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rubl
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Posts posted by rubl
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I can't make up my mind, perhaps someone can help me out. Is the army the militant branch of the Democrats, or are the Democrats the political voice of the army. :jap:
I like simple questions, this one is easy: 'none of the above'.
Next
Another simple question for you then. Who in theory controls the army, and who actually controls the army?
I said I like 'simple' questions', no mention of the more difficult ones.
In general the theory tends to differ from the practice, in Thailand and in other countries. Mostly the answer is somewhere in the middle.
In Thailand the Royal Thai Forces are under the control of the government which in it's turn is lead by the PM and cabinet and watched by parliament. Only in the case of a coup this seems not the case, even when a lot agree with the coup. In countries like Thailand, the USA and a few others the military seem to have more 'say' in matters than would be acceptable in other countries. In some countries the military are in control.
Now a simple question to you: what are you trying to suggest with your questions
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Yeah, the guy who came back to life three days later? OBL should be due any day now!
Totally incorrect. Depending on being Christian or Moslem, it's either Jesus Christ or Mohammed coming back. Pray that won't happen soon though, I'm still busy with my 'The End Is Near' sign
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I can't make up my mind, perhaps someone can help me out. Is the army the militant branch of the Democrats, or are the Democrats the political voice of the army. :jap:
I like simple questions, this one is easy: 'none of the above'.
Next
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If you clicked the link I provided you wouldnt have to wonder any longer. Jeeze.....
I clicked the link, now I wonder even more
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Instead of decrying the poll in the North-East shows strong support for the PTP let's have a poll in the South which probably will show an equally strong support for the Democrats.
After those two predictable polls we can start discussing the weather again
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The simplest proof IMO is the lack of any communication from Osama since Dec 2001
Does anyone think a person like OBL would be silent for 10 years? During all this turmoil in the Middle East he will not release a single verifiable audio/video recording?
That he would not speak out against the things in Iraq/Afghanistan/Pakistan/Egypt/Libya ?
That would be like saying Gandhi takes a vacation to the Bahamas during the India Independent movement.
Putting aside whether he was right or wrong for demanding the western military leave Saudi & other ME areas......
Someone like him does not go silent for 10+ years anymore than someone like Gandhi/Martin Luther King/Mandella/Hitler/ would
Again I am not debating his cause I am saying one like him does not fall silent for 10 years
What about those tapes with OBL which have come out every once in a while? He wasn't really silent.
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Thank you for this observation, phiphidon. With k. Thaksin's statement he could rule for another 20 years six or seven years ago, you may wonder where Thailand would be now had that happened ?
"Money no longer talks for Thai PM
By Connie Levett, Bangkok
February 18, 2006
Page 1 of 2
WHEN telecommunications billionaire Thaksin Shinawatra became Thailand's Prime Minister in 2001 he celebrated his extraordinary wealth, telling voters he had so much money they would never have to worry about political corruption again.
He promised a CEO-style leadership that would cut through the bureaucracy of government and talked of wanting to lead the country for 20 years. In the wake of Thailand's 1997 economic meltdown, the promise resonated."
And you know as well as I know that that will never have been allowed to happen and it didn't. However at times it seems that the Democrat Party and more than a few posters on TV seem to want a one party state with no credible opposition (and spare me the jokes that the PTP isn't a credible opposition). Just think what Thailand would be like with Newin (how long to the ban runs out?) in charge, or surely not, Suthep, once Abhisit has been discarded.
True speculation as what worse things might have happened if k. Thaksin was still ruling now, or if k. Newin would be in the position, or even k. Suthep for what it matters.
The Democrats have never said to want a 'one party state', probably not even the TRT. It's more like k. Thaksin being very democratically busy to corner the market, from July 2003:
"Thaksin has been as busy in the corridors of power as on the streets. Through adroit mergers and coalitions with other political groups, his five-year-old Thai Rak Thai party has a lock on the current parliament. In May he said other parties "shouldn't even contemplate" trying to beat Thai Rak Thai at the polls. This is a stupendous change for Thailand, whose past governments have been run by the military or shaky political coalitions. When Thaksin completes his stint in office within the next 19 months, his will be the first civilian government to last a full parliamentary term. In April, Thaksin told members of his party that Thai Rak Thai would govern Thailand for the next 20 years—presumably with him as leader."
