daboyz1

Do you get the feeling that since the pro-Yellow leaders of the army who attacked on April 10th got targeted and shot, that in fact now the pro-Yellow side of the Army cannot muster much support and is very weak ?

I mean, according to the headline they were getting the crack forces ready, what happened ? Did it come to total perhaps 1000 who were Yellow enough to do the work of the puppet masters ?

When the Yellow's protested the police were used against them and the Yellow army sides helped the PAD and gave them training.

Its no surprise now that everyone else ignores the Reds, and the Yellow army side, which appears to be very small now, is unable to do anything.

Most strange how weak Team Yellow is appearing now.

Perhaps all they have is money now, their influence has been severely weakened due to their rampant corruption and favoritism since 2006 ?

Perhaps even more strange, is they are winning. Abhisit's popularity is skyrocketing even among the silent red majority, and the entire red leadership is in total disarray. Just now posted: Seh Daeng is arguing with other leaders about moving barricades.

Abhisit will go down in Thai history as the first great Thai PM, his peaceful ways will make him world famous. He already has most of the Thai female vote becasue he is so cute.

Abhisit is universally hated amongst the majority of Thai people, for being behind the killing of many innocents on April 10th. He has nothing to lose now as he already appears to have lost his reputation totally.

Red leadership, sorry, from what I see on UDDThailand TV via the internet there are no problems.

Perhaps you read YELLOW PROPAGANDA media which pumps out all sorts of strange stories and accusations, anything anti-red they can make up it seems.

You're right! The reds are heros. They attack a hospital. Next it will be a day care center. Get real! These giys care nothing about Thailand, They serve their criminal master in Dubai or wherever he is today.

Abhisit has no mandate to govern he was never elected in a democratic vote. He was appointed.

Jeez, If I see the above statement again, my head is gonna explode. This isn't a republic like the U.S. People don't directly elect the PM. It's a constitutional monarchy, somewhat similar to England. People elect the MPs, and then the MPs elect the Prime Minister. See here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Government_of_Thailand

Since 1932 the Head of Government of Thailand has been the Prime Minister of Thailand: usually the leader of the largest party or the largest coalition party in the lower house of Parliament. The Prime Minister is, in accordance with the constitution selected; first by an election in the lower house then officially appointed by the King.

Calling elections to elect MPs is another story. I believe Abhisit can wait until the end of the year until he has to call elections (maybe longer) The TRT and PPP parties were dissolved due to corruption among other things. Also, the last 3 TRT/PPP/Phuea Thai PMs were thrown for breaking election and other laws. Maybe the Democrats will be dissolved as well. They are under investigation by the EC.

Granted it's a mess.

Yes I know - ok but the PM would call the election - believe me (and I'm English) if Brown wanted to fight fellow Brits in the country he would need a mandate to crack down.

It's a mess? you could say that... but put water on the fire - call elections - easy and we all support the outcome - sending in troops against fellow Thais? you gotta be kidding...

So they call elections again. Pheua Thai wins. One of Thaksin's cousins/brothers (insert relative here) whatever gets selected as PM. Then the yellows take over the airport again claiming a corrupt election with vote buying etc. Where does this cycle end?

I honestly blame the airport takeover for this current mess. It basically says you can kick and scream like an angry 3 year old and get your way.

If I had a vote, it would be for a coup. At least things were stable.

Abhisit has no mandate to govern he was never elected in a democratic vote. He was appointed.

Jeez, If I see the above statement again, my head is gonna explode. This isn't a republic like the U.S. People don't directly elect the PM. It's a constitutional monarchy, somewhat similar to England. People elect the MPs, and then the MPs elect the Prime Minister. See here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Government_of_Thailand

Since 1932 the Head of Government of Thailand has been the Prime Minister of Thailand: usually the leader of the largest party or the largest coalition party in the lower house of Parliament. The Prime Minister is, in accordance with the constitution selected; first by an election in the lower house then officially appointed by the King.

Calling elections to elect MPs is another story. I believe Abhisit can wait until the end of the year until he has to call elections (maybe longer) The TRT and PPP parties were dissolved due to corruption among other things. Also, the last 3 TRT/PPP/Phuea Thai PMs were thrown for breaking election and other laws. Maybe the Democrats will be dissolved as well. They are under investigation by the EC.

Granted it's a mess.

