Oberkommando

Some people are calling for elections!

Duh!

How about a prison time for those who declared an all out war on the government? What's the point in talking about elections in essentially a lawless country under the state of emergency that can't even be enforced?

First the govt needs to subdue the insurgency, make sure that emergency situation passes, then talk about elections.

How about prison time for those that took over the airport?

I have just had a text from a mate on Koh Chang. He reckons Thaksin is there with some military figures.

If it was ever in doubt that Abhisit was an ineffectual leader it isn't any more.

Absolutely the wrong man for the job.

Times like this you need a Chalerm or a Thaksin, as odious and grotesque as they are.

This was predictable even after the coup in 2006.

Took longer than even I expected though.

This is what happens when the military and other institutions involve themselves in politics with the available media and communications in the 21st century.

One of the reasons this current government have stated clamping down severely on the internet and handing out ridiculously harsh punishments for offenders.

Thailand is finished on the global stage, and has been limping along since the coup, further wounded by airport shutdowns and a weak, military led government and judiciary.

All the skeletons have been coming out of the closet recently, and the warnings have been there for some time but most expats have buried their heads in the sand and ignored them.

Spoken like a true Thai. You get honorary MTTT status... We should all just stop caring, taking any interest at all and become brainless retards like most Thais....

The former is a foreign educated Thai and the latter a local ie. uneducated Thai as sadly the education system here ranks as amongst the worst in the world because of.... yes, years of lack of interest because the ruling families send their kids abroad anyway to be educated so who cares about the local poor!

Please let's be clear here... I use my words carefully... brainless = brains have been lost because of no use, retard = on the international IQ scale, most Thais are classified as that by their average IQ of 88.

Not my fault, I am the one campaigning here for change to get an education for them as I think carefully where my 6 months old son is going to go to school...

If you are going to refer to national groups as "brainless retards", at least be able to spell "miriad" properly. PS. it's "myriad"

Less tourists can be a good thing; quieter beaches and easier to find accommodation just two benefits.

Money isn't everything.

"We apologise to the Thai people that this incident happened," he told the media. "Even though the government was not responsible, it is its duty to ensure the meeting runs smoothly.

Apologies for Thai people specifically but not foreigners?

Now he needs to lift the State of Lawlessness which has been plaguing the country for many months.

Lawless except when it comes to dishing out ridiculously long punishments for thought crimes or offensive websites.

They will back anyone who shows them a glimmer of hope of a better future. Wouldn't you?

Probably I would also, but very soon I would realize that I have been screwed.

PS I know Abhisit has been busy but where is his rural development plan?

His sufficiency plan for rural Thailand will be implemented very soon.

Who's plan?

And its also a fact that most Thai believe that the democrats are far less corrupt than other parties, Chuan for instance has a great respect for that matter even amongst his enemies.

Chuan's nickname 'The Painter' comes from his staunch defence of his government members accused of corruption.

Not to mention the National Counter Corruption Commission found him guilty of asset concealment.

And let's not even mention his brother.

He's just another pig at the trough, don't kid yourself otherwise.

He's also very friendly with those nasty Burmese Generals.

Well, we know who the real painter is now.

Chuan, an attorney, has defended the accused, was found guilty of forgetting to disclose a small amount of shares in a rural cooperative, has a dishonest brother and despite having been PM twice, has lived in the same small house for over 20 years and has a net worth of less than USD 150,000. As for his relations with the Burmese generals, you quickly you forget that even your hero, Thaksin, had close relations with the Myanmar junta. In fact, he made them a huge loan so that they could buy his telecommunications equipment.

Thaksin is no hero of mine.

No surprise to see you excusing Chuan's unsavoury dealings with the Burmese Generals by trotting out the tired old "but Thaksin was worse" or "Thaksin did that too" excuse.

You are nothing if not predictable.

And its also a fact that most Thai believe that the democrats are far less corrupt than other parties, Chuan for instance has a great respect for that matter even amongst his enemies.

Chuan's nickname 'The Painter' comes from his staunch defence of his government members accused of corruption.

Not to mention the National Counter Corruption Commission found him guilty of asset concealment.

