Srikcir

Prayut said pollsters had the right to collect political opinions, but not if they aimed to oust his administration or the National Council for Peace and Order.

I assumed the elections would be the end of the administration of the NCPO. Will the next government be subject to the NCPO?

If you tracked all the so-called reforms and constitutional drafts, the NCPO is attempting to have its absolute power under Articles 17 & 44 of the Interim Charter memorialized within the constitution, organic laws, and independent organizations (was 4 now 7). Then it can remain covert as a "shadow government" to protect the interests of the oligarchy while it allows elected officials to play at democracy but safely shielded from having any real power.

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We graduate from school and are clueless about how to handle money. Most people don't know how to invest. It's not easy but it can be learned. To have standards in place for money managers only makes perfect sense.

The Republicans will fight all attempts to put in reasonable rules for a couple of reasons. The GOP is bought and sold by the financial industry. No regulations on anything is their motto. They hate social security. They want that money handled by Wall Street for their take. The other reason the GOP will fight the rules is that they never want to let Obama pass anything.

Business Insider JUL. 22, 2011, 2:57 PM

"One-third of the Obama re-election campaign's record-breaking second-quarter fundraising came from sources associated with the financial sector, the Washington Post reports.

That percentage is up from the 20% of donations that came from Wall Street donors in 2008, and contradicts reports that a growing Wall Street animosity towards the Obama administration may jeopardize his re-election bid."

Emphasis mine.

LINK

You may not have noticed but Obama doesn't need Wall Street donations for his re-election now. He curried Wall Street with economic recovery policies but with successfully recovering the US economy, he no longer needs their support. Wall Street must feel BETRAYED that Obama now has activlely aligned more of his policies towards anti-Wall Street Elizabeth Warren and other Democratic populists.

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The problem is that Obama is overreaching his authority on a frequent basis. The Republican have to fight fire with fire and they control the purse-strings now. The president wants to play political games, but two sides can play that game. The GOP needs to just sink to the democrat's level and abolish the filibuster!

http://dailycaller.com/2015/02/22/krauthammer-end-filibuster-to-block-obamas-amnesty-grab/

Unfortunately, Republicans can't abolish the Presidential veto WITHOUT Democrat support. Change the Senate rules to oevrride the fillibuster and they'll never see the bill made into law. Republicans campaigned to get important legislation done but it still needs to compromise. That is called the check and balance of power.

Reds are crossing the red line.

"The government official said reforms would focus on curbing tax evasion, corruption, smuggling and excessive bureaucracy"

BUT no significant cost cutting measures such as with generous government pensions or government layoffs. Their plan of fiscal reform continues to echo past plans which have never delivered enough revenues to pay the nation's EU debt. The Greek plan is more a repeat than a reform.

US rate increases will come sooner than later. The economy is finding growth largely through traditional domestic consumption resulting from cheaper energy, higher employment, and improved redistribution of wealth. However, it can't completely isolate itself from the effects of worsening world economics in Europe.

So a USA rate increase now may be more symbolic as minor increase intended to show resolve for further increases should the economy continue to sustain itself for the next five months. Thailand would benefit as the USA is a major importer of Thai products, if only the Junta scales back its roadmap to isolate the nation politically from the USA.

A Thomson Reuters Foundation global poll of experts in 2011 identified the world's five most dangerous countries for women:

1) Afghanistan

2) Democratic Republic of Congo

3) Pakistan

4) India

5) Somalia

Using compiled using data from the Thompson Reuters Foundation, the World Report 2014, and the Foundation for Sustainable Development in 2014, five more countries were added to the Reuters list above:

6) Columbia

7) Egypt

8) Kenya

9) Mexico

10) Brazil

"factors would include the time frames, energy security, investors' confidence and investment worthiness."

Those factors should delay the concessions indefinitely then. But the unmentioned factor that the Junta needs quick revenues from the consessions to provide for a sustainable power grab of Thais' sovereignty will probably overrule common sense.

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I know there are other factors but the Yingluck legacy is a big part of the debt we now see the people and in particular the poor in, for instance from :

http://freedombarometer.org/assets/pdfs/Freedom-Barometer-Special-Report-Thailands-Agrarian-Policy.pdf

Farmers Debt under Yingluck

Coinciding with increases in governmental debt is overall debt held by farmers, which now amounts to 103,047 baht per head.

Since 2010 debts have climbed by 6% per year. About 63% of all households In Thailand are in debt, of which 15 percent originate from the

agricultural sector.

Then there was the farmers and taxi drivers credit cards which encouraged borrowing as well as the already mentioned new car scheme.

Getting out of a debt situation is a lot more difficult than getting into one and there is really no quick fix that any government can put in place.

At present there are schemes in place for so called soft loans for some sectors to attempt to get them out of the high interest loan shark debt trap but that only lowers interest payments in the short term and doesn't pay off loans.

