Samak Will Announce Resignation Thursday Morning?

[ubonjoe]

One minute in silence by PAD for slain DAAD member

Chamlong Srimuang, a leader of the People's Alliance for Democracy, told PAD protesters to stand in silence for one minute to show respect to a government supported killed during a clash early Tuesday morning.

Chamlong told the crowd at the Government House at 9:40 pm that the PAD was sorry over the death of Narongchai Korbthaisong.

Narongchai was fatally beaten by security officers of the PAD during the clash.

Pipop Thongchai, another PAD leader, told the crowd that the people were victims of bad politicians no matter which side they belong to.

"We didn't intend to have anyone killed but the government sent men to attack us," Pipop said.

The Nation

[sjaak327]

Nice guy this Sondhi - He just told his supporters NOT to go home even if Samak resigns. He is demanding to know who the new PM will be before that, and that all his 5 demands are met (ex: 1: Take back the temple from Cambodia - probably WAR) I would suggest you all tune in to News 1 and try and find someone who can translate for you.

Sondhi is just as criminal as Thaksin and all the other TRT/PPP criminals. It's downright funny that some people see him as a freedom fighter or something similar.

I wouldn't worry too much about the Cambodian temple, that was just to burden the government. Of course if Thailand even considers this, they will have a lot of explaining to do, and Mai ben Rai will not cut it in that case.

The international communticty is with Cambodia on this one. (and rightly so).

[Thai at Heart]

Nice guy this Sondhi - He just told his supporters NOT to go home even if Samak resigns. He is demanding to know who the new PM will be before that, and that all his 5 demands are met (ex: 1: Take back the temple from Cambodia - probably WAR) I would suggest you all tune in to News 1 and try and find someone who can translate for you.

Which if he said it, confirms to me that this man is an absolute megalomaniac (who the hel_l is he to decide who runs the govt) and cares not one jot for the consequences of his actions. He is relying on the protection of many people to have the privilege of spouting this idiocy. If Samak goes he has to stop or be made to stop. If anyone thinks that Samaks actions were damaging the country, if Sondhi continues after Samak goes this country won't have anything worth damaging.

He may or may not have the head of the PM, we will see in the morning. At which point I hope that reality prevails and someone please stop his insane demands (of appointed legislatures, forced retaking of temples etc) and stop this anarchy.

You can as easily replace Sondhi's name above in all instances with Thaksin,

and it makes MORE Sense.

Doesn't make the request any less relevant.

I was no fan of his either. And if he wanted to force the country to potential war, and appoint legislatures on the basis of education I would hope that someone would stop that too. What happened with the temple was absolutely ludicrous, and wrong. Thaksin is getting his just deserts, and may well get more.

[h90]

It doesn't matter, they are part of a coalition government, that is (up until now, whilst some court cases have not been concluded) a perfectly legitimate government.

That's the point.

And there was no vote buying.....

non of the coalition partners are on the way to get dissolved for vote buying

Santa Claus exists.

Yeah yeah, you have been boring everyone to death with the vote buying bullshit. Until that court case has been concluded, there is no legal ground to call the government illigitemate.

Then of course there is this other issue that of course seems uncomprehensible to some people, maybe they are popular. But then of course their voters are all uneducated and other related bullshit.

hahahaha what do you want to tell here? Vote buying is just a rumor, the EC is also wrong?

[Tony Clifton]

Hahaha..... Samak's finally going to resign?

Even when I'm personally against that, I'm truly happy if he'lll resign as it'll prove to be a positive on the economical view.

But now without creating one last stench by giving the sh!t bucket a kick, followed by a cowardly dash out the door.

Edited September 3, 2008 by Tony Clifton

[wasabi]

So who will lead the country?

[moskito]

My source confirms that Samak will announce his resignation in the morning.

If he doesn't, I will run naked through the PAD crowd.

Easy to say, hard to belive.....HOW we can check it?? .....sources?

I belive that Samak give up his job if he did it...not before....RUMORS

[Tony Clifton]

Nice guy this Sondhi - He just told his supporters NOT to go home even if Samak resigns. He is demanding to know who the new PM will be before that, and that all his 5 demands are met (ex: 1: Take back the temple from Cambodia - probably WAR) I would suggest you all tune in to News 1 and try and find someone who can translate for you.

