Prayut dismisses election rally, warns law-breaking protesters 

By The Nation

 

Photo by Tanachai Pramarnpanich

 

As protesters marched to Government House amid growing demands for an election this year, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha on Tuesday insisted that the poll would be no sooner than early 2019.

 

“They can demand all they want but the law is the law,” Prayut said during a press briefing. “There will be an election early next year, no sooner than that. We will have to progress according to the readiness of related laws.”

 

Prayut was referring to four organic laws related to the election. According to the 2017 Constitution, the election must be held within 150 days of all the four laws coming into effect.

 

The junta leader declared last year that the election would be held by this November, but that date was changed again when junta-appointed legislators agreed to delay the enactment of the MP election law by 90 days.

 

That meant a further delay to the poll date of three months from this November, placing it at next February.

 

The move stirred dissatisfaction among pro-democracy activists, who are sceptical of reasons given for the delay and have been calling for an election since January.

 

Today, as the junta government reaches its 4th anniversary, the group marched towards Government House to demand a poll be held before the year is out.

 

The marchers are defying a junta ban on political gatherings of five or more people.

 

“They cannot march, whether they support or oppose us. It breaks the law. They will just cause conflict and upset the economy,” Prayut said.

 

“They can have different opinions but must not break the law.”

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/breakingnews/30346004

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2018-05-22

5 minutes ago, webfact said:

 

“They can have different opinions but must not break the law.”

They can have different opinions but must not express them.

Did the PM break the law when he lead the coup 4 years ago?

“Upset the economy “? Ummmm


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1 minute ago, Aj Mick said:

Did the PM break the law when he lead the coup 4 years ago?

Technically yes....... but he is 'good people' .......... oh! and he gave himself and his cronies a complete and all consuming amnesty.

37 minutes ago, webfact said:

"They can demand all they want but the law is the law,” Prayut said during a press briefing.

Stupid protesters, why don't they just give themselves an article 44?

9 minutes ago, PREM-R said:

Technically yes....... but he is 'good people' .......... oh! and he gave himself and his cronies a complete and all consuming amnesty.

I (for my sins) know a fascist professor of law at a top, top Thai university and even he (a keen supporter of Prayut and his junta) admitted to me recently:  'How can that coup - overthrowing an elected government - be anything other than illegal?' 

 

But hey, this is Thailand - where law counts for nothing - even amongst Thailand's top law professors.

7 minutes ago, canuckamuck said:

Stupid protesters, why don't they just give themselves an article 44?

Actually, they already essentially possess that under the highest Thai law. According to the Thai Constitution of 2016: 'Sovereignty belongs to the Thai people' - not to a military junta. But as I said in my post above - in Thailand the law counts for absolutely nothing.

 

Edited May 22, 20188 yr by Eligius

2 minutes ago, Eligius said:

I (for my sins) know a fascist professor of law at a top, top Thai university and even he (a keen supporter of Prayut and his junta) admitted to me recently:  'How can that coup - overthrowing an elected government - be anything other than illegal?' 

 

But hey, this is Thailand - where law counts for nothing - even amongst Thailand's top law professors.

Making a coup is treason. Passing retro-active laws is shunned in most civilised countries, but it is the custom and practice of coup governments in Thailand, to forgive themselves after the fact using dodgy laws.

 

Only one way to resolve the coup problem, and that's to make it unattractive for people who might be tempted in the future. Lots of options, I would start with life in prison, and confiscate the assets of the family. Should give pause for thought.

8 hours ago, Aj Mick said:

Did the PM break the law when he lead the coup 4 years ago?

He IS the law........

6 minutes ago, petermik said:

He IS the law........

'The state - it is me'. Prayut surely has this famous quote hanging up in huge letters above his bed!

 

Edited May 22, 20188 yr by Eligius

7 hours ago, Eligius said:

'The state - it is me'. Prayut surely has this famous quote hanging up in huge letters above his bed!

 

AND he believes it.............

1 hour ago, PREM-R said:

Technically yes....... but he is 'good people' .......... oh! and he gave himself and his cronies a complete and all consuming amnesty.

Correct answer.

 

For more than eight decades such good autocrats have installed juntas to guide the country to democracy   ...  plutocracy, and with that happiness for the top brass and other elites.

An offensive post has been removed. 

2 hours ago, KiwiKiwi said:

Making a coup is treason. Passing retro-active laws is shunned in most civilised countries, but it is the custom and practice of coup governments in Thailand, to forgive themselves after the fact using dodgy laws.

 

Only one way to resolve the coup problem, and that's to make it unattractive for people who might be tempted in the future. Lots of options, I would start with life in prison, and confiscate the assets of the family. Should give pause for thought.

Or a public hanging for treason....

3 minutes ago, thaiguzzi said:

Or a public hanging for treason....