<br />I've been here for about 12 years with a family and home in Nakhon Phanom and work as a consulting engineer in Bangkok and Phuket. Over the past week I have spoken to many Thais in our village and in Bangkok and Phuket. All walks of life from engineers and lawyers to farm workers, taxi drivers, construction workers and bar staff.<br /><br />I am very depressed.<br /><br />Sad fact is that there are no easy solutions here. The problems are so ingrained in society that it will take two generations to make much difference.<br /><br />On the face of it, there is democracy here in the shape of one man, one vote. Sadly, this is so distorted by feudalism and corruption that it is now a sham. It seems Thais typically vote as directed or in the expectation that they will receive some immediate pecuniary gain. This drives corruption but how else can they vote when no parties publish a manifesto? <br /><br />It seems that many ordinary Thais have no problem with Abhisit or Korn, EXCEPT that they are surrounded by others whom they believe to be corrupt and CRITICALLY, fail to weed them out and thus are thus seen to be not even handed.<br /><br />Real concern is education which, although now free, is widely acknowledged to be extremly poor.<br /><br />Thaksin's populist policies are widely acknowledged to be failures:-<br /><br />The 30TBT health care was not funded and thus turned out to be useless.<br /><br />The village funds were abused. Funds were used to pay gambling debts and local interest rates were usurious.<br /><br />It seems that the only way forward is to proceed step wise:-<br /><br />1) Ensure voting is secure and confidential<br /><br />2) Use the full force of the law to punish politicians found to be corrupt. And do it quickly.<br /><br />3) Take action to improve education standards. Teach morality and free thinking. Improve vocational training standards<br /><br />4) Rely on the ballot box only to force a change in government<br /><br />I spoke to a highly intelligent Thai woman just recently. She is lawyer and young mother (and married to an Australian - Heh, no-ones perfect!) and expects to become a barrister. I asked her if she was offered money to do something unethical would she take it. Without hesitation she replied "if it would help my family, yes". I was just so depressed to hear that even young intelligent Thais see nothing wrong with corruption.<br /><br />As I said at the start, I see no simple way forward. In the long run, better education and eradication of corruption is required but that will take a couple of generations.<br /><br />In the short term I hope Abhist shows his integrity and cleans out his own stable before calling elections. If he does this, and publishes a sensible manifesto, he might, just might win a real mandate.<br /><br />

Nail on head!

Let them sit on that bridge and roast if that's what they want. They screwed up big time by throwing in with Thaksin. More Lao Khao for me when I go up country for Songkran.

It is not about Thaksin, Thaksin is at the very best the scapegoat, who was the face of the movement that tried to modernize Thailand. M

Maybe Jingthing can organize a poll here. Does anyone else ever get tired of these Thaksin apologists trying to say the red movement, funded by Thaksin, directed by Thaksin, and arranged with the sole purpose of whitewashing Thaksin, is somehow NOT only about Thaksin?

<RANT>

I will officially go on record right now. I will come out, arm in arm and support ANY red shirt protestor who goes on camera and say "Thaksin was a scumbag who violated the rights of millions of Thais and deserves every single punishment the court can throw at him and then some."

That person will have my support. Who is it? Anyone? Bueller? Nobody?

Stop trying to obfuscate the issue. The red movement is ONLY about Thaksin. All the other issues are secondary. You are lying to yourself if you think this movement will accept any scenario where Thaksin is not exonerated from his criminally abhorrent behaviour. The reds can have anything else they want, but they CAN NOT have Thaksin return. There will be civil war before that happens.

Thaksin is the divider. Thaksin is the reason we have these problems today. Thaksin is the element that needs to be eliminated.

Please. Stop lying to yourself. All red shirt apologists should simply admit they are hyprocritcal, selfish cretans without an ounce of moral fiber. Just admit that you don't care about anyone but yourselves because after Thaksin was finished stealing money from the rest of us, he gave a small portion to you, and therefore that makes him OK. I will at least respect you for being a selfish, unfeeling bastard if you admit you are a selfish, unfeeling bastard and proud of it.

My heart goes out to the people of Issan who have been mistreated by those more fortunate than them. But that does not give them the right to support a movement whose overriding aim is to whitewash the worst of the worst of the elite in Thailand. If you think you have been mistreated by the yellow elite, *I* have been mistreated by Thaksin. Why do the reds think they are more important than everyone else? They are selfish cretans, that's why.

</RANT>

Now, back to your regularly scheduled flaming.

Great post!

to win a class war first requires a working class hero.

John Lennon - Working Class Hero

As soon as your born they make you feel small,

By giving you no time instead of it all,

Till the pain is so big you feel nothing at all,

A working class hero is something to be,

A working class hero is something to be.

They hurt you at home and they hit you at school,

They hate you if you're clever and they despise a fool,

Till you're so fuc_king crazy you can't follow their rules,

A working class hero is something to be,

A working class hero is something to be.

