Yann55

2 hours ago, WaywardWind said:

Have you read the book?

Do we need to ?

Call me names if you want, but I'm pretty sure he's right, because that's just like her, isn't it ? I hate Trump with everything in me, but I wouldn't have voted for that woman if I was American, because she's living proof that the Republican/Democrat so called 'alternative' is a deplorable hoax.

Obama had good intentions and was a man with a conscience, I have no doubt about it, but he could not make a single one of his dreams come true, because that's how things work in the United States : there's realpolitik, led by the big corporations and the finance guys, and then there's that Broadway-style cover-up show going on in Washington, financed and written by the real power-guys, where a bunch of actors try to make people believe they are for real. The Truman Show is what comes to my mind when I see this.

When Al Gore wrote 'The Assault on Reason' in 2007 after his presidential defeat, he wrote a honorable book because the guy, for all his flaws, is a honorable man. Hillary is not. Honorable, I mean

Oh, they're dragging their feet all right, but dragging them allegedly so everything's fine and dandy.

If that word were to be suddenly and brutally removed from common language, the media and justice systems around the world would experience a massive shock, like bees whose hive got burnt while they were out harvesting pollen

2 hours ago, rooster59 said:

"I personally think he slaps the right people, he hugs the right people, and he comes out with (the) U.S. being very strong, in the end," Haley, speaking at the White House, said of Trump's speech.

Another delusional sycophant slapping himself on the back.

And he gets paid to do it too ... my, what a strange and depressing world this is, sometimes.

28 minutes ago, Sydebolle said:

Maybe if Thai people would be a little smarter they would stop buying Krating Daeng/Red Bull products all together. So the company could concentrate in getting its rouge grandson back to face the Thai music.

But yes, that is alien thinking - just a silly idea of mine 

I would hate to spoil your Thai-bashing pleasure, but you do realize, don't you, that :

1/ Red Bull is #1 in the world, which means that the impact of a boycott in Thailand would not inflict severe losses to the company,

2/ A large majority of Thai people are just as enraged as you are with this situation and a number of Thai media have launched boycott campaigns already, even though the legal context here makes this kind of action difficult. Individually, however, people do react. Among my Thai friends here, there are a few who say mai pen rai but most of them have already, quietly, started buying another brand. So no, they are not all passive, thick in the head and indifferent, no matter how much you'd like to generalize.

3/ Boycott does work when it's massive, and it seldom is because the egocentric impulse is what drives the world. That impulse is not Thai, it's universal, and it's reaching peaks never attained before, due to many factors which originated mostly in the West. Smartphones, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram etc. are quickly turning us into egomaniacs. Regrettably, our ability to empathize with victims (necessary when lauching a boycott campaign) is getting thinner and thinner.

I wonder what the statute of limitations is on this offence ...

What's with the journalists' obsession with play on words ?

When they're funny and spot on, great, but most of the time they're weak and far-fetched. This one is beyond lame, and the guy who wrote the 'article' even feels the need to explain it in his last sentence. Pathetic.

15 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

The Mahidol University’s Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, where the student was studying, decided to suspend the student from his studies until the ethical investigation concludes.

Oh ... so they're not just moving him to an inactive Faculty of Medicine ?

All jokes aside, good on you Mahidol Uni ! When a person is strongly suspected of wrongdoing, suspending them until the ethical investigation is concluded should be the rule, also (nay, especially) when police officers and/or army big shots are involved. I know ... one can always dream ...

Sadly, the 'after' rendition is in the same spirit as the newly 'renovated' part of Dongtan Beach, ie NO SPIRIT at all.

It is cold, ugly, and soulless. An Orwellian world of depressing concrete  fit only for hubots (this is a reference to a Swedish series called Real Humans, which features robots that look exactlly like humans, brrrrrr).

It gives me the creeps. What on earth is the matter with the Pattaya authorities these days ? Have they lost their senses ?

And it's not like they never had any, because there were other projects, in the past, which were okay : what was done on Pratumnak hill several years ago wasn't half bad, and the first remodelling of Dongtan Beach was rather nice too. Of course, in both cases, there never was the least bit of maintenance after completion, so that both places quickly started to disintegrate, due to the extraordinary propensity of Thais to savagely deface public property in record time (a subconscious statement against all the corruption involved, I guess).

What these punks don't destroy is quickly ruined by monsoon rains ... the actual construction being done at minimal cost, so that a long string of middlemen can line their pockets. Which, of course, is the first and foremost purpose of all these projects, anyway.

