EnglishJohn

My wife has a niece who is very active on facebook and she gets to see the posts she is involved with.

Sometimes I have to calm her down. The absolute and complete lies being put out by red-shirts against the current government is astonishing. And they all believe them.

When the corruption gets bad enough for people to take to the streets in protest, I will start to take notice. Until then I will assume Thailand has the best choice from a list of bad options.

It's just another way to milk money from the tourist. Do you really think the money will go back to help tourism or go back into the general fund or should I say General pockets.

Given that the Junta will be gone relatively soon, your use of the word 'General' shines a spotlight on that big chip on your shoulder.

It won't go directly into anyone's 'pockets' like you suggest : It will simply add to the public coffers for any incumbent government to skim as and when the opportunity arises. And your dirty cronies were the best at that.

Unless of course you suggest if Pheu-Thai get in again, they will cancel the policy ?

No mention of road deaths, prostitution or military coups, that would move them up right to the top of the list

LMAO, in your haste to get an anti-Junta comment in, you completely failed to understand what the story was about.

Nice one

If there only were a few million more of people like him, who are willing to stand up for what's right for the population as a whole instead of what's right for them, then Thailand would be a much better place.

They did and the government of the time used their terrorist branch to murder THIRTY of them on the streets and injure hundreds more. Now we are in this mess to try and stop it happening again for this 'better place' you mention.

Quite a contrast to what happened to these people don't you think ?.

Where were these hypocrites then ?. Or are you conveniently ignoring that as usual ?.

I could have sworn he said something rather different the other week...

Correct.

Last weeks it was, "Maj-Gen Veerachon said the OIC chief suggested to the prime minister that the Thai government should resort to political mechanism and negotiations in the search for peace in the restive region....the government applied a two-pronged approach by promoting development in social, economic and educational aspects while engaging in peace dialogue process with separatist groups." (2016-01-13)

Now it's "to intensify their operations in accordance with the security plan."

The Royal Thai Military has just unilaterally halted the Southern peace process based on fear of ISIL possible involvement.

PS: The conflict in the South is not "unrest." it's an insurgency. If IS did begin to appear in the South it might actually benefit the Malay-Thai insurgency politically by globalizing their own conflict. This is something the military has strained to prevent - international attention on the insurgency and the Thai military's history of discouraging peacetalks with persistent military campaigns might lead to international peace initiatives. The RTM feels that "would give too much legitimacy to the separatists." (ref. The Nation 2015-10-19)

ISIS might benefit the Malay ??? You have got to be kidding. ISIS only cares about ISIS. They will kill Thai and Malaysian people at the same time. The ideas that ISIS believe are 100 times worse.

No wonder you're pro-junta if that's the extent of your insight into the world. That's probably about primary school level of thinking.

Well that put him right eh ?. What an excellent set of counter arguments you gave.

Please tell us which part of what he says is incorrect. ISIS deviants rule by fear and anyone who does not follow their strict rules of ISLAM are the enemy. Including other Muslims who do not toe the line.

You should concentrate on getting your own standard of education past the mental age of 7 before you accuse others. It's funny how you criticize others of what you are the most guilty of : a common trait among you people.

Even your signature reads like it was written by just another under-educated red-shirt foaming at the mouth. You should get a grown up help you write another.

Ex judge with behavior like that it is no wonder she is an ex judge.

Imagine having a clown like that sitting presiding over a life or death case.

The big point about this is that she WAS a judge doing what you say up right up until she became an ex-judge.

And how many others like her are STILL judges because they didn't do enough to qualify for the 'ex' title yet ?.

This is why you cannot trust any official or the justice system in Thailand.

How did she get the job in the first place ?. To who does she owe favors for getting it ?. How far did she go to keep 'powerful' people happy so she could keep it ?.

Well, junta supporters! How about you explain to us how there was no reform under the elected administrations but there is reform now? As I have asked a few times without getting any answer:

What meaningful and positive reforms have taken place under the present junta?

Guess I'll have to wait a while for an answer.

Maybe you missed it : the Junta are here for political reform and it has been underway for some time now.

Then an election will be held under the new rules which we all hope will give the most free and fair elections Thailand has seen. You know the sort : where non-red shirt politicians campaigning in the North East don't get murdered.

Then, if they are any good, the new government will set new rules to reform all the organisations under them.

Why do you people think Prayuth should fix every single problem in Thailand personally ?.