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,461898,00.html
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"In plain view government forces shot protesters and armed militants shot soldiers, but no one has been held responsible," HRW Asia director Brad Adams said.
Is this the same Adams who in 2003 said the following. Mind you that was about the 'War on Drugs'
"The U.N. and foreign governments expressed concern over the slaughter, but little more. Human-rights groups were appalled. "The Thais have gone from being the leader in rights to a country that seems to almost resemble its neighbors Cambodia and Burma," says Adams of Human Rights Watch."
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,461898,00.html
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Did you 2 even bother to click the link..........? Seriously, just do a little research <deleted>.
Back in 2007 Mansour Dadullah, Taliban's military commander in Afghanistan, said OBL still to be alive. Now who would you trust more, the USA government or the Taliban ? Oh, never mind, stupid question
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Interestingly, Thailand comes above all countries in the region except Indonesia and Philippines.
Country - Place - Score
Philippines - 93 - 46
Indonesia - 108 - 53
Thailand - 138 - 62
Cambodia - 141 - 63
Malaysia - 143 - 64
Singapore - 150 - 68
Vietnam - 177 - 83
Laos - 184 - 85
Burma - 191 - 94
Well it would be interesting if it wasn't for the fact that all the countries (in the region) below Thailand in this shameful table (with the arguable exception of Malaysia) are all one party states.............
Thank you for this observation, phiphidon. With k. Thaksin's statement he could rule for another 20 years six or seven years ago, you may wonder where Thailand would be now had that happened ?
"Money no longer talks for Thai PM
By Connie Levett, Bangkok
February 18, 2006
Page 1 of 2
WHEN telecommunications billionaire Thaksin Shinawatra became Thailand's Prime Minister in 2001 he celebrated his extraordinary wealth, telling voters he had so much money they would never have to worry about political corruption again.
He promised a CEO-style leadership that would cut through the bureaucracy of government and talked of wanting to lead the country for 20 years. In the wake of Thailand's 1997 economic meltdown, the promise resonated."
http://www.theage.com.au/news/world/money-no-longer-talks-for-thai-pm/2006/02/17/1140151816649.html
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TV is so anti-PT that I just had to sign up & lend my support to the anti-military party. I am astounded that there are so many out of touch foreigners on here that just don't realise that the Dems are the party of the army not the party of the people.
a few links removed
All is relative. Just look at this recent info
"World Wide Military Expenditures - 2011"
I am not comparing the spending to other countries. I am showing the trends pre and post 2006.
Yes, yes, absolutely. Ignore any possible reason for this increase, apart from 'it's this government's payback to their backers'. Ignore global, regional trends, ignore similar figures for Thailand's friend Cambodia.
Do something about it
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nice settings "countries must be extremely vigilant" lol
I repeat it again. Obama just killed two dead horses. Osama and America - conducted by "the SEC(re)T"
For America help is on the way
"Using History to Mold Ideas on the Right
ALEDO, Tex. — In an unmarked office building in this ranching town, among thousands of Revolution-era documents and two muskets with bayonets, David Barton might seem like a quirky history buff. But the true ambition of this slender man in cowboy boots is to use America’s past to remake its future, and he has the ear of several would-be presidents."
