Should The UK Extradite Thaksin To Face The Thai Courts?

[bangkokrick]

He is making an absolute mockery of the Thai justice system.

I agree...

However, the Thai justice system allowed him to make a mockery of itself, by allowing an obvious "flight risk" (Thaksin) and an out-on-bail convict (his wife, who was also an obvious "flight risk") to leave the country.

What were they thinking?

I mean, who couldn't have seen that coming?

Agree 100%

Shame on them.They had the man for petes sake wot were they thinking??

I voted no.

They may learn from this & not make the same mistake again unless it was another billian dollar case

I dont think that they are that dumb and they knew full well that they would not return. This is a good result for all parties concerned and it reduces the risk of violence. Can you imagine if they had been sentenced and sent to prison the backlash by his supporters would have been immense. Remember that he is still very popular with the vast majority of Thais.

Cheers, Rick

[sunreader]

Surely being life'd off to spent the rest of his days in the UK is punishment enough.

What makes you think he will stay in the UK all his life?....there are numerous other contries he can travel to here in Europe and in Asia.

Its the people who granted him and his wife the freedom to leave Thailand with their passports and massive monetary funds available that should answer for their actions.

Good luck to the guy, he must be laughing his head off.

He's usually to be found in Harrods, have seen him there 3 times now.

[Tony Clifton]

Most of the countries on this planet wont have extradition agreements with Thailand, though i believe Britain has.

So the fact that he chose the UK over all those other places shows that he and his team of advisors are confident the British govt. wont extradite him or his wife.

Pinochet stayed for a long time and never done any time and he was a far bigger villian then Thaksin.

Britain does have an extradition treaty with Thailand, but he wont be extradited because he and his lawyers are paving the way for political asylum. He has stated that his life is in danger which in Britain is enough grounds to gain political asylum.

Cheers, Rick

Yeah, so afraid for his life that he went around as he pleased and fled to China to watch the games instead of heading for safety in London.

If he passes the asylum requirements the same way he passed the fit and proper person test when he bought Manchester...

[thaigene2]

I voted 'no' - but my vote is only a "qualified" no.

It's not that clear to me yet.

If the UK decides that any overwelmingly populuarly elected leader overthrown by a middle-class-royalist-elite sponssored military coup force of arms should be protected then it's a clear NO - he should not be sent back. However, if the UK govt thinks that there are good reasons that the guy is corrupt and should face the music in his home country then the answer would be 'YES send him back'

However, what we are all waiting to hear is whether the UK thinks that his main argument - that the judiciary is corrupted by the flavour-of-the-month govt and royalist/military interventionists to convict him regardless of any evidence to/for- then what do we think????

That's what we're all waiting for. Glad I'm not the Desk Officer in the UK Foreign Affairs Minisrty trying to figure this one out!!

Edited August 12, 2008 by thaigene2

[bangkokrick]

Most of the countries on this planet wont have extradition agreements with Thailand, though i believe Britain has.

So the fact that he chose the UK over all those other places shows that he and his team of advisors are confident the British govt. wont extradite him or his wife.

Pinochet stayed for a long time and never done any time and he was a far bigger villian then Thaksin.

Britain does have an extradition treaty with Thailand, but he wont be extradited because he and his lawyers are paving the way for political asylum. He has stated that his life is in danger which in Britain is enough grounds to gain political asylum.

Cheers, Rick

Yeah, so afraid for his life that he went around as he pleased and fled to China to watch the games instead of heading for safety in London.

If he passes the asylum requirements the same way he passed the fit and proper person test when he bought Manchester...

I am not saying that i agree that he should get asylum but i fear that he will as this is the angle that he and his lawyers are taking. I am very glad that i am not a Man City fan at this moment because it's going to end in tears either way.

Cheers, Rick

[TopDogger]

Surely being life'd off to spent the rest of his days in the UK is punishment enough.

[Bagwan]

He is making an absolute mockery of the Thai justice system.

So what's new?

The verdict re his assets concealment case, the lunchbox episode ect ect. Need I go on?

Thank God the judges have grown a set of gonads at last.

[Bagwan]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/...n-handouts.html

Seeing that you could be beaten up in the UK for supporting the wrong football team I can't help feeling that Thaksin's life is in more danger in the UK than in Thailand. I have no sympathy whatsoever for MCFC or their supporters. All they could see with big greedy eyes was lots of money, big trophies in the cabinet and regular trips to Wembley or wherever. The moral dimension never entered into their thinking.

