rubl

Sondhi is no better than Thaksin, or Abhisit, or any other politicians. All these politicians have designs for their personal benefit, none for the country.

Sondhi's never been a politician, has he?

What has Abhisit done for his "personal benefit"?

You dont have to sit in parliament to be a politician. When you try to topple a government, you ARE automatically a politician. Do you need me to list out everything Abhisit AND his subordinates do for their personal benefits? EVERY politician here in Thailand is a hypocrite, speaking to win hearts, but only with ulterior motives!!

Let's start with the list of everything k. Abhisit has done for his personal benefit, if you please

The terrorists are back and they have taken the business district hostage again. Blocking other people's right of way and obstructing other people's way of life is clear sign of terrorism. I hope the army (black or green I don't care) comes out and shoot them down again.

Blocking and obstructing people is inconsiderate. Not quite terrorism.

Blocking and obstructing was their modus operandi last year, to try and get a reaction. Pushing and prodding.

Then the terrorism started, with their armed militia. Of course, 95% of the red shirts knew nothing about that, and a lot still don't seem to believe it.

Really inconvenient, but within the protesters rights as more-or-less agreed with authorities (i.e. police) before. Agree or not agree, that's what happens in a functioning democracy. Last year's 'protests' clearly overstepped bounds, this year that's not the case.

(quote)The red shirts sang some songs composed by Jatuporn so loudly that prison officials had to ask them to refrain from disturbing other visitors.(/quote)

Just another case of selfish Red Shirts not giving a rat's arse about any one else "rights."

Trampling over peoples rights by singing loudly? Cmon, Buchholz, that's scraping the barrel to find something wrong with the Red Shirts, even by your standards

Would you mind giving us your address?

Why, TAWP? Please tell me, another threat from the peaceful followers of Abhisit?

'another' threat? I may have missed the one before, pray tell.

I think TAWP only proposed to sent those red-shirt singers around so you could judge for yourself whether it disturbed the peace and quiet of your neighbourhood or not. A friendly gesture amongst members here at TV.

denying that the amnesty issue is not her priority

She is denying that it is not her priority. Logically, this means that amnesty may be a priority to her.

In logical terms, maybe, but I'm not an IT geek who thinks in terms of off and on states. In reality and the English Language, when you deny that something is not your priority, it means exactly that, it is not a priority to you. It's not that hard, Buchholz had a similar difficulty with the English Language and used a similar argument, and he was wrong as well.

I'm an IT geek, 30 odd years already. I can tell you with authority IT geeks just KNOW if the manual says 'on or off only' those ignorant users will fumble around till they found a half/half status (which probably breaks the system).

In reality with politicians or ones aspiring to be, a denial mostly reflects a 'now is inconvenient, ask me later'.

The acceptance that the army will play a role in the election results should the PTP get the majority of seats is hardly the best result of a "free and fair democratic" election and a sad reflection of what people expect from Thai politics.

But we all know it will happen, it will not be an "in your face" coup imo, just a gentle pulling to one side of the parties expected to form a coalition and being encouraged that the democrats provide the "best bet".

And Abhisit will accept this arrangement and convince himself that at last he has the mandate of the people.

The government will carry on the "Good Fight", the Army will pull back from causing confrontations on the Cambodian Border, the pigs will get their snouts back in the trough and Happy Ever After

.......................maybe.

I'm really surprised to see you refer to 'your acceptance the army will play a role', as if it's a fact. It's like others who promised me a coup and that for months already. 'but WE all KNOW it will happen', the 'we' and 'know' refers to your opinion which may be shared by others, but hardly a 'we know'. The rest is based on your presumptions / opinion. Since I do not agree with one, I can hardly agree with whatever you deduct or assume from that position either. No surprise to you, I'd say

It would have been nice if she would have come out and said he would be on the next flight to BKK and there wont be a dang thing anyone can do about it

You mean apart from letting the plane stop at the end of the runway, allow k. Thaksin to get out and escort him to a local prison?

Clearly Phua Thai has so much more to worry about:

* They might not win the election with an in experienced female front runner.

* Even if they win the courts could just ban them, again, for something or another.

* Even if they win the election then the Democrats and Invisible Hands may steer/bribe/force other parties into a Democrat led coalition

* Even if they win the military could just stage another coup.

The democrats don't have to worry about most of those.

So very true, the PTP has so much more to worry about with 10 extremely qualified UDD leaders on sure positions on the party list MP candidates. With a number 1 who is described as 'clone' by her own brother. With slogan 'Thaksin thinks, Phue Thai acts'. etc., etc.

