Eric Loh

What do you expect from this untouchable institution. Conscription by pure definition is an enlistment of Soldiers not domestic helpers. This institution can bend the rules and wallow in corruption with immunity.

So true when at current times, you are warned to shut up and cease probing when you expose military corruption.

The facts just don't support your poor excuse for slow investigation. 2 days to alert Interpol, 3 days to investigate the taxis involved and 5 days later to include checking the guest houses in the investigation. Give you credit for quick clean up of the incident place and all other evidence. Maybe you not totally to be blamed as there are just too many generals making their own assumptions and adding to the confusion.

The recent bombings happened during this military government and it is in that circumstances that I believed the perpetrators found reasons and motivation. When the junta pass the government to an elected government, these reasons and motivation will ceased.

The junta has left it much too late to change the cabinet. The confidence factor has plummet too much for any V shape recovery. Investors just hate uncertainty and the tone and language by the junta and their supporters for longer stay has not deteriorate investor sentiments. The only way out is for the junta to quickly announce a election date and have it gazetted. Agree with a short term stimulus package or commonly known as populist policy is much needed plus fiscal policies aimed at reducing taxes to resuscitate the domestic economy and help SMEs. Still the junta should have change the cabinet early when the economic data start showing sign of deterioration.

PM is satisfy with fight against corruption as long as you don't bring the fight to the military or the police. Both these organizations have a pact not to intrude in each other corruption.

I thought the coup has already discredit the government. Close behind is how the economy was handle and of course the love overture by the Foreign Minister. Not to mention the PM's gaffe and his run-in with journalists.

This case looks like going the same way as the previous 3 bombings.Lots of hot air but no result. Just too many Indian chiefs giving press releases and the PM trying his very best to stay as far away and no hospital visits nor his symbolic presence at the crime scene. Neither did he order a special team with full authority to investigate and press releases. 2 days to finally alert Interpol, 3 days to find the taxi drivers are just indecisive decision making. By now the foreigner is long gone in some foreign country and the finger prints left on the taxis are all erased.

So wrong to have vendors selling their wares near a holy shrine. The government just need to install a machine that accept money for candles or joss sticks. Now the need to clear vendors near the shrine is more warranted as it compromise security.

It boggle my mind to why the police is not targeting investigation to the hotels, guest house etc etc. If he is a foreigner, he need to stay somewhere. With his identification and his other accomplices captured on CCTV and sketch, the RTP should be spreading their investigation to possible lodging. I have not heard of RTP doing this.

Seem a little too late to replace the economic team after a full year of incompetency and continuous deterioration of the GDP. Full blame falls on the PM in stubbornly held his 'band of brothers' mentality and stick with this incompetent team for a full term. He should have replaced them at the first sign of economic malaise in the beginning of the year. Doubt Somkid and his men can do much for this year. Perhaps next year with some of Somkid's famous policies of targeting the domestic economy and less dependent on export.

Any government is blamed for current problems whether inherited or caused. That's normal.

As for the rest, well part of the blame should be shouldered by the Thai public and TVF members who continuously 'demand' the government look at this, do that, handle this, look at that. The PM seems too listen too much?

Not sure what Somkid can do. Targetting the domestic economy requires money and the government may be reluctant to borrow the odd trillions as the previous government wanted. Of cause the yearly 107 billion reservation just to pay back BAAC for the 'self-financing' RPPS doesn't help either (only seven years though).

To help the local economy by encouraging the population to spent while they're already heavily indebted won't be easy. To get local companies to increase salaries more than the few percent already discussed won't be easy either.

The bomb attack with 25 countries now having issued warning will cause more problems. Should the government have foreseen such attack? Maybe stricter surveillance is needed, like we see happening in the West?

Problem is not that the PM is listening too much but rather he listen only to selective few and himself.

Some of the economic malaise currently are well documented and I would think these will be first on the agenda for Somkid. He will have to expedite budget disbursement and entangle all the knots in the much delay infrastructure projects. He also have to address the NBTC hiccup and delay for 4G bidding and also speed up the bureaucratic mess that slow down the opening of the 5 SEZs.