Sondhi is just as criminal as Thaksin and all the other TRT/PPP criminals. It's downright funny that some people see him as a freedom fighter or something similar.

I wouldn't worry too much about the Cambodian temple, that was just to burden the government. Of course if Thailand even considers this, they will have a lot of explaining to do, and Mai ben Rai will not cut it in that case.

The international communticty is with Cambodia on this one. (and rightly so).

Your comparing a pebble against massive Jupiter.

You can't possibly believe what you just wrote there...

Edited September 3, 2008 by Tony Clifton

[Seizhin]

So who will lead the country?

I support the PAD To lead the country

They want the temple in Cambodia to be taken back and other conditions to be met, why not just led the country and complete all the other objectives before a new election?

That sounds better than mobbing the government house.

[who]

And then what. Do people honestly believe the next person in line will be any better?

As much as many people hate Samak, he was still democratically elected by a majority of the people and this should be respected.

I think this is a huge blow for democracy in Thailand.

Arrrrrggghhhh.

This is beginning to bug me so much that i am starting to bite.

1) Samak WAS NOT elected, he was appointed by his party.

2) The PPP DID NOT get the majority vote (37% I believe), 37% IS NOT a majority.

3) The Dems as an individual party got the most votes, but not by a large enough margin to take government.

4) The PPP took government only by way of forming a coallition with other parties, meaning that they had the majority of seats in the house. But still, they DID NOT have the majorty vote from the electorate.

I would recommend/like that some people pay due and proper attention as to what has been happening before posting their opinions.

I am wasting my time with this post aren't I?

Not at all ! It is very informative. Thank you. (I sincerely trust that it is accurate).

[Johpa]

People who vote for the likes of Samak and Thaksin are the uneducated masses and as long as Thailand does nothing to improve the educational system in this country (standards and access to a full 12 years of school), nothing will change. The elite like to keep the upcountry folks dumb to keep them down, but what the elite get in return is the likes of Samak and Thaksin running the country.

The Thai populace is fairly well educated. Both the folks in the rural villages and the folks in the urban slums tend to be literate and follow the news both in the newspapers and other media. Now I am not one to argue that the Thai education system is not in need of improvement. But just because the rural folks and the urban poor have different priorities than do those higher up the economic scale, including yourself, they are not dumb. And one must ask why those who you incorrectly infer to be superior to the "uneducated masses" (a most slippery slope indeed) would want to support Sondhi, who is no different than Thaksin, and by my perspective, being socially much closer to the rural poor than to the Bangkok middle class, far more frightening than Thaksin in the long run.

YOu are correct in your assessment, but even though the masses are literate, that does not mean they have much common sense and intelligence to avoid being bamboozled by the likes of Thaksin. The schemes that Thaksin introduced did not benefit them much and most of the poor who were given handouts are now in worse shape and in more debt because the policies did not help build up their communities. They were only built on handing out freebies to the people. That's not sustainable. But they only remember that they were given cheap money.

You mean like the sense and intelligence of those who believe that the PAD is any different than the PPP or that Sonthi is any different than Thaksin? Oh but excuse me, I don't mean to imply that the self proclaimed sensible and intelligent nouveau middle class in Bangkok, and their ex-pat neo-sahib supporters, are no different than those whom they deem to be beneath them. Or am I? What the rural poor remember is that they were given something, little and insignificant as those petty handouts may have been; for example, bicycles handed out so that their children could ride to school instead of walking in the rain through the mud. Wow, that sure was an expensive proposition to purchase the hearts and minds of a few hundred voters. And although it bothers the heck out of most members of this forum, but Thaksin's war on the meth-amphetamine scourge was successful of ridding the secondary schools of the worst of the drug dealers. The rural people whose lives were made a living hel_l were not overly concerned about the excesses of that campaign as those excesses were around before the crackdown and remained after the crackdown. Sure some of Thaksin's plans were ill conceived, and Thaksin himself is terribly ill-conceived, but his basic strategy was sound.

Thaksin showed, however flawed he was, that elections are viable in Thailand, but in order to win you can't completely ignore the vast majority of the voting populace. Sondhi and the PAD could come up with plans that will redistribute some of the common wealth back to the vast population, but they prefer, like you, to denigrate those same people instead of co-opting then by giving back some of the government money.

