kirk0233

Some shouted at him that he was Thaksin's slave and did not love His Majesty the King.

Are the PDRC supporters who block polling places suggesting that the king supports this practice and supports their philosophy?

For a global perspective, see . . .

http://www.globalresearch.ca/towards-the-destabilization-and-breakup-of-thailand/5366193

Not an unbiased article at all. Completely yellow.

This is what happens when an administration forces a vote that large swaths of the population don't want and when a caretaker administration invokes the power of the emergency decree during an election campaign. It's called chaos. It's called a stalemate, and that stalemate exists even if every single protester came off the streets. This will be quorum-less parliament. Pure and simple. That is the reality the administration really ought to be concerned with. Because their legislative power left on December 9 with the dissolution of parliament, and they'll never get it back again. There is no path forward for the administration - either through the legislature, or through the courts. It's time to listen to the people. It's time for a process of peaceful reform talks, with the full participation of all parties and all the people to map a course forward together.

Seems to me it is Suthep who needs to listen to the people and respect their vote and right to vote.

So isn't there police and army personnel at the voting sites? EC is doing everything it can to avoid doing it's job. They should be charged with dereliction of duty if the vote does not continue.

Yes, the EC issued a statement warning the authorities that the emergency decree must not violate the Constitution by causing advantages or disadvantages to the election candidates; but no warning to Suthep's group who said they would prevent citizens from voting.

Alex, I don't hate cities at all. But to me, Bangkok is a dirty hot stinking mess of metal, concrete, traffic jams, and too darn many shopping centers. There is no beauty and no order. No squares or open public places (except Lumphini Park). Riding a bicykle or rollerskates is "like wishing for death", and pretty much impossible on most places. And you can barely even walk on the side walk, because it is plugged with junk and noodle-carts.

Compare Bangkok to beautiful cities like Rome, Tokyo, Barcelona and San Francisco.. The whole darn place is plain ugly, dirty, cramped and chaotic! Getting from point A to point B is just painful.. Heck, even Hong Kong is better!

I never stay more than a few days.

Walking on the foot paths is almost impossible in Bangkok if you are taller than 5 feet with all the umbrellas place over noodles or whatever someone wants to sell that day. At six feet tall I am constantly stooping to avoid hitting my head while also looking down to avoid stumbling over a vat of boiling oil or some other crap placed on the walk way. The city really is not pedestrian friendly, but driving about in a car has numerous disadvantages as well.

"Tarit yesterday also warned people not to take part in the protests, saying they could be regarded as violating the law or could end up clashing with police.

He said ordinary protesters would be also deemed to have violated the law under the state of emergency. He said that by attempting to interrupt an election, they could face a jail term of up to 10 years."

Ah, another fascist having his moment. Who let PT's pit bull loose?

Still the protesters should know by now that exercising your democratic right to protest is a crime in PT's eyes (if they are the ones you object to that is).

Under the constitution, isn't the SOE illegal?

No, people keep forgetting that it was a retired judgewho offered his unsolicited opinion that it was illegal; but the cc has not ruled on it.

I will argue that Thai citizens are morally responsible to rise up and demand removal of both Yingluck and the influence of Thaksin, then define and implement the reform necessary to ensure that the Kingdom of Thailand remains free from unjust and corrupt leaders in the future

Shouldn't Suthep have some plan as to how he is going to remove corruption from Thailand, or do we just have to have faith in him and his unwritten plan? If so, then this whole movement is based strictly on emotion, since plainly reason has nothing to do with it and the miracle plan, like the 10 commandments will be delivered to the people when God has spoken to Suthep and the Thaksin clan is removed. Apparently any of the other corruption that is found in the military, the police, the courts etc. is not on the Suthep's agenda for cleansing. Clearly Thaksin is corrupt, as is Suthep; so why is only Thaksin attacked and not Suthep? Primarily because of the influence of an important man who felt Thaksin was becoming more popular than him. Apparently he has a huge ego and cannot tolerate coming in second.

So she might follow the constitution courts ruling and change election dates. I would be careful, she followed their ruling last time regarding amending the constitution to allow for the election of all senators and they ruled it unconstitutional. One judge called it tyranny of the majority. I am sure the constitution court can always find one minor little thing she did wrong, as they did with the senator amendment, that can bring charges against her.

Yes it would have SAVED A LOT OF MONEY to the country to do the reform before election but it is too late for that!

The real goal is, as a first step, eradicate the Thaksin regime before, during or after the election!

The second step being, implementing reforms to make our country a REAL DEMOCRACY!

The third step is to vote honestly for a new house of representative and government.

Where might someone find these plans so their merit can be evaluated? I am particularly interested in step 2 and who chooses the people's council members, the criteria for determining who sits on it, the election reform plans that remove corruption, etc.

So, apparently the only authority the caretaker government has is postponing elections; declaring a state of emergency out of the question according to retired judge?

 

"2. News reports and distribution of newspapers and other publications carrying distorted information or facts that might cause panic, affect peace and order or good morals are not allowed."

