Samak Found Guilty By Court, Must Resign

[CHAIYES]

Although i'm no fan of Mr. Samak I'm amazed that he is brought down bye this cook show

while a more serious charge of graft on firetrucks, languashes in the court for 10 years

Yes, Thais will always naturally find an "easy way out to save faces" and this is just one example.

The judicial system is after all administered by well to do Thais who do not want Thailand's politics to disintergrate into sometihing "unmanageable".

Just keeping the status quo.

[eenloss]

The courts were indeed used to save face by finding some trivial "legal" reason to remove Samak. Alas, by saving face for some they unintentionally caused a loss of face for the nation as the rest of the world is laughing hard at the pathetic antics of this banana republic.

Chaiyo!

Maybe so, it certainly made me laugh, but with the current stalemate between PAD and the PPP, at least it offers the first real opportunity for a step in the right direction.

Loss of face or face saving, it paves a way around the impasse

[oblivious]

Congratulations Thailand, you are now the world's village idiot.

[Daren]

Congratulations Thailand, you are now the world's village idiot.

Nope, that's still USA... but at least they're trying!

[jbowman1993]

Congratulations Thailand, you are now the world's village idiot.

Nope, that's still USA... but at least they're trying!

Nope, stop confusing US with GW Bush. Most of us Yanks didn't vote for him.

[animatic]

This just prove one thing. PM salary in Thailand sucks. Even Thai PM needs a second job to make ends meet (not to mention ordinary Thai).

I heard AFC (Asian Food Channel) is after Samak CV. Any offer from KFC?

ROLF

I think KFC has better taste than that!

Can you imagine the NEW KFC specials?

Half-Baked Sour Snout.

[uptou]

The thing i find hard to grasp is if this court ruling is all legit,& theres no other reason for him walking,did he not think to ask someone involved in the laws of thailand (however loosely they maybe enforced) whether or not he would be running into any problems,due to a "conflict of interest" with doing a tv cooking show,whilst having a sideline job as the PM of Thailand.

Surely any Joe Blogs would think to cover their a$$ by making sure its ok in a political cutthroat enviroment such as Thailand.How hard is it to pick up a phone & ask somebody if it is ok or within the laws.

Or maybe there is more to this,& it was actually the best face saving option.

[HYENA]

Dont know excatly where this leads, but in the meantime these thais are teaching farang courts how to deal with the law !

When is the last time a PM has been convicted of anything in farangland ?!?

++ ^^

And that's because Thailand is a MUCh more legally aware country than any in the west. Try dropping a cigarette butt on Sukhumvit road- and it is this concern with law and order that explains how neat and orderly and clean the country is.

...or slipping some money to a police officer or public official.... I see no difference between west and Thai politics; they're all dirty. It's just a matter of playing within the bounds (the dirty money pool then jump into) that seems to count.

We had our president almost run out of town (but was impeached by enough) to make history...not for oral sex but for lying about it.

I do know Thailand is completely out of control (a modern government overthrown as a matter of tradition, practically)? I guess all I can do is hope it gets far worse Bahtwise for my next visit and I can at least bring one Thai out of that hel_l there in a few months.

Thailand is the most corrupt nation I've seen (above central America by far). Maybe Thailand is politically aware but the buck stops nowhere, the king is the wealthiest of all monarchs of all time and it's people continue to suffer. Only those with money get more money and pay officials off. It's disgusting, really. Based on the kind of money that comes into the country, Thailand should be far more developed and far less impoverished than it is. Do you have any idea how much money leave "the people" every time the government is overthrown? It's an excuse to rob the country and no one does anything about it because those who could are paid off...and the poor suffer.

Having said that, my own country's political system is a bucket of piss, as well. I see "none of the above" as a real candidate so another 4 years of stupidity, chaos and world arrogance we have to watch in disgust on the sidelines. It's sad but there's not enough anger in the US to throw our own corrupt and arrogant out on their ears. As long as the typical fat American can order another pizza and more beer, why should they get angry at the mess going on in our political system? There hasn't been enough pain here to change our country's problems, either.