The main concern of the ex-pats on these boards is stability. They don't want anyone or any Thai political party to rock their relatively comfortable boat. They don't want to have to take a step downwards in their living conditions by having to return to their homelands. But mark my words, if Sondhi gets in power, directly or by proxy, the doggy doo doo will eventually hit the fan and you will all opine for the era when Thaksin ruled and life in Thailand was good.

[Soontorn]

PM to speak to public on Thursday morning

(BangkokPost.com) - Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej will speak to the public through radio and television stations of the Public Relations Department on Thursday morning.

It is expected that he would speak and explain to the fellow Thais about ongoing political turmoil. But some local media speculated that he might announce his decision to resign.

The interview will be broadcasted on Radio Thailand at 7.30am.

[jellykookabanj]

I hope so.

The only thing he has is a big mouth.

He cant control his party, he cant control the people, he can't control the country.

Just a bungling incompetent with a big mouth and f all leadership skills.

What a pathetic excuse for a prime minister.

Truly amazing millions voted for him. I hope they all learned their lesson.

But he was democratically elected and by a sizeable majority. Who is going to want to be PM now, other than an even worse big mouth who can't... etc. The main loser out of this farce will be democracy in Thailand because even with more than half the electorate behind his government Samak can't stay in power, as Thaksin couldn't before him.

That is just not true he was really NOT democratically elected as it is not democracy with vote buying (yes I have first hand knowledge this IS true through my wife's family and friends) and I am sure other vote rigging. So how can any western country or person say they are democratically elected, that is rubbish and really what the whole problem here is !! Most folk including myself will recognise any PROPERLY Elected governemetn even if it is completely politically opposed to ones own view as the TRUE will of the people should always prevail.

As I keep saying the only way I can see that you will have honest and true democracy is if the next election is properly monitored by an external (i.e. non Thai) independent large group of observers recognised by the UN or similar outfit, and then any vote buying or rigging is punishable by long jail sentences for the guilty parties and a life time ban from politics. No true democratic person ir group can argue against that, it is just the practicality of actually doing it that needs seriously addressing.

Perhaps we should also see some true party of the people with ordinary working Thai folk, who are capable of doing the job, standing for election too. Until then the circle will just continue with one lot of corruption after another with dubiously elected Governments quite rightly not being recognised by the majority of the general public and IMHO there will never then be a break from the elite ruling class continuing to suppress the ordinary working Thai folk in this country. Only my personal suggestion as I am a guest here and live happily just keeping my head down, so up to the Thai people to recognise some sense in this and do something about it. I just hope they do for the future prosperity of Thailand and its people.

I also have knowledge, like many others, of the vote buying that goes on here in LOS.

But one thing I learnt today was that people are being paid to participate in the BKK demonstrations. The proof that money works will be answered in the morning if Samak does resign.

Edited September 3, 2008 by jellykookabanj

[Seizhin]

PM to speak to public on Thursday morning

(BangkokPost.com) - Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej will speak to the public through radio and television stations of the Public Relations Department on Thursday morning.

It is expected that he would speak and explain to the fellow Thais about ongoing political turmoil. But some local media speculated that he might announce his decision to resign.

The interview will be broadcasted on Radio Thailand at 7.30am.

God bless, may that come true.

[sjaak327]

It doesn't matter, they are part of a coalition government, that is (up until now, whilst some court cases have not been concluded) a perfectly legitimate government.

That's the point.

And there was no vote buying.....

non of the coalition partners are on the way to get dissolved for vote buying

Santa Claus exists.

Yeah yeah, you have been boring everyone to death with the vote buying bullshit. Until that court case has been concluded, there is no legal ground to call the government illigitemate.

Then of course there is this other issue that of course seems uncomprehensible to some people, maybe they are popular. But then of course their voters are all uneducated and other related bullshit.

hahahaha what do you want to tell here? Vote buying is just a rumor, the EC is also wrong?

Indeed until the relevant court cases have been concluded, they are indeed just rumors. At least that would be the case in a proper democracy with a proper justice system. Something along the lines that you aren't guilty, until your guilt has been proven. If after the evidence has been considered in a court of law, and the judge convicts based upon that evidence, you can scream vote buying all you like.