"All for one, and more for me"

She doesn't need to convince anyone. All she needs to do is to offer hope and the possibility of change for the better. This is how President Obama was elected. It's how a socialist party became official opposition in Canada. It's why right wing parties in western europe are surging. People want change and if they are frustrated enough, they will embrace it, even if it doesn't make sense to the "experts".

The only thing she is offering is change back to the past.

"All for one and more for me"

Several photo posts with advertising URL have been removed - please do not post URL marked photos. Thanks.

In the past I have posted photos from yellow shirt protests, red shirt protests and the fighting on the Thai Cambodian border on this forum. In many instances before similar pictures have been posted anywhere else online.

In future I won't bother.

Congratulations.

That would be a shame - they are good photo's - sure there must be some compromise.

Maybe just having "© 2011 James Goyder" instead of the web link would be sufficient ? It would reflect the member's name and the copyright claim.

strange how in the OP the person changes from the convicted (but not serving his sentence) criminal Sondhi to the Army General that instigated, and then led an illegal coup, followed by a threat to accept the new constitution absolving him of any blame or the army would stay in power.

easy mistake to make, both criminals, although the latter has since said the biggest mistake made was not continuing Thaksins populist policies, so at least he ha admitted mistakes, not like the narcissist sondhi.

As for the election, it is clear the dems know they will not win a fair election so skulduggery is afoot, with the database etc, the refusal to allow foreign observers etc, then again they know if he do lose the elite will do all in their power to get rid of the PTP on some trumped up charges to get their buddies the dems back into power. the dems have been no better that TRT with their electoral frauds, their escape from punishment for misusing funds, and of course for overseeing the slaughter of unarmed civilians in bangkok, as I said at the time either abhisit ordered it, or has been complicit in whitewashing it, or was not in control of the country, do we really need person like that in power, lest face it he could not win the power.

Nice random like post, many things thrown together, difficult to react on without needing to break it down in bits and pieces to show which are relevant and which not.

So let's only clarify an obvious redundancy. An 'illegal coup' suggest that there are legal coups.

Anyway did you get stuck in the office, or are you using the opportunity to mingle with fellow reds ?

Acting UDD chairwoman Thida Thavornseth earlier said that the rally would be held to mark the death of 92 people who died during last year's protest and called on the government to take responsibility for the loss of life.

She said the UDD would like to apologise to the public and retailers in the area who will face inconvenience and difficulty during the demonstration.

No word on 'government to take responsibility' like the UDD leaders have done. Probably because the UDD leaders haven't either. Still, saying sorry for the inconvenience today is a (very) small step in the right direction

Having worked my way through at least 10 of the 320 responses, I really feel the urge to say the following:

No comment

Following twitter a link showed a photo with the well know banner 'peaceful protesters, not terrorists' re-erected. I can only assume that's the case this time.

http://yfrog.com/h31vabmj

Also a photo with k. Natthawut. I assume he won't say too much to avoid his bail being revoked. I'm only wondering how his status as 'party list MP candidate' effects what he may or may not say and do now according to the 'election law'. This gathering is not a political gathering, just remembering the mayhem last year.

K. Jatuporn and Nisit jailed for eight whole days and daily getting one or two hundred supporters. Makes you wonder how much moral support those red-shirt members still in prison upcountry get on a daily/weekly/monthly base (underline as applicable). Of course those are just the ordinary grass-root red-shirts, totally unimportant except for being able to refer to 'unjustly prisoned red-shirts'. UDD leaders and in case of k. Jatuporn MP candidate, now that's what counts in a mass movement striving for democracy, justice and against double standards

The other paper is reporting this morning that Pheu Thai Party has said that one of places reserved for the Red Shirt Leaders on it's Party-list of MP's, Yoswaris Chuklom, will be lost because he is ineligible to run after not having voted in the last election. He will be replaced on the Party-list by the wife of the still-fugitive Red Shirt Leader Arisaman.

I can only assume that the lady has credentials other than being the wife of karaoke singer k. 'burn-it-my-way' Arisman? What is known of her campaign program? Any clips mentioned ?

Agreed, not all members have the speed to load these photos, they have been deleted, you are welcome to post a link that members can click or not if they choose but drop the photos and have some consideration for those whose pages do not load quickly, cheers.

You're a spoil sport, dear Mistress. Still I wonder what the average network connection is with most TV members nowadays. My desktop at home on Bangkok has 6Mbps TrueInternet, but outside BKK things may be worse. For mobile phone users connection speeds may be abysmal as well and how much details can you see on a 1 by 2 inch screen anyhow?

Enough Buccholz!! What is the point? If anybody wants to look at a photo of the top 20 of the PTP Party List, let them look it up. You really are a waste of my bandwidth at times.

