Thaksin Will Only Return If Granted Amnesty: Chaiyasit

[webfact]

Thaksin will only return if granted amnesty: Chaiyasit

By THE NATION

Fugitive former PM Thaksin Shinawatra would return to Thailand only if he were exempted from serving time in jail, his cousin retired General Chaiyasit Shinawatra said yesterday.

Chaiyasit added that the opposition Pheu Thai Party would seek royal amnesty for Thaksin if it won the upcoming general elections. "He will only return home if he does not have to serve the jail sentence," he reiterated.

The retired general also expressed confidence in peace returning to the country if Thaksin were able to come home, adding that the former PM would not demand that his seized assets be given back.

Chaiyasit served as Army chief and then supreme commander of the armed forces during Thaksin's reign.

In October 2008, the Supreme Court's Criminal Division for Political Office Holders sentenced Thaksin in absentia to two years in jail for conflict of interest. The case was related to Thaksin's wife Pojaman winning the bid to buy coveted land plots from a government agency while her husband was in power.

Last February, the Supreme Court ordered the seizure of Bt46 billion in Thaksin's family's assets because they were earned dishonestly while he was premier.

Chaiyasit said yesterday that Thaksin would personally pick Pheu Thai's prime ministerial candidate, adding that the person would most probably be someone from the Shinawatra family.

He reckoned that Thaksin's |sister Yingluck was "qualified and ready" to become the candidate.

Meanwhile, the ruling Democrat Party said yesterday that the upcoming election would be a two-party contest and a battle between Democrat leader Abhisit Vejjajiva and Pheu Thai's prime ministerial candidate.

"Thaksin is not related to the election. He is just part of the red shirts' political campaign outside Parliament," Democrat spokesman Buranaj Smutharaks said.

However, Buranaj said the Democrats were concerned that Pheu Thai was trying to win the state power in order to "solve the problems of one person" - the self-exiled former PM Thaksin.

Buranaj added that on Wednesday the party would announce its policy platforms for the upcoming general elections, including ones aimed at increasing people's income and reducing the cost of living.

In a related development, Deputy PM Sanan Kachornprasart, who is also chief adviser to the Chart Thai Pattana Party, confirmed yesterday that Ruam Chart Pattana Party secretary-general Pradit Pataraprasit, who is also deputy finance minister, and his brother Winai were joining his party. Sanan added that many politicians from other parties would be joining Chart Thai Pattana ahead of the election.

Chart Thai Pattana is holding a function on Thursday to formally introduce its new members, party spokesman Watchara Kannikar.

-- The Nation 2011-04-16

[Robby nz]

Pheu Thai Party would seek royal amnesty for Thaksin if it won the upcoming general elections.

They have made that obvious, their main, if not only, platform for the elections.

He will only return home if he does not have to serve the jail sentence.

So Thaksin for sure will not obey the law of this country.

That one I believe.

He will not seek his confiscated money back.

Dont believe that one.

He has already said he would 'change tax law' if he gets back. The meaning of that would in view of his me,me attitude seen clear.

Peace will return to the country if Thaksin comes home.

Dont believe that either.

There will be a lot, probably majority, of the people who will not be happy, possibly even including the army.

He reckoned that Thaksin's sister Yingluck was "qualified and ready" to become the candidate.

A done deal then.

[Thaddeus]

I think I just got a little bit of vomit in my mouth.

[rubl]

Chaiyasit said yesterday that Thaksin would personally pick Pheu Thai's prime ministerial candidate, adding that the person would most probably be someone from the Shinawatra family.

PTP with T for Thaksin, like TRT had one T for Thaksin. Here democracy fails miserably. Thy Lord and Master has spoken

[bristolgeoff]

the only way for him to get back into thailand without a prison term waiting for him.he is dreaming if the thais let him have this

[sirchai]

Pheu Thai Party would seek royal amnesty for Thaksin if it won the upcoming general elections.

They have made that obvious, their main, if not only, platform for the elections.

