Thaksin Should Have His Diplomatic Passport Back

[Plus]

Whatever I think of Surakiart and Kantathi, they were professionals. One was even nominated for UN Sec-General position.

What has Noppadon ever done in his life to take charge of country's foreign policy? And it's not true he hasn't done anything yet. He started with back pedalling on Thaksin's passport issue and then informing everyone about Thaksin's return plans.

When Thaksin comes back his passport will be confiscated anyway.

[A_Traveller]

Matichon is saying today he {Thaksin} may come back within days, stay for a short period to deal with legal matters and leave again, presumably on bail.

Regards

PS Plus, Noppadon has had exposure to Foreign Affairs within the House, see his CV above. He might not be my choice, but he's not a neophyte, unlike others one could mention.

Edited February 8, 2008 by A_Traveller

[younghusband]

No it probably isn't, it was my mistake, the statement had no substance whatsoever.

That article in the Nation said quite a lot about Thai foreign policy in the past six years. Noppadon is clearly not an improvement.

Is he capable? Capable of what? Talking to cameras? That is not enough for the position and responsibilities it entails. He could have started with something more substantial than talking about diplomatic passports.

To be honest I don't know much about him.My statement reflected the views of some senior Democrats:I think I posted about this before because I was surprised at the time.His CV posted above (thanks Traveller) is a a first class one by any standards.Those Oxford and London law degrees are a bit more rigorous (by a factor of a zillion) than the crappy US state university degrees most Thai politicians seem to have.What's more he emerged speaking first class and idiomatic English

But as I say I couldn't care less and I agree he doesn't seem ideally qualified for the job.I incidentally always thought Surakiart a second rate bureaucrat but that's another story.

Edited February 8, 2008 by younghusband

[soundman]

Short reply to topic heading...

The rot has started. It is like watching a pantomine from conception, to criminal act, to court case to aquital to starting the cycle again.

I just wish the guy would just move on and bury his head in the sand on a small island with a single palm tree & leave Thailand & the Thai's to move forward.

Soundman.

[Plus]

Noppadon was a Democrat until May-June 2006, I think.

Ten years ago he was a secretary to Surin Pitsuwan. After than he had nothing to do with Thailand's foreign policy at all.

Do you realise how many members of some House Committee Thailand had in the past? Do you realise how many secretaries Thai foreign ministers had over the years? To imply that any one of them is automatically qualified to take the top position is nonsense. And relying on Oxford education is also lame. It's not your first job application, you have to show some serious work achievments in fifteen years that have passed.

Does he have any experience dealing with foreing leaders? It's the whole new generation now, he can't rely on his past contacts only. Can he stand his ground on tough issues or will he be taken for a ride by far more experienced opponents, it's not a paid crowd of Isan farmers he will have to charm with his English skills.

I understand he got the job in the last moment because there was no one else.

[Heng]

There are thousands of non diplomats out there with diplomatic passports, not sure what the big deal is.

Some people are just jealous of those who don't have to wait in line.

[younghusband]

Noppadon was a Democrat until May-June 2006, I think.

Ten years ago he was a secretary to Surin Pitsuwan. After than he had nothing to do with Thailand's foreign policy at all.

Do you realise how many members of some House Committee Thailand had in the past? Do you realise how many secretaries Thai foreign ministers had over the years? To imply that any one of them is automatically qualified to take the top position is nonsense. And relying on Oxford education is also lame. It's not your first job application, you have to show some serious work achievments in fifteen years that have passed.

Does he have any experience dealing with foreing leaders? It's the whole new generation now, he can't rely on his past contacts only. Can he stand his ground on tough issues or will he be taken for a ride by far more experienced opponents, it's not a paid crowd of Isan farmers he will have to charm with his English skills.

I understand he got the job in the last moment because there was no one else.

Wow I'm being sucked into a discussion when I basically share the view that Nop is underqualified.Nevertheless I have a sneaking suspicion that your primary objection is nothing to do with qualifications or experience but that he was a rather effective lieutenant for Thaksin.Who said anything about relying on an Oxford education but it puts him in the same company as Abhisit.Hpwever much you dislike the guy he is a person of calibre.Live with it.

