Thai PM faces parliamentary grilling as protests persist

[snoop1130]

 

FILE PHOTO: Thailand's Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha arrives before a family photo session with new cabinet ministers at the Government House in Bangkok, Thailand, March 30, 2021. REUTERS/Athit Perawongmetha

 

BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thai lawmakers began a censure debate against Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha and five cabinet ministers on Tuesday, as opponents threatened to intensify street protests fueled by frustration at his government's handling of a COVID-19 crisis.

 

Prayuth has weathered two previous censure motions and is widely expected to survive a no confidence vote scheduled for Saturday, owing to his coalition's clear parliamentary majority of 270 seats verses the opposition's 212.

 

But the motion is unlikely to temper the anger of youth-led anti-government groups, which organised major rallies late last year that led to repeated standoffs and hundreds of arrests.

 

Protests have returned this year with renewed support from Thais frustrated by lockdowns, record COVID-19 deaths and a troubled vaccine rollout, who have threatened nationwide demonstrations while the opposition grills Prayuth in parliament.

 

They accuse the former army chief and five of his cabinet ministers, including deputy prime minister and health minister Anutin Charnvirakul, of corruption, economic mismanagement and of bungling the government's coronavirus response.

 

"Every seven minutes a Thai person died because of the blundered management of the COVID-19 situation," opposition leader Sompong Amornwiwat of the Pheu Thai Party said in opening the debate.

 

"There are economic losses of 8 billion baht ($247.60 million) per day from a lack of management and lockdown measures that have failed."

 

Prayuth took power in a 2014 military coup and remained prime minister after a 2019 election, making him the longest-serving Thai leader since the end of the Cold War.

 

The protests against him, which are outlawed under current coronavirus restrictions, have gathered steam in recent weeks, despite frequent, at times violent clashes with police who have responded with tear gas, rubber bullets and water cannon.

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2021-08-31

 

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[mark131v]

1 hour ago, snoop1130 said:

They accuse the former army chief and five of his cabinet ministers, including deputy prime minister and health minister Anutin Charnvirakul, of corruption, economic mismanagement and of bungling the government's coronavirus response

Clearly a misunderstanding...

[Soikhaonoiken]

He needs a good grilling, for the mess he has, and still is putting Thailand in.... 

[stigar]

looks like north-korea

[hotchilli]

13 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

Prayuth has weathered two previous censure motions and is widely expected to survive a no confidence vote scheduled for Saturday, owing to his coalition's clear parliamentary majority of 270 seats verses the opposition's 212.

Worries, what worries he's got it sewn up.

[nobodysfriend]

14 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

They accuse the former army chief and five of his cabinet ministers, including deputy prime minister and health minister Anutin Charnvirakul, of corruption, economic mismanagement and of bungling the government's coronavirus response.

Better he pleads guilty to all points .

It all could have been done much better than he and his " crew members " , did .

But , of course , he will deny it all and find excuses or somebody or something else to blame . He's a politician , after all ...

[Benmart]

26 minutes ago, nobodysfriend said:

Better he pleads guilty to all points .

It all could have been done much better than he and his " crew members " , did .

But , of course , he will deny it all and find excuses or somebody or something else to blame . He's a politician , after all ...

He's a General masquerading as a politician.

[XJPSX]

Basically every Thai I know regardless of age and wealth do not want him.

It’s not just youth or students or middle lower class etc…this guy ain’t popular nor is the current system.

Most very firm on their opinion much to my surprise.

Can’t see anything changing as those in power incl military have too much to lo$e

[nobodysfriend]

1 minute ago, Benmart said:

He's a General masquerading as a politician.

I know .

He should have stayed a general only , commanding his subordinates .

But he took the job of a politician , something he is not good at .

To be a good politician , ( they should all be replaced with AI to stop the corruption . Everywhere . ) , he needs to be a diplomat , too .

Is that the case here ? I doubt it .

[Hayduke]

15 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thai lawmakers began a censure debate against Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha and five cabinet ministers on Tuesday

Look kids! Uncle is all dressed up for his new job as a door opener at the Oriental Hotel.

 

 

 

[brianthainess]

15 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

 

FILE PHOTO: Thailand's Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha arrives before a family photo session with new cabinet ministers at the Government House in

A family photo session with new cabinet ministers ????

[Paul Kernell]

32 minutes ago, XJPSX said:

Basically every Thai I know regardless of age and wealth do not want him.

It’s not just youth or students or middle lower class etc…this guy ain’t popular nor is the current system.

Most very firm on their opinion much to my surprise.

Can’t see anything changing as those in power incl military have too much to lo$e

I agree 100%. The alternative of a proper election won't work, well it didn't work last time because the red shirts will win so the yellow shirts have to stop the election with nobody in charge Bangkok burns like last time. Very difficult situation, shame we/they can't have an honest uncorrupt election like the USA? Mmmmmm that didn't work either!

[IamNoone88]

I seem to recall that the country voted this Government into power. Now they complain? It begins and ends at the ballot box. Prayut, Biden......... As my mother used say ...... be careful what you wish for .... you might just get it.