When they've tortured and scared you for twenty odd years,

Then they expect you to pick a career,

When you can't really function you're so full of fear,

A working class hero is something to be,

A working class hero is something to be.

Keep you doped with religion and sex and TV,

And you think you're so clever and classless and free,

But you're still fuc_king peasents as far as I can see,

A working class hero is something to be,

A working class hero is something to be.

There's room at the top they are telling you still,

But first you must learn how to smile as you kill,

If you want to be like the folks on the hill,

A working class hero is something to be.

A working class hero is something to be.

If you want to be a hero well just follow me,

If you want to be a hero well just follow me.

I'm a little slow. Can someone tell me the point of this post? I'm not getting it.

Surely there is a disconnect between what the Reds want - democracy, and what Thaksin wants - his money and power. The Reds are using Thaksin to try and remove the dominance of the elite, and Thaksin is using the Reds to try and remove the government, (and therefore get back into the country and get his money).

The Reds aspirations are worthy, but unfortunately they have hitched their wagon to a thoroughly distateful character. This shambles will surely unravel. But the desire for true democracy (such as these things ever exist in SE Asia - and I don't really see it in any ASEAN member country), will not die now, in the sense that there has to be a power shift. Whether it is by peaceful means over time, or swiftly through violence such as that being demanded this weekend, remains to be seen. But it will surely happen.

Agreed. Hitching their horse to the Thaksin wagon is a bad idea for them.

Thaksin did several things that villagers in Issan really liked. He gave each village 1 or 2 million baht. They then lended that to whoever was in need. Interest was paid back to the village...but I am not sure if interest had to be paid back to the gov or Mr. T? Also, he setup a program where you could borrow 40k or 50k baht to buy a cow. You paid like 2k baht a year for interest.

Back then cows were very valuable (no so much today). So, some folks really did well with this. Others abused it and just bought a scooter...or drank it all. But the end result was they loved him for that.

He also did the 30 baht medical program (with all it's pros and cons). For many, this was a very big deal.

It is also proven that the poor really did get a boost while he was in office. Not sure if that was directly because of him, or just because the world economy was jamming then. But poverty did decrease under Mr. T.

I am also not a fan, but he is a very smart man. Sad he had to have it end this way...he could have done so much to help this country and yet focused on increasing his own wealth...and his circle of friends. Corruption, in the end, got him...

This post sums it up. The support for him is all about the Baht. I can understand that. Seems like the Dems should have continued those policies (maybe they did I'm not sure) Once the smoke clears from all this I hope the Democrats learn that Isaan and the north should not be ignored.

Thaksin is a no more than a common criminal who is out to destroy his own country so he can get his money and power back. I doubt he cares anything for the people of Thailand.

It is needed. Well done.

Stop talking rubbish, this is thailand and the thai,s have a right to demonstrate how they chose fit,this is one sure way of over reaction, when will us farang just keep our mouths shut and mind our own business,

No reasonable government in the world would sit back and allow free rein to a violent terrorist movement massing in their capital. If you actually believe the red shirts are a peaceful movement, I would agree with you. However, I think the proof is overwhelming that they are a violent movement willing to do anything to achieve their goals. That is simply not acceptable.

Certainly given what happened last year the penchant for violence by at least some factions would make this decision prudent at the least. I would hope the government would not sit back and allow the blockading of roads, attacks on residents of Bangkok, and attempts at exploding trucks full of gasoline in residential areas, not to mention the threats made by prominent members of the red shirt movement and actual terrorist acts involving explosives in Bangkok.

Exactly. All Thailand needs is more videos of bus bombs going out of control. If they see fit to start fires and blow up gas trucks, is that cool with you Trebelone? You must live in that area?

How would you propose to "prevent" further attacks?

This is a matter for good police work interviewing the people at the scene, not a job for the army.

If the government truly wishes to catch the guys throwing the grenades it would be better to utilize your best, competent police investigators rather than grand-standing to public sentiment with the threat of the army IMO.

Hmmm just look for a Thai guy riding a motorbike with a helmet on. Cant be too many of them around.

Gee, what a surprise? Suvarnabhumi will never get a top spot and it all starts from its name (Suwannaboom, spell it like it sounds). Other reasons?

1. From the chest up the airport is strikingly modern, but from the chest down, all run down with floor tiles from like, the 70's?!

2. Terrible bathrooms and locations. Looks like the AOT ran out of money, so had to use old materials. Basins are horrible, urinals leak, etc.

