Opinion: Srettha shows true colors as military-backed stooge

[webfact]

In a political landscape desperate for transformative figures, Srettha Thavisin’s ascension to the Prime Minister’s office seemed like a momentous occasion. Having moved from a high-profile career as a real estate developer to the complex arena of Thai politics, he represented a break from the traditional pathways that often funnel career politicians into positions of power.

 

His affiliations with the Pheu Thai Party, historically seen as opposition to military-backed establishments, coupled with his previous rhetoric about soldiers best serving the nation by “protecting democracy,” offered a glimpse of a potentially different future for Thailand—a future more aligned with democratic principles and less burdened by the weight of military oversight. However, recent statements from the Prime Minister have dashed such hopes, painting him as yet another leader willing to compromise core principles for the sake of political expediency.

 

A long time ago, in a galaxy far far away…

Srettha’s stance on the Internal Security Operations Command (ISOC) is perhaps the most poignant manifestation of this disappointing volte-face. Founded with the ostensible purpose of maintaining national security, ISOC has long been a contentious institution, facing accusations of acting as an arm of the military to suppress democratic voices. 

 

By Arun Saronchai

 

Full story: THAI ENQUIRER 2023-11-02

 

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[2baht]

1 minute ago, webfact said:

ISOC has long been a contentious institution, facing accusations of acting as an arm of the military to suppress democratic voices. 

 

 

    ..............help the rich sleep soundly at night in the knowledge they and their wealth are protected!

[bob smith]

5 minutes ago, webfact said:

In a political landscape desperate for transformative figures, Srettha Thavisin’s ascension to the Prime Minister’s office seemed like a momentous occasion.

A momentous occasion?

 

He didn’t win the people's vote, was voted in by an unelected senate and is nothing more than a mere puppet of the military elite.

 

What’s so momentous about that then?

[2baht]

2 minutes ago, bob smith said:

He didn’t win the people's vote, was voted in by an unelected senate and is nothing more than a mere puppet of the military elite.

 

 

      Perfect! 

[bamnutsak]

Two Red-Rims keeping an eye on him.

 

 

I think "Stooge" is inappropriate, to Stooges I mean.

 

 

 

 

[retarius]

I don't much care who backs him. I care about what he does for poorer people in Thailand, and what he does about the deplorable education of the population here, because education is the only answer to the tough competition of the future. He hasn't made a good start in my opinion.....looks the same as Prayut did, but without the songs, all flashy expensive projects like land bridges and give aways disused as sexy digital wallets. No seems like a bum to me, could've put a tug tub driver in as PM and got better results. 

[phetphet]

I need sunglasses to look at that tie.

[Eric Loh]

18 minutes ago, retarius said:

I don't much care who backs him. I care about what he does for poorer people in Thailand, and what he does about the deplorable education of the population here, because education is the only answer to the tough competition of the future. He hasn't made a good start in my opinion.....looks the same as Prayut did, but without the songs, all flashy expensive projects like land bridges and give aways disused as sexy digital wallets. No seems like a bum to me, could've put a tug tub driver in as PM and got better results. 

Agree that helping the poor should be paramount agenda. Giving 9,276 rai of army-owned land in Udon Thani to landless farmers is a good start.

 

https://thethaiger.com/news/national/land-redistribution-pm-gifts-9276-rai-to-udon-thanis-landless-farmers

[Robin]

Nota good start.  Like so many people who do not know what they are doing, he has to blunder about doing anything regardless..

What education has he had?    What does he know of economics?

He has his position because

1. He can speak English. (Useful for meeting other ASEAN leaders.

2 He does what his masters ell him to do.

Pity about his choice of wardrobe.

[NanLaew]

2 hours ago, bob smith said:

A momentous occasion?

 

He didn’t win the people's vote, was voted in by an unelected senate and is nothing more than a mere puppet of the military elite.

 

What’s so momentous about that then?

 

The evisceration of any lingering hopes for a red-shirt inspired renaissance.

[Gottfrid]

Just another puppet!

[Dogmatix]

He is a stooge for PT which joined an unholy alliance with the military to seize the election from the winner and install this government filled with unsavory characters.  ISOC is a left over from the Cold War when it was founded as a communist suppression under. 

