Banned Thai billionaire politician vows to press fight for democracy

[rooster59]

Banned Thai billionaire politician vows to press fight for democracy

 

FILE PHOTO: Future Forward Party leader Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit gives a speech, at the party's headquarters in Bangkok, Thailand February 21, 2020. REUTERS/Soe Zeya Tun/File Photo

 

BANGKOK (Reuters) - A Thai billionaire whose opposition party, critical of the military establishment, was dissolved last month said on Friday he will form a new movement to work outside parliament after being banned from politics for 10 years.

 

Students have protested daily in universities across the country since the Constitutional Court dissolved the Future Forward Party, which came third in last year's general election with more than six million votes.

 

The court ruled that the party had broken the law by taking a 191 million baht (£4.6 million) loan from its founder, Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit.

 

The action against Future Forward took place less than a year after Thailand held the election to end direct military rule, strengthening the position in parliament of a coalition led by Prime Minister Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, the former junta leader who took power in a 2014 coup.

 

Thanathorn, who was banned from running for political office or becoming a member of a party for 10 years, said he would continue his political struggle by forming the "Future Forward Movement" to promote local elections.

 

"We will campaign in universities, we will campaign in communities, we will campaign in trade unions... We will do it online, offline, we will do on the ground, there are many different battlegrounds," Thanathorn said.

 

He said the movement would work along side his former colleagues in parliament who were not banned by the court. They in turn were planning to form a new party, he said.

 

The Future Forward Party initially captured 81 out of 500 parliamentary seats in last year's election but has lost many lawmakers through defections and political bans.

 

(Reporting by Panu Wongcha-um; editing by Nick Macfie)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2020-03-07

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[Nyezhov]

And so it begins.

[faraday]

Good for him. I wish him not luck, but success.

 

 

[spiekerjozef]

Don't give up, keep fighting !

Most of the students and next generation Thais are with you...

[Dexlowe]

Cometh the hour, cometh the man. Let's hope Thanathorn is the man Thailand badly needs to bring some sanity to this woebegotten country.

[FarFlungFalang]

11 minutes ago, Nyezhov said:

And so it begins.

And so it ends.He will be campaigning in gaol also.And/or in another country.Next please.

Edited March 7, 2020 by FarFlungFalang

[Nyezhov]

10 minutes ago, FarFlungFalang said:

And so it ends.He will be campaigning in gaol also.And/or in another country.Next please.

Nothing magnifies and inspires a movement like a bit of gaol.

[neeray]

The concept rings a bell, "wage war, by sea, land and air".

 

Go Than go. Many are with you.

[Tayaout]

Nice tittle. 

[DannyCarlton]

23 minutes ago, Nyezhov said:

Nothing magnifies and inspires a movement like a bit of gaol.

True, it only took Mandela 24 years of sitting in a stinking cell.

[FarFlungFalang]

28 minutes ago, Nyezhov said:

Nothing magnifies and inspires a movement like a bit of gaol.

Except perhaps Death!

[DannyCarlton]

2 minutes ago, FarFlungFalang said:

Except perhaps Death!

True, MLK achieved his dream by taking a bullet in his head (has he really achieved his dream yet? 50 years and counting.).

 

 

Edited March 7, 2020 by DannyCarlton

[Grumpy John]

I hope his health doesn't suffer from any future confinement.  I would hate to see a future leader pushed to the side because of ill health.

[DannyCarlton]

4 minutes ago, Grumpy John said:

I hope his health doesn't suffer from any future confinement.  I would hate to see a future leader pushed to the side because of ill health.

As a billionaire I expect him to take the Taksin option and do his bird in a penthouse suite in London. Only real danger to his health is the rich and unhealthy food in Le Gavroche.

 

 

Edited March 7, 2020 by DannyCarlton

[Brigand]

They won't be happy till they have done a Thaksin on him and he'll have to go jail or flee. Looks like that is were this is headed ...usual MO for those they fear.

[sammieuk1]

Would have thought every farang in the land bar one is with him on his quest to winkle out the festering mob????

[OneMoreFarang]

Why is it that in Thailand the poor need billionaires to fight for democracy - or at least what those billionaires call democracy?

And if one of those billionaires fails because he enriched himself but didn't do much for the people then another billionaire is ready to take over. Democracy - Thai billionaire style. Amazing Thailand!

 

[CGW]

2 hours ago, spiekerjozef said:

Don't give up, keep fighting !

Most of the students and next generation Thais are with you...

It's surprising how many of the older generation are with him in my area.

[CGW]

6 minutes ago, OneMoreFarang said:

if one of those billionaires fails because he enriched himself but didn't do much for the people

Who failed?

who didn't do much for the people?

Not going to question the enrichment, that goes without saying! 

[OneMoreFarang]

2 minutes ago, CGW said:

Who failed?

who didn't do much for the people?

Not going to question the enrichment, that goes without saying! 

You are a Titanium Member. That is a sign that you are likely since some time in Thailand.