And let's not even mention his brother.

He's just another pig at the trough, don't kid yourself otherwise.

He's also very friendly with those nasty Burmese Generals.

This is the excuse they need for the military dictatorship they want.

A golden opportunity for a military power grab and to ensure The Legacy.

Chaiyo.

More like 'money rules'...do you think any of the Red shirts would be there 'protesting' if they had to use their own money? I think not.

Worapol, a leader of Red Shirts Prachuabkirikhan:

Q: How much do you have to pay to come here?

A: At least 500 baht. We pay for our buses ourselves.

Mae (mother) Pramuan, Udonthani:

Q: How do you come here?

A: We collect money, 100-200 baht each. Who has more contributes more. Some come by bus, some by train.

Educate yourself here

Unconfirmed reports said Thaksin's sisters _ Yaowapa Wongsawat and Yingluck Shinawatra _ may have also left the country.

The unconfirmed departure would leave the red-shirted movement with no immediate, on-hand guidances, the sources said. This could either weaken or, on the contrary, galvanise the movement and things could get out of control.

Irresponsible nonsense journalism.

Some of my friends ( not mongers) just canceled their trip after Thailand being all over the news in the UK again today

The political situation in Thailand remains very uncertain. Major political demonstrations have been taking place in Bangkok, with outbreaks of violence. A major rally by opposition supporters is taking place in central Bangkok around Government House. There are approximately 10,000 demonstrators camped at Government House. Tens of thousands more protestors are expected to join the rally on 8 April. There is a risk that the protest could turn violent. You are advised to avoid areas where demonstrations are taking place. You should continue to exercise caution when travelling around Bangkok and other towns/cities, avoiding any demonstrations or large gatherings of people. If you plan to visit Thailand you should consider the present situation when making your decision. If you are in Thailand you should keep yourself informed of developments, including by regularly checking this advice and the media. See the Terrorism/ Security, Political Situation and Local Travel sections for more details.

UK FCO Travel Advice

City's losses tripled under Thaksin

Manchester City Football Club's losses nearly tripled and its net assets shrank by more than half while the club was owned by Thaksin Shinawatra.

The dramatic fall in the asset value, from £57.2m to £24.5m, was caused mainly by a £50m splurge on new players.

Newly filed group accounts for Manchester City Ltd show a pre-tax loss of £32.6m the year to May 31, 2008, nearly three times the £11m loss posted a year earlier.

The accounts cover the one and only full season during which City was controlled by Thaksin, who sold a 90 per cent stake to Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan's Abu Dhabi United Group Investment & Development Ltd in September last year for a reported £210m.

Shortly before he sold the club, Thaksin was forced to flee Thailand and last October he was convicted of corruption by the Thai supreme court and sentenced in his absence to two years in jail.

Thaksin was expected to seek political asylum in the UK but in November he was banned from returning here and now divides his time between homes in Dubai and Hong Kong. In February he was removed as honorary president of Manchester City,a new post created for him at the time of the sale to Abu Dhabi United Group.

The size of the club's losses during the 2007/08 season is an indication that owning a Premier League club was probably unsustainable for Thaksin, a former telecoms entrepreneur who had £1.18bn of his wealth frozen by the Thai authorities after he was deposed as prime minister in a 2006 military coup.

- Crain's Manchester Business News / 2009-04-08

It is the same at any top flight club outside the top four. If you are going to compete then you need to spend money. There is no guarantee of silverware either, no matter how much money you spend.

Citeh fans will see his period at their club as successful as he raised the profile of the club internationally and paved the way for the new owners who have made Citeh the richest club in the World.

He also profited substantially from the sale of his majority stake and got out when he discovered that breaking into the top clubs in the Premiership is a gargantuan task that even an investment of billions does not guarantee, especially now there is TV pressure and bias towards the more successful and higher profile teams. A good business decision IMO.

You can be sure that this new Sheik will spend a lot more with the same effect.

Divisive politics propagated by Thaksin has bred the "hate" you see in your relatives, which is a tragedy for Thailand in my opinion. Until Thaksin is brought to book and silenced, his hate campaign will continue to pollute minds throughout the Kingdom. (imho).