I voted yes in the probably forlorn hope that at last Thailand was ready to take one small step on the long journey towards a fair and compassionate society.

[astral]

Yes.

Why should he be any different?

He should be sent back to Thailand for the Thai courts to decide.

It will be a bad day for UK justice if his extradition is refused.

[Prakanong]

"Glad I'm not the Desk Officer in the UK Foreign Affairs Minisrty trying to figure this one out!! "

I can assure you the Desk Officer for Thailand at the FCO will not be figuring this one out - wrong department and this will go much higher for a decision.

Bet the decision is already made and pre-arranged - I bet the Thai govt was also consulted and they agreed

[younghusband]

Yes.

Why should he be any different?

He should be sent back to Thailand for the Thai courts to decide.

It will be a bad day for UK justice if his extradition is refused.

Suggest you do a little homework.If it comes to extradition proceedings it will need to be decided in a British court that the charges facing Thaksin are also applicable in the UK (they're not) and that the courts in Thailand have a record of being scrupulously fair and not politically motivated (they don't).

[NanaFoods]

He is making an absolute mockery of the Thai justice system.

I agree...

However, the Thai justice system allowed him to make a mockery of itself, by allowing an obvious "flight risk" (Thaksin) and an out-on-bail convict (his wife, who was also an obvious "flight risk") to leave the country.

What were they thinking?

I mean, who couldn't have seen that coming?

Agree 100%

Shame on them.They had the man for petes sake wot were they thinking??

I voted no.

They may learn from this & not make the same mistake again unless it was another billian dollar case

I dont think that they are that dumb and they knew full well that they would not return. This is a good result for all parties concerned and it reduces the risk of violence. Can you imagine if they had been sentenced and sent to prison the backlash by his supporters would have been immense. Remember that he is still very popular with the vast majority of Thais.

Cheers, Rick

They may not learn....

Its just a suspicion, but it seems to me a "deal" may have struck with some influential people here in Thailand to get them their passports - knowing full well that he would not be returning. I just can't imagine the "system" is really that dumb.

Perhaps it is still the case in Thailand that money can buy anything.

Does anyone think an average Somchai would be allowed to leave the country pending a criminal court case?

[thaigene2]

"Glad I'm not the Desk Officer in the UK Foreign Affairs Minisrty trying to figure this one out!! "

I can assure you the Desk Officer for Thailand at the FCO will not be figuring this one out - wrong department and this will go much higher for a decision.

Bet the decision is already made and pre-arranged - I bet the Thai govt was also consulted and they agreed

I wouldn't be so quick to think a pre-arranged deal was done with the Brits. He's undoubtedly had a lot of consultation regarding his standing and case-law precedence in similar cases and may well have simply made an advised choice to go for asylum in the UK. Considering some of the other n'er do wells that the UK has housed, Thaksin's chances are probably very good. So there may not be any deal in advance.

BUT - I agree with you that the Thai Govt and probably his opponents here may be more than happy with this arrangement. It's a typical Thai solution - out of sight, out of mind. They'll make noise for a while about 'trying to get him back' - but eventually that will die down. Perhaps this will now mean that the PPP will cool their jets on the Constitutional changes - or water them down enough that the coup rumours go away.

Then all the corrupt bureaucrats and 'connected' familes can have their little feudal fiefdoms back - and all will return to normal. I reckon that's where it will all lead.

[Prakanong]

"Then all the corrupt bureaucrats and 'connected' familes can have their little feudal fiefdoms back - and all will return to normal. I reckon that's where it will all lead. "

<snip>

As someone pointed out - the Philippines may be the model Thailand is heading towards.

Edited August 13, 2008 by Jai Dee
Speculation about the Thai mondarchy deleted

[hammered]

I coem lat eto this thread and really can t be bothered to register my couldnt care vote. Thailand now has other massive issues to deal with that are more pressing than Thaksin. The economy is shaky and could well get worse. A much bigger change than the one involving Thaksin is somewhere around the corner and without stability that could male this little confrontation look like a storm in a teacup. On top of this the standing of polticians is probably now at an all time low and the parties themselves need to realise that the vairous poor groups are not going to go back to receiving only a few hundred baht at an election and then nothing. I also include the PPP in this now as they are pretty much reduced to paying lip service to the poor right now. For Thailand to actually move forward there is a need for a greater opportunity to be provided for the poor and more essentially their children. This will involve education and a reduction in poverty that doesnt just raise a few more above some UN guideline but actually sees an increase in the percent of GDP being received by the bottom 10%, which would signify real development.