[BigSnake]

Here we go folks hang on more to come for sure. "HE WILL BE BACK SOON"

[Plus]

Wow I'm being sucked into a discussion when I basically share the view that Nop is underqualified.

You don't need to instinctively go into the opposing corner.

He's probably OVERqualified by Samak's cabinet standards.

Nevertheless I have a sneaking suspicion that your primary objection is nothing to do with qualifications or experience but that he was a rather effective lieutenant for Thaksin.

Noppadon and his suits... He can't be taken seriously, he's just a greenhorn.

We have not even started talking about my real objections, btw, when this babyface walks into the room you forget about business for a while - you just pinch his cheeks and treat him as some amusing pet.

It will wear off, we'll be talking about his Burma policies in a short while, when reality finally steps in.

I don't have any bitter feelings over Thaksin's people taking top positions. On one hand it was exected, on the other hand they made themselves look so unqualified that I actually glee at their incompetence.

[rixalex]

.Nevertheless I have a sneaking suspicion that your primary objection is nothing to do with qualifications or experience but that he was a rather effective lieutenant for Thaksin.

And likewise one has a sneaking suspicion that your defense of him, inspite of your own admitted reservations, has something to do with his master, whom it would seem you have a bit of a thing for.

[sriracha john]

Whatever I think of Surakiart and Kantathi, they were professionals. One was even nominated for UN Sec-General position.

What has Noppadon ever done in his life to take charge of country's foreign policy? And it's not true he hasn't done anything yet. He started with back pedalling on Thaksin's passport issue and then informing everyone about Thaksin's return plans.

When Thaksin comes back his passport will be confiscated anyway.

A definite former Foreign Minister of Thailand that shouldn't be overlooked is the very highly regarded Surin Pitsuwan who formally took up the post of Secretary-General of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) last month.

[A_Traveller]

See post 13

Regards

[sriracha john]

Ah yes, well I suppose it never hurts to reinforce just what a sad sack this current FM is compared to others previous.

[Tony Clifton]

Doesn't matter if Noppadol is qualified or not, whether he studied at Oxford or Ridgemont High.

What matters is that he got the Foreign Minister position for the sole purpose of serving only ONE MAN at first, not the country, the rest of the Thai population comes second. His first comment was about Thaksin's passport, the second about his eventual return. Meanwhile the country still waits while the Little Emperor jumps the queue and is being served.

[Zpete]

Doesn't matter if Noppadol is qualified or not, whether he studied at Oxford or Ridgemont High.

What matters is that he got the Foreign Minister position for the sole purpose of serving only ONE MAN at first, not the country, the rest of the Thai population comes second. His first comment was about Thaksin's passport, the second about his eventual return. Meanwhile the country still waits while the Little Emperor jumps the queue and is being served.

Like the little emporer, Napoleon, Thaksin will get his deserved, desserts.

His time will come, cronies in goverment not withstanding.

Passport to some uninhabited ofshore island.

What the grafter, fraudster and con man, deserves, for ripping off the Thai nation of hard workers.

[younghusband]

.Nevertheless I have a sneaking suspicion that your primary objection is nothing to do with qualifications or experience but that he was a rather effective lieutenant for Thaksin.

And likewise one has a sneaking suspicion that your defense of him, inspite of your own admitted reservations, has something to do with his master, whom it would seem you have a bit of a thing for.

What a perceptive comment.You must have been following my posts closely over the last two years.How clever of you to unearth my secret liege lord.

What is true is that I do not see politics in cartoon like terms, and rcognise that Thaksin, though deeply flawed, was not a demon.As a political personality he stands towering over the rest but betrayed the trust that was initially reposed in him. His influence however lives on not least in the political platforms of all parties.

Of course if you want to see matters in schoool playground terms, you can always join the club which is quite well represented on this forum.

[younghusband]

Whatever I think of Surakiart and Kantathi, they were professionals. One was even nominated for UN Sec-General position.

What has Noppadon ever done in his life to take charge of country's foreign policy? And it's not true he hasn't done anything yet. He started with back pedalling on Thaksin's passport issue and then informing everyone about Thaksin's return plans.

When Thaksin comes back his passport will be confiscated anyway.