He will only return home if he does not have to serve the jail sentence.

So Thaksin for sure will not obey the law of this country.

That one I believe.

He will not seek his confiscated money back.

Dont believe that one.

He has already said he would 'change tax law' if he gets back. The meaning of that would in view of his me,me attitude seen clear.

Peace will return to the country if Thaksin comes home.

Dont believe that either.

There will be a lot, probably majority, of the people who will not be happy, possibly even including the army.

He reckoned that Thaksin's sister Yingluck was "qualified and ready" to become the candidate.

A done deal then.

Buranaj added that on Wednesday the party would announce its policy platforms for the upcoming general elections, including ones aimed at increasing people's income and reducing the cost of living.

More money for all and everything cheaper? Sounds like a story about Cinderella... Why can't he just do the time after making the crime? What happened to the skeletons found in containers in Satthahip?

They found them, then skeletons walked away. Too many involved in Thaksin's killings. More than 3,000 dead people, when Thaksin made his war against drugs, everybody got shot, even without evidence.

We should never forget what this Bastard had done.................

Imagine there's no justice for rich people.......:jap:

[scorecard]

Pheu Thai Party would seek royal amnesty for Thaksin if it won the upcoming general elections.

They have made that obvious, their main, if not only, platform for the elections.

He will only return home if he does not have to serve the jail sentence.

So Thaksin for sure will not obey the law of this country.

That one I believe.

He will not seek his confiscated money back.

Dont believe that one.

He has already said he would 'change tax law' if he gets back. The meaning of that would in view of his me,me attitude seen clear.

Peace will return to the country if Thaksin comes home.

Dont believe that either.

There will be a lot, probably majority, of the people who will not be happy, possibly even including the army.

He reckoned that Thaksin's sister Yingluck was "qualified and ready" to become the candidate.

A done deal then.

Agree.

Plus:

- Yingluck 'qualified and ready' . No experience in public service, no real political experience, in fact, she's been pushed before to become involved and rejected the whole idea.

- Still no economic platform.

- From other threads; thaksin will be the economics minister from outside of Thailand. So I guess that means:

That a gaggle of the senior officials from the ministry will travel backwards and forward to dubai or wherever for weekly meetings etc. Massive expense for an entirely unacceptable process. But perhaps the duty free shopping is the drawcard.

- Can a convicted criminal hold a ministerial post? Can the ministerial documents be signed outside of Thailand?

- Sound smore and more like thaksin thinks he can totally rewrite the process of government at his whim.

Beware!

Edited April 16, 2011 by scorecard

[animatic]

Pheu Thai Party would seek royal amnesty for Thaksin if it won the upcoming general elections.

They have made that obvious, their main, if not only, platform for the elections.

He will only return home if he does not have to serve the jail sentence.

So Thaksin for sure will not obey the law of this country.

That one I believe.

He will not seek his confiscated money back.

Dont believe that one.

He has already said he would 'change tax law' if he gets back. The meaning of that would in view of his me,me attitude seen clear.

Peace will return to the country if Thaksin comes home.

Dont believe that either.

There will be a lot, probably majority, of the people who will not be happy, possibly even including the army.

He reckoned that Thaksin's sister Yingluck was "qualified and ready" to become the candidate.

A done deal then.

Agree.

Plus:

- Yingluck 'qualified and ready' . No experience in public service, no real political experience, in fact, she's been pushed before to become involved and rejected the whole idea.

- Still no economic platform.

- From other threads; thaksin will be the economics minister from outside of Thailand. So I guess that means:

That a gaggle of the senior officials from the ministry will travel backwards and forward to dubai or wherever for weekly meetings etc. Massive expense for an entirely unacceptable process. But perhaps the duty free shopping is the drawcard.

- Can a convicted criminal hold a ministerial post? Can the ministerial documents be signed outside of Thailand?

- Sound smore and more like thaksin thinks he can totally rewrite the process of government at his whim.

Beware!

Hey Scorecard. O partly agree withbthis

"- Yingluck 'qualified and ready' .