Even if by some chance someone or some party actually has the urge to do what is actually needed, which is debatable to say the least, I doubt the ride will be smooth.

With all this obvious I find it hard to spend more than a few seconds wondering whether Thaksin will be extradited or not, and certainly wont lose any sleep over it. I as many may know was never a fan of his, but it seems with all and sundry writing his politcal obituary and his football club in disarray that his politcal career is being written off. Fine. If people want some revenge just seize the impounded money and use it to set up some schools of excellence in rural areas, I would however guess it far more likely that the cash if seized would be used to buy a bunch of votes, syphoned into personal bank accounts and some dodgy new and uneccessary building, bridge or airport would get built or if we have a coup a bunch of Howitzers bought on the cheap but at inflated prices from Hezbollah or Israel or some other equally unlikely place.

It is time for Thailand to move on or at least pretend to move on. The Thaksin shadow has stymied anything happening in the country for too long. And of course the cases can move throught he courts and if someone really feels it necessary extradition can be sought or passports revoked which is easier, but in the meantime there are more pressing issues.

Edited August 13, 2008 by hammered

[Prakanong]

Excellent post Hammered

Thaksin is the least of Thailands problems - and he should be even lower on the horizon of farangs

[Sparkles]

Excellent post Hammered

Thaksin is the least of Thailands problems - and he should be even lower on the horizon of farangs

I too agree with Hammered. I was out of town when all this happened. I would like to know though did he kiss the ground at Heathrow ?

[Tony Clifton]

Thaksin was like a cancer to this country.

You can never forget you had cancer, and there's always a chance it will be back.

[Prakanong]

Thaksin was like a cancer to this country.

You can never forget you had cancer, and there's always a chance it will be back.

Yeah - and everyone before him was all light and altruism

You need to get a wider and longer perspective - it might help with your obsesions and bitterness towards Thailand.

Anyway - not long now till you are in Canada - I am sure your views will change when you leave Thaland - mine did although i still do criticise when I think its right.

[percy2]

Thaksin was like a cancer to this country.

You can never forget you had cancer, and there's always a chance it will be back.

Tony Clifton.

Tony Clifton is a fictional character ...antithesis of the sweet, gentle character

Clifton was a staggeringly untalented

Clifton also tended to randomly insult

For a brief time, it was unclear to some that Clifton was not a real person.

So we know who Tony Clifton is, but who is Andy Kaufman?

Cheers

Edit spelling

Edited August 13, 2008 by percy2

[Bangyai]

Yes.

Why should he be any different?

He should be sent back to Thailand for the Thai courts to decide.

It will be a bad day for UK justice if his extradition is refused.

Suggest you do a little homework.If it comes to extradition proceedings it will need to be decided in a British court that the charges facing Thaksin are also applicable in the UK (they're not) and that the courts in Thailand have a record of being scrupulously fair and not politically motivated (they don't).

Younghusband is right. If Taksin were to go on trial it is obvious he would not get a fair trial as recognised in the west. This is an undeniable FACT ! His defence would be barred from calling any witnesses who had benefited from a backhander. Military figures would refuse to co operate.....in short it would be a kangaroo court organised by a lynch mob. All of the crimes laid against Taksin have been commited by legions of other leading politicians and the military govournments have on several occasions sanctioned the shooting of pro democracy demonstrators. None of them have been called to account. No, you put your hand in the till, grab what you can then step aside for the next bent politician to have his turn. This sort of corruption runs right through to village level..its nothing new. Taksin is not being castigated for his crooked business practices which are the norm rather than the exception, nor his human rights abuses. His cardinal sin was to threaten the ' old school '. His off the cuff remarks about having certain VERY influential people in his pocket sewed the seeds of his own demise. These things cannot be discussed on ThaiVisa....much less talked about openly or dragged through the courts.

[Prakanong]

Spot on Bangyai - spot on

Books do mention some of these things though - plenty available copies here in Singapore and in paparback now - the Thai's buying copies at the airport can not remeove the sleeves off those.

[hammered]

Yes.

Why should he be any different?

He should be sent back to Thailand for the Thai courts to decide.

It will be a bad day for UK justice if his extradition is refused.

