EnglishJohn

Millions of people would waste lots of time in Thai form-stamping bureaucracy then when the next act of terrorism takes place, it will most likely be no use to the investigation whatsoever. I don't think people here illegally will participate.

It is an impractical proposition : people might do it online if it was quick and easy, but you can be sure it wouldn't be. So they won't.

Another example of an impractical rule being put in place by someone who doesn't really have a clue of the effect in the real world. I look forward to a Thailand where merit plays a part in selecting people for the top jobs : I wonder what it will be like.

Unusually wealthy is measured as the assets and liabilities declared from the date one enters a state office. So, if assets grow or liabilities drop in a manner inconsistent with the income of the office occupied, a complaint can be filed against the person, in this case, what is defined as a "high ranking official" (head or deputy head of a department of agency). It appears there are also allegations that he benefited from government agreements in an unethical manner. Anytime one of these bloodsuckers gets ratted out, is cause for celebration. Time will tell, as the NACC takes forever to do its fact-finding.

I imagine two of the most plum jobs in Thailand are in the NACC and the appeals court. But especially the appeals court : a defendant already found guilty and in a panic over jail time ready to spend the money he stole to get the old 'insufficient evidence' verdict.

People seem to be overlooking the point that a muslim has murdered a buddhist monk before it would happen.

That means he walks up to the man and murders him in cold blood just because he is not a muslim.

Everyone is saying how everybody is to blame equally : does anyone actually know the figures of how many are killed by muslim terrorists and how many by the other side ?.

All I can find is:

"By end-2012 the conflict since 2004 had resulted in some 3,380 deaths, including 2,316 civilians, 372 troops, 278 police, 250 suspected insurgents, 157 education officials, and seven Buddhist monks."

Which suggest to me that the muslims killed 3130 against 250 by the authorities.

Hardly 'both sides to blame equally' is it ?. People in this world need to sort out their priorities instead of jumping on the 'poor persecuted people' bandwagon. They are cold blooded murdering terrorist scum who think Allah blesses them for doing it.

Well, that report tells me everything except the quality of the water. Did they even test it ? - or did they just look at the outside ?.

I'm interested in what is in my bottle when I stand it under the nozzle and fill it up. Is it safe ?. It doesn't touch the outside so I don't care too much if it is dirty.

it says over half of the machines have water that is unsave to drink

Yes, that is the headline they want you to read.

But if you read it more closely you will see that the only reasons they give are cleanliness of the machine and it's surroundings.

Not once does it make any reference to the quality of the water they got out of it. If they did, it would have references to bacteria and other contaminants. All we get as the justification of the entire report is "These factors included unclean body part of vending machines and locations where they were installed.". That doesn't mean it is unsafe to drink.

I got my water from one of those machines for a long time at my last condo and never had any problem - even storing it in a plastic water bottle for several days.

I wonder how this moron got his position in the first place.

Promotion - tomato style. Corruption is all that matters.

In a civilized police force, he would be sacked immediately for such an outrageous statement. Maybe he speaks from personal experience.

Well, that report tells me everything except the quality of the water. Did they even test it ? - or did they just look at the outside ?.

I'm interested in what is in my bottle when I stand it under the nozzle and fill it up. Is it safe ?. It doesn't touch the outside so I don't care too much if it is dirty.

If it "Happened on your watch", you are responsible. The smart thing is to provide a list of those who took advantage of the situation !!

Even if it including a certain "Dubai Dude" !!

This goes far beyond this simply happening on her watch. This was her populist policy to help get elected. She was heading up this whole program. She regected multiple assertions by others that the system was rampant with corruption.

She allowed the phony G2G deals to be done.

She and her cronies profited from this either directly or indirectly.

I hope she gets what coming to her, but I am not holding my breath.

We have two candidates in the US running for President who advocate taking taxpayer money to get those with student loans out of trouble. Is that a populist policy? Every nation is faced with those politicians in government who promote populist policies for getting votes to the politicians own benefit. This case is no different. If the current Thai government was interested in criminally prosecuting even some of the profiteers from this scheme they could have done so. This is nothing but political staging on the part of the non elected military government who buys blimps, aircraft carriers, and wants to buy submarines. Talk about malfeasance!

Did you miss the point on purpose or does it genuinely elude you ?.

The issue here is not about using money to help the poor.

It is about 500 billion of the 600 billion disappearing into the pockets of politicians and their up-country drum beaters.

And you actually blame this government for not prosecuting the others in the case ?. Don't you think that was Yingluck's responsibility once she was told what was going on ?. Don't you realise this is the WHOLE crux of the case ?.

How can you not know this after all this time ?. Do you even read the news or do you just listen to your friends ?.