It's not easy to change a system which has been set up by a dirty bunch of greedy cronies you know.

Wall Street wants the Shinawatras back. And what Wall Street wants it usually gets in the end.

And the reason must be his godliness...

Ha - no, it's because Mr T is quite willing to sell his country out to the USA. He nearly did it with the 'Free Trade' agreement just before to coup which ousted him.

These are likely to be the politicians of tomorrow...

Good on them, the more publicity they get the more stupid the current government looks.

I agree.

Doing the bidding of someone else in order to have the chance to further their own interests. Monstrous hypocrisy no object :they aren't bothered about corruption one little bit.

If these saps really had any ethics, they would have been out protesting against corruption under Pheu-Thai and then the disgraceful amnesty bill.

I'll bet my house they didn't. What a sad joke this country is.

Is the statement from Pheu THai available online (and preferably in English) ?

I'm still looking for more info on their October/November statement to have aimed for 3.7 million rice farming households representing 23% of the Thai population, having 1.4 million households participate and having paid out directly to those 870 billion Baht, all the while managing to lose 500++ billion Baht.

I'm still looking for the info backing your claim they had lost 600 - 700 Billion baht

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/846684-supa-piyajitti-claims-loss-from-rice-scheme-exceeds-600-billion-baht/page-6#entry9721204

So your point is what ?. His claim of 600-700 billion is wrong because it was only 500 billion ?.

Good God man - grow yourself a conscience.

Based on experience and tales told me by reliable sources, the graft and corruption has gotten noticeably worse since the coup.

Your experience ?? and your reliable sources ??? GOT WORSE it is not possible, even if you don't like the PM.

Heres the topic they have been waiting for today, they are all pouncing amazing

Absolutely no need to wait and pounce on the idiots in charge making a stupid statement

They are a veritable production line of foot in mouth gaffes, you can pretty much open TV at any time of day and be guaranteed a wide choice

Question Gingop, can you see why a person running roughshod over the laws might not be the best person to be commenting on obeying said laws or is that too deep for you?

Where were you when Yingluck, Chalerm or Plodprasop had something to say ?. 'Embarassing' doesn't even come close.

You people brought the coup on yourselves by murdering protesters with terrorists. THIRTY dead and hundreds injured. Please list the other situations where Prayuth has 'run roughshod' over the law. And I mean meaningful situations which affect the people and politics of the country - not that irrelevant 'Les Majeste' protest against an Ambassador who should know better.

Or is that 'too deep' for you ?, Or are you just writing the same the same old rhetoric you see in other posts and pretending you thought of it yourself ?.

Thank you three times.

Based on experience and tales told me by reliable sources, the graft and corruption has gotten noticeably worse since the coup.

If you and your reliable mate say so then it must be true.

Last time I went for my visa at the UK consulate, I mentioned how much better I thought Thailand was now that the dirty cronies got booted out.

The guy processing the visa told me that everyone he spoke to shared the same view. The general opinion was that under Pheu-Thai, corruption was a general free-for-all and at least the Junta were trying to do something about it.

But I bow to your obviously superior information. All the farang from UK who don't give a dam about Thai political colours, are relatively well educated and grew up in a real democracy must be wrong.

Well, how about the rabble that protested outside the US embassy a few weeks back? No prosecution? Didn't think so.

All part of the sincere effort to reconcile the country I guess...

One group were protesting against a foreigner criticizing the Les Majeste laws which (support them or not) are supposed to protect the Monarchy.

One group is political activists (directed by someone behind the scenes using students as the bait - from their own admission) trying to raise anti-Junta sentiment in a group of people who have shown us many times that they will use terrorism to get what they want.

Are you really unable to see the difference ?. Or can you see it but are quite happy to pretend you don't ? - in which case my signature line applies.

It shows how thin your arguments are when you have to drag up the same one again and again each time your own comrades do something new. Same with Suthep : his land deal has been used to counter dozens of dirty deeds by red-shirt politicians. No senior figure is clean here. It is all a question of degree. This 'why pick on us - everybody does it' argument is old and weak by now.

I doubt anyone in that group actually knows what 'democracy' means beyond an election.

now that is a biggie.....................seems they are working their way through the money trail and the huge brown stain they have left to follow, I wonder where it will lead to when these guys start to talk, oh and I believe they are HiSo....right

And I can't believe the Chairperson of the Rice Scam committee had no knowledge of this even though she didn't (was told from Dubai not to ) attend any meetings to try and distance herself from this theft of state assets.