Edited November 2, 2023 by Dogmatix

[spidermike007]

He is the same. Sold out and ethically bankrupt. 

The recent events are worthy of a mass funeral. Thailand might have been the tiger of SE Asia a decade or so ago, having been the 22nd largest economy in the world, but those days are long gone. So, I would say it would be safe to refer to Thailand as an up and coming country, post Covid. I would not be surprised to see Thailand in 75th place in terms of GDP, 20 years from now. There is absolutely no doubt the nation is moving backwards, on at least a dozen levels. And unless a dynamic leader like Thanathorn or Pita comes along, as is allowed to lead, the great tiger will continue to devolve into a whiny little street cat. 

 

For now, its future has been stolen once again by the army thieves and goons. The army is no doubt the enemy of the people, and so is the new stooge PM. The recent election shows that the people are both sick of being led by highly ignorant dinosaurs, with no interest in progress, and are interested in smart, young folks, who are serious, accomplished, capable of change, and interested in insuring that Thailand has a good future. Pita was exactly what this nation needs, at this point in time. However, he was too progressive, and the goons had to stop him, in the name of regression.

 

Go ahead and stick with regressive conservative policies, resist change and progress at all costs, and run your nation into the ground.

[crazykopite]

Not only is he a stooge to the military but a stooge to the fugitive and his daughter who will soon be PM all he is doing is warming the seat and making the most in collecting his free airmiles 

[DPKANKAN]

2 hours ago, Gottfrid said:

Just another puppet!

Puppet. Actually he just took a 'k' out of his surname and has put a 'vi' in instead. 

i.e. from 'Thaksin' to 'Thavisin'!!!!😉😉😉😉😂😂😂😂

[hotchilli]

6 hours ago, webfact said:

However, recent statements from the Prime Minister have dashed such hopes, painting him as yet another leader willing to compromise core principles for the sake of political expediency.

Muppet or puppet... possibly both.

[billd766]

3 hours ago, Robin said:

Nota good start.  Like so many people who do not know what they are doing, he has to blunder about doing anything regardless..

What education has he had?    What does he know of economics?

He has his position because

1. He can speak English. (Useful for meeting other ASEAN leaders.

2 He does what his masters ell him to do.

Pity about his choice of wardrobe.

Try doing a search and you may learn.

 

What education has he had?    

 

Education.

 

Well he completed his primary education at Srinakharinwirot University's Prasarnmit Demonstration School in Bangkok.[8] Before going to the United States, he received a bachelor's degree in civil engineering from Chulalongkorn University.[9] He then graduated with a bachelor's degree in economics from University of Massachusetts Amherst.[10] He received his Master of Business Administration (MBA) in Finance from Claremont Graduate University.[11]

 

 

1. He can speak English. (Useful for meeting other ASEAN leaders. Also very useful if you are going to earn a bachelor's degree in economics from University of Massachusetts Amherst, and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) in Finance from Claremont Graduate University. Before going to the United States, he received a bachelor's degree in civil engineering from Chulalongkorn University.

 

What does he know of economics?

 

He received his Master of Business Administration (MBA) in Finance from Claremont Graduate University.

 

How many university degrees from the US do you have?

 

After graduating in 1986, he became an assistant product manager at Procter & Gamble for 4 years.[12][6] He later co-founded Sansiri in 1988, which became one of the largest real estate developers in Thailand.[13] Under his leadership, the company has developed over 400 residential projects.

 

How about you?

 

 

2 He does what his masters ell him to do.

 

I don't actually know who his masters are or what they tell him to do.

 

Do you?

 

Pity about his choice of wardrobe.

 

Now there I agree with you.

Edited November 2, 2023 by billd766
corrected some bad spelling

[TroubleandGrumpy]

4 hours ago, Robin said:

Nota good start.  Like so many people who do not know what they are doing, he has to blunder about doing anything regardless..

What education has he had?    What does he know of economics?

He has his position because

1. He can speak English. (Useful for meeting other ASEAN leaders.

2 He does what his masters ell him to do.

Pity about his choice of wardrobe.

