halloween

In my opinion it was a good and fair decision, based on facts and not political sentiments.

As about the ongoing reconciliation process, I believe it will take many years to cure the wounds the previous politicians have inflicted to the Thai people.

But I'm confident, with the good strategy and intention of this Government, that this can be achieved.

How long will it take to cure the wounds the present politicians are inflicting on the Thai people?

They'll get to them when they finish paying of the debts of their predecessors - might take a while.

Panthongtae will be the next PM... Once (if) there is an election, of course.

"He's not the savior, he's just a naughty boy!" Fond of other naughty boys, apparently.

Why is Prayut doing parading around in an army uniform? I was under the (misguided) impression he had reached the mandatory age and had retired. Is this not imitating an army officer?

As to the justice system being followed, I am sure it will so long as it gives the "right" results.

Did your plane just land? Every Thai and his/her son with aspirations of grandeur wears a bloody uniform. And every ex-whatever keeps his/her rank unless excluded by the courts.

I'm no expert on the rice scheme ,But wasn't one of its downfalls that they tried to stockpile rice to push the market price up and , I think , Vietnam had a record year for production and it all backfired

If the rice scam was a round brilliant diamond, you have managed to see one facet. The crown cut is that Thaksin tried it before and it was a dismal failure with only a tiny percentage going to the claimed intended recipients and massive corruption.

OK NACC, Yellow shirts and all the other Hi-So elite, you have your revenge, you have your pound of flesh. Yingluck has been impeached and I really don't think she gives a rat's ass or at least she shouldn't. Who would want to go back into politics in this country again given the shear hatred directed at her.

Now the criminal charges are complete crap and need to be tossed. Anyone doing their job badly should be fired, not sent to jail. Yingluck is already out of politics so what is their to gain by throwing her in jail...nothing except pure unadulterated revenge and hatred of her brother. This is all about her brother, not her.

IMO, they would have to prove she did all of this rice-scheme fiasco with an intention to harm people and steal money which I'm pretty sure they can't do. Go ahead NACC shows us the evidence.

DOH, that is why there will be a trial, for the NACC to show us the evidence.

I think the powers that be would like nothing better than for her to leave the country and disappear from view. It's really not in their best interest to one day have Yingluck in jail.

If the RTAF shot down Thaksin's plane, they could have both.

The job of Thai prime minister must be the least desirable job in the world.

The chances of the army taking over and you being ended up either abroad or in jail must be close to 100%.

But hey, we know from the past that all military dictators that took over the country were nice people, and they were not corrupt at all .... right?

Ah Kris, but the people's money that you can steal more than makes up for the risk. At least, it used to.

Should won't have to flee as it would be much easier to take refuge in a Wat. Seems to be the only place where Thai politicians can avoid be arrested.

i don't think raw silk robes are allowed.

Ain't love grand!

when there is a genuine question, then I reply.

Posting a dishonest question or series of questions - as you so often do - doesn't merit a response.

Here, for example:

So you think PTP should continue ignoring rules of law and the voice of the minority?

This half-question/half-accusation has nothing to do with anything that I have ever said. Why should I reply? Do you think that I need to defend positions that you fabricated?

you are against corrupt governance. Good for you. What a novel position to take. You and 99% of the free world takes the same point of view.

But you seem perfectly willing to accept, ... no, to welcome a military government as the solution ... and you don't (apparently) have the wits to recognize that the current 'government' using corruption and stopping unrest as their excuse/reason for the 'intervention' is the same excuse used in one way or another since the 60s. That alone should make any observer of the current train wreck aware of the fact that good governance vs corruption and democratic self-rule vs military 'governments' have no connection. It's a false choice.

Now to your last point, I don't defend any of the positions related to Thaksin that you seem to think that I 'defend'. I never have and I never will. Democracies around the world need to deal with corruption all the time. My country is right in the thick of it at the moment.

And yes, in democracies, the elected majority and the corresponding minority have rules by which to govern and if those are broken, then they should be held accountable. On this forum, however, a parliamentary majority which consists of the PTP is denigrated by opponents as a parliamentary dictatorship. That's just load of BS. It would be the same BS if the tables were turned and (somehow) the Democrats were handed an electoral majority and their opposition did the same.

This is because in real democracies, elections have consequences. In Thailand, historically and actually, elections are just a past-time for the little people during short intervals between military/elite 'governments'.

So you think PTP should obey rules of law and listen to the voice of the minority is not the wrong strategy?

At least you finally admit that Thailand is not areal democracy. It never has been. You object to PTP being called a parliamentary dictatorship. Why?

In your allegedly corrupt country are MPs allowed to accept payments from criminals? Are criminals, or antbody else allowed to attend cabinet meetings. dictate policy for their own benefit and appoint cronies as ministers? Are conflicts of interest ignored?

Why would anybody turn a blind eye to that lot?

I do welcome a military government as a far from perfect alternative to blatant criminality disguised as democracy.

In any respectable country, Thaksin would never have got anywhere near office. He would have been jailed for his first big scam, supplying computers to the police on a contract he wrote the specs for, while a serving officer with his father-in-law as head of police.