[lectito]

Meanwhile, the Khon Kaen branch of the Democratic Alliance against Dictatorship (DAAD) yesterday mobilised locals to join its protest in Samut Prakan province, saying they would be rewarded with Bt10,000 for every ASTV reporter or photographer killed, a source said yesterday.

From : http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2008/09/04...cs_30082506.php

[rayw]

And then what. Do people honestly believe the next person in line will be any better?

As much as many people hate Samak, he was still democratically elected by a majority of the people and this should be respected.

I think this is a huge blow for democracy in Thailand.

Arrrrrggghhhh.

This is beginning to bug me so much that i am starting to bite.

1) Samak WAS NOT elected, he was appointed by his party.

2) The PPP DID NOT get the majority vote (37% I believe), 37% IS NOT a majority.

3) The Dems as an individual party got the most votes, but not by a large enough margin to take government.

4) The PPP took government only by way of forming a coallition with other parties, meaning that they had the majority of seats in the house. But still, they DID NOT have the majorty vote from the electorate.

I would recommend/like that some people pay due and proper attention as to what has been happening before posting their opinions.

I am wasting my time with this post aren't I?

No you are not, wasting your time at all in fact I must say it was very well said, so about time some of these ill informed folk here got their facts right first. This is a very important point on top of vote rigging and vote buying (no matter which, and likely all, parties did it) makes it clear to me that it is NOT democratic at all. Don't know if PAD will be any better or not, but surely that is NOT the point here, as we need this unacceptably falsely elected Governement to stand down and make way for fair and closely independently observed and monitored proper elections and an end to the childish feuding and bribery and corruption. Come on lets see Thailand grow up now in the 21st century and start to prosper for its people's sake.

The only way in ANY democratic country to avoid minority elected Governments is to dispense with the terrible first past the post system, which sees landslide Governments get in to power wiht often less than 40% of the voters support, democracy ?? Pah no way !!!. The best democratic way is without any doubt Proportional Representation systems where you get the Government that folk voted for ( and often not what we personally wanted ) and we all should then all respect that Government provided it carries out its mandate it was elected upon and no matter what the political side of the fence it is on. Disagree with that statement and you are not a supporter of true and proper democracy.

[worldquester]

great news for thailand ,hopefully the damage done will have been minemal ,i for one is relieved....

I am one who is (am) also relieved -- and I can assure you that the damage done is far from being minimal - the ongoing offshoot to this will be felt for months to come and the effect on tourism is already being felt with hotel occupancy rates dropping by more the 30-40% in bkk alone and i just hate to think what the impact will be in the resorts in the south.. there were reports in the Australian press about tourists being assaulted as they tried to access Phuket airport to get their flights whilst trying to bypass the protesters - no way tourists are going to come here and cop this -= aside from the worry about whether there will be flights - cancellations are flooding in as i write for booking made for November thru jan - the peak tourist season - what sort of effect do you think this will have on the local economy - HUGE tourist are already thinking about heading for Vietnam and china

The Assh-ole who dreamed this situation up is sitting in a luxury residence in London.

sorry [flame deleted] I happen to be sitting in a nice condo in Bkk = have been for 10 years - u really do need to get out of your baan in Isan more often and get the whole picture of what is happening here in the city of angels - take a look at the Bkk Post comment on the impact on tourism - I know i am in the industry - 555 luxury residence in London, no thanks - don't like the weather there

Er, aussimike, Pushit didn't mean you. He meant ol' Squarehead...you know, that dude on the lam?

[sjaak327]

Nice guy this Sondhi - He just told his supporters NOT to go home even if Samak resigns. He is demanding to know who the new PM will be before that, and that all his 5 demands are met (ex: 1: Take back the temple from Cambodia - probably WAR) I would suggest you all tune in to News 1 and try and find someone who can translate for you.

Sondhi is just as criminal as Thaksin and all the other TRT/PPP criminals. It's downright funny that some people see him as a freedom fighter or something similar.

I wouldn't worry too much about the Cambodian temple, that was just to burden the government. Of course if Thailand even considers this, they will have a lot of explaining to do, and Mai ben Rai will not cut it in that case.

The international communticty is with Cambodia on this one. (and rightly so).

Your comparing a pebble against massive Jupiter.

You can't possibly believe what you just wrote there...

