GeorgeO

Don't need to say Suthep planted it. Just say it is fake wood, or pretend it didn't happen. Maybe doubt the source or demand written unattainable proof in the form of police reports on TVF until they believe it. Maybe ignore this and google something Suthep or Ahbisit did to defend these actions. Maybe…….

Oh, they have a plethitude of excuses.

When people say the thaksins are criminals there is a "grain" of truth in that.

I am glad all of these Shin's crimes are coming out of the wood work though!

They should arrests Thaksins sister for Treezun.

I wonder if thaksins son, "Oak", needs to be investigated too?

I think the mighty "Oak" (not) has already been cut down to size...! Seriously though, now that politics is probably not on the cards for him, I wonder what his master plan is ...?! Probably already opened up a timber merchant business..!!

Why are they giving him until August to surrender himself. If he is wanted on sedition charges then get off your lazy fat rear ends and go and get the scum.

...so anyone with charges raised against them is scum...?! Whatever happened to innocent until proven guilty? If you ever find yourself wrongly accused of anything, then perhaps you'll think back on your words...!!

Is it still OK to refer to the UDD as terrorist scum?...............

... if you like...!!

Touche, though without a curfew they would prefer to move them under the cover of darkness.

Also, do you remember how many grenade attacks the red shirts perpetrated on the PDRC camps during the day that killed over 20 and injured over 700. There were a lot more done at night. Cover of darkness again.

How many grenade attacks were the red shirts responsible for, djjamie? You say you know, tell us how you do and which red shirts were responsible. Or shall we put this down to the good old TVF "every one knows" standard of evidence.

It's funny, I've given you this citation many times, invariably you never reply to it:

Police seized an M79 launcher, six M79 grenades and four hand grenades along with several other weapons in a raid on Thursday night, and discovered that the grenades had the same lot numbers as those used in earlier attacks.

Pol General Aek Angsananont, deputy commissioner general of the Royal Thai Police, said the weapons were found near the rally site of red-shirt group outside the National Anti-Corruption Commission headquarters. The police had come over to check the area after two M79 grenades were fired at the NACC compound earlier in the night.

Aek said the weapons had been left on a deserted plot at the mouth of Soi Nonthaburi 46 in a green cloth bag. The cache seized included two M79 cartridges, a .45 revolver with 44 rounds of ammunition and 39 rounds of 7.62mm calibre ammunition and four RGD-5 hand grenades.

A police source said the M79 grenades had the same lot number as those fired at the Thai PBS head office on February 26, while the RDG-5 grenades had the same lot number as those used in previous attacks in Bangkok's Bang Na area, Chon Buri and Nonthaburi.

Apart from seizing the war weapons on Thursday night, police also arrested four armed suspects.

The suspects were identified as Chuchart Chusiri, 33; Ratanapong Inthararangsi, 35; Samai Boonnarn, 60; and Kompakorn Kohkaew, 46; and were found hanging out with the security guards of the red-shirt People's Radio for Democracy group near the NACC headquarters.

Chuchart was caught carrying a shotgun with 38 rounds of ammunition, while Ratanapong was carrying an AK-47 assault rifle with 120 rounds of ammunition and two RGD-5 grenades. Samai had a home-made gun along with 11 rounds of 9mm ammunition, while Kompakorn was nabbed as he is wanted for car theft.

So, Red Shirts, caught immediately after a grenade attack on the NACC, with grenades bearing the same serials as those used in previous attacks. Are you going to acknowledge reading this now or you'll do the usual act of pretending not to see it?

Besides that, and more recently, we have the cache of weapons belonging to Red Shits with one of the guns matching bullets used in the Trat attack (which also included grenades being fired)

I think we have all realised by now that Fabbie is a died-in-the-wool red shirt apologist, so there's nothing that you can do or say (including the provision of conclusive evidence) that will get him to change his colour.

Even after the good General has sorted all this mess out, Fabbie and his equally bloody-minded apologists will no doubt say that things would probably have been far better if they have left the Shinawatra government alone ... whereas the rest of us can see that the country would have been bankrupt and in a state of anarchy...!!

I wonder what they think will be happening that is a threat to national security between midnight and 4a.m??

The movement of arms from the North by road to Bangkok.

They can't move them during the day ?

They haven't been too successful at that...!!

Why are they giving him until August to surrender himself. If he is wanted on sedition charges then get off your lazy fat rear ends and go and get the scum.

...so anyone with charges raised against them is scum...?! Whatever happened to innocent until proven guilty? If you ever find yourself wrongly accused of anything, then perhaps you'll think back on your words...!!

