EC 'petitions charter court' to dissolve Future Forward over Thanathorn loan

[300sd]

May as well have a new run, call it "run for dictatorship!"

Maybe the police will allow a conference about it beforehand.

[hotchilli]

4 hours ago, webfact said:

"They use the law to destroy political opposition, something that has been going on since the 2014 coup," Titipol said.

If the FFP is dissolved then the international bodies should step away from Thailand in a heartbeat!

This is prof positive that Thailand has no democratic policy but is a dictatorship ruled by the military wearing pinstripe suits!

[rkidlad]

2 minutes ago, hotchilli said:

If the FFP is dissolved then the international bodies should step away from Thailand in a heartbeat!

This is prof positive that Thailand has no democratic policy but is a dictatorship ruled by the military wearing pinstripe suits!

5 years of lies about elections so they could rig the system and courts in their favour. Then they announce results (with big delay) and tell the world. "we democracy now". Now it's looking likely they'll dissolve FFP.

 

But will they get away with it? If I was a gambling man, I'd probably say yes. My god, that's depressing. 

[Eligius]

8 minutes ago, rkidlad said:

5 years of lies about elections so they could rig the system and courts in their favour. Then they announce results (with big delay) and tell the world. "we democracy now". Now it's looking likely they'll dissolve FFP.

 

But will they get away with it? If I was a gambling man, I'd probably say yes. My god, that's depressing. 

Sadly, Rkidlad, I totally agree with you. They WILL get away with it. 

There will be no massive, substantial  kick-back - not from the millions and millions of Thais (Thailand has a population of nearly 70 million), and not from the 'international community' of pathetic cowards.

The junta (of one stripe or another) are here to stay.

 

 

Edited December 12, 2019 by Eligius

[Chongalulu]

Knocking out the nascent party most likely to provide any reasonable opposition to the current dinosaurs before it becomes a serious alternative,the junta are gambling that Thais in general are too apathetic,unknowledgable and naive to react in any meaningful way to the suppression of democracy. It’s probably a reasonable bet.

[neeray]

4 hours ago, webfact said:

Analyst warn that the move by the Election Commission to dissolve the Future Forward party could backfire on the government.

I totally agree. As I already said in another thread that is running, "this could be the straw that breaks the camel's back".

 

I hope so.

[d2b2]

...and when the Thai economy crashes next year, who will the Junta pin the blame on? Future forward won't be there.

[Eligius]

20 minutes ago, nchuckle said:

Knocking out the nascent party most likely to provide any reasonable opposition to the current dinosaurs before it becomes a serious alternative,the junta are gambling that Thais in general are too apathetic,unknowledgable and naive to react in any meaningful way to the suppression of democracy. It’s probably a reasonable bet.

I agree with your sentiments, Nchuckle - but in all fairness I would say that the Thais are also (very justifiably) SCARED of striking back. They have seen what happened as recently as 2010 (plus all the other times when thousands of Thais rebelled and many hundreds did not live to tell the tale).

 

Yet Thailand is a country of nearly 70 MILLION - so ....

 

Edited December 12, 2019 by Eligius

[robertson468]

I have a very bad feeling about this and I would not be surprised if this does not backfire on the PM and his cronies.  The EC is only doing what they were told to do, but sadly neither the EC or the present Government have the sense to stop this fiasco of oppression.  I believe the FF Party have a very strong following and mainly of the youngsters.  You only have to look at Hong Kong.  I would like to wish everyone a happy new year, but sadly I don't think that will happen with a depression and revolution on the horizon.

[hotchilli]

2 hours ago, rkidlad said:

5 years of lies about elections so they could rig the system and courts in their favour. Then they announce results (with big delay) and tell the world. "we democracy now". Now it's looking likely they'll dissolve FFP.

 

But will they get away with it? If I was a gambling man, I'd probably say yes. My god, that's depressing. 

Yes I agree, what you say is all correct and not once has a foreign power ever said in a veiled manner or otherwise that it has to stop.

Thailand says it will talk to the USA & the EU regarding trade & economy, never once has one of them said sorry we're not interested in talks while democracy is being eroded.

Pressure needs to be put on the regime while we have a chance to stop the rot deepening, after the damage has been done it's too late to reverse it!