Ah. Human Rights. Good.

Why don't they start with the two Burmese guys who are currently rotting in jail (and awaiting capital punishment, no less) as scapegoats, after a totally botched investigation and a grossly inequitable trial, due in no marginal part to the fact that a certain Prime Minister stated, before the investigation even started, that 'no Thai person could do such a thing', and thereafter wholeheartedly supported the police 'findings', all along, even though the media outcry was deafening.

Oh, wait, I forgot, he hates the media unconditionally because they don't do and say what they're told to do and say, like good soldiers ... so whatever they claim, on whatever topic, can only be fake.

I wonder why these bikers are most of the time :

- Grossly overweight

- red in the face

- well over 50 years of age

- with thinning, greasy, grey (and yellowish) hair bound at the back in a ponytail.

Well ... as a friend of mine used to say : "if you observe nature, you will notice that under every ponytail, there is an a*shole".

One thing those two guys have in common : an imperial urge to control the news and the media.

The funny thing is that in Prayut's case it's more understandable (I didn't say forgivable), because he's an army guy, and if there's one thing army generals are not used to, it's having their decisions commented or even criticized on the news. Perish the thought !

Which is not to say that the media are mostly good people, because by God, they're not. As a matter of fact, except for a few rare individuals, journalists are more like an irresponsible pack of money and fame-hungry rascals who are more concerned with getting a scoop than with doing a thorough and honest investigation.

Their power, which is now immense and is often rightly called the fourth power, is something they cherish and protect the way a dog protects its food. Their favourite argument is always the Freedom of the Press, and there's nothing wrong with that of course, except when said freedom is used to spread half-truths, wild assumptions, opinion disguised as news, or unadulterated lies.

Let us always keep in mind that this tremendous power of the media is not the result of any election, so that's one feature they share with the PM here, whether they like it or not. Abuse of power and manipulation are things they know very well and practise all too often.

43 minutes ago, Sydebolle said:

Rapist, pedophiles, drug dealers - mandatory death sentence, me thinks! You cannot re-educate/re-wire such people who are a threat to society and it is the duty of those in charge to rid society of such people. Likewise, if they are at it rewriting the law they might as well legalize prostitution, as so happening in Europe which possibly, just possibly, reduces the number of raped women. 

And you cannot re-educate/re-wire people who are ardent supporters of the death penalty, because, although arguments may reach their ears, they cannot be processed thereafter as that would take a functioning, rational brain.

18 hours ago, chickenslegs said:

18 hours ago, Bill Miller said:

Wondering why it took a year to report.

The rapists threatened to harm the girl's parents if she told. It's in the article.

Tsk tsk, Chickenlegs .... Ole Bill was just looking for an appropriate angle to blame the victim, in pure, unadulterated TVF fashion  ... and there, you just spoilt his day. Baaad, bad Chicken !

6 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

I've encountered some super rude Frenchmen that you can tell are totally biased against all Americans, and don't bother at all to differentiate between them individually. 

Up to now I used to think you were a rather intelligent person, Jingthing. I'm therefore disappointed to realize that you're willing to stereotype so aggressively and in such a dumb manner. I guess it proves Lord Winston's point, however : that the hatred you Americans feel for the French is completely beyond rational thinking.

I've encountered super rude people pretty much everywhere I went (and I've been to a lot of places) but I didn't go on generalizing their attitude to all their countryfolks. For example I do not think that all Americans are as biased and aggressive as you are, at least on this particular issue. Shame on you.

He must have watched too many Hollywood movies ... where the villain is soooo often French.

This reminds me of something Winston Churchill once said, about the love/hate relationship between the American and the French, and I find his insight really impressive :

"Americans think that the French hate them, and they are wrong. The French think that Americans like them, and they are wrong too!".

Bottom line, this guy is downright pathetic. Stupid, arrogant, impolite ... and a tragically ridiculous xenophobe. A wild combination !

3 hours ago, GroveHillWanderer said:

5 hours ago, Yann55 said:

Can someone well versed in law please explain to me (or rather us, as I'm pretty sure I'm not the only here who's totally staggered by this situation) how this 'statute of limitation' thing works ?

 

How is it even possible that criminals only have to run and wait for the 'statute of limitations' to save their ass ? I know that it doesn't cover every kind of crime, but how come it does cover this one ? (and yes, I know, there are 3 different charges and only 2 have been wiped 'clean' by now, but the third one - the worst - is also due to be erased later on).

