halloween

"a clock that bears the face of former premier Thaksin Shinawatra"

The height of redshirt sophistication, but only if it doesn't work. Then it tells the right time twice a day.

13 minutes ago, pookiki said:

And I'm sure that the Thai people will benefit from the Chinese military weapons as well.  Corruption for which the junta will never be held accountable and an egregious disregard for the real needs of the Thai people.  Mouldy rice vs. mouldy minds.

If you can't argue the topic, change it. Firstly, purchase of military weapons isn't corruption in itself - if you have proof there is corruption involved please present it. Secondly, Thailand's military spending as of 2016 was 1.45% of GDP, lower than the world average of 2.2%. Would you like to nominate your home country for a comparison, or would that be uncomfortable for you?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_military_expenditures

https://tradingeconomics.com/thailand/military-expenditure-percent-of-gdp-wb-data.html

3 minutes ago, pookiki said:

Well, if memory serves me right, the prior regime is being held accountable by a junta that has no accountability.  A comparison I find quite significant.  Where is the voice of the people in the junta's  decisions -- does it matter to you?  Lastly, does there need to be a comparison for criticism that is warranted and justified?

You see your criticism as warranted and justified. I see it as SOP, certainly premature, of an investment in infrastructure that promises to far more benefit for the nation than ensuring the "right" people get elected. If it turns out to be a huge white elephant, at the very least the Thai people will have an upgraded railway system to show for their money. Much better than warehouses full of mouldy over-priced rice.

Just now, pookiki said:

I'm sure there are a lot of 'bribes' going around without the need for the adjective 'electoral'. 

And I'm quite sure you would rather criticise the current regime without any comparison to the former, but it isn't going to happen.

On the bright side, they won't have to pay for lunchbox design, will they?

5 minutes ago, Srikcir said:

The exception is if the loss from passenger service when paid out of profits from cargo service results in a net zero or loss, then a dual function doesn't matter.

 

The Transport Ministry Arkhom had wanted the SRT to conduct additional feasibility study on several scenarios such as how much impact on the SRT’s revenue if passengers are below target by 10% or what will the SRT do if passengers are below target by 20%. http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/srt-told-conduct-feasibility-study-thai-chinese-train-project/

As Article 44 bypasses such an analysis, who knows what the economic feasibility is?

 

However, it appears that the government is not depending on cargo service to provide an overall profitability from the rail line. Mr Arkhom reaffirmed the government’s faith in the project stating that they were worth the cost as projections have revealed that 60% of revenues will be generated from real estate and commercial developments along the routes while the remaining 40% will come from passenger fares. http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/bangkok-korat-high-speed-train-project-go-ahead-despite-call-revise/

 

But revenues from the developments accrue to the private ownership of rights along the line and do not accrue towards government rail revenues.  Certainly the government will benefit from any income taxes (unless exempted or minimized say to Chinese private ownership resulting from negotiations not yet concluded) from those developments. Whether tax revenue will make the line profitable overall is not mentioned.

 

The bottom line is very little has been revealed to the public as to what elements exactly will result in an overall profitable rail line. While a quasi-government project shouldn't ordinarily be profitable (ie., breakeven only), investment capital must be generated, ie., from profits, to fund a capital sinking fund to finance future retrofits and upgrades. By invoking Article 44 the government is going where every unprepared investor has gone before - into economic loss.

 

But those capital developments will pay tax. And it seems it is predicted to be sufficient even without taking freight revenue into account, by your link.

I have no faith at all in a high speed passenger service raising much in the way of revenue. But a decent freight service will raise a lot of revenue with the anticipated level of Chinese freight and port usage.

And as you chose to delete it, I repeat - At the very least it is investment in infrastructure, a better idea then wasting money on idiotic electoral bribes.

2 minutes ago, SirBuwanaDogbossKing said:

Tom Sharpe and Terry Pratchett would have a field day reading about the daily antics that go on in this country..................stupidity personified. 

Except Tom died 4 years ago.

In other reports it is mentioned that the embassy is paying a significant overstay fine for them as they have been in China for 10 months. Which doesn't quite fit with the above article.

MRD applies.

4 hours ago, MaxYakov said:

A good start? It appears that some had better start learning Arabic. I'll they know the written numerals already, at least. They should let the Chaldean Catholics w/o criminal records stay as refugees.

