Eric Loh

So what role does this centre fulfil then?

Military men in these "peace" centers near to polling sites. Role is to intimdate and influence. Even a blind man can see through this charade.

Thailand is truly blessed with intelligent leaders making such brilliant remarks. This idea of sending brawling students to the south will rank alongside famous remarks like "executing journalists" or "shut down the country" and of course the disgusting sexist remark.

They should offer those that vote yes 500 baht or a bottle of low kao. Why change habits?

This myth is once again debunked and has taken to another level as confessed by Surin Pitsuwan, member of the highly ambarassing failure at the UN Security Council. They tried to influence members with gifts and received strong words of commitment but didn't translate to actual votes.

Populist policies? Nooooooooo, only Thaksin did that...

Great finally those that pay real taxes get a benefit instead of rewarding those that don't pay taxes at all.

And of course its populist but at least they have paid taxes. (civil servants are on wages and income tax is with held)

Now farmers on the other hand

and 30 billion at 3,5% is around 1 billion.. what did the rice program cost again 500 billion..

Allow me to expand on your limited knowledge of the different type of taxes. They do include VAT, stamp duties and even that bottle of farmer's favourite Lao Khao. Everyone pay tax one form or the other.

The hard part is getting all those duct tape off.

The whole case rest on the cause of death. Now that the body has been cremated, that key incriminating evidence is gone and so is the case.

The point is in the ASEAN declaration.

The recent decision to withdraw from the EU has also raised questions of whether a similar incident could occur for ASEAN.

Of course they should be worried.

Singapore trading with Laos? Soon Singapore will leave the Asean and call a Sexit referendum.

As for tourism, little effect from Brexit. All tourists are Chinese now and look similar to Thai people, but aren't Thai people, they're Chinese.

oh another thing is only the elite will be affected by a slight ripple on the stock market the 99% of Thai's will stay the same, poor.

I would put the chance of an ASEAN breakup as zero for these reasons.

Unlike EU, ASEAN agreements seldom touched the life and livelihood of the man in the street. It's still a long way to go in making ASEAN a single regional market. ASEAN don't have the stress like EU for freedom of movement, work or residency. No stress on intra-regional migration or influx of refugees. Thank god we are far away from the conflict zones and not have to deal with refugees. Lastly ASEAN don't have a domineering central body like EU that issue and impose legal binding regulation that could irritate some members. No EU type parliament, just a ASEAN secretariat and I doubt anyone know who is the current secretary general. ASEAN not as imposing on common people as the EU.

Excellent news. The bottleneck traffic jam is daily and even stretch into the night and force motorists to use the very expensive toll way.

I hope that brother Thaksin was there on Skype to apologize for getting her in such trouble. If she has to pay 287 billion Baht, I expect that Thaksin will demand payments from all the people who have benefited from his parties' crooked schemes over the years. I can't see him coughing up the money.

She was in trouble the minute she won the election in a crushing landslide against the incompetent and inept party of the establishment and military, the Democrats.

There will be no compensation paid for a sure as night follows day, democracy will return to Thailand, The PTP will again form government and all of these ridiculous and fraudulent court cases will be overturned and consigned to historys' dustbin.

The courts will hopefully be full of ex-Generals answering for their past real misdeeds. Perhaps the first case will be in relation to the GT200's.

What are the fraudulent court cases you talk about? I love a good debate. The only reason why Thailand can't move forward is due to the corrupt politicians from the past decade. Who was in power for the better part of the last decade? Care to explain how the society has improved socially and economically for the low to mid income? (Raising the minimum wage was the one long overdue positive, the rest seems to have push the country further backwards) For all I can see, education is sliding backwards, that is the biggest indicator of how a society will move forward.

Below statement from UNDP help you to separate facts and emotion.

Thailand become an upper-middle income economy in 2011. Notwithstanding political uncertainty and volatility, Thailand has made great progress in social and economic issues. As such, Thailand has been one of the great development success stories, with sustained strong growth and impressive poverty reduction.

- UNDP

One of the reasons the baht stays strong.

Kept George Soros away.

Thailand's problem is worshiping people. That's why people love and hate Yingluck. That's why Thais go nuts over movie stars. That's why people trust so easily and follow corrupt monks and others. Foreigners even experience it in Thailand. In the past, the foreigner was special but these days that interest is fading. It shows Thailand is changing and breaking from some of its ignorance.

Still Thais love celebrity of any kind. The powerful and shysters know the plebeians worship them and so use them in what ways they want. Even when the plebeians wake up from their ignorance, they find they often still have no choice but to worship the people in their world to survive and get things done. Everyone knows whose corrupt in their local community. They know the teacher is bad but the still smile for him or her when they meet her because the system won't defend them should they complain.

I don't think Yingluck is as bad as people make her out to be. She's no less an abuser than any powerful person in Thailand, any. Many of the people who support her have strong feelings for her. She helped millions of people in her time. You can try to deny it but those years were great for many and they were corrupt people. Some have their reasons and others have just chose their celebrity to follow. All the worshipers and followers in Thailand are the same no matter what team (color) they follow. The only people who aren't tied into the system of worship here drop out and don't support any one political party or have left the country.

