yeeowww Posted June 3, 2011 Share Posted June 3, 2011 Holy Crap! You've gotta be joking! This is who they're putting forward as the next "leader"?!! And she's actually leading in certain polls? Wow... absolutely incredible. This gal reminds me of some of my hired New Years help. Her lips move but I can't hear what she's saying. I guess Takki isn't such a good ventriloquist. But hey... the Thais mostly all fall for bad theatre & suck it up, hook, line and sinker. May Buddha help Thailand. If she looks good enough who cares if she can speak english?Seriously if she can unite her people it doesnt matter if she can speak english. English is way over-rated. 'English is way over-rated'. What a stupid banana republic outlook. Have no idea of her English ability, but if she struggles with it (as her brother does), what happens when she's out & about representing her country? You be the judge. Here's her interview with Australian news: Video News - ABC News interview http://www.abc.net.a.../01/3233091.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buchholz Posted June 3, 2011 Share Posted June 3, 2011 'English is way over-rated'. What a stupid banana republic outlook. Have no idea of her English ability, but if she struggles with it (as her brother does), what happens when she's out & about representing her country? You be the judge. Here's her interview with Australian news: Video News - ABC News interview http://www.abc.net.a.../01/3233091.htm Holy Crap! You've gotta be joking! This is who they're putting forward as the next "leader"?!! And she's actually leading in certain polls? Wow... absolutely incredible. This gal reminds me of some of my hired New Years help. Her lips move but I can't hear what she's saying. May Buddha help Thailand. As the chosen Number 1 position holder on Pheu Thai Party's Party-list of MP's, one can presume the consensus within the Party is that she is the most capable person in their Party to lead this nation. The cream of the crop, the best of the best, as it were. . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rixalex Posted June 3, 2011 Share Posted June 3, 2011 You be the judge. Here's her interview with Australian news: Video News - ABC News interview http://www.abc.net.a.../01/3233091.htm Thanks for that. Found it quite revealing. Jayboy, if you are reading this, and you have seen that interview, do you still stand resolutely behind your claims about this woman's level of intellect? I ask because although i accept some consideration must be given for her obvious language difficulties, the stark lack of substance in everything she said there seems hard to ignore. Surely? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tim armstrong Posted June 3, 2011 Share Posted June 3, 2011 Abhisit's government has proven to be just all talks. Hopefully it won't be the same with Yingluck. But will Yingluck beats the person who's only good with talks and debate? Perhaps not. That's the biggest load of nonsense of heard for a while. Abhisit is the only Prime Minister in the entire history of Thailand, and probably one of the very few in the world to keep a coalition of 7 parties together for so long! - That requires more than just talk. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EnhancePlus Posted June 3, 2011 Share Posted June 3, 2011 (edited) te] Video News - ABC News interview http://www.abc.net.a.../01/3233091.htm As the chosen Number 1 position holder on Pheu Thai Party's Party-list of MP's, one can presume the consensus within the Party is that she is the most capable person in their Party to lead this nation. The cream of the crop, the best of the best, as it were. . Don't you mean,"Cream of the Crap." Edited June 3, 2011 by EnhancePlus Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
letitbe Posted June 3, 2011 Share Posted June 3, 2011 If she looks good enough who cares if she can speak english?Seriously if she can unite her people it doesnt matter if she can speak english. English is way over-rated. 'English is way over-rated'. What a stupid banana republic outlook. Have no idea of her English ability, but if she struggles with it (as her brother does), what happens when she's out & about representing her country? You be the judge. Here's her interview with Australian news: Video News - ABC News interview http://www.abc.net.a.../01/3233091.htm I certainly despise everything red shirts and Mr Taksin has done and would do but even though I would prefer a coup than ever allowing them to win it is nonsense to say she comes across badly or that here english is terrible. She is very convincing and even if coached clever enough to avoid any minefields. She is probably as good as her brother in pulling wool over peoples eyes but definitely is far better than anyone would have imagined who just relied on nonsence posts here and im totally 100% anti red and Taksin. Having seen this interview in a language not her own I have no doubt she would perform well in any TV debate using her own language Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
koosdeboer Posted June 3, 2011 Share Posted June 3, 2011 DSI to interrogate Yingluck about red-shirt related lese majeste and terrorism cases on June 21 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whybother Posted June 3, 2011 Share Posted June 3, 2011 DSI to interrogate Yingluck about red-shirt related lese majeste and terrorism cases on June 21 Why? Was she even there when they supposedly committed the crime? Is this actually reported somewhere? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