Suggest you do a little homework.If it comes to extradition proceedings it will need to be decided in a British court that the charges facing Thaksin are also applicable in the UK (they're not) and that the courts in Thailand have a record of being scrupulously fair and not politically motivated (they don't).

Younghusband is right. If Taksin were to go on trial it is obvious he would not get a fair trial as recognised in the west. This is an undeniable FACT ! His defence would be barred from calling any witnesses who had benefited from a backhander. Military figures would refuse to co operate.....in short it would be a kangaroo court organised by a lynch mob. All of the crimes laid against Taksin have been commited by legions of other leading politicians and the military govournments have on several occasions sanctioned the shooting of pro democracy demonstrators. None of them have been called to account. No, you put your hand in the till, grab what you can then step aside for the next bent politician to have his turn. This sort of corruption runs right through to village level..its nothing new. Taksin is not being castigated for his crooked business practices which are the norm rather than the exception, nor his human rights abuses. His cardinal sin was to threaten the ' old school '. His off the cuff remarks about having certain VERY influential people in his pocket sewed the seeds of his own demise. These things cannot be discussed on ThaiVisa....much less talked about openly or dragged through the courts.

Persoanlly I have no problem with the rich getting unfair or fair trials for that matter as usually the law only gets used against the poor and loads of them end up with useless legal advice or forced to do a plea bargain or some such nonsense, so litle sympathy on that. However, all that aside you make a good point towards the end.

This whole episode has been about continuity, and once again as it ends the curtain has for a few seconds blown open to reveal the real players. There was quite a good interview with Duncan McCargo on New Mandala the other day which included an interesting theroy about the 1997 constitution that I had never thought about before. I would recommend it for a read.

I would also add, has anyone ever considered why Thailand has never had a politcal party with truly national appeal before?

[cmsally]

Bangyai seems to know his stuff.

Quite frankly I don't see the immediate future of Thailand as particularly good. Although Taksin had his faults, I think he could have helped propel Thailand into the international scene at some point or other and I don't think the road would have been too rough. At the other end of the spectrum you have a sort of small town protectionist nationalism all tied into the "status quo".

This quite frankly I find worrying.

The fact I have lived here mostly for the past twenty years and at present am hedging my bets, making sure I have property and funds overseas to fall back on are perhaps some indication of the way I feel at present. Even if it isn't necessary in the long run I can at least have a nice retirement split between 2 countries. Hey I'm sure most of the Thai elite have the same setup. See them there, I guess!

[maccaroni man]

He is making an absolute mockery of the Thai justice system.

I agree...

However, the Thai justice system allowed him to make a mockery of itself, by allowing an obvious "flight risk" (Thaksin) and an out-on-bail convict (his wife, who was also an obvious "flight risk") to leave the country.

What were they thinking?

I mean, who couldn't have seen that coming?

Agree 100%

Shame on them.They had the man for petes sake wot were they thinking??

I voted no.

They may learn from this & not make the same mistake again unless it was another billian dollar case

I dont think that they are that dumb and they knew full well that they would not return. This is a good result for all parties concerned and it reduces the risk of violence. Can you imagine if they had been sentenced and sent to prison the backlash by his supporters would have been immense. Remember that he is still very popular with the vast majority of Thais.

Cheers, Rick

They may not learn....

Its just a suspicion, but it seems to me a "deal" may have struck with some influential people here in Thailand to get them their passports - knowing full well that he would not be returning. I just can't imagine the "system" is really that dumb.

Perhaps it is still the case in Thailand that money can buy anything.

Does anyone think an average Somchai would be allowed to leave the country pending a criminal court case?

Looks like it is the Brits being bought this time

[percy2]

Bangyai seems to know his stuff.

Quite frankly I don't see the immediate future of Thailand as particularly good. Although Taksin had his faults, I think he could have helped propel Thailand into the international scene at some point or other and I don't think the road would have been too rough. At the other end of the spectrum you have a sort of small town protectionist nationalism all tied into the "status quo".

This quite frankly I find worrying.

The fact I have lived here mostly for the past twenty years and at present am hedging my bets, making sure I have property and funds overseas to fall back on are perhaps some indication of the way I feel at present. Even if it isn't necessary in the long run I can at least have a nice retirement split between 2 countries. Hey I'm sure most of the Thai elite have the same setup. See them there, I guess!

Sally,

in the time you have been here you have seen Thailand before Thaksin.

It seemed to be doing OK then.

I'm sure it will do OK again when he's not around.

