11 minutes ago, lemonjelly said:

If the anti-junta parties form some sort of coalition to control the lower house, thus blocking any policy decisions from the government, there’ll be a coup 

Exactly the way I see it.

'OK, go ahead with your dumb little elections if that's what you want. But this country is OURS and don't forget it.'

In my opinion, the parties should withdraw their participation from this farce, but they won't. Too interested in the scraps from the table.

I am sorry for the youngsters and the politically aware, but 'Nobody else seems to give a crap so why should I?' is my current take on the situation.

12 hours ago, colinneil said:

There will be no coup, says Ole Fatty, looking back over his shoulder.

The next lot are just waiting ready to pounce.

The next group is eager to get to the trough. They are envious of those expensive cars, watches and offshore bank accounts. 

Coup rumours started to circulate roughly around the time Thai Raksa put forward it candidate .

 

for some reason I have a feeling it was done on purpose being well aware of thr consequences yet it may have set some wheels in motion for so many rifts to surface lately 

Flashing that diamond ring, Swiss watch and standing there with a confident point. 

There will be no coup, but we'll ban or dissolve any party that's a chance of winning . LoL Thailand

20 hours ago, rooster59 said:

There will be no coup,” said the deputy prime minister with a laugh, adding “There is nothing to be worried about.  Everything is fine and moving toward the election.”

nothing to worry about after they have disbanded all political opposition

3 hours ago, Creasy said:

There will be no coup, but we'll ban or dissolve any party that's a chance of winning . LoL Thailand

Which may start a new coup as street violence will sooner or later erupt if the people's choice is continually thwarted. 

I am always amazed how big and round that guys head is, with flared nostrils.

 

...he better never fall asleep in a bowling alley.

7 minutes ago, DLock said:

I am always amazed how big and round that guys head is, with flared nostrils.

...he better never fall asleep in a bowling alley.

I thought flares were out of fashion?

20 hours ago, jcsmith said:

It should be noted that in the vast majority of developed countries you wouldn't even think of a coup being a possibility. Trying to perform one would be treasonous. But in Thailand it's business as usual.

In the vast majority of developed countries no party threatens to form an army, threatens to split the country, blatantly uses its majority to start stealing from the country's wealth, threatens political opposers, kill political opposers, has leaders that leave their followers to pay for their deeds, bring the country to a standstill, divided the country in a massive way.

It wasn't really a surprise the army would step in, the country was near to a civil war.

Am I in favour of coups?

No way!

I am just a bystander hoping things will not get out of hand.

Again.

22 hours ago, YetAnother said:

who would believe anything this guy says ? exactly the wrong kind of people in authority

Yeah, his "timing" is all wrong!

I cannot help but feel a dark foreboding about the country's near future. After all the lies and trouble the current lot have gone to so as to fix everything in their favour I simply do not believe they will relinquish power under any circumstances. It's relatively calm now as they are trying to steal power again in a sham election to try to make it look good...but there are plenty of signs that it's not going to go as they want and who knows what they will do when they realise the game's up. Also, the junta have this insidious 60 days to do what they like before they have to pony up the results of the election and my guess is that all kinds of dirty Hun Sen style tricks will come to the fore along with fake results from everywhere. They are already doing their best to have FFP and PT dissolved and leaders banned asap by any dubious means possible as they are scared out of their minds.

 

If the Thais actually wake up and deliver a result that isn't what the elite fascists want then all bets are off and it's looking more possible all the time.

 

There won't be a coup as long as the ncpo gets elected ????

12 hours ago, Ulic said:

Flashing that diamond ring, Swiss watch and standing there with a confident point. 

Now now he was investigated and found to have done no wrong lol ????

6 hours ago, hansnl said:

In the vast majority of developed countries no party threatens to form an army, threatens to split the country, blatantly uses its majority to start stealing from the country's wealth, threatens political opposers, kill political opposers, has leaders that leave their followers to pay for their deeds, bring the country to a standstill, divided the country in a massive way.

It wasn't really a surprise the army would step in, the country was near to a civil war.

Am I in favour of coups?

No way!

I am just a bystander hoping things will not get out of hand.

Again.

"Am I in favor of coups?No way!"

 

Oh..that's good..

Now repeat that mantra 12 times.If you are not bored after that exercise in perseveration you might add on the 7 failed attempts as well.

I fear the chap who says that in the 60 day period the Junta spivs will finagle the poll results to show they won hands down is probably right. 

 

So what happens then? There won't be another coup unless it is that arrogant general with all the baubles on his chest killing Prayut and Pravit and taking their place in which case it could be Pol Pot all over again here. 

 

That is scary.

2 hours ago, cliveshep said:

I fear the chap who says that in the 60 day period the Junta spivs will finagle the poll results to show they won hands down is probably right. 

 

So what happens then? There won't be another coup unless it is that arrogant general with all the baubles on his chest killing Prayut and Pravit and taking their place in which case it could be Pol Pot all over again here. 

 

That is scary.

Very interesting times ahead, my money is on the junta will cheat to remain in power.