As a matter of fact, Thaksin, up until now, isn't a convicted criminal. Sondhi is one, and is merely in appeal. And of course there is an arrest warrent out for him as well, rightly so. I hope that the Thai governement can hold him responsible for all the costs incurred and send him a big fat bill.

[animatic]

from the nation

DAAD leader threatens to raid Democrat head office

Chuchart na Bangprai, a leader of the Democratic Alliance Against Dictatorship, threatened Wednesday night to lead protesters from Samut Prakan to raid the Democrat Party's head office.

Addressing the DAAD-led government supporters at the Samut Prakan provincial hall at 8:30 pm, Chuchart said the DAAD would lead demonstrators to raid the Democrat head office soon to retaliate against the seizure of the Government House by People's Alliance for Democracy.

The Nation

end quote

how does this fit into the story?

Do you have a link for this?

Why on earth would they be raiding the Dem's, HQ who have little or nowt to do with this.

If this is correct then it could only be antagonistic. I have questioned before whether or not Samak would bow out gracefully. Perhaps he is going for his swan song?

If any one has a question of the Thaksin political machine STILL controling

the political discourse and information heard in the north east this <deleted>

spouted by DAAD confirms eloquently that fact.

The DEMS have SOME sympathies with SOME PAD goals,

but have distanced themselves from PAD

except where PAD specifically echoed EXISTING DEM policies.

But these brainwashed fools have been told

'the DEMS and PAD are the same thing',

so that makes them a valid tit for tat target.

The GREATEST failing of the junta installed government was

NOT dismantilling Thaksin's political machine up north.

Control the information, control the populace.

Orwells 1984, Brazil's Department Of Information Retrieval,

classic Communuist / Fascist / Nazi party doctrine.

Bush's Karl Rove knows this too.

This is the root cause of unfair elections and the PPP syndicates return.

Thaksin KNOWS his machine still pulls the strings for cheap.

He wants his 76 billion back at the cost of civil unrest.

yes but if the Junta would have dismantled the political machine up north, it would have only worked with harsh methods ala Myanmar or Stasi in East Germany.

If you use evil methods for good intentions you are also getting evil.

I didn't say the JUNTA,

but the government installed, I think that actually were way to light handed

I have NEVER recommended Stasi like methods or informing children etc.

It's just they left this same job for people unprepared for it AGAIN.

Unless information control is removed from the Thaksin Machine's hands,

there never CAN be fair balanced elections up north.

What I am saying is

there already is a Stasi like control of information to the poor up north / east,

and that is wrong no matter how you read it.

Why else do ANY dissenting voices get beatings by gangs

like UDD and DAAD, just to go and talk up there?

Because truthful information is DANGEROUS to control freak, liars,

making their plies from the mis-informed electorates blindness..

[h90]

It doesn't matter, they are part of a coalition government, that is (up until now, whilst some court cases have not been concluded) a perfectly legitimate government.

That's the point.

And there was no vote buying.....

non of the coalition partners are on the way to get dissolved for vote buying

Santa Claus exists.

Yeah yeah, you have been boring everyone to death with the vote buying bullshit. Until that court case has been concluded, there is no legal ground to call the government illigitemate.

Then of course there is this other issue that of course seems uncomprehensible to some people, maybe they are popular. But then of course their voters are all uneducated and other related bullshit.

hahahaha what do you want to tell here? Vote buying is just a rumor, the EC is also wrong?

Indeed until the relevant court cases have been concluded, they are indeed just rumors. At least that would be the case in a proper democracy with a proper justice system. Something along the lines that you aren't guilty, until your guilt has been proven. If after the evidence has been considered in a court of law, and the judge convicts based upon that evidence, you can scream vote buying all you like.

So we are lucky that the EC gave out a couple of red cards already....several cases concluded already.....parties (not only PPP) on the way to the dissolution

[Dap]

Amazing, the amount of conjecture created by a "rumour". The morning news is but a few hours away. I look forward to that thread. But then again, it will probably be much the same as this one. Pro or con, it would be good to see the violence end.