Cheers

[Samuian]

Seconded; good post from Seri.

One of the pitfalls that the nation will fall into , is to think that now the big bad monster of corruption is out of the way only the good elements are left. ...........

Who said this?

But I get the impression that finally the judicial system may start to follow up HRH advice and keep doing what they started, but being hampered in their efforts to bring people to justice - because of the crony-system!

Times may change, let wait and see - we are the observers here, observe and enjoy the show unfolding!

So far it looks pretty good!

has a "grand dame" of any politician ever been tried before?

Have ever been such questions asked?

Was there ever been a genuine assets examining agency?

Maybe we will have the chance of becoming the witnesses of some assertive action and change here in the Kingdom of Thailand!

But, Please give'em some time!

and this ....

Yes.

Why should he be any different?

He should be sent back to Thailand for the Thai courts to decide.

It will be a bad day for UK justice if his extradition is refused.

Suggest you do a little homework.If it comes to extradition proceedings it will need to be decided in a British court that the charges facing Thaksin are also applicable in the UK (they're not) and that the courts in Thailand have a record of being scrupulously fair and not politically motivated (they don't).

Younghusband is right. If Taksin were to go on trial it is obvious he would not get a fair trial as recognised in the west. This is an undeniable FACT ! His defence would be barred from calling any witnesses who had benefited from a backhander. Military figures would refuse to co operate.....in short it would be a kangaroo court organised by a lynch mob. All of the crimes laid against Taksin have been commited by legions of other leading politicians and the military govournments have on several occasions sanctioned the shooting of pro democracy demonstrators. None of them have been called to account. No, you put your hand in the till, grab what you can then step aside for the next bent politician to have his turn. This sort of corruption runs right through to village level..its nothing new. Taksin is not being castigated for his crooked business practices which are the norm rather than the exception, nor his human rights abuses. His cardinal sin was to threaten the ' old school '. His off the cuff remarks about having certain VERY influential people in his pocket sewed the seeds of his own demise. These things cannot be discussed on ThaiVisa....much less talked about openly or dragged through the courts.

Reads like straight from the ex-PM's PR office...

Cangaroo Court, Lynch Mob...

and..others did so all the time before...

Taksin is not being castigated for his crooked business practices which are the norm rather than the exception, nor his human rights abuses. His cardinal sin was to threaten the ' old school '.

he is innocent, because he "threatened" the "wrong" people and with the massive tax avasion, the "war on drugs" extra judical killings, the land deal (only one third of its value paid) and, and, and... was all "manufactured" by his opponents to "kill" his reputation as such a wonderful leader who brought only good to the poor, the country in general and is absolutely loyal to the king - he never ever mentioned "republic"... all amde to topple him and bring him down - because they ALL envy his wealth and cannot stand his incredible popularity!

YESSSSSSSSSS SIRRRRRRRRR!

But sorry, I am harboring some daubts about the truth in there... since this man coined the phrase "honest lie" it's stand clear that he doesn't care about truth, honesty and sincerity - but MONEY, INFLUENCE, MEDDLING, POWER, MANIPULATION, SILENCING the PRESS and MEDIA!

the list is long and HE was the one who wrote the lines, NOT his "OPPONENTS"!

Edited August 13, 2008 by Samuian

[PhilHarries]

This will involve education and a reduction in poverty that doesnt just raise a few more above some UN guideline but actually sees an increase in the percent of GDP being received by the bottom 10%, which would signify real development.

More like the bottom 80% which of course they can't afford to do without drastically cutting the amount received by the top 20% which will not do.

Then no Thai government is going to engage in a process of serious real education of the population. As that will raise the expectations of the irks who will then realise that they are the key to power and start demanding all manner of things.

Come what may Thaksin is an irrelevance that will not be allowed to threaten the status quo hence his departure. I still think that he has misjudged the situation and thinks his buddies will wangle a triumphant return. Give this lot a few more months in power, i.e. at the trough, and they'll come to realise that he is too popular to allow back in. Because if they do, sure as eggs are oval, he'll have the lot of them out.

[baanthale]

Yes.

Why should he be any different?

He should be sent back to Thailand for the Thai courts to decide.

It will be a bad day for UK justice if his extradition is refused.

Suggest you do a little homework.If it comes to extradition proceedings it will need to be decided in a British court that the charges facing Thaksin are also applicable in the UK (they're not) and that the courts in Thailand have a record of being scrupulously fair and not politically motivated (they don't).