Edited September 9, 2008 by HYENA

[Plus]

Samak shouldn't have been removed for taking money for cooking because he shouldn't have done than in the first place.

80k mentioned in the press could be for four episodes together, I think it was per show, does it really matter?

Defamation case was one too many for the courts - he wasn't there for the first time, three strikes and you are out.

I know it made Thailand look ridiculous, it's not too pleasant to be on the receiving end of Western propaganda machine, but what the hel_l, I live here, not there. Some people are trying to set this country right by any means necessary, we'll all be better off in the long run.

JBowman, just watch your compatriots voting for John McClain cos that guy was very tough in Die Hard series.

[sjaak327]

Does this mean that the PAD camping trip is over ? Sondhi and friends might be running low on budget by now.

Maybe Samak could cook for them, since he is out of job now.

[balfour]

Sounds like a weak case, however the last coup was about rewriting the constitution and a big part of that was getting rid of corruption within the government. So by not charging Samak, the courts will start to lose credibility if they don't stictly enforce the laws of the land. This is crucial in acheiving a strong democracy.

[Thanh-BKK]

The thing i find hard to grasp is if this court ruling is all legit,& theres no other reason for him walking,did he not think to ask someone involved in the laws of thailand (however loosely they maybe enforced) whether or not he would be running into any problems,due to a "conflict of interest" with doing a tv cooking show,whilst having a sideline job as the PM of Thailand.

Surely any Joe Blogs would think to cover their a$$ by making sure its ok in a political cutthroat enviroment such as Thailand.How hard is it to pick up a phone & ask somebody if it is ok or within the laws.

Or maybe there is more to this,& it was actually the best face saving option.

Hi

He was likely not expecting the PAD to get on his case - without them he (and his PPP) would have quietly amended all the necessary laws to have Thaksin back, vote buying legalized and working for a private firm while holding a public position legal, too.

The court got him NOW but a farce it is still - as he won't be "non-PM" for long. Honestly, what is the point of a verdict like this, stripping him of his position knowing dam_n well he will have it back the next day? Why not ban him from politics so he can concentrate on cooking, something he really seems to enjoy?

Regards....

Thanh

[Vinnie49]

Just wonder how the Bhat will respond to this one now ??

Unchanged @ 34.54 - Bloomberg analyst reckons its a THB +ve (uncertainty over).

And the SET will probably open very strong tomorrow morning.

We shouldn't blame Samak totally. It was a misunderstanding. He thought a precedent was set when Thaksin was in the UK rumoured to appear on Ready Steady Crook!

[sotsira]

I still can't keep wondering that this is just an easy way to try and get Samak to step down and dissolve the political stand off with the PAD, but what next does the government do?

Elect a new prime minister or reelect Samak?

Or will the country have new general elections?

Whatever the next outcome, and whoever ends up as prime minister, my question is will the corruption ever stop in this country?

Everyone is focusing on Samak and the PPP right now because he's in power, if and when the next ruling party comes to power what differences will occur, will the people of Thailand start trusting them?

[kurtgruen]

The thing i find hard to grasp is if this court ruling is all legit,& theres no other reason for him walking,did he not think to ask someone involved in the laws of thailand (however loosely they maybe enforced) whether or not he would be running into any problems,due to a "conflict of interest" with doing a tv cooking show,whilst having a sideline job as the PM of Thailand.

Surely any Joe Blogs would think to cover their a$$ by making sure its ok in a political cutthroat enviroment such as Thailand.How hard is it to pick up a phone & ask somebody if it is ok or within the laws.

Or maybe there is more to this,& it was actually the best face saving option.

He thought his butt was covered, until the PAD started rallying against the vote buying scandals, etc. If there was no strong opposition, they would have just moved the goal posts a bit. Looks like the judges weren't for sale either, so Thaksin's money was no good to get him out of this one.

Actually, to me it's starting to look more and more like democracy every day. I like it, when people are held accountable for their actions, when they are in government. If they don't like the heat, they should stay out of the kitchen ;-)

[ubonjoe]

The thing i find hard to grasp is if this court ruling is all legit,& theres no other reason for him walking,did he not think to ask someone involved in the laws of thailand (however loosely they maybe enforced) whether or not he would be running into any problems,due to a "conflict of interest" with doing a tv cooking show,whilst having a sideline job as the PM of Thailand.

