Srikcir

"block the smuggling of precursor chemicals from source countries"

China has severe penalties for drug use in China. However, many of the raw materials used to make addictive drugs are legal in China. China only blocks the manufacture and sale of addictive drugs within the Chinese borders. But China does not prevent the sale of raw materials to third parties outside of China. It's all about commercial export value.

Perhaps the Junta should use its new partnership with China to press for stricter control over the manufacture of raw drug materials to stem their export.

"But we also have to correct the children,"

Implied brainwashing?

Perhaps much more achievable than correcting the Thai military and Junta-led government. Such an effort would anyways be a conflict of interest for the Prem.

This is the deal of the YEAR.

The Junta gets a couple subs and trades off all the remaining alleged low-quality pledged rice gathered by the Yingluck regime now sitting in government-hired warehouses. Of course, the subs will be in the same condition as the rice.

Thailand doesn't have any sub facilities and its waters have limited depths for use. Maybe the subs could be resold for use in commercial enterprises like human trafficking, ivory smuggling, drugs, etc. But it's the show of Thai military cooperation with an opponent of the democratic Western-Asian-Pacific nations that is the real message that the Junta can send. .

"our market is currently closed for a number of European countries, while remaining open to our partners in the Asia-Pacific."

And the same can happen to Thailand if it doesn't side with Russia in its continued aggression against the EU, Eastern Europe, and along Russia's southern borders. Thailand gets dependent on exports to Russia as did Europe, then it can either become an economic vassal of Russia, or suffer closure of its trade to Russia and risk economic depression. This is a "Big Boys" game but unfortunately the Junta is more concerned about its face (aka ego) to throw any caution to the winds.

Putin is an opportunist and an egomaniac. He was willing to use nuclear weapons against any serious military opposition over his invasion of Crimea, He will sacrifice Russian lives and economy to gain an advantage. Think how that translate into Russia's partnership with Thailand - like having a bear by its very short tail.

My draft charter - 8 words (following the Buddhist symbol for eight spokes) :

"We have all the power. You have nothing."

Yes, I can't wait to see Thai Police prosecute Thai military officers if they are found to be involved in human trafficking. But wait, that's where Article 44 shields the military from any judicial actions unless approved by the NCPO.

"He suggested extending a prospective gas pipeline to Turkey into Greece, making it a major transit country,"

That's what Putin did with Ukraine, making it a major transit country into Europe. How did that work out for Ukraine and Europe?

France was not a good example of democracy.

A country with a bad democracy is farther towards democracy than Thailand without any vestage of democracy.

"the longest and most difficult to achieve will be the increased DCA personnel needed for airline certification."

Likely to take at least until 2016. Somehow I don't think ICAO will be impressed if Prayut invokes Article 44 to make certification happen overnight.

It's a good thing that General Prayut wasn't there. I could just hear him threatening members of the FCCT with execution for citeful questions - in jest of course.

My question to the CDC would be - Why cannot Thai universities hold forums/seminars on democracy, cannot even discuss democracy in other nations while the CDC can hold a similar forum without prosecution? But one of the correspondents gave a clue, "Do you think you are superior to the people?"

If there is one thing Article 44 CANNOT DO is get the Malya-Thai insurgents to the peace table. But it may further cause an increase in violence.

Well done General Prayut.

"Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha has said that he remains undecided whether to hold a referendum on the new constitution"

He is not UNDECIDED.

He has reiterated that under the Junta law of the Interim Charter no referendum is cited. He has stated that the Thai people have been allowed to comment and the NRC/CDC has taken such comments into consdieration. He is backed by numerous surveys that support the entire draft charter. When you consider that the 2007 Constitution was passed by only 51% vote, why would Prayut risk any denial from the Thai electorate on a draft constitution that is far more draconian and anit-democratic than the 2007 Constitution?

Prayut has DECIDED.

The draft 2015 constitution will get endorsed without a public referendum just as the Junta's coup and Interim Charter were endorsed to become the law of the land. Democratic participation of the Thai people is just an inconvenience to the Junta's roadmap to its final dominance over the Thai rights and liberties. How else can the military continue its reform of the Thai society into a feudal state?

"as well as to protect the rights of citizens"

So the bill will be a sham?

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Good for Judge Hanen. This is yet another attempt to bypass Congress and the constitution by the Emperor President. Don't let him get away with it.

U.S. District Judge Andrew Hanen's decision NOT TO REVERSE HIS RULING is no surprise. The government will get the reversal at the Court of Appeals.

"some Western countries may be reluctant to do business with the military government running the Asian country"

Thailand already has one of the foremost military establishments in the Asia-Pacific region, ranking #11 among 33 nations (ref. 2015 Global Firepower). If some of the top 10 powerhouse countries like Russia, China, India, Pakistan, Turkey, and Australia are excluded from the list, Thailand would rank #5.

Prayut has stated that a strong military is necessary to make countries "fear" Thailand. But he may cause an unwelcomed fear if he accelerates Thai military capability.

Thailand may trigger an arms race in the Asia-Pacific region prompted by the Russians to sell their military grade weapon systems. As a result, some Asian and Pacific countries may be relunctant to do business with the Thai military government. And they may turn to the Western countries to counter a Thailand military build up by upgrading their own military capability. They may also follow with economic trade barriers, sanctions, and withdraw businesses from Thailand.

Prayut is taking dangerous risks with the nation's sovereignty and economic health for the sake of military and personal ego.

Just seven days ago, "Sommai Phasee, the finance minister, admitted yesterday that the country’s economic growth projections will stand between 2 – 3%." The main reason for a lower forecast was that government disbursements have been delayed and household debt is worsening.

The JSCCIB claims that government disbursements reached 43% of budget last month. But Deputy Finance Minister Visut Srisuphan yesterday disclosed that in the first 3-4 months of the fiscal year only 30% of the budget was spent. And he further admitted that only 80% of the budget would be disbursed for the whole fiscal year - not 100%.

The JSCCIB has been the Junta's cheerleader for the economy. And seemingly whenever it makes an economic prediction, it is overly optimistic in backing the gpvernments efforts to improve the economy. I estimate Thailand's economic growth for 2015 will stand close to 2.5% while its ASEAN neighbors see 4-6% growth rates. It looks like the Junta did indeed make a difference for Thailand's economy.

I am waiting to hear how the CDC/NRC 2015 draft constitution was modeled after UK's constitutional monarchy's constitution.

(UK doesn't have a constitution)

The killers were not soldiers, they were "paramilitary" as in vigilantes.

The military apparently allows these "security" agents to operate independently in the South without military supervision to terrorize the population into submission. An appology from the Junta is meaningless until it stops its military occupation of the South. But now with the military conquest of the North, the military is unlikely to use a lower profile in the South and this mistake is as likely to occur ANYWHERE in Thailand.

NBTC voted as follows: 2 against SLC

2 abstained

1 for SLC

Simply, 2 votes against is not a majority out of 5 votes. Therefore, the NBTC correctly ruled that the committee cannot take any action on the case.
NTBC would have to change its charter otherwise to change the result. But what if its members voted 2:2:1 on a charter change? The charter couldn't be changed.

NMG's best course of action is to appeal to the NCPO on the grounds of national security that the takeover be stopped under Article 44. Of course that would put a virtual freeze on Thai acquisitions and mergers at a time when the economy is collapsing..

"A CIVIC group is proposing that politicians vow in front of the Emerald Buddha Temple that they will not cheat."

So do people of other religious faiths or not of any faith get a free pass on cheating?