roger rederer

1) The good minister is full of crap.

2) Thailand should never have lost its status as leading rice exporter in the first place. But hey, thanks to Thaksin, the idiot PTP and their rice corruption schemes.

At least their cronies got rich(er).

You obviously don't recall the Dim Democrat's attempt at forming a rice price guarantee scheme.

So sell it to the supposed Third or fourth world countries, in Thai-Chinese terms, sell it to the foruth world scum, let the poor people there eat the rotten expired rice until they die from diarrhea, just in order to appeal so International, but screw the Western countries, who are too smart and cause the Pheu Thai to lose face...

Back to school Maxy baby. In your zeal to denigrate the rice pledging scheme ( remember the Democrat's rice guarantee policy?) you should maybe calm down and at least make your rant legible.

So sell it to the supposed Third or fourth world countries, in Thai-Chinese terms, sell it to the foruth world scum, let the poor people there eat the rotten expired rice until they die from diarrhea, just in order to appeal so International, but screw the Western countries, who are too smart and cause the Pheu Thai to lose face...

Back to school Maxy baby. In your zeal to denigrate the rice pledging scheme ( remember the Democrat's rice guarantee policy?) you should maybe calm down and at least make your rant legible.

Interested posters may be interested in these two informative articles before making knee jerk posts about the "evil PTP" and their alleged "riding roughshod over the Laws"

Constitutional amendment and the guardians of Thai democracy – Part 1 : http://asiancorrespondent.com/113100/constitutiona-amendment-and-guardians-of-thai-democracy-part-1/ and

Constitutional amendment and the guardians of Thai democracy – Part 2 : http://asiancorrespondent.com/113107/guardian-of-thai-democracy-part-2/

and if you needed any further proof that this is yet another attempt at a judicial coup read this as well

Yingluck and the submitting of the charter amendment to the King : http://asiancorrespondent.com/113913/yingluck-and-the-submitting-of-the-charter-amendment-to-the-king/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=Feed:+BangkokPundit+(Bangkok+Pundit)

Uncomfortable reading for anti-government posters on here. A good article from aisiancorrespondant.

Simply writ: This government included change to the constitution as one of it's election manifesto pledges. The electorate acted and returned Yingluck with a landslde victory.

It's worth repeating (yawn) that the said constitution was drawn up in 2007 by a judiciary appointed by the military that had overthrown the democratically elected government. If that were not reason enough alone to redraw/amend the constitution/charter then <deleted> is?

Amazing! What a set-up, 'playground tactic' ... the most obvious conclusion to be drawn is that he was paid TBt 300 by *Yellows* or agent provocateur *Blackies* to pull this stunt in order to raise their meager response to the call for 1,000,000 to *uncivil disorder* ... Amazing TV! ;-} rap.

That's bullshit and you know it.

You forget that most of the anti-gov protesters are the educated types and wouldn't be so stupid as to stage a farce, let alone get someone to lose this much face for 300 baht. what planet are you on?

However, this is something that could be expected from the red shirts that backfired. They are not the sharpest tools in the box and would probably eagerly accept 300 baht for this stunt.

Regarding the 'meager response to a call for 1,000,000 supporters' how many reds joined the rally yesterday? 1,500? Well there are 1,499 now.

Erm, pray tell. When did the Red Shirts call for 1 mill supporters to attend?

"anti-government protesters are the educated types". Oh....you mean the ones who occupied and ransacked Government House and closed 2 international airports" Those "educated" protesters. No..... your right they must be clever to have evaded prosecution for their crimes for 5 years.

Normal UDD tactics.

No big surprise here.

You mean getting duffed up by the Yellow Tits. Yeah right. A typical UDD tactic.

Who cares? Certainly not the people of Bangkok who seem to support the Yellow Shirts and the Democrat party as a tiny majority in the country?

The Democrats are unsuitable to rule a country, they cannot even cook their own books without being caught red handed and than let off because the courts have on purpose forgotten to act in time.

Support for the Democrats in the last election was 32-33%. And PAD (the yellows) asked their supporters to cast a non-vote.

In the world of the mathematically challenged, just how big does a minority have to be before it stops being "tiny" and becomes an "overwhelming majority" of 48%?

Just ask, Merkel, Cameron, Hollande if they would settle for 48% of the vote and they would snatch your arm off. Yingluck was democratically elected. It hurts doesn't it?

Boycott AIS so that his pals at True can make more money? Or is he trying to get back to power to avoid paying back the B 210 million loan he took from The Islamic Bank of Thailand (government controlled bank - The Nation Oct 2012) or is he just following the orders of his paymasters the same ones that used Sondhi in 2006 ? If the Dems can boycot the Reds businesses so can the reds boycot the Dems and in the end the economy will suffer. Up to now all his moves showed a man that only cares about power and nothing for the country and its people.

Careful HuaHin62, most of the Red hating posters on here aren't equipped to accept the common sense "two sides to every argument" concept. The balance that your post brings to this debate is refreshing. I wonder if any of those who are obsessed with the acts of Dr T realise that they need look no further than the "Butcher of Bangkok" for examples of trousering other people's money. Nah, their yellow blinkers won't allow.