The present situation with drought and low commodity prices as well as general world economic downturn means there is not the income for farmers in particular to enable them to pay off debt.

It is notable that when the rice pledging scheme came into being landlords raised rents and chemical and fertilizer companies prices to get their share, however when the scheme ended the rents and prices never went down again.

To be fair, the massive floods of 2011 seriously impacted the finanical well-being of unskilled workers and street vendors who lost both personal unpaid for personal property and their livelyhood. World collapse in rice and rubber value also destroyed many farmers earnings. Only a vibrant economy could restore their earning power. But by the end of 2014 the GDP was substantially down and growth almost stagnant.

Is this mortgage or unsecured debt. Make a big difference.

Typically includes home mortgages, home equity loans, auto loans, student loans, and credit cards.

"The amount of credit card debts outstanding for longer than three months increased by 28.4 per cent." - Ms Chutinart, 2014-08-2

"50.4% of the debts were informal loans." - UTCC President Ms Saowanee Thairungroj, 2014-10-17

"both plaintiffs and the defendant can say if they object to the selection."

And if either does object what then is the process? I suspect we'll know as it's a certainty that the defendent can probably argue conflict of interest with most of the judges.

So now "alarming the Public" is a crime even if it wasn't intentonal?

If that is the case, the Junta and all its government clones should be prosecuted.

Someone needs a Reality Check!

Gen. Prayuth recently signed a military security agreement with Russia and has invited its military advisors to Thailand for "coordination" purposes. Thailand also has been invited to Russia's counter-insurgency conference this Spring. Gen. Prayuth has also agreed to start exporting foods to Russia that would replace EU foods that were banned from Russia in Pytin's retaliation to EU sacntions.

Meanwhile the EU has ended its GSM agreement with Thailand that provided lower tarrifs of Thai exports to EU. The EU had been warning Thailand to start making separate trade agreements with each of the EU countries and Thailand has not. Furthermore, the EU has been critical of the Junta's lack of progress to restore democracy in Thailand to which pro-Junta pundits cry interference with Thailand's domestic affairs. After enduring WWII, the Cold War and now the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the EU has little patience trading with a military-controlled government that behaves like a Putin wanna-be.

And yet the Junta expects all its actions are "understand" because of whatever BS it can dream up. Funny thing about reality checks - they never bounce.

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Prime Minister your intentions are good as always.

The problem is that it will take a very long time, if ever, to cure the cancer of corruption from the Thai people.

But a good start, laying the foundations for a sustainable democracy, with less corruption.

I hope that future governments do not only look at the foundations but try to erect the rest of the structure.

I doubt it...... but at the same time I keep hoping.

And my good general, if laying the foundations for a sustainable democracy doesn't work, there is always another general waiting to overthrow the government. Whoever thought a government succession plan meant that Thai military generals were the only alternative?

"Current efforts in the southern provinces of Thailand are also still a work in progress."

General Prayut promised peace with Malay-Thai insurgents by end of 2015. So ISIL threat does not exist in Thailand. The Thai military has won the "hearts and minds" of the MT people by forcibly reminding them they must owe their allegiance to the Buddhist government.

What can possibly go wrong?

"NRC committee on religious affairs"

A case where reform becomes too close to see. There should only be civil and criminal affairs, not religious affairs. The Thai government needs to desecularize and become a government for all Thais regardless of faith.

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There's nothing to talk about.

Mr T is a convicted criminal facing further charges.

Mr. P can never face charges no matter the crime.

"Another 75 per cent said the reason for the difficulty was the fact people received distorted information"

Maybe these surveys should STOP then? It might help in the reconciliation process.

"When asked which organisations they expect would help bring about reconciliation..."

#1 answer is ALL THAIS, not the NLA/NRC/CDC, not any of the Independent Organizations, not the military, not the Head of State.

#2 answer is the PM but he refuses and certainly is NOT a representative of ALL THAIS.

"It's up to the journalists and activists scrutinising the government's digital economy bills to raise the important issues."

A Pipe Dream

The NCPO send its regrets to jouralists and activists as it is against the [Junta] LAW for such scrutiny to take place. The Junta does not take kindly to intrusions into its agenda nor to any criticsm of its actions.

In a free and open society where rights and liberties are guaranteed and protected, the news media can conduct effective investigations. So long as the Junta rules Thailand and operates under the veil of martial law, there can be no news media to effectively raise important issues.

There are so many problems with this trip by the Junta controlled government. Just a few I see:

#1 It is a CONFLICT OF INTEREST for Thai officials to have a foreign government finance a trip to Germany.

But this seems to be only an issue in prosecuting the PTP. The Junta otherwise seems oblivious to conflicts of interests.

#2 Germany is a REPUBLIC

There is no comparison to Thailand's Constitutional Monarchy

#3 Germany's MMP System can result in a single political party to hold a dominant position in government

NRC/CDC rejects the possiblity of such outcome and recommends now to look at the Northern Ireland coalition government

#4 Germany's ELECTED Chancellor as Head of Government and State can become a powerful figure.