Do I really have to explain the last decades of Thai politics to you?

I give you a hint: There was this guy who told us at the beginning of his career that he made some honest mistakes. And then it got worse and worse...

[zhounan]

Brave man, Thailand needs more like him.

[CGW]

5 minutes ago, OneMoreFarang said:

Do I really have to explain the last decades of Thai politics to you?

Rather than explain I would suggest you re-evaluated your opinion, go back a little further than the last decade though ????

[OneMoreFarang]

1 hour ago, CGW said:

Rather than explain I would suggest you re-evaluated your opinion, go back a little further than the last decade though ????

I only follow Thai politics since I live here, more than 20 years.

It was always corrupt and difficult.

But it seems some politicians were more obvious corrupt than others. 

Thailand would look different today if the judges would not have allowed that stupid "honest mistake" excuse about 20 years ago.

And it seems lots of young people now make the same mistake which lots of people made 20 years  ago.

Somehow they think that a billionaire who is already extreme rich does not enter Thai politics because of the money. They somehow think that this billionaire will be the hero who will fight corruption and will bring prosperity to the country.

Yeah, sure - but maybe not. Sometime history repeats itself. And nobody pays attention.

[Tropicalevo]

2 hours ago, OneMoreFarang said:

Why is it that in Thailand the poor need billionaires to fight for democracy - or at least what those billionaires call democracy?

And if one of those billionaires fails because he enriched himself but didn't do much for the people then another billionaire is ready to take over. Democracy - Thai billionaire style. Amazing Thailand!

 

Not much different to the USA really.

[DrTuner]

He'll probably have to do it from exile. In any case, no mercy, press on good dude.

Edited March 7, 2020 by DrTuner

[chainarong]

Watch your back laddie

[Enki]

5 hours ago, OneMoreFarang said:

Why is it that in Thailand the poor need billionaires to fight for democracy - or at least what those billionaires call democracy?

And if one of those billionaires fails because he enriched himself but didn't do much for the people then another billionaire is ready to take over. Democracy - Thai billionaire style. Amazing Thailand!

 

Same as in USA I think. The only "democracy" on the planet is Switzerland, the rest is fake and compromises. Americans don't grasp that a retarded voting system and a two party system is in no way better than a single party system in China.

 

Democracy is about voting over topics!!! Not about parties or presidents. 

 

Do you want to get rid of nuclear power? YES/NO. Simple. Then you might have two or three plans for the exit and a second vote about the HOW. And perhaps then you can vote for people and vote: WHO will be responsible for the conduct. That is actually my favourite principle.

 

Voting for people for president or chancelor only means they are completely unaccountable for what they are doing, and they only need to to 51% of what you agree with and you grumpily will vote for them again because the other 49% perhaps where not that bad.

 

Democracy means: if there are 5 important things to think/decide about: there are 5 votes. Not one vote for an idiot who looks good on TV and then can decide how he tackles the 5 things and most of the time lying how he wants to tackle them to get the votes in the first place.

Edited March 7, 2020 by Enki

[Orton Rd]

Probably get some bullets in his car or have the family harassed, seems to be their MO at the moment.

[nong38]

7 hours ago, sammieuk1 said:

Would have thought every farang in the land bar one is with him on his quest to winkle out the festering mob????

You may think that, I could not possibly comment.

[OneMoreFarang]

1 hour ago, Enki said:

Same as in USA I think. The only "democracy" on the planet is Switzerland, the rest is fake and compromises. Americans don't grasp that a retarded voting system and a two party system is in no way better than a single party system in China.

 

Democracy is about voting over topics!!! Not about parties or presidents. 

 

Do you want to get rid of nuclear power? YES/NO. Simple. Then you might have two or three plans for the exit and a second vote about the HOW. And perhaps then you can vote for people and vote: WHO will be responsible for the conduct. That is actually my favourite principle.

 

Voting for people for president or chancelor only means they are completely unaccountable for what they are doing, and they only need to to 51% of what you agree with and you grumpily will vote for them again because the other 49% perhaps where not that bad.

 

Democracy means: if there are 5 important things to think/decide about: there are 5 votes. Not one vote for an idiot who looks good on TV and then can decide how he tackles the 5 things and most of the time lying how he wants to tackle them to get the votes in the first place.

I agree with you about America. But I don't think Switzerland is the only decent democracy.

 

If you ask the citizens 5 different questions and you expect 5 quality decisions because people informed themselves in detail then I think you live in utopia. It seems many voters don't spend the time to look into lots of details. If one or the other vote wins because one side had better looking ads then I don't think that is what we want.

 

And sometimes these 5 or many questions are not independent from each other. Like: Do you want nuclear energy? Or: Do you want to stop global warming?

 

I think almost any system could work if voters would care, learn and make educated decisions. But it seem that does not happen often and not in many countries. As long as lots of stupid uneducated people make majority decisions there is not much hope that things get better.