Thailand Revokes Thaksin's Passport

[chrislarsson]

We all have to read and use our brain matter to figure out the truth!

This has happened before in Thailand i.e. people killed and just vanish i.e Thammasat University I believe so we can not rule it out,

It may however not be the case which I really hope to be true.

One thing I couldn't work out in the crackdown is why Soldiers were shooting prone! Really no need with paper bullets???

Thai media don't help in the matter by not reporting the whole truth, this only leads to rumors and many Thai people already

believe it was a cover up! They claim not to have used live bullets but there is video evidence from UK TV they did.

Anyway not 1 person slightly injured from M16??? is very hard to believe considering.

Rubbish- Besides the media, how many Thais do you know that don't have a camera phone? If anyone was shot by the Thai military there would be hundreds of pictures and video clips. I'm amazed the Reds didn't shoot a couple of their own members purely for propaganda points. There were many injured during these riots, but no evidence of anyone being shot by an M16.

All of the pictures and videos to date show that the violence was instigated and perpetrated by the armed Red Shirt Terrorists while the Thai police did nothing and the Thai military showed amazing discipline and restraint.

I can accept your opinions but calling them Terrorists is out of order!!

I really hope for all our sake they are not Terrorists!!

They were Thai protesters attacked with M16 Assault rifles!

How did they Know they were loaded with blanks?

As far as they were concerned they were fighting for there lives! What would you do hero?

If all Red shirts are Terrorists then you are saying half Thailand are Terrorists!! and we are talking at least 10 million!

Pitty they were not all in Bangkok ehh?

Mostly Red Shirts are poor Issan farmers who earn less than 7000BHT living 7 people to 1 room and live in wooden shacks..

How can you call them Terrorists??? It really turned my stomach to see M16's used against them.Bxxxger Fxxxck Fxxk bxxxds

If you call grandmas sitting in the checkin area of the airport terrorists, surely armed thugs rampaging downtown in red shirts are super-Terrorists?

Now what where you saying...

What are u talking about? The yellow shirts had armed people as well. The reason there was no violence was because they were no attacked by the army.

[Heng]

What are u talking about? The yellow shirts had armed people as well. The reason there was no violence was because they were no attacked by the army.

They couldn't attack them and risk hurting someone important or related to someone middle class and up. The reds were mostly country folks, and there are apparently plenty of replacements available.

[chmike]

I am no supporter of Thaksin or anyone else - as far as I can see ALL politicians are corrupt in one way or another - as indeed are most people on different levels. Depends on the definition of corruption - in my view pretty much the whole of the free economy is corrupt in that the basis for exchanging good is largley "profit and greed" rather than "survival and need"

I have no knowledge of whether ex-pm Thaksin was doing better things for the poor outside of Bangkok but what I am sure of is that he was "perceived" as person who took money away from Bangkok to distribute to poorer areas. I remain convinced that it was this and not his illegal activities that caused the popular protests that led to the coup. An independent examination of all politicians would probably leave most of them unsuitable to govern.

The current government, any government, could remove any effect Thaksin has on the situaton by really beginning to organise fairer distribution of Thailands wealth. That can only be achieved by higher taxation on wealthier people (including I suspect many ex-pats) to build the schools, hospitals, communications, and better housing needed in the poorest parts of Thailand.

This would of course no doubt greatly upset the yellow shirts as they quite clearly fear the notion of real democracy - where the poor uneducated farmer's vote has the same power as that of a millionaire. Why is that I wonder? could it be that the rich realise they are part of a very small and very selfish minority?

I don't know about other ex-pats here, but I pay an effective income tax rate of 37%. And, unlike many other countries, there are very few deductions or loopholes available to mitigate this tax burden. Thailand already has a very strong tax base and a fairly extensive infrastructure of schools, hospitals, roads, etc. The root problem is that rule of law is quite lax, corruption rampant and the wealthy regularly abuse the system.

To correct that, you don't need a redistribution of wealth; you need uniform enforcement of laws and civil rights. Taksin was completely and totally abusive of his wealth and power. The fact that other rich people act this way as well does not absolve him of his wrongdoings. To portray this as red shirts are for democracy and yellow shirts are elitists is pretty far-fetched when considering the red leader (Taksin) is about as elite as they come and the yellow patriarch (Chamlong) lives very modestly.

