DrDweeb

I'm not surprised at all. A couple of years back I was late for work by 5 days due to the management unilaterally shutting the airline down. Not only that, after years of loyalty on my behalf they changed the loyalty program, first by devaluing the points earned system, then later wiping off any points if you didn't fly with them or their affiliates within a certain period. Simply, they will not get any of my money ever again. There are cheaper and better airlines.

Which reminds me TG altered their points system recently, pissing off their regular customers as is the wont of carriers the world over. They raised the Gold threshold and renewal totals. For a while there TG served us business class meals in Y, but now it is just early meal service and I never seem to be able to get a glass of wine at the same time as the meal any more.

QANTAS has been the object of a concerted effort buy the Australian trade union movement. Their objective has been to destroy QANTAS, and they have succeeded. Sad, but true.

QANTAS' competition problems of late can be directly attributed to their domestic competition being partially owned by foreign governments, and with that a very different capital access cost structure. The opposition carriers can afford to be the last man standing in a race to the bottom. QANTAS cannot.

These two statements are easily verifiable.

That being said, I have not flown QANTAS internationally for decades as they do not fly the routes I travel. Domestic travel with them in Oz was problem free last time I was there, certainly nothing to complain about, which was also true of the two competitors with which I also flew.

Not true at all.Pray tell,why would the workers "destroy" Qantas,therefore their own jobs,they just want a fair wage,in line with the heiracy.

<deleted>. I work in the airline industry and own a company in the transport industry in Australia.

I could write a book about this, and I am not going to do it here.

QANTAS is the whipping boy, because the unions believe it can never be abandoned by the government. Therefore they are in a position to make any demand, and every demand that is met, trickles down throughout transport industry, and industry generally.

I have dealt with these c*s, you haven't got a <deleted> clue mate, trust me.

Yingluck was seen recently on CNN, in a clip so unclear, she had to be accompanied by captions. And yet those who read the captions needn't have bothered. She doesn't actually say anything. She may as well be speaking in Swahili. There was a belligerence in her tone, however, as if she is fed up to the teeth with people who can't understand that her administration is just doing its job. The problem - as always - regarding the American and international perception of the situation here - is that it can't possibly be condensed into the 30 second soundbite. The problem with Yingluck - is that she is still struggling to fill the 30 seconds.

that really did bring something to the debate didn't it. Well done.

Dispicable that you should critisise her language, ... unless of course you post a youtube clip within 5 minutes of you reading out your last sentence in thai!!! I asume you have got past tow rai? at the bar or eig nung? We'll call BS on you and await the clip.

The critisism of these medics is agianst what they said and what they think. It is outdated elitiest, sexist tosh and the more they talk with Americans, the more likely Americans are going to see through them. Espescially when Congressman turner googles them and finds the hideous comments from the stage last week.

As it is a re-hash it also shows signs of the media getting desparate for news that backs up their cause of undermining the Government.

So, look forward to the clip of your great Thai masterclass

Errr. YL is, according to reports, a graduate of an American university. I would think that it is not an unreasonable expectation for people to expect that she has (a) a command of the English language and ( sufficient intelligence to utter coherent, logical thoughts in that language.

It may be that criticism of the particular university in question and that institutions willingness to accept TS money for his daughter's niece's "sister's" education is in order as well.

Criticising her language skills and her apparent intellectual skills is completely in order.

I do not speak thai, but I have heard she is equally unimpressive in Thai.

No doubt we shall be hearing that of course Suthep was the man behind the shooting of course

However it would be wise to recall the fate of a prominent member of the Red Shirts in 2010 who was shot in the head and of course subsequently died as a result, that action was taken no doubt as a warning to others to toe the line and not become mavericks.

One is led to wonder whether this latest shot Red Shirt leader is paying the penalty for not toeing the line and perhaps being seen as a maverick too.

This shooting could be as a result of his failure to drum up a decent resistance to the current P.R.D.C. protesters or as a warning to others regarding their profile politically.

There is of course the option of a black flag operation, minions are easily sacrificed and we are all well aware of what respect the Red Shirt pawns can expect and indeed the respect actually received from from their foreign based sponsor..

There are many avenues of suspect open regarding this particular shooting, many cul de sacs. However there is but one clear route leading to the truth and without a doubt we shall never see that route traveled.

If you remember back in 2010 when suthep oredered the sniper to kill one of the redshirt leaders? He did it then so it would not surprise me to see it again.

Sorry, I don't either. Can you give an unimpeachable source for this fact?

Surprised no one's blamed the red shirts for doing this in an attempt to discredit the anti-government protesters!