No experience in public service, no real political experience,

in fact, she's been pushed before to become involved and rejected the whole idea."

True no elected government experience,

but she certainly has been a ball room and back room player

in the Thaksin political games department for some time.

She knows all the major players via multiple face time,

and she has obviously been a central message conduit for brother

and under the wing of Somchais boss big sister Yaowopa.

She also has executive experience in several companies, ignoring nepotism issues.

Graduating from the #17th world ranked school Oxford

vs

graduating from the #3,480th world ranked Kentucky State U. is not a fair comparison for her. But she does have a decade of executive expeirence that don't teach in Unis and also in running a team.

So I don't think she is a total write off for the job, but being big bros puppet proxy

rules out her possible effectiveness as an individual.

Just trying to be fair.

But not "fair and balance"... I'll leave that to 'Truth Today'.

[samtam]

Chaiyasit served as Army chief and then supreme commander of the armed forces during Thaksin's reign.

Freudian slip?

[animatic]

Chaiyasit served as Army chief and then supreme commander of the armed forces during Thaksin's reign.

Freudian slip?

It might seems so,

or that really depends on Thaksin's mindset.

His first reign maybe,

and he is now trying to pull a Napoleon.

[Oberkommando]

We should welcome him back if it is the will of the Thai people. Some people seem to forget he is still extremely popular.

Let's hope he can change the decades of military interference in Thailand's political system and lessen their influence once and for all.

I suspect it is a pipedream however and further interference will be inevitable taking us closer to Burma politically than ever before.

[animatic]

He will just replace it with his own military interference. As has been shown in his record. And his current hammer lock control of PTP. He shows himself clearly to be a 'dictator' not a democrat.

We need a new broom to sweep clean, not the old and discredited one, trying by hook or crook to grab back power.

Edited April 16, 2011 by animatic

[Insight]

We should welcome him back if it is the will of the Thai people. Some people seem to forget he is still extremely popular.

In some circles he's still popular. But would Thaksin be a democratically acceptable politician on your home turf?

[scorecard]

Pheu Thai Party would seek royal amnesty for Thaksin if it won the upcoming general elections.

They have made that obvious, their main, if not only, platform for the elections.

He will only return home if he does not have to serve the jail sentence.

So Thaksin for sure will not obey the law of this country.

That one I believe.

He will not seek his confiscated money back.

Dont believe that one.

He has already said he would 'change tax law' if he gets back. The meaning of that would in view of his me,me attitude seen clear.

Peace will return to the country if Thaksin comes home.

Dont believe that either.

There will be a lot, probably majority, of the people who will not be happy, possibly even including the army.

He reckoned that Thaksin's sister Yingluck was "qualified and ready" to become the candidate.

A done deal then.

Agree.

Plus:

- Yingluck 'qualified and ready' . No experience in public service, no real political experience, in fact, she's been pushed before to become involved and rejected the whole idea.

- Still no economic platform.

- From other threads; thaksin will be the economics minister from outside of Thailand. So I guess that means:

That a gaggle of the senior officials from the ministry will travel backwards and forward to dubai or wherever for weekly meetings etc. Massive expense for an entirely unacceptable process. But perhaps the duty free shopping is the drawcard.

- Can a convicted criminal hold a ministerial post? Can the ministerial documents be signed outside of Thailand?

- Sound smore and more like thaksin thinks he can totally rewrite the process of government at his whim.

Beware!

Hey Scorecard. O partly agree withbthis

"- Yingluck 'qualified and ready' .

No experience in public service, no real political experience,

in fact, she's been pushed before to become involved and rejected the whole idea."

True no elected government experience,

but she certainly has been a ball room and back room player

in the Thaksin political games department for some time.

She knows all the major players via multiple face time,

and she has obviously been a central message conduit for brother

and under the wing of Somchais boss big sister Yaowopa.

She also has executive experience in several companies, ignoring nepotism issues.