3. The architect definitely designed it to be a monument of a metro city hub airport, but forgot about usability.

4. The AOT staff are not at all friendly or approachable and always tend to avoid conversation. Because they can't speak English?

5. The King Power controlled vendors are just as sloppy as they were in Don Muang. Everything in your face, no flow to the experience (like Changi).

6. King Power induced prices (poor vendors need to pay high per-meter rent) are way too high. At one time I thought AOT said they were going to follow Changi's lead in keeping pricing as found in the city? WRONG!

7. Curbside unloading is very inconvenient. They perpetually block unloading from the middle sections of the road (I believe 3-8?).

8. International arrivals is totally the same as Don Muang. What an inconvenient mess! Same stupid handwritten sign holdings, terrible signage (easy to get confused whether to go right or left upon exiting customs), tight walkways. Funny thing seeing tour and shuttle vendors being held within their little pig pens or taped areas.

9. Installation of jumbotrons? Great, so you have to get through the maze of people staring up at the jumbotrons to get to your exiting guest.

10. Constantly changing taxi areas. Now you have to go down to level 1 to catch a real meter taxi.

11. AOT running their own shuttle service. Aren't government agencies supposed to help keep the rules and support local private industry? Isn't it against a government's protocol to have a competing business against private companies? It's like the TAT having their own online travel reservations business. Oh yeah, they have that too.

12. Cleaning staff: lazing around waiting areas with contaminated buckets of water with mops sticking out slapping passersby on the face? Sure, only at Suvarnabhumi.

13. Hand written signs. Sure would love to work at the AOT graphics department where making airport signs only requires a piece of paper, any big pen (one color of course), and some Scotch tape.

14. The fact that the airport seems to always be under repair?

15. For a modern airport to still having passenger unloading on the tarmac with shuttle buses? That's so 80's!

16. Immigration, imported direct from Don Muang. No changes there. Taped signs, sleeping agents, taped signage on the floor. Boy, what an experience!

And the list goes on and on and on. Suvarnabhumi will NEVER get a top rating. It's not the Thai way.

That one really blew my mind. First time I flew in there I still had to take a bus to the terminal.

Does she have a green card?

Not surprised. A desperate man.

How can anybody be surprised at the commotion that Woods behaviour has engendered? A silly lady warbler gets one of her boobs out at a football game and America has an attack of the vapours. Seems that too many US citizens would be inclined to cover up the legs on the grand piano. Time to forget Victoriana and get real methinks. He is an extremely fit young heterosexual man, away from home a lot and temptations all around him. Who is to say that some of his sponsors and the organising committees of tournaments didn't actually offer other than financial inducements to him? It happens all the time in business - and professional golf is very much a business. Does anybody seriously believe that anybody with his public profile could get away with his errant behaviour for so long and that it wasn't an open secret

Great post.

Tiger's Woods problems have nothing to do with either American values or its culture. He has a behavioural problem and it is typical of people with his personality: All controling and very successful. His behaviour has been seen in people from other cultures and other countries that had the same success and position in life. A tip off to his being a control freak was the way in which he made the announcement: No questions allowed and only a select few trusted friends and business associates were allowed to be present.

Does he feel remorse? I don't know. I doubt it, but it's not my place to judge him. If Thai religious beliefs can help him, well then, why not? However, he should have started off by not being petty. Making the announcement on a Friday the day before the Accenture tourney when the biggest names were going to tee off served to derail that event. Was it a slap at Accenture that dumped him? Was it a message to the other players that he was going to take the spotlight away from them and show that he was a bigger star? He could have waited until midweek to make his empty statement.

Are you serious? He shagged at least 3 girls that weren't his wife. Come on now. I'm gonna run that by my wife. You'll find what's left of me on the Chonburi highway.

The guy cheated on his wife. I has nothing to do with his "endorsements" No one cares anyway. Tiger cares about Tiger. Thaksin cares about Thaksin. Maybe they can share a room in Dubai.

This is news ???

Totally 100% Male Bovine Waste Fecal Matter.

Let us who are innocent cast the first stone.

Not really news. Just a fun conversation. Last time I brought up something about Mr. T I got booted off. Picking on Clinton seems to be ok.

He lied about something that should have remained totally private and never been into court at all.

Witch hunt politics, nothing more nothing less. It was absurd and ridiculous that it even got to deposition stage.

And of you think other presidents haven't lied in public think again... a few hundred times.

And that is how a french person would understand this best.

Another good point from you. Are you a professor? Presidents lie all the time. I lie to my wife about how many beers I had tonight. I told her 3 when it's actually 6. I wasn't under oath though. There are alot of people sitting in jail for lying under oath in the US. That is the key point. Granted it never should have gone that far, but it did and he lied. No way around that.