 

There is usually a reason why laws exist, so I'm desperately trying to get my head around this one : what purpose does it serve ?

 

Almost all justice systems have a statute of limitations. They've been around for about as long as systems of justice have existed.  For instance, in Athens in the 5th century BC, a five-year statute of limitations was established for all cases except homicide and the prosecution of non-constitutional laws. Based on contemporary writings, these statutes of limitations were adopted to control professional accusers from bringing malicious prosecutions long after the event.

 

The main intent of statutes of limitation is to protect the defendant. I think it's fair to say that they were not designed to protect criminals that flee the jurisdiction, such as in this case.

 

There are various reasons sometimes given for them, including the following:

 

• There is a general feeling that to be fair to all involved, cases should be brought it to trial within a reasonable length of time. There's an old saying: "Justice delayed is justice denied".
• By the time a stale claim is litigated, evidence may have been lost or be no longer reliable, witnesses may have died etc so it may not be possible to provide a fair trial.
• Litigation of a long-dormant claim may result in more cruelty than justice.

In most legal systems, a statute of limitations restricts when a case may be filed, but so long as a case is filed during the period specified in the statute of limitations, the case may be heard and decided by the court even after that period expires. However based on what I can tell by looking at the Thai legal codes, in Thailand that is not so - the prosecution has to be started AND the person has to brought to court before the time period expires.  This would seem to be a weakness in the Thai Statute of Limitations as compared to many other legal systems.

 

Also, in many jurisdictions, the statute of limitations does not apply to the more heinous crimes such as murder or rape and there may be exceptions due to the age of a victim etc.  I am not sure whether Thailand has these kinds of exceptions in its legal code.

Thank you VERY MUCH for taking the time to answer my question in great detail. It does help me to figure out the absurdity of the situation in this case.

What's the expression again ... 'third time pays for all' ? ... LOL, before your post, 2 people explained to me what the statute of limitation is. LOL ... Of course they're not supposed to know that I have a Master's degree in Sociology and another one in Political Science, so I believe my brain is functional enough. When I read their obliging explanations I thought I had not phrased my question clearly enough, but then your post proves that at least someone understood what my question was really about : not the letter of the law, which I do know and understand, but about its spirit.

The main problem here in Thailand seems to be that they're applying a law that's utterly dated, while other countries have factored in the fleeing situation, ie when the defendant is on the run, the time he/she spends being uncatchable does not count. This amendment makes perfect sense.

One can only hope that this pathetic 'Boss' charade might wake up some honest souls here (I know there are quite a few in the University system who've had the courage to speak up on other delicate matters) and that they will try to have the law updated.

27 minutes ago, Techno Viking said:

49 minutes ago, ramrod711 said:

The very idea that there IS a statute of limitations for a cop killer fugitive is repugnant and sickening.

And if it was not a policeman killed it would be ok ?

Techno Viking, you must have been listening to too much techno music, and too loud, because your brain is obviously not functioning properly.

Your extremely dumb post is regrettably quite typical of this Forum, ie you make a vicious comment about something another poster DID NOT SAY.

Wouldn't it be nice if people like you understood that a discussion Forum is for discussing, if possible in a gentlemanly manner ? It is NOT a boxing ring, NOT a ranting dump, and most of all NOT a playground for so called adults behaving like 12 year-old little machos.

Can someone well versed in law please explain to me (or rather us, as I'm pretty sure I'm not the only here who's totally staggered by this situation) how this 'statute of limitation' thing works ?

How is it even possible that criminals only have to run and wait for the 'statute of limitations' to save their ass ? I know that it doesn't cover every kind of crime, but how come it does cover this one ? (and yes, I know, there are 3 different charges and only 2 have been wiped 'clean' by now, but the third one - the worst - is also due to be erased later on).

There is usually a reason why laws exist, so I'm desperately trying to get my head around this one : what purpose does it serve ?

Please note, I am not calling for typical TVF paranoid rants in response to my question. Enough of those already. I'm just hoping that among the many members of this Forum, one or several understand this weird (to say the least) legal point better than I do and would thus be kind enough to share their knowledge. Thank you in advance.

27 minutes ago, pornprong said:

Yes, it is a curse to the world, however, some countries are afflicted with much more severe cases than others.

If, like so many other Thai Visa Posters, you need your daily 5 minutes of Thai-bashing in order to feel better about yourself, go ahead, but I won't join you on that ship.