 

No.  He has his position because he was a very successful businessman, and is a member of one of the 5 Thainese Families (Empires) in Bangkok that controls most of what goes on in Thailand.  Some say he is just another Military controlled puppet, and others say he is a compromise that had to be made.  I tend to agree with those who see him as a compromise - how he and his 'compromise' Govt deals with the Constitution and Courts and Senate left in place from the Junta, is how he will be judged in the long run.  Reality is that if he does what is 'right', and removes the Junta imposed structures and institutions, he will probably be replaced at the next election by MFP. 

[GarryP]

6 hours ago, bamnutsak said:

Two Red-Rims keeping an eye on him.

 

 

I think "Stooge" is inappropriate, to Stooges I mean.

 

 

 

 

The red rimmers have got someone to join their daisy chain. 

[PETERTHEEATER]

5 hours ago, phetphet said:

I need sunglasses to look at that tie.

Wait until you see the socks......

[BusyB]

 

The picture makes it look like his hands are somewhat tied.

[thecyclist]

12 hours ago, bob smith said:

A momentous occasion?

 

He didn’t win the people's vote, was voted in by an unelected senate and is nothing more than a mere puppet of the military elite.

 

What’s so momentous about that then?

A momentous disgrace. 

[Middle Aged Grouch]

Could not give a hoot on who or what it's their politics. We the foreigners mainly support anybody who will make our visa issues and immigration more simple for the retirees here and abolish some absurd requirements.

[Lucky Bones]

11 hours ago, bamnutsak said:

Two Red-Rims keeping an eye on him.

 

 

I think "Stooge" is inappropriate, to Stooges I mean.

 

 

 

 

Not sure about "Stooge", but he looks like Ronald McDonald's poor cousin in that photo.

Just another puppet of Thoksin & the army.🙃🙃

[Lucky Bones]

5 hours ago, TroubleandGrumpy said:

 

No.  He has his position because he was a very successful businessman, and is a member of one of the 5 Thainese Families (Empires) in Bangkok that controls most of what goes on in Thailand.  Some say he is just another Military controlled puppet, and others say he is a compromise that had to be made.  I tend to agree with those who see him as a compromise - how he and his 'compromise' Govt deals with the Constitution and Courts and Senate left in place from the Junta, is how he will be judged in the long run.  Reality is that if he does what is 'right', and removes the Junta imposed structures and institutions, he will probably be replaced at the next election by MFP. 

He will be replaced by the daughter long before MFP get a sniff in. It is all pre-planned.🙃🙃

[Sydebolle]

Paint a penguin green and you get ............ a penguin in green - but still a penguin! 

In a democratic environment, the army, police and government serves the people - Thailand's interpretation of democracy is ...... ahhh, forget about it 😞 

[TroubleandGrumpy]

15 hours ago, Lucky Bones said:

He will be replaced by the daughter long before MFP get a sniff in. It is all pre-planned.🙃🙃

 

Maybe.  Maybe Not. Politics is a long dirty game.

He was put forward to the Senate, rather than the daughter, because he was seen as pragmatic and a compromise.

So far he has behaved exactly as they wanted him to behave - no massive restructuring of the institutions.

Will the daughtrer take his place before the next election - who knows. 

 

[Lucky Bones]

51 minutes ago, TroubleandGrumpy said:

 

Maybe.  Maybe Not. Politics is a long dirty game.

He was put forward to the Senate, rather than the daughter, because he was seen as pragmatic and a compromise.

So far he has behaved exactly as they wanted him to behave - no massive restructuring of the institutions.

Will the daughtrer take his place before the next election - who knows. 

 

Fair call. Interesting puppet times indeed.🙃🙃

[John Drake]

On 11/2/2023 at 8:02 AM, bamnutsak said:

Two Red-Rims keeping an eye on him.

 

 

I think "Stooge" is inappropriate, to Stooges I mean.

 

 

 

 

 

Moe, Larry, or Curly?

[bamnutsak]

3 minutes ago, John Drake said:

 

Moe, Larry, or Curly?

 

Srettha doesn't even rise to the Shemp level. 

 

Calling Srettha a Stoge is an insult to Stooges.

 

 

He's also got incredibly thin-skin, just a scooch thinner than Prayut.

 

Just look at how he has responded (on X) to this opinion piece.

 

Clearly, it triggered him.

 

 

 

Edited November 3, 2023 by bamnutsak