Why should your religion be grounds for preferential treatment? Should atheists go to the head of the cue, after all the US could use a little rationality?

Face it, if your from a muslim country, even if you are a muslim, there's bound to be someone there that hates you because of your professed belief. And if there isn't, you can always convert for the benefits.

Remember, everything is relative. In the late '60s an Aussie conscript soldier in VN was less likely to die than if he was home driving his car.

6 hours ago, huainnews said:

  They talk about it as high speed but the sole purpose of this line seems to be to move Chinese freight from Laos to the Thai container ports.

  The only advantage to Thailand would be that a few local passenger trains in that region might average 100kph instead of the present 60kph because of the improved standard of the permanent way.

As most passenger service only lines run at a loss, a dual function sounds like a great idea. I would expect that the port fees of handling Chinese shipping might be a benefit, and I'm quite sure the passenger service will exceed 100km/h.

At the very least it is investment in infrastructure, a better idea then wasting money on idiotic electoral bribes.

I doubt they'll be asking "Dump the Dams" Yingluk for advice.

12 minutes ago, jonclark said:

Why would the military want him to go to jail

 

Keep him as a free man - a couple of years down the line he will no doubt start stirring up trouble and give the military and elites another reason to stage a coup - Big picture thinking!!

Because it not just Jatuporn but a whole collection of UDD rabble rousers who face a series of serious charges and with irrefutable video evidence for at least some of those charges. It was understandable that the other members in a criminal conspiracy would not allow them to face charges, it is not acceptable that the junta allows them to escape prosecution.

Just now, Smarter Than You said:

Who's fault is it that things aren't proceeding now?

Who has absolute control over every root and branch of the government and the judiciary?

I'm sure if you put your tinfoil hat on and think really hard about it you'll come up with the correct answer.

Thank you for pointing out the bleeding obvious. I am and was fully aware of the current political position - that didn't stop me from asking a reasonable question.

The cases were initially delayed by some of the defendants being appointed as party list MPs. I am asking why they are not proceeding NOW.

Of course, as soon as they do, the Thaksin sycophants will be claiming political persecution.

11 minutes ago, Father Fintan Stack said:

They have tried but they are universally hated up there because of their 'Bitter Medicine' policies from the late 90's Chuan government, in which the rural poor paid for the economic mistakes of the ruling classes post '97 crash. Those were hard times, and the North remembers. 

 

The Democrats have never recognised the rural vote as important and have never given anything to the rural poor as way of an incentive to vote for them. That has changed thanks to Thaksin, despite the military again trying to turn the clock back 50 years, but it is too late.

 

Hopefully the next elected government can reform the military and neuter its political influence, unfortunately they have now entrenched themselves into the Thai constitution and personally I do not see anyway forward without there being trouble. There are factors we cannot discuss openly as well, which makes it even more difficult to make the changes that Thailand so desperately needs. 

 

A real shame for a country that looked like it was making so much progress in the early 2000's.

 

 

 

 

'The Democrats have never recognised the rural vote as important and have never given anything to the rural poor as way of an incentive to vote for them.'

I call that a blatant red lie. Their textbook and uniform subsidy was a great idea for all Thailand, especially the poor. Their rice support scheme was paid directly to farmers, and didn't cost untold billions, nor did it involve dodgy companies getting rich acting as agents in rice sales. Their removal of B30 fee made health care even more accessible to the poor.

You might ask what happened to the education subsidy, or why the B30 was re-instated, by the party that cares so much for th epoor.

24 minutes ago, Father Fintan Stack said:

The country has lost much more than that since the coup due to a 70-80% decline in foreign investment and poor economic management.

 

Those subs and APC's cost a lot of money too y'know.

Was that a policy of the junta? Did they ignore it or take steps to solve the problem?

39 minutes ago, Father Fintan Stack said:

You do know Democrat Party mentor and ex-PM Chuan Leekpai's brother allegedly embezzled billions from a Thai bank, ran away to Taiwan until the statue of limitations expired on the charges and now lives freely in Bangkok? 

 

Buying parties like Newin Chidchob's faction (one of the most corrupt in Thai politics allegedly) which the military and Democrats bought after the 2006 coup so they could overturn the will of the people through the judiciary and install their own unpopular and unelected Democrat government, giving Newin's faction the most lucrative ministries to plunder while in office. 

