Eric Loh

Don't do business here even if you are an ASEAN member.....

Just the other week, round the corner from where I stay a Burmese man set up a food stall in a large market area. He was physically assaulted by the locals and told to get out and go back to Burma ...

Even the Singaporeans won't bother to come here coz of the corruption, scams, local mafia and B.S. that goes with visas/WP etc. etc.

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/903084-thai-police-general-is-among-the-list-of-mafia-bosses-handed-over-to-police-by-army/

Up until a few weeks ago there were a fair few Filipinos here but I dont seem to run into or hear them around....have they got the "hint" and gone home also ?

I like to know how you come up with such assumption about Singaporeans. I have been doing business here for a long time and I have been guiding many of my country men to do business here and many of them are successful. If you do your business legit, follow the laws and regulations, pay your taxes promptly and submit your yearly audit, you really have not much problem.

The Commerce Minister should be sacked for lots of reason including sitting on his behind and not concluding more G-G sales. He is not working hard enough to visit and sell overseas. This is opportune time to close deal when India is cutting down 20% of their export and Vietnam production is reduce due to drought while Thailand has plentiful stock in its warehouse. No reason not to do well this year unless the Commerce Minister not up to the task.

The education system is so bad that you need an overhaul and not review or piece meal patch-up. Start with a well trained, experienced, bold, innovative and educated with the proper qualification Education Minister.

Thais with those qualities never end up in government positions that could affect change, and it would seem the complete opposite is the criteria.

That complete opposite is the current Education Minister who is a career military General. We don't expect a General to know much about education, much less about reform. The only time I heard about a need for education overhaul was from Chaturon Chaisang, previous Eucation Minister.

The education system is so bad that you need an overhaul and not review or piece meal patch-up. Start with a well trained, experienced, bold, innovative and educated with the proper qualification Education Minister.

Has Prayuth visited the South to give moral support to the troops and civilians since he took office 18 months ago ?

How Alongkorn has changed since he been recruited into the NRSA. He talk so much about electability reform when he was Dem Party deputy party chief and now he has totally do a 360 and support non electable military senators. Powers can do strange thing to anyone. I doubt he even know what measures has been decided. In fact no one knows. Having a appointed upper house before making know the reforms is a dangerous proposition.

These military blokes will ruin the economy with their insistence to stay in power defacto. The elected government will never able to function with laws delayed and possible impasse with the power the upper house hold. Lower house will just be a namesake with no majority and small coalition parties will create a hung parliament scenario. Look no further than Myanmar and the 50 years of sick economy since the charter insisted on 25% of military appointees to the Parliament. FDI will plummet further and Thailand will be lost on every investors radar for next 5 years.

Start with investigating the top police officers for their unusual wealth and you probably find the connection with these influential figures. Not hard to figure out that police corruption contribute to the existence of these dark influential figures. No police corruption is more effective than crackdown. They are part of the problem.

Thailand foreign reserve is quite a war chest. By that amount of USD180 B, Thailand is considered a rich nation. Bitter lesson learned from the '97 crisis when our small reserve was wiped out defending the Baht. This huge asset can easily be mismanaged by an incompetent government. I have not seen any or heard of the any article in the constitution that protects this strategic asset. Just curious.

Has there ever been a specific article in any of the former constitutions?

It falls under the BOT Act. Just my humble opinion that it should be strengthened as the reserve is a big strategic asset.

BTW 'our' reserve was wiped out in 1997 by the then government ordering the defense of the Thai Baht. The then Governor of the BoT was later ruled guilty and ordered to pay back a few billion if I remember correctly.

PS Thai foreign reserves
http://cdn.tradingeconomics.com/charts/[email protected]?s=thailandforexcres&v=201603100813n&d1=19160101&d2=20161231
http://www.tradingeconomics.com/thailand/foreign-exchange-reserves

The concern is clearly reflected in this article.

-- link to bangkok post removed --
Just my personal feeling that the laws are not sufficient to protect the reserve. In the hands of the BOT which can be influenced and manipulated by politicians. The constitution written to prevent the government getting their hands on the reserve and transferring of funds to cover government deficits are stronger.

So, till now no constitution has such articles? I think this falls under 'good governance' and should be covered by some organic laws.

The old guards have enough of the shenanigans of the young Turks trying to upset their status quo. Both sides ought to go and they have no place in the fortune and future of the country.

Thailand foreign reserve is quite a war chest. By that amount of USD180 B, Thailand is considered a rich nation. Bitter lesson learned from the '97 crisis when our small reserve was wiped out defending the Baht. This huge asset can easily be mismanaged by an incompetent government. I have not seen any or heard of the any article in the constitution that protects this strategic asset. Just curious.

Has there ever been a specific article in any of the former constitutions?

BTW 'our' reserve was wiped out in 1997 by the then government ordering the defense of the Thai Baht. The then Governor of the BoT was later ruled guilty and ordered to pay back a few billion if I remember correctly.