Graduating from the #17th world ranked school Oxford

vs

graduating from the #3,480th world ranked Kentucky State U. is not a fair comparison for her. But she does have a decade of executive expeirence that don't teach in Unis and also in running a team.

So I don't think she is a total write off for the job, but being big bros puppet proxy

rules out her possible effectiveness as an individual.

Just trying to be fair.

But not "fair and balance"... I'll leave that to 'Truth Today'.

Sure, nothing wrong with being fair, but I don't see that being a graduate from Harvard is necessarily connected either to on-the-job performance or to sincerity, or to morals. Volumes of global research proves that high GPA does not equate to high performance or value added application of knowledge gained.

Possible she has spent a lot of time in the party back room. Well to be fair, does that mean that she's contibuted insighful comment and dialogue in terms of developing long-term policy which would lift large numbers of the current poor into a scenario where they have the capability and the opportunity to gain a much better quality of life through their own productivity? Somehow I doubt it, and somehow I remain fixed in my assumption (repeat assumption) that she is not much more than a mouthpiece for the paymaster.

Then again will big sister Yaowapa let Yingluck really takes the reins and be her own person. Somehow I doubt this also, Yaowapa is well known to be tyrant.

'A decade of experience running a team'. Is there any evidence that she allows the team to be a value added 'team' or is she the director of a group of people who quickly do as they are told. I have no idea of the answer to this question, but it would be interesting to know what her style of management and leadership is.

Edited April 16, 2011 by scorecard

[lungmi]

I suspect it is a pipedream however and further interference will be inevitable taking us closer to Burma politically than ever before.

Right, but only when T. comes back. His business with the Burmese junta shows clearly his aims. Megalomaniac aspirations.

[scorecard]

We should welcome him back if it is the will of the Thai people. Some people seem to forget he is still extremely popular.

Let's hope he can change the decades of military interference in Thailand's political system and lessen their influence once and for all.

I suspect it is a pipedream however and further interference will be inevitable taking us closer to Burma politically than ever before.

1. But you don't mention why he's extremely popular, e.g. handouts, etc

2. You seem to forget that the paymaster readily accepted a 'gift' of a telecoms licence from a ruthless general who was a main player in the coup in 1992.

If Thaksin was totally genuine about reversing time to restart where he was the dictator, then he should go all the way and insist that Thailand revert to a time zone and a goverment (with people still alive of course) before the first ever coup.

You say "Let's hope he can change the decades of military interference in Thailand's political system and lessen their influence once and for all". Surely your not serious, he installed at least four family people into very high positions in the military. One of them jumped 5 ranks in one promotion (and he did the same in the police). Do you have confidence that he would suddenly stop his antics which are aimed at nothing more than total control?

3. Like it to not the military playing 'watchdog' has been part of the development of 'democracy' in Thailand, and this has obviously been a mixed act: some military guys/groups were little more than ruthless thugs, some have been very genuine to remove unsavoury / immoral people.

You say closer to Burma ...... Please share your evidence for this statement.

[jdinasia]

We should welcome him back if it is the will of the Thai people. Some people seem to forget he is still extremely popular.

In some circles he's still popular. But would Thaksin be a democratically acceptable politician on your home turf?

He'd be serving (not on the run from) a sentence a helluva lot longer than 2 years

[animatic]

We should welcome him back if it is the will of the Thai people. Some people seem to forget he is still extremely popular.

In some circles he's still popular. But would Thaksin be a democratically acceptable politician on your home turf?

He'd be serving (not on the run from) a sentence a helluva lot longer than 2 years

Yes, that IS the point.

The two years he has been convicted of would mean he MUST show up at the half dozen OTHER trials he is charged in that are awaiting his appearance to procede. If he doesn't show they are stalled. a stupid Thai law at work.

But if he is in jail even for 12 months of that 1 year, he will be brought before each tribunal sequentially and trails will start for ALL those charges. If convicted, he would die in jail. This is the main and only true reason he has absconded.