Younghusband is right. If Taksin were to go on trial it is obvious he would not get a fair trial as recognised in the west. This is an undeniable FACT ! His defence would be barred from calling any witnesses who had benefited from a backhander. Military figures would refuse to co operate.....in short it would be a kangaroo court organised by a lynch mob. All of the crimes laid against Taksin have been commited by legions of other leading politicians and the military govournments have on several occasions sanctioned the shooting of pro democracy demonstrators. None of them have been called to account. No, you put your hand in the till, grab what you can then step aside for the next bent politician to have his turn. This sort of corruption runs right through to village level..its nothing new. Taksin is not being castigated for his crooked business practices which are the norm rather than the exception, nor his human rights abuses. His cardinal sin was to threaten the ' old school '. His off the cuff remarks about having certain VERY influential people in his pocket sewed the seeds of his own demise. These things cannot be discussed on ThaiVisa....much less talked about openly or dragged through the courts.

Indeed, very good post Bangyai.

Also, suppose the very influential people you refer to, didn't have a choice. Could have been told to choose side, to keep the calm and avoid possible blood sheed.

[baanthale]

Seconded; good post from Seri.

One of the pitfalls that the nation will fall into , is to think that now the big bad monster of corruption is out of the way only the good elements are left. ...........

Who said this?

But I get the impression that finally the judicial system may start to follow up HRH advice and keep doing what they started, but being hampered in their efforts to bring people to justice - because of the crony-system!

Times may change, let wait and see - we are the observers here, observe and enjoy the show unfolding!

So far it looks pretty good!

has a "grand dame" of any politician ever been tried before?

Have ever been such questions asked?

Was there ever been a genuine assets examining agency?

Maybe we will have the chance of becoming the witnesses of some assertive action and change here in the Kingdom of Thailand!

But, Please give'em some time!

and this ....

Yes.

Why should he be any different?

He should be sent back to Thailand for the Thai courts to decide.

It will be a bad day for UK justice if his extradition is refused.

Suggest you do a little homework.If it comes to extradition proceedings it will need to be decided in a British court that the charges facing Thaksin are also applicable in the UK (they're not) and that the courts in Thailand have a record of being scrupulously fair and not politically motivated (they don't).

Younghusband is right. If Taksin were to go on trial it is obvious he would not get a fair trial as recognised in the west. This is an undeniable FACT ! His defence would be barred from calling any witnesses who had benefited from a backhander. Military figures would refuse to co operate.....in short it would be a kangaroo court organised by a lynch mob. All of the crimes laid against Taksin have been commited by legions of other leading politicians and the military govournments have on several occasions sanctioned the shooting of pro democracy demonstrators. None of them have been called to account. No, you put your hand in the till, grab what you can then step aside for the next bent politician to have his turn. This sort of corruption runs right through to village level..its nothing new. Taksin is not being castigated for his crooked business practices which are the norm rather than the exception, nor his human rights abuses. His cardinal sin was to threaten the ' old school '. His off the cuff remarks about having certain VERY influential people in his pocket sewed the seeds of his own demise. These things cannot be discussed on ThaiVisa....much less talked about openly or dragged through the courts.

Reads like straight from the ex-PM's PR office...

Cangaroo Court, Lynch Mob...

and..others did so all the time before...

Taksin is not being castigated for his crooked business practices which are the norm rather than the exception, nor his human rights abuses. His cardinal sin was to threaten the ' old school '.

he is innocent, because he "threatened" the "wrong" people and with the massive tax avasion, the "war on drugs" extra judical killings, the land deal (only one third of its value paid) and, and, and... was all "manufactured" by his opponents to "kill" his reputation as such a wonderful leader who brought only good to the poor, the country in general and is absolutely loyal to the king - he never ever mentioned "republic"... all amde to topple him and bring him down - because they ALL envy his wealth and cannot stand his incredible popularity!

YESSSSSSSSSS SIRRRRRRRRR!

But sorry, I am harboring some daubts about the truth in there... since this man coined the phrase "honest lie" it's stand clear that he doesn't care about truth, honesty and sincerity - but MONEY, INFLUENCE, MEDDLING, POWER, MANIPULATION, SILENCING the PRESS and MEDIA!

the list is long and HE was the one who wrote the lines, NOT his "OPPONENTS"!

"give them some time", yes, tell that to the PAD. Or maybe you don't mean that the current elected government should be given time?