Old Man River

The rule of law can only be respected when all segements of society respects it, including the military. The rule of law has no validity when the military forces its own "rule of law" onto the Thais people through military coup, abolishment of the constitution, martial law, and military dominated government. Under NCPO's Articles 17 and 44 of the Provisional Charter, democratic rule of law CANNOT exist.

It would seem that as far as Ms. Yingluck is concerned 'rule of law' has died as it dared to rule against her.

Her attorneys are getting their rhetoric ready for the criminal courts.

Yet another planted bias article by the nation.

You'll see how much their at the crossroads come the next election!

But some on here truly salivate at the thought that they will never happen.

Shame

Who will finance it?

Just my objective point of view

Thai junta's victory over Yingluck has proven Thai democracy one giant step backwards as Thai people fails to achieve a legal representation of their interests in a convincing way.

It is your subjective point of view as it is your opinion.

My subjective point of view is that Thai people failed to achieve a legal representation of their interests in a convincing way with the 2011 election, given 1/3 of the registered voters didn't even bother to show up and the Phuea Thai party got less than half of those that did show up.

The junta had nothing to do with that. One of the things the new political system will try to achieve is to get more people interested in elections at the grass root level.

yes it will be "you can vote for any of the candidates in your constituency as long as they are yellow" and THAT is what is going to happen (eventually). The ammart will put in laws and a constitution which blocks dissent and protest and ensures only there 'on message' stooges get elected

binjalin is dead right and a lot of posters here will soon get the Government they want and deserve.

Well done.

A couple of years later, 30 million disenfranchised Thai voters will make their voice heard and you won't like it.

Look at:

S. Korea.

H.K

Phils

Japan

Any country you care to name.

At some time in the future, the military will have to cede control.

At that point, expect ructions.

And it's got sod all to do with Thaksin or Yingluck.

When the military cedes control it will be to an elected government. Some people will want to get involved and some will sit on the sidelines and complain. So it goes.

Very selective Robbie nz considering it was worldwide news how the yellow dems stopped the voting public from even getting to to a polling booth to even get their chance to vot which was not only legal but constitutional at the time.

Yet you seem to ignore this fact and really it doesn't natter which side you happen to support or what outcome that election may have had the fact is under the law it was leaf a land what's happening now is not.

If an election was held and the yellow dems got in and thrown the PTP out no problem at least it was done by the people for better or for worse.

So, if both sides were allowed to stop the other, what kind of democracy did Thailand have? Don't you think election reforms are needed.

Just my objective point of view

Thai junta's victory over Yingluck has proven Thai democracy one giant step backwards as Thai people fails to achieve a legal representation of their interests in a convincing way.

It is your subjective point of view as it is your opinion.

My subjective point of view is that Thai people failed to achieve a legal representation of their interests in a convincing way with the 2011 election, given 1/3 of the registered voters didn't even bother to show up and the Phuea Thai party got less than half of those that did show up.

The junta had nothing to do with that. One of the things the new political system will try to achieve is to get more people interested in elections at the grass root level.

yes it will be "you can vote for any of the candidates in your constituency as long as they are yellow" and THAT is what is going to happen (eventually). The ammart will put in laws and a constitution which blocks dissent and protest and ensures only there 'on message' stooges get elected

Don't you realize that in the 2011 election the democrats were prevented from campaigning in the red areas, there was even a Dem canvasser killed for having the temerity to try.

There were reliable reports at the time of that election by people who lived in the villages, of intimidation of voters by village heads where the whole village had to vote PT.

I remember one poster on here saying his wife's family voted Democrat and were ostracized on the orders of village head.

There was no need for vote buying in these areas for there is a village fund and the threat was made that if your village does not vote for us you will not get the fund.

These things happened and are documented.

This is exactly what must be prevented and all parties must be given a fair chance to be heard in all electorates, that is why there must be changes and if these changes work against the previous intimidation and threats of the Thaksin proxy parties then that is only because they are the worst offenders.

DSC_1231.JPG

Do you know what that is ? I will tell you . That is a group of reds who followed the Dems around to their meetings and did their best to disrupt and intimidate anyone from going to listen. (where would they have got the money to do that ?)

In this instance they were blocking the main gate and the road to the school where the meeting was held, they were making as much noise as possible and those who wanted to attend had to walk more than a hundred meters through a temple to get there after the police blocked a side gate, the police then stood by and did nothing.

Thank you for bringing this up. Some will remain in denial and pictures won't help, but it is one reason why I laugh everytime I read that the PT were democratically elected.

Just my objective point of view

Thai junta's victory over Yingluck has proven Thai democracy one giant step backwards as Thai people fails to achieve a legal representation of their interests in a convincing way.

It is your subjective point of view as it is your opinion.

My subjective point of view is that Thai people failed to achieve a legal representation of their interests in a convincing way with the 2011 election, given 1/3 of the registered voters didn't even bother to show up and the Phuea Thai party got less than half of those that did show up.