<script type='text/javascript'>window.mod_pagespeed_start = Number(new Date());</script>

Really? Surprised to hear this, since here on Samui at least Tesco and all 7-11s wouldn't sell alcohol between 2-5PM, the times even seemed to be connected to the cash register.

Indeed it is. The register keeps track of what is sold and would be evidence of wrongdoing, that's why our local 7-11 writes it all down on a piece of paper, presumably to rung up during legal hours.

PM me for location.

yes, the Nation is biased. Always has been.

But this at the end of the article :

Regardless of which path Pheu Thai members choose, Nipit said they could no longer stick to their old "thinking method".

They could no longer press on with their political agenda by claiming democratic legitimacy, while ignoring rules of law or the voice of the minority, he said.

points to the new party line of not making waves.

It's the wrong strategy.

So you think PTP should continue ignoring rules of law and the voice of the minority?* Because that is the right strategy? And you can't understand why we have coups?

* Note that minority is a misnomer, as the last PTP government received 49% of the votes.

do you understand what a parliamentary majority is?

Of course you do. But democracy doesn't fit your dogma.

The common courtesy when replying is to at least try to answer the questions your earlier post raised. For example, yes, I understand the concept of parliamentary majority, but I doubt that was what was being referred to in the OP's 'voice of the minority'. I ask you again 'wjhy is obeying the law and listening to the minority the wrong strategy?'

My dogma is based non-acceptance of criminal behaviour even when it is cloaked in a sham democracy. I don't see that the elected majority have the right to ride roughshod over the parliamentary minority or the electoral majority. Or that once elected, conflicts of interest can be ignored for government MP personal gain. i don't see that governments, or political parties, have the right to a private militia immune from prosecution, or to co-opt the independent agencies.

I do see that allowing a private citizen, let alone a fugitive criminal, access to cabinet meetings, to dictate policies for his personal gain, appoint ministers and pay MPs a monthly stipend to vote to his orders, is far from democratic.

How you defend these practices, and claim it is for your children, is unbelievable to me.

BTW Yes, I am a joker. the only people that don't laugh at clowns are the clowns. Some just don't know they are clowns, but they are hilarious just the same.

There are another 10 family members that can be PM, the Shinawatra family is pretty big.

Some members are considerably larger than others.

How many politicians have been a member of 6 parties?

His big contribution was, while serving under Thaksin "he created the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) as a government-controlled special unit to counter the influence of the more independent judiciary, prosecution and police force." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chaturon_Chaisang

A true believer in democracy.

"Don't put it down to vote-buying, electoral fraud or populism," Alongkorn said. Another deputy leader of the Dem Party said the same thing.

Of course he was right, there are many other factors involved. Amongst others, the Thaksin personality cult mostly based on lies, the libelous allegations that the Democrats were murderers after the 2010 insurrection, misrepresentation of how Samak lost the premiership, the alleged (falsely) illegitimacy of the Abhisit government, and the prevention of other parties campaigning in the north.

Most red supporters accept this propaganda as fact. I even notice some fool claiming PTP won by a "vast majority", another lie commonly bandied about in the north.

Senate dissolved, they became EX-senators.

They are the legal representation of the senate, The Nation calls them the group of Senators, BP calls them the Senators even other NLA members. I'll make sure to tell them, even though it is quite clear to everyone, that they should be referred to as "The group who were Senators but now the legal representation of the senate in the NLA"

This sequence of events seems difficult for our Thaksin supporters. As in, after he resigned he became ex-PM, some time before the 2006 coup.

....it seems just as difficult for Junta supporters... impeachment is the process of removing (or not), an active official... how can the NLA impeach someone who is an ex-PM and holds no current official position

.

Impeachment is normally a facade, an attempt to bring to light the government's misdeeds, destined to be defeated on party lines. Seems to me more than one government member has attempted to escape critical examination of their previous posts, supposedly invalidated because they no longer hold the position. This time it didn't work. The whining is deafening.

BTW the impeachment will become irrelevant when she is found guilt of negligence, and hopefully corruption. The levels of conflict of interest in her government were mind-blowing with not a single recusal or declaration that I recall.

Lights and alarms, ha! Get a dog.

We had one successful and 3 attempted break-ins, on the last attempt the dog heard him coming and was waiting inside as he tried the kitchen window. One big bark and he was off, but only made about 30m before the dog caught him and he went face down on the concrete road.

As I work away we now have 2, and one sleeps inside at night. Problem solved.

Are they Pekingese or Pomeranian?

Not my style. One is a Hound (brown and white, droopy ears) around 30kgs. the other is a Thai yellow dog (for want of a better description) about 25kgs. Both are male and were adopted after being abandoned, though not at the same time.

and the lack of answers from Ms. Yingluck who seems to have stuck to stating party political nonsense and telling the NLA committee that they were only politically motivated.

BTW no senators. The NLA is the legal representative of parliament and Senate only. Read the Interim Constitution if you feel like it.

On top of the 100 or so military brasses isn't there a Group of 40 Senators NLA members?

Senate dissolved, they became EX-senators.

This sequence of events seems difficult for our Thaksin supporters. As in, after he resigned he became ex-PM, some time before the 2006 coup.

She still looks hot!

An old saying goes "You don't how truly ugly a woman is until you see her in court." Enlightenment is coming, soon.