JAG

20 hours ago, bkkcanuck8 said:

They want him to run, but I don't think he will - so the move becomes very dangerous for the establishment if he chooses to stay and fight and martyr himself.

They managed to force the last two electoral threats to their hegemony to run. Thaksin I suspect because he knew that once he was incarcerated he would not emerge alive, and Yingluck, as well as the threat of imprisonment, because they effectively held her teenage son. Thanathorn has rather cleverly established close links with foreign embassies and their governments, which makes it much more difficult for them to move against him.

20 hours ago, Scot123 said:

As for the hatred they feel towards foreigners I believe it comes from when they serve along side them. I was in the army and served next to them in South Korea men who were supposed to be their cream and wow what a joke they were. Sorry if the truth hurts but facts are facts and yet there are many on here who believe it is other foreigners behaviour that causes this. So sad

Not just in the military, but in just about every field of endeavour, they know that they gained their positions by a combination of purchase and patronage, They know that just about everyone else they come into contact with internationally knows. They know that they are widely regarded as a joke. That is why they are invariably so introspective. As neighbouring South East Asian countries start to pull ahead economically, attract the investment, business and tourists that once only came to Thailand, they take refuge in boasting that "Thailand was never colonised"

15 hours ago, Grumpy John said:

Stupid is as stupid does!  Fanning the the flames of discontent.  10% of the country liked the guy enough to vote for his party which is not an insignificant portion of the population.  Soon we revisit 2014.

Yes, very true. Given that there was a turnout of some 38 million then it is nearer 15% - which reinforces your point.

2 minutes ago, Loongharkok said:

Seems like a foolish move.

Why stoke the flames already flickering.

Thanathorn's out of politics for 10 years and they dare not jail him.

So where's the upside?

Take the win and leave it be.

Any further actions by the EC only benefit their foes

 

Could they really be this stupid?

Yes, I believe they go on a special course when they are in the running for an appointment to these bodies!????

Of course, if the sort of constitutional changes which FFP were advocating were to come about, then Thanathorns ten year ban will probably be nullified. I suppose they reason that they can drive him from the country.

23 hours ago, vinny41 said:

I guess if the EU/French don't get access to UK fishing waters they can also sail to Japan and Fish there, EU consumers would have to get use to eating different types of fish

I guess if the EU/French sail to Japan and demand access to their fishing waters they would receive a short, sharp, simple reply!

Looking at the OP photograph, I would hazard a guess that they are gazing in awe at the shiny new stainless steel trough which has just been delivered...

With every problem there comes an opportunity and all that...

The school in which I teach is clean enough. The "maids" are pretty effective.

The anti virus steps taken last week were all for show however. A pair of senior teachers came into my classroom towards the end of a lesson. They first of all bollocked the children (and me) for not wearing facemasks - despite the fact that they have been virtually unobtainable here in Chiang Rai for the last month. The impact of that ticking off was somewhat reduced by their voices being muffled by the face masks which they, alone amongst all the staff and children had obtained ( I had noticed earlier a box of them in the "Academic Room" in which they are based)!

They then solemnly presented the class (10 year olds!) with a plastic washing up bowl, a small bottle of disinfectant and two bottles of water and told them to deep clean the classroom. No gloves, clothes, sponges or anything else!

Photographs were duly taken to appear on Facebook... "XYZ School battles the Corona virus!"

After they had left to continue their clowns tour of the school, I explained to the children that the best thing to do would be to pack a bar of soap in a plastic bag in their school bags and to wash their hands at every opportunity.

I don't think they appreciate how daft they were being - their efforts were utterly superficial, and served only to alarm some of the children. The whole exercise was about as useful as a chocolate teapot! I suppose it is being repeated nationwide - everything is 100% under control...

Cancelling "summer school" and keeping the children out of school for a couple of months is however a good idea, although it will cause problems over childcare for working parents.

1 minute ago, Bangkok Barry said:

There's actually a town in the north called Hot.
And I read that, although some places are hotter for a few months, on a year-round basis Bangkok is the hottest city in the world.

Certainly some of the more youthful female residents are - hot that is!????

3 minutes ago, Moonlover said:

I sometimes think that folks are incredulous or even jealous that I live in Thailand AND breath clean air. But it's true. The only pollutant around here is methane from farting bovines!

Which ministry do you live next to?

13 minutes ago, Moonlover said:

As we all know, the basic cause of pollution in the rural areas is smoke from burning of fields etc. Burning of that nature is easy to detect with ones nose.

 

And if there is no smell of burning, it stands to reason that there is no carbon monoxide either The two go hand in hand. There is little traffic where I live and no industry.

 

So I'm very confident that if my nose tells me the air is good, then it's good. Being able to see the peaks of the hills 15kms away also gives me a clue and it's a rare day when I can't. ????

 

Aw, you're no fun. For many one of the great current joys of Thai Visa is swapping horror stories about pollution. Sometimes skimming these threads reminds me of the Monty Python three Yorkshiremen sketch: "Eeh you were lucky, when I was a lad seven of us lived in a cardboard box..."

What is now left to us? Arguing about the effectiveness of facemasks I suppose!

.

9 hours ago, sanemax said:

How does that fit into this thread ?

It's become a general purpose and rather meaningless quote/

I suppose that if you are at the front of a large crowd of protestors and are on the receiving end of a burst of automatic rifle fire then the Corona virus will be quite a long way down your list of worries...

4 hours ago, Pib said:

I thought that in Thailand any military or police official who supervises 5 or more people is made a general?

I rather expect that everyone who graduates as a Second Lieutenant from the Chulachomklao Royal Military Academy can, if they remain in the service, expect in time to make General rank. Say perhaps after 30 years. That means that there will be a lot of extremely dischuffed middle ranking (Majors and Colonels) muttering together into their Johnnie Walker! A bright political future for anyone who harnesses that particular bunch!

27 minutes ago, Orton Rd said:

Until recently they were 50 in a box for 50 baht, still got a box

29 Baht each (!) yesterday in the local supermarket here.

First ones I have seen for several weeks.

Now I'm as cynical as the next Englishman at the way some aspects of that fine document the Constitution of The United States of America have of late been interpreted in certain circles; but, aware of the almost sacred reverence with which it is held, I cannot but chuckle at the likely reaction of the ambassador in receiving a letter which quotes from three successive Thai constitutions, with only ten years separating each one!

Do these chaps in the James Bond villain outfits go on some sort of a special course? I mean, no-one could come out with this sort of nonsense naturally!

1 hour ago, thasoss said:

I hope he's right.

Yes, so do we all. 

But, didn't one recent pandemic (MERS) originate in Saudi Arabia. It's quite hot there.

52 minutes ago, AussieBob18 said:

That is the issue - they have all been banned for 10 years in Thailand politics.  Anyone know what happens to those seats they won? Will there be by-elections? If so, that is the chance for another anti-Junta Party and People to stand, and how many votes they get would be interesting.  Or has the Junta just gotten rid of some troublesome members and no one replaces them? 

 

I believe the seats will remain vacant until the next election. No matter, as the people have all those senators to represent their interests...