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/05/us/politics/05barton.html?_r=1&nl=todaysheadlines&emc=tha2
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TV is so anti-PT that I just had to sign up & lend my support to the anti-military party. I am astounded that there are so many out of touch foreigners on here that just don't realise that the Dems are the party of the army not the party of the people.
a few links removed
All is relative. Just look at this recent info
"World Wide Military Expenditures - 2011"
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Thanks for pointing out my misspelling of President Reagan's name. I've done that many times. I seem to have a preprogrammed tendency to do that. And yes, one could, I suppose, get confused and assume I was talking about Donald Regan. Anything's possible with Thai Visa members. However, your statement that the increase in revenue to the US Treasury was not due to increased economic activity but rather was attributable, in large part, to an increased in the number of people paying taxes is disingenuous and simply not true. Under Reagan, marginal tax rates were cut from a top of 70% to 28%. Revenues (from all taxes) to the U.S. Treasury nearly doubled. You might want to check here for more information. http://www.mackinac.org/article.aspx?ID=676 These same policies could easily apply to Thailand as Thaksin has proposed.
AS economical situation, industrial base, tax population, etc., etc. are so very different between the USA and Thailand it is a bit presumptuous to say USA measures can 'easily' be applied in Thailand.
Wiki on Reaganomics says
"The effect was primarily a change in the composition of tax revenue, towards payroll and new investment, and away from higher earners and capital gains on existing investments, with comparatively small effect on overall tax revenue: the changes "reduced the federal revenue share of GDP from 20.2 percent in fiscal 1981 to 19.2 percent in fiscal 1989," a 1% reduction."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reaganomics
With Thailand having a major 'no tax paying' population, trying to get foreign companies to invest with 'tax reduction' incentives and trying to convince the rich to start paying tax, other measures seem necessary
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Surapong went on to say that there will be an increase of around 10% of passangers?
I hope they increase the size of the rolling stock accordingly?
jb1
The Sukhumvit Line will use the old Siemens trains, the Silom Line the new Chinese ones. Both will have four carriages (like the Silom line already).
Still rush hour will probably remain crowded as in any other major city
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I'm not in any way defending the man, but here is something, to me, that makes zero sense.
1) He was convicted of corruption for "abuse of power" by signing a legal document that, BY THAI LAW, he is REQUIRED to sign if his wife (at the time) was buying property.
2) So, he's LEGALLY REQUIRED, as her husband, to sign it.
3) BUT the court then says he "abused his power" by signing it since he was PM at the time. Can anyone explain that to me in a rational manner?
4) The courts have since ruled that the land purchase was "Null and Void" which, in legal terms, means IT NEVER HAPPENED. The wife (ex now) had to give the land back, and she got her money back, plus interest.
5) So, therefore, if the courts ruled the deal was "Null & Void", and never legally happened, that means any documents he signed, in accordance with Thai law, are also "Null & Void", and therefore he cannot be guilty of "abuse of power".
Perhaps someone on here knows Thai law much better than I do, but as I stated earlier, this make zero sense to me. Unless, of course, you consider that TIT, where making sense of things is a totally alien concept to them.
As most of this post is a repeat of the 11th of Dec 2010 I just post the link with replies. Lazy me, I know
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As a lot of these bugs spread orally concerned people may be happy to know a Japanese University is working on this problem
"The University of Electro-Communications in Tokyo has unveiled its latest invention: a robotic tongue that lets you kiss people over the Internet. Only in Japan."
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Firstly, how could it be any worse? A photo would shut up a lot of people.
Secondly, the fact that you think your government lies to you and you don't care is quite amazing.
... And if the US DID release a photograph of the departed OBL the first thing the fringe would say is that it is a Photoshop-ped fake.
Especially when the photo shows the last thing Osama grasped at was the birth certificate of Obama
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Is there really anyone out there who believes that elections are held? The army will prevent that from happening, even if they have to invade another country. The PM must have the wrong figures by the way. Thai polls are conducted in maximum 15 provinces, that is why there are always so much surprises. Abhisit and his rich friends do not really like to put their boots in the dirt to check what the makjority of Thai people wants. It is absolutely not Abhisit or Prayuth.
Now that you ask, at least one, me
Mind you I've been wrong before, like in June 1997 as far as I remember.If there are no elections before the begin of August 2011 (assuming a House dissolution this month) I'm willing to apologize of course
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A search didn't give this info, but if it's already hidden in a post, i apologize.
