jdinasia

I have lived in HH ... it is set for a HUGE boom in a couple of years ... I might invest there with an eye to selling ... but not long term plans for living there

Yeppers you are missing something

1st priority ... get a Parlaiment

2nd priority ... deal with the constitution

3rd priority... new elections.

Meet the family overseas in places that have real interest to me. I am planning no a trip to the states with a friend or two from here this year I guess.

> For all his faults the rural poor have lost a champion in what was effectively a coup

> by the urban elite.

Here here.

> Reading this thread an outsider might gain the impression there was no

> understanding of the damage done to democracy in Thailand.I can assure

> you all that the more thoughtful members of the Democrats, Abhisit and

> Korn in particular, are deeply troubled by the implications of the last few

> weeks events and the cynical bypassing of the Thai peoples majority will.

I sincerely hope so. Still, no matter how they truly feel, how do they plan to get back in government? They have errr.. 1.. 2.. . oh, they have no seats!

I would guess Cabinet level positions to begin with ....

Gained Face - for sure.

Don't forget there's loads of folks in the ' Baan Nook' who like the guy...

Exactly, probably a majority of the country.For all his faults the rural poor have lost a champion in what was effectively a coup by the urban elite.Reading this thread an outsider might gain the impression there was no understanding of the damage done to democracy in Thailand.I can assure you all that the more thoughtful members of the Democrats, Abhisit and Korn in particular, are deeply troubled by the implications of the last few weeks events and the cynical bypassing of the Thai peoples majority will.

Baan Nork (awk)

The Demos knew what they were doing ....

the BKK people just are better informed (more access to information) than other people in the country .... but look where the stoppers were in the election .... they were in the South ... and NOT just in the Muslim south

Doubtful - Thaskin will pull the strings behind the scenes, TRT will obviously win any election when their are opposition candidates on the poll. I see him coming back next round of elections.

5555 Brit ... you just like being on the losing side (or just winding people up) ... I'll be waiting on that drink

yes thieves can be a problem

Depends on where

security systems are a good start ... as are good doors and window locks

even some gated communities with secuty guards have had problems

yes and no ... protecting your stuff can be problematic ... get a security system ... live in nicer areas and ... pay for good insurance :-)

Uni's in the UK and USA have in some cases reduced the number of local applicants they will accept so they can increase the number of foriegn applicants (and thus generate income)

Nice bit of Irony there

Thaksin did an amazing change of tack in just a few hours. And immediately after his audience with His Majesty announces his intention to step aside.

The facts speak for themselves.

A great day for democracy.

Foot note: As I mentioned on an earlier post - yesterday Thaksin was belligerent and defiant and questioned boldly why he should, indeed, have to step down. He was saying he would definitely be the new democratically elected PM. This was his stance.

How could he change his mind in such a short time, just a few hours, unless it was decided for him.

This will probably be one of the great mysteries of Thai political history.

Also, perhaps it is presumptious of me to speculate on this matter - but I think it's worthy of consideration and discussion - just as other posters have been speculating on the implications and ramifications of Thaksin remaining in TRT as a member of parliament.

I have no problems with posters speculating on political developments on this board - one reason why I read this thread regularly. But speculating on His Majesty's intentions without hearing a word from him is entirely another matter.

Bul ... I rather doubt HM said anything other than please keep the country and the people first in your heart ....

so why resign 24 hours after he said ... why should I? Simply because he painted himself into a corner ... he said if the Opposition parties agreed to run ... and the PAD stopped protesting he would.

Press review: Thai poll 'trick'

Commentators in Thai newspapers criticise Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra's election tactics and urge action to break the deadlock with the opposition.

An editorial in The Nation condemns Mr Thaksin for calling the snap poll in the first place.

"Thaksin's invocation of ballot-box democracy, as he chooses to interpret it, does not hold water," it says.

"It fails to take into consideration a major fallacy of the concept, particularly in a less-developed democracy like ours, in which the impoverished, poorly informed masses are easily manipulated by people of his ilk."

"

How insulting the above statement is to the majority of Thais who are poor and live in rural communities. It infers that the majority of people in Thailand are too stupid to know what is good for them and so thier votes shouldn't be counted.

About 2/3 of Thais live in rural communities. They are the underclass who make up the servants and labourers to make life comfortable for the elete social/financial ruling class. Thaskin has done a lot to help these poor rural people better their lives and they support him for that reason. They may not be educated enough to get involved in intellectual debates over technical points of law that even the courts cant agree on, but like in any other democracy they vote for the candidate who gives them the best deal.

Thaskin was wise to lobby the majority of the countries voters. Thats how a democracy works. The party who gets the most votes wins.

What is "The Nation" trying to say?-- only people with university educations who live in the city should be allowed to vote?

When less than one percent of the nations voters take to the streets in an effort to remove the democratically elected leader, it does not have the same validity as when 66% of the public vote to keep the said leader. When a small elete minority seek to overturn the rule of law and remove a democratically elected leader you have the makings of a dictatorship in evolution.

As guests and visitors in The Thai Kingdom, we need to respect the democratic rights of ALL Thais to determine their own future in a peacefull and lawfull way. And that includes the rights and political opinions of the poor, uneducated, rural underclass.

Most of my Thai family voted for TRT and that is their right as Thai citizens. Their vote has no less value than editor of "The Nation" newspaper. Though I am sure by the quote above he would like to see rural underclass made ineligible to vote.