PS Thai foreign reserves

http://cdn.tradingeconomics.com/charts/[email protected]?s=thailandforexcres&v=201603100813n&d1=19160101&d2=20161231

http://www.tradingeconomics.com/thailand/foreign-exchange-reserves

The concern is clearly reflected in this article.

<<<<26) The Bangkok Post and Phuketwan do not allow quotes from their news articles or other material to appear on Thaivisa.com. Neither do they allow links to their publications. Posts from members containing quotes from or links to Bangkok Post or Phuketwan publications will be deleted from the forum.>>>>

Just my personal feeling that the laws are not sufficient to protect the reserve. In the hands of the BOT which can be influenced and manipulated by politicians. The constitution written to prevent the government getting their hands on the reserve and transferring of funds to cover government deficits are stronger.

The planned purchase of 100,000 tons was about 2.3% of annual output. Actual purchase of less than 3,000 tons could not affect prices except on a very local scale. On the main Singapore market, reflecting broad value, there has been a small increase in price of smoked sheet rubber since January.

The RAT governor is waxing eloquent, and brimming with optimism, but I wouldn't rely on his announcement.

The small increase in global pricing was a knee jerk reaction to the tripartite agreement between Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand to decrease production. It will gradually adjust back to reflect the real market situation of poor demand and suppliers sourcing away from the big three. The African countries, Mynmar, Cambodia and Vietnam are alternative source of supply.

Thailand foreign reserve is quite a war chest. By that amount of USD180 B, Thailand is considered a rich nation. Bitter lesson learned from the '97 crisis when our small reserve was wiped out defending the Baht. This huge asset can easily be mismanaged by an incompetent government. I have not seen any or heard of the any article in the constitution that protects this strategic asset. Just curious.

That would mean the whole of RTP turning themselves in. That would be disastrous. Who's going to take care of collection of bribes.

He forgot to add, former PM and convicted fugitive.

Notice that too. Maybe he is remorseful and perhaps fear the backlash when he no longer in power.

Thai editorial: Strong bureaucracy IMPORTANT TO POLITICS

By editor on 2015-04-27

Tarit is a sad reflection of what has gone wrong in the bureaucracy. He pulled no punches against the red shirts when the Democrats were in power, spearheading the crackdown on terrorists. Videos of him denouncing the red shirts activities went viral after he made a dramatic u-turn when the Pheu Thai Party came to power. From a man who hunted down red-shirted terrorists, he became the man leading the hunt for the hunters of the red shirts​.

It seems he is a chameleon.

More a turncoat I would say.

More your typical corrupt civil servant like so many others that are not caught because they on the right side.

Either a case of wrong speaker for the topic or wrong topic for the speaker.

He didnt get that sort of wealth by himself...

Now they have to find all the rats that are probably scrambling in panic now

Just hope that this ill-gotten wealth is not linked to any top officials in the RTP or the RTA that will certainly result in a quick impasse and case closed or Tarit in some grave mortal danger.

Eccuse me, Thailand is NOT the biggest rice-exporter....And the Thai Baht is too high to become the biggest again.

Hmmmm....

Rank Country 2015 Milled Rice Exports (1000 MT)

1 Thailand 10,300

2 India 8,500

3 Viet Nam 7,300

4 Pakistan 4,600

5 United States 3,239

6 Myanmar 1,800

7 Uruguay 950

8 Brazil 900

9 Cambodia 800

10 Guyana 536

http://www.indexmundi.com/agriculture/?commodity=milled-rice&graph=exports

Plus the Baht strength versus USD is relative to all the top rice competing countries. Really no gain nor loss in competiveness. India export rumored to drop 20% this year due to tight supplies and growing domestic demand. Thailand has healthy supply and much depend on the government ability to sell. Thailand will still top rice export this year.

any NCPO member could become a senator.

Imagine Prayut as President of the Senate with the two Vice Presidents coming also from the NCPO.

It won't matter whomever the Thai people elect to government. The Senate will become the powerhouse of the nation.

That will make coup unnecessary for next 5 years. After the 5 years lapped, the constitution court will rule any attempt to change the senate set-up as unconstitution and that will solidify the military position for the future. Mynmar comes in mind with their 25% unelected lower house military seats in the constitution. The junta apologists should love this undemocratic attempt.

Why the sudden hurry to implement sensitive projects. Projects are corruption laden and people are suspicious.

Who dare question if the crackdown goes extrajudiciary.

Reconciliation is but a distant dream. What happen to the promise by the coup leader for reconciliation process within a year when he overthrow the previous government. He may have stopped the chaos but that was just momentary suppressed until the next eruption. I think he even aggravate the division with his different standards dealing with gatherings and his questionable dark influencers black list.

Politics in summer will be just as hot.

Is that an EC role? Just stick to organizing election which you are already not doing too well before you take on a new task totally not within your resume. Kissing up to the junta rather than to the people.

What is the brief, role and responsibilities of the EC?

You really don't know or you just want help to understand. All stated in the commisiion overview if you care to look at it. Certainly not include educating the junta charter to the public.