All passenger vehicles and heavy load trucks should be fitted with speed governors and relegated to the slow lanes of the road. These transport companies think this is just the cost of doing business.

It's not the speed that kills. It's dangerous driving and unroadworthy vehicles. It wouldn't stop them doing 60km/h weaving in and out on an urban road which has motorbikes joining from all directions.

Plus I would feel very unsafe in a vehicle which had to travel in the middle of all the trucks because it was limited to their speed. No doubt the drivers would sit in the outside lane and make it dangerous for everyone else trying to get past them.

Poor, stupid little numskull. I hope he doesn't get jail time for having a bad sense of humour.

He won't make that mistake again.

Thread hijacked by red rage rants from people who are not stakeholders, Thai citizens or even vaguely aware political punters.

From the World Court, any government that applies new laws retroactively is out of order, in short and simple.

All those, like myself, that hated the midnight amnesty bill now have just seen the military do the same for themselves, and after subsequently having pardoned themselves for the coup...but no junta cheerleaders can see the Emperor has no clothes, they are wearing fascist spectacles and calling them yellow...

Hilariously, if this happened in any the cheerleader's home countries they would go apoplectic.

Good on you for selective perceptions, selective memories, and verbal masturbation.

The rest of us are mostly centrists and find your childish temper tantrums amusing, at best.

The Thais not only do not care what you think, they do not respect your thinking either.

Take a nap.

Hilarious. Go check your red-shirt rants when there is anything about Prayuth. I think the most intelligent comment I saw said his face looks like he is sitting on a toilet.

This forum is mainly farang pointing out how bad Thais are at running their own country. We don't care if you like what we say or not. Right and wrong never affect what you people do anyway : only what you can scam at the end of it.

And we would never vote someone like Pheu-Thai into power in the first place. They would already be in prison.

All I see is a very insecure regime and needed all the repressive and censorship laws to stay in power. The power abuse started when they stage the coup and never ceased and have been relentless in curbing freedom of expression, arresting dissidents and making sure that an unwelcome election outcome will not happen.

Ah those poor dissidents who got arrested (because they wanted to and kept pushing until it happened) but then were released.

Any comment about the 30 murders of protesters under your 'democracy' ?.

Any comment on the 310:0 amnesty bill which started it all off ?.

No, I thought not. Please check my signature.

Abuse of power in this context is "a person using the power they have for their own personal gain".

Abuse of power is corrupt politicians voting for an amnesty bill to forgive themselves of all crimes of corruption since 2004.

Anyone crowing now who didn't say anything against the amnesty bill is not worth listening to.

The prosecution of Yingluck over a real event where 500 billion of a 600 billion budget was 'lost' is called accountability and justice in the rest of the world.

Chrystal Nacht all over again, didn't do Adolf much good

If you quote history, you should make sure you know what you are talking about. It did exactly what he meant it to do.

Go read up about it and his red brown-shirts who did it.

Pearl Harbour and attacking Russia are what didn't do him much good.

And apart from all that, your comparison is totally wrong. Krystallnacht was an unprovoked attack to persecute a minority he didn't want. More like what the muslims are doing.

how 'bout a ban on Generals playing politics ...

Thinking one step ahead, the lifetime ban would have meant most of those responsible for what caused the coup would be in prison already and not able to vote 310:0 for an amnesty disgrace which led to the protests and mass-murder of 30 innocent people before someone finally put a stop to it.

It's all pointless in Thailand any way : even if they make the rule now, if another dirty shower get in they will immediately set about changing it back.

Take away the corruption and you will take away the reason for the last 2 coups. It's not rocket science.

All good business for the multitudes of doomsday predictors in Thailand.

No doubt something some Monk wrote 300 years ago will have foretold of this.

And the Brits would be speaking German if it was not for the Russians ans Americans. (Naming the Brits first while in reality the other powers did far more).

I don't frighten easy, I just don't like people getting killed during street protests.

You guys with your remarks about how bad it will get.. sounds more like wishful thinking for some of you. It is as if some of you wish for a civil war.

Phutoie's comment was a typical nasty attack by a Pheu-Thai supporter with no relevance to any argument which made any sense. These pathetic, racist comments are the last resort of the witless.

But don't forget Hitler never really had any chance to invade the UK. He actually admired Britain and hoped they would make peace which some say is why he let so many escape at Dunkirk. We held out on our own for years before the USA joined in.

I wonder if the lunatics thinking their communist revolution is just around the corner are starting to cotton on to the real world yet. The best you are going to manage guys is to become an underground terrorist group. How proud that will make your mothers. Go read up (or get someone to read it out to you) on the other communist Asian countries and compare them to South Korea. I think most Thais know which direction they want to go.