koosdeboer Posted June 3, 2011 Share Posted June 3, 2011 DSI to interrogate Yingluck about red-shirt related lese majeste and terrorism cases on June 21 Why? Was she even there when they supposedly committed the crime? Is this actually reported somewhere? TAN NETWORK Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rixalex Posted June 3, 2011 Share Posted June 3, 2011 I certainly despise everything red shirts and Mr Taksin has done and would do but even though I would prefer a coup than ever allowing them to win it is nonsense to say she comes across badly or that here english is terrible. She is very convincing and even if coached clever enough to avoid any minefields. She is probably as good as her brother in pulling wool over peoples eyes but definitely is far better than anyone would have imagined who just relied on nonsence posts here and im totally 100% anti red and Taksin. Having seen this interview in a language not her own I have no doubt she would perform well in any TV debate using her own language She is very convincing? Convincing at what exactly? As for her English, no, it wasn't terrible, but it wasn't terribly good either. Not that that would matter a great deal were she speaking something other than the meaningless and hollow, waffle and babble, that she was. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
themockrat Posted June 3, 2011 Share Posted June 3, 2011 You be the judge. Here's her interview with Australian news: Video News - ABC News interview http://www.abc.net.a.../01/3233091.htm Thanks for that. Found it quite revealing. Jayboy, if you are reading this, and you have seen that interview, do you still stand resolutely behind your claims about this woman's level of intellect? I ask because although i accept some consideration must be given for her obvious language difficulties, the stark lack of substance in everything she said there seems hard to ignore. Surely? I'm pretty sure she can speak perfect Thai, and isn't that what counts? Is your Thai better than her English? Probably not. I'll give you the benefit of the doubt. She's running for Thai PM, not British PM or US President. Doubting her level of intellect purely because of her English language skills is a bit low, don't you think? Otherwise every farang that doesn't speak Thai would be considered stupid as well. And beyond that, I think her English is understood well enough. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rubl Posted June 3, 2011 Share Posted June 3, 2011 DSI to interrogate Yingluck about red-shirt related lese majeste and terrorism cases on June 21 Why? Was she even there when they supposedly committed the crime? Is this actually reported somewhere? TAN NETWORK Just searching TAN website I find five recent newsflashes about DSI, but none with Ms. Yingluck. Can you provide a link please? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bungalownights Posted June 3, 2011 Share Posted June 3, 2011 she did fine. now...... just a small note for the ThaiVisa casual reading audience: there are a vocal minority of anti-thaksin posters on here that are hell bent in potraying everything about Thaksin in a bad light. essentially a propaganda squad loosely united by hate. they are actually doing thaivisa a disservice by dragging the quality of dialoge down. now, if you do decided to read their posts, take what you see with a grain of salt. take this thread for example, read some of the melodramatic comments then watch the interview , and let yourself be the judge. like I said earlier, she didn't do too badly at all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rixalex Posted June 3, 2011 Share Posted June 3, 2011 Thanks for that. Found it quite revealing. Jayboy, if you are reading this, and you have seen that interview, do you still stand resolutely behind your claims about this woman's level of intellect? I ask because although i accept some consideration must be given for her obvious language difficulties, the stark lack of substance in everything she said there seems hard to ignore. Surely? I'm pretty sure she can speak perfect Thai, and isn't that what counts? Is your Thai better than her English? Probably not. I'll give you the benefit of the doubt. She's running for Thai PM, not British PM or US President. Doubting her level of intellect purely because of her English language skills is a bit low, don't you think? Otherwise every farang that doesn't speak Thai would be considered stupid as well. And beyond that, I think her English is understood well enough. Speaking of language difficulties, there seems to be some comprehension issues with what i wrote. Try reading it again. My problem wasn't so much with how she was speaking - although if she is to be PM, i would say it's a concern - but to do with what she was speaking; which was, meaningless mumbo-jumbo, with a few well-practised key words of the day thrown in for good measure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rixalex Posted June 3, 2011 Share Posted June 3, 2011 she did fine. now...... just a small note for the ThaiVisa casual reading audience: there are a vocal minority of anti-thaksin posters on here that are hell bent in potraying everything about Thaksin in a bad light. essentially a propaganda squad loosely united by hate. they are actually doing thaivisa a disservice by dragging the quality of dialoge down. now, if you do decided to read their posts, take what you see with a grain of salt. take this thread for example, read some of the melodramatic comments then watch the interview , and let yourself be the judge. like I said earlier, she didn't do too badly at all. I would say actually that the members here who dislike Thaksin - as well as disliking the reds, disliking the yellows, disliking corrupt politicians - are in