With his money and the bent jailers he would have, he could be living in total luxury and have anything he wishes, satellite cell phones, computer, comfy chair, rugs, silk shirts, surf n turf and babes on call, except not the ability to walk down the street in public, IF he served his time.

A Cakewalk for him. BUT those other trials he could not avoid, and they are MUCH deeper jail times than the 1st one. So he goes for a reset the clock blanket amnesty for EVERYthing after the coup...

forgetting that his crimes were from BEFORE the coup.... Oh yeah stall like Sanoh till statue of limitations is over.

But not if he doesn't get the blanket amnesty.... Seems he or someone for him filed for amnesty for him to HRM a year or so back. No joy even with PPP in power. Why does he imagine PTP in power will give him better luck?

Edited April 16, 2011 by animatic

[JAG]

We should welcome him back if it is the will of the Thai people. Some people seem to forget he is still extremely popular.

In some circles he's still popular. But would Thaksin be a democratically acceptable politician on your home turf?

Rather depends on your view of democratically acceptable.

If Pheu Thai wins having campaigned on that basis, and if Thaksin is as a result granted an amnesty, then that presumably will be a democratically acceptable result. Mind you, it won't be so in the view of many in the military. the establishment or the judiciary,(nor some of the posters on this board!).

The real problem will be if Pheu Thai wins, and the result is overturned again. I just don't think that the Thai electorate would accept that happening again. In International circles it would be regarded as having very close parallels to Burma.

[JetsetBkk]

We should welcome him back if it is the will of the Thai people. Some people seem to forget he is still extremely popular.

In some circles he's still popular. But would Thaksin be a democratically acceptable politician on your home turf?

1. Thailand isn't ready for Democracy.

2. People get the government they deserve.

3. That may well be K. Thaksin in the future.

[Oberkommando]

I think what people also forget is that the Thai people in general are finding things very difficult under this government. Just as the post-crash Chuan Democrat administration failed, this government is failing on the same criteria; crime rate is rising, drug use is at unprecedented levels, inflation is spiralling out of control causing prices of staple commodities to rise sharply, and so on. It may not be because of the policies of this particular administration, but they will be remembered for it. Thaksin and the PT will benefit from this, his promises of returning Thais to better times won't be falling on deaf ears.

People remember boom times under Thaksin, the feelgood factor as Thailand was making strides towards joining the developed World. Many Thais now feel bitter and resentful at the political stagnation that resulted from the coup. They feel robbed of the opportunity to have a functioning democracy for the 17th time this century. It's wearing thin with many of them, hence the divisions we see growing in Thai society today; amongst families, friends and co-workers, there are clear divides forming, stoked by nationalism and the questioning of loyalties. The things that once united all Thais are starting to be questioned.

For the life of me I cannot see a way out of the current malaise, I don't think either side is suitable to run the country, but we must listen to the will of the people and the result of the election must be respected, whatever the outcome. I sadly think it will not be respected by either side and we are rushing towards an inevitability that I have been warning about since the coup.

[hyperdimension]

Let's hope he can change the decades of military interference in Thailand's political system and lessen their influence once and for all.

He would try to put the military under his entire control. If that happens, the name "Royal Thai Army" would no longer be valid.

Do you think 100% control of the military by Thaksin is a better solution than what we currently have?

Edited April 16, 2011 by hyperdimension

[Oberkommando]

Do you think 100% control of the military by Thaksin is a better solution than the current one?

I'd love to really grab hold of that question and answer it honestly but forum rules prevent me from doing so.

A civilian elected government should always be in control of the military, otherwise we see coups and interference as has been the case since 2006.

The military also need to be accountable for their actions. At the moment they are anything but, hiding behind the constitution to avoid prosecution and punishment.

[Pi Sek]

Responses in italic

We should welcome him back if it is the will of the Thai people. Some people seem to forget he is still extremely popular.

I agree "if it is the will of the Thai people".

He may be extremely popular, but he is also the most divisive man in Thai history, so it's equally fair to say he is still extremely unpopular.