Perhaps if more opposition parties paid more attention to the needs of the majority of voters in Thailand the TRT party would not be so invincible?

ummm no ... I think he would like to see them "informed" ... geeze ... he didn't call them stupid ... he made a rather true statement about the amount of information that gets to the rural regions. The readers of The Nation are by far and away foriegners or those with interest in getting more information that read English.

No "Rule of Law" was overturned here ... instead pressure was brought to bear ... all within a legal framework of any democracy ....

Some people are just too touchy about their upcountry ties .... my partner is from "upcountry" even though it is not Isaan ... strangely they (the family) voted TRT twice and no-vote once ... why? because they have full access to information.

Do the other parties need to spend more effort in the rural NE and North? Probably ... but the deliberate deprivation of the rural areas from getting real information would do far more to help than anything.

Garbage topic ... as is the concept that Sondhi has any direct political aspirations at this time .....

but Brit's still stirring the pot!

KerryD ... your post about financial trade offs is pretty accurate ... good thoughts ... but for foriegn students the prices don't tend to swing too widely .... <I think>

<<a masters program is not a Doctorate program ...>>

Good question, I was just wondering the same.

Sadlly I think Brit could be right.

He's damaged goods and a liability. Watch the sharks in his own party start to circle now.

He won't be back.

cv

I agree .... but this being Thailand ... if he does it right he could end up being an "elder statesman" ... or even Privy Council member if as short as 5-10 years ... IF he is cleared on his scandals in the upcoming months ... but as for being a face-man for a party again? he's spent his coinage

Master plan for the big return....

Thaksin GAINED face last night.

BritMav lost face ((and he'll be buying drinks when he gets to Thailand))

Really .... Thaksin lost face over and over during the last few months .... but by falling on his sword in the exact way he did he improved his position last night in the eyes of most people. Hard to lose face when you say---- Paraphrase---- for my King and the people of Thailand I will not return as PM. The King's anniversary is too important to allow this to detract from this important day. I apologize for my part in this ongoing problem and ask the Thai people to forgive me.

Seems pretty straight forward to me ... the employees are often the one's to take the fall at first. Then they go after the people further up the food chain. I assume someone complained that was important enough to be heard.

Yes it is often the employees that get arrested! If the company takes care of them, it is not that big of a problem.

hope your friend is well taken care of!

Sondhi is not elligible to stand for office :-)

an amazing amount of spin put on this all byt the "Thaksin will never resign folks"!

with apologies to ColPyat, Lukamar, Thaible, ETC.....

bye Thaksin..... nice knowing you, M.F.

###### tose peaceful protestors! ... ###### the act of exercising the right to peaceful assembly and protest! ..... ###### thos Demos and others for exercising the right to choose NOT to tand for office !

###### them all!

Lao Khao all around ... BritMav is buying

Hope the PM continues I don't want the entertainment to end.

That's a drink you owe me Brit!

Brit .... think ... drink!

Thaksin to be granted audience with HM the King

Caretaker Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra will be granted an audience with HM the King this afternoon, a government source said on Tuesday.

Thaksin will travel to Klaikangwon Palace at Hua Hin, Prachuab Khiri Khan province.

"Thaksin is scheduled to be granted an audience with HM at 2pm," the source said. The schedule was rearranged to be 5pm.

Meanwhile the premier's Secretary General Prommin Lertsuridej said that the premier's audience was a routine visit every six weeks.

"The premier will ask recommendations and suggestions from HM the King," he said.

The Nation

We accept Thaksin's conditions: PAD, Democrat

Leading anti-Thaksin campaigners have announced on Tuesday that they will cease their rallies if caretaker Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra announced in public that he will not take premiership in the new government.

PAD and opposition parties to accept PM's conditions

The People's Alliance for Democracy and opposition parties have promised to accept the conditions of embattled caretaker Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra who offered to resign if their antiThaksin protests cease and if opposition parties contest a postreform election.

Democrat Party leader Abhisit Vejjajiva said on Tuesday that the Democrats accepted the conditions offered by Thaksin that he would resign if the opposition parties agreed to participate in the next election following political reform.

Abhisit said he watched Thaksin on TV Monday night and considered that the conditions set by Thaksin were acceptable.

Opposition parties - Democrat, Chat Thai and Mahachon - boycotted the April 2 election as they viewed that Thaksin's call for House dissolution leading to the election was not legitimate.

Thaksin promised in a television programme on Monday that he was ready to step down immediately if PAD and the opposition parties agreed to his conditions. He also proposed setting up a reconciliation committee whose assignment would be to address the deadlocked political situation.

"The Democrat Party has no problems with the conditions and we have talked to the two other parties [Chat Thai and Mahachon], and they also have no problems," Abhisit said.

Meanwhile, leading PAD members also announced on Tuesday that they will cease their rallies if Thaksin announced in public that he will not take the premiership in the new government.

"We are more than ready to stop our rallies if Thaksin does what he said on Monday," PAD's spokesman Suriyasai Katasila said in a press briefing.

The briefing included other PAD leaders Chamlong Srimuang and Pipop Thongchai.

Suriyasai also said that the core of the reconciliation committee should be neutral figures and it should comprise representatives of political parties and other public sectors.

The Nation

there was a news conference earlier with abahist et al and Chamlong in the background ... and Thaksin is at the palace in Hua Hin?