LevelHead

An election held under an SOE isn't going to have any legitimacy anyway. There needs to be some kind of mediated settlement, or other end to the protest and SOE, before Thailand can have a reasonably fair (at least by Thai standards) election.

It is interesting that if you look at the map on this page and read the conditions of the 2007 Coup Appointed Leaders referendum.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thai_constitutional_referendum,_2007

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Strange that Suthep and indeed the Army have not said anything about poor Thai citizens assaulted and blocked from being able to vote.

Will the army also protect all voters who go to the polls next Sunday from the whistle blowing mobs of Suthep ?

The only way the army can stop violence is to stay out of this, tell the police its ok to use necessary force to arrest all the criminals in the whistle blowing mob who have broken the law and are criminals, and once they are all cleared away and arrested then there will be peace.

The army cannot be asked to protect those who have committed criminal offenses under the Thai Constitution.

All in my opinion.

I do believe in 1973 something similar happened, the "establishment/elite" tried to say most of the students were Vietnamese and this was the justification to put the students down.......

So are they just trying to do the same again ?

Funny how the Men In Black in 2010 were assumed to be red shirts - without any question, even though the army never managed to catch a single one.

And now in 2014 with the roles reversed they are all Cambodian is the suggestion.............

Laughable.

All in my opinion.

Well, the anti-democracy, whistle blowing, anti-vote people managed to get themselves into the Wall Street Journal, see photo below.

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Be9Kiw6CUAAvP3k.jpg

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Well the reds have created a martyr, from the NSPTR students camp or from the Suthep camp, makes no difference the lable that he is protesting under, it is against the current kleptocracy. His martyrdom; most likely the reds did it, facts will emerge, as well as spin. But the last time the reds opponents had martyrs it did NOT end well for those being backed by the reds. Now there is someone important to rally around in memorial. Just like after Gov House then the airport, the violence had the exact opposite affect than desired on the protestors. The did not stop.

Chalerm certainly did open the moral floodgates with his recent comments, this will only get worse.

The most pathetic part is this was the fastest route to making SURE the election couldn't be held next week.

The inability to join cause and affect together and figure out your own best interests in the combination, and then act appropriately.

RIP K. Suthin a shame you had to die for the cause you believed in.

Very well written

To those who are responsible for this Murder

You have just opened Pandoras Box

once open you will find it hard to close again

Wow, you have solved the case !!

So who did it then ? Who shot him ? What is their name and ID card number ?

Are they from Udon ? Or Surat Thani ? Or Cambodia ? Or a jihadist from down south ?

I await you to post their photo and their ID card number as you are sure it was a "RED" and you claim so.

So based on these claims, please provide the details of who it was along with absolute proof they are a red shirt, not a yellow in disguise, or a black shirt, or green shirt, or blue shirt, or made in Cambodia shirt.........

I await..............

In my opinion of course.

Yes you have missed the DETAIL.

The Constitution Court ruled that, in line with the written Constitution of Thailand, an election may be postponed if the government and EC agree IN THE EVENT OF a national emergency, like war, natural disaster etc...

That is the detail.

The PDRC supporters have spun this to say it can be postponed anytime you want, provided EC and PM agree - BUT THAT IS NOT TRUE.

The Court only offered guidance that in the event of a war, national emergency etc.. as defined in the written constitution then, and only then can the election be delayed.

The Court did not state or imply the present situation of a few protests was enough to call a postponement. So if there is a postponement you can be sure the PDRC and Democrat Party will file complaints that the present situation is not enough and the election was postponed outside of the guidelines of the written constitution.

Please show me where it says in the constitution, or the written court verdict where it says a few demonstrations and protest, localized in certain area's, is enough to justify under a postponement.

Its not there, which is why YL is saying, the election continues.

All in my opinion of course.

Just my opinion, I'd say blood on the streets, murder, grenades and shootings in amongst a country divided could constitute a national emergency.

Heck, ys has even declared a countrywide state of emergency.

Regardless of who is right, the fact is that this is not being handled well and people are dying. It would be great if someone in charge could do something to limit this bloodshed.

I love Thailand and it's upsetting to see this happen. If not postpone the election then the proper measures should have been put in place to allow as best as possible, the protestors to protest, and the voters to vote.

However the Constitution Court did not offer any guidance as to whether the current situation is enough to warrant a postponement.

Had they said it is, then it could have been postponed, but they did not, they simply reiterated the war, national emergency as in the written version.

So in view of that the election has to proceed as it has to be held by February the 6th else there is a breach of the maximum time allowed before an election has to be held. If that timescale is breached the PM and government will be hauled before the Constitution Court at which point they will declare if the present situation was enough, OR NOT, to postpone. If they say not enough then YL goes to prison for negligence for not holding an election and an appointed PM will take over.

Do you see why all the protest groups want a postponement ????????????????????

This is now the new constitution, not the 1997 one that was in effect in 2006.

All in my opinion of course.

Finally, now Suthep will see the damage he has done to his country in his effort to gain leadership other than the ballot box. Shame on this terrible excuse of a man.

