Eric Loh

At least if they are dressed in white they will refrain from throwing sh*t which is a standard procedure from them when they don't get what they want.

Lets hope they do not start any violence. Oh, thats right they can't because the Junta are still ensuring peace and order from this violent mob.

I hope they will throw shit even dressed in white until they get what they want which is freedom of expression and a stop to arbitary detention. They are assembling in peace and lets hope the junta will not start any violence. Oh, thats right, the junta has the guns too and will not hesistate to use them as history remind.

He has the dates wrong. Not 2017, but 7120.

It will be 2017 after all no matter how situation developed, the junta will comes up top. It's a no win situation for democracy. Referendum voted down and the junta will "re-write" and no second chance for another poll. The next government will be coalition of parties with no majority and from these various parties, someone that the military can control will be PM. Even if the PM can't be control, the constitution is full of bobby traps that will trip up and ensure a junta PM. We can wave democracy goodbye.

According to reports in the local press, the five Commissioners of the Election Commission are coming under fire, again, for excessive overseas travel.

Then they ought to be applauded finding time amidst their busy travel schedule to sit down and decide on the referendum date. These are no doubt hard working commissioners and they have a big budget.

Scary that the NCPO is making and interpreting their own rules daily. Selective targeting of PT is blatantly obvious. PT Wattana just wrote on his face book that he is among others who oppose the charter and he was hurl in. The Network of Academics wore a "Vote No" T-shirts and was not an offence. Obvious harrassment and intimidation of junta political enemies. Kiss reconciliation goodbye.

His appointment as a commissioned lieutenant if offensive to those who went through the basic military training, trained and passed the officer cadet course and taken his oath of office. A real disgrace to the armed force.

The last referendum had a 57% turnout and the military was busing voters to the poling stations. Part reason for the above 50% turnout was that the Dem Party supported the draft and the south folks turnout was impressive. The north had just the opposite low turnout for obvious reasons. This time the major parties and host of others like the academic, activists etc have voicing their disapproval of the draft. The turnout is likely to be much less.

I think the irony is that the low turnout may benefit the draft and most junta supporters will vote and will influence the poll result. Better that the parties encourage their supporters to vote and then we have a better reflection of people sentiment of the draft.

Ratchanok is world ranked number one replacing Carolina.

I've seen nothing but positive things since he's taken over. Phuket is far better off since Prayuth came to power.

Please support your statement with some examples. I offer that it is now worse than ever.

After the military took over, almost 50% of teh Patong beach was handed over to the jet ski gangs.

-The commercial business operators are still working the beaches.

-The tuk tuk operators still do as they please and park wherever they wish, only they are more emboldened now as they beat the army.

-The bars and clubs still violate the existing operating hours and liquor control laws.

-The number of minors working the sex trade, has become more evident.

-Close to 100 jetskis an be found at Patong beach

- Land encroachment and non enforcement of building codes is unchanged. Has anyone been charged yet?

Name one official who has been arrested and charged with corruption and is now facing criminal charges

Exactly what has changed for the good?

If the army is going to rule, then it should do it, and clean up Phuket once and for all. Arrest the corrupt officials, shut down the illegal businesses, arrest the peoplel dumping raw sewage off of he beaches, stop the transport rip offs etc.

And your idol had 12 years to do the same but didn't and it got worse.

12 years? Who had 12 years? Thanom and Prapas? Phibul Songkhram? Sarit didn't live that long after he took over. Nobody else has had anything like 12 years. Why are you using coded language?

Scorecard was referring to the Dem Party. Phuket is the Dem stronghold. Talking about influential people; the military should talk to Suthep.

The Chinese women players have really taken a bad slide in achievements last few years. The dominant years whereby woman champs like Zhang Ning and Goa Ling have passed and other countries like Thailand, Spain, Indonesia and India have good women players and giving the Chinese a good fight. Ratchanok remind me of a very good Indonesia player Susi Susanti. Good defense, patience and intelligent player like Ratchanok.

Desperate time calls for desperate intimidation.

If those sets werent politically motivated then why have a picture of their party leader on it?

On the opposite side, if they really wanted to help the people with those medicinal boxes. Why not remove any links to their party and just be generous concerned citizens?

No picture, the junta will put the blame on the color. Can't you see that this junta is insecure, unhinge and totally irrational in their excuses to dictate.

Just empty threats. No politicians, activists, editors and even students are afraid of these regular display of idioscrantic outburst. Even the intimidating AA has worn off and not frightening anyone to denounce what they stand for. Just what laws are there to jail someone for 10 years for speaking out. Well unless 44 and that will ignite something that the junta will regret.

I don't even see any angry warning after Thaksin held his more than 5 person Skype meeting. Ahbisit also have his more than 5 conference and spoke in no uncertain terms of the charter negativities. Even little Penquin is daring the junta to do something. Just read the today article in BP and harsh comments about the junta charter. It's almost daily that articles appearing condemning the charter.

What is he going do. Jail all. Doubt so. We will see more condemnation of the charter as politicians and sundries will push the envelope and dare the junta who is getting more and more unpopular to do something. If that something happen, viola, creat an excuse for the people to congregate for a common cause. For all the fierce some facade, he is a unsecured and ordinary guy and doubt he will lay down his life and his pride for other people cause. He is not into this for himself, just a crony acting on orders.

I'm pretty sure you're right about the empty threats although he could just imprison a few to try to act as a deterrent.

I'm not so sure about him being a crony acting on orders though. However despite the fact he said he now had complete control of the country with article 44 (that's his translated words not mine and there may be a English word for that) he only has that control with the backing of the army. At the moment that means the generals and other top brass. That's why you won't see any great action taken against them and their privileges. There seems to be an easing of pressure on the police as well maybe for the same reason.