The junta had nothing to do with that. One of the things the new political system will try to achieve is to get more people interested in elections at the grass root level.

yes it will be "you can vote for any of the candidates in your constituency as long as they are yellow" and THAT is what is going to happen (eventually). The ammart will put in laws and a constitution which blocks dissent and protest and ensures only there 'on message' stooges get elected

So, you wouldn't support new elections, or is it only under your terms?

BTW, you throw the word Ammart around like you know what it means. You would be surprised at how many different definitions there are. How do you define it?

Just my objective point of view

Thai junta's victory over Yingluck has proven Thai democracy one giant step backwards as Thai people fails to achieve a legal representation of their interests in a convincing way.

It is your subjective point of view as it is your opinion.

My subjective point of view is that Thai people failed to achieve a legal representation of their interests in a convincing way with the 2011 election, given 1/3 of the registered voters didn't even bother to show up and the Phuea Thai party got less than half of those that did show up.

The junta had nothing to do with that. One of the things the new political system will try to achieve is to get more people interested in elections at the grass root level.

Can't wait to see how strict Thai judiciary system can be on this one.

Bail and then flee the country??

She has been banned from politics for 5 years, not arrested. No need for bail.

Really finding the truth behind what happened to the rice,

should not be difficult at all,I mean you cannot hide a mountain

of rice under the mat, maybe they had David Copperfield involved

rice is here ,now gone,just like that,if people don't start getting

prison sentences,they will be no deterrent,and it will be business

as usual .

regards Worgeordie

The whole thing reminds me of Tommy Cooper performing a magic trick

Allegedly, the rice was sold to over 100 traders who would have resold it in smaller lots to many different buyers. If, as alleged, the rice never left Thailand, it is possible some of it could have been sold back to the government to be resold again. No need for David Copperfield.

Cant wait to see how they dress this up as criminal behaviour.

It has already been discussed ad nauseam. The charge will be criminal negligence.

Summarizing, they will have to prove there was corruption within the rice scheme, that it was reasonable that she would know about it and what to do about it, but for reasons beneficial she looked the other way.

Again, those are not Thai police but BTS officials and the 2000 Baht fine is a legal one and posted in many places regarding littering. There have been multiple articles over the last few years referring to it as a scam when it is in actuality legal enforcement. But if targeting only the foreigner, then certainly the Governor should step in (again) to do something about it, but no fingers crossed here that will happen.

BTS or BMA officials? I think city police.

The ex-rector will be summoned for interview SOON and 29 others over a 10 day period.

A major case yet absolutely no urgency, as usual !

OR....

The ex-rector will be summoned, along with the other naughty boys and asked to drop by their office sometime in the next month for a chat and a few drinks.

Urgency suggests it is important, which it really isn't

A more important question would be how this university could amass THB 1.5 billion?

This Thai writer rambles on again wishing and hoping that the figments of his imagination were real. He and Thais long for a position of value in the world and to belong. Unfortunately, no one is interested in Thailand or especially what Thais think. The US is wasting US taxpayer dollars trying to salvage Thailand from its own self destruction.

USA is interested in Thailand:

1) Geographical location to China just like the USA used Thailand for Vietnam.

2) Food source and for USA to sell GM Crops

3) There is oil in the north of Thailand and USA was already involved in the extraction of this.

4) There is Gold (not sure how much and cost of extraction) in the north of Thailand.

The USA was well cheesed off with the Thai army take over because it would appear Thaksin family were selling off Thailand to the USA.

Ask yourself the real reasons that USA were interested in Afganistan.

You might need to re-think things.

1) The USA has bases in South Korea, Japan and Singapore with limited support in the Philippines but that might change. The US is speaking to Vietnam which Vietnam has been open to talks.

2) The USA imports Shrimp, Tuna and few Agriculture products, but with the recent free trade agreement with Vietnam if the USA was forced to make a change they could. Thailand has a ban on all GMO imports.

3) Havn't heard anything about oil in the north, Thailand does have oil in the Gulf of Siam but they use all of this themselves and still need to import. The USA at this time is now out producing OPEC and is in not need of small amount of oil that Thailand might have available.

4) Not much gold in Thailand, Laos has a good amount. Also Thailand as a ban in gold exports and actually imports gold from the USA.

I agree, Thailand has no direct benefit for the U.S., for now.

Logistically, Thailand will benefit China. Along with a few other countries, it won't be long before China has land access to the Malacca Straits. This gives China a buffer in case of any problems in the South China Sea vis a vis Japan and the U.S. Note, VN does not have to be involved.

In addition, for trade purposes, the new rail system gives Mainland access to the "New China". New China comprises Thailand, Myanmar, VN, Cambodia and Laos. Economically, the New China has been compared to Mainland 20 years ago. Note, VN does not have to be involved, although I suspect it will very much want to be involved.

"BANGKOK: -- Recent incidents in Myanmar and Vietnam offer lessons for the Thai government JUNTA under Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha on.........."

Let's do some editing here and get NATION to do a better job of reporting the facts!

Yes, I am a stickler when reading news articles and see incorrect information being splashed on the internet!

You quote an interesting part of this article. Many times since the coup have I read how Thailand doesn't need or want ideas or help from non-thais. So what makes this writer think that Thais would learn something from those countries? Especially when thais also think they are inferior to those countries.