John, what's the reason behind your ramblings about communism? Do the Shins look like communists to you? Does resistance towards an unelected junta make people communists? This is exactly why I tell you not to call other people stupid, John. Please pay attention this time!

Mr MZurf,

It is as clear as day that red-shirts do not stand for democracy. They stand for taking the money from those that have it and giving it to them. That's why the Shins are so popular : the red-shirts want Thaksin to get rid of those 'Bangkok Elite' and make them all rich. When he said how easy it is to win the hearts of red-shirts, this is exactly what he means - and exactly what he did (under advice from a foreign PR company of course).

Hiding behind 'unelected junta' is opportunism on your part : red-shirts violently oppose ANYONE who is stopping them getting what they want. Suggesting the current situation warrants a 'peoples uprising' is simply ridiculous. Thailand is better now than it ever was under Pheu-Thai and as much as you hate the prospect, Prayuth will certainly return the country to something a bit closer to democracy. The only issue is the timescale because a certain event is not far around the corner and I'm sure the aforementioned bogeyman will be thinking how he can exploit that power vacuum.

All of your talk about losing your rights is more opportunism. What rights have you lost ?. The right to carry M79's and murder any opposition ?. The right to move freely while you do it with the help of the police ?. The right to put mobs anywhere someone does something your leaders don't like ?. The only right you have lost is the one to incite violence. Virtually all of your predictions about the Junta have failed to come true : the only people 'missing' are those criminal who fled abroad. The worst part though is the level of hypocrisy I see. Every time your argument or prediction is clearly false, you simply make up another one. It's been going on like this since the coup and not a single one has turned out to be true.

What the rice scheme has failed to teach you is that communism does not work. Other peoples money soon runs out and you will find some people will always be more equal than others. Even if your 'uprising' was successful, what do you think your end-goal is ?. Thaksin back and all other parties removed ?. A massively corrupt megalomaniac with total power who freely murders those in his way ... now where have I seen that before ?. Ah yes, North Korea.

I was in the UK consulate getting a visa a couple months back and was chatting to the guy. I told him how Thailand seems better under the Junta. He told me that everybody else he talked to agrees with that sentiment. Corruption was a total free-for-all under Pheu-Thai. I know you people just ignore anything which doesn't suit your cause, but you should take a bit of time and wonder whether you are on the side of right or wrong. Or worse, ask yourself if you even care.

One final thing to remember : in your utopia, just remember that once the money from other people has all been stolen, nobody will be earning more to take. You will be much worse off than you are now and those people who try to protest will get the same treatment Pheu-Thai gave their opposition, but this time it will be unrestricted and there will be no Army to stop it.

Headline reads, “Red shirts go to ground after Article 44 used”. A less-parochial observer might have assumed the Reds were simply following the junta’s well-publicised directions.

Either way, anybody seeing this a victory for the junta over the Reds chooses to ignore the fact that the country is no closer to reconciliation.

Thailand is still a much divided country!

Incidentally, in Myanmar, the red shirts supporters were out in force to support their leader over the weekend.

So you see some red shirts and a picture of a woman in some foreign country and think that it must therefore be similar to Thailand ?.

Just amazing. No, seriously, I am amazed that someone over 8 can exist thinking at that level.

Aung San Suu Kyi spent 15 years under house arrest for standing up for her beliefs. Ms Bubble Head went shopping.

Thank you three times.

"If this goes on long enough the people might start to think differently about street protests. "

If this goes on long enough the street protests you found so frightening will seem like a minor inconvenience.

its all about No 1 with Robbo, he can get to work now, no nasty red shirts in his way. All down to the coup and military running the show. Understandable he frightens easily, he is from a part of Europe that would be still licking out German dustbins if it wasn't for the Brits and others.

And the Brits would be speaking German if it was not for the Russians ans Americans. (Naming the Brits first while in reality the other powers did far more).

I don't frighten easy, I just don't like people getting killed during street protests.

You guys with your remarks about how bad it will get.. sounds more like wishful thinking for some of you. It is as if some of you wish for a civil war.

Phutoie's comment was a typical nasty attack by a Pheu-Thai supporter with no relevance to any argument which made any sense. These pathetic, racist comments are the last resort of the witless.

But don't forget Hitler never really had any chance to invade the UK. He actually admired Britain and hoped they would make peace which some say is why he let so many escape at Dunkirk. We held out on our own for years before the USA joined in.