Surely any Joe Blogs would think to cover their a$$ by making sure its ok in a political cutthroat enviroment such as Thailand.How hard is it to pick up a phone & ask somebody if it is ok or within the laws.

Or maybe there is more to this,& it was actually the best face saving option.

He thought his butt was covered, until the PAD started rallying against the vote buying scandals, etc. If there was no strong opposition, they would have just moved the goal posts a bit. Looks like the judges weren't for sale either, so Thaksin's money was no good to get him out of this one.

Actually, to me it's starting to look more and more like democracy every day. I like it, when people are held accountable for their actions, when they are in government. If they don't like the heat, they should stay out of the kitchen ;-)

It was part of his testimoney that he had talked to lawyers.

[MayBeLater]

The thing i find hard to grasp is if this court ruling is all legit,& theres no other reason for him walking,did he not think to ask someone involved in the laws of thailand (however loosely they maybe enforced) whether or not he would be running into any problems,due to a "conflict of interest" with doing a tv cooking show,whilst having a sideline job as the PM of Thailand.

Surely any Joe Blogs would think to cover their a$$ by making sure its ok in a political cutthroat enviroment such as Thailand.How hard is it to pick up a phone & ask somebody if it is ok or within the laws.

Or maybe there is more to this,& it was actually the best face saving option.

He thought his butt was covered, until the PAD started rallying against the vote buying scandals, etc. If there was no strong opposition, they would have just moved the goal posts a bit. Looks like the judges weren't for sale either, so Thaksin's money was no good to get him out of this one.

Actually, to me it's starting to look more and more like democracy every day. I like it, when people are held accountable for their actions, when they are in government. If they don't like the heat, they should stay out of the kitchen ;-)

Do I understand you correctly Kurt? Are you actually that naieve to believe the cooking show was the reason for Samaks forced resignation? Give yourself a break man, this has nothing to do with democracy.

MBL

Edited September 9, 2008 by MayBeLater

[kurtgruen]

I still can't keep wondering that this is just an easy way to try and get Samak to step down and dissolve the political stand off with the PAD, but what next does the government do?

Elect a new prime minister or reelect Samak?

Or will the country have new general elections?

Whatever the next outcome, and whoever ends up as prime minister, my question is will the corruption ever stop in this country?

Everyone is focusing on Samak and the PPP right now because he's in power, if and when the next ruling party comes to power what differences will occur, will the people of Thailand start trusting them?

Hopefully, all the parties, who had executives involved in vote buying, will get disolved soon. This would send a clear message to future governments. If and when the PPP gets disolved, I believe a new election needs to be called. I am Pro PAD, for helping to remove the PPP and Samak. I think they are doing a great job and have a lot of guts, to risk personal freedom and maybe their lives, to carry on with this protest. At the same time, I believe that whoever gets into power after this (expept for maybe a few month of a caretaker government, possibly military)has to get there,by properly being elected by the people of Thailand, because those are the rules right now. If the people of Thailand vote to have a different system, so be it, but we cannot force it on them.

If the next government uses a lot of electoral fraud to get in again, then they will have to be disolved again, too and so on and so on, until there can be fair elections.

This is not an easy road, but in the end, it can lead to a system that works.

[Johpa]

The courts were indeed used to save face by finding some trivial "legal" reason to remove Samak. Alas, by saving face for some they unintentionally caused a loss of face for the nation as the rest of the world is laughing hard at the pathetic antics of this banana republic.

Chaiyo!

Maybe so, it certainly made me laugh, but with the current stalemate between PAD and the PPP, at least it offers the first real opportunity for a step in the right direction.

Loss of face or face saving, it paves a way around the impasse

Oh please, neither the PAD nor the PPP is a step in a good or right direction, both are just more of the same, only with differing groups of beneficiaries.

[rainman]

I've said it before and I'll say it again. What Thailand needs is not free elections, but absolute monarchy.