Wow, so only news reports acceptable from the Government. North Korea style media at its best. So, if some corruption deals get exposed, it won't be reported, if a red shirt causes violence it won't be reported. Any anti Government reports won't be reported.

If Suthep or the anti Government protesters do something bad, it will be reported.

​What a fair democracy that is. People really don't realise how corrupt and power hungry this Government really are.

Well said.

Thank you

We shall see how this is implemented. If all negative comments about PTP, it's dominant family, the NACC probes and other similar issues are suppressed in the media then your comments will indeed be spot on.

The Courts have declared the SOE illegal, saying the caretaker government don't have authority to do that. Whether that's sensible or not is immaterial - it's the judges interpretation of the law, and their ruling. So why should anyone, protesters, media companies, journalists actually abide by the rules announced?

Is it legal, or are the caretaker government simply claiming it's legal? Can anyone in this country actually make a decision?

A former judge yesterday said in his opinion the state of emergency is not legal. When did the actual constitution court rule on this?

 

Public gatherings are banned yet Chalerm says no attempts will be made to disperse protesters ?

The focus will be on arresting protest leaders but has he not noticed they tend to be surrounded by lots of followers who I suppose will simply part like the Red Sea and allow arrests to take place.

The government may have decided not to provoke a reaction by a Softly Softly approach but if they want that to work they have appointed to wrong man to run policing the emergency decree because if anyone can start a civil war ... !

Suthep sleeps in a local Bangkok hotel. I am sure the government is well aware of this and at this time does not want to incite further violence from the crowd from his arrest. When the time is right a quick arrest will be fairly easy.

 

Another typical move by the thugs to violate people rights and break laws.

Your propaganda war room really needs to come up with something new or different to say rather than repeating the same old mantras day in and day out. Or perhaps you could actually involve yourself in discussion here, it is a forum after all, and tell us why you (in a sensible, well thought out way) think the the Govt is so great and the anti-Govt movement is so bad.

ill give you the one thing the gov are great for.................they are allowing people the right to have a vote..........

ill give you one reason the anti gov are so bad ........ they are not allowing people the right to have a vote....

Nuff said... respect the vote, without that you cannot say you have respect for anything at all.

Except again you are twisting things around. The anti-Govt people are not saying no to voting at all, merely that reform MUST take place before any elections. Not quite the same thing as your over-simplification makes it out.

Yes of course, Thais must do what the anti-government says they must do before they are allowed to vote. You write as though it is entirely fair and democratic for this unelected force to require this of Thai citizens. Many readers here need to develop their critical thinking skills. PDRC will take away democracy to give Thais the democracy they approve of.

As there is one important part of the Thai constitution that cannot be discussed, it seems pointless to discuss any of it in great detail. Indeed, the apparent dilemma in the above article is a false dilemma as there is an obvious solution that cannot be discussed.

Indeed. All discussion of the Thai political crisis, on both sides, is utterly pointless given that the root problem of Thai politics - the existence of an alternative power base outside of elected government - cannot be discussed. The people have little idea of how this works and the crowds on the streets, who are no doubt sincere in their intention to fight against corruption, have no idea how deeply they are being used and deceived. They just can't see it. The phrase 'elephant in the room' is particularly apt in Thailand.

If LM was eliminated there would be no mystery surrounding the deal making and out of sight meddling that is occuring and democracy could take hold. Of course, this is exactly the reason LM is not eliminated.

Breaking news: it is opposite day, or Pinocchio's birthday.

You are on to something there.

Wise words are that the SOE was meant to be very vague as it got all the Yellow mobs and leaders in a panic and they had to spend time discussing it, plotting what to do about it and responding to things that they didn't know were in place.

Great move from the Government is was. They'll clarify it as required, to people who will understand it.

It also outed some more allies of Suthep in NBTC and EC, CC talking about ruling on it and Humanrights watch. They all came out on cue and bleated the same thing. So more evidence of collusion on the Courts, regulatory bodies and NGO's Bet they wish they had kept quiet now.

With this, Yingluk has painted a picture of her being under seige from old school moneyed elitists... which most people outside of Thai media believe. Not all... most!

Very sensible move to get it in place whilst the going was good. If violence levels increase there could have been hope from the army side that a coup could be pulled off and they would not have gone with it.

The more vague the better then. and PDRC and their troops have had something else on their plate to deal with!!!! Kept Suthep off the streets for a day to try and work out what it means... He never will though, he till thinks it is 1970 and his Army friends will walk in to save the day... Or this new found Naval know-all friend of his who sees Cambodians everywhere he goes.

Just exactly what is this drivel supposed to mean?

You have surpassed yourself with this totally incomprehensible and nonsensical poor excuse of a posting!!

If the points he makes are beyond your comprehension maybe you should say nothing at all.

Deans from eight medical schools have called for the caretaker government to step down and pave way for the establishment of a "provisional government".