As the PTP charged two Democrate leaders with murders for people that where killed during

As thing must be equal Yingluck and her head ministers must not be charged with this murder

Don't tell me now you want and amnesty for Yingluck as well as her brother

Shame on this woman and the thugs behind her for the death of another Thai in their quest for Greed

There is a big difference.

YL and PTP have told the police they are not allowed to use guns or live ammunition.

Abhisit and Suthep, in their roles, authorized the army to use live ammunition. They are being charged as they were the ones who are ultimately responsible for allowing the military to use real live rounds on protestors in 2010, which resulted in many deaths.

In my opinion of course.

Anyone that prevents another person from voting is simply on the wrong side of history.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1qt9Ynogftk

The most boring clip in history. What is your point?

The point of the clip is that :

A Thai citizen was forcibly stopped from voting by PDRC protestors.

They were physically assaulted and prevented from voting.

Because you can be sure in my opinion that Suthep and the PDRC will claim nobody was touched, nobody was stopped, nothing was blocked.

The people who pulled her, pushed her and assaulted her are liable for fines and imprisonment of up to 5 years, they are on camera, they are caught red handed, and the world can see it.

All in my opinion of course.

Shocked. I expected to read that charges would be filed, because they had negligently opened polls knowing full well that it was likely to become a volatile situation.

Postponement at the least seems to be the prudent thing to do, as the government, nor police seem to be capable of ensuring the safety of the people. Be they the protestors, the anti protestor protestors, or the voting public.

In case you have not been following.

The Thai Constitution says elections cannot be postponed unless there is a war, natural disaster and the like.

The Constitution Court this week said the same, and did not give any guidance as to what the list of reasons are that can delay an election, and did not say in any way shape or form that the present situation is enough to warrant a postponement. They simply confirmed that in the event of war or a natural disaster or countrywide emergency the election may be postponed.

In view of this, it would be illegal for the election to be postponed and it would result in the caretaker PM and caretaker government being subject to be taken to court for negligence and breaking the constitution.

This is just a game, they are trying to push for elections to be postponed which will then allow the government to be kicked out. But everyone knows it, well, apart from those still trying to say it should be postponed and the Constitution of Thailand breached, for their obvious gains............

All in my opinion of course.

Well, I must have missed something as there is a thread here in the news that states that the constitutional court has unanimously agreed that a postponement may go ahead without breaking the constitution.

Yes you have missed the DETAIL.

The Constitution Court ruled that, in line with the written Constitution of Thailand, an election may be postponed if the government and EC agree IN THE EVENT OF a national emergency, like war, natural disaster etc...

That is the detail.

The PDRC supporters have spun this to say it can be postponed anytime you want, provided EC and PM agree - BUT THAT IS NOT TRUE.

The Court only offered guidance that in the event of a war, national emergency etc.. as defined in the written constitution then, and only then can the election be delayed.

The Court did not state or imply the present situation of a few protests was enough to call a postponement. So if there is a postponement you can be sure the PDRC and Democrat Party will file complaints that the present situation is not enough and the election was postponed outside of the guidelines of the written constitution.

Please show me where it says in the constitution, or the written court verdict where it says a few demonstrations and protest, localized in certain area's, is enough to justify under a postponement.

Its not there, which is why YL is saying, the election continues.

All in my opinion of course.

The PDRC will get desperate, in my opinion, if and when YL tells them the elections go ahead - do your job and ensure elections take place.

So it will get interesting before next weekend I think.

Shocked. I expected to read that charges would be filed, because they had negligently opened polls knowing full well that it was likely to become a volatile situation.

Postponement at the least seems to be the prudent thing to do, as the government, nor police seem to be capable of ensuring the safety of the people. Be they the protestors, the anti protestor protestors, or the voting public.

In case you have not been following.

The Thai Constitution says elections cannot be postponed unless there is a war, natural disaster and the like.

The Constitution Court this week said the same, and did not give any guidance as to what the list of reasons are that can delay an election, and did not say in any way shape or form that the present situation is enough to warrant a postponement. They simply confirmed that in the event of war or a natural disaster or countrywide emergency the election may be postponed.

In view of this, it would be illegal for the election to be postponed and it would result in the caretaker PM and caretaker government being subject to be taken to court for negligence and breaking the constitution.

This is just a game, they are trying to push for elections to be postponed which will then allow the government to be kicked out. But everyone knows it, well, apart from those still trying to say it should be postponed and the Constitution of Thailand breached, for their obvious gains............

All in my opinion of course.

Red shirt leader shot a few days ago, lucky not to be dead.

PDRC leader shot and killed today.

Third hands ? Men in Black ? Trying to kill both sides of the divide in order to provoke more violence to lead to the need for a coup ?

The Wikileaks cables released from the US Embassy in Thailand back to Washington clearly show that there is in their opinion a side that is willing to see quite a few people dead in order to justify a coup. Those cables are available to be read on http://wikileaks.org/cablegate.html

All in my opinion of course.

Pictures tell a thousand words. Now, how do I forward these pictures of Thai being forcefully prevented to vote to Obama? No need for long letters.