Firstly - RIP to the Ranger and condolences to the family. Very sad.

I said it before and I will say it again. The perfect coup.

The General was very very right in arresting the PTP and UDD leadership. Look at what they have been covering up.

They are essentially condoning and allowing terrorism to flourish. This is not by the lack of arrests made or the amount of weapons seized in 7 month by the PTP, but by the amount the General's men have made and weapons seized in 5 days.

With these swift and just arrests and seizures one can be assured that when the General makes his statement as to why he staged this coup you can be assured the names of PTP and UDD elements will be revealed and just like the General will not reveal names now to ensure it does not sour the current investigation he will not state the "nuts and bolts" for the reasons for the coup until the public are safe when all current investigations are completed.

Chalerm and the PTP could learn a thing or two from this Genera Prayuth.

First - How to keep promises as the rice payment. The General made one promise to pay in 3 weeks and the first payments happened 3 days after his promise.

Secondly - Do not speak about ongoing investigations Chalerm. Do not jump over yourself to release names to the public.

I bet the General will not say he will wear glasses and a fake mustache to arrest the others involved in the Trat attacks.

Bravo General. Bravo old mate.

As we are not allowed to post any anti-coup comments or replies (understandably) couldn't you refrain from posting provocative comments?

...so now the truth is described as provocative...?!

Rice farmers lack of payments had zero to do with the protests. Also the warehouse owners were owed money way before the protests too. Yingluck/Thaksin lost thailand it's rice industry on an ill conceived gamble.

I think the current figure for rice industry revenue losses stands at 800 million baht, not including future losses.

... I think that's billion, isn't it...?!

Lets see the Dems try to block this one. The rats will have no hope, Every time Yingluck had the loan promised the Dems and Suthep made sure that anybody giving a loan to the govt would suffer drastically. Now the DEMs are a toothess tiger and the loans will go through.

Any proof to go with this bold statement? Like real proof?

It's certainly true that the Democrats don't have a great record when it comes to the farmers' money. The brother of the last democrat to be elected PM stole 10 million USD from Thai Farmers Bank and fled to Taiwan, only returning 20 years later when the statute of limitations had expired.

So a dishonest Democrat administration skimmed off US$10 million and felt that they needed to go and live in Taiwan for 20 years. What then do you suggest should be the fate of the most dishonest government ever, the Thaksin-led PTP, for the 'disappearance' of US$30 billion...?!

So 40 million baht will be paid from the government coffers, and an additional 50 billion baht will be loaned by banks which have guns pointed to their heads? Which banks are these and what do their shareholders and customers think of having to forcibly loan the government this money? Why doesn't the junta order DSI to trace the original money that was stolen and force politicians involved to pay back the money?

I think that is likely to take quite some time, so it's not in the best interests of the farmers who need the money now; however, I have no doubt that once the auditors have been in and unexplained payments are identified to people all over the place, no doubt those people will have their assets sequestered...!!

let's not forget what the US is asking.

1. elelctions

2. freedom of the press

3. freedome of movenment (not detaining politicians)

Sounds reasonable to me.

... and all without reforms ... so they just want to see the same thing happening four or five years down the line...?! The US should worry about getting it's own house in order, and leave the problems of Thailand to Thai people...!!

Right now, most Thai people are angry at us.

That is straight out of the Fox News school of reporting. Completely unproven, unproveable opinion.

There are growing numbers of posts on (non-TV) forums which suggest that the Thai public is growing increasingly dismayed at the lack of understanding within the US of the real reasons behind the current situation in Thailand...!!

Bravo, NJ, couldn't have put it better myself...!!

Like you, I do not want to wade into what the ambassador has or hasn't said or done or any of that. However, as an American who has spent six years living in Europe and several more living in Asia, it seems to be a habit of many Americans who find themselves overseas to try to fit in by adopting an anti-American attitude.

I think michaelscottfan may have worded it a little too star spangled bannery for my own beliefs but I loathe hearing Americans blindly repeating Euro-criticisms of their fellow Americans because they don't have the guts to stick up for themselves (or they're so weak-spined they crave acceptance) as much as I loathe idiots chanting U-S-A, U-S-A.

Now, with a situation like what has happened in Thailand, I'm divided. On one hand, I've been saying for many years that Thailand was on a coarse for civil war or disappearing into a failed state status. So, I'm somewhat pleased to see the actions of the military. If they are doing what I think they're doing, this reset could be the best thing that has every happened to Thailand in recent memory.