Chinese Thais think the world of them.......after all..that's where their heritage is.

That is a gross generality.

how can they impeach someone who does not hold office??? it's absurd

How can posters keep presenting this absurd inanity ?

The 'legal point' is to ban politicians for their past transgressions

Please try and keep up

your grasp is... well... less than a 'Thrilla' there is no 'legal point' that you proffer i suggest you leave the Chang alone and concentrate on the issues? now let's start again? she holds NO office so HOW can they impeach her? get it?

ok have another swig

Again, it is not about someone who holds office being removed (what you are referring to). It is about whether she gets banned from holding office for the next 5 years. The potential ban doesn't matter whether she is still in office or not.

Decision expected Jan. 23rd.

Many assumptions being made here...

Does Thailand issue issue any type of disabled/handicap parking permit that is visually displayed or can be confirmed by checking records?

Can't disabled people have a luxury car? One should really not assume...

Thailand's LTO does indeed issue the same kind of rear-view mirror hanging placard as found in most countries. It has your info imprinted on it. When it is issued, you receive a new driver's license that indicates you are disabled. If you do not have a license (and presumably someone drives for you), the placard may be used if you get out of the car; it may not be used if you stay in the car. Similarly, if the driver is the holder of the placard and does not get out of the car, he's not entitled to use a disabled parking space.

However, I'm not aware of any law in Thailand that imposes a penalty for parking in a disabled spot without a placard.

Are the parking lots controlled by the owners of the property or the police?

Junta is backward thinking and totally out of step on this one. As mentioned, if bus companies are hurting due to other forms of travel, smarten up, get your act together and offer a good service. And I posit it's not just the price either. People are simply fed up of doing 12-hour+ journeys to the capital when they could get there in an hour. This goes for government employees, too, who's supervisors would send them on a bus or train... but now their budgets can allow them to fly and thus be more productive.

It is 2015, junta, not 1815. Get with it! Buses are a short-haul idea in this century, flying is the way forwards, or is it that you would just prefer to keep your people down? pffft!

Dave, this was only a request. I highly doubt it would ever be made mandatory given the Thai Gov't will soon be building a major competitor to long haul bus transportation via the dual rail train lines which ultimately will connect several major cities.

how can they impeach someone who does not hold office??? it's absurd

If found guilty she would be banned from holding political office for 5 years. Hence, this case is going on due to the possible 5 year ban.

Just deflate all the tyres, no damage but a lot of work for the drivers :-)

Unless, of course, there really is a passenger that is disabled in the car, but of course you can tell all about passengers in cars just from the type of car.

I don't why people automatically think a person with a nice car can't be disabled.

I agree, people are quick to condemn people driving nice cars. I mean Thailand doesn't even give out disability permits to hang on cars, so how would people know? If you go into any big city in the US, you will find fancy cars parked in disability spots, but they do have the permits.

On the other side of the coin, I understand how most Thais don't care about the importance of these parking spots to begin with...so most likely the cars you see parked there are cars with no disability drivers.

Most likely you are right, regardless of the make and model of the car.

Just deflate all the tyres, no damage but a lot of work for the drivers :-)

Unless, of course, there really is a passenger that is disabled in the car, but of course you can tell all about passengers in cars just from the type of car.

I don't why people automatically think a person with a nice car can't be disabled.

Khan looked better than he has in years.

As much as i hate to say this coz of my massive dislike for Mayweather, he won't stand a chance if that fight ever happens.

r

I agree.

So over 82% involved motorbikes and over 48% were not of working age.

While there would have been a few who may have been older than working age a lot of the casualties would have to have been kids on motorbikes.

The dead body I saw yesterday was a young guy who had been on a motorcycle. It was on a straight part of the road and was between 4PM and 8 PM, hence, it fits the norm as brought out in the article. RIP.

Thais are not good drivers when sober,add drink and

night time driving,I will be keeping off the roads for a

few days,well stocked so really don't need to go out anyway.

regards Worgeordie

Good advice.

I saw one db on soi 103 this afternoon. I would think, given the 58 is supposed to cover all of Thailand, it is a lowball number.

Speaking of friends I have never been able to fathom why the governments of the US and Thailand are supposed to be so close. They do not share interests, culture, or geography. The Thais seem to benefit more from it than the US with one sided 'free trade agreements' that means Thai products are untaxed and US products are taxed 100%. Anyway, I suspect this currency swap business will fail to matter when China finally has to let their currency trade freely.

The friendship goes back a long way, but just check the VN war and you will understand.

On the Yuan, you hit it on the head. They can only be short term swaps.

Chinese pushing in front of Thais,i thought Thais

were champions at that,I remember bank queues

before they started to use ropes and Q numbers,

it was like a rugby scrum with lots more players.

Regards worgeordie

These days Thais queue, at least in Bangkok. You see them queue while waiting for buses, the BTS, taxi's etc. Times have changed. I have no idea why it changed as I remember what you are referring to. Maybe just a younger generation. Obviously, the Chinese haven't got the message.