[Seizhin]

How is democracy served when you have a bunch of thugs shutdown the airport and roads? PAD is not the majority of Thailand. They are a bunch of mob protesters who thinks democracy allows them to do whatever they pleased with no consequences. This is pathetic. In the USA we have had an mentally challenged person leading our country for 8 years. It does not condone mob rule and shutdown JFK or LAX airports or our highways just because of his incompetence. The correct way is to elected someone else. In my opinion the PAD is just plain wrong. The Thais voted not for Samak(who campaigned basically on the platform that he wants Thaksin back). They voted for Thaksin. Thaksin got out because he knows they will kill him if he stayed. As far as all the self righteous hypocrites that says Thaksin is the FIRST crooked politician in Thailand, get a grip on reality.

Agree about the blocking of airports, roads and other stuffs, Thaksin isnt the first crooked politician either.

Thaksin's just the biggest crook for now, I'm sure there'll be bigger crook in the future, oh wait, I'll call the PAD a bigger crook than Dr. Thaksin.

[Crushdepth]

and we all should then all respect that Government provided it carries out its mandate it was elected upon and no matter what the political side of the fence it is on.

So long as it acts within the law, particularly when it comes to matters of getting elected! It's government.

[Soontorn]

Samak on the brink of exit

By The Nation

Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej is expected to address the public on national radio this morning, with high prospects that he will step down.

A well-informed source said Samak's resignation would pave the way for three possible scenarios, all of which will take place within the current constitutional framework.

1. Samak could dissolve Parliament.

2. He could resign to pave the way for a new coalition government.

3. Samak's resignation could result in the formation of a national unity government.

In the third scenario, Parliament will need to support an amendment of Article 171 of the Constitution, under which the prime minister must be a Member of Parliament, the source added.

Samak has been driven into a tight corner, suffering two blows in a row yesterday. The first blow came when Army chief Anupong Paochinda told Samak that he would not use force to disperse anti-government protesters from Government House despite Tuesday's declaration of a state of emergency.

The second blow for Samak yesterday came when Foreign Minister Tej Bunnag resigned. Anupong's tough stand and Tej's resignation plan spawned intense rumours last night that Samak was ready to call it a day. However, Samak's booking of a Public Relations Department radio network at 7.30 am for a public address this morning was later played down as an effort to "explain" the current situation, including Tej's resignation, to the people.

Army chief Anupong told Samak that he will not use force to crack down on the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) protesters, according to First Army Region Commander Prayut Chanocha. "It is difficult to use military and police forces against the people. Using force could worsen the situation. It would go step by step and take time. Please don't expect that the state of emergency could finish everything quickly. The officials need time to work," Prayut quoted Anupong as saying to Samak. Samak had expected tough action against the protesters. But the soft approach of the military gave Samak no sword to bring down the PAD.

Meanwhile, members of the Privy Council yesterday reportedly were granted royal audience with His Majesty the King to report on the situation. People Power Party MP Panya Sripanya said it is possible that his party would press Samak to step down rather than dissolve the lower House. The party's MPs from the northeastern region will hold a meeting today to take a stand over the situation. But another MP, Kan Thiankeow, said the option to dissolve the house of representatives was likely but it was the prime minister's decision.

Democrat Party leader Abhisit Vejjajiva said he only had information that Samak would be on radio this morning to clarify the political situation. Abhisit turned down the suggestion that he could be proposed as new prime minister if Samak resigns, and also declined to comment if he would accept the proposal. However, Abhisit said even if Samak resigns, the passing of the 2009 Budget Bill would not be affected as the deliberation belongs to the Parliament, not the government.

[sjaak327]

It doesn't matter, they are part of a coalition government, that is (up until now, whilst some court cases have not been concluded) a perfectly legitimate government.

That's the point.

And there was no vote buying.....

non of the coalition partners are on the way to get dissolved for vote buying

Santa Claus exists.

Yeah yeah, you have been boring everyone to death with the vote buying bullshit. Until that court case has been concluded, there is no legal ground to call the government illigitemate.

Then of course there is this other issue that of course seems uncomprehensible to some people, maybe they are popular. But then of course their voters are all uneducated and other related bullshit.

hahahaha what do you want to tell here? Vote buying is just a rumor, the EC is also wrong?

Indeed until the relevant court cases have been concluded, they are indeed just rumors. At least that would be the case in a proper democracy with a proper justice system. Something along the lines that you aren't guilty, until your guilt has been proven. If after the evidence has been considered in a court of law, and the judge convicts based upon that evidence, you can scream vote buying all you like.