Probably because it is as absurd as saying the grenade attacks on the anti government protesters is self inflicted for the same reason.

And when, pray tell, has the patent absurdity been an impediment to TV posters voicing their bias?

Personally, I laughed when I read barney's post, as it was also my reaction.

Said it weeks ago ... Suthep needs a civil war.

If Suthep wanted a civil war, Kwanchai would be dead, not lying in hospital.

Do you dream of Suthep's demise while sleeping?

Interesting thoughts you have. Those are your words, not mine.

Suthep's only way out of this is by starting a civil war. I said it weeks ago, before anyone was shot. Obviously the person who shot Kwanchai and the people who authorized it know very well the events it may set in motion and that was probably the plan.

The government has nothing to gain by creating unrest. Only one group of people benefit from violence and we all know who they are.

Well, the Government has much to gain by creating unrest, it would give justification for their subsequent heavy handed actions (hypothetically speaking). The government in Thailand (and everywhere else) has a monopoly power on the legal right to exercise terminal force. For a government under extreme pressure from an angry population whom they have shafted quite beadly, any opportunity to "put down" the dissent is welcome.

You have clearly failed history.

This event is just as likely a personal and/or local thing. It is not like he is UTs most loved man or anything.

Doubt it. More like certain arms of the military have been instructed by their main sponsor (s) to commence the assassinations of the the main opposition members now that Suthep has been discarded as a raving loony.

I do recall a number of M16 rifles ''disappeared'' from an army base not so long ago...........

If you have ever heard live rounds firing from an AK47 and from an M16 you would know that being blind is no hinderance to naming which weapon has been discharged. The AK47 is probably more widely available, being the weapon of choice for pretty much every nutter on the planet

Cut out some stuff ...

<deleted>! You don't know that Thaksin OWNS the government?

You think so??? How??? I don't he OWNS.

You really, really should read the Thaksin Shinawatra wiki : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thaksin_Shinawatra

and the Phua Thai wiki : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pheu_Thai_Party

last but not least :

ts thinks.jpg

Still cannot convinced me with these wiki things. No proof that Thaksin OWNS the government.

There is a name for people who exhibit the level of denial in the face of overwhelming evidence to contrary.

You posts remind of the "Njet" man, a certain Andrei Gromyko

Red apologists are many in TV, they almost all exhibit the same failure of intellect.

... is the fact that the Gov't bought the rice at a price higher than the market is right now. So no matter how much they sell, there's no way to fund all the payouts.

Any which way they try to spin this they're screwed

I'm starting to think that Yingluck S. should be arrested and put away for a long long time, after all of her and her family's assets are seized,

Or just export her to Dubai to join her crooked dad (I don't understand why they say she is his sister)

It proves no such thing. The poster who suggests this has no understanding of the history of these protests and the events that preceded them since Thaksin came to power without ever being elected.

So what you're saying is that the driver of the car, who throws the grenade, is hired by Thaksin?

And Thaksin was never elected huh? Nice history revisionism there. You should update Wikipedia then, because it seems to be wrong.

Not to labour the point, but WIki is not a font of truth. And to be clear, it is widely believed that Thaksin employs people to continually attempt whitewash himself on Wiki. (Thaksin is not the only one). Wiki, is a crowd sourced, with all the issues of objectivity that follow.

That said, Thaksin did win some elections, it's just that he is running the country unelected at the moment via his sock puppet photo op sister and his team of lackeys.

That's right on the Thai Visa mentality. Support the bad guys (Jaturporn, Chalem, Thaksin, Arissman etc etc) and jail the good(ish) guys. Korn, Abhisit, Suthep. Perhaps Surin too.

Yes, democracy = bad. Fascism = good. That's a much better mentality right?

And off course we see people who post such ridiculous notions as the protestors bombing themselves .......oh yes! That's logic. Farang logic!

You might think it's ridiculous, but it turned out we were right. This video clearly proves it:

Errr ... I don't have access to a Thai translation, but having watched the video, I see an explosion amidst a small group of people.

Aside from "proving" that an explosion actually took place, exactly what does your twisetd little mind thing that this video proves?

I admit to be at a loss to see how this short clip supports any position other than the obvious, that an explosive device detonated amongst a group of people, not really a fact in dispute, nor the tragic loss of live that ensued.

Just way to many morons here on TV with the displayed intellect of peas.

Wow, this site it full of crap loaded folks. After a beer or two, they become forensic experts and draw conclusions about a crime that they witness only through some social media.

I guess it's the same US folks who claim that people who fought for their country from every nation they have invaded are terrorist s and fascists.

Do the World a favor and go back to your beer sucking.