Then he has to look into a stimulus package to help the SMEs and the eco-car project started by the previous government.

The household debt is a problem which created NPL fear and resulted in bank approval tightening. He has to find good policies to enable bank to lend and investors confidence.

Political instability is the big gorilla in the room and it's up to the PM to quickly announce the election date. He is as much a problem to economic recovery as the other factors.

Seem a little too late to replace the economic team after a full year of incompetency and continuous deterioration of the GDP. Full blame falls on the PM in stubbornly held his 'band of brothers' mentality and stick with this incompetent team for a full term. He should have replaced them at the first sign of economic malaise in the beginning of the year. Doubt Somkid and his men can do much for this year. Perhaps next year with some of Somkid's famous policies of targeting the domestic economy and less dependent on export.

Can't understand the stoic silence of the Thailand Interpol NCB in this hunt. By now Interpol Thailand under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs would be in the thick of this pursuit and would have alerted and coordinated with foreign Interpol offices to help in the hunt and making joint statements. I heard nothing from the Foreign Minister. Is he only good at making love overtures. Hope he get kick out and a better and more professional man takes the helm.

Sorry Khun Thaksin, the New Mandela already linked the coup to the privy council in a article written last year. You are just repeating that article. Not original at all.

Got some updates from foreign reports that the government is quite certain it's TNT and they are doing test to identify the type of TNT from soot on victim's clothes and tissue. From there, they will be able to trace the precursor materials of the bomb and perhaps the narrow down the source of supply. Doubt the bomb is some agriculture concoction or dynamite as these are unpredictable and less stable for a rather well planned attack.

Not exactly wrong but surely he can use a more intelligent statement. The perpetractor/s will need to buy the TNT and the detonator from locals as it will not be possible and silly to attempt to bring from external means. TNT can then be melted down and inserted in the pipe. Can't the investigator identify the type of TNT used and narrow down the source? TNT is used in Thailand by the military and mining. Rather than some simple analysis deduction by any layman, this idiot talk about getting around.

Hate to say that I have doubts that the authority can quickly find the perpectractor/s judging from the poor investigation of previous 3 bombings which till now have not yield any results. The CCTV identification is much too late to circulate to all exit points. By now, the suspect/s would have cross the border which is less than 3/4 hours from Bangkok.

Bangkok bombing: Thai junta says suspect identified

http://www.smh.com.au/world/bangkok-bombing-thai-junta-says-suspect-identified-20150818-gj1s8d.html

"Security forces believe they have identified a suspect with the help of CCTV footage."

"Mr Prayut said the suspect was believed to be from an "anti-government group based in Thailand's northeast" - the heartland of the kingdom's Red Shirt movement that opposes the military junta."

Geez, didn't see that coming eh?

There is also another CCTV circulating that show a Arab looking chap left a knapsack and walk away while talking on the phone. Predictably the PM decided to use his CCTV and lay blame without even considering other tapes.

Do educate yourself on country under martial law and the removal of all powers from the people and country like Singapore under a democratic government. Perhaps you can see the freedom comparison a bit clearer. A glance at the Freedom in the world index would also be useful like index 4 for freedom, civil liberties and political rights for Singapore versus 5-6 respectively for Thailand; 1 being the best out of 7 index.

The cookie jar has been taken away from the politicians to the military. Difference is the former can be charged and convicted while the latter can't be questioned. By the way, corruption is not measured in amount.

Try holding a protest in Singapore and lets see what happens? BTW are there still Ang Cheer (Red Bus) driving around full of police? They were when I was there and they like to beat people up

You are talking Ang Chia in the 60s when Singapore was an undeveloped state with communists, trade unionists, criminal gangs troubles. Then it was called Riot Squad; now it is called Police Tactical Unit and the Ang Chia is now called Troop Tactical Vehicle. That's all history. The last demonstration in Singapore was in 2013 by thousands not happy with government policies. Nothing happen. They came out on the streets with banners and slogans and went back home after the demonstration. No one got beaten up. Stay current dude.