There's nothing surprising about the video. It's Yingluck but could be any famous person really. I'm sure the pop bands crowds and fanaticism is much bigger. In Thailand when it comes to people with power they most powerful always crush them. The territory was claimed long ago. Yingluck and the powerful monk are both being crushed by those who claim everything. There's an old political power ceiling in Thailand that no one can rise over. It's that simple. I hope she survives the abuse and enjoys the rest of her life but who knows what will happen.

Well said, I do agree with you that YIngluck is not a bad person at all. She was just incompetent and was not fit to be PM of Thailand. People love her because she was a Shinawatra. I have no doubt she has a good heart from the way she acted and her actions. She was just put into the wrong place at the wrong time, just like Abhisit.

She was just put into the wrong place at the wrong time, just like Ahbisit.

Can't agree absolutely with your comment. She was nominated by her party to run for the top post. Nothing wrong about that. She then campaigned on her platform of policies in an election ran by the EC and within all the laws in the country. Why wrong time? Every party was given a chance to present their platform and to impress the voters. Same as Ahbisit. She won.

Totally different from the route that Ahbisit took. He was not elected by the people and was put in a wrong place at the wrong time. Wrong place because took office without the people mandate and wrong time because he was the defacto leader. The leaders are behind the scene.

Like to hear your comment.

Oh yes, brain is required to comprehend what Korn, Alongkorn and many others have been saying that vote buying is not determinative of election success.

Correct, on the micro scale, actually handing people cash to vote for you, it doesn't achieve much. OTOH offering hugely attractive policies certainly does work, not just here but everywhere.

But when those policies turn out to false election promises (one tablet per child), or clearly unsustainable (rice scam), or junk economics (big increases in minimum wage), they are simply vote buying on a macro scale, with the cost borne by those supposed to benefit.

Pretty much laugh a minute stuff Hallowen. Standard dropping. Typical style of discredit when you have no chance of winning. You backing a party who was pretty much unelectable and have to manufacture a government in the barrack. Still can't be elected, a coup will do it.

Much the same election promises of Strong Thailand riddled with corruption but not picked up by the ever predictable NACC, free cash and a failed rice gurantee scheme. All these goodies plus the backing of the military and still can't win an election.

It's schools out day. Lots of juveniles posting.

Gosh I wonder why? ??

Thaksin?=?PheuThai?=?UDD??ThaiMafia

#UDD should be on a terrorist list

1.jpg5.jpg4.jpgIMG_20160223_110515.jpg3.jpg6.jpg4.jpg

Very disturbing graphics and a stark reminder to the extreme and violent extent the establishment will do to miantain power. Also a stark reminder of those who sacrify their lives so that Thailand will have democracy. The UDD only want an election while their opposite want a coup and for the establishment to continue to miantain their wealth and their dominance over the poor. The establishment and their bully boys plus the junta agencies will continue to harass and find ways to rid their political enemies. Sad sad Thailand.

Seem only the UDD taking a lead role in keeping the junta decent for the referendum. The junta should just allow the centers to function. They just there to help the junta to detect fraud. Why is the junta so afraid of transparency. They should thank the UDD for using their resources to help make the referendum credible and give the junta a better image after they staged an illegal coup and caused a global PR meltdown.

They are just there to make sure the voters vote right.

It's like their brown shirt predecessors in 1930 Germany.

Armed red-shirt guards outside polling stations, that's transparency.

The junta government already thought of that and have their Sturmabteilung in the form of the military cadets.

You mistaken the armed guards are in green not red. Armed red will be shoot on sight. You should know that by now. Has been that since 2010. They don't stand a chance.

If he wasn't the one who started it, then how can he be a prime mover. Just asking. And how you know he was humping camel if you not there to see it. Just curious.

Seem only the UDD taking a lead role in keeping the junta decent for the referendum. The junta should just allow the centers to function. They just there to help the junta to detect fraud. Why is the junta so afraid of transparency. They should thank the UDD for using their resources to help make the referendum credible and give the junta a better image after they staged an illegal coup and caused a global PR meltdown.

Just a couple of quick questions:

- Do you believe the UDD / red shirts have absolutely no ulterior motive in this matter?

- Do you believe the UDD / red shirts would agree to another organization joining their activity at each location to confirm that the UDD / Red

monitoring processes were legitimate and fully unbiased?

Just my educated guess: -

- this setting up monitoring centers is just a symbolic gesture of defiance. They can't do a PDRC and block voting centers. This is a trigger happy military junta and no one even paid will dare risk their lives. They can't set up monitoring at all voting centers especially junta supported South provinces and doubt UDD has deep pockets. And what they report at the centers are unofficial and can be refuted and question for credibility. The junta really shouldn't fear these centers and acted overboard with legal actions will not be the right strategy.

- can't answer this part as the junta nip them at the bud and we have no choice to hear their plans. They could have invite and sensible to invite academics and activists to join them I am sure many will respond positively to monitor the vote.

arm chair lawyer.