 

Because there is a group of posters here completely obsessed with Thaksin that they can't see the wood from the trees. 

 

They would rather see Thai people crushed under the jackboot of authoritarianism and shot in the street like dogs rather than see Thaksin return. 

 

A complete disdain for the Thai electorate and enfranchisement of the local people. They are not 'educated enough' or 'not ready' to choose their own leaders according to these posters.  

 

Some of them know they were completely duped and we are in a far, far worse situation now than ever but their obsession with Thaksin and their ego means we must suffer their deliberations on here ad nauseaum. 

Typically, you don't address the material in my post, you simply throw up strawman arguments, like claiming forming a coalition is "overturn the will of the people through the judiciary." Has it occurred to you that Thaksin routinely breaks election law so that he can claim to be the victim when he is called on it. The only reason PTP was not disbanded for blatant breaking of election law was that the EC was worried about the ensuing political violence.

It seems his sycophants are willing to ignore his criminal activity. tough TIT if you don't like being reminded of it.

Many years ago, a friend was ticketed for the same offence at Bathurst bike races. NSW police refused to admit a mistake and he had to take it ti court to be acquitted.

Have you never left the tourist traps? have you never heard of Khorat, Hat Yai, Chiang Mai. I could also add Nonthaburi and Pak Kret, cities in their own right, which you are adamant are NOT part of BKK.

I'll go for 1/, though I'd propose uneducated and ill-informed. Not everybody is willing to waste the countries resources just to gain power - then again they don't intend to gain as much while in power.

2 minutes ago, Thechook said:

Apparently they tried to deport him but the courts overturned it.  As for parole the federal Police and counter terrorism units had him on a watch list and a full dossier considering him a danger to society.  They don't share information with parole boards and if they did he would still be in jail today.  A good start would be to if they Co operated with each other but apparently it's sensitive information

Well it's time we stopped pandering to the bleeding hearts, and put it into legislation. As soon as a non-citizen who is convicted of a violent crime, or series of lesser offences, serves his sentence they are deported. If that proves difficult, contain them in a camp in some desert and give them internet access to find some country that will accept them, or stay there until they rot.

If the country develops a reputation as being extremely hard on immigrant criminals, they will go somewhere else.

4 minutes ago, Smarter Than You said:

It is not realistic for millions of rural Thais to flood into urban areas looking for jobs.

The rural areas have to be developed to create jobs outside of the urban areas.

Development takes money.

The Yellow/Elite/Military factions want to keep the money where it is - in their pockets in Bangkok.

 

How is it you are so quick to blame the ones with the least power - the poor living just above substance levels, yet remain so silent toward those who created and, through coup after coup are maintaining a system of such extreme inequality.

Oh, it's not realistic. But it happened in every developed country, didn't it? you keep harping, like some broken record, about the elite and Bangkok. I have travelled to most of the cities in Thailand, they all have wealthy people, they all have industry and factories, they all have imported workers because they can't get enough Thais to fill the jobs.

And you like to defend Thaksin, the poor man's saviour. He is a life-long criminal who USED the northern poor to get into office to enrich himself. The level of blatant corruption under his regimes is unprecedented. He incited political unrest in the hope of higher office. But let's ignore his corruption, look how well the north is doing after his help.

4 minutes ago, Eric Loh said:

The Dem Party is the oldest party in Thailand but has never won any majority seats on the lower house. Each time they formed the government, they have to work with a coalition. They have not done enough for the country and the party leaders have only narrow self serving interest. There are growing discontent and disappointment within the party and their supporters of the leadership and the direction they are heading and I wouldn't be surprised that they will break up heading to the election. 

Perhaps they could get a rich benefactor to buy some minor parties to bolster their numbers. Of course he might want illegal access to cabinet deliberations.

Or they could start paying MPs to be members of their party, that seems to work. Ensures party solidarity too; any dissent and you risk losing your regular bribe. when the amnesty bill was tabled, despite UDD's voiced opposition, only one of the UDD MPs was brave enough to abstain. He probably had had a good day at the casino or race-track.

Why was he given parole and not deported? When non-Australian citizens commit crimes, they should lose the right to our hospitality. We have enough criminal scum of our own (and many of them are the children of immigrants) without importing more.

Before the election I stated that given the choice of candidates, the best result would be the winner to be removed from office asap, by whatever means. My opinion remains unchanged.