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There's no legal alternative in Thailand.

There used to be two satellite companies competing with each other, IBC and UTV, and they both were losing money big time. Then they merged into UBC and UBC was losing money big time for about ten years before breaking even just a couple of years ago.

There aren't too many people in Thailand who would pay for watching English language programs and UBC/True isn't buying expensive TV rights out of charity.

Philippines and Malaysia have bigger market but their prices are roughly similar, despite what everyone says here. They offer a lof of crap channels for nothing, but if you want HBO and football it will cost just about the same.

HD TV is coming hot on the heels of 3G, which will be introduced right after Bangkok Winter Olympics.

When they secretly come to surview 4.6 sq. km of disputed land Thailand has all the rights to ask questions about their involvement.

"the presence of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) officials at Preah Vihear Temple". No one mention that UNESCO went to the disputed area. Get it!

You jumped the gun.

From the BP article above:

"reports that Unesco officials had inspected parts of the 4.6 square kilometres of disputed land near the World Heritage site"

In the original news story the same allegation was in Abhisit's reaction.

There's a difference between ask and demand, or urge.

At this point we don't know which part of Thaksin's interview was deemed offensive, btw.

you make allegations all the time and added fantasies of the past how it never was in reality. you should learn to back up your opinions and your claims first andalso how to counter with the use of arguments instead of declaring everything just to false and wrong if you don't like those other opinions.

Without specific examples you post is just flaming.

No, they weren't.

They had nothing to do with Foreign Business Act.

Two simple quesitons for you:

- Prove that CDR/CNS was behind it

- Show any sign of nationalism in their manifesto you implied in your post.

You made the allegations, your job to prove them.

I haven't had this kind of 'yes they were, no they weren't, so there' argument since I was a child. The CDR were quite public about their views on how foreigners rights should be curtailed, to the utmost alarm of the expat and business community at the time.

For you to deny that ever happened is just plain silly.

Draft of the Foregin Business Act was the work of the Thai Chamber of Commerce and Commerce Ministry and it went to the National Legislative Assemby which reopened the debate, eventually the govt withdrew the bill after NLA insisted on a stricter version.

It had nothing to do with the junta/CNS whatsoever.

If you insist that it was Sonthi Boonyarataglin and his fellow generals proposal it's your job to provide proof, not mine.

Someone should tell them that there's constitition reform process going inside already and red representatives in parliament clearly do not want any people input.

So "cultists" do their debates on a forum with 70,000 members and "open minded free thinkers" stick to private e-mail groups. What is the world coming to?

It was the TRT under Thaksin that decentralised the schools in the face of mass opposition so they compromised by giving teachers more time to transfer to other schools.

The first Education Minister in Thaksin's first cabinet resigned after three months, partly because Thaksin's relative was pushing for bigger school districts so that bureacracy can still keep schools under full control.

In the latter years, when they forced schools to become indendent, the objection was that the local governments were not strong enough, which is Thaksin's legacy of subverting decentralisation for five years in all areas, not just education.

The military abolished the minimum amount of education guaranteed to every Thai child after their coup in 2006.

Even if that is true, which I really doubt, what has it got to do with Democrats who have finally enacted free education policy, on a scale far bigger than TRT?

Just a question, why don't more posters pick up your deliberate lies and falsehoods?

I don't know. Maybe because my versions usually check out to be right?

get rid of the puppet parliment

Get rid of the parliament?

Does this mean the committee waves it's hands in the air and says "We think think this is lese majeste!" and the police are arbiters or the committee?

...

There is obvious potential for politicisation

Yes and yes, and that's why setting this multilayered structure - committee, police, courts is designed to prevent politisation. There are also public prosecutors but they do not have to approve ALL cases going to courts, I don't know if they are going to be involved with this one.

The dislocation is that even though the electorate should be allowed to force change through their choices, in Thailand their ability to change anything has been removed by the <<Rule #15>> Courts and the entrenched elites.

No it hasn't. The parliament can still re-write the laws, courts will have to follow. People can directly propose the laws themselves, it has been made easier under 2007 consitution.

>>>>

In the Nation the issue barely gets two paragraphs.

When PAD asked for royal intervention back in 2006, they did it according to the Consitution, Article 7. There was a debate whether it was applicable or not but at least they were trying to act consitutionally, I don't see any comparison with Thaksin who first instigated a revolution and then "urged" the palace to stop the ensuiing violence.

There are several steps involved here - the committee monitoring the news makes a decision first (that's where we are now, at the begining), then the committee passes its decision to the police. Police needs an official translation from the Foreign Ministry, not the committee itself. Then the police makes its own decision and passes the case along to the courts.

Also even English speakers here disagree on the words Thaksin used in that interview, surely the police needs an official translation because they are not going to debate Englsih meanings of urge vs demand in Thai courts.

Taksin and Co started the Red Shirt movement , but the majority of its supporters today are decent hard working poeple who want,

"government of the people for the people by the people"

A government they elected.

They want government of the rich, for the rich, elected by red people. They will not accept if 64% who didn't vote red dare to form their own government. They would accept Thaksin meddling in politics but not generals.

And even red elections must be run without any rules and any puinishment for vote buying.

Some democracy!

Majority of red supporters today are not smarter than thousands of village scouts who lynched people and burned their corpses on Sanam Luang in 1976. They also thought they were doing the right thing, they also been told they were doing the right thing. They also had their own radio stations and they didn't allow any alternative media - just like reds now listen ONLY to their own dtv.

Incidentally, last week opposition MPs managed to disrupt and cut short a parliamentary session where Democrats were presenting details of how they plan to make that "if there was no corruption" map a reality.