It does not matter private or public property no political gatherings. I really hope they use this to lock up the rabblerouser Jattuporn he got it coming for inciting the burning of BKK.

Jatuporn is guilty. So said the armchair judge.

Actually, 3 judges have said he is guilty, with 2 suspended sentences, one incarceration judgement on appeal, and many more charges of a far more serious nature yet to come.

BTW one of his bail conditions on those more serious charges was that he not engage in political activity, which should see his bail revoked. I can only assume the condition was ignored so that the "poor" chap can earn his living, however much he wants to lie about its source.

The 2 suspended sentences were for defaming Ahbisit not for inciting burning of the city.

Now that the "core leaders" of the UDD have been arrested, can we expect their millions of card-carrying, dues-paying followers to hit the streets in protest?

The UDD has to be an expensive operation to run, with Jatuporn alone accumulating around a million baht per year, and there is all the other turkeys as well. And their supporters are allegedly poor, so membership would have to be quite cheap, therefore there has to be literally millions of members willing to protest the persecution of their brave "leaders". Or only one, and he's otherwise engaged.

I think you and the few junta fan boys left here on TVF may need to use just a little brain power if possible, ie do you think the shopping mall is privet property and that the public are given limited access?

Not to bright hey...

Case dismissed and should never have been charged in the first place, the problem is, the unbridled bias and judicial slat is a blight on the country and so-call western educated people that support these actions should be completely ashamed of them selves...

arm chair lawyer.

It does not matter private or public property no political gatherings. I really hope they use this to lock up the rabblerouser Jattuporn he got it coming for inciting the burning of BKK.

Jatuporn is guilty. So said the armchair judge.

I see another folly by the junta to charge the UDD leaders. Highly predictable and expected by the UDD. Jatuporn and others will be happy to go through the judiciary process. All this injustice publicity will play into the mindset of their followers and bring them out to vote and to express their anger. A chance for the UDD during the judicary prcess to slam the double standard dealing with PDRC and royalist demonstrations with impunity.UDD outsmart the junta once again. Brillant.

Just not 1 honest enough man or woman to run the country unfortunately .

Until that figure arrive in politics & general public education improves nothing will change besides how low thailand gets ranked & even that can only go so low :-/

Can't disagree to that but any elected government is better than a military government. At least an elected government you get the chance to kick the party out compare to current situation whereby an election is only at the pleasure of the junta.

"the EC confirmed that any organization is welcome to take part in the process, although it's expected no observers will be allowed to physically be at any of the voting units."

They can take part in the process, they just can't witness the fix at the end.

But they can observe the downstream counting?

That might be enough. The man in the street can watch what happens at voting booths before and after his.her own vote is cast, which is what I suspect the UDD will arrange to do now... What's the government going to do? Stop people hanging around and doing nothing, only watching?

That might be a bit hard in Thailand... That's a Thai specialty, look at any murder scene ot traffic accident and ignore the 50% standing around doing nothing who are police.

W

"But they can observe the downstream counting?"

Probably not. Also, without observers, who can guarantee that the ballots that are taken from the polling stations won't be switched on the way to be counted?

I am sure activists and UDD will be following the following the vehicles transporting the ballot boxes. They will also monitor any bused in voters as in previous referendum and will be watching carefully for voters intimidation by junta supporters and things like that. These kind of monitoring make the junta very uncomfortable and reasons enough to try keep the UDD away. I sincerely doubt that this referendum will be carried out fair and transparent. UDD is doing a thankless but very necessary job. Got to give them credit.

The UDD is impartial. So what's the fear having them monitoring. After all who will believe them. Might as well allow them and creat some credibility by having groups from various sides monitoring the referendum. Well unless you are insecure and intend to fraud.

Can't be a serious question. Which country don't audit the government ministries and prepare a budget each and every year. But for you, I tell you that the MOF audited the scheme.

The UDD is a propaganda and mis-information organisation owned and funded by Thaksin. That is how its leader, Jatuporn managed to accumulate B8.2 million (declared) as a political activist.

Other countries prepare a budget, but the rice scam was off-budget, allegedly self-financing. No government figures were released as to its success/failure, other than spoken lies and evasions from Yingluk.

Bringing democracy back is never cheap. Worth all the money. Anyway cost less than the damage done by coups.

Of course Yingluck deny and question the audit done by Finance Ministry. All governments have fair share of denials just like the this government denying corruptions among their midst.

I've been looking for borax for many years but never found it in Thailand. I needed it to kill ants.

But meat on the markets, totally unchilled in 35 celcius laying in open air with flies can't be healthy. I would rather become vegetarian.

On markets and in Makro the Thai just grab raw meat with bare hands, after that they use their bare hands to push the cart and to get their money. They have never learned about hygiene and also don't care for it.

Thousand of tons of Borax are imported into Thailand each year for the manufacturing and wood industries. You don't need a special import permit. I import few hundred tons each year for my business. But you right as not many available for retail.