And please, don't use the phrase "real democracy" when suggesting a redistribution of private assets. The majority should not be able to simply "vote" to confiscate the property of others. That's usually referred to as "socialism", "communism", or "totalitarianism". Please

use the correct terminology.

[Samuian]

[......but I notice he's totally relying on Suthep and Newin (with a little help from Anuphong). ...

The coalition relies on Newin till now, it seems,

but public opinion goes now, after the turmoil and "Marks"

even handed taking control of the situation, that he may

see a landslide win if there would be elections now!

And funny you mention "Anuphong"... very funny,

this puts a big question mark on the expertise of yours...!

Who was shining in absence at the time of the ASEAN Desaster?

And kept an eerie silence ever since - who?

Edited April 16, 2009 by Samuian

[ballpoint]

He can't set a foot anywhere important, Nicaraguan passport or not.

Even Cambodians are up in arms over rumors they sheltered him and gave him protection, they nearly closed a newspaper for printing a cartoon of Thaksin and Hun Sen together.

China and HK is a no go and so is Europe. Good luck entering USA, too. Arabs are pressured to kick him out and he clearly overstayed his welcome.

And Nicaraguans would expect some progress in that "special mission", too - as soon as the deposit runs out and no funds come in, they'll just quietly tell him to get lost.

Look at it this way - if he could buy any passport he wanted, he wouldn't choose Nicaragua. Either he is really short of funds to buy something more respectable or countries with some real clout wouldn't let him use their names.

What do you think will happen if he sneak into somewhere like London with his Nicaraguan passport? Major international embarssement that would have him blacklisted forever, jet or no jet. I don't think it would work in the first place - any moron can rent a private jet, doesn't mean he can enter any country without proper travelling documents and without any questions asked. Al Qqueda would have been shipping their terrorists that way for ages.

^Would certainly ring true if he were a visa runner without a penny to his name.

Heng, your constant postings on this thread, and others, serve as a reminder of why Thailand is in the state it's in. You clearly worship money and the power it brings. Thaksin is / was a billionaire, he has a private jet, he must be worshipped, he can do as he likes. Sorry to burst your bubble, but the rest of the world doesn't work that way. If you think places like the UK, who have already revoked his Thai issued visa, are going to let him stroll in just because he has a new passport and a hired private jet you're much mistaken. I'd say there is a long list of countries that wouldn't allow visa free entry on a Nicaraguan passport, diplomatic or not. Their leader was a sworn enemy of the US, so I doubt if passports he hands out to criminals will have a lot of value there. By your reasoning, if Osama Bin Ladan buys a passport and a jet, he too can walk into any country, no questions asked? As Thaksin is the latest member of the Bin Ladan billionaire terrorist club, maybe he could seek some advice, like what wallpaper to put in the front chamber of his cave. Money no object.

[chrislarsson]

Since there are so many people in this forum who knows everything about the corruption of Thaksin, why not help update his page on wikipedia.

Right now the corruption section is embarrassingly short, and is mainly about how corruption decreased during his years in power.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thaksin#Corruption

Edited April 16, 2009 by chrislarsson

[animatic]

Associated Press

MANAGUA -- The Nicaraguan government says it has named Thailand's exiled prime minister as an "ambassador on a special mission" and issued him a passport.

Nicaragua made the announcement after the Thai government said it had revoked Thaksin Shinawatra's personal passport. Bangkok accuses Thaksin of stoking violent demonstrations in Bangkok that left two people dead.

Nicaragua said in a statement Wednesday that it named Thaksin to the position so he could help bring investment to the poor Central American country. It says it issued the passport in January when Thaksin visited Nicaragua.

Thaksin was ousted by a 2006 military coup after being accused of corruption and abuse of power.

Copyright © 2009 Associated Press

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123985288879624067.html

Photo: Matichon

http://www.matichon.co.th/news_detail.php?...00&catid=01

Disgusting!

Best nationality money can buy!

Which ain't saying much is it?