[Bobydog]

3 hours ago, stigar said:

looks like north-korea

I Wasn't aware Dress White's were an Army uniform or is this just another pretend dressup party.

[Surasak]

3 hours ago, hotchilli said:

Worries, what worries he's got it sewn up.

Sewn up with what? There's no wax on the thread, which is well past its sell by date and he's using a Blake sticher instead of an over locker. What could possibly go wrong?

[Surasak]

1 hour ago, Hayduke said:

Look kids! Uncle is all dressed up for his new job as a door opener at the Oriental Hotel.

 

 

 

And all in white, he makes a very good target.

[digger70]

51 minutes ago, IamNoone88 said:

I seem to recall that the country voted this Government into power. Now they complain? It begins and ends at the ballot box. Prayut, Biden......... As my mother used say ...... be careful what you wish for .... you might just get it.

Not only that they voted him in ,One must Really look and Try to Find one that Can/ Will  run the country Better than what we got now I doubt that there will be . 

[johnarth]

you can tell when he thinks he is in trouble he puts his power uniform on, so he still in the army

[FunkyDunky58]

1 hour ago, IamNoone88 said:

I seem to recall that the country voted this Government into power. Now they complain? It begins and ends at the ballot box. Prayut, Biden......... As my mother used say ...... be careful what you wish for .... you might just get it.

Thats a bit unfair. He delayed and delayed the election until he knew he had set it up so he could not lose. Even the referendum on the constitution was rigged. The Thai people were not given much option except to say "yes we need a constitution".  His behaviour is clear evidence that he is nowhere near General material. A thin skinned little boy in big boy skin. 

[HaoleBoy]

1 hour ago, IamNoone88 said:

I seem to recall that the country voted this Government into power. Now they complain? It begins and ends at the ballot box. Prayut, Biden......... As my mother used say ...... be careful what you wish for .... you might just get it.

Prayuth did not "win" the so called election.  They bent the rules so he did win.  The smaller parties were not to have any say if they did not garner 70,000 votes or more, yet they did.

Then his party got rid of the Move Forward party with Thanathorn because he was too much of a threat.

 

The sitting gov sure pushed through charges on Thanathorn, but can do nothing with the Red Bull heir, the Red Bull case charges and now the 'killer cop' case.

[Zack61]

17 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

Prayuth took power in a 2014 military coup and remained prime minister after a 2019 election

Election?????????

[connda]

I'm sure Prayut is shaking in his boots.

[herfiehandbag]

3 hours ago, IamNoone88 said:

I seem to recall that the country voted this Government into power. Now they complain? It begins and ends at the ballot box. Prayut, Biden......... As my mother used say ...... be careful what you wish for .... you might just get it.

Well, perhaps it may be more accurate to say that this government emerged as the "winners" after the last election; after they engineered the banning of one significant opposition party immediately prior to voting, engineered the dissolution of another immediately after the election, including banning it's leader on ridiculous trumped up charges, and were only then confirmed as winners by an appointed senate made up from their cronies who they had appointed when in power prior to the election, in power remember as a result of having staged a military coup!

 

Frankly I would suggest that the ballot box was probably the least important factor in this government "winning" the election.

[ChrisKC]

10 hours ago, Soikhaonoiken said:

He needs a good grilling, for the mess he has, and still is putting Thailand in.... 

He needs a good grilling

 

Then a jolly good roasting and if he lives, demoted to an inactive post

[metisdead]

A troll post with a disallowed reference to the Thai PM has been removed. 

[QPRFC]

Is it my phone screen or does his attire have a shade of pink in it?

He is subliminally getting the support of LBGTQ ???? 

[Dont confuse me]

As far as I can make out, he hasn't actually won anything! He TOOK power via a coup he has manipulated and changed the rules so he can't be voted out!

Sad thing is that he was allowed to get away with it! 

I don't think he has any chance of ever being elected by the people in a fair and transparent election.

[Thunglom]

At the beginning of the pandemic, an ex-changwat governor proclaimed to me that he couldn't see why the West called Thailand a "third world" country astray had much better control of covid and a king.

 

It drove home to me that those in tgehigher echelons of power in Thailand knew nothing about the virus and the low figures at the time were done to luck rather than calculation. It was inevitable tt any change in the virus could lead to a collapse of  Thailand's apparent "success" in dealing with the virus. The inevitable happened.

They have not prevented the spread of the vaccine and they didn't use the breathing space at the start to administer vaccines to the population.

They need to rely on experts rather than their own limited knowledge and assumptions.

[NoshowJones]

11 hours ago, Soikhaonoiken said:

He needs a good grilling, for the mess he has, and still is putting Thailand in.... 

He needs more than just a good grilling, starting with how he acquired his obvious very high personal fortune, if one senior policeman can acquire 29 expensive cars, what about an unelected PM?

Then what about a long jail sentence for all the deaths he caused with the very obvious lack of Cvirus vaccines.

[NoshowJones]

5 hours ago, nobodysfriend said:

Better he pleads guilty to all points .

It all could have been done much better than he and his " crew members " , did .

But , of course , he will deny it all and find excuses or somebody or something else to blame . He's a politician , after all ...

A politician?? Don't politicians get elected?