billd766

I have no tattoos, and I was blessed/cursed with common sense from the day I was born.

Thank you for the apology but it wasn't necessary. I am 79 and was brought up the old school way. Sadly the UK education is not as good as it used to be, and there are times, not so much on ANN, that I get so frustrated as I cannot understand what the poster has written. The Bangkok Post is very bad for things like that.

Then why did you not say that you were speaking for yourself only. From https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/we I and the rest of a group that includes me : you and I : you and I and another or others https://www.dictionary.com/browse/we plural pronoun,possessive our or ours,objective us. nominative plural of I. (used to denote oneself and another or others):

quote "If William is unable and/or unwilling to meet those conditions then he should step aside. We could then install a Head of State who is democratically elected by the UK electorate." In your last sentence can you please explain who "we" are? You are certainly NOT speaking for me, when you use that term, nor IMHO, are you speaking for millions of other British people.

Thank you Mike.

Unfortunately , if nature does not provide enough rain there is not a lot that anyone can do. cloud seeding is fine in the very short term, but it IS only short term. Digging and clearing the silt and deepening the dams is a help and will provide more storage if and when the wet season finally arrives. Trying to change to different crops that use less water might help, but the majority of farmers are deep in debt, so who will pay for the cost of different crops and guarantee the crop prices? That assumes that new crops can be sown and thrive on soil that has been fertilised for generations for a single crop. The government could/should take advice and learn from other countries, but that would involve a major loss of 'face'. There is always desalination, but desalination is expensive, the plants need to be on the coastline, and then they will need to pump the water hundreds of km to where it is needed most, and then store it somewhere that leakage and evaporation does not affect the water loss so much.

Sadly IMHO this is one of the reasons that 112 and the constitution need to be amended to stop it happening again and again. Thailand needs to be a lot more Democratic and have a monarchy that runs on similar principals that the UK Monarchy runs. Where respect and positions are earned, and not simply the "Buggin's turn next" syndrome,

Vote buying at that time was practised by ALL the political parties and NOT just by the TRT. It still goes on today, albeit on a smaller scale as more younger voters come of age. and the older ones literally die off. As for Thaksin being convicted, it was under courts of the military who carried out a coup against a legally elected government. That is called treason and punishable by the death penalty, even in Thailand. Which is the greater crime? Please explain how a legally elected PM was punished and yet those who stole the whole country have NEVER been punished, Not just once or even twice but according to the European Parliament, at least 12 times successfully. https://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/ATAG/2020/659330/EPRS_ATA(2020)659330_EN.pdf From the link. Since 2014, the Thai government has been headed by former army chief Prayuth Chan-ocha, from 2014 to 2019 as head of the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) junta, and since the 2019 elections as leader of the Palang Pracharath (People's State Power) party. The elections, held under a new constitutionadopted in 2017, are designed to ensure continuing military control of Thai politics, even under a civilian government. Under this constitution, the prime minister is chosen by a combined vote of the two houses of parliament, the Senate (250 members, hand-picked by the junta before its dissolution) and the House of Representatives (500 elected members), essentially guaranteeing victory for Prayuth. The Senate also approves appointment of judges to the Constitutional Court, a body whose judgments have traditionally been heavily weighted against opponents of military rule; it has banned several pro-Thaksin parties, as well as Thaksin himself (in exile since 2006) from Thai politics. From 2001 to 2014, Thaksin and his proxies won every single election. To prevent this from happening again in 2019, the junta offered cash hand outs for the poor, had some opposition parties disbanded, and imposed restrictive rules on election campaigning. The junta-appointed election commission was accused of riggingthe vote. Even so, the pro-Thaksin Pheu Thai came in first place, with 136 out of 500 seats, beating Prayuth's Palang Pracharath (97 seats). Future Forward, a new reformist opposition party founded in 2018, came third with 80 seats.

I am happy to hear that the government water has started flowing again. We used to buy water every year, but luckily about 3 years ago our group of villages got connected to the big village supply pipeline. Granted that during the day the government supply is cut off, but it does flow at night, so every bodies ongs are usually refilled over night. many years ago my wife enquired about a borehole, but we have about a metre or so of soil and then it is an extreme hard rock, perhaps granite or something similar that will need a diamond tipped drill to bore the hole and I have no idea how deep they would need to drill to find water in enough quantity to be viable.

Yet the government and TAT have extended the Songkran period and millions and millions of litres will just pour down the drains across Thailand and be wasted, just so that a very few rich people will get even richer.

NO. Make Prayuth and all his extended family eat it for two meals a day every day until it is all gone. After all it happened on his watch. He promised many things as I remember. Stopping corruption. Overhauling the police, the military and the civil service. Returning happiness to the Thai people. I wonder how that lot turned out in the end.

Khao San road, where else?

Vorsprung durch technik.

Yet he was elected by the Thai people, not just once but twice, and is the only PM to have legally have completed a full term as PM of Thailand. Meanwhile the generals who made 3 successful military coups are walking around free as birds without even a smack on the wrist as a punishment. What does that say about the weakness of the Thai Political System?

The only problem with a second loan. (if he can get one), is that it is likely to be expensive and will still have to be repaid. If anything he will be worse off than he is now.

I was referring to the members of the electoral college. However, IMHO nothing is enshrined for ever, or there would be no amendments to the constitution, and there are many.

But it is the choice of the US public who will become POTUS, with some help (or not) from the electoral college). I wonder who elects the members of the electoral college. They seem somewhat un-necessary nowadays.

Trolls are nothing but a PITA.

If 10 million Thais didn't stand up and protest at every military coup, where will they find 10 million because a bunch of students are unhappy. I can understand the students protesting about other students who were jailed by the previous government, but threatening "action" if Thaksin is not put in jail seems a waste to me.

And do you truly think he will be able to pull the said rabbit out of the hat in 6 days? It will be interesting to see if he can. The bond companies as thee don't want to be left with an unpaid and unfulfilled bond, No 'friends' anywhere will 'lend' him any money as they also won't see it repaid. He can try to sell some of his properties, but as the assessors don't work for him, the sales will be at rock bottom prices anyway, I very much doubt if even his MAGA supporters can came up with that much in 6 more days. Despite all of his boasts it doesn't look as though he has that much money laying around doing nothing. Why don't YOU start a Go Fund me for Trump as you always seem to defend him. I have an odd 25 satang he can have if he is really desperate and is willing to pay all the charges up front.

What a wonderful response. Thank you for brightening my day and giving me a good laugh.

And what will you do if you find that reason?

Why not just remove yours instead. It has no relevance to the topic anyway.

I do and I have made provision for my current Thai wife to get 50% of my pensions for her life as well. I am 79, she is 58 and we have been married for 24 years next month. I never had that much hair to start with and what is left is fading from grey to white. Her long black hair is now shorter and grey. However se is still the same woman I met 30 years ago and married 24 years ago.

So what, He spent his time in court. The judge found him guilty and imposed the fine, the same as any body else. He pays the fine exactly as anybody else would. If he wants to appeal he either puts up the fine, or a bond to that amount as anybody else would have to. Why should he be treated any differently? That no bond company is willing to risk that makes commercial sense, as they think the risk of him defaulting is too high. That none of his 'friends' or family will put up that amount shows the same thing.. That he cannot put up that amount in cash shows that he lied about his finances. That his MAGA crew can't or won't stump up that much shows that perhaps his base is neither as large, as strong or as rich as he wants the world to believe.