She didn't attend any meetings specifically so it could be used as a defence against accusations like this.

Just like that helicopter which conveniently could not fly at night and so she missed the amnesty disgrace.

It's so obvious it's embarrassing. But not as embarrassing as those who try to argue that all charges are just political.

LOL - I've met a few of these crackpots who believe Aliens are among us.

The usual one though is the man who is convinced a major disaster is going to happen very soon. Often because some monk predicted it 300 years ago.

The only thing he teaches us is that someones qualifications mean absolutely nothing in this country.

FREEDOM comes at a price and he chose is way to keep his freedom ,by bolting from the country, I think he must have a pre conceived idea that he will still be able to return one day and do NO TIME,

Plan 1: Pay for lots of people to go to Bangkok and barricade off a section for protests, Then create a bloodbath of your supporters and trigger a peoples revolution. Then return to the country to cheering crowds at he airport as it's savior and supreme leader.

FAIL.

Plan 2: Put family members in all key positions (particularly Paradorn in the NSC) then quickly railroad an amnesty bill through before anyone can stop it.

FAIL. Someone leaked the audio tape and gave the game away.

Plan 3: Hoodwink Parliament with a moderate amnesty bill, then change it at the eleventh hour and railroad it through in the most undemocratic and disgraceful manner possible that same night (even though the opposition walked out) and pass it at 4 o'clock in the morning.

FAIL : That damn Suthep. We hate him, we hate him.

Plan 4 : Work in progress, but things are looking bleak. Popular support is dwindling and more desperate means may be necessary. But make sure you go out in a blaze of spite : funding an underground terrorist group is looking like a good option.

Check them every 15 days ?. What a ridiculous idea - will every street light and every electric pole be checked every 15 days as well ?. Is this country devoid of common sense ?.

Inspect each one to make sure it is safe in construction then check them for damage every 6 months. Or better still, put a phone number on them so local residents can report if one isn't right.

What a lucrative contract the inspection job is going to be (no doubt for some suitably deserving ally). Nothing to actually do and no way to prove you didn't do it : just rubber stamp it, get paid for all those man-hours and hope another chance in a million doesn't happen again.

This CCTV fiasco is obviously another huge scam which is not getting the attention it deserves. I bet nobody wants to dig too deep in case the spotlight catches them in it's glare.

This shows just out of touch these people are.

Red-shirts have been programmed to hate this 'elite' who I am certain most of them aren't even sure who they are. They are veiled as the 'rich people from Bangkok'. And most of their hate is rooted in jealousy because they perceive them as rich. It seems to extend right down to the normal Thai who works hard in an unforgiving environment simply because they were intelligent enough to escape village life by getting a degree and then a job in the big city.

Forget reconciliation for now. It isn't going to happen. And going by the level of comments from the red-shirts I see on here, they don't deserve the amount of effort being wasted on them. Especially after what their own party did to drive a massive wedge in Thai society. A DISGRACEFUL amnesty bill and THIRTY innocent protesters dead in over 90 grenade attacks by Thaksin's UDD terrorists.

The only way forward is political reform to prevent the farce where a fugitive controls a Parliament of dirty cronies and then free and fair elections. Maybe there is a very small chance that the next set will represent the people instead of their own pockets.

But it is a very small chance. A certain group of Thai's will still vote for whoever promises to give them the biggest handout once they are in power. I expect we will be going through this whole pantomime again in 10 years. And if the General in charge then does not love his country as much as Prayuth, you might well get the military dictatorship you pretend you have now.

Thaksin is a polarizing figure for sure. But love him or hate him, and whether you think he is innocent, or guilty; would you be confident that anybody, accused of any crime in Thailand, could actually return to this country and receive a 'fair' trial under the Thai justice system? The entire society is so riddled with cronyism, nepotism, corruption, acts of revenge, etc., only the most naive would place any trust in it.

Point taken but don't forget he did get a fair trial in regard to his conviction and 2 year jail sentence for serious abuse of authority. The evidence was well displayed that he had broken the law, and the case heard and his conviction happened when he was in the PM seat.

Plus there has been plenty of details floating around which seem to be pretty solid in regard to many of the charges for corruption / massive corruption. But of course innocent until proved guilty.

