Plus

The PAD lost the plot a long time ago when their backer's interests changed. They went from being a group of democratic intellectuals promoting a movement away from the former oligarchy, to a group trying to move back the hands of time to an earlier form of rule

It has always been an anti-Thaksin movement.

"New politics" proposal was born from trying to find ways to prevent Thaksin like abuse in the future - separate money and politics.

It was PAD enemies who jumped on a chance and trumpeted "new politics" as a reason for PAD existence. It was not.

In the long run a peaceful rally is the way to go..

Peaceful rally is the way to go into oblivion.

Note that "peaceful" is the only thing remembered, no one has a clue about what they actually want.

Sure, Mr B, it was a rhetorical question.

I think since Thaksin takeover Man City has developed a tradition of starting the season on a high note, though this is the most promising start ever.

I don't approve of the situation when fans dedication to the club far exceed that of the players. Good show anyway, but what has it got to do with Manchester City? It's just the name the Arab owner loaned for their newly assembled Brazilian team. Ok, not exclusively Brazilian, but you get my point.

Well, I am anti-PAD, pro-Red, but anti-Thaksin.

...The red shirts by and large represent a large swath of society that needs to be acknowledged and be a part of the political process.

This is confusing.

Anti-Thaksin reds are fringe elements with zero credibility and no following, and the only attention they attract is security agencies for their alleged anti-monarchy stance.

Pro-Thaksin reds need to be acknowledged, but pro-Thaksin agenda should NOT be part of the political process - politically he's gone, finished, and irrelevant to Thailand's future.

How PAD's antics are self-serving? More like self-inflicting wounds.

As for archaic - it's the villagers with their "leave us in our ignorance and don't ask uncomfortable questions" who are archaic.

Issues that PAD raised about KPV should be discussed openly and freely by society at large, not decided in fist fights, as per villagers wishes.

...there is a long standing conspiracy of silence amount some of the upper echeleons of society. Under Thaksin, the noses in the trough changed and the other piggys started to squeal.

If that theory was true, than why piggies who where squeezed out after the coup haven't came up with any substantial accusations?

and implicate themselves ?

In what? Corruption after they have been shafted? It's not like they can't find receptive ears.

Yesterday PPP tried to oust ABHISIT because his Interior Minister's children hold shares in a company that got govt contracts. They say as a PM he must be held responsible.

Pathetic.

I bet they would pay millions for some real dirt on Democrats.

Here's a link to a letter sent to the Attorney General by the Asian Human Rights Commission on the matter. Look who it's CC'd to.

http://facthai.wordpress.com/2009/06/12/ca...i-killers-ahrc/

Ah, those imbeciles at AHRC. If they want Abhisit to do something, they should avoid things like

"The AHRC notes with concern that your record of prosecutions of security forces’ abuses, including large-scale killings, has not been good. In fact, it has been shameful. Neither the inquests into the killings of 28 men at Krue Se or 19 at Sabayoi in the same year [FIVE years ago - plus] has resulted in any prosecutions of government officers."

in their requests.

It's just plain common sense, of which they apparently have none.

I love it "Anybody knows any details of the actual case?" ROFL Hint! somebody that knew Thaksin was involved, what else matters?

That bad, huh?

Newin got away because he was acting according to the policy set by Thaksin, he didn't invent it (just took the opportunity).

Also there was no evidence of any illegal gains, only vague "damage to the state", and the case for lower ranking officials was all about not following proper procedures, and the court ruled in their favor. Who here knows what the proper procedures are and how they subverted them?

It was a "policy corruption" case, when everything was done legally to benefit a particular party.

Google is your friend.

Thaksin ceased to be "democratically elected" when he dissolved the parliament six months before the coup. Fairly easy to check.

I looked at the "fit and proper" test - stakes in other clubs, directors of bankrupt companies, convictions etc. It just made Thaksin eligible to apply, pass the first hurdle.

I don't think that those are the things Gary Cook complained about in the article. Do you?

less cover-ups of atrocities, such as the Tak Bai incident, where nearly 100 young Muslim men died while in military custody.

Unfortunately the white wash post mortem inquiry happened while Aphasit was at the helm.

It happened in a small provincial court in Songkla which has nothing to do with Abhisit whatsoever.

What company would NOT do background check on potential buyers and rely on some generic "fit and proper" test that is like ticking boxes on visa application.

Anybody knows any details of the actual case?

As far as I remember it was bid rigging to favor certain companies (CP) that delivered substandard seedlings.

First case of policy corruption and down the drain.

Will the prosecution appeal?

>>>

Or are we going to expand on rotten politics without having a clue of what we are so cocksure about?

Bail?

And they did vet him and he passed the Premier League's 'Fit and Proper Persons Test', so do yourself and us a favour and stop posting on a topic you clearly know absolutely nothing about.

Have you read the OP? How could you miss this headline?

'We failed to do proper research on him,' chief executive tells Guardian

"There is no overlapping area at the area and both countries have boundary line for over 100 years,"

Yeah, but later in the same article:

The two neighboring countries share a nearly 800-kilometer-long common border and they have never fully demarcated their land border.

The court wasn't asked to rule on the status of the adjacent areas and it didn't rule on them.