the vast majority. It's those who come here simply to defend and support Thaksin and his cronies who are in the minority. As far as your advice to watch the interview and make up your own mind, yes, i couldn't agree more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rubl Posted June 3, 2011 Share Posted June 3, 2011 (edited) she did fine. now...... just a small note for the ThaiVisa casual reading audience: there are a vocal minority of anti-thaksin posters on here that are hell bent in potraying everything about Thaksin in a bad light. essentially a propaganda squad loosely united by hate. they are actually doing thaivisa a disservice by dragging the quality of dialoge down. now, if you do decided to read their posts, take what you see with a grain of salt. take this thread for example, read some of the melodramatic comments then watch the interview , and let yourself be the judge. like I said earlier, she didn't do too badly at all. Now just a small note for casual ThaiVisa readers. There's also a small but very vocal minority of pro-Thaksin / pro-UDD / pro-PTP posters on here. They try to perpetuate various untruths and half-truths and seem bend on getting their version of k. Thaksin the saviour accepted by continuous insinuations and suggestions. Some just troll along or raise minor details to deflect from real issues. Some like to emphasize their version of the obvious in bold, but that's done by others as well. With respect and no offence meant. IMHO and all that The interview with Ms. Yngluck is not meant for the local market someone remarked. Probably like all those English language slogans carried by UDD and other red-shirts when they were having fun last year. Anyway Ms. Yingluck doesn't come over as firm in her ideas and how to execute them. Too many 'standard' answers, sidetracks, 'now not the time to go into that'. Even her Thai language remarks and interviews are not really decisive, more of the wait and see and ask me details later. Edited June 3, 2011 by rubl Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bungalownights Posted June 3, 2011 Share Posted June 3, 2011 she did fine. now...... just a small note for the ThaiVisa casual reading audience: there are a vocal minority of anti-thaksin posters on here that are hell bent in potraying everything about Thaksin in a bad light. essentially a propaganda squad loosely united by hate. they are actually doing thaivisa a disservice by dragging the quality of dialoge down. now, if you do decided to read their posts, take what you see with a grain of salt. take this thread for example, read some of the melodramatic comments then watch the interview , and let yourself be the judge. like I said earlier, she didn't do too badly at all. Now just a small note for casual ThaiVisa readers. There's also a small but very vocal minority of pro-Thaksin / pro-UDD / pro-PTP posters on here. They try to perpetuate various untruths and half-truths and seem bend on getting their version of k. Thaksin the saviour accepted by continuous insinuations and suggestions. Some just troll along or raise minor details to deflect from real issues. Some like to emphasize their version of the obvious in bold, but that's done by others as well. Thank you for your ill-thought response, which, quite frankly, only emphasises my point Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bungalownights Posted June 3, 2011 Share Posted June 3, 2011 LOL how on earth are you still here then ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timekeeper Posted June 3, 2011 Share Posted June 3, 2011 LOL how on earth are you still here then ? when right is on your side you can manage to get 2,880 posts i am surprised you made it to double figures......... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gemini81 Posted June 3, 2011 Share Posted June 3, 2011 she did fine. now...... just a small note for the ThaiVisa casual reading audience: there are a vocal minority of anti-thaksin posters on here that are hell bent in potraying everything about Thaksin in a bad light. essentially a propaganda squad loosely united by hate. they are actually doing thaivisa a disservice by dragging the quality of dialoge down. now, if you do decided to read their posts, take what you see with a grain of salt. take this thread for example, read some of the melodramatic comments then watch the interview , and let yourself be the judge. like I said earlier, she didn't do too badly at all. Abhisit's ability and speaking and experience all put her to shame and lay her to waste. (That's why she's procrastinating). Unfortunately, the country bums and the uneducated and those who want hand outs vote Red regardless. The video shows a lack of display of real confidence, conviction, and a sense of purpose. Haha, but then again, she has no experience whatsoever in politics. (Yet she is running for PM!) It's all unfathomable. Stuff like this is why the former Tiger of SE Asia has fallen behind Singapore and is losing its place to even the likes of 'Nam and Malaysia. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bungalownights Posted June 3, 2011 Share Posted June 3, 2011 (edited) LOL how on earth are you still here then ? when right is on your side you can manage to get 2,880 posts i am surprised you made it to double figures......... it must comfort you to know Abhisit cracks down heavily on those (justified or not) critical of his goverment. the concept of free speech under this goverment is non existant. if you truely support democracy , i really wouldnt be gloating. Edited June 3, 2011 by bungalownights Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Siripon Posted June 3, 2011 Share Posted June 3, 2011 LOL how on earth are you still here then ? when right is on your side you can manage to get 2,880 posts i am surprised you made it to double figures......... it must comfort you to know Abhisit cracks down heavily on those (justified or not) critical of his goverment. the concept of free speech under this goverment is non existant. if you truely support democracy , i really wouldnt be gloating. So why was Nattawut on prime TV time last night and Thai newspapers with plenty of articles criticising Apisit such as Matichon and The Daily News in circulation? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timekeeper Posted June 3, 2011 Share Posted June 3, 2011 (edited) LOL how on earth are you still here then ? when right is on your side you can manage to get 2,880 posts i am surprised you made it to double figures......... it must comfort you to know Abhisit cracks down heavily on those (justified or not) critical of his goverment. the concept of free speech under this goverment is non existant. if you truely support democracy , i really wouldnt be gloating. please show your sources to support your claim that Abhisit has personally cracked down on ''on those (justified or not) critical of his goverment.'' is this the kind of free speech you say is not allowed? personally i think it didn't ought to be allowed in my opinion its traitorous rhetoric delivered by terrorist revolutionaries Edited June 3, 2011 by timekeeper Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whybother Posted June 3, 2011 Share Posted June 3, 2011 it must comfort you to know Abhisit cracks down heavily on those (justified or not) critical of his goverment. the concept of free speech under this goverment is non existant. if you truely support democracy , i really wouldnt be gloating. Who has Abhisit cracked down on? A few people have been charged with LM crimes ... by the army and police. A few people have been charged with terrorism and other crimes in relation to the protests last year ... by the police. A few unlicenced radio stations have been shut down ... by the police. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bungalownights Posted June 3, 2011 Share Posted June 3, 2011 LOL how on earth are you still here then ? when right is on your side you can manage to get 2,880 posts i am surprised you made it to double figures......... it must comfort you to know Abhisit cracks down heavily on those (justified or not) critical of his goverment. the concept of free speech under this goverment is non existant. if you truely support democracy , i really wouldnt be gloating. So why was Nattawut on prime TV time last night and Thai newspapers with plenty of articles criticising Apisit such as Matichon and The Daily News in circulation? you should know the answer to this... but not suprised you dont. ill give you a clue. its election time. EC might step in Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
warfie Posted June 3, 2011 Share Posted June 3, 2011 LOL how on earth are you still here then ? when right is on your side you can manage to get 2,880 posts i am surprised you made it to double figures......... it must comfort you to know Abhisit cracks down heavily on those (justified or not) critical of his goverment. the concept of free speech under this goverment is non existant. if you truely support democracy , i really wouldnt be gloating. I have no idea what you are referring to Re: Abhist and free speech... but.... Thaksin was such a champion of free speech? Really? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bungalownights Posted June 3, 2011 Share Posted June 3, 2011 it must comfort you to know Abhisit cracks down heavily on those (justified or not) critical of his goverment. the concept of free speech under this goverment is non existant. if you truely support democracy , i really wouldnt be gloating. Who has Abhisit cracked down on? A few people have been charged with LM crimes ... by the army and police. A few people have been charged with terrorism and other crimes in relation to the protests last year ... by the police. A few unlicenced radio stations have been shut down ... by the police. dont remember this article ? http://nationmultimedia.com/2007/08/18/opinion/opinion_30045480.php Junta's bills stifle free expression in run-up to vote Thailand will vote tomorrow in a national referendum for a new constitution that the government says will guarantee democratic rights, including press freedom and freedom of expression. Published on August 18, 2007 <br class="clear-all"> <br class="clear-all"> Yet before people can vote, the military-appointed legislature is ramming though a series of restrictive new laws that will make a mockery of these constitutional protections. The legislature is now rushing to enact as many as eight new laws, which for broadly defined reasons of national security will strictly limit the charter's media freedom guarantees and once implemented will undermine further the country's fading democratic credentials. The legislation entails some of the most restrictive and potentially punitive measures for governing the Internet anywhere in the world. The new Computer Crime Act, which came into force on July 19, gives Thai authorities broad discretionary censorship powers and entails possible prison terms for people who use proxy servers to access government-blocked materials on the Internet. Since last September's coup, military-appointed authorities attached to the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Ministry have on then dubious legal authority moved to block several politically-oriented websites, particularly those that have reported favourably on