A suggestion that the plan and attack on Osama may have been accelerated:
"US may have got Osama bin Laden's Abbottabad clue in 2008 – WikiLeaks"
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/may/03/osama-bin-laden-abbottabad-hideout
highlights the relevant section of the document
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The HRW is 100% correct and only an idiot would deny this or try to justify the army's actions.
The HRW maybe close to 100% correct
It is quite factual and balanced, unlike THE BANGKOK MASSACRES: A CALL FOR ACCOUNTABILITY by Amsterdam & Peroff LLP, who supposedly are fighting to uphold human rights.
I think the report should be translated into Thai so that the Thai people can make a better informed decision when they vote. Some time ago I was surprised to see Amsterdam's submission to the world court in Thai printed and posted outside the UDD's office in Imperial World Lat Phrao.
I'm not sure who would like to stand outside the UDD's office handing out free copies of he translated HRW report. I also do not think anyone campaigning upcountry would like to stress UDD activties too much. Handing out the Robert A. report is no problem of course
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Agree totally, Sonthi & those others jealous of Thaksin's success & popularity certainly have a lot to answer for. Thanks for pointing that out.
Please read the HRW report. It blames the government and army, amongst some others
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"Pheu Thai is confident for a victory in Bangkok," he said.
The campaign for the capital will be under the slogan, "Returning happiness and increasing convenience for Khrungthep residents", he said.
Maybe k. Yongyuth should read the HRW report first ?
What happened to their "injustice" campaign in which they whine about dead people. Or is that only for upcountry? Or is all the whining the UDD's (Jatuporn's) job?
Probably separation of PTP and UDD is in progress. Combined with 'Thaksin thinks, we do'. Throw in some of Robert A.'s newsflashes. End result: total confusion as to who stands for what and why. Only clear thing is PTP, UDD, k. Thaksin have been contradicting themselves and each other so many times that only true believers have no doubts.
Your questions indicate you are not one of them
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If I understand the OP correctly we can expect a decision really soon and most likely before I will retire. There's still the chance of course the ICJ will rule it cannot request Thai troops to move before doing another thorough and solid investigation into the original issue. Now we can only hope both parties involved will refrain from further action while awaiting a ruling from the ICJ. With some luck a peaceful status-quo can continue for a few more decades
Rights Group Says Thai Troops 'Murdered' Civilians During Red-Shirts Protest Last Year
in Thailand News
Posted
Come on, PPD. It's you who started distracting from the topic by asking insignificant details like
"'Is there any determination which army branch was on the elevated tracks?
Was it army, as some would choose to assume?"
The HRW report (yes, please do read it) clearly puts blame on the government / army side AND UDD / militant red-shirts side. To my knowledge the first time we see this type/kind of detail. Yes the government is to blame not to have opened up, yes the red-shirts are to blame by ignoring their part of the violence.
If you ask 'which branch of the army', I may equally ask which branch of the red-shirts. Of historical and scientific value to know, but only distracting at the moment when the global picture is only slowly emerging. Next you'll ask me the percentage of red-shirts innocent because they were deaf after listening to the sound blast of the main stage for 2 months
So let's put things in scope:
"Based on investigations conducted in Bangkok and in
Thailand’s central and northeastern regions from June 2010 to
April 2011, this report provides the first full account of the
violence and the reasons behind it. The high death toll and
injuries resulted from excessive and unnecessary lethal force
on the part of security forces, including firing of live
ammunition at protesters, sometimes by snipers. Soldiers
fatally shot at least four people, including a medic treating the
wounded, in or near a temple in Bangkok on May 19, despite
army claims to the contrary. The extensive casualties also
resulted from deliberate attacks by militant armed elements
of the UDD, whose leaders contributed to the violence with
inflammatory speeches to demonstrators, including urging
their supporters to carry out riots, arson attacks, and looting.
The heavily armed “Black Shirt” militants, apparently
connected to the UDD and operating in tandem with it, were
responsible for deadly attacks on soldiers, police, and
civilians."
Don't know link, copied from the PDF made available.