No one should be surprised that students don't understand what a democracy is and are protesting for dictatorship when "respected" Deans of medical schools recommend throwing it out for an appointed council. As representatives of the elite what else would be expected? Apparently the voters are getting too uppity for their own good.

Perhaps the CIC would be better saying nothing as it is becoming plainer by the day where their allegiance lies?

The Thai military take an oath of allegiance to HM the King.

Who in turn serves the democratically elected government.

You mean - Who, in turn serves the democratically elected government? Answer - no one.

Mr blok, while I agree with this ...

Seems like any change is a good change

I'm sure many, just like me, aren't nearly as passionate about this as you are. While I agree with your point that we need a change, do you really think that another party in power won't be any different from the Shins???

Maybe a little defeatist as you may say but I really can't see the situation here changing, not in our life times anyway.

I, just like many other foreigners here are bored and sick of them all, that's why I just won't even consider who's right and who's wrong and would advise other expats to do the same and keep out of the politics (supporting them anyhow).

Sure we all have opinions and the Shins do need to be firmly put in their place and ejected from politics but are we really that naive, sorry mistaken that by supporting others that promise so much, is gonna change/reform Thai politics? I can't see it. They're as bad as each other.

Exactly right. Each party grandiosely proclaims everyone is going to be rich or everything is going to be corruption free. The royalists are soaking up Suthep's hyperbole as much as the reds did Yingluck's nonsense.

Does not seem to be improving...as many posters thought it would when this first started. In fact, all the elements are in place right now to invoke special (military) law. All these attacks are just going to do wonders in keeping tourists from flocking in. Domino effect for sure.

As i have always said, this whole charade is far more than being about corruption, vote buying etc, it is literally life and death for some very important (self appointed), as Khun Voranai alludes to in his peace in the other paper today.

I just found out about him the other day.. Is this guy embraced here? I think his writing is brilliant. What do others think?

His writing is excellent as is his suggestion for Suthep's crowd to show the world and supporters of Thaksin the reform that can be achieved by educated and intelligent people, through employing good governance with a third party; instead of the corrupt pactices they are currently using that violate the law.

 

Truth in facts please:

FACTS:

• Army and Police power rests with the executive branch of government.

• Men at arms have as their prime function to protect the peace.

• 2006 the police and army failed to follow the red elected executive branch of Thai government to quell the rioting yellows, and unmentionable members of the yellow establishment (unmentionable due to LM laws) sent directives that a coup was better than the elected government.

• 2010 the police and army followed the yellow appointed (by mock election) executive branch to quell the riots when 90 Thais were killed and 200+ injured.

• 2014 the red elected executive instructs its police and army to try to keep the peace .. peacefully.

• And Thailand quakes today because the Thai people and the world know the Thai army and police powers are not used to protect the peace but to topple elected red governments because the yellows can’t win an election.

SUGGESTION:
Why can’t the yellows adopt rational plans to help Thai poor by implementing farm subsidies to the hard working farmers; sell the rice stocks at market price and suck-up the loss as the needed subsidy? In less corrupt nations, cash or tax credits are issued to the farmers directly. This would be a great platform for the yellows to adopt and then run on to win an election.

Why can’t the yellows adopt a rational plan to help the poor by allowing free or at cost medical care? This is done for the poor in less corrupt nations. This would be a great platform for the yellows to adopt and then run on to win an election.

TRUTH:
The answer is clear. In a sufficiency economy where 70% - 80% of the nation is poor, the poor are allowed to remain poor, to make do with what they have, and to not expect or seek more.

SARCASM AND TRUTH:
And the rich in a sufficiency economy are to be allowed to make do with what they have; to keep all the money earned by their employees’ toil, taking comfort that the profits from those enterprises will not be wasted on taxes used to help the nation grow by upgrading the greedy poor with scams such as farm subsidies and affordable medical care.

Wow, put this way, the yellows appear to be very much like the US Tea Party, except the Tea Party does not have control of the army and police powers.

Nice analysis of the issues. It is unfortunate that the royalists on this forum don't understand the basics of what you have written.

Though I doubt that you meant to, you have shown up the EC for what they are. Utterly useless at their job, and totally biased against PTP. For the chairman of the official body charged with carrying out the election to make such a snide comment about the caretaker PM speaks volumes as to why they are unfit to do their job. They are not posting on TV, where we expect such drivel to be spouted by the usual suspects, they are suposed to be politically neutral.

You are completely correct. Suggesting that the PM is too busy shopping to do her duties is crude and unprofessional; which shows the lack of neutrality of the EC, and the not too secret support they have for Suthep and his fairytale council of handpicked incorruptible and honorable men.

Seven police in the bottom picture. Did it really take this many to catch two teenagers? All want to be famous for a day.

Perhaps they should prohibit monks owning zoos as well.

The level of chaos presently seen in Bangkok could have been avoided if the PTP had paid attention to the signal associated with the king and queen moving to Hua Hin at the end of July when the debate regarding amnesty grew more heated. Now the nation is paying for this oversight.