Thanks,

The Humanity

So true. TV is not noted for the intellectual level of the discussions.

From the UK Guardian:

"Yet the story, which was first reported by a Hong Kong tabloid and then picked up in the western press, apparently originated with a satirical post on a Chinese social media network, turning a thinly-sourced horror story into an astonishing example of the media echo chamber gone awry."

Indeed, however the troubling aspect is that the story is absolutely believable, given the The Fat One's past misdeeds

Let me guess ; you re american and proud of US company...

However EADS and its Airbus 380 busted Boeing on the match versus the dreamliner

Without US technology and manufacturing there would be no Airbus.

"For the production of its jetliners, Airbus spends 42 percent of its aircraft-related procurement in the U.S. – buying more parts, components, tooling and other material from the United States than any other country. Workers in more than 40 states help build Airbus aircraft, supporting 226,000 high-quality jobs across the U.S. Airbus is the largest export customer for the United States aerospace industry." Link

Well if we need to play that game who invented the jet engine???

Further to this rather silly game it would appear that the Dreamliner is not even a US made plane as Boeing has outsourced, according to some sources (see below), at least two thirds of its manufacturing overseas, largely to Japan, continuing and accentuating the trend seen with the B767 and B777.

In the world of globalisation few things are what they seem to be....

http://www.theamericanconservative.com/articles/boeing-goes-to-pieces/

And that's why the B787 is having so many issues I presume?...

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2013/01/18/is-outsourcing-to-blame-for-boeings-787-woes/

Boeing lost its way, and for the 787 they were allowed to be their own certification organ. The result was sub- optimal

Food for thought....the growing number of incidents involving the A380 series: http://www.aeroinside.com/incidents/type/a388/airbus-a-380-800

I read a post on an airline forum once, where it was claimed that every Airbus that ever crashed and burned )this was (pre 380), was in perfect flying condition at the time. The claim being that the flight control systems and possibly some pilot error were the prime suspects. There is a lot of discussion about the bleeding edge of aircraft technology vis-a-vis aircraft loss, almost all of it about EADS

We live in Pattaya and never block a shop. It a matter of respect for the local small business owner. Its tough

enough for them even if someone doesn't block their shop. Why do people have to go against the grain and then

complain when locals don't like it? Its really a no brainer. Just do the right thing!

the right thing is to be able to park according to the law, not according to what some local thinks

They say "ignorance of the law is not an excuse", but actually, does anyone know what the law is in this respect in Thailand?

I was threatened in no extorted in Phuket when I parked my bike in a public street. Pay the "parking fee" or move on. And this, less than 5 metres from 4 restaurants, in one of which I had intended to have a meal. I do not know who was collecting, but none of the restaurants got my business that day, nor any other day since.

Methinks that this issue is endemic, so there may be hidden factors afoot that of which we farangs are not aware.

Hope Quantas have to sell to Virgin, that would be soooo poetic

The suitor of the moment is clearly Emirates, and since Virgin and Tiger are cross owned IIRC, a Virgin takeover would never be approved.

I'm not surprised at all. A couple of years back I was late for work by 5 days due to the management unilaterally shutting the airline down. Not only that, after years of loyalty on my behalf they changed the loyalty program, first by devaluing the points earned system, then later wiping off any points if you didn't fly with them or their affiliates within a certain period. Simply, they will not get any of my money ever again. There are cheaper and better airlines.

Which reminds me TG altered their points system recently, pissing off their regular customers as is the wont of carriers the world over. They raised the Gold threshold and renewal totals. For a while there TG served us business class meals in Y, but now it is just early meal service and I never seem to be able to get a glass of wine at the same time as the meal any more.

QANTAS has been the object of a concerted effort buy the Australian trade union movement. Their objective has been to destroy QANTAS, and they have succeeded. Sad, but true.

QANTAS' competition problems of late can be directly attributed to their domestic competition being partially owned by foreign governments, and with that a very different capital access cost structure. The opposition carriers can afford to be the last man standing in a race to the bottom. QANTAS cannot.

These two statements are easily verifiable.

That being said, I have not flown QANTAS internationally for decades as they do not fly the routes I travel. Domestic travel with them in Oz was problem free last time I was there, certainly nothing to complain about, which was also true of the two competitors with which I also flew.

Thaksins money should have been seized since a long time. Most he got from corruption.

They were seized. Have you forgotten the 2006 coup and the 46 billion baht the court took? He's probably actually a net beneficiary because I doubt he made anywhere near that from stealing from the state. Policy corruption? Well, it's arguable. His companies benefitted from his time as PM but so did others in the same industry. In fact I believe DTAC and Truemove actually did better than AIS during his last years in office. There were the loans, of course, which benefited him, but was that really a loss to the state in the end?