Thaksin scared the bejesus out of the gentry in Bangkok by making Isaan and Northern politicians more powerful than the Bangkok politicians.

And you imply that Isan polticians equal Isan farmers?

They scared bejesus out of attending Asean ministers as well.

Or do you think crashing Democrats party, shitting all over and expelling all the guests made a nice invitation for the red government? Yes, they are all dying to attent, especially Chinese. Reds made a solid case for democracy there, who could refuse their invitation.

Do you honestly think that Sondhi or Chamlong can come to the North or Isaan and campaign? Sondhi got shot on a suburban road in Bangkok,

I get your point - imagine what all those enlightened democracy lovers would do to him in Udon.

And why do we have to accept it as normal, as a sign of development?

The anti foreign ownership rhetoric that was coming out of the CDS was reported in all the paper after the coup, including the Bangkok Post and the Nation. Changes to the Foreign Business Act were proposed by the CDS generals and yellow lot..

No, they were not.

And what is CDS anyway? I assume you mean CNS - the junta, comprising of Sonthi (the general) and seven other members.

Yes, they were. You will be telling me that Thailand is south of antarctica next.

It's CDR, which stood for Council for Democratic Reform (in tanks, ho ho), not CDS or CNS (which was a later name for the group). The CDR were the original post coup junta - Sondhi, Saprang, Anupong et al. Their nationalistic manifesto revolved around little more than 'saving' thailand from foreign ownership. Their indiscriminate targetting of foreigners owning anything, and abrupt policy reversals, caused an enormous amount of nervousness to the foreign business community at the time.

Funny how so many foreigners behave like lemmings - they supported a political movement that was talking about running them out of town, just because of the Thaksin knee-jerk response

Funny also how you deny what was in the news from all sides at the time.

No, they weren't.

They had nothing to do with Foreign Business Act.

Two simple quesitons for you:

- Prove that CDR/CNS was behind it

- Show any sign of nationalism in their manifesto you implied in your post.

You made the allegations, your job to prove them.

This is not the first time Sulak has faced charges of lese majeste. He has been accused of this crime at least fourteen times before, but never once has he served time.

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/search/rea...?newsid=3008790

I remember reading 18 somewhere, but the point still stands.

The have had multiple generations of politicians who blew smoke up their ass, and one man delivered something to them in their opinion.

And that is the reason they keep voting for the same guys for twenty years? He's made a helluva lot fo difference to their voting patterns, sure.

I would also love to know which areas of the country where the Dems are not strong that the PAD could gain even 3% let alone 30%?

Anywhere outside of the South where Dems don't have their own power pyramid in place. Oh, and those southerners somehow think Democrats care about them. What strange people!

Thailand is full of contradictions if you willing to neglect the feudalism and talk class struggle instead. Whatever makes your day.

Or do you somehow think that feudal mindset is present only among the ruling classes, and the peasantry is all enlightened free thinkers?

People that know what they want go and take it and don't wait around..

It's sufficiency economy, my friend. After 2 am EVERY girl in Cowboy appears just as beautiful as top dancers at 10, why pay more if you can drink beer instead?

Waiting until 4, on the other hand, is not too good for my old bones, I lose my mojo.

When they secretly come to surview 4.6 sq. km of disputed land Thailand has all the rights to ask questions about their involvement.

Thaksin is still a Thai citizen subject to Thai laws.

The anti foreign ownership rhetoric that was coming out of the CDS was reported in all the paper after the coup, including the Bangkok Post and the Nation. Changes to the Foreign Business Act were proposed by the CDS generals and yellow lot..

No, they were not.

And what is CDS anyway? I assume you mean CNS - the junta, comprising of Sonthi (the general) and seven other members.

If I was responsible for death of two people and injuries to another five hundred I would also sing "let bygones be bygones" song.

Why is that politicians should be exempt from responsibility for the massacres they initiate? Is because it would inconvenience them or what?

The charge does not get much more serious for a Thai.

Tell this to Sulak Sriwalaksa, he's been charged 18 times and counting, still his opinions are all over Thai media, he is one of the most respected social critics here.

And you don't see yellows disowning Sondhi after he was actually convicted of LM.

It's paradoxical that so many foreigners fall for their rhetoric

Because the rhetoric isn't there. You created it yourself.

For one thing, if there was said anything even close to substantial disrespectfull during any of the interviews given during Songran, you and your fellow goon-squad would have been all over it.

It didn't go unnoticed - Thaksin asking for royal intervention to solve the crisis, that much was reported in local media. If there are LM charges coming with this - he got what he deserved.

I see they've been muilling it over for weeks and the panel decision was split.

In the end I bet it was "We can't let him get away with this" feeling rather than "let's get the bastard".

Thaksin has mentioned monarchy several times in connection to his red revolution, that is bound to break some rules, no surprise here.

I don't understand longer opening hours. I'm quite happy I don't need to barfine after 2 instead of waiting until 4.

What's the problem again?

>>>>

The average Thai doesn't give a toss about any of those issues. It's all personality based here, and not without a reason - everyone can talk, they vote for people who can DO, so the don't listen anymore.

Dems can't win in Isan not because of their policies, they are all the same nationwide, but because they don't have trustworthy candidates there.

If PAD can put up people with good reputation in their communities they don't need a big national platform. If they can attract one or two big names with strong credentials, that would take care of their national agenda.

Don't also forget that when people go to polls they have absolutely no knowledge of who will take education portfolio in the future coalition government, it's pointless to vote on specific issues.

PPP got 36% of the vote as TRT proxy, PAD party will get their vote the same way. 30% in areas where Democrats are not too strong is not impossible.