Youtube should have of video's tonight of voters being prevented from voting by the use of force.

The PDRC people have used force, they have obstructed by using force and also padlocking gates closed.

This is blatant obstruction and undeniable.

But of course, Suthep will no doubt in my opinion claim no force was used and nowhere was blocked. he will likely claim the protestors were just having a sit down rest and never touched anyone and he is unsure why the EC shut down polling stations.............

In my opinion of course.

Well lets see. The court ruled yesterday that election date could be chAnged legally. And it was not the king who ordered an election within a certain time frame. It was the constitution. She only sought the kings approval to step down and be caretaker.

Sent from my GT-S5310 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

If Abhisit won't stand for election and continues to back Suthep's grab for power, what is the point of cancelling election and restarting it? Nothing would change, perhaps Suthep would have sold his land by then and had enough money to fund his stages, and his guards, so it would just be Bangkok restart #2 or #3 or whatever number he's up to now.

Yingluk made an offer to them already, but they declined to promise not to block future elections.

Worse, yesterday we had Abhisit at the army party openly threatening the elected PM with his "resign before its too late" speech. Today we have him on Facebook threatening empeachment for some bogus claim or other. He's making it clear he won't go the elections route to power.

Suthep is silent.

Abhisit is really flailing.

EC has no legal power to block elections, and even had an angry Bangkok voter mob on its door today.

I don't see that anything has really changed here. We're still heading for elections and its still likely to be a high turnourt majority PT vote.

The Constitution Court failed to give clear guidance.

They only said the election could be postponed in certain circumstances (like war or national disaster) BUT they did not say the present situation warrants it or not.

Which means in effect that Yingluck would put herself into the firing line if she postponed the election as the court many then rule, with no guidance given in their last ruling, that the present protests do not warrant a postponement and so YL and the PTP are in breach of the constitution.

There will be a lawsuit against her by the Democrat Party and PDRC if she postpones it.

There will be a lawsuit against her by the same people if she does not.

The saving grace for her is that if there is an election then she has not violated the constitution and so there is nothing wrong.

If she postpones the election and there is no war or National Emergency (countrywide) she could be found guilty by the courts of incorrectly postponing it.

So the election has to carry on as planned, with by elections as needed until all seats are filled, if it takes 1 month or 6 months or 2 years - this is the way the Thai Constitution is written and so this is the law in my understanding.

All of the above is just my opinion of course.

The good news is that lots of these people have been photographed and can be taken to court and face up to 5 years in jail for preventing people from voting.

Unless of course the PDRC gets into power or some other silent coup and then all the protestors in 2013 and 2014 will get defacto amnesty by way of no prosecution, which is the normal yellow way, in my opinion of course.

You do not need amnesty if nobody ever convicts you of anything.

All in my opinion of course.

Pictures today of another voter having force used against them by whistle mob PDRC protestors.

His right as a Thai citizen to vote freely and fairly being denied by the use of force against him.

Source of the photo's is @CMPOLIVE

@cmpolive

Thailand · facebook.com/capopolice

The photo description is in Thai script which I am not allowed to post on this English only site. You can check out the source.

.My understanding and opinion is this posting, of course, nothing more.

What a disgrace. Here we see a female Thai voter wanting to vote, being forcefully prevented from voting. There is actual force, pulling and pushing to prevent her voting.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=youtu.be&v=1qt9Ynogftk

A terrible day for Thailand when free people, voters are prevented from voting by a mob, a small minority mob using force to prevent people voting.

What an amazing piece of footage and what an amazingly brave woman.

She is brave ! and a great advert for Thai Democracy that she goes and tries to vote.

The sad thing is the very bad advert for Democracy from a mob using force to stop her.

Thailand has tens of millions people who want to vote and less than 50,000 now trying to stop them.

Well :

The Thai Constitution Court said the election can be delayed "in some circumstances" but failed to give clear guidance on what all the circumstances are and if the present situation should warrant it.

In this instance they have basically said it can be delayed but we are not telling you all the reasons why and we are not telling you if the present situation is enough.

That they have not issued any guidance on the nature of all events that can cancel an election, and failed to give guidance on whether the present situation warrants cancelling the election they have in effect in peoples views laid a trap for PTP and Yingluck. If they cancel it or postpone it then the CC could rule that the reason was not correct (as they have not said what are all the reasons).

Given the lack of clear guidance on whether the present situation can warrant a postponement or cancellation there is nothing the caretaker government can do apart from continuing with the election as planned.

What is good to see today is that near 90% of the country appears fine and polling booths in those area's are open and people are being allowed to vote.

It appears to be only in area's where the Democrat Party are strong that the law is being broken, criminal activity is happening where people are being denied their right to vote by mobs using force.

In my opinion of course all of the above.

There will of course be charges from some people of collusion between the EC and protestors. But is it correct ?

Why have the EC not asked the Police and Army to make voting possible ?

Why have the EC not asked the Police and Army to clear the protestors away and allow people to enter to vote ?

Why has the EC simply said if any protestors around then shut down the polling booth ?

Very strange......................

In my opinion.