Someone ekse in this thread made what I believe was a good idea. A part of the problem is if you remove a top man, there are 50 more wanting to replace him. So...

 

He suggested take the top 100 people, convict them and sentence them to be shot for treason. Then make all their subordinates attend and watch. That should get the thinking juices flowing. Seems like a pretty good idea. Personally, after the firing parties, I would bang the spectators up in the worst prison imaginable. Society must have at least some revenge for the damage caused by these louts.

1 minute ago, KiwiKiwi said:

Someone ekse in this thread made what I believe was a good idea. A part of the problem is if you remove a top man, there are 50 more wanting to replace him. So...

 

He suggested take the top 100 people, convict them and sentence them to be shot for treason. Then make all their subordinates attend and watch. That should get the thinking juices flowing. Seems like a pretty good idea. Personally, after the firing parties, I would bang the spectators up in the worst prison imaginable. Society must have at least some revenge for the damage caused by these louts.

I like it.

I believe there are over 3000 generals, admirals et al in the armed services here. I reckon your figure above is nowhere near enough...

45 minutes ago, thaiguzzi said:

I like it.

I believe there are over 3000 generals, admirals et al in the armed services here. I reckon your figure above is nowhere near enough...

Indeed, more than the USA army has according to some. Maybe 1000 then...

4 hours ago, webfact said:

“They can demand all they want but the law is the law,” Prayut said during a press briefing.

What utter cack. The law is not the law just as the constitution is not the constitution. Meaningless words on bits of paper, both.

3 hours ago, Eligius said:

Actually, they already essentially possess that under the highest Thai law. According to the Thai Constitution of 2016: 'Sovereignty belongs to the Thai people' - not to a military junta. But as I said in my post above - in Thailand the law counts for absolutely nothing.

 

Careful.. Quoting the constitution will soon be sedition the way things are heading...

1 minute ago, baboon said:

Careful.. Quoting the constitution will soon be sedition the way things are heading...

You are so right, Baboon: look at those poor protesters today - simply asking that Prayut's own promise of a November election be honoured. And now - the leaders are under arrest and have been whisked off to God knows where.

 

Yes: the Law is what Prayut says it is (but be careful - because it changes by the minute!).

4 hours ago, KiwiKiwi said:

Only one way to resolve the coup problem, and that's to make it unattractive for people who might be tempted in the future. Lots of options, I would start with life in prison, and confiscate the assets of the family. Should give pause for thought.

Lamp posts. There are lots of them along the road to the airport...

5 minutes ago, JAG said:

Lamp posts. There are lots of them along the road to the airport...

 

First class idea, now we're talking... do a Mussolini on their asses.

1 hour ago, Eligius said:

You are so right, Baboon: look at those poor protesters today - simply asking that Prayut's own promise of a November election be honoured. And now - the leaders are under arrest and have been whisked off to God knows where.

 

Yes: the Law is what Prayut says it is (but be careful - because it changes by the minute!).

 

But there will be a reckoning, there will have to be if the cycle of coups. First understand who benefits from the coup and then make sure they don't benefit. Do whatever it takes...

 

Mind you, it *is* Thais we're talking about... I suppose that makes a difference, where there's no sense there's no feeling.

Edited May 22, 20188 yr by KiwiKiwi

6 hours ago, webfact said:

“They can demand all they want but the law is the law,”

5555

 

Yet back in 2014 you broke the law to install your illegitimate regime. Do not talk about the law, you actually break a law, they only broke your laws, laws you have no legitimacy nor mandate for to draft. 

 

You are a bareface liar, the only reason the elections have been delayed time and time again is because you are stalling the progress, if you wanted to, the NLA will pass the laws that are still supposedly needed before the end of the week. After all, you installed all MP's yourself. 

 

 

32 minutes ago, sjaak327 said:

. Do not talk about the law, you actually break a law, they only broke your laws, laws you have no legitimacy nor mandate for to draft. 

And yet they break their own bloody 'laws'! Ignore the constitution THEY wanted! I mean for f-, sorry, for goodness' sake...!

 

You are correct of course. There is no longer Law in this place, just an arbitrary exercise of power. Now I still love it here, but in the context of living in an oriental East Germany without the socialist part...

Even though no shot was fired, the country was taken over by force of arms. This in its self is illegal, but once in power you can change the laws to suit yourself. As to spending billions on armaments which are not needed, who in their right mind would invade, theres nothing worth having.

Always warning, never try to get in touch with the peoples that like to get a real democracy!

18 hours ago, Aj Mick said:

Did the PM break the law when he lead the coup 4 years ago?

Of course not, he just changed the law

19 minutes ago, yardrunner said:

Of course not, he just changed the law

Wrong answer..... he did break the law as it stood at the time.

 

Of course, having done so, he did make the necessary changes to ensure his record is unblemished.

Edited May 23, 20188 yr by Aj Mick