Edited April 16, 2009 by animatic

[Heng]

Heng, your constant postings on this thread, and others, serve as a reminder of why Thailand is in the state it's in. You clearly worship money and the power it brings. Thaksin is / was a billionaire, he has a private jet, he must be worshipped, he can do as he likes. Sorry to burst your bubble, but the rest of the world doesn't work that way. If you think places like the UK, who have already revoked his Thai issued visa, are going to let him stroll in just because he has a new passport and a hired private jet you're much mistaken. I'd say there is a long list of countries that wouldn't allow visa free entry on a Nicaraguan passport, diplomatic or not. Their leader was a sworn enemy of the US, so I doubt if passports he hands out to criminals will have a lot of value there. By your reasoning, if Osama Bin Ladan buys a passport and a jet, he too can walk into any country, no questions asked? As Thaksin is the latest member of the Bin Ladan billionaire terrorist club, maybe he could seek some advice, like what wallpaper to put in the front chamber of his cave. Money no object.

*Yawn* I'm just a realist. That revocation of visa was just an easy out to avoid the whole extradition issue. Apples and Osamas. One is just another white collar criminal on the run (and unless you've been living in a cave, more often than not they either get away or at most get a slap on the wrist) while the other is an allied military target. Hardly the same thing. If the gov'ts of the free world interpreted 2,500 killed in an anti-drug campaign as 2,500 murders (as many of the anti-Thaksin crowd apparently do), and I think we can assume it wasn't a secret unbeknownst to the major intelligence agencies of the world, I doubt he would have been travelling as freely as he has, buying homes, football teams, etc.

Edited April 16, 2009 by Heng

[webfact]

Associated Press

MANAGUA -- The Nicaraguan government says it has named Thailand's exiled prime minister as an "ambassador on a special mission" and issued him a passport.

Nicaragua made the announcement after the Thai government said it had revoked Thaksin Shinawatra's personal passport. Bangkok accuses Thaksin of stoking violent demonstrations in Bangkok that left two people dead.

Nicaragua said in a statement Wednesday that it named Thaksin to the position so he could help bring investment to the poor Central American country. It says it issued the passport in January when Thaksin visited Nicaragua.

Thaksin was ousted by a 2006 military coup after being accused of corruption and abuse of power.

Copyright © 2009 Associated Press

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123985288879624067.html

Photo: Matichon

http://www.matichon.co.th/news_detail.php?...00&catid=01

Disgusting!

Best nationality money can buy!

Which ain't saying much is it?

Now he has got a lot more friends in the US State Department...

[degilbo]

And now what. If worst comes to worst, he will flee to Uganda or Burundi and be able to live quite comfortably in the presidential palace there with his billions.

Guess if he ends up in one of these places, he will not be able to get his daily feed of sicky rice. 55555

[WAERTH]

And now what. If worst comes to worst, he will flee to Uganda or Burundi and be able to live quite comfortably in the presidential palace there with his billions.

Guess if he ends up in one of these places, he will not be able to get his daily feed of sicky rice. 55555

In Africa they got FooFoo rice man .... hey he has to try some new forms of rice from time to time ...

Waerth

[paulandmaneerat]

Surely, a passport does not mean that a holder can go anywhere he wants to go. Most countries have visa requirements and a Nicaraguan passport is likely to be on many lists of countries requiring a visa for entrance. This is why British passports (among others) are highly valued on the black market.

P&M

[Splatter]

And now what. If worst comes to worst, he will flee to Uganda or Burundi and be able to live quite comfortably in the presidential palace there with his billions.

Guess if he ends up in one of these places, he will not be able to get his daily feed of sicky rice. 55555

...is there a burundivisa.com/forum that Thaksin can log into?

...to check about marrying an African girlfriend, doing a visa run, and how to buy a beer bar?

[Crushdepth]

Surely, a passport does not mean that a holder can go anywhere he wants to go. Most countries have visa requirements and a Nicaraguan passport is likely to be on many lists of countries requiring a visa for entrance. This is why British passports (among others) are highly valued on the black market.

No passport will help when you come to this question on your visa application form:

* Have you been convicted of any crime?

[bangon04]

Anyone can legally buy a passport in most countries. In the UK all you need to do is invest 1 Million GBP.

This piece of news will be very welcome to Mr Al Fayed - maybe someone should tell him how easy it really is....

[OJAS]

Wikipedia

In 1998, Daniel Ortega's adopted stepdaughter Zoilamérica Narváez released a 48-page reportdescribing her allegations that Ortega had systematically sexually abused her from 1979, when she was 11, until 1990

A classy guy and an excellent playmate for aiThaksin!!

Wikepedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_Ortega) also says:

Ortega ran for election again, in October 1996 and November 2001, but lost on both occasions to Arnoldo Alemán and Enrique Bolaños, respectively. In these elections, a key issue was the allegation of corruption. In Ortega's last days as president, through a series of legislative acts known as "The Piñata", estates that had been seized by the Sandinista government (some valued at millions and even billions of US dollars) became the private property of various FSLN officials, including Ortega himself.

Ortega and Thaksin are definitely suitable bed-fellows, methinks!

[webfact]

Surely, a passport does not mean that a holder can go anywhere he wants to go. Most countries have visa requirements and a Nicaraguan passport is likely to be on many lists of countries requiring a visa for entrance. This is why British passports (among others) are highly valued on the black market.

No passport will help when you come to this question on your visa application form:

* Have you been convicted of any crime?

Source: http://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visa

Visa refusal

A visa may be denied for a number of reasons, including (but not limited to) if the applicant:

* has committed fraud or misrepresentation in his or her application;

* cannot prove to have strong ties to their current country of residence;

* intends to permanently reside or work in the country she/he will visit;

* does not have a legitimate reason for the journey;

* has no visible means of sustenance;

* does not have lodging in the destination country;

* has not arranged his or her transportation;

* does not have a health/travel insurance valid for the destination and the duration of stay;

* has a criminal record or has criminal charges pending;

* does not have a good moral character;

* is applying on short notice;

* is considered to be a security risk;

* had their previous visa application(s) rejected;

* is a citizen of a country with whom the host country has poor or non-existent relations;

* has a communicable disease, such as tuberculosis;

* has previous immigration violations;

* has never undertaken any foreign travel before;

* has travelled before, but taken visas for other countries which are nowhere near the destination country;

* does not have a sufficient command of the language;[3]

* has planned a vacation for no particular purpose other than sightseeing.

Edited April 16, 2009 by webfact

[paulandmaneerat]

Do people really tick YES to questions like 'Have you ever been convicted of a criminal offense?' Even if they have, such an application is likely to be denied, so not ticking the YES box might be seen to be worth the try. Many countries (Brazil for example) do not require a visa for entry (at least, not for Thailand). But the landing card asks all the same questions. Pointless in my estimation.

P&M

[ballpoint]

And now what. If worst comes to worst, he will flee to Uganda or Burundi and be able to live quite comfortably in the presidential palace there with his billions.

Guess if he ends up in one of these places, he will not be able to get his daily feed of sicky rice. 55555

No, I think he'll definitely get some sicky rice there, which will give him a sicky stomach.

[bungy007]

Thaksin has been found out, and out-manoeuvred

Before noon yesterday, key red-shirt leaders like Veera Musikapong and Nattawut Saikua, among others, realised it was time to cave in. They understood that it would be futile to continue fighting because their boss, Thaksin Shinawatra, had been finished. Yes, the plug had been pulled and the fugitive former PM was completely routed.

It will be difficult for Thaksin to seek asylum because most countries would not want to welcome him now that they have witnessed the riots and subversive tactics used by his supporters in Bangkok. Thaksin was caught telling blatant lies on CNN and BBC, feeding false information to the global audience that his red-clad supporters were fighting for democracy - when in fact they were burning Bangkok to pave the way for his return.

He was reading a script, telling the international news channels that the military had killed many of his pro-democracy protesters, when in fact there was not a single such case of death reported. The only two people who died, had done so during clashes between Bangkok residents and the protesters.

Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva was wisely exercising restraint, allowing Thaksin to make blunders.

Thaksin, who bet all his political fortune on April 13, has failed miserably. He had his red shirts set fires around Bangkok just as Neptune overshadowed the Sun - a bad omen.

He thought he had big military and police bosses on his side, as well as some politicians on the government wing. He remembered to move his family out of Thailand a few days before the Songkran inferno. Khunying Pojaman is currently shopping in Dubai, still with plenty of money in her pocket.

Thaksin thought he could hold Thailand hostage as he bargained for his return, his amnesty and his Bt76 billion in assets. He thought he was entitled to a royal pardon because he had Thailand in the palm of his hand.