Thaksin is the current bogeyman.

Before it was the Communists and left wing students.

There's only ever been one "campaign of hate" emanating from Thailand and it isn't from the red side.

It seems the lessons of Thammasat University in 1976 have been so quickly forgotten.

Hmm, I hardly ever come across any form of porn unintentionally.

Our market in mooban doesn't carry any porn, videoshop owner I know doesn't carry any porn. I visit Pantip maybe once a year, none of the IT malls I usually go to have any porn on display, much less Pantip like tawts.

Google filters out porn when I'm on the net, the police drove karaoke girls from the sidewalks back inside long time ago, there's one with girls on display, on Phattanakarn, that I occasionally pass with the kids, and they really stare at them as they've never seen this sight before.

The perception that Thailand is filled with prostitution top to bottom and porn is everywehre is just plain wrong, it might appear that way if only you stick to Nana/Pantip/Pattaya.

There are brothels everywhere in Bangkok. Hairdressing shops, massage parlours and other venues.

And there are several "karaoke bars" near my moobaan that have girls on display.

Sure it's not as bad as it was even 10 years ago but let's not kid ourselves that it has miraculously disappeared.

Thailand fully acknowledges the court decision.

This is a different case, with reference to an area not ruled upon by the UN court. There are a couple of long threads discussing the details with reference to similar flareups in July and October last year.

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/Cambodia-Thr...-2-t217504.html

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/Thai-Troops-...l=cartographers

Thailand does not acknowledge the court decision, and that is the whole problem.

That is exactly why they stationed troops around Preah Vihear and denied Cambodians access in the first place.

Then the conflict has spread further North to other disputed areas.

Thailand has been stirring this up for months. PAD were protesting at Preah Vihear and putting pressure on the Thai Government to refuse to acknowledge the UN World Heritage listing.

These clashes started off near Preah Vihear earlier today and that area was most certainly ruled on by the ICJ.

If you are going to quote link to direct sources, not other ThaiVisa threads.

Both sides reporting casualties now.

Fighting is still ongoing according to BBC News.

BBC reporting two Thai soldiers have been killed and gunfire is now being exchanged by both sides.

This was inevitable once this government took power. The PAD and the ultra-conservatives were pushing for this to happen and staging protests at the Preah Vihear temple itself in order to stir up tensions when Somchai was still PM.

Let's hope it doesn't escalate further.

Thailand should respect the border as demarked by the International Court judgement.

They were warned by the Cambodian PM further incursions into Cambodian territory would be met with military force and the Thais obviously want to provoke a conflict.

I was standing less than 10 feet away from the spot, where the poor woman got killed by a grenade launched in through the top of the tent at Government house, less than 48 hours before it happened. For all I know, it might have been one of the people offering me a place to sit down with them, when I was standing there.

What on Earth are you doing getting yourself mixed up in a militant protest in a foreign country for anyway?

I used to drive on a regular basis here. Owned several cars. Drove the length and breadth of the country at one time or another.

I now hire a Thai driver and own a VIP minivan.

Can't be bothered with the childish, irresponsible and dishonest nonsense that goes on on Thai roads.

Facts to support:

"In a shocking revelation the network has captured the 'doctors on camera' being interviewed and accepting money to perform amputation surgeries on limbs of perfectly healthy children and adults - so that they can be made a cripple and become a high earning beggar."

http://www.bio-medicine.org/medicine-news/...-Part--12794-1/

This really happens. I am not making it up.

Used to be fairly common in Thailand, not so much anymore. Still common in India.

I wonder if that Dutch guy that begs on the Skytrain has considered a limb amputation to boost his coffers, althout he's probably raking in a few thousand a day as it is.

A strange World, where a Westerner begging in Thailand can make a dam_n sight more than a local. No doubt the colour of his skin is an asset in his profession.

My biggest complaints are badly designed Thai websites with horrible layouts, dead links, viruses and trojans.

I'd also like to know where the 500 hundred million Baht went that was required by this Government to Police the internet when the same objectives could have been achieved for a fraction of the cost.

I will be contacting the hotline immediately.