My former post (#44) was an invitation to consider the bigger picture, ie that the military are a curse to the world in general, and not only to Thailand. Your 'reply' brings the issue back to the smaller picture.

By posting this photograph you are doing exactly what dishonest media (in other words most of them) do all the time nowadays, ie exploiting the people's tendency to generalize and make sweeping, hasty judgments on the grounds of one image only. Finding damning images like this in other countries would not be a problem, because pretty much everywhere, the military reach out to children, in all kinds of ways.

The military want to feel good about themselves, they want us to think they're the good guys who are here to protect us, etc, when their two main purposes are actually :

1/ to make rich weapon manufacturers even richer, and,

2/ to maintain their position, which provides them with power, money and consideration. Not many humans would give that up easily.

On that chapter, Thailand's case is no more severe than most other countries in the world. Look around you, for Christ's sake.

15 hours ago, pornprong said:

Thailand's greatest curse is the Thai military.

The WORLD's greatest curse is the military, wouldn't you say ?

Just one example : 40 years of cold war ...

* Cost to the US only : 8 trillion dollars and 100 000 American lives (as a result of Korean and Vietnam wars, which were direct consequences of the cold war situation). One can only dream of how that money could have been used otherwise, the problems it would have solved and the plagues it could have eradicated ...

* The most scary and creepy consequence : heaps of nuclear material now circulating on the black market, ready to be used by lunatics (and there's no shortage of those around),

* And all this for WHAT ? Essentially for lining the pockets of a few dozens weapons manufacturers around the world, and making NON-ELECTED military leaders feel important.

Yep, curse indeed.

55 minutes ago, 4MyEgo said:

There is one thing I learn't a long time ago, Thai's 1st, farangs 2nd, that's the rule here, like it or lump it, I have learnt to accept it, suffice to say when I have a full trolley and see one or two people behind me with a couple of items, I tell them to go through before me. I am in no hurry to go anywhere, we are all going to the same place, might as well make our travel as pleasant as possible and not allow those in a hurry to get there, pee us off, the world is full of them...... Karma.

A refreshing post, thank you.

13 hours ago, Cadbury said:

I have heard on good authority Cinderella loaned Yingluck her own personal Princess Pumpkin coach (which did not carry number plates) knowing that it would not be noticed by security who would be busy at the time playing with their smart phones.

... Or other parts of themselves (yes, I regret to say, smartphones have now officially become an organic part of most people).

Quote : He was taken to the Buppharam police station. Police later said the man seemed to have mental issues.

He would have to be mentally challenged to be wearing that many amulets around his neck. Sorry if I'm not being PC here, but this whole superstition thing gives me the creeps. I'm no expert on Buddhism, but I do know that the Lord Buddha was strictly opposed to all this bullsh*t (for a start, he clearly forbade any representations of himself. Didn't work too well, apparently).

The need to believe in magic is so deeply ingrained in human beings, however, that no one, included the most enlightened beings, ever managed to root it out. They did try, and they all tried, but it keeps coming back like bl**dy cockroaches.

Montesquieu was a remarkable man in many respects, as opposed to Thaksin who is merely a manipulative, ignorant and delusional opportunist.

Montesquieu's most important work 'De l'esprit des lois', published in the middle of the 18th century, and which took him 15 years to write, is a summary of his political views.

 The key chapter is the one in which he describes how the separation of powers (legislative, executive and judicial) must be the absolute priority in a political system that aims to be just, efficient, and long-lasting. The separation of powers, however, was never on the agenda of Mr Thaksin (or his predecessors, or his successors, for that matter).

He must have been too busy all his life making money in all kinds of bizarre ways and telling other people what to do, because I'm pretty certain he hasn't read a single line of Montesquieu.

Thaksin clearly belongs to the growing family of populist politicians who don't read books, and who are proud of it. I suppose they think it somehow proves that they are 'closer to the people'.

What he did here was quote a dictionary of quotations, otherwise known as 'Culture and Wisdom For Dummies'. Or, more likely, it's a suggestion by one of his communication wizards who did read Montesquieu.

PS. I don't know where they found that photo of him, but it's a downright scary image. He looks like he's straight out of Madame Tussauds.

And now it's official, we know that Denial is a mighty river that flows into the Chao Praya.

With a detour via the Mekong river, as Cambodian PM Hun Sen has now added his voice to the concert of indignant deniars, otherwise known as the "Yin ... who ?" Club.