MrJohnson

Thank goodness for social media. It might have its drawbacks but if it didn't exist then the propaganda and myth-making enacted by the boys in control, we know who they are, would be the only story around. It cannot be controlled. The Chinese government is trying hard and still not succeeding. As for general freedom if speech there is still a law here in Thailand that must be abolished. I think most of us know which one that is.

Is it Corruption.... this is easy to figure out. If you can not do it with transparency it is more than likely corrupt.

I think every country has a degree of corruption but it limits growth and keeps you in a third world status. Look at Singapore, little corruption and very successful. It is one of the most transparent countries in the world.

My vote is that corruption is wrong.

The problem is that when corrupt practices are multiplied and repeated millions of times every day, they end up costing society billions.

This goes from say a company being able to buy government protection thus gouging the market (CP), to a govt employee taking a bribe to change a chanote thus not paying taxes or getting unfair advanatage.

It all adds up to costing everyone money AMD wealth creation. That's it pure and simple.

Moralise all you want, but it means that the entire country eventually ends up in a very sub optimal position economically.

Right on. There is a direct correlation between corruption and development. The higher the level of corruption the lower the level of development. Both are well documented on the yearly indices of corruption and development published by Transparency International. Corruption tends to be higher in states where the divide between rich and poor is the greatest. I wonder why? So it is hard to support corrupt practices unless you are the beneficiary but in any civil society one would have to argue against it. IMHO of course.

Or, as a customer, devise a strategy to get around the nuisance.

Use the MRT or BTS where possible.

Find a half dozen or more reliable drivers (there are plenty of them) get their phone numbers and use as necessary.

For longer distances, hire a car and drive yourself.

Buy a car and (see above)

Occasionally be prepared to negotiate a fare rather than use the meter

Walk.

Ride a bike.

Stay home.

Education is precursor to answer so many vital things... almost everything.... Why then is it such a challenge to get governments to invest in it?

Thailand is not alone in this neglect..l

Unfortunately it is not a matter of lack of investment in education. Thailand consistently allocates 7-8% of GDP (Singapore around 3%). Despite this, Thailand ranks poorly on many independent surveys of universities, graduate competitiveness etc. Education in this country is used very much as an instrument of social control. Students are discouraged from analysis, quality triumphs over quality, teacher development is not seen as a priority, classes are still very teacher-centered and cheating is endemic. There are other issues but suffice to say that education, like the rest of the culture, is not based on meritocracy. So where to start. Change the education system and the dominoes start to tumble.

Will never be demolished in our lifetime. Too much money at stake. SNAFU.

Not a chance, but no doubt plenty here will believe its all about cleaning up corruption.

Its cleaning up corruption and neutering the Shins 2 noble causes. Now if the Shins were to release what they know about corruption of the army we might be getting somewhere. I hate corruption so its good he goes down and would applaud corrupt guys being taken down on the side that i support too.

Too bad this will probably not happen. The side that is in power usually goes after those that are corrupt on the other side. But at least some get caught.

Sorry rob. I think you are barking up the wrong tree. Cant be long before this thread gets closed.

More idiocy. Perhaps too hard to extort money from Uber.

He knew too much.

RTP getting a facelift. It better be a big, sharp scalpel with plenty of anesthetic and plans for follow up surgery!

I don't wear yellow anything. I don't like the colour and feel no need to 'demonstrate' publicly my respect or allegiances.

Was there ever any doubt that their confessions were elected through torture? Standard practice in Thailand.

I think there may be people infringing copyright laws by selling counterfeit CD, DVD and clothing along Sukhumvit Rd. Should I call the police?

A wheel within a wheel within a wheel.

Darwinism at work!

Unlikely as it may sound to Prayut at the present time, it is individual, apparently isolated incidents like these .......

Now that is PR spin if ever I heard it ..... down playing and dismissive.

The truth Mr Hassan is that the rule of law starts at the top with successful prosecution of high profile cases in corruption and evasion of other crimes by the "elite" as well as migrant workers or otherwise. The rule of law needs to be applied to every-one.

This is not PR excercise, this is an application of a system that exists that is all too often abused.

less spin doctoring and more jail time for offenders in high profile instead of walking free with a slap on the wrist.

look at Singapore.......every-one knows the consequences no matter of status.

You make some very good points. Actually I just spent a week in Singapore recently and what a refreshhing change it was from Bangkok - for a short time at least. Let's not kid ourselves that things are perfect there. It is essentially a one-party state. The one fundamental difference though is the respect for the rule of law. There is however strong respect for the rule of law but that didn't happen overnight. During the rule of Lee Kwan Yew there was very strict law enforcement that appears to have now permeated many parts of society although there is still corruption. The problem here in Thailand is an almost complete lack of respect for the rule of law, I believe, because of very poor law enforcement. There is one law for the rich and powerful and one law for the rest. The police are corrupt and the judiciary is, if not corrupt, prone to influence from the executive. Clear lines need to exist between the judiciary and the executive. All of these things will take a monumental effort to change but the first step is in recognizing the problem. I think that is what is currently happening. The combination of an international spotlight and more open discussion amongst ordinary Thais may pave the way but it will be a long and painful process.

I'd like to think it can happen but I am idealist.

Hello. What about Hero. Celebrities there ever day. Any even some of the cars outside have 'Baby on Board' stickers! Shhhh!

There is no link and I think it's best to get back on topic.

I agree, I was just answering one of 7by7's quesions.

I have nothing further to say in this thread, it has just proved everything that I already feared and I hope it serves as a warning to others what is really going on.

"If you tolerate this, then your children will be next".

From the crazy Islamists to quoting the manic street preachers!

Not sure if you meant the irony...

It's too early in the morning for this kind of irony.

I notice that the vast majority of angry, anti-PM posters are all quite new to TVF.

Its odd really since I have never seen a thread have such a high percentage of newbies.

Its almost like an organized effort to do a smear campaign.

Or are they legitimate posters who have been blocked by TVF and all recently had to open new accounts?

Not a newbie, Comrade. And I've known the Gen. since he was a Sub-Major.

He seems to forget he is not a general anymore. Let someone else runs the country if he can't handle a little pressure from the press.

Its unfortunate that you can't comprehend there is privilege that comes with the position of being a leader of a country.

That is one of respect.

Do you think the US President would even allow a reporter like this in? No, part of being granted a Press Pass is to be respectful.

The PM raised his voice. That is how you remind a subordinate that they are stepping out of line.

Obviously you have always been an underling to not grasp even that simple truth.

Respect is earned - not imposed via the barrel of a gun!

He will be the pariah at this meeting, to be avoided at all costs. Welcome to the real world Prayut!

I understand your sentiment but the reality is likely to be more prosaic.

1.He will be received politely by the heads of delegations.Thailand is a friendly country and most will believe dialogue better than confrontation - even with the Junta.As long as the Junta doesn't start killing its own people, stability is valued more than human rights.

2.There will be private pleas for an early return to democracy, elections and freedom of expression.The Junta leadership will lie through its teeth saying these too are its objectives, but time is needed.

3.There will be small protests by activists well away from the ASEM participants.

4.Photographs will be taken of Prayuth together with Barroso and other key leaders.These will have much exposure in the Thai press.They mean nothing but great significance will be placed on them by the Junta - not to mention our in house cheerleaders.

5.The Junta's spokesman will say foreign leaders now have a much better understanding of why the coup was necessary.

6.In short, nothing too significant or surprising.

Meanwhile in Thailand itself the pressure grows day by day.

Congratulations on a thoughtfully crafted post, with a minimum of simplistic cynicism. A rarity these days.