Thank you Animatic and others.

What sounds also crazy for me is that someone who likes women will like them forever, so Tiger will do it again for sure, so he should have said nothing or the next time he will be caught the situation will be worst ! (lying again)

Anyway, it's ok, I guess he couldn't be a black president, as you already have your quota now :-) (will the next one be of Spanish origin or Asian ?)

Cheers.

I'm hoping for a Martian. I hear they let you buy beer between 11 and 2.

Thank you Animatic and others.

What sounds also crazy for me is that someone who likes women will like them forever, so Tiger will do it again for sure, so he should have said nothing or the next time he will be caught the situation will be worst ! (lying again)

Anyway, it's ok, I guess he couldn't be a black president, as you already have your quota now :-) (will the next one be of Spanish origin or Asian ?)

Cheers.

As I said a comment would come in making my point all too clearly.

A disinformation campaign coupled with spurious suits and innuendo was aimed at Clinton

for the better part of 10 full years, all it got was his denying he had sex with Monica.

This supposed exposing himself is more of that innuendo and spuriousness.

And the senate threw that out as the badger game BS it was.

It is still coming on to this day, there are those who can't stand that they didn't nail him to a wall.

Suing Clinton, and Ken Starrs persecutions etc was all part of the witch hunt.

And the false suits that went now where. And it continues to warp his legacy, or memories of back then...

Easy enough to pay some Arkansas secretary to make a claim for a nice little stipend down the line.

Sure he was a ladies man, but this was all over the top, but miles and miles.

And that is so close to the whole Tiger Woods witch hunt: the self righteous wanting their pound of flesh.

That is totally germain to explaining to a French person what was seen in France at the time.

Sex aside, bottom line he lied under oath. They found his semen on her dress. It's not about an affair, its about a sitting president lying under oath.

Granted he should never been there in the first place, but he did lie. Not sure about other countries, but when you raise your right hand and lie they call it perjury punishable by 5 years in jail. I wonder if I lied under oath how they would treat me? I doubt anyone would come to my defense.

Off topic....

see the airplane crash in Austin when you refer to "pound of flesh" That term gets thrown around a little too much.

I wish that an American explain me ?

What is this need for American to talk about sexual matters publicaly ?

French still can't understand why Clinton had to talk about Monica's job !

Is it just because these people still want to have sponsors / be elected, or any other money matter ?

Why a billionaire as Woods need to tell anything when he could just say nothing and keep being the best golf player in history (and just show his finger to all the envious ones!) ?

Thanks for explanations.

Good point. Wish I had an answer. I guess people here like building people up so they can watch them fail. Thinking about it, who really cares what he does in his own time?

Seriously, your post has changed my opinion about the whole thing.

So he is following his Thai roots now?

Meaning what - he can have any Mia-Noi now and nobody cares?

Laugh. Soon you'll see him hiking between cowboy and Nana. I wish I had "Thai roots"

My favorite was the guy they found hanging from a light post Khlong Toey about 5 years ago. Hands tied behind his back and a bag tied over his head. Cops said it was suicide.

Maybe both countries will realize they are both idiots arguing over a shared history and come to their senses; dogging goggle earth, come on.

There is more to this matter than meets the eye. Perhaps the Cambodian Prime Minister is trying to incite the two countries into going to war thus permitting Thaksin to make his move to mobilize his "Red Army" while the regular army is involved at the border, and march on Bangkok to abolish the current government. Be prepared for civil war shortly followed by a Thaksin dictatorship.

There's not going to be any civil war. Everyday that goes by Thaksin looks more and more like someone that wants his money back. He has done a good job of putting that out there. Purposefully or not.

Most people here are looking at this from the wrong perspective.

Consider who is the audience for this. Firstly you have the Cambodian populace. When not ranting about the "Yuan pigs" (The Vietnamese) they are raving about Thai land grabs of their precious Cambodian soil. Any anti-Vietnamese or anti-Thai comments go down well with ordinary Cambodians and detract from internal problems and conflicts.

Secondly, the Cambodian government may want to use the issue to remind the Thais who won the 1962 ruling.

I guess if you look at from outside Thailand looking in. I will guarantee you inside Thailand this is a "hot button" issue that either side will try to use to their advantage. Hun Sen has made it very clear he will do everything he can to put a stick in Abhishit's eye.

For the sake of argument. What if Thaksin comes back and is PM again? He would be in a spot. Does he relinquish any rights to the land around the temple? I think he has painted himself in a corner on this. I don't see how he can win on this issue.