[AlexLah]

I would think, that the PPP was just building up a smoke screen for Samak by saying they would reelect him the next day parliament meets.

PPP members sort of knew that Samaks days where numbered and this conviction gives a nice chance for a new powergrab, without having Samak loosing too much face.

The fact that he did not fully supported and helped Mr.T has set angry blood within PPP.

Think of the arrest warrant flyers that where posted by police all over the place.

I am sure lot's of phonecalls are beeing made between the different MP's and some person in the UK to discuss the best strategic solution.

Not for Thailand and it's people though......

Will see what happens the coming weeks.

[animatic]

The thing i find hard to grasp is if this court ruling is all legit,& theres no other reason for him walking,did he not think to ask someone involved in the laws of thailand (however loosely they maybe enforced) whether or not he would be running into any problems,due to a "conflict of interest" with doing a tv cooking show,whilst having a sideline job as the PM of Thailand.

Surely any Joe Blogs would think to cover their a$$ by making sure its ok in a political cutthroat enviroment such as Thailand.How hard is it to pick up a phone & ask somebody if it is ok or within the laws.

Or maybe there is more to this,& it was actually the best face saving option.

Uptou, this goes to the HEART of his lack of fitness for this job.

He WON'T ask for second opinions on legal issues,

he KNOWS EVERYTHING, he thinks.

He assumed he knew the law about the cooking show payments,

he didn't and is paying that price.

This is part and parcel of the Prea Vear Cambodian problem.

Samak and his cabinet did not even care enough about the actual

wording of the CONSTITUTION to consult it during their cabinet meetings

about international relations. This cost the FM Noppadom his job,

when by rights the PM and the cabinet ALL voted for this agreement with Cambodia.

They deserved the same fate, at least those who voted Yeah.

No one it appears though to seek out, or listened to, ANY legal opinions

about their actions in the cabinet room. They just went ahead and did it,

then were told later about it not being legal. And Noppadon fell on his sword.

The highest administrative authorities in the land don't see a need to

consult the constitution about the legalities of their job.

Then to DEFAMATION> regardless of how it's done else where it is a criminal here.

I think that is a hold over from the lese majesty legislations.

Mr Samak had been found guilty of defaming other people several times before

and the court had always been lenient, suspending the jail sentences in

the expectation that he would improve his behaviour, the court said.

Instead, he had repeated the offence.

The court sentenced each of them to a 24-month jail term, with no suspension,

and ordered them to publish a short version of the verdict in newspapers

for three consecutive days at their own expense.

REPEAT OFFENDER, give lenienecy multiple times,

A classic recidivist.

He also did this more than once on the asame subject and ON TV for ALL TO SEE.

Not a interview for one paper or in a speach to a few houndred,

he did it in front of millionws and was called on it fir mis facts,

and they were proved.

The courts drew a line, he crossed it in a BIG way.

He thought he beat it before he can do it again.

Finally the courts said enough.

[lannarebirth]

I have a feeliing the rest of Samak's court cases are now going to go very well for him.

[kurtgruen]

I would think, that the PPP was just building up a smoke screen for Samak by saying they would reelect him the next day parliament meets.

PPP members sort of knew that Samaks days where numbered and this conviction gives a nice chance for a new powergrab, without having Samak loosing too much face.

The fact that he did not fully supported and helped Mr.T has set angry blood within PPP.

Think of the arrest warrant flyers that where posted by police all over the place.

I am sure lot's of phonecalls are beeing made between the different MP's and some person in the UK to discuss the best strategic solution.

Not for Thailand and it's people though......

I think that under the circumstances, the PPP should definitely not do the following two things....

They should not vote Samak back in as Prime Minister and they should not make a relative of Thaksin Prime Minister. Hopefully, they will be able to find somebody who has some diplomacy skills, to vote in as Prime Minister, considering the stakes.

They could also ease tensions a little bit, by revoking Thaksins diplomatic passport right now. That should have been done a long time ago.