ousted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra. In a move that made global headlines, the ICT Ministry blocked popular video-sharing website YouTube after anonymous contributors posted video clips that, in violation of the country's strict lese majeste laws, which carry possible 15-year jail terms, lampooned His Majesty the King. The government's new willingness to openly censor Internet-posted news suddenly puts Thailand in league with Asia's more notorious media freedom violators, including the likes of China, Vietnam and Burma. More broadly, it shows how the application of laws intended to protect the honour of Thailand's widely revered monarch can have a sweeping and adverse impact on freedom of expression. With YouTube blocked, the Thai people are cut off from a vital new tool of global communication. Despite the military's promise to hold elections and restore democracy by the end of this year, there are more media restrictions in the interim government's legal pipeline. Apart from the already passed Computer Crime and Film and Video acts, the appointed National Assembly is hastily drafting bills for governing broadcasting and television operations, public-broadcasting organisations, printing and publishing, and the suppression of so-called "dangerous behaviour instigation". Several media freedom and pro-democracy advocates in Thailand fear that in varying degrees and forms, every one of the eight bills will include new restrictions and limitations on the media and stall the once constitutionally mandated process of shifting ownership of the broadcast media frequencies from state to private hands. Currently, all of the country's six main television stations are state-owned and since last year's coup on military orders news broadcasts have been heavily self-censored. Not only do the proposed bills represent a significant step backward from the various media liberalisation and press-freedom guarantees enshrined in the now abrogated 1997 constitution, but their proposed restrictions chillingly hark to the darkest days of Thailand's long history of military rule. For instance, the new print bill now under deliberation will likely leave in place the 1941 Printing and Publishing Act, which gives government authorities broad discretionary powers to close down newspapers for reasons of national security. Thai journalists have for years been campaigning to have the draconian law taken off the books. Even with the more progressive 1997 constitution in place, Thai journalists were already working in an increasingly hostile environment. Deposed prime minister Thaksin filed several crippling criminal and civil defamation suits against journalists and editors and guided big state advertising contracts away from the few critical local newspapers that refused to tow his government's line. But the military-appointed interim government's repeated promise to take a more enlightened approach towards press and media freedom issues nearly 11 months later clearly has not been honoured. Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont in particular had vowed not to use the same "carrot and stick" approach to media management that the previous government employed. Local press freedom advocates, including the vocal Campaign for Popular Media Reform, have called on the military-appointed legislature to cease passing any additional media-related laws until a new democratically elected government is installed early next year. Even as questions linger about the legality of last year's military intervention, the appointed legislature is now rushing to enact laws that seem partially designed to stifle critical debate about the military's controversial plans to extend its influence over Thai politics even after this year's elections. The people of Thailand are being asked to make a decision about their political future in an environment in which the flow of information and ideas is deeply curtailed. The fact that new laws are being rammed through before and outside of the referendum raises questions about the legitimacy of the entire constitutional process. The Thai people are not being given a say on their rights to freedom of expression - the future on that crucial democratic score, it seems, has already been decided. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timekeeper Posted June 3, 2011 Share Posted June 3, 2011 LOL how on earth are you still here then ? when right is on your side you can manage to get 2,880 posts i am surprised you made it to double figures......... it must comfort you to know Abhisit cracks down heavily on those (justified or not) critical of his goverment. the concept of free speech under this goverment is non existant. if you truely support democracy , i really wouldnt be gloating. democracy? PM'S DECLARATION:'Democracy is not my goal' Thaksin suggests he'll block any move for amendments to rein in his power BANGKOK: Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra yesterday revealed for the first time the value he places on democracy, saying it was not the foremost thing Thailand needed. In a candid statement made ominous by its release on Constitution Day, Thaksin said that as long as the country could progress and the people were happy, he was not concerned about the means used. "Democracy is a good and beautiful thing, but it's not the ultimate goal as far as administering the country is concerned," he said. "Democracy is just a tool, not our goal. The goal is to give people a good lifestyle, happiness and national progress." "Democracy is a vehicle," Thaksin said. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timekeeper Posted June 3, 2011 Share Posted June 3, 2