On the other hand, it's troubling that it's taken a circumvention of democracy to make it happen and there's no real guarantee the military is actually going to improve anything. Anybody who is surprised that any western democracy is going to publicly decry the circumvention of democracy is just a little more than naive. It's like saying "Bless you" when someone sneezes. It's a standard response and the threat of harming trade relations is supposed to act as an incentive to not hold onto power for any longer than is necessary to fix the problem. If the world simply shrugged, what incentive does the military ever have to turn power back over to the people (other than internal pressures they can't control via a few mass executions)?

Furthermore, it's pretty obvious that the US (as well as most of the world) has had no problem working with either Thaksin or the Democrats so nobody is picking sides in this. In fact, I find the Thai arguments against the US right now as silly as I found Thaksin's infamous "The UN is not our father" rhetoric. As a nation heavily dependent on exports, US or UN sanctions would set Thailand back 20 years. Saying it is none of anyone's business and that we should shut up is simply nationalistic masterbation. And Thais who go looney on Facebook or Twitter defending this ignorant view of how their own economy, or even how the rest of the world, works are living in propaganda filled la-la land.

While I am neither for or against the actions of the ambassador since none of us can separate what she has actually said or done from the fabrications used to denigrate her and none of us know what she is doing or saying on her own initiative or based on directions she is receiving ...

... but this has got to be one of the most pompous, meaningless statements I've heard since the last presidential campaign:

"...many Americans who move to Thailand sadly abandon the principles their parent country were founded upon. Thankfully, I am not one of them."

Please enumerate these "principles" that you hold so dear and which so many of us have abandoned willy-nilly. We could use a good laugh. If anything, America was founded with respect for diversity of opinion and not the imposition of some principles from on-high ... speaking of military dictatorships.

I enjoyed you r open minded approach to the situation.

I really7 liked

"Now, with a situation like what has happened in Thailand, I'm divided. On one hand, I've been saying for many years that Thailand was on a coarse for civil war or disappearing into a failed state status. So, I'm somewhat pleased to see the actions of the military. If they are doing what I think they're doing, this reset could be the best thing that has every happened to Thailand in recent memory.

On the other hand, it's troubling that it's taken a circumvention of democracy to make it happen and there's no real guarantee the military is actually going to improve anything."

Particularly

"I'm somewhat pleased to see the actions of the military. If they are doing what I think they're doing, this reset could be the best thing that has every happened to Thailand in recent memory."

Yes it is not a sure fire thing but I get the feeling from his no nonsense approach that it will be a great thing. He put the combatants in a room by them selves after giving them a day to think it out and they did nothing so he just put an end to it right now no excuse no time. They were told what to do and given time. He had to do it himself.

I also liked the way he handled the reporters when they tried to treat him like a politician he just put them in their place. I feel deep in me that when the time is ready the man will arrive and when the man is ready the time will arrive. That is what has happened here today.

Not Democracy but the best government Thailand can have at this time in history. I firmly believe that when he has straighten out things he will call an election and not many of the present day politicians will be able to run for office. If in office they try to revert to the old ways they will be swiftly removed from office. None of this moving to a useless post crap . Out on their ear or if need be in jail.

I see some immediate hard ships but some long term gains.

Hopefully I am rite in my decision. I just think of what we had and it is easy to see the possibilities in the man. It couldn't get much worse with people committing suicide over the failed promises and no offer of help to them.

Bravo, NJ, couldn't have put it better myself...!! ... and I really wish the US would get a handle on what's really going on over here ... as opposed to trying to maintain their business interests with the fugitive criminal...!!

3.5 million is a drop in the military ocean. In soccer it wouldn't even buy a decent goalkeeper.

...it would represent about 10% of the campaign costs for a presidential candidate in the US, which makes the US response all the more disgraceful...!!

From my understanding, 2 grenades, some rounds of ammunition, not a single firearm. iow, a fraction of what Suthep's thugs had at their 'peaceful' rallies. just a little perspective, that's all.

speaking of which, personally, when the only source of news is that filtered/orchestrated/approved by a military dictatorship with no freedom of the press, a constitution THEY WROTE thrown in the bin, and political prisoners.... i take it with a grain of salt right alongside information released from north korea and other such regimes.

and whilst they are consolidating power more and more every day, now with the senate and police kicked to the curb, warning shots in CM, arrests in BKK, and, what... a couple 100 and growing political prisoners ('detained' is a washed word for UNLAWFULLY detained/imprisoned without cause)...... well, what is happening in the meantime??....

the only REAL, actual enemies of the state in South Thailand are taking advantage of a military drunk on power to attack and kill Thai citizens. strangely, of all the people i've noted, these are the only ones the Thai Army is tasked with combating. The Thai people should be outraged.

when a military seizes power with no authority, rounds up all potential rivals and keeps them hostage (comfortable or not, they are not free. zero difference right now between the Thai military and the military junta in Burma that kept their rival under house arrest also), nobody but blinded fanatics can approve. the army makes announcements that certain people must report within 4 hours or face 2 years in prison. really? this is what you want? would you also want this in your 'home' country? ahh... no. but it's ok because TiT? do you have such little regard for Thai's that you think this is ok, because it's Thailand?!?!

when journalists and academics are being rounded up, you're well over any line any fair minded person, on EITHER side, can accept.

but, ya know, it's good that the military has full control of the MBK and VM BTS stations... while the enemies of Thailand take advantage down south. Shameful.