Direct stealing though? Hmm... And you know the CTX scanner thing was probably the stand-out example I can remember. People involved made 600 million on that. His sister and wife were obviously heavily involved in the airport. But it's all very carefully layered. Too many people involved. Not enough evidence for the court to move on the scanners. In fact, all the cases against him were difficult to prove when it came down to it. That's why they got him on the nonsense land charge.

Changing the law to avoid tax was what turned a lot of people against him, of course. The final straw. Lot of things he did wrong, but people exaggerate out of all proportion. Newin was involved in several of these cases, wasn't he? Wonder what happened to his rubber sapling case when he was in govt with Abhisit in 09... (of course, there may not have been enough evidence there either but those who are cynical about the justice system would no doubt make insinuations).

They got TS on the land charge for the same reason they got Al Capone on tax evason, because it was a slam dunk to prove. Start with the easy ones.

TS's defence was not that they (him+wife) did not do it, but that it was not illegal. The court rejected this specious argument. It is questionable whether the amount of wealth confiscated was proportional to the crime, but not whether he did it. The 2 year sentence which he will never serve was not in any way too light for the blatant abuse of position for personal gain.

There are 6-7 other cases prepared and ready to go should TS ever set foot in Thailand again. However ...

Has it never occurred to ou why YS and PTP are so busy trying to eliminate the court that has juristiction over these matters? Iknow it is not high on the list of news items, but eliminating the court charged with prosecuting TS for his vast list of misdeeds is and has always been very high on the PTP agenda.

Yes it was easy to prove he'd done it, rather more dubious whether what he'd done was actually wrong. Here's a detailed blog on it: http://slimdogsworld.blogspot.co.uk/ - read it and perhaps you'll see why I described it as a 'nonsense charge'.

The other cases are a threat but probably won't go very far. If they'd figured them provable they would've been done and dusted in 06/7 I reckon. I might be wrong, I haven't really looked too closely at the details of the individual cases. The wealth confiscated had nothing to do with his land charge btw. That was mainly based on whether he'd used office to benefit his businesses. And it is arguable if you look at the details - not that I particularly care that they took his money. Hard to pity the billionaire. And I didn't realize that Yingluck and PT were trying to eliminate the Supreme Court.

I mean, I don't even like the guy. I'd agree he's greedy, power hungry and insincere. But I see his corruption as a relatively minor issue in the scheme of things and many others, including Suthep, would surely also be subjected to prosecution on corruption charges if the system were fair. I'd rather see the focus be on human rights and democracy. And Thaksin and many others (from all sides) should be investigated and prosecuted for involvement in extrajudicial murders & other abuses of state. Maybe in a less polarized society in future, impartial investigations of such gross HR abuses will be possible.

Sorry a few errors crept in there.

I accidetally conflated the two separate things while editing. I don't consider it a "nonsense" charge as I have seen precisely the same sorts of thing bring down politicians before. You always have to start somewhere.

YS is not trying to get rid of the supreme court, just the institution(s) was set up in the aftermath of the coup to bring the corruption charges to court. Disbanding this body will extinguish the outstanding cases against TS, at least that is how I have seen it presented. Just another of the "Free TS" schemes he has cooked up for himself.

Sadly, in the end, he will in all liklihood succeed because there will be nothing to stop him short of lead poisoning.

Why stop with Yingluk there are plenty of wealthy people in Thailand and you can take their assets also to fill your vault. It is becoming very clear what your real aim is. Lets not forget your dislike for farangs also, you can take their assets also, condos bank accounts etc.

The aim is to get rid of the Shin Regime of which she is a part. STOP TRYING TO MAKE THIS INTO SOMETHING IT IS NOT. Your constant hyperbole is extremely annoying and misleading. FACTS please.

It is in fact annoying and misleading hyperbole to refer to the "Shin Regime".It is not a regime.It is the democratically elected government of Thailand.

Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect Thailand

That's funny - really!

The Team Thaksin PR boys in their boiler rooms are working over time to diminish or disguise the western perceptions

of what this really is all about. I guess they try it here because enough of the alternative western press

checks in for back story info, they figure it's worth the drakmar to pay for attempting to dilute reality to their point of view.

The last two pages have been dripping with propaganda, caged to look like regular blokes saying their piece.

Perception Management at it's finest. Too bad those paying the tab are the main cause of the need

to twist reality to fit their narrative. And that narrative is not the one the great mass of people have been choosing,

no matter how grossly rigged their last elections have been.