Look upon it as a community service. Sure all of us can (try to) look up those pictures, but that would be a waste of time, and sometimes lots of time. Having finished most of the PTP top-20, I hope someone will put effort in giving us the top-20 of other parties. It's like knowing your friends, enemies, local political chaps

......... shooting innocent civilians with rocket launchers ..........

Maybe you could give some details of when this took place .......

April 22nd, 2010. Grenade attack on non-red-shirts killing a totally innocent Thai lady and wounding about 80 others at BTS SalaDaeng Station.

http://www.theaustra...o-1225857615586

Thanks, rubl, but that incident involved grenades fired from M79s, not "rocket launchers" and as your link makes clear the Thai military could not say who fired them or from where.

While there were casualties on all sides, regrettably, this particular claim is pure fabrication.

I'm willing to assume / accept that the difference between 'rocket launchers' and 'grenade launchers' is not that clear to all of our members.

As for details on April 22nd attack, the link I provided was from two days later. More details in the HRW report:

"According to media reports, when the pro-government protesters began clashing again with

the UDD on the evening of April 22, UDD leader Arisman Pongruengrong told the protesters

at the Ratchaprasong camp that a group of “men wearing black” were coming to the

assistance of the Red Shirt camp.105 At about 8 p.m. that night, three M79-launched

grenades were fired towards the Saladaeng junction and Silom Road where pro-government

protesters were gathered. Several fell through the roof of the Saladaeng BTS elevated train

station, scattering shrapnel and parts of the steel roof on crowds gathered below. News

footage and videos taken by participants of the pro-government demonstration at the time of

the grenade attack shows a peaceful crowd waving Thai flags and listening to music

underneath the BTS station.106

While the first three grenades caused limited injuries, two more 40mm grenades fired from

M79 launchers shortly afterwards landed in the crowd of pro-government protesters.107

Tanyanan Taebthong, 26, died, and at least 78 persons were wounded, including several

foreign nationals.108"

HRW report "Descent into Chaos", page 66 (Copyright © 2011 HRW)

If PTP gets 40% of party-list votes / seats like in the 2007 election under PPP banner, that's 50 party-list MP's. This suggests the first 20 on the list are more-or-less guaranteed to get a seat, become MP

Number 10 is an ex policeman who did his best to try to dig up dirty deeds on Democrat MPs when in uniform, but failed.

Just because Yinglak is number one, it doesn't mean she has to be PM.

She may just try to win the election with sweet platitudes such as yesterdays,(it sounds so much better in Thai)

: "I want to resolve the situation, not(take)revenge."

And after winning, hand over the hard work to one of the workhorses.

Didn't k. Thaksin say something similar in one of his video links "I'm not bend on revenge, I want to help all and make them rich', or something similar ?

"Thaksin says, clone repeats'

Yingluck's excuse for not debating Abhisit, on the grounds she just entered politics, it a bit funny for someone who's just 'elected' on the number one spot on the party list of PTP and slated to become PM if PTP get's big enough.

If somehow k. Thaksin's beloved sister doesn't get the vote of consent from the Thai voters in sufficient quantity, will she stay on as MP leading the PTP in opposition for the coming four years ? Will she lead censure debates, or leave that type of dirty work to the more experienced in 'her' party ?

Where's Mingkwan? Is he a constituency MP?

And, how many of those are red shirt leaders?

The trio k. Jatuporn, Natthawut and Dr. weng are UDD leaders. K. Korkaew may be a constituency candidate in a Bangkok District like last year. Not sure who else has expressed the willingness to serve the people as political party candidate. Mind you, There are only so many you can put on the first 20 positions Interesting is to know who at the top is representing a specific faction or swallowed party?

The first twenty on the party list, also the most likely to get an MP seat, seem well deserving people with years of valuable work in PTP or it's swallowed smaller parties. The UDD leaders are probably included for their valuable work last year ?

One has to question whether your average PT support can actually think for themselves. They spout democracy, but as far as I can see the party is an autocracy run by Taksin from abroad. Those who don't follow the masters wishes are sidelined. Take a look at the wiki page definition for democracy; PT does not fit this definition. This is a fact, not spin.

Today is the day the party list for PT will be provided? How about some policies too?

Please do pay attention. The policies were announced a while ago in video links with PTP Thinking Head k. Thaksin. If you're not rich in six months it'll be your own fault

He explained that Arisman failed to show up at a ballot unit for the previous election as he was still at large while accused of terrorism, so Arisman could be disqualified from this upcoming election.

K. Arisman is still at large accused of terrorism, running from the law. In my innocence I would assume that already disqualifies him. No 'could' or 'might', plain, simple 'DOES' disqualify him