A definite former Foreign Minister of Thailand that shouldn't be overlooked is the very highly regarded Surin Pitsuwan who formally took up the post of Secretary-General of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) last month.

Glad to agree with you on this at least.It will be interesting to see whether Surin can restore ASEAN's reputation whuch has plummeted in recent years.In some ways the job is more difficult than that of Thai FM.

[Plus]

Will there be a repeat of 2003 situation when during APEC meeting of some fifty coutnries Thaksin refused to meet WTO sec-gen, Supachai because he was from Democrat party?

[rixalex]

.Nevertheless I have a sneaking suspicion that your primary objection is nothing to do with qualifications or experience but that he was a rather effective lieutenant for Thaksin.

And likewise one has a sneaking suspicion that your defense of him, inspite of your own admitted reservations, has something to do with his master, whom it would seem you have a bit of a thing for.

What a perceptive comment.You must have been following my posts closely over the last two years.How clever of you to unearth my secret liege lord.

What is true is that I do not see politics in cartoon like terms, and rcognise that Thaksin, though deeply flawed, was not a demon.As a political personality he stands towering over the rest but betrayed the trust that was initially reposed in him. His influence however lives on not least in the political platforms of all parties.

Of course if you want to see matters in schoool playground terms, you can always join the club which is quite well represented on this forum.

Not quite sure how you found my comments to be playground level. You accused someone else of blindly arguing against anything that might favour Thaksin. I dared to suggest that some might find your continual and unwavering defense of a man you yourself admit to be deeply flawed, lacking perspective and objectiveness, clouded by the bizarre affection you so obviously have for the man.

[younghusband]

.Nevertheless I have a sneaking suspicion that your primary objection is nothing to do with qualifications or experience but that he was a rather effective lieutenant for Thaksin.

And likewise one has a sneaking suspicion that your defense of him, inspite of your own admitted reservations, has something to do with his master, whom it would seem you have a bit of a thing for.

What a perceptive comment.You must have been following my posts closely over the last two years.How clever of you to unearth my secret liege lord.

What is true is that I do not see politics in cartoon like terms, and rcognise that Thaksin, though deeply flawed, was not a demon.As a political personality he stands towering over the rest but betrayed the trust that was initially reposed in him. His influence however lives on not least in the political platforms of all parties.

Of course if you want to see matters in schoool playground terms, you can always join the club which is quite well represented on this forum.

Not quite sure how you found my comments to be playground level. You accused someone else of blindly arguing against anything that might favour Thaksin. I dared to suggest that some might find your continual and unwavering defense of a man you yourself admit to be deeply flawed, lacking perspective and objectiveness, clouded by the bizarre affection you so obviously have for the man.

Playground mentality means seeing things in cartoon or simplistic terms terms, rather than in the complex and shaded hues of reality.If you can't distinguish between an objective assesment and a "bizarre affection", I can't really help you out.If it's just a tease for a "Thaksinista" as I have teased "juntophiles", fair enough.

[sriracha john]

.Nevertheless I have a sneaking suspicion that your primary objection is nothing to do with qualifications or experience but that he was a rather effective lieutenant for Thaksin.

And likewise one has a sneaking suspicion that your defense of him, inspite of your own admitted reservations, has something to do with his master, whom it would seem you have a bit of a thing for.

What a perceptive comment.You must have been following my posts closely over the last two years.How clever of you to unearth my secret liege lord.

What is true is that I do not see politics in cartoon like terms, and rcognise that Thaksin, though deeply flawed, was not a demon.As a political personality he stands towering over the rest but betrayed the trust that was initially reposed in him. His influence however lives on not least in the political platforms of all parties.

Of course if you want to see matters in schoool playground terms, you can always join the club which is quite well represented on this forum.

Not quite sure how you found my comments to be playground level. You accused someone else of blindly arguing against anything that might favour Thaksin. I dared to suggest that some might find your continual and unwavering defense of a man you yourself admit to be deeply flawed, lacking perspective and objectiveness, clouded by the bizarre affection you so obviously have for the man.

Save your breath and efforts, rixalex... it's standard operating procedure.

[Tony Clifton]

Why does he need the diplomatic passport now that he's "retired from politics" for the umpteenth time?