He will be able to come back with amnesty if Peua Thai gets 1% (I suspect they will get about 40%) and forge an alliance to make up a majority coalition. The epilogue will be written on whether this alliance was politically legitimate or just forged by greed. This is one of the points that the UDD are campaigning against, as it was how Abhisit was elected. However this is a political system born out of logic - it is better to have a set of policies that 30% agree with and which are acceptable to the majority rather than a set of policies that 40% agree with and which are unacceptable to the majority. Democracy is not about making the majority happy, it's about not being unacceptable to the majority.

Let's hope he can change the decades of military interference in Thailand's political system and lessen their influence once and for all.

This is a simple case of opinion I admit, but I would prefer Abhisit's more diplomatic hand rather than Thaksin's manipulative grasp over the military, even if it prolongs the process of evolution into a non-autocratic military. More haste less speed, so to speak. Anyway, the wheels of change are in motion - I think we all can see this - and so I don't think the military are in as strong a political position are they historically have been.

I suspect it is a pipedream however and further interference will be inevitable taking us closer to Burma politically than ever before.

That's because you're a cynic! I think that further interference will follow the pattern over the last 50 years or so - coups are being faded out. That's natural in this period of political evolution - the birth of democracy in Thailand. As I said a week or so ago, I think democracy is quantitative, not qualitative. The country is becoming more democratic as time goes by.

Of course, the army knows that coups are being faded out and, before they do, it is in their interests to concrete some "rights" into the constitution or whatever. Many would say they were allowed to do this unchecked after the last coup, but many would also argue that the "other" side(s) were allowed to do so unchecked in 1997. This is a political process and it won't take 1 day or 1 person (and certainly not Thaksin!) to get it right.

You know why I really like Abhisit? Writing this post made me think about it. Apart from the fact that he knows how to play the game and he's very good at it; the army think he's their boy, the rich think he's their boy, the poor think he's a hi-so but all he ever seems to do is move the country more in the favour of the ordinary man. He's unique in that respect. He could well be the Messiah, if he wasn't Buddhist.

This is great news actually. That scum sucking maggot will never be granted amnesty. There would have to be civil war first. Doesn't matter who wins the election.

This means Thaksin will never be returning.

I am pleased. Why anyone would want that heap of toxic waste back in this country is beyond me. Glad to hear he has accepted permanent exile.

Unfortunately your third sentence says it all, and that's the problem. There is a very real possibility of him getting amnesty (see 1st response to Oberkommando's post above), which I think would be unacceptable to the majority, even if it is what 40% say they want, by voting Peua Thai.

Otherwise, if he is not granted amnesty, I am also glad to hear he has accepted permanent exile!

Rather depends on your view of democratically acceptable.

If Pheu Thai wins having campaigned on that basis, and if Thaksin is as a result granted an amnesty, then that presumably will be a democratically acceptable result. Mind you, it won't be so in the view of many in the military. the establishment or the judiciary,(nor some of the posters on this board!).

The real problem will be if Pheu Thai wins, and the result is overturned again. I just don't think that the Thai electorate would accept that happening again. In International circles it would be regarded as having very close parallels to Burma.

As talked about above, the problem lies here: if Peua Thai get 40% and make a coalition with another 15% who do not agree to back Thaksin's return, and then Peua Thai push it through anyway (this has happened before of course...!), then Thaksin's return will have been backed by a minority. Because of his unprecedently divisive nature, it is fair to assume that a similar amount of the country vehemently oppose his return. These are the grounds for speculation on civil war if Thaksin returns and that's an outcome none of us wants to see.

You also say, "The real problem will be if Pheu Thai wins, and the result is overturned again". I disagree, although I understand your skepticism. Although I expect one or two irregularities from both sides (e.g. Dem campaigners being intimidated in Khon Kaen, PTP campaigners being refused petrol/food/services in Suratthani), I don't think they will affect anything to any considerable degree, in terms of election legitimacy or result. The next government will be another coalition.

[Buchholz]

Getting an early jump on the accusations...

