Online polling overwhelmingly favours Prawit resigning

By THE NATION

 

 

THE NUMBER of people who say in online polls that they want Deputy PM General Prawit Wongsuwan to resign over the watch scandal continues to surge.

 

Almost as soon as Prawit commented on Wednesday that he would step down if people did not want him, several sites – including the Teenee Thai PBS news programme on public broadcasting channel Thai PBS – launched online polls asking people to cast votes on whether Prawit should stay or go.

 

Yesterday, the third day of polling, saw a surge in the number of people calling for Prawit to resign, with some polls scoring almost 190,000 votes.

 

Teenee Thai PBS Facebook Page asked people to weigh in during the 24 hours, from the evening of January 31 through February 1, and learned that 184,000 people, or 96 per cent out of 192,000 participants, voted for Prawit to leave office. Another 8,500 (4 per cent) wanted him to stay.

 

Child-rights activist Thicha Nanakorn started a petition on Change.org, calling on Prawit to resign, with 50,000 people signing up to support her campaign as of press time yesterday.

 

The CSI LA Facebook page, which exposed to the public the photos of 25 luxury watches worn by Prawit, saw 7,815, or 55 per cent of 14,326 people vote for Prawit to quit. 

The National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC), meanwhile, expects to finish summoning witnesses in relation to the case by February, said NACC president Pol General Watcharapol Prasarnrajkit.

 

Depending on the findings, the NACC could set up an official panel to investigate the case or seek more evidence or witnesses. 

 

The NACC, he said, cannot discuss the issue at this point.

 

Pol General Watcharapol said the recent announcement by Prawit had nothing to do with the NACC’s work as it is political.

 

The NACC would stick to its work procedures and if Prawit resigned it would not affect the NACC’s probe in any way, Watcharapol said.

 

Prawit’s watch controversy has been seen a problem for Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha’s government as social media has closely scrutinised his approximately 25 luxury wristwatches. 

 

Following the scrutiny, and the filing of complaints, the NACC initiated an investigation of Prawit’s luxury watches, some of which reportedly cost Bt3 million. 

 

Prawit declared assets of about Bt83 million to the NACC when he joined Prayut’s government in 2014, but failed to declare the watches he has been seen wearing since late last year. 

 

In the course of the investigation, he told the anti-graft agency that friends had lent him the watches.

 

The controversy began when Prawit was first spotted wearing what appeared to be a silver and black Richard Mille watch and diamond ring during a December 4 group photo with the new Cabinet at Government House. His possession of other luxury watches has been exposed since.

 

Meanwhile, more demonstrations emerged against the junta following the Prawit watch scandal.

 

The protesters were taken to the police station immediately afterwards.

 

A group of four unidentified men took to the skywalk over the Victory Movement on Friday, holding banners critical of Prawit and the regime.

 

The activists all wore comic masks resembling Prawit with the message “Get Out”.

 

They demanded that Prawit honour his word and resign after online polls suggested he should quit.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/politics/30337839

 

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2018-02-03

The evidence of unexplained wealth is at least enough to warrant his suspension from his duties, if not merit a full investigation of his finances.

 

If the Junta has any credibility, he should be removed from cabinet immediately.

 

Enough.

This fat piggy is ripe for spit roasting ...

typical example of upper class morals and decency lol :-/

I seen meth addicts tell less lies than these clowns ...

We will now see if he has any honor whatsoever. Clearly it is very little at best, or he would have gone already, but with such overwhelming numbers wanting him to resign, this is his last chance to show some. He said he would resign if people wanted him to, they have spoken and it is time for him to go.

These polls will not be addressed. Time will pass and he will stay he will just avoid any mention of the watch scandal. He will be there as long as the junta .Which will be a long time.  

  If he is forced to leave do not wait for an election there will not be one that will be the junta revenge.

Edited February 3, 20188 yr by lovelomsak

39 minutes ago, Samui Bodoh said:

he evidence of unexplained wealth is at least enough to warrant his suspension from his duties

 

"Unusual Wealth" has been the hobgoblin of Thai coup-makers since the 1940's.

 

 

I see Prawit's tailor has adjusted the sleeve-length to hide the wrist-bling.

We all know, i'ts not just this individual who is the problem.

 

It is of course the whole damn lot of them.

57 minutes ago, darksidedog said:

We will now see if he has any honor whatsoever. Clearly it is very little at best, or he would have gone already, but with such overwhelming numbers wanting him to resign, this is his last chance to show some. He said he would resign if people wanted him to, they have spoken and it is time for him to go.

'The People Have Spoken, the Bas***ds!' ........... always makes me laugh.

What is the Thai equivalent for "writing on the wall" ?  He is a huge liability come election time or even without election.  It is time for him to go back to his luxury barracks. 