Just little or no perspective at all. Shocking that the reds should be prevented from tooling up for a re-run of 2010. Ya know, just shameful.

Yes, the poster has a most appropriate monicker...!!

Personaly I hope he is OK. A child cannot help having been born into the family he has. He of course has no right to act ilegally though.

As long as he can continue his life without being used by other groups to try to support his parents cause he should have the same freedom that others have and that, especdially at the moment does not include the freedom to disrupt.

He has already involved himself through his Twitter/Facebook rants, showing significant support for the Amsterdam ash-hole, so he deserves whatever he gets...!!

McCarthyism is the practice of making accusations of disloyalty, subversion, or treason without proper regard for evidence. It also means "the practice of making unfair allegations or using unfair investigative techniques, especially in order to restrict dissent or political criticism.

... and that has exactly what bearing on a group of terrorists found red-handed with their war weapons...?!

"he said he had no problem of reporting to the NPOMC but would prefer the military to send someone to pick him up."

Your wish will be granted

...but the ride might prove to have been a little smoother if he had chosen a taxi instead...!!

The 2nd women leader detailed and/or jailed by military in SE asia.

First as Aung San Suu Kyi by Burmese Junta.

Now Yingluck by Thai Junta.

Wrong!

That is like comparing apples with oranges...!!

This is disgraceful. The shiniwatra's are not the originators of corruption in thailand. It always was and still is even down to the education system and government funcionaries. Those of you that are crowing over 'the demise of the shin clan' are misogynist to the core just like the establishment in Thailand. She may have made mistakes but that is not the point. She was no worse a premier than any others and she was democratically elected all other arguments are academic. Why are Suthep and other's charged like him not in custody? the answers clear. Corruption!

Your last word hits the nail squarely on the head, but when exactly do you think would be the right time to put a stop to it all...? Just because it has always been that way, doesn't mean to say it has to continue that way. "She was no worse" than what has gone before justifies nothing.

I actually feel sorry for her because she wasn't cut out for the job and was undoubtedly coerced into it by the fugitive criminal; nevertheless, she accepted it, frills and all, and must now face the consequences.

The fall of this government has to signal an end to the Thai way of silent acquiescence to corruption, along with greater demands amongst Thai citizens for transparency and accountability amongst those in public office. The only way they can possibly achieve that is by putting in place severe penalties for anyone found to have crossed the line. That, of course, requires considerable reform of the current political system in Thailand.

why are the PDRC so jubilent ? because they are going to install another undemocratically elected stooge ?

...you mean like Thaksin...?!

If you don't want to incite violence make bloody well sure all sides are treated equally and the PDRC are dispersed also. Failure to do so will only enforce the thought that the army are just an arm of the PDRC.

agreed but I hear Issara is an 'exception' and not detained

IF Army show fairness, without fear nor favour, it will all be accepted more calmly

FAIRNESS? The only fairness is to send all PDRC leaders to Antarctica without a parka.

As Robert Amsterdam, Senior Partner of Amsterdam & Partners, correctly stated in the video below,..."the country's elite is trying to impose a "futile dictatorship"

http://www.cnbc.com/id/101674701?__source=yahoo%7Cfinance%7Cheadline%7Cheadline%7Cstory&par=yahoo&doc=101674701%7CIs%20political%20violence%20in

I've strived to look and look,...and have yet to see even a single argument beneficial to the Thai people coming from the PDRC. As Robert Amsterdam says in the clip...Mr Suthep (and by consequence Buddha Issa) is a gangster, and should be treated as such.

The elite feel that the people of Northern Thailand are too stupid to vote, and that is not likely to change. According to the World Bank, the Bangkok Elite receive 14 times more government services than those of the North,...as thus, any politician offering the North a more equity stake is, according to the Elite, buying vote.

I say, ship all PDRC supporters to Antarctica.

...welcome back Fryslan/Robert...!! You're going to need to change your writing style if you wish to feign anonymity...!!