Just in this last week, how many times has the opposition shown themselves as the pathetic excuse for a credible party in opposition,

claimed as a praiseworthy act done by ordinary citizen's, (BULL SHI_T)... UMMM, OOOp'S guy's errr yeah some people can see that we are the privileged few here that are highly over paid, HI-SO politician's that lie, cheat, and use there position to influence outcomes to suit themselves...

What a pack of donkeys trying to put one over the people, wait,,, yeah and so many here are supporting these donkeys...

Not quite so many as in the past aussie. TV used to look like the letters page of "the other newspaper". Contributors who, in the past, got away with some outrageous stories and downright lies in their red bashing posts now find the boot's on the other foot. Whilst the Reds and their supporters have learnt to carry out protest with dignity and regard for the law these days the Democrats show themselves to be, at best, acting like schoolkids.

What a bunch of clowns following, Ironic, they pick out one of the few decent politicians from either side to harass.

The actions of an increasingly out of touch Opposition. Their strike calls amounted to nowt. Their staged rallies poorly attended. Their MPs stamp their feet and say "We're not voting ya boo sucks!". Now the Democrat's poodle, the squeaky clean, unbiased Blue Sky Channel just happened to be on hand to catch " ordinary voters" harassing the Education Minister. Except they weren't ordinary at all. How grown up.

Get a grip on your MPs Abhisit or you'll lose what little credibility you have left.

"Anti-amnesty groups step up rallies in a bid to topple PM"

Can't legally and legitimately so we'll just have another coup, Don't care about the will of the majority of the people, we just want all the power and don't care how we take it, then cry that the other side are the evil ones and it's the red's, PTP, Thaksin, Yingluck, and Santa clause are to blame.

What a steaming pile of buffalo sh_t...

Tell me what the will of the majority of the people is? I don't know.

But somehow I doubt that higher taxes (which is a logical result) to finance corruption is what they want.

You may recall a certain event on July 3rd 2011 when the people of Thailand delivered a landslide victory to Yingluck in the election. Before I'm reminded that PTP "only" got 48% of the vote it's worth mentioning that in modern democracies with a "first past the post" system any party would die for such a large percentage. In the UK the only, by definition, democratically elected government was Clem Atlees' immediate post war administration with 52% of the vote. No other party came close. Just pointing this out to the Tea Party deniers.

How about Thaksin should overcome his obsession with wanting to rule and rob blind Thailand?

How does it affect you who is running the country or who has their fingers in till?

Careful sms747. With common sense comments such as yours the Tea Party posters on here will think they're on the wrong forum.

"Thailand must overcome its obsession with Thaksin Shinawatra"

and some farangs too.

Hear hear geovalin. To so many farang on here the mention of Dr T is similar to the reaction of Pavlovs' dog to the sound of a bell. This childish obsession with Dr T has them slavering over newly made-up stories or comparisons such as the ridiculous likening of Dr T to a certain Italian septuagenarian lothario. Back to yer bar stools guys, the Tea Party meeting's about to begin.

This is the first time I have written in this forum. I usually frequent it as a reader and observer, but I am now feeling that it is time to sign up and have my say, because i see things on the tipping point and this could get very ugly.

This current government are ridiculous in that every maneuver they take is seen through almost immediately. Not just by political commentators, but all observers with even the slightest smattering of an education.

Everyone can see that they are now going to attack from the streets by instigating the situation on the ground and seeding the streets with pro-amnesty red-shirts in an attempt to inflame a confrontation so they feel they have the right to initiate a 'crackdown'.

They are playing a very dangerous game. They are splitting the reds straight down the middle and sending them to war, while all the time they are bleating that they admire 'peaceful protests'.

There is no clearer message in my mind. This government is no way backing down from this amnesty bill. Green Group coordinator Suriyasai Katasila was absolutely correct, and this is what has been in my mind the moment the PT party said they were backing off a few days ago... They were buying time to gather themselves and go on the offensive, but not themselves, no, it's not their style. This is a classic Thaksin maneuver where he/they are reverting back to March 2010 and sending in the sacrificial lambs to someone's possible slaughter. While all the time they sit in their ivory towers and watch with a self satisfying smirk on their faces.

If ever Thailand needed the army to step in and dispose of this band of criminals, then it is now. Someone ought to dispatch an assassin to get rid of Thaksin or the next office put out an international arrest warrant via Interpol and have him brought back to justice.

What this government is doing is a last ditch effort to force this on everyone just so one man can come back absolved of all wrong-doing. They sense that their end is close, so lets add some volatile ingredients and stir the pot. Let's go out with Bangkok in civil upheaval. They know these sort of things have started civil wars in other countries.

Listen to yourself: "If ever Thailand needed the army to step in" "ought to dispatch an assassin". Hmm.........very peaceful and grown up. In order to do what may I ask? Oh.... I geddit! To stop a democratically elected government carrying out policies that are unpopular with the minority parties, same as the rest of democracies worldwide. Back to your bar stool buddies of the Tea Party and you can carry on obsessing yourselves with one man.

