Srikcir

Why another superboard?

The Junta is already the superboard for all Thai sovereignty. Just add another general to the NCPO to oversea Thai transport.

The way this government keeps expanding, there will be only two types of Thai citizens let in Thailand: soldiers and civil service employees.

That's one way to end political discourse.

What does it mean "could face a fine of 2,000 baht"?

Is the fine amount negotiable? Just more opportunity for police corruption.

State the fine amount, require it be paid at the police station, and receipt provided.

Announcing to the world shutdown of efforts to detect and deter human trafficking after only 30 days of seemingly intensive action that hasn't resulted in any convictions just invites world reaction (and more importantly the USA and EU) that the Junta was not serious about the issue.

How can government have a 'zero-tolerance policy' towards human trafficking when the policy is shutdown by weather? The government's policy is more a "ZERO POLICY.

"the international community is now fully aware of the situation in Thailand."

I don't think the international community needed to know that The Nation has discovered missing freedom of expression in Thailand to be fully aware. General Prayut since he came to power has always made clear that Thais rights and liberties are his alone to decide. Article 44 of the NCPO Interim Charter made that clear as well in "black and white."

The Thai government is indivisable under military control.

"this administration has no intention of staying in power indefinitely"

But it will stay in power for the unforseeable future. Just not indefinitely.

"Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha has praised the ministry for attempting to dispense a large lump sum of government rice, which would affect global prices and Thai farmers."

Why would Prayut praise the minister for causing a decrease in prices that would result by dumping a massive supply of rice on the marketplace?

Perhaps Prayut will consider having a mobile cabinet meeting in the South.

I'm sure the Malay-Thais are anxious to acknowledge the work of the Junta-government to subjugate them as it did in the North.

Am I the only one that sees this photo?

The boy on the left of Prayut looks either extremely upset or moderately terrified.

This reminds me of another similar photo.

Putin wants to re-secure all of Eastern Euorpe reminiscent of the USSR power bloc during the Cold War. He tried energy blackmail and financial incentives but found the people valued their democracies more than their security. So the former USSR KBG agent has turned to what he knows best - FORCE.

The G7 is amazingly unified and thus far has offered only reaction for every action to alter Putin's aims. But there is a redline where initiative action is the only viable response. Putin could barely contain Chechen insurgents in Russia. Will he bet success on an outright military confrontation with Europe and the US to pursue his imperial goals?

Thailand may want to insist on US dollars for its trade with Russia. Rubles may soon be turning into rubble.

Democracy seems to find its own solutions to political conflict without abolishing people's rights or overthrowing governments.

Women's Olympic Beach Vollyball

A picture would be worth a thousand words but Prayut would object to the "uniforms."

Internal loans like this one using treasury bonds is a typical financial tool of governments.

The problem can be that too much such borrowing will increase future bond interest rates, decrease the country's currency value, and reduce available capital in the marketplace. On the plus side, effective use of such funds to build/improve nation infrastructure will increase GDP growth which in turn will increase the value of the currency.

Of course the price of rice is dropping the current government has to sell the rice the PTP bought. Everyone with a grain of intelligence could see this coming. They were shafted in so many ways by the rice program (Yingluck not making sure there was money to pay the farmers when she stepped down was one of them).

This must have been one of the biggest failures of Thai government ever and now the farmers pay the price plus the Thai taxpayer.

Among all of this its now also clear that high members of the PTP pretended to deliver to sell to the chinese (at reduced prices) and then sold this rice back in the system making great profits.

YL said she inspected the storage.. and it was all good however when the army inspected it was rotten and lots missing.

What a total disaster and criminal thing to do too bad the farmers will blame the junta as they are in general not educated enough to see through the lies.

"the price of rice is dropping the current government has to sell the rice the PTP bought."

NO

The Prayut regime paid the double market price for the pledged rice from borrowing the funds through sales of treasury bonds. That has no effect on world market prices as there is sufficient world competition to prevent Thailand from controlling the world market prices.

In fact the Prayut government has yet to sell any of the pledged rice and when it does, the price will be appropriate for the quality and grade of the rice according to global price demands, ei., less than market price for high quality rice.

As an aside, Prayut was under no legal obligation to pay double for the pledged rice. In fact the 2007 Constitution and the Election Commission prevented Yingluck from borrowing funds to pay for the pledged rice. But Prayut wanted political support of the farmers by paying double market prices - ironically the same reason Yingluck was willing to pay double.

"no progress had been made in the cases against Charnwit and Phornsak after they were appointed NLA members by the junta"

Welcome to the Junta's reform of Justice.

Equality belongs to those who rule by fiat.

"Failure to recognise the country's efforts would obviously have far-reaching repercussions on the slowly improving Thai-US relations."

The Junta already played that card when it "punished" the US for its political ctiricisms by signing security and technology agreements with China and Russia last year. I don't think the USA is currently too concerned with the Junta's shrimp diplomacy.

Bracing for more democracy --

What General Prayut is beginning to experience are the vapors of participatory democracy. The self-acclaimed democratic soldier fears winds of the Thai people's sovereignty that would blow him off the top of his mountain.

You can expect to see a more radlicalized one-man government to protect and extend its powers.

This populistic programme was to catch all the votes of the underlings and it did. Not only did it affect the THB 200 upto THB 300 but the THB 20'000 wanted more money to ......... without any productivity increase whatsoever.