The big question is the level of support in the lower ranks. There were several posters on here a couple of years ago that said a coup wasn't possible due to the lower ranks not being willing to take part. That obviously wasn't the case but I don't know how far or how long their support will last.

This guy and the elites are old school that still think that power dictates the people aspiration and freedom. They got the police chief, a close friend of Prawit and selected by Prawit as the Police chief and of course the Easter Tiger brotherhood. As you said, that means sidelining a lot of unhappy generals. Things are very much different from the day he took power and have support from the people who are happy to see chaos off the streets. The situation now is totally different with bad economy and the draconian governance that got their yellow supporters growing increasingly unhappy. Really a ticking time bomb waiting for a unpopular act to have people on the street.

Playing the good cop bad cop routine no doubt. Meant to be ambiguous with no clarity. Clearly a tactic to confuse and intimidate.

Just show just how much credibility Ahbisit has in the eyes of many. Just one misstep in politics will come back to haunt him forever. No one trust a chameleon. Even with his full display of charter criticism in front of the media is not enough to placate the public. They boxing him in to make a clear stance and statement. Doubt he will and more distrust of this man.

This is the next step toward a open, free, and fair referendum on the military's latest version of an inclusive, respectful, democratic constitution.

A good read on this referendum from Pravit can be found here: Charter Vote a Time Bomb in the Making

I'm actually glad that The Lapdog Nation fired Pravit, he has more latitude at KS.

Great article, thanks. A very bold commentary (given these uncertain times).

Pravit is one of the brave journalists ... still in Thailand.

Thammasart lecturer Somsak in that same brave group.

Just empty threats. No politicians, activists, editors and even students are afraid of these regular display of idioscrantic outburst. Even the intimidating AA has worn off and not frightening anyone to denounce what they stand for. Just what laws are there to jail someone for 10 years for speaking out. Well unless 44 and that will ignite something that the junta will regret.

I don't even see any angry warning after Thaksin held his more than 5 person Skype meeting. Ahbisit also have his more than 5 conference and spoke in no uncertain terms of the charter negativities. Even little Penquin is daring the junta to do something. Just read the today article in BP and harsh comments about the junta charter. It's almost daily that articles appearing condemning the charter.

What is he going do. Jail all. Doubt so. We will see more condemnation of the charter as politicians and sundries will push the envelope and dare the junta who is getting more and more unpopular to do something. If that something happen, viola, creat an excuse for the people to congregate for a common cause. For all the fierce some facade, he is a unsecured and ordinary guy and doubt he will lay down his life and his pride for other people cause. He is not into this for himself, just a crony acting on orders.

This murder case must be turned over to the civilian court. Nothing in the military is transparent including the military court.

I fear another crackdown on the way ordered by the PM.

Students - people who still think they know everything. It is often a shock when they actually get a job, even in their chosen field, to find how little they know.

Students used to appear at our plant during uni holidays (commonly called xmas beetles). Their arrogance rarely lasted long. One attached a note to a 200 litre drum with the formula for drum surface area to calculate the contents with dipstick, to which someone added 'Or tap on the side.'

People who still think they know everything - and your analogy is tap the side of drum to determine volume. Brilliant oxymoron.

If you take the 2007 referendum as a reference, this upcoming referendum will not even get 60% voters. Even with the same sort of intimidation and harrassment in the '07 referendum like making criticism of the draft a criminal act and busing villagers to voting station, it only got 57.81% for and 42.19% against.

That number was able to be achieved with Dem Party coming out and declaring support for the draft and the economy was relatively much better. The Dem support resulted in a 90% support from the southern provinces while the North had almost 75% rejection.

The situation this time is much different with all the major political parties, academics and even prominent yellow shirts activists speaking negatively. I think the junta is worry and the next few months before the referendum will see the junta imposing more intimidating methods to influence voters. The Article 62 in its 2nd NLA reading with a vague definition of the law with a 10 years jail time is just the tip of the iceberg.

Is that considered as vote buying, Khun Somchai?

'........ordered intelligence officers........"

Now there's a subject worthy of discussion.

These so-called intelligence officers have been investigating since 2014 when Ja New held the famous sandwich protest. The junta made him signed a MOU to stop political activity and he thumbed the junta's nose with another protest in 2015 followed by the infamous park visit event. This is a just a matter of speaking moment by Prawit to create the control illusion. The junta just can't see the forest from the trees that they are highly unpopular and there are increasing unhappy people.

Did the gentleman concerned say the same thing about the PTP government after 3 years?

That is not bias but equalisation.

If you complain about one side then you must give the same attention to the other side.

This gentleman concerned was a prominent feature in the PDRC shutdown and thrown his support behind the "whistle revolution". Sometimes you need to do some goggling before you catch the PM foot and mouth disease.

Just adding information that CCA or ACQ treated decking timber are available from few vendors in Bangkok. Timber species are mainly SYP, Radiata and hem-fir. SYP and Radiata chemical penetration are very good and strongly recommended. Both these species can be stained and achieved good aesthetic appearance.

Resistance is futile you will be assimilated, after attitude adjustment

I believe Ja New has already been brought in previously for attitude adjustment. He doesn't seem like he's rolling over though.

AA is not even making a dent in their or anyone attitude, it just harden the oppositions stance and resolve. It has not work with the activists, politicians and the common folks. It's a different world from the past. Social media and handy cameras are making harder for the military to do their dirty deeds convertly. The mass media are also upfront with reports exposing the military actions. AA is working counter productive for the junta.