herfiehandbag

The government which emerged from the 2014 coup was acutely aware of two things. Firstly their coup was the third "Army led intervention" to remove a Thaksin led (in person or by proxy) government in the first fourteen years of the current century, and public acceptance of such coups was waning. Secondly, as soon as the opportunity was offered after a coup or other "intervention" the people immediately re-elected a "Thaksin" government. He was, over a sustained period the repeated and clear choice of the Thai people. A choice which represented a rejection of and existential threat to the power and wealth cabal of the various interest groups which had previously governed the country, principal amongst these groups was the military hierarchy. So something had to be done. The solution - a new constitution under which a 250 member appointed Senate votes along with a 500 member elected Parliament, to select the Prime Minister who then forms the cabinet. The appointed Senate is effectively controlled by the military, indeed it is largely drawn from the military hierarchy or their nominees. This means that the arithmetic to which I referred means that for a government opposed to the current regime to come to power, they would have to muster 376 votes in the combined houses - not impossible, but given that the Senate is "spoken for", it would require an absolute landslide majority in the elected Parliament. By this means the regime expected to be able to stay in power indefinitely, yet maintain the facade of "democratic elections".

Well, when one has splashed out all those spondulicks on one of those elaborate silk "Dr No tunics," it only makes sense to get the wear out of it! It is certainly not because they are captivated by his charm and personality, judging by the looks on the faces of the two stooges flanking him in the OP photograph!

So Mr Chewit is criticising Mr Anutin and his party for their, cannabis deregulation proposals, yet the hotel he owns has a cannabis retail facility? OK.

Narrows it down a bit, eh?

At first glance it looks as if the Red Army are partial to that "Hales Boy" stuff!

The tradition of disappeared political activists, torture (and blazing oil drums of gasoline in remote Issan paddy fields) goes back long before Xi, nasty piece of work that he is. It sprung from a different political ideology, heavily influenced by, and it's methods if not taught by were certainly tolerated by, a different powerful "friend"!

You are a seasoned observer Eric, and your predictions and opinions are always worth considering. However, with the Senate behind him, a little help from friends in the courts and other agencies allied with the time granted by the glacial result confirmation process, he may well be able to build a coalition to get back in. After all, whereas many politicians may see such a result as an emphatic rejection, this fellow and the regime he heads up don't really care what the electorate think. A lot of effort has been expended over the last decade to construct a system which allows for and overcomes such a defeat.

Well he was always a bit weird - do you remember all those election posters years back ( I think he was tilting for the Bangkok governor's job) which showed him manically wielding a sledgehammer?

Well, if you have devoted your life to mangling the English language you seem to have been a considerable success!

Well mathematically, Prayut would have the remaining 150 seats, plus the Senate weighing in with 250, so 400 votes to 350. Job done! I would be surprised if it got that far - once Pheu Thai or any likely coalition looked like getting over 250 seats lots of carefully planted skeletons in various closets will to everyone's surprise be discovered, and the long winded process of eliminating the majority will begin. If it becomes too big a problem then party dissolution is, in extremis, the "nuclear option ". Whatever, we can rest assured that there is no way short of physical defeat that this regime is going to relinquish control. Might cause some trouble on the streets though!

My daughter is a Thai national. Born and raised here. Fluent in Thai, it is her first language. She has however inherited my skin colour, eye colour and hair colour - she looks western although she is much prettier than me, which will come as a relief to any that may know me! Virtually any interaction with officialdom, be it Amphur, Hospital, opening a bank account, whatever, goes through the phase of the desk official refusing to believe that she is Thai, and referring her case to higher authority. Sometimes the "consideration" can take several days, replacing her ID card last year took two weeks! She will be applying for University next year. I am dreading that performance!

Oh yes, the "submit your lesson plans for review " game. I was required and used to submit my lesson plans religiously every week, along with miniatures of any flashcards, whiteboard schematics and copies of worksheets, to the head of department. Over one summer holiday she moved offices; they do so every summer, it is like some sort of slow motion 3d chess game, the aim being to reach a more desirable room than your peers and therefore gain face. Early in the next term I had cause to go into her old office now used to store textbooks. There, stacked neatly in the corner was an entire year of my lesson plans, unread and untouched!

As I understand it, any any opposition, be it one party or a coalition of parties would have to have 376 seats to outvote the Senate and be able to form a government. The party which is supported by, appointed by and will shortly reappoint the Senate needs 126. Not really gerrymandered, much. Of course if any party or group looks like getting anywhere near 376, then the full panoply of election law and commissions will be deployed...

It really beggars belief, not only that a country whose government prides itself on leading a modern developing state, part of the community of nations, a leading light in the UN and regionally ASEAN, needs to introduce a law specifically to outlaw torture and political kidnapping, but also has a regime which seeks to make a decree limiting or delaying it's implementation!

A lot of people have high hopes of making lots of money from the "R & R" phase of "Cobra Gold". The RTP will be on hand...

Congratulations.

Rejoice, rejoice, the prodigal son has returned to the fold!

The party of small minds.

Ask the Immigration Office when you collect the passport.

Why am I here? I've always wanted to live somewhere where I don't have to wear socks!

The argument will no doubt be made that since the Senate, (reflecting as it does the will of the people) so emphatically selected him, he should be allowed to continue in office until they decide on someone else. A new Senate will in due course be appointed - by the Prime Minister... By the most conservative estimate his 20 year plan has what, 16 years left to run?

The scale of the repressive methods employed against the Uyghur people, and in particular the massive concentration camps in which many are detained and families dismantled is widely documented by media who span the whole gamut of political opinion, and from a wide variety of countries. Churches, synagogues mosques and what have you are tolerated in China as long as they dance to the party tune. If not they are forced to operate "underground" and often are suppressed. There is a case that the Chinese regime is doing to the Uyghurs exactly what they did to the Tibetans two generations ago.

Even better off in Malaysia, where he was heading apparently, with his wife and children. Thailand doing China's dirty work.

25 years ago? Heavily involved in a different type of whoring perhaps.

And he spent 9 years (!) in prison in Thailand, and died from a disease he contracted in prison - a prison notorious for overcrowding. No trial, no representation, 9 years and died. "Harsh" doesn't even begin to cover it.