But his strategy backfired. Thaksin failed to get critical mass support. On the contrary, Bangkok residents rose against his red-shirt supporters, who were burning Bangkok while he - just as Nero fiddled while Rome was burning - was singing on his karaoke machine. The subversive tactics being used by the red shirts appalled the global audience.

This was a critical factor. If most Thais were to rise against the red-shirt movement, then Thaksin could only go under. Thaksin thought that the burning of Bangkok would force the country into lawlessness and the military would step in to intervene in his favour.

The plan did not work.

The whole world realised that Thaksin had duped it all along, and many Thais were disgusted by his ability to destroy the nation in exchange for his return to power.

Bangkok was ravaged all Songkran Day, before the security forces brought the situation under control. By then Thaksin must have realised that the game was up.

Now all the red-shirt leaders will be going to jail under treason charges. If you plant gas tanks and threaten to set them ablaze, you are committing an act of terrorism and subversion against the state. It is not too difficult to trace who ordered the trucks to be brought onto the streets.

Now Abhisit has emerged as a strong leader. He has almost transformed overnight from a lame-duck PM who was forced to cancel the Asean Summit in Pattaya into a leader who can defuse a political crisis in a subtle and artful way. There were no deaths during the authorities' crackdown against the red shirts. Only two persons were pronounced dead, both as a result of shooting by the red shirts.

Abhisit has prevailed despite the military, the police, the security people and his own political partners plotting against him.

Though we have no evidence to substantiate doubts that these top people are linked to Thaksin, we did not see Army chief General Anupong Paochinda or police boss Patcharawat Wongsuwan show up while the red shirts were ambushing the Asean Summit. The security forces were not doing their duty, standing by idly as the protesters wreaked havoc in Pattaya.

So far none of Thailand's top security people have come out to admit that they failed to provide security for regional leaders and Thailand's guests.

Abhisit is known to have sought advice from a special unit, set up in haste under his command. As Thaksin played his cards one by one, the advisers countered each hand effectively until Thaksin lost his bet.

At this hour, with the power of the emergency decree in his hand, it is Abhisit - not the Army chief - who is the most powerful person in Thailand. He must use this occasion wisely by controlling the red shirts and dealing with the failure of the security apparatus, which has been undermining national interest and the government's stability.

We expect to see a reshuffle of top security and peacekeeping personnel soon.

However, if Abhisit resorts to his image of a timid Oxford graduate, he would be missing out on an opportunity to take the country forward. Now is the time for him to stand tall and be the prime minister of Thailand.

Source: The Nation - 15 April 2009

Oh w\so very well put. PM Abhisit played Thaksin like a violin. He countered Thugsin's international rantings with a measured response and credit to the troops on the ground for showing restraint against so much antagonism. It would be easy to let a few rounds fly into the throng. Thailand has turned a corner and lets just hope they keep going with PM Abhisit building on his victory for the good of the nation

[webfact]

Do people really tick YES to questions like 'Have you ever been convicted of a criminal offense?' Even if they have, such an application is likely to be denied, so not ticking the YES box might be seen to be worth the try. Many countries (Brazil for example) do not require a visa for entry (at least, not for Thailand). But the landing card asks all the same questions. Pointless in my estimation.

P&M

With that face its a different matter...

[bungy007]

The only solution:

I'm inclined to agree.

[Ricardo]

As post 268 reminds us, Thaksin's diplomatic-passport was revoked last December, the one he has now just lost is his ordinary Thai passport. Not an unreasonable punishment for inciting & financing terrorism on the streets of Pattaya & Bangkok. Treason charges would seem to be justified in this case.

Not that this will prevent Thaksin from travelling, we've seen him being presented with his Nicaraguan passport, and heard rumours of several other countries being willing to sell him one. And he is clearly 'well-connected' in the UAE.

Yeah, I was talking about his diplomatic Nicaraguan passport. I'd wager that Nicaragua isn't the bottom of the barrel and there are probably dozens of other countries willing to accept his passport fees as well.

People just apparently feel the need to rationalize that justice is somehow being served (*see, now he needs to make visa runs like I do*)... but the images of him and his family in their private GIV doesn't seem to make sense somehow. In reality, they will just spend the rest of their lives like washed up (but formerly successful) actors/actresses and rock stars.