Nice to see Thaksin face in combination with the amnesty bills. The reason that the people are not on Sanam Luang but on the public roads preventing school children from going to school and working people from going to work is of course that Suthep and Abhisit were also main beneficiaries of the amnesty and they need to get the government out because otherwise they will go to jail.

If there is so much resentment against amnesties why no cancelling all those amnesty bills that have been passed under the Democrat governments either, preventing democracy rapists in the army of facing the full force of the law.

Now now tragickingdom don't confuse these democracy deniers on here. As evidenced above; they're not sure whether to laugh or cry at this decision. I think P.M. Yingluck has shown political nous in light of the potential return to the thuggery that we suffered at the hands of the PAD terrorists who closed down Thailand (not just Bangkok) in 2008. With the high tourist season here and the coming of ASEAN this was the right decision at the time. However, the fact remains that Thailand is still subject to a constitution cobbled together by the generals and pliant judiciary in 2007 and to not amend this would be tantamount to the abandonment of democracy. More amendments will be proposed and some will be rejected but ultimately the current constitution must be redrawn.

asked for an extra budget of 15 Million Baht to purchase two new patrol boats and to employ an additional 24 support staff and patrol officers to ensure that Marine Safety is improved

Milking the disaster has started already.

And pray tell, what would your comment have been if the democratically elected Head of State had not attended the site of a disaster?

But the survey, conducted upon 1,190 subjects by Isaan Poll, indicates that 72.5% of the respondents prefer to see Mr. Abhisit and his former deputy face the court prosecution, whereas only 14.4% wants them to receive amnesty.

Having before lived in Isaan and travelled extensively around the region, I would question the amount of knowledge used when 'responding' to this survey.

A stereotypical slur on Issan people from someone who, I would hazard, is not a Thai citizen and thereby doesn't have a vote. Back to Bangkok you bar stool bore where you can discuss "illiterate red shirt farmers in Issan" with like minded Bangkok Post contributors fulminating about how democracy's ok but the wrong guy always wins. Ignore Issan at your peril. There is a vast difference between "amount of knowledge" and the quality of knowledge. Quality is to the fore in Issaan.

The weekend is usually opinion poll time but all I've seen so far is in a news text from the other newspaper which reported that the majority answering a question about amnesty had said it was only designed to benefit Mr. T but no percentages were given.

If he returns it will not be low key and there will be both pro and anti rallies but what of a potential ' silent majority ' ?

Will many decide, a bit late in the day, to protest or will they simply shrug their shoulders and accept the situation in the apathetic, somewhat subservient, way of so many Thais that allows so many wrongs to take place in the country and which politicians rely on to get things their way ?

Of course, any opinion poll carried out by "the other newspaper" is bound to be truly representative of the views of Thai voters, not the English reading bar stool bores eh?

Hear hear Waiimomo. The whole "opposition" to democracy in action is pathetic. Asina Pornwasin's article in The Nation was littered with "many Thai FB users" "some with a red background", "some FB users abroad are 'liking' or 'sharing' posts critical of the bill. Some? Many? How many? Typical clutching at straws cos there's no substance to their opposition to the democratic process of redrawing a constitution cobbled together by the judiciary which was put in place by the military during a coup and immediately after the installation of "their" government. Anybody arguing that such a constitution should not at the very least be sifted through and amended as required should feel quite at home in North Korea.

I'd love to attend the "Business Club for Democracy" mass rally in Silom Rd today. The last one I stumbled upon (I have a video recording of it) was in April/May 2010. After the yellow shirt, flag waving crowd dispersed from the "spontaneous" yellow rants I found that the shopgirls and barworkers who attended were instructed to by their employers and paid for their attendance. My findings were hardly scientific, purely word of mouth yet enough to suggest that the Bangkok elite aren't above the "payment for protesters" slur which they stick on the Reds at every opportunity.

With all the publicity I am surprised that any tourists are dumb enough to rent a Jet ski in Thailand

I spent hours and hours on jetskis in Hua Hin - had a superb time, quality jet skis, had a beer with the owner after. All good and highly recommended

You might be a tad guilty of generalisation here !

Hua Hin aint Phuket

Just returned from Penang. Stayed at Mingood Hotel, old but pleasant. Manager will do all your paperwork and submit and collect for 50rgt (500 baht). While waiting for passport I wandered down Chulia St to the oldest bar in Penang-"The Hong Kong Bar" where a farang from Phuket was cursing that a new manager had taken over at the Thai Consulate and she was refusing 12 month visas unless you had 1 mill in Thai bank account and only granting 3 month visas. I asked Mingood manager if this was true and he told me I had no problem (neither did I have 1 mill). Anyway, it transpires that the Consulate has a list of couriers to which it will not grant 12 month multiple entry non-immigrant O visas. Upshot is that I got 12 month visa but the other guys only got 3 months cos they used the sharks down Jalan Chulia.

Hope this helps.