It really would be hard to believe so many apparently well spoken english writers here are also so grossly out of touch.

I normally ignore your posts, but this one really does hit your own thumb before the nail..................

Any throbbing sensation ??

Are you suggesting TV is free from astroturfing?

If so, I would characterize that as an amazingly naïve assertion.

My interpretation of his speech is that

The Thai People would take her assets and put them to good use replacing the stolen billions from the Thai people

Please show me where in his speech where he made it clear he was to get the assets

I many countries now it is common place for courts to remove the assets of criminals

What are her criminal convictions?

None. But I would start with contempt of parliament.

Her statements in parliaent (on those rare occasions where she has answered her interlocutors, has been shall we say, "devoid of truth"?

So will it be paid leave? You better check they may just stay home and laugh at you for giving them off.

Hitler was elected. And build his private brown shirts.

So it better fits Thaksin and his red shirts. We'll close our company on Monday as all staff will go to the demonstrations.

You seem to have little idea about how strongly many Thais feel in support of Suthep. The Bkk protestors are doing so without payment and in fact are contributing money and food to the protest.

The same contributions could not be asked of red shirt "supporters".

Where is your proof of that statement? I am SO of people saying that red shirts get paid to protest and get paid to vote.

Let's not forget that Democrats were disqualified in the 2009 elections for VOTE BUYING. And the Democrats largest ally party, the Bhumjaithai Party, got disqualified in the 2011 election for VOTE BUYING. The -ENTIRE- freaking party.

a: The evidence is overwhelming, much of it on fllm and widely reported by both local and foreign media.

b: With respect to the truth of a: what someone else did (good, bad or indifferent) is about as relevant as the colour of your turd.

More hypocrisy from this odious little man: he changes his story to suit the audience. In the last interview with foreign media he said directly that he has no intention of exiling her in the (extremely unlikely) event he steals power

Of course he is very familiar with asset seizure and redistrbution....this is the man who gave land meant for ordinary farmers to his wealthy friends. Rotten to the core

My friend you have forgot you beloved ones in government--their pillaging ??? this is why all this is happening---Suthep is another story that will have to be dealt with later-----He is only a cleaner, when the carpets clean and Thailand has it's money back he can GO

Robspiere?

Thaksins money should have been seized since a long time. Most he got from corruption.

They were seized. Have you forgotten the 2006 coup and the 46 billion baht the court took? He's probably actually a net beneficiary because I doubt he made anywhere near that from stealing from the state. Policy corruption? Well, it's arguable. His companies benefitted from his time as PM but so did others in the same industry. In fact I believe DTAC and Truemove actually did better than AIS during his last years in office. There were the loans, of course, which benefited him, but was that really a loss to the state in the end?

Direct stealing though? Hmm... And you know the CTX scanner thing was probably the stand-out example I can remember. People involved made 600 million on that. His sister and wife were obviously heavily involved in the airport. But it's all very carefully layered. Too many people involved. Not enough evidence for the court to move on the scanners. In fact, all the cases against him were difficult to prove when it came down to it. That's why they got him on the nonsense land charge.

Changing the law to avoid tax was what turned a lot of people against him, of course. The final straw. Lot of things he did wrong, but people exaggerate out of all proportion. Newin was involved in several of these cases, wasn't he? Wonder what happened to his rubber sapling case when he was in govt with Abhisit in 09... (of course, there may not have been enough evidence there either but those who are cynical about the justice system would no doubt make insinuations).

They got TS on the land charge for the same reason they got Al Capone on tax evason, because it was a slam dunk to prove. Start with the easy ones.

TS's defence was not that they (him+wife) did not do it, but that it was not illegal. The court rejected this specious argument. It is questionable whether the amount of wealth confiscated was proportional to the crime, but not whether he did it. The 2 year sentence which he will never serve was not in any way too light for the blatant abuse of position for personal gain.

There are 6-7 other cases prepared and ready to go should TS ever set foot in Thailand again. However ...

Has it never occurred to ou why YS and PTP are so busy trying to eliminate the court that has juristiction over these matters? Iknow it is not high on the list of news items, but eliminating the court charged with prosecuting TS for his vast list of misdeeds is and has always been very high on the PTP agenda.

Speaking as someone in the industry.

If you really, really want to know how not to run a state airline, I would suggest you study the Greek flag carrier, Olympic (in its many incarantions).

Trust me, TG is a monument of efficiency compared to them, and the cronyism at TG pales into insignificance compared to Olympic.

That said, I fly a lot, though not as much as in the past, and TG is far from a bottom tier carrier. Could they be better, absolutely, and I would be one of the first to notice it.