The programme failed as the low/non-skilled labour as well as the illegal immigrants did not get even the minimum. In more than one case construction companies called in the police to arrest their own illegal immigrants to avoid paying wages while the "alien" companies coped by simply moving labour-intensive work in favour of other neighbouring countries with better money-for-value ratio.

If an ASEAN worker has better output (Indonesia, Vietnamese), if a Phillipina can work from Day One in hospitality due to her education in the trade and speaking English fluently for the same money - well then the writing is on the wall. Khun Thai expects everything to be according to Thainess, the very system which prevented development and kept the elitarian elite in control.

Float salaries; the market will regulate that. Keeping a common-sense set of laws - fair for all parties (including employers!) in place and also IMPLEMENTING it will keep things at bay and might return Thailand back to a possibly more attractive place to invest.

I - for one - would never put a single cent into labour-intensive business which requires even only very basic skills ....... got my fingers nicely and expensively burnt and learnt my lesson.

Good post.

I also suffered the frustration in doing business in Thailand.

I would hire, say, 20 unskilled labor who demanded the minimum wage from Day 1, when they had zero skills and needed a few months training to be worth anything to me. After 3 months about 25% would leave because they now thought they "had skills" and could apply for jobs elsewhere for a few extra 100 baht per month. I lost money.

After 6 months the labor would get a rise based on their progress, skills, value and productivity, some quite significant...some none, because they were basically useless....some got fired.

But anyone who showed some initiative would quickly progress beyond minimum wage. I had to keep giving them more, because the market demanded that if I didn't I'd lose them. I was happy to reward good people, and some moved into supervisors and management and did really well.

But there are always the lazy, unmotivated, continually sick, tired, death in the village people who will always be on minimum wage...and want more for nothing...these are the ones we are talking about.

Good people do not stay minimum wage for long. Market will not allow it. All we are doing is making sure the lowest rung of workers make money they don't deserve.

Move to Vietnam...you will be glad you did.

So your message is don't try to save money by hiring unskilled labor as you may suffer an unreliable workforce and economic loss?

And if you hire good skilled labor you can expect to pay for it.

Sounds like Capitalism 101 to me.

"culprits behind such a crime have been punished"

When did that happen? Supposedly the one and only ringleader Army Colonel (at the time) Manas has proclaimed his innocence and not yet been brought to trial.

However few have been identified, Royal Thai Army and Navy personnel have been implicated with involvement in human trafficking. I doubt the foreign European and Western justice agencies will view the Thai military's investigation into its own conduct as being independent and without conflict of interest.

Especially so when only last month the Chief of the Junta and PM of Thailand Army General Prayut declared that no army personnel has ever been involved in human trafficking. And he makes no apology now.

If you don't like the message, shoot the messenger. (from the Thaksin play book)

I'm not sure I understand your "shoot the messenger" reference.

Isn't Gen. Prayut the messenger?

The Junta has introduced a new method for law enforcement: Google Earth

If it finds development in what it believes are national forest reserve boundaries, criminal charges are filed, business shutdown and land immediately confiscated. No investigative effort is made to establish reasonable cause for charges. Due process of law becomes one of "being guilty until proven innocent."

Welcome to the Junta's reformed system of Justice.

The Fourth Option:

"If the public disapproves of the charter and the two-year extension, a new charter draft would be written as stipulated in the provisional charter."

A return to the status quo is not an option but the continuation of subjugation of Thai people's sovereignty, rights and liberties.

I'd rather see as a fourth option that immediately moves the nation forward as a democratic society such as the following:

The government is placed into caretaker status, the 2007 Constitution restored, and national elections held within 90 days.

And maybe as an additional incentive:

Amnesty for the coup is withdrawn in compliance with the 2007 Constitution.

"amending charter articles should be done in as holistic a manner as possible"

TRANSLATION:

"in a manner that won't have any fundamental impact on limiting royalist power."

A constitutional referendum on an entire new draft should be an "all or nothing" vote. The Prayut regime should be placed into caretaker status, the 2007 Constitution restored, and national elections held within 90 days. The newly elected government can then focus on amendments necessary to protect the Thai people's sovereignty from future violations.

"the |technology, however advanced, would be even better as an achievement when combined with Thai unity on protecting the |environment and conserving energy. "

Maybe the Junta regime can put rings of this LED technology around the nine coal-fired power plants it plans for Thailand.

The proximity of the proposed plant to the school and community suggests that land ownership was the criteria for placement rather than environmenal or operational concerns. Perhaps the plant owners can buy enough local votes to reverse the rejection.

Muslims are responsible for the majority of terrorism related attacks. Undisputed fact.

However, in all religions there are crazies. The difference is religious leaders of the Muslim faith make religious calls to kill non-believers. But I can't remember a monk or priest running the equivalent of a madrasah making the same claim.

I don't blame the Thais for not wanting to open a new establishment that may promote further violence on the Thai government or other Buddhists.

If Muslims come in as immigrants they should adapt to the new culture (OK Yes I have opened THAT door) They seem to have an agenda to convert others to their way of life. Their agenda is long term to make inroads and then wait for the implosion of said society. I did read here I think that London with a large Muslim population has Muslim patrols that admonish home bred and grown English girls on the shortness of their dress. What is next carry a big stick to back up the verbal message. They push the barriers to see how far they can go and unfortunately our way of life gives them the freedom to do so.

Of course you understand that the muslims in Thailand's South did NOT come in as immigrants but had an islamic society there for as long as there was a Siam Kingdom in the North. It has been the Thailand State that has sought to convert muslims into "good" Thai citizens since annexation of the South.