Sorry Heng, my mistake, I had assumed he got an ordinary Nicaraguan passport, wonder how much extra he paid to get a diplomatic one ?

[webfact]

If I walk through history I realize and come to the conclusion that most of these crooks

found/find a save heaven in Middle- or South America.

Why?

Edited April 16, 2009 by webfact

[bungy007]

Since there are so many people in this forum who knows everything about the corruption of Thaksin, why not help update his page on wikipedia.

Right now the corruption section is embarrassingly short, and is mainly about how corruption decreased during his years in power.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thaksin#Corruption

Well, we all know that wikipedia is less than up-to-date or known for its detailed entries. It could be right about how general corruption decreased during his years in power as he monopolised the corruption scene more and more as his power grew - thus reducing opportunity for the rest of the dirty rotters. Indeed, he even managed to buy a plane at 1and half billion dollars after his last submission of assets totalled just over half a million baht! Not bad going on the corruption front I'd say!

[Plus]

I guess we shall see very soon if Nicaraguan passport opened Thaksin any doors at all.

For now the poor fella is going to hide in unnamed African country. That's a good start. From there if can go only up up up.

Passport or not, his travelling has been squeezed even before the "revolution" and now he lost his main Dubai base.

[scorecard]

QUOTE FROM DUBAI NEWS PORTAL. From interview with Taxsins aide: “The government can talk all they want but it’s not going to stop us. Every Thai person is entitled to a passport and it cannot simply be revoked,” a spokesman travelling with Thaksin said last night.

He said Thaksin was in very good form and relaxed. “He’s not all that worried, he’s really fine, given all that’s going on right now,” the spokesman said.

He talked to 7DAYS as Thaksin called for calm among thousands of his supporters involved in mass anti-government demonstrations. “Basically, we cannot go into Thailand at the moment but he will travel on his passport to other countries. “We are going somewhere in Africa, obviously I cannot say where,” the spokesperson said, adding that Thaksin expected foreign governments to continue to accept his passport."

Still as arrogant as ever. Thinks he's above the laws of both Thailand and other countries.

Do you really think countries with whom Thailand has diploamatic relations would want to ignore a Thai Foreign Ministry promulgation?. I'm not suggesting these countries are/should be frightened of gthe consequences. I am suggesting that they simply would not want to get any form of 'dispute' around such matters. The other countries would also have in mind that they would like Thailand to respect any such promulgations that they make, thereforfe it's a 2 way street.

"Every Thai person is entitled to a passport and it cannot simply be revoked,” Wow, someone in his aide team needs a reality injection. It's the law of Thailand, long-term, as it is with all other countries, passports can be denied and can be revoked. It;s the law!

[TAWP]

I can accept your opinions but calling them Terrorists is out of order!!

I really hope for all our sake they are not Terrorists!!

They were Thai protesters attacked with M16 Assault rifles!

How did they Know they were loaded with blanks?

As far as they were concerned they were fighting for there lives! What would you do hero?

If all Red shirts are Terrorists then you are saying half Thailand are Terrorists!! and we are talking at least 10 million!

Pitty they were not all in Bangkok ehh?

Mostly Red Shirts are poor Issan farmers who earn less than 7000BHT living 7 people to 1 room and live in wooden shacks..

How can you call them Terrorists??? It really turned my stomach to see M16's used against them.Bxxxger Fxxxck Fxxk bxxxds

If you call grandmas sitting in the checkin area of the airport terrorists, surely armed thugs rampaging downtown in red shirts are super-Terrorists?

Now what where you saying...

What are u talking about? The yellow shirts had armed people as well. The reason there was no violence was because they were no attacked by the army.

What are YOU talking about?

Try to counter the point given and not something else.

Poster on this board called the Yellows that sat in the airport 'Terrorists' and then fans from the same camp cries when people call the Reds terrorists, after they did clearly more violent acts in direct connection to the label given. Balance, people, balance.

[jbhh]

My wife told me that according to the TV news they have now asked Interpol to arrest him. Are there any news/confirmation of this in English?

(I must admit I did not go through the past 15 pages....)

[Samuian]

The one concern is that a desperate despot who has nothing the lose might just do something even more stupid than hitherto.

I don't know if 2 billion US$ a premiership, running an entire country as if it was you own is "nothing"!