perhaps they were all making it up, as "he had kept his silence all along".

Who cares. The country is in this shit anyway

It must be said that Thaksin is a genius when it comes to spin and corrupting people, obviously these are abhorrent character traits that no human being should ever wish to harbour.

Prayuth just looks like an uneducated oaf in comparison, he has shown his true colours (although anyone with an ounce of intelligence knew already what his true colours were before the coup) . The 3rd hand that could seriously shake things up remains very well hidden. One can only wonder at what point it will be introduced. As much as I loathe the man (Thaksin(, Thaksin is routing Prayuth currently, Prayuth's heavy handedness and scandal ridden regime is slowly but surely showing just how ineffective it is in everything it does.

How long until it all erupts into something uncontrollable I wonder, it's inevitable I would have thought.

And it wont be section 44, it will be control by who has the most guns.

I would think with the TRIAL of the new immigration form, which will probably come in, and the monetary status of the bourse, there will be civil unrest within 12 months again but on a far larger scale.

The powers that be that want all the power are setting up their factions to split the army the government and the country

Blind Freddy can see this

Two decades of slave trading, involving all branches of military, police, and government. Make them pay for there greed.

It will be the 4 million people making 300 baht/day which will Not get paid. If Thailand ever gets a red card.

It will mean recession.

GOOD because only then will something happen.

We should not always think SO SAD . They should try to care for their OWN people and not us always caring

CHARITY begins at HOME not from me and you and Bob