[Redline]

The country continues to cut its own throat in every way possible 

[Donutz]

3 hours ago, Eligius said:

I agree with your sentiments, Nchuckle - but in all fairness I would say that the Thais are also (very justifiably) SCARED of striking back. They have seen what happened as recently as 2010 (plus all the other times when thousands of Thais rebelled and many hundreds did not live to tell the tale).

 

Yet Thailand is a country of nearly 70 MILLION - so ....

 

Indeed, Thais have had to en dure many dictatorships since 1932. And when people rose up against the elite rulers (army generals other such folk) the results were nasty. So it's a combination of fear and the feeling that attempts to establish a democracy are all rather futile. But if they would rise up in numbers,  things could change. Question is,  who takes the first step and risks taking a bullet, assault or unexplained disappearance?

[GreasyFingers]

There must be a difference between loans for FFP and direct funding to Pheu Thai. Thanathorn should not have been greedy and not asked for interest on the money.

[FarFlungFalang]

4 hours ago, Donutz said:

Question is,  who takes the first step and risks taking a bullet, assault or unexplained disappearance?

Thanathorn and his friends are taking the first step.He has been found guilty of being an opposition and no other party have been found guilty of being an opposition they are all doing what they're told.The patience of the young may well be tested with this assault on their hopes of a future where the people get to have a say. 

[FarFlungFalang]

If the dissolution goes ahead the rest of the opposition will have to resign from the parliament as without the Fast Forward Party there is to big a majority for Prayut and his band will have a hefty mandate to dictate the terms of Democracy in Thailand.Best leave him to play by himself and explain to the world how Thailand is a Democracy,not that the rest of the world really gives a rat's rear end.

[Donutz]

1 hour ago, GreasyFingers said:

There must be a difference between loans for FFP and direct funding to Pheu Thai. Thanathorn should not have been greedy and not asked for interest on the money.

With zero interest they could argue it's not really a loan but more like a gift. To me it seems to have been the smart thing with proper interest.  He could always donate  an equivalent amount back to FFP.

[Eligius]

8 minutes ago, Donutz said:

With zero interest they could argue it's not really a loan but more like a gift. To me it seems to have been the smart thing with proper interest.  He could always donate  an equivalent amount back to FFP.

Quite honestly, my friend Donutz, it really does not matter one jot whether Thanathorn lent the money at interest, or interest free; whether he lent 120 million baht, a trillion baht, or 5,000 baht: the junta would still seek to throttle and silence him (as an active politician) over it.

 

When you have TOTAL power (which of course is what 'totalitarianism' means), you can do and say anything you like, no matter how mendacious, unethical or ludicrous - and get away with it. We see this daily now, and have done so for the past six years.

 

There is no way out for Thailand now (and I have been saying this all this year - if not much longer): ALL 'legal' avenues to democracy (REAL democracy) are closed, bolted and barred to the Thai people for as long as most of us will live.

 

So: what is the alternative? I'm not going to answer that one here. But it is painfully obvious at this point (and also obvious that it ain't going to happen anytime soon).

[happy chappie]

I wouldn't hold my breath.these boys are well dug in now and it's getting more like North Korea and china every day.all I can say is the future don't look bright for Thailand and thank god ive got a bolt hole called home in the uk.

[Donutz]

10 hours ago, Eligius said:

Quite honestly, my friend Donutz, it really does not matter one jot whether Thanathorn lent the money at interest, or interest free; whether he lent 120 million baht, a trillion baht, or 5,000 baht: the junta would still seek to throttle and silence him (as an active politician) over it.

 

The junta and it's lapdogs have thrown and will throw anything at Thanathorn and FFP, both to see what sticks and to spoil the image of FFP for those who are on the fence. But even if it's ultimately futile for FFP to try and stay within the (rather questionable) rules dictated to them, at least they can keep their head up high. Their very attempt to do things the right way may, I hope, at least gain them some support or sympathy from people who other wise wouldn't have done so. Perhaps it only gets them a single inch forward on the way to democracy, winning popular support from the people so that one day these so called 'khon dee' can be permanently evicted from their power base.  But the road ahead seems long and filled with traps and struggles.