Eric Loh

IMF has indeed a poor record in forecasting. Only 6.1% of forecast was within a 0.1% point margin of error. Rest either under or over estimate. But calling Christine Lagarde a criminal is harsh. What did she do to deserve your harsh rebuke.

This extortion news have gone regional and hurt Thailand tourism image. Still a chance for the authority to turn this around and use this news to their betterment. The corrupt cops must be severely dealt with the full extent of the law. No sacking or transfer but indict them and jail them. Imprisonment for extortion is between 5 to 10 years and fine. Make an example of these crooked cops as a deterrent to other cops and some closure to this bad image. Well at least until the next corruption very soon.

Wouldn;t be surprise that a far right mob will suffice ginned up by Desantis action against CRT and take the law into their own hands. Don't discount that as it had happened not that long ago.

My point is that Desantis is kind of snowflake when only 21% of the books disallowed incorporate CRT content. "21% of the books were disallowed “because they incorporate prohibited topics or unsolicited strategies, including CRT”.

Of course that should be added when you don't have any real policies for the people. You can easily fool the gullible.

Thaksin not on the ballot box. Bangkokians unhappy about the amnesty came out and protest in the millions. Their message was resounding and they dispersed soon after. The bus-in radical elements lead by Sutherp mainly from the south created the chaos and the coup. Rest of the country was peaceful. Personally I am against the amnesty. The government should be given the chance to withdraw the amnesty if not for the coup.

Why? Australian students want to learn more aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander. In Singapore, history of her origin is taught at primary schools. You have been hookwinked by the far right conservatives using culture war as a political leverage because they have nothing in terms of policies to offer to the general public.

Will there be right wing nutters descending on libraries and ransacking in search of undesirable books like a sort of cultural revolution.

Is history a type of harmful ideology. Desantis say yes. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/apr/17/florida-rejects-math-textbooks-critical-race-theory

Desantis like to call Florida “the free state of Florida”. What an irony. And the right advocators of the 1st Amendment nodded like sheep in agreement. Lol.

Or seek retrial under the Thailand Re-Trial Act 1983. Grounds that there were political interference and that he was not present in court to defend his case.

Not the same. Only Thaksin was charged for corruption and he was elected. Meanwhile the current non elected junta leader seized power and not charged for treason and will never ever be charged for corruption. https://thediplomat.com/2014/10/thai-junta-beset-by-corruption-scandals/

If you read the headline fast enough, you would have thought this news from Afghanistan.

Come on Trump, show them how you feel about EV by getting a diesel golf cart.

If I recalled, all the past democratically held elections since 2001 were won by Thaksin's parties. Even the last 2019 election held under a much skewed military drafted constitution, Pheu Thai won the most seats in the House of Representaives. Hoodwinked for the last 20+ years? Time you acknowledge the people right to decide their government; not forced to accept by the military gang.

It will meant coalition with PPRP and getting Prawit across the finish line to be the Prime Minister and re-trials. Only Prawit has the political leverage to pave the way for re-trials of his cases and possibly accomodating outcome. He will be free on bail awaiting the court appearance just like his nemesis Suthep and former PDRC leaders on a more serious sedition charges.

In accordance to the 2017 Constitution of Thailand, the senate is a non-partisan legislative chamber composed of 250 appointed members. I threw up knowing that the 2017 constituton was drafted by the post coup government has that clause. They got to be joking. Anyway Prayut having the biggest laugh that he can pull that of and intend to stay longer with help from that non-partisan appointed (by the army) members. LOL.

If this is the plan, Thaksin will need Prawit to be the Prime Minister. Also need PTP to win big in the House of Representatives. That will almost guarantee premiership for Prawit. With his leverage, he can control the anti Thaksin faction in the senate. As an incumbent elite, he hold sway with leaders of the yellow shirts to soften their resistance for sake of national unity. I don’t see any other politician with that unique power and position. I also don’t think he will serve a full term. Just my 2 Baht opinion.

Jatuporn best days are over. His criticism will not make any difference to voters sympathetic to Thaksin. He is trying to win back support from the Red Shirts but not really gaining much grounds. His rallies were poorly attended and he made serious misjudgment inviting PAD leaders to his rallies. Most Red Shirts leaders have distance themselves from Jatuporn Red Shirts started as a protest against the military takeover of Thaksin government. They are still supportive of him now.

IMHO I don’t think Taksin will go the amnesty nor the national unity route to enable him to return. There will be much uproar with certain segment of the Bangkokians that may trigger unrest. He tried that route and created an unstable government for Yingluck. I think he will enter the judiciary process by asking for re-trial under the Retrial of Criminal Cases Act BE 2526. He was trialed in absentia and a case can be made that the trials were not free from political interference. He can then return and be free on bail. He probably given assurance by the next friendly government under Prawit of a favourable trial outcome

Will give newly appointed Commander Damrongsak a chance to proof that he is different from his predecessors and straighten out the rising police corruption cases. He was appointed in Oct and already has a laundry list of police cases from money laundering, police exam cheating and this current case among many. Let hope he has the courage and support to make a difference.

Where was BJT’s outcry when Prayut transferred 3 senior government officials in OSMEP when he took office. One of the three was a member of the Shin family. Not politically motivated? Disgusting unwarranted warning by boot licker BJT.

RTP is rotten from the top to the bottom cops on the beat. Just auditing their unusual wealth will be sufficient to launch an investigation. They not even bother to hide their wealth and flaunt them with blatant display of expensive houses and cars. They know no one can touch them. At worst, they just get transferred to inactive posting as punishment. Still waiting for Prayut to step in and make big reform announcement. Doubt he will as he need RTP to protect him from student activists.

Thailand was never given a chance to clean up corruption with the ad infinitum military coups. Singapore was a cesspool of corruption that was common and widely accepted before 1960s and their institutions were perceived as rotten to the core. Judge their progress now. Indonesia under a Widodo is making much improvement in their fight against corruption according to its steady rise in the Corruption Perception Index. These countries have a commonality in empowering their citizens to vote out corrupt governments. Thailand never had a government that served a full term except Thaksin. Give the people the power to decide and the keep the military out of politics.

Present military leaders are lily white corruption free exemplary citizens of the highest order. How they ammassed their wealth according to the asset declaration to the NACC and evade scrutiny severly undermined fairness in the judiciary performance that seem to be influenced by political expediency.