herfiehandbag

As I said, remarkable that you as a foreigner were allowed to have insight into the goings on at that level. It is not, of course, that I don't believe you.

The umh, division in views on Mr Thaksin between the Police and the Army is quite well known. He, and those responsible for him, may well have felt that he was safer in police custody. That may also explain the helicopter. Expanding a bit on those musings, once the pardon is granted then he is "safe", but until then there may be those who think it may be worth taking a punt on eliminating him. The police would be aware of that and therefore are keen to keep him in their custody.

Certainly, if he has chronic health issues, which may be life threatening, it is possible he has decided to return for whatever time he has left, particularly if they are conditions which may be managed but not cured.

And there is me, naively believing that Anutin's stance on cannabis was based on a profound belief in it's medicinal properties! The transport ministry has a steady flow of infrastructure and procurement projects planned for years to come...

I never had a problem with my wife having a different surname, when applying for a marriage visa, either at the Thai Embassy in London, the Consulate in Cardiff, or at the Consulate in Savannakhet. In fact my wife changed her first name one year on the advice of a monk, and the fellow at the Consulate just said she was being silly!

Inhaling too much spray starch from ironing his shirt, together with the fumes from Kiwi Parade Gloss whilst shining his boots - a well known effect is a strengthening of attitudes to personal liberties!

You got to the level of being privvy to the most discreet workings of the Thai Penal system, as it applies to the very highest and wealthiest echelons of the establishment? Remarkable!

Health Minister is a job which feeds the ego, a necessary but subsidiary requirement for the scion of the Newin clan. Watch out for some other ministries, and particularly construction contracts. They feed the bank accounts...

Thai is a tonal language - that requires articulation of the mouth to produce very specific sounds. It is quite remarkable that he managed to say that through clenched teeth!

It is a bit inland for that. It was built as a US Air Force B52 bomber base during the Vietnam War. The whole point of nuclear submarines is that they stay at sea, undetected, in deep open water, for months at a time. Their cross country performance is very limited.

And then of course there is bail pending an appeal for one of the convictions, probation, parole, release for health reasons, good old fashioned bribery,all sorts of ways that prison can be avoided.

It probably means that the most sweeping change is that they will stop being called "caretakers". There will, no doubt, be some familiar paws on the levers o FF power.

"Thailand's ex-PM Thaksin to serve 8 years in jail - court statement". I don't think so... He may serve a very limited amount of time in a very different kind of detention, before bail/probation/parole/health or whatever the deal cut sees him released.

I am not so sure that he holds a particular antipathy towards people from the West. Any antipathy comes, I think, mainly, from the uniformed elements further down the food chain, within the immigration system. He may have some antipathy towards the UK, the then (Gordon Brown) government bowed to pressure from the Junta and refused to let him stay in London when he first went into exile. Mind you, I have some antipathy towards "Bruin the Nokia bouncer" as well! Interestingly his sister seems to have no problems spending time in the UK. Mind you, when she was PM, and visited the UK, she had an audience with Queen Elizabeth. The late Queen was apparently quite taken by her! That of course would have had no formal bearing upon her treatment in exile, but then again...

Well I didn't say that, I do think that she is still a very attractive woman - no doubt helped by having the money to dress well and take care of herself. My opinion of the whole "Thaksin returns circus" would be improved if whatever deal has been cut was extended to include her - but that again is purely my personal opinion. Please form an orderly queue, the attendants will supply bricks for you to throw.

Frankly no. It is regarded by Thai culture as extremely rude. It gives great offence. Even when on my most Adonis like form I would not dream of so doing.

Still looking good isn't she?

One of the constant themes used throughout politics and preached in the education system) in this country is "Thailand is different": "Thai democracy is different", the way in which government works is different ", and so on. The new regime is going to be the old regime. After a lifetime of preaching, excusing and hearing that "Thailand is different " maybe they believe it. Maybe they believe that their "forces" (police corrupt to the core) and Army ( couldn't fight sleep) will be adequate to keep them in power?

Of course 90% of what is on Facebook is inconsequential gossip, nonsense about what you had for lunch, and the same will be true of tic toc, Instagram and other similar platforms. But the inescapable fact remains that they provide communication platforms, particularly for younger people, which are not owned by, monitored or the content controlled by the established powers. Think of the last round of pro democracy protests in Bangkok. Quite large rumbustious demonstrations, hardly covered by conventional print or broadcast media, ( let alone by forums such as this!). Away from Facebook, you really would not have known about them. Closing down these channels is the aim, to allow the sort of monitoring of communication that was practised by outfits like the STAZI.

Some may recall a drama series set amongst the court and Royal household of Siam in the 17 Century, which was aired back at the beginning of Prayut's time in government. It depicted life as a feudal idyll, remarkably clean well fed peasants looked after by a benign aristocracy. One of the characters was a European (Portuguese I think) member of the court. He was always up to something devious, and at the end of most episodes got a good kicking from the stalwart handsome heroes. The whole fandangle was enthusiastically pushed by Prayut and his bunch as the sort of society to aspire towards. There were whole ranges of knock off clothing and products; I remember how children (my daughter and her friends, then entering their teens), were encouraged to dress up on Fridays in "traditional" (polyester made in China) Siamese costumes. Of course they looked jolly pretty, and enjoyed it immensely, but I was always slightly disturbed by how enthusiastically the, umh, more conservative members of staff at my school embraced it. Exactly the sort of society ,authority in the hands of the "good people" and the proles in their place, that these sort of people aspire to. You can expect, if Facebook is closed off, Tic Toc, Instagram and others to follow. The friends to the Nort East will be only too happy to supply the knowhow! Of course a replacement service " designed for Thailand's needs" will be introduced. Perhaps a project for the next four years once the new government is installed? Putting these sort of politicians in charge of digital economy and communications is a bit like making Garry Glitter a trustee of a Children's home!

I know one shouldn't go by appearances, but talk about a collection of thugs from "central casting"!

And certainly not in Switzerland, whose banking system still holds upwards of 2 billion dollars worth of gold looted ( mostly from Jews) by the NAZIS, along with huge amounts of other capital and assets. I suppose, in the final analysis, neutrality comes at a price!

Well that's good of them, he won't have to bother about finding a taxi with a working meter!

I must confess I am strangely disturbed by the image of Yingluck relaxing in a hot bubble bath. Does anyone know if that bit will be televised?

I have heard he will ride to the Police Club mounted on Shergar.