Paiboon does have a point. Nothing to gain for Thaksin as all the gains are skewed heavily on the side of the establishment and their military handyman. If 1997 was a people charter, this will be the establishment charter gift wrapped by the junta.

Well the 'people's charter' of 1997 (who worked on it by the way?) was improved in the 2007 version and a better approach to reforms would have been a further improvement on the 2007 version.

To call the new charter an 'establishment' version only seems to try to suggest something bad without feeling the need to explain.

BTW how does the 'establishment' version compare to the one you have in Singapore?

Is there any comparison of a constitution that was written in August 9 1965 and stood the test of time and acknowledged by global peers as successful democratic city state compare with the current junta draft which is taking away people ability to decide their leaders. And you need explanation. Time to change your bifocal, Rubi. By the way, every each time the constitution was shredded and re-written, it is always by the military following a coup. Suggest to me that the establishment and their military henchman just will not relinquish power to the people and this current draft is written with that in mind.

Mr Loh I think you need to check out your own countries freedom even when Thailand had martial law it was freer than Singapore!

BTW the military keeps the dirty hands of politicians off the cookie jar and we are lucky to a an independent military that keeps those crooks in check. Unlike Singapore the military is totally controlled by the government by promoting their own selected people of inner circle to make sure they are and will always run the country by 1 party rule. I heard their pays are outrages it's kind of a legal bribe.

Do educate yourself on country under martial law and the removal of all powers from the people and country like Singapore under a democratic government. Perhaps you can see the freedom comparison a bit clearer. A glance at the Freedom in the world index would also be useful like index 4 for freedom, civil liberties and political rights for Singapore versus 5-6 respectively for Thailand; 1 being the best out of 7 index.

The cookie jar has been taken away from the politicians to the military. Difference is the former can be charged and convicted while the latter can't be questioned. By the way, corruption is not measured in amount.

Paiboon does have a point. Nothing to gain for Thaksin as all the gains are skewed heavily on the side of the establishment and their military handyman. If 1997 was a people charter, this will be the establishment charter gift wrapped by the junta.

Well the 'people's charter' of 1997 (who worked on it by the way?) was improved in the 2007 version and a better approach to reforms would have been a further improvement on the 2007 version.

To call the new charter an 'establishment' version only seems to try to suggest something bad without feeling the need to explain.

BTW how does the 'establishment' version compare to the one you have in Singapore?

Is there any comparison of a constitution that was written in August 9 1965 and stood the test of time and acknowledged by global peers as successful democratic city state compare with the current junta draft which is taking away people ability to decide their leaders. And you need explanation. Time to change your bifocal, Rubi. By the way, every each time the constitution was shredded and re-written, it is always by the military following a coup. Suggest to me that the establishment and their military henchman just will not relinquish power to the people and this current draft is written with that in mind.

Paiboon does have a point. Nothing to gain for Thaksin as all the gains are skewed heavily on the side of the establishment and their military handyman. If 1997 was a people charter, this will be the establishment charter gift wrapped by the junta.

Silly me to think that the junta have clean up the jet ski scams together with other low hanging fruits campaigns like beach chairs and eateries charging high prices. Hope the PM will not be distracted again to do other more important and dire matters like the economy.

why is this such a big deal ? a convicted criminal is stripped from his police title ?

a princess was stripped from her title with no second toughts

A big deal when considering PAD & PDRC activist Maj Gen Chamlong Srimuang charged and convicted for the airport seizure still has his rank and no account of any attempt or process to strip him. Double standard??

I can't recall that Chamlong has a jail term and is on the run at the moment, or?

Selective memory? 2 years sentenced for the government house seizure. He didn't need to run and we all know why.

That's half a report by the UTCC. Where is the other half on which ministries are still asking for kickbacks. Percentage down is not good enough. Those corrupt ministries or government departments have to be identified and criminal justice process for graft initiated or this report is just another piece of paper and meaningless. The UTCC has the information and has the duty to do more than praising the government.