The PPP coalition brought these PAD demonstrations on themselves. Start making things right, disolve Parliament and call new elections. That is, if the PPP has the guts to run just on their own record, without vote buying and telling illiterate people where to put their X on the ballot. (That goes for the other parties as well)

[animatic]

Atleast now we know for sure Thailand is a Banana Republic. Making the prime-minister resign because of a cooking show, laughable. A nice sum has changed hands for sure to get to this ruling. Laughable country and it won't change anything. New elections, same outcome, TRT/PPP will win, thats called democracy PAD/Sondhi.

MBL

This isn't about a backroom sum, but a front room sum.

He took money from a MEDIA COMPANY for work.

makes no difference if it was cooking or making Oregami birds from paper,

or a show on civics and social responsabillity.

Media companies should not being paying Prime Ministers of any country period.

Lets see if CBS paid GWB to do a brush clearing show

It is reasonable to assume CBS wants more than BRUSH CLEANED,

more like FCC censorship fine rollbacks etc.

You want the BBC paying Gordon Brown a stipend for anything?

Edited September 9, 2008 by animatic

[onethailand]

They should not vote Samak back in as Prime Minister and they should not make a relative of Thaksin Prime Minister.

There's an irony in Samak being forced to resign.

The first Deputy Prime Minister is none other than Somchai Wongsawat - the relative you speak of - and he becomes Acting Prime Minister for the duration.

[kurtgruen]

I've said it before and I'll say it again. What Thailand needs is not free elections, but absolute monarchy.

I would say, since we are already have democracy, have an election, but put some referendum questions on the ballot, too....

For example: Do you want the system to change to an Absolute Monarchy? If two-thirds of all ballots cast opt for absolute Monarchy, then so be it. Could be close, there are a lot of people, who feel that the king should be in charge of decisionmaking in Thailand. On both sides of this current struggle. There are a lot of PPP supporters up here, who would probably give up their voting rights in a second, if it meant that the king was to have absolute Power.

In my opinion, a benevolent Monarch is much preferable to the mess we are in right now, with this so-called democracy. BUT, I still believe that it would have to be voted in, by a 2/3 majority from all votes counted, in a fair election.

I for one would enjoy living in an Absolute monarchy, so would my wife and some of our friends. We actually discussed that tonight, when we had our goodbye Samak party ;-)

[kurtgruen]

They should not vote Samak back in as Prime Minister and they should not make a relative of Thaksin Prime Minister.

There's an irony in Samak being forced to resign.

The first Deputy Prime Minister is none other than Somchai Wongsawat - the relative you speak of - and he becomes Acting Prime Minister for the duration.

I know...scary :-(

[animatic]

The thing i find hard to grasp is if this court ruling is all legit,& theres no other reason for him walking,did he not think to ask someone involved in the laws of thailand (however loosely they maybe enforced) whether or not he would be running into any problems,due to a "conflict of interest" with doing a tv cooking show,whilst having a sideline job as the PM of Thailand.

Surely any Joe Blogs would think to cover their a$$ by making sure its ok in a political cutthroat enviroment such as Thailand.How hard is it to pick up a phone & ask somebody if it is ok or within the laws.

Or maybe there is more to this,& it was actually the best face saving option.

He thought his butt was covered, until the PAD started rallying against the vote buying scandals, etc. If there was no strong opposition, they would have just moved the goal posts a bit. Looks like the judges weren't for sale either, so Thaksin's money was no good to get him out of this one.

Actually, to me it's starting to look more and more like democracy every day. I like it, when people are held accountable for their actions, when they are in government. If they don't like the heat, they should stay out of the kitchen ;-)

It was part of his testimoney that he had talked to lawyers.

Here lawyers will not dispute a overlord who is sure of himself.

Which describes Samak pretty well.

Can't make the boss loss face by INSISTING his ideas aren't right...

He testified that he consulted lawyers,

doesn't at all mean he LISTENED to them and followed their advice.

Blame it on bad lawyers is a classic, but NOT A GOOD DEFENCE.

Edited September 9, 2008 by animatic

[mahtin]

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/Samak-Resign...-7-t210397.html

Don't worry. He never gave up the day job

Hey, I posted this last week.

Who's reading TV?