NRC/CDC rejects the idea of a powerful Head of Government elected by a dominant pollitical party and PM can be appointed.

#4 Germany's military RESPECTS and PROTECTS the Constitution

Thai military protects and exercises its power over Thai Peoples sovereignty

#5 German military is a TOOL of Germany's elected government

Thailand's government is a tool of Thailand military

No doubt when the Thai officials return, they will state that Germans understand the Junta's reasons for the coup and support its roadmap to democracy. The Germans in turn could care less what the Thais say as they just want a piece of Thailand's national wealth.

"The government received the highest score of 6.51 from its performance on baht management"

What baht management?

Whether the Junta has had any responsibility for the strengthening of the baht against Russia, China, and the EU currencies is debatable. Howvere, what is not debatable is that Thai exports have become much more expensive to these countries that will further slow Thai exports. Considering exports contribute 70% to Thailand's GDP, that is a disaster. And while the baht has weakened against the US dollar (as did much of the rest of the world), the Junta seems on a deliberate path to disengage the USA as a primary trading partner.

From the first day of the coup Gen. Prayuth has committed not to increasing Thailand's debt, blaming previous elected administrations for being irresponsible for funding social and populist programs through debt.

Unfortumately, the whole of Thailand's business sectors as well as international economic experts have repeatedly called on the Junta to make massive government investments in Thailand's infrastructure as a means to stimulate GDP growth. That requires borrowing through treasury bonds. Gen. Prayuth has refused and the economy now borders on deflation. Of all the Asian economies, Thailand now stands as the weakest and most vulnerable to further instability.

How is any of these failures a sign of effective baht management?

First - Who are these economists and their organizations? This article is completely lacking any credible sources for its conclusions. Likley, sources are pro-Junta supporters.

Second - When you consider that Ahbisit and Yingluck had to contend with elected legislators, appointed senators, Independent Organizations, restrictive coup-created constitutions, and third party lawsuits, Prayuth should have scored 8-9 !

I would think that when the military CONTROLS the entire government, has uncontrolled ACCESS to the nation's Treasury, and RULES through its own directives and martial law, it can get whatever and whenever it decides to be done without any opposition. Yet, the Prayuth government has dragged the nation's economic growth down to stagnant, almost deflationary levels:

"Thailand's economy slowed sharply in 2014 to grow at its slowest pace for three years, as political turmoil engulfing the kingdom compounded a fall in agricultural prices and waning exports.... [GDP] is the weakest since 0.1 percent in 2011, when the country was battered by devastating floods."

The cause -

""Analysts tip the government to spend its way out of trouble, despite a vow to tighten the purse strings after what it says were years of profligacy from elected civilian governments....The military has promised to unleash billions of dollars on much-needed infrastructure projects....But the money is yet to kick into the economy."

"The main impediment to growth at present is the slow pace of fiscal spending, which is also delaying investment and consumption decisions." Barclays Capital

If the Prauth government had been an elected one, he'd be facing a "no confidence" vote of the parliament and forced into another election. Unfortunately, Prayuth's leadership is as accountable as are these insidious survey results.

If the street hawkers are smart, they will all put up signs protesting their removal. That then becomes an expression of free speech. Recall that the Constitutional Court in 2013 ruled that police cannot use ANY kind of force to remove protesters from public property because that violated their freedom of speech. Of course the Junta can counter that by arguing that it abolished such a right but that might not portray Prayuth as a Hero.

If the street hawkers are REALLY smart, they should threaten to march in protests. Then Prayuth will give them subsidies and low interest loans to buy their silence.

"sabotaged the government's attempt to restore peace in the region."

All the while that the Junta is forming military alliances with China and Russia, presumbly to help protect Thailand from foreign invaders, it cannot resolve internal armed conflict within its own borders. And that's despite the military's 2014 strategy to use the same failed "Hearts and Minds" approach used by the USA in Vietnam against communist insurgents.

Gen. Prayuth PROMISED peace with the insurgents by end of 2015. That was after he didn't fulfill his promise for 2014. Nor did the military accomplish any peace talks since the conflicts first began. So one might say that the military now carries deep phsycological scars from the accumulation of Malay-Thai insurgency hostilities which may paralize it from any rational behavior. And that may be unfortunate for Thailand as the military controls the government.

Maybe the CDC will save the day by suggesting a Muslim-Buddhist coalition government be formed in the South. Just like Northern Ireland.

"arrest warrants to be issued in seven days"

Why 7 days? In Thailand the police don't need to identify a suspect's name in order to issue an arrest warrant. And since the nation is under martial law, the military and its subservient RTP are not required even to have arrest warrants in order to arrest anybody.

Either this is some kind of an elaborate political game being played out, or the police and military are clueless on what actually to do in response to the bombing, as they have been for several decades.