JAG

28 minutes ago, moe666 said:

Yes a lot of cops have the wings because jumping out of airplanes is part of their training you do realize they are a bit of a military bent. A few years ago I believe three boys who were in training to become police officers were killed when there was a malfunction of the static line on the airplane

They were, I believe, Officer Cadets for the paramilitary Border Police, as such were eligible for para training.

The vast majority of wings are "earned" from a couple of jumps from a ten metre tower, wearing a harness attached to a rope paid out by a drum arrangement.

My stepson emerged from training as a conscript (in a special forces battalion!) with para wings, airborne flashes and a maroon beret. The only time he has flown in an aircraft was on an Air Asia flight to Bangkok, the only time he has been in a helicopter was when I plonked him in the drivers seat of an old Huey, to take his photo, when he was twelve at a Children's Day event.

Speaking as a "crap hat" I find it quite amusing...

For those that claim that Democracy has never existed in Thailand (and therefore cannot be said to be in decline) could I point out that on five (?) occasions in the last twenty odd years the people of this country have voted, and selected

a government/party broadly consistent with the majority's wishes - I don't include this current ongoing exercise in blatant electoral deceit and manipulation!

Those governments have not necessarily been particularly good ones, there has been corruption, malpractice and abuse of power, but they have reflected the people's choice and have attempted to govern broadly in accordance with the policies for which the people chose them. That is democracy in action, flawed perhaps, messy undoubtedly, with results distasteful to some, (clearly failing high standards expected by some mainly foreign observers on this forum), and objected to by certain classes in society; but basically democracy nonetheless. It has been consistently overthrown by a military which is at the behest of those certain classes, by good old fashioned Coup d'Etats, political fixing (which led to the Abhisit government) and now by electoral manipulation, obvious if not transparent.

If you define democracy as a government chosen by it's people, and which offers itself to be reselected or rejected by it's people when appropriate, then Thailand has had democracy, and it has been taken away.

The Thai people certainly understand that, what we don't know is their likely reaction, short or long term. It is well understood internationally as well, although whether the international community is bothered or, in the face of other interests or problems is interested or prepared to do anything, even comment effectively, is in doubt.

Thailand has had democracy, it is in decline, perhaps removed in totality, but it had it.

And please, don't push the buttons with the supreme arrogance of "Thailand is not ready for democracy"!

6 minutes ago, candide said:

In short, there is no mathematical formula. They just decided to give a seat to parties that have too few votes.

"Good People" though I am sure, all of them. Not one seditious foreign educated traitor amongst them...

24 minutes ago, patsfangr said:

Hopefully a new thread will be started which will require that only facts be posted. This one has suffered the usual TV deterioration into speculation, "witty" quips, useless tangents. 

Fun at parties?

22 minutes ago, Pilotman said:

I always thought of him as more like Mark Anthony;  the doer, but no politician, inevitably brought down by his own naivety.  Would make a great play, or a movie.  Bradly Cooper could play Big Joke and Merrill Streap could play the PM.  

My knowledge of Mark Anthony in contemporary drama is confined to his depiction in British classical cinema of the 1960s.

Somehow, although perhaps reminiscent of some aspects of the current Thai political scene, I doubt if it really fits the bill...

It's a devilish problem, when you are the poster boy protogie of a faction which is struggling, isn't it.

In other news, shares in the company which manufactures large vinyl photo backdrops at short notice, have collapsed...

Goodness me man, you are the National Police Deputy Commissioner, a full Police General, and you have totally missed the point, the biggest threat to safety, morals and life as we know it during the annual Sonkran festivities!

Spaghetti strap tops, spaghetti strap tops, what about the spaghetti strap tops?

Come on, get a grip!

37 minutes ago, rkidlad said:

Are some posters on here beginning to connect the dots yet? 

Yes, the constituency seat results, which are essentially more difficult to "fix" mean that notwithstanding the fact that they gained fewer seats, the junta party, with the senates input, are going to form the government. The thorny problem of ensuring that Prayut has a majority in parliament will  be resolved by some "constructive formula" for allocating the seats from the party lists.

In simplest of terms, the electorate failed to select the government desired by the establishment, in all it's forms. The EC will put that right.

2 hours ago, webfact said:

Worse still, the rules say the party that manages to gather the most parliamentary seats is the winner. There are a few problems with that.

Yes, the problem is that the party which has managed to gather the most seats is the party which the Junta will not allow into power. That is why the Electoral Commission is yet to decide the process for "allocating" those seats governed by proportional representation!

49 minutes ago, Chomper Higgot said:

Looking back to early Brexit threads here on TVF, dozens of Brexit supporters have seemingly evaporated     leaving only a handful of Brexiteers doggedly posting in support of their failing Brexit.

 

It’s human nature, when people get conned a small minority will double down on the con they bought into, the majority will simply stop talking about their foolish choice and hope it goes away.

 

 

My reasons for leaving the EU remain as valid and important (to me) as they were when I voted. The current fiasco is a result of pathetic incompetence within government and opposition and a refusal to heed the opinions of the people they represent by our parliamentarians.

I rarely post on the matter because it will achieve little. I have explained my position in the past several times, so regular followers of the topic will know exactly here I stand. Unless or until my views change, or a fresh argument against them emerges, I shan't put them forward again. 

Your analysis smacks more of glee at watching that incompetence and refusal to pay heed to both the referendum and general election votes lead to, possibly, an outcome for which you wish, and will frustrate those you describe, rather than any change in opinion nationally.

That is perhaps a trait of human nature

2 hours ago, lamyai3 said:

In spite of The Sun's main motivation being a saucy story involving ladyboys and some pictures of man boobs, they're doing a good job in highlighting Thailand's ridiculously outdated conscription rules. There hasn't been a ladyboy in the British army since Gloria in "It Ain't Half Hot Mum". 

Have you ever encountered The Royal Marines on a "run ashore"?

Well the Electoral Commission has fairly obviously decided that the pro junta coalition has already "won", judging by the speed with which they announced, and the importance which they attach, to the specious and rather unverifiable concept of " winning the popular vote".

The Senate can be relied upon to put Prayut in the Prime Ministers office. The focus for the EC, in the next two months, must be to manipulate the results to ensure that he has a working majority.

The process is in fact remarkably transparent, in as much as everybody, down to and including my Chihuahuas, cannot fail to be aware of what is going on, even if the mechanics are secret. It has the cubed root of b*gg*r all to do with electoral fairness or representative democracy. The election has been stolen, the Thai electorate have again been robbed.

1 hour ago, Father Fintan Stack said:

 

DRUNK DRIVING is seen as a major cause for fatalities after 323 people were killed and 3,140 others were injured in 3,001 crashes during the first five days of the Songkran seven-day accident-monitoring period (April 11-17), the Road Safety Centre announced yesterday. 

On Sunday alone, drunk driving was the cause of 42 per cent of 552 road accidents in which 69 people were killed and 589 injured, Damrong Limaphirak, the Education Ministry adviser on policy and strategy, said at the centre’s press conference.

https://news.thaivisa.com/article/19252/drunk-driving-a-major-cause-of-road-accidents

 

You made the cardinal error of disagreeing with one of his pronouncements elsewhere today. You will get this for a few days until someone else becomes the duty target. But then I'm sure you know this.

Look at it as like interference on the telly, you just have to put up with it!????