And don't forget the 18 year jail terms handed down recently to the KT bank seniors for corruption, the paymaster was clearly the mastermind of this 'event'.

Thaksin got a fair trial? Really? Read this: 'A letter from Chan Nilgianskul, Citizen of the Kingdom of Thailand'.

“Thaksin aided his wife to purchase government land at a reduced rate of 1/3 in violation of the law prohibiting political leaders from engaging in business dealings with the government. Thaksin was consequently sentenced to two years in prison but fled the country and never served his sentence.”

For lack of a better word, what you are talking about is nothing short of a complete joke. The so-called Ratchadaphisek Land “controversy” is not so much a controversy as it is a result of a disgusting witch-hunt after the 2006 coup. The case was pushed forward by the military-appointed Assets Examination Committee (Read: Anti-Thaksin Committee). This was despite prior confirmation from the central Bank of Thailand, which supervised the land sale, that the deal was conducted properly. Thaksin’s wife Potjaman Shinawatra purchased the land in question from the Financial Institutions Development Fund (FIDF) via a public auction, as allowed under the law. The purchase price was 772 million baht, which was actually higher than the Land Department’s appraisal price at the time of approximately 700 million baht.

The “reduced rate” you are suggesting is with reference to the FIDF’s own purchase price for the land of 2 billion baht in 1995 from Erawan Trust Finance and Securities. The intentionally overpriced purchase occurred during a property market boom and went through as a mechanism to effectively bail out Erawan, which was facing liquidity issues. Perhaps someone should investigate the properness of that deal, rather than trying to put the blame on Thaksin?

Again, the purchase was legal. How idiotic would Potjaman have to be to make those bids if the law prohibited spouses of political leaders from participating? To be specific, the charges against Thaksin were based on Section 100 of the National Counter Corruption Act (NCCA), which specifies that “government officials and their spouses are prohibited from entering into or having interests in contracts made with state agencies under their authorization.” However, Section 4 of the Act indicates that “persons committing malfeasance must be direct supervisors of the damaged party”, in this case, the FIDF. At the time, Bank of Thailand Governor Pridiyathorn Devakula was the direct supervisor of the FIDF, not Thaksin. Furthermore, Section 29 of the Bank of Thailand Act of 1942 specifically stated that the Prime Minister “did not have jurisdiction to oversee the FIDF” and that “those managing the fund had sole authority for policies, control, oversight, and regulations governing the agency.”

Even with such clear logical facts in their faces, the Supreme Court (which, by the way, lacks any democratic legitimacy) still had the nerve to claim that Thaksin was a “de facto” supervisor of the fund and sentence him to two years of imprisonment. One has to wonder what the point of having Section 4 of the NCCA is, if the court is to look at “de facto” supervision. Of course, this allegation of “de facto” supervision does not even hold water in this case, precisely due to Section 29 of the Bank of Thailand Act of 1942, as explained in the previous paragraph.

Following this conviction and his subsequent self-exile, Thaksin has claimed that this case was politically motivated. Given the information above, wouldn’t you agree?

yes, you are correct, and it is obvious that this particular conviction was political.

But if you hate the man, then it is so much easier to just call him a fugitive criminal and pretend that the court judgement was worth the paper it was written on...

That argument is so slanted with bias all the way through, I don't trust a word of it. I expect an unbiased legal expert would pull it to pieces.

... so why didn't he come back to clear his name and also face all the other charges while Pheu-Thai were in power instead of railroading that utterly disgusting amnesty bill ?.

Or doesn't that fit in with your brainwashing so you choose to ignore it ?.

The answer is crystal clear to me. And I suspect it is to you - but you will never admit it. See my signature line if you need any more explanation.

Reconciliation and reform were the reasons stated for the coup. Now the coup leader is saying reconciliation is voluntary and we are no nearer to any meaningful reform. So what the hell was the coup staged for?

So what the hell was the coup staged for?

So the nationalistic Elite could keep their place at the trough.

Everything else (the generals playing politicians, the new constitution, love and unity) are only smoke and mirrors.................

The coup happened for one reason. Pheu-Thai were murdering protesters and refused point blank to stop it. If you actually followed the news from day to day at the time, you would know this.

Or to phrase it as it really was (which NEVER happens in Thailand): Thaksin was trying to cling to power by paying others to murder those in his way (as usual) because losing it meant no chance for his own amnesty.