The point of maritime borders and gas fields is a valid one, except that that nothing was awarded to Cambodia, ever.

You are about two years behind, there are LPG installers on every corner.

It was a real craze when gasoline prices were high, now the market is saturated, I think.

Taxis cannot install LPG anymore, only NGV, old cars have been happily converted, too. New vehicles come with warranty and not many people want to mess with that, and new cars run on e10 and e20 that are cheap.

And who granted permission for them to close the roads down to hold a rally?

The military? The police? The local authorities? Or was it just their unilateral decision?

PAD didn't close any roads, they were stopped on the way to their rally place. Their buses were shown on TV, with cracks in the windows after slingshot attacks.

"4.2sq kilometres of border territory awarded to Cambodia but still occupied by Thailand and leaving only the temple and its immediate environs" - that's just nonsense.

The court didn't rule on the status of adjacent land, it remains in dispute, and it is NOT occupied by Thailand, most of it is jungle and there's a small Cambodian settlement there I referred to earlier.

Prosecuting the Thaksin camp is no kind of evidence that justice prevails and influence cannot be bought in Thailand, it is evidence for exactly the reverse.

Thaksin camp has run the country for about six years, ANYBODY prosecuted for corruption or election fraud from those days would be from Thaksin camp.

A few examples from anti-Thaksin camp who got caught in the net are Democrat Apirak for fire-truck scandal, Newin (verdict due today), Banharn - electoral fraud, and Matchima party (thought to the military vehicle to defeat Thaksin in elections).

Those are facts, just as numerous lawsuits against the media and journalists in Thaksin's years. Some say that his downfall was caused by shafting Sondhi's show from Channel 9.

The blockade was set on Thai public road.

they aren't welcome where the real Thais live.

<deleted>???

Just go to "pickup performance parts" thread, and there were a few similar ones by Philip.

Toyota has installed vehicle stability control a few months after that test, most likely in response. So far it's the only pickup with this feature in Thailand. Triton in that test had it, but it's still not offered here.

D-Max is still built on the decades old platform, every few months they come up with "gold", "platinum", and now "super platinum" nonsense, but it's still the same old truck.

It's still good, no doubt about that, and they upgraded the engines, but everything else are just cosmetics.

...there is a long standing conspiracy of silence amount some of the upper echeleons of society. Under Thaksin, the noses in the trough changed and the other piggys started to squeal.

If that theory was true, than why piggies who where squeezed out after the coup haven't came up with any substantial accusations?

It seems that since they have let the PAD do whatever they want, whenever they want and to whomever they want in Bangkok, they can do the same all over the country. They might be in for a rude awakening.

It's people who haven't realized that this country has a freedom of assembly that are for rude awakening.

Geriatrickid,

1. Being born somewhere doesn't give you the right to settle on any piece of land regardless of borders and ownership. Cambodian villagers in the disputed area are squatters.

2. People in this country are free to organize rallies anywhere they want, it's not illegal and they don't need to apply for "protest permits" and PAD wasn't trespassing on anything.

3. There was no "unlawful assembly" of any kind that needed to be stopped by force.

4. PAD does represent people, even if not all of them. The government should answer to people's concerns. If it doesn't want to talk to the public openly, it can explain the situation to PAD leaders first.

Your views on the right to assembly and govt relations with the people smack of totalitarianism and dictatorship.

That's a good question PLUS --- but perhaps there is a better one. Why did they simply not do just that ?

Saw this on Bangkok Pundit:

Thai Post reports Key PAD leader Chamlong as saying he knows nothing about what went on and that if the PM wants to send someone to negotiate then that negotiator should speak with Veera, the leader in Srisaket.

Suriyasai is quoted as saying that he wants the government to be sincere and to give importance to solving the Preah Vihear issue which is creating a confrontation between those live there and the Movement for the return of Preah Vihear as up until now the government didn't place importance of the true facts and let the confrontation develop. Suriyasai believes that villager in the area do not have the correct facts and the truth of the problem as the government conceals the information all the time and instigates conflict between villagers and the movement.

Panthep, a PAD spokesman, is of the view that last year Veera went to the area and found out the truth about what the Cambodians were doing and that they had encroached onto Thai territory. Veera has previously called for the PM to do three things. First, for Abhisit to do something by September 19. Second, if not meet the first condition, the government must give an answer on removing the Cambodians from the territory. Third, Veera has requested to go on national TV with the government on whether there has been encroachment on Thai territory or not.

Panthep said there has been no resolution of the PAD leaders for Veera to go, but the people who went were PAD followers.

http://bangkokpundit.blogspot.com/2009/09/...t-srisaket.html

Let them "protest", they've got nothing to say and play no role in Thai politics anymore.

Boooring.

As someone said - the club comes out and say Thaksin's reign was disastrous, while Thaksin fans here tell everyone it was great.

The club is ok now, in THIS season, which has only seen five games so far, and with the new owner who's been in charge for about a year already.

When Thaksin was in charge - what progress Man City has made in Premier League? What progress comparing to Everton or Aston Villa, for example.

Were they not supposed to win Champions League last year, according to Thaksin's promises?

The only good thing is that he sold those poor suckers to a better owner.