The elite have by now stolen everything that there is from the workaday Thais. So now they will have to start (in)fighting over their spoils.  Another coup is a given.

Edited March 10, 20197 yr by Khaeng Mak

The election is irrelevant. The fixes are in to ensure that the military remains in power no matter what.

 

There are however two very distinct factions within the military. Muscles are being flexed. The inevitable faction fight within the military could well be  be viscious, and probably ruthless. It could spill over to outside the barracks, if they have any sense the civilian population, and the civilian politicians will keep out of it.

Edited March 10, 20197 yr by JAG

I'd like to ask they do the next one on May 22, I have a first time visitor coming to see me and it'd be cool for him to experience a coup, so exotic. The other shithole countries that do them are a bit too risky for the casual traveller, here it's more like looking at the northern lights, happens every so often.

Edited March 10, 20197 yr by DrTuner

23 hours ago, baboon said:

A trial in an international court under the existing (arbitrary) law(s) the junta imposed on their own citizenry would be adequate justice. We are and ought to be better than these gangsters.

Yeah, along these lines: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuremberg_trials

 

And then drag the corpses through the streets of Bangkok.

13 hours ago, hansnl said:

In the vast majority of developed countries no party threatens to form an army, threatens to split the country, blatantly uses its majority to start stealing from the country's wealth, threatens political opposers, kill political opposers, has leaders that leave their followers to pay for their deeds, bring the country to a standstill, divided the country in a massive way.

It wasn't really a surprise the army would step in, the country was near to a civil war.

Am I in favour of coups?

No way!

I am just a bystander hoping things will not get out of hand.

Again.

Yeah, Pre the 2014 coup Thailand was indistinguishable from Liberia or any other third world hellhole one could invoke.

What absolute cack! Country at a standstill? Civil war? But here you remained, not dashing to catch the next thing with an engine, out of Dodge and to safety elsewhere.

Because there was no threat of a civil war. The power was on. Transport was not full of internal refugees fleeing the fighting. The shops were open and stocked with food.

Nor did the army "step in". They staged a coup and installed themselves into power. For almost five years now and counting.

 

Your revisionist history is completely, utterly and demonstrably bankrupt.

45 minutes ago, DrTuner said:

Yeah, along these lines: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuremberg_trials

 

And then drag the corpses through the streets of Bangkok.

Being a bit of a liberal poofter, I don't want to see mutilated corpses dragged round the streets of Bangkok or anywhere else for that matter. 

Corrupt coupmongers being publicly stripped of their worthless bling and being sent to prison for a very long time works for me, not that it will actually happen.

it's the way it's meant to be.

48 minutes ago, baboon said:

Being a bit of a liberal poofter, I don't want to see mutilated corpses dragged round the streets of Bangkok or anywhere else for that matter. 

Corrupt coupmongers being publicly stripped of their worthless bling and being sent to prison for a very long time works for me, not that it will actually happen.

You're right of course, but consider the track record.

 

1. What will the Thai people do if Prayuth wins by cheating? Nothing, nothing at all.

 

2. What will the Thai people do if Prayuth loses, and a coup follows quicktime (as it will)? Nothing. Nothing at all.

 

Thais talk a good game, and they'll huff and puff and bluster, but at the end of the day, the Sugar cane is being cut in Isaan, the price of rubber is through the floor and the government has agreed with 2 or 3 other exporters not to export any more rubber for some months (4 as I recall but that may be wrong). The economy is down the toilet, people in the street are very very short of money and the banks and finance companies are busy doing little war dances about the number of NPL's, same as last year..

 

Next month will look a lot like the past 4 years, nothing will happen, and the price of somtam and rice with chicken will stay about the same.

 

Always remember, TiT - nothing untoward will happen, the amrtya will continue to rip off the country as they have done in good times and bad for the last 85-odd years and the police and army will continue to be the biggest  mafias in Thailand.

 

 

Edited March 10, 20197 yr by MisterPenguin

16 hours ago, hansnl said:

In the vast majority of developed countries no party threatens to form an army, threatens to split the country, blatantly uses its majority to start stealing from the country's wealth, threatens political opposers, kill political opposers, has leaders that leave their followers to pay for their deeds, bring the country to a standstill, divided the country in a massive way.

It wasn't really a surprise the army would step in, the country was near to a civil war.

Am I in favour of coups?

No way!

I am just a bystander hoping things will not get out of hand.

Again.

Total nonsense

 

Of course the previous government was corrupt, as were all the previous ones. There was never any threat of civil war, just the inability due to the threat of a coup, to suppress paid mobs on the streets.

We can all speculate who Suthep was taking his orders from, but pretty obvious he was in cahoots with the military and the various elite who call the shots, and funding his 'rent a mob'

The military is as corrupt as all of them, running for profit companies, just they have guns....plus watches!

A lot of expats think of the military in their home country where military officers are considered above politics, and honorable men. Couldn't be further from the truth in Thailand

Governments the world over are stupid and corrupt, but generally you get the opportunity to vote them out. If general stupidity is the reason for getting rid of democracy, half the world would be in charge of a military junta.

 

Start locking the junta generals up and things might start to change, but I'm not holding my breath