No ex-PM with such a controversial past and especially human rights issues deserves a diplomatic passport.

Is he looking for soon to be needed diplomatic immunity in his travels abroad? Maybe evade UK authorities?

By gosh, he's the Man City owner! People compare him to Sinatra! Billions must recognize him on sight like Chaplin!

Oh wait, he's just another banana republic dictator on the run who needs all the protection he can, especially diplomatic immunity while he runs his new government from abroad.

Edited February 9, 2008 by Tony Clifton

[chownah]

Like the little emporer, Napoleon, Thaksin will get his deserved, desserts.

His time will come, cronies in goverment not withstanding.

Passport to some uninhabited ofshore island.

What the grafter, fraudster and con man, deserves, for ripping off the Thai nation of hard workers.

Would the name of that island be "Great Britain"....it is hardly uninhabited.....but then it is actually impossible to be exiled to an uninhabited island because once you get there the island will be inhabitited. One more technical point...you don't need a passport to go to an uninhabited island because there would be no immigration official there to look at it if you brought it with you.

Chownah

[chownah]

Why does he need the diplomatic passport

Exactly!!!.....he doesn't need it. He has a passport which gets him anywhere he wants to go....this entire thread is about a non-issue. But don't let that stop the heated discussion.....if you are here arguing about this then you won't be getting into trouble trying to deal with real issues.

Chownah

[sriracha john]

Exactly!!!.....he doesn't need it. He has a passport which gets him anywhere he wants to go....this entire thread is about a non-issue.

Which all makes one wonder why the Foreign Minister made it his first order of the day. His primary concern on Day #1.

Edited February 9, 2008 by sriracha john

[Plus]

Yeah, come to think of it, was it a part of Noppadon't elaborate plan? He doesn't look like a scheeming character.

I think it was more of a spontaneous reflex - now that I'm here, what would be my first executive order?

Someone told him issuing passports is not in his job descrtiption, there are proper channels and procedures for that, and whoever is in charge might not even like the idea. Noppadon backtracked.

Tells a lot about his priorities and his preparedness for the office of Thailand's Foreign Minister, or for prospects of national reconciliation.

Or maybe he just tested the water to check how his staff would react to pro-Thaksin's moves, find who is on his side, who needs to be replaced. Maybe it's a start of negotiations - you refuse issuing passport and I accept, but now you owe me one.

Passport itself is a non-issue even for Thaksin's staunchest opponents. He can travel anywhere he wants as long as he is not here, but they'll remember how Noppadon tried to facilitate his flight from court subpoenas, flight from justice - by giving him a diplomatic passport. It's beyond ridiculous, but we are in for a very entertaning year.

[Ricardo]

Like the little emporer, Napoleon, Thaksin will get his deserved, desserts.

His time will come, cronies in goverment not withstanding.

Passport to some uninhabited ofshore island.

What the grafter, fraudster and con man, deserves, for ripping off the Thai nation of hard workers.

Would the name of that island be "Great Britain"....it is hardly uninhabited.....but then it is actually impossible to be exiled to an uninhabited island because once you get there the island will be inhabitited. One more technical point...you don't need a passport to go to an uninhabited island because there would be no immigration official there to look at it if you brought it with you.

Beg to differ, m'lud !

At the point-in-time at which the person-to-be-exiled is formally exiled, the hypothetical uninhabited-island is indeed then uninhabited, it only becomes inhabited upon his/her arrival.

And I do believe that travellers on Eurostar from Paris to London clear Immigration before boarding the train in Paris ? So wouldn't need an Immigration Officer, inhabiting London, to look at their passport.

Although I concede that there might be a few other people living there, when the train arrives. Not to mention all the illegal-immigrants, with or without passports ! Howabout exile to an uninhabited planet ?

[A_Traveller]

^ Oh come on what have the poor little greys done to deserve that.

Regards

[Zpete]

^ Oh come on what have the poor little greys done to deserve that.

Regards

Reaped illegally, billions of Baht belonging to Thai people.

Nepotism to the extreme, using his cronies and mates for high paying positions of power.

You are obviously a Thaksin disciple........possibly a crony.

[sriracha john]

Wrong assumption... read a posting history helps before levelling such strong opinions.