I wonder if the lunatics thinking their communist revolution is just around the corner are starting to cotton on to the real world yet. The best you are going to manage guys is to become an underground terrorist group. How proud that will make your mothers. Go read up (or get someone to read it out to you) on the other communist Asian countries and compare them to South Korea. I think most Thais know which direction they want to go.

Awesome how much power he still wields that he can gee up a military government so much just by telling people to wear a shirt on a certain day. On a separate note are "yellows" still allowed to wear yellow shirts and gather?

..... or do you think the military are more concerned about the event revving up his thugs and some more innocent people die at the wrong end of an M79 ?.

Although I expect we will still see a bit of that as the prosecution continues.

Do you think that is 'awesome' as well ?.

You miss the point entirely. You can't see anything else except red and yellow : politics for the simple minded.

Why is anyone interested in what this tagnut does ?.

"Anyone who would like to win the hearts of red-shirt people can do it easily without having to use guns and laws."

What a condescending thing to say - ever get the feeling he thinks of you like his pet dogs red-shirts ?.

You should be seriously offended by that statement.

It is rather worrying if this 'poll' is a harbinger of the junta's intentions. Let us hope not.

If you look at past polls relating to the junta or gov pretty much all of them have supported what the gov wants and many of them have been used to give support to the gov ideas. Kind of like testing the water before you jump in. It would not surprise me if P deciced for national security that he needed to close thailand the same way N. Korea did. The same way he is tryin to get a single gateway to control what thais see and say online. Only time will tell thougg what is really on the gov agenda. Lets hope that whatever happens it doesnt turn into a miny china or N. Korea

You actually think Prayuth might close Thailand like N Korea ?.

Man, you have no idea what's going on do you ?.

You understand nothing but think you do. Like the average North Korean actually. Do you really have any clue at all about why countries have international internet gateways ?.

I have seen nothing from Prayuth which leads me to doubt his intention to tackle the cause of things like the amnesty disgrace and a Parliament full of cronies before returning to whatever form of Thai-style democracy we have next.

The biggest danger to Thailand right now is if something happens to Prayuth and someone else gets to use article 44. That's the No.1 reason to get reforms in place and hold elections as quickly as possible.

Presumably this same protection will be afforded to officials investigating the Abhisit Government Rice Scheme NACC investigation? Perhaps Art.44 could be used to force the government agencies to provide the evidence that apparently has been delaying proceedings;

He said the NACC’s investigation of the Abhisit government’s rice guarantee has been delayed due to insufficient evidence despite the NACC’s repeated requests for documents from related government agencies.

http://www.pattayamail.com/news/nacc-member-rules-out-double-standard-in-rice-graft-probe-35351

or perhaps not.........................

The accused persons in the corruption investigation under Abhisit are mostly the same ones being investigated under Yingluck, which are warehouse operators, rice millers and smugglers. Abhisit and his cabinet were not accused of corruption in the program. For, that matter, neither is Yingluck. She is accused of negligence and mismanagement which allowed losses to exceed 500 million baht. There was never parliamentary approval to spend that sum on the program, rendering it unconstitutional, and, hence, her culpability for the losses.

more rubbish from junta lovers incorp, Who appointed you as judge/jury? , a farang to boot as well. She is not culpable for anything, and will walk from the show trial beginning soon.

Ha ha ha - an intelligent comment followed by a rant which reads like it came from a 6 year old.

Now which one will I take more seriously .......

The USA basically want 2 things from Thailand : free access for American business to Thai resources (especially oil) and a friendly, non-muslim ally in a strategically important position in the world.

Which means they would rather have Thaksin back. He will sell them anything as long as he has a finger in the pie. By contrast, Prayuth is fiercely patriotic and would like to kick all foreigners out if he could. He is not good news for American business.

They don't give a flying about anything else. You can be sure they know exactly who is behind all the violence and are willing to turn a blind eye to get the result they want. The careful diplomatic talk by the new Ambassador is very interesting if you think a little about his choice of words and the things he avoids saying.

I'm a big supporter of the USA because unlike Russia or China they will at least try to do the right thing if they can as part of their bigger picture, but I have no illusions about their cold blooded ruthlessness if needed.

I wonder how many people noted the significance of the carefully chosen words "sustainable democracy".

Those two words are basically condemnation of the type red-shirts support and also express support for reforms to be implemented as soon as possible ready for an election.

Unfortunately I learned long ago that those who do not want reforms don't care one bit about what democracy actually means. They just want the power back so they can get the perks that come with it. Like getting paid off for voting in the rich local politician who they admire for his skill at corruption (and for sharing it a tiny bit).

But going by the infantile level of most comments on this thread, the ambassadors language went way, way over their heads. They never get further than any specific unfortunate words Prayuth (a soldier by experience, not a politician) comes out with.