44 minutes ago, mtls2005 said:

 

"Unusual Wealth" has been the hobgoblin of Thai coup-makers since the 1940's.

 

 

I see Prawit's tailor has adjusted the sleeve-length to hide the wrist-bling.

Nice schmutter. I wonder how he can afford such fine tailoring on his modest salary? Borrows his threads from his friends once the funeral is over?

there's been quite a few banksy style graffiti bringing up this and other things around thailand that the authorities are quick to paint over. it's in alot of thai media. 

Go to jail.

3 hours ago, darksidedog said:

We will now see if he has any honor whatsoever. Clearly it is very little at best, or he would have gone already, but with such overwhelming numbers wanting him to resign, this is his last chance to show some. He said he would resign if people wanted him to, they have spoken and it is time for him to go.

He won't go, i would be pleasantly surprised if he did. Still even if resigns then he gets of lightly as an complete investigation into his wealth should be done.

Waiting for Ladbrokes to accept bets on whether he will resign. I know where I will place my bets. 

2 hours ago, baboon said:

Nice schmutter. I wonder how he can afford such fine tailoring on his modest salary? Borrows his threads from his friends once the funeral is over?

One really has to wonder how all those army generals, politicians, police generals and so on get their wealth. Too bad that there will never be really good independent investigations in cases like that. Too much people would go down and lose money. It will never happen no side wants to start this as it would be bad for all sides. They are all in it to get rich.. and if that is no longer possible they all hurt. 

7 minutes ago, Eric Loh said:

Waiting for Ladbrokes to accept bets on whether he will resign. I know where I will place my bets. 

I don't often see things the same way. I would probably bet the same way if it were not illegal. I bet ladbrokers would make it a 10.000 to one odds or something. 

Next stop: junta bans all unauthorized polls.

Edited February 3, 20188 yr by Lupatria

1 hour ago, Lupatria said:

Next stop: junta bans all unauthorized polls.

Yup. The authorised ones will only have one box to tick. Just like a one-party state.

 

edit: That's me off their christmas card list.

Edited February 3, 20188 yr by bluesofa

Transferred to an inactive post seems to be as tough as it gets here in the land of false smiles.

Investigate the crooks and lock them up

I won't be surprised if they dust off the Computer Crimes Act in order to go after the pollsters. 

8 hours ago, rooster59 said:

Teenee Thai PBS Facebook Page asked people to weigh in during the 24 hours, from the evening of January 31 through February 1, and learned that 184,000 people, or 96 per cent out of 192,000 participants, voted for Prawit to leave office. Another 8,500 (4 per cent) wanted him to stay.

I'm guessing that if this had been a BKK Junta sponsored 'official poll' it would have been only 4% wanted him to leave

Time's up for General Moo!

9 hours ago, Samui Bodoh said:

If the Junta has any credibility, he should be removed from cabinet immediately.

and a caretaker government should be put in charge until elections have been held and the rest of the junta should resign

The guy was worth 83 million baht in 2014 and could afford a few expensive watches. 

 

Is the problem that he's not supposed to have expensive watches or do they think he had them all in 2014 and didn't report owning them?

 

I doubt he bought 24 watches in the past four years but this is pretty minor compared to whatever it is this is a distraction from.

 

He's not a cop making 10k a month and driving a Bugatti. 

 

A multimillionaire with pricey watches is more important than a six inch thick roadway that is really only three inches thick and turns to shit in six months because government officials pocketed 25% of the 100 million baht construction budget? 

 

Don't look at that, keep your attention on the rich old fart's watches.  

2 minutes ago, Guitar God said:

{snipped}

A multimillionaire with pricey watches is more important than a six inch thick roadway that is really only three inches thick and turns to shit in six months because government officials pocketed 25% of the 100 million baht construction budget? 

 

Don't look at that, keep your attention on the rich old fart's watches.  

I agree with you on your comment about the roads. Surely unless those whose are stealing the money are publicised and (hopefully) brought to justice or resign, it might just put pressure on others not to do the same.

 

Sorry, back to my dreaming about how we might try to improve things...

Tick, tock; calls grow for Thai deputy PM to quit over watch scandal

 

Amy Sawitta Lefevre, Panarat Thepgumpanat

3 MIN READ

•  
•  

 

BANGKOK (Reuters) - A petition calling for the resignation of Thailand’s deputy prime minister attracted thousands of signatures on Monday, heaping pressure on the junta’s second-in-command to step aside amid a scandal over a luxury watch and undeclared assets.

 

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-thailand-politics/tick-tock-calls-grow-for-thai-deputy-pm-to-quit-over-watch-scandal-idUSKBN1FP0L4?feedType=RSS&feedName=worldNews&utm_source=Twitter&utm_medium=Social&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Reuters%2FworldNews+(Reuters+World+News)