Which, by the way, was all set to be forced through with no senate approval required in 6 months. No explanation at all about why is was not just ditched. One of the reasons the protests did not stop.

No Amnesty Bill = No coup

No UDD terrorists and THIRTY murders in over NINETY GRENADE ATTACKS = No coup

Anyone who actually watched the news knows that any suggestion it was pre-planned are the words of an ill-informed idiot. Pheu-Thai finally got enough rope then proceeded to hang themselves - as everyone expected from the day they took power.

I sometimes wish the Army didn't step in : we could all have seen just how low and dirty they - and their supporters - were prepared to go. Though I think the cheering at the red-shirt meeting on hearing the news of the protesters murdered in Trat (including the small girl) showed me as much as I need to see.

We all saw Pheu-Thais version of reconciliation during Yinglucks farce. Immediately after all the speakers said the key was not forcing anything on the people they didn't want, they rammed the amnesty bill through and sparked mass protests.

But of course you will never accept any of this. You wouldn't be a red-shirt if you could. That's why reconciliation doesn't stand a chance at this time - so I don't know why they are even bothering to try.

Don't recall EVER seeing a headline like this under the last lot.

Seriously give us a break from your nonsense !!

It is getting just a little boooooring................

Coming from the author of some of the most ridiculous and unintelligent drivel I have ever seen on any forum !!. I normally just skip over your posts because I know for certain there is nothing worth reading.

I note you didn't give any example to back up your argument. LOL. Tells me everything I need to know.

Have a day off why don't you.

Don't recall EVER seeing a headline like this under the last lot.

Return home to article 44 where a Facebook like or mocking a dog gets you jailed?

Thaksin will outlive this thug.

See you in The Hague sunshine your days are numbered

Quote Without naming name, the prime minister also challenged Thaksin to return home “if he thinks he is innocent”. unquote. "The Night Of The Long Knives"??? Come forth Caesar where art thou?

So why didn't he come back when Pheu-Thai were in power ?. He would have been guaranteed a more than fair trial then for all his outstanding warrants.

I think you know the reason as well as I do : because he is guilty. That's why amnesty is the only option - no matter how many die in the quest.

.

This will be interesting..would be great if they got something on him and take away (some) of his wealth.

Absolutely. This guy is as bent as they come and if they start digging I'm pretty sure they will find all kinds of nastiness. Too bad that those who support the administration will not be touched.

Maybe the most bent and disgraceful scumbags really do belong to Pheu-Thai ?. Remember the 310:0 amnesty disgrace ?.

That's 310 definites. Whereas you people only have Suthep to counter with. And even he stood up and risked his life to do the right thing against the amnesty bill which is far more than any of the dirty cronies would have done.

Or is that possibility off the table ?.

All together now : fingers in ears, eyes closed and keep saying "Bangkok elite, Bangkok elite .."

Clearly I was wrong.

What is your problem, JOC?

This man isn't a popular activist for peasant's rights, he's everything that is bad about Thailand across the colour line.

I agree, he is as bad as they come.

But I know for a fact, that he comes from a family, who have been wealthy for generations. The wealth created by running private schools and selling land in Bkk, land they bought decades ago.

So if money is missing from the till, Chalerm would have no reason to enrich himself.

Do you really think, he would drive a pink Bentley, if he had something to hide? He might be an old drunk political dinosaur, but make no mistake, he is not stupid!!

So to me this assets check, has a clear political undertone.

Maybe a favor to the juntas pawn Suthep.......................... (He and Chalerm have been at odds for decades.)

You mean the Bentley that he purchased for a fraction of it's actual value that absolutely wasn't an illegal import?

I think it has been proven beyond doubt in the past 15 years that being wealthy does not prevent you from being corrupt.

Defending Chalerm ? - you have to be pretty low on life's scale to do that.

I recall the fairly recent expensive car investigation. Chalerm claimed his pink Bentley belongs to a friend who lives in Singapore and just lets him borrow it.

It's pretty obvious to me that Chalerm passed the word (and the funds) to the UDD terrorists who murdered 30 men, women and children in 2014 (as the most trusted servant of his long-time political master). The blood is on his hands IMHO - the UDD are just backward, greedy thugs.

Unfortunately this political dinosaur is very wise in the ways of Thai law and politics. I will be very surprised if they can find enough evidence to put him away. He has so much blood on his hands already, a few brave witnesses wouldn't even make him bat an eyelid.