Eric Loh

Conscription in Thailand was introduced in 1905 when the region was unstable and population was about 8 million. Small nations like Israel and Singapore have reasons to have citizen army. Thailand now has more than 10 times that population and have enough resources for a standing army without the need for conscription. The budget for conscripted army can easily pay for a regular army. Moreover the conscription is riddled with corruption and poor discipline. Yes get rid of conscription for regulars.

I think the case will depend on how the EC will intepret the Political Party Act. This is unprecendented and not like the Thanthorn case which itself was a dodgy verdict. K Pita as the eldest son of the 3 children was the inheritance manager of his father's shares. K Pongsat Limcharoenrat, father of K Pita died in 2006 had 3 heirs who were entitled to inherit his assets. K Pita was the administrator of the estate and according to Thai law is entitled to inherit the shares in equal proportion in their names. He has been cautious and fully comprehend the case of K Thanathorn and have seek his party legal advise and cooperated with the NACC. Ultimately it's down to legal interpretation by EC and that is always a grey area.

K Pita is the eldest son in the family and upon his dad’s demise, he was entrusted as a trustee and manage the assets for the benefit of the trust’s beneficiaries It is a very normal legal arrangement. You making a conclusion of Pita’s behavior based on the allegation from a former member of the military party.

Pita has done everything by the book including informing the NACC of his family trust shares. I am sure Thanatorn as party founder has given him good advice. EC has to accept the complaint and duty bound to investigate Remain to be seen whether the EC will have an impartial investigation or will act based on political expediency.

Unlikely to happen. The appointed senates have something in common in opposing any association with the Shinawatra. Prawit may have strong influence over the senators but this will be a bridge too far if he form a coalition with PTP. Without the senates, the coalition will fail. PTP will unlikely to ally with the junta and ally parties. They still licking their wounds after the election set back and recognized that the youth and middle class are throwing their support for MFP. It will be unwise for PTP to form leave the current MFP coalition and further anger these voters.

You can’t be taken seriously. https://thethaiger.com/news/national/record-breaking-bangkok-has-highest-turnout-in-voter-history https://www.cnn.com/2023/05/14/asia/thailand-elections-vote-result-monday-intl-hnk/index.html

Please get this into your head. If you not registered for voting, you not mandated to vote. Figure that out. The founder of party can’t donate large sums to party. That’s what got him into trouble and party dissolution. For goodness sake, read the Political Party Act before making asinine posting.

There is no 75% turnout voters laws. It is complusory for registered voters. MFP is grassroot funded. You need to explain how they are best funded being a young party against the traditional parties that has history of fundings.

The overwhelming win by a novice youthful party really lay rest the notion that voting buying can influence election. The money bag traditional parties will continue to pay cash and kind to voters but will not gurantee loyalty at the ballot boxes. The record turn-out of voters also put to bed any prattle that Thais are lazy to vote. Thais are not uneducated nor ill informed of political issues to come out to vote for the party that they want to lead the country. They care about their economic and social well being and vote to get a better life. This election is a game changer for so many reasons and should dispell much of the parochial thoughts of Thais. The demographic has changed.

Always has been this arrangement. Party that has most seats will chair the speaker's post. PTP should accept this as in the past Houses when they are the majority, House speaker post were from their party.

His talk about coming back was to fire up his base for the election. He has done that numerous times in the past to connect to his base. Don't think it's the reason for PTP not doing. The party still got a lot of votes and seats. They miscalculated the popularity of MFP and the shift in demography. The younger voters have very little affliation for Thaksin. Different time period. That was purely speculation. Thaksin has never said he will work with PPRP and BJT. PTP leaders like Sreetha and Paetongtarn have made that clear several times that they will not work with junta allies. Personally I don't see that possibility when it was the military that got him and his sister exiled and separate from his family. He will also not forgive Newin for betraying him. That is quick a stretch to said that Thaksin has soft spot for the military. In fact it was the changes that benefitted the people that worried the elites & military and ended in coups. In the same way that the MFP election success and manifesto for change worried the elites & military.

That was the diplomatic reason.

Constitutional procedures stipulate that the EC has up to 60 days to certify results. EC can hasten the certification in less than 60 days. Any disqualification of candidates should have been done before the election. EC has their election war room to monitor the election and observers at the voting booths. There are also foreign observers from diferent embassies and international election intergrity watch groups. The delay is totally unnecessary unless they are doing the bidding on the behalf of vested interest people. I don't trust the EC impartiality.

I see that as the biggest risk. Abstain so you need not vote. Easier choice then making yourself known which side you take since it's an open ballot voting. If the numbers of senators abstaining are large, it will be difficult for to achieve the 376 votes and will leave the country without a Prime Minister. That will be disaster for the country.

Not dinosaurs but Frankenstein. Voting has always been the based on votes in the Parliament. No senates involvement. The junta created this Frankenstein in 2019 to kneecap the people to decide on their leaders. Similarly the EC was another Frankenstein created by post coup junta in 2007. The Ministry of Interior managed election matters prior. I hope all lawmakers in the House of Representatives will rise to the occasion and unanimously correct this wrong and out-vote the senates. Some of the parties like Dem and BJT are under pressure to show they are on the side of the majority voices. Prawit has been quite conciliatory in his statement to move the country forward and pointed out that past attempts by the elites & military to dominate politics have failed. They is really no hope for a junta coalition as they simply don’t have the numbers. Unlikely that the junta parties will nominate any of their leaders as PM. I doubt Prayut and Prawit wish to be in the nomination list. The only fear is that the senators abstained from voting which will put the country in a limbo without a government. I sincerely hope all the elected representatives will do the right thing and not leave this to chance in the senate and put the country into jeopardy

The voting is open ballot and can assert some pressure on their decisions against a backdrop of open dissent for the junta government.

Not many in both camps to win elections. Worse they have to resort to judiciary and military coups to trodden on the majority.

Amendment of section don't need a referendum. Just need the house to vote on it. You right that the senators may not vote for amendment which I find doubt as they are outgoing and nothing more to gain by voting no.

Haven't you read the MOU platform signed and agreed by all 7 coalition allies? The agreement include the drafting of a new and more democratic constitution. No selection but elected senators as in the pre-coup past.

The good news is that the unelected senators are required by law to vacate their seats next year. The bad news is that they will still be around for the joint house vote for PM.

PPRP leaders have since refuted this rumour. There will be many more rumours that will try to cause mistrust and discord among the MFP coalition parties for self serving agenda. Lets hope they will not succeed and the majority of Thais will have their elected government.

Is this your personal opinion that the yellow elites and the military think that the monarchy is in danger or you think that they want their supporters to think there is danger to protect their existence. No one is abolishing 112. In fact, it is not even in the coalition MOU. Thailand has been a constitutional monarchy since 1932 and Thais accept that form of democracy.

You not wrong but you have to separate those who do their research and have a good knowledge of the local political idiosyncrasies to provide an intelligent analysis as against those who has just post based on emotion and those that has little knowledge and simply troll.

How would that coalition be? Without the MFP, there will not be any majority in the lower house. In fact it will be a fractured house in disarray with none having majority. You think PTP has not done the scenario planning? It's practically a disaster for PTP on so many fronts to not include MFP.

Universal democratic principle to have elected representatives. Many forms do exist in every country.