So we are lucky that the EC gave out a couple of red cards already....several cases concluded already.....parties (not only PPP) on the way to the dissolution

That is incorrect, they have only announced that they are going to take it to court, it could take at least a month or more UNTIL these parties are going to be gone, and only AFTER relevant evidence has been considered by a court of law. As I said, you're only guilty after the judge considered the evidence and came to a verdict, not the case now. Later, wait a while. (something the PAD could have done as well).

[RadioCityMike]

How is democracy served when you have a bunch of thugs shutdown the airport and roads? PAD is not the majority of Thailand. They are a bunch of mob protesters who thinks democracy allows them to do whatever they pleased with no consequences. This is pathetic. In the USA we have had an mentally challenged person leading our country for 8 years. It does not condone mob rule and shutdown JFK or LAX airports or our highways just because of his incompetence. The correct way is to elected someone else. In my opinion the PAD is just plain wrong. The Thais voted not for Samak(who campaigned basically on the platform that he wants Thaksin back). They voted for Thaksin. Thaksin got out because he knows they will kill him if he stayed. As far as all the self righteous hypocrites that says Thaksin is the FIRST crooked politician in Thailand, get a grip on reality.

If Samak were to agree to resign, I am sure he could take down PAD at the same time. Why not agree to resign only if PAD does? This seems so obvious to me. Then the MP can elect a new PM. PAD of course would be the big loser in this, but I do not see how PAD could survive if Samak agrees to resign contingent upon PAD leaving and disbanding and then PAD refuses to do it.

[ubonjoe]

Meanwhile, the Khon Kaen branch of the Democratic Alliance against Dictatorship (DAAD) yesterday mobilised locals to join its protest in Samut Prakan province, saying they would be rewarded with Bt10,000 for every ASTV reporter or photographer killed, a source said yesterday.

From : http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2008/09/04...cs_30082506.php

I would question the validity of the source since it was in the middle of this article.

PAD vows no compromise

By The Nation

Published on September 4, 2008

The People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) yesterday vowed never to compromise in negotiations until Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej stepped down.

[zorro1]

PM to speak to public on Thursday morning

(BangkokPost.com) - Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej will speak to the public through radio and television stations of the Public Relations Department on Thursday morning.

It is expected that he would speak and explain to the fellow Thais about ongoing political turmoil. But some local media speculated that he might announce his decision to resign.

The interview will be broadcasted on Radio Thailand at 7.30am.

You guys can sit here all night speculating. Why not have time out till the morning, and then go hel_l for leather with the I told you so"s after that

[genset]

I hope so.

The only thing he has is a big mouth.

He cant control his party, he cant control the people, he can't control the country.

Just a bungling incompetent with a big mouth and f all leadership skills.

What a pathetic excuse for a prime minister.

Truly amazing millions voted for him. I hope they all learned their lesson.

But he was democratically elected and by a sizeable majority. Who is going to want to be PM now, other than an even worse big mouth who can't... etc. The main loser out of this farce will be democracy in Thailand because even with more than half the electorate behind his government Samak can't stay in power, as Thaksin couldn't before him.

I've seen this sort of opinion a few times on the forum, in response to comments regarding Samak and his government in the past few days. Whilst I appreciate that under normal circumstances the above quote would seem to reflect quite reasonable commentary, just what does it mean to be democratically elected in Thailand?

Without getting into specifics (although feel free to delve into it if you feel so inclined), Thai politics is riddled with corruption and nepotism. To be honest, its no better or worse than any other political system in any other country, but here in Thailand they havent yet got around to adding a veneer of subtlety to this political system, not that that would make the corruption and nepotism anything less than patently wrong; but like the electorate in our own homelands, people find it easier to swallow if its not so bl**dy obvious.

Education is the key, not only here in Thailand, but in all so called civilized countries. I live in esarn, people here (for the most part) understand very little of Thai politics, believe that it is something that happens in Bangkok, is the sole domain of those with power and influence and that it doesnt really affect their lives. The village headman weilds his influence when election time comes around and he, of course, is courted by local politicians. Money changes hands, cattle and land are given as gifts, but who really benefits? Certainly not the common man. In a country like Thailand, where even those with power and influence are only one or two generations clear of living a hand to mouth exsistence, I find it curious that there is so little desire shown by the fortunate few, to better the lives of the entire population of this wonderful country, rather than act in such a self serving manner.

Just a thought...