Pheu Thai accuses Government of cheating in the next poll if Pheu Thai fails to win

BANGKOK, 16 April 2011 (NNT)-Democrat Leader’s Spokesperson Thepthai Senpong said the 270-seat claim by the Pheu Thai Party was to mislead the public by saying that if it did not win the next election it would be because the government was cheating.

According to Mr. Thepthai, the Opposition Party said it would win a majority of 270 seats in the Parliament and become the single party government. The Pheu Thai Party added to their confidence that the only reason it would not win the next election could be only because the government has already orchestrated a plan to cheat in the next poll in order to topple the Pheu Thai Party.

The Opposition also claimed that the public had now been enlightened since their last gathering on 10 April 2011 and would make an appropriate choice for themselves in the election. However, Mr. Thepthai is confident that both the Democrat and Pheu Thai Parties will win similar seats of approximately 200 in the Parliament.

-- NNT 2011-04-16

Edited April 16, 2011 by Buchholz

[animatic]

They wouldn't even SAY they might lose ONLY because of Government Cheating, if they didn't have real fear of JUST PLAIN LOSING.... Hedging their bets before hand and leaving the door open for more divisiveness and calamity.

We lost! They MUST have cheated...( better than we did )

Edited April 16, 2011 by animatic

[davidA]

Am i mistaken?or did i read somewhere that when the UK refused him a visa,he made some rather nasty veiled threats against ex pats living here.I seem to remember some one reading it to me

[Tonto21]

If Thaksin was the only guy who has ever been, or is swinging on that tit that is Thai politics, life here would be sweet………..However, fact is up and down the country the reds and yellows are buying votes, under the ruse of election rally parties.

Raffles for all manner of white goods, motorbikes and cash are up for grabs……All any ‘voter’ has to do is turn up at said rally, hand over his ID card and get some cash, free boozes, and dance his drunken ass off in front of a 20ft high speaker till dawn. To get his ID card back, he/she just has to turn up at the voting booth on the day, vote for the ‘man’ and get his or her ID card back…………And some Thai have the balls to call us farang buffalos. For all the talk and promise of change in Thailand….It is going nowhere, why? The powers that be…be they red, yellow, blue, green or black don’t give a flying <deleted>*ck about the people of Thailand, they are far too busy trying to get there nose in the trough.

For me, Please bring him back, I really would buy the box set DVD…..I’ve seen the first series, (had me on the edge of me seat) Do I understand it?.......No! To me Thai politics is about getting as much cash and power as you can without offending anyone……That it!

Edited April 17, 2011 by Scott
Derogatory nickname was removed and correct name inserted.

[animatic]

Tonto

I think Thaksin has taken it well past the don't offend anyone standards.

And that is part of the problem. He has thrown out societal mores to make more and more money,

and only shows respect to those that he can profit on, till that's finished, then non at all.

DaveA yes he did make threats about british farangs.

Edited April 16, 2011 by animatic

[rubl]

From theNation:

...

The Pheu Thai Party added to their confidence that the only reason it would not win the next election could be only because the government has already orchestrated a plan to cheat in the next poll in order to topple the Pheu Thai Party.

The Opposition also claimed that the public had now been enlightened since their last gathering on 10 April 2011 and would make an appropriate choice for themselves in the election.

...

If we don't win the government must have cheated. Right. Orchestrated plan, correct. Didn't Robert A. write something similar in his report. Keep repeating it, one day there may be people who even believe it.

Like "Less than one year ago, the military-backed regime, headed up by United Kingdom citizen Mark Abhisit Vejjajiva, oversaw the murder of some 91 protesters in order to avoid an early election it feared it might lose.". Enlightening, care for one more? "A full year has passed since Thailand’s British-born Prime Minister, Mark Abhisit, sent his soldiers and snipers to Kok Wua to kill you, in an attempt to silence your calls for democracy."

Read all on the website dedicated to sound bites and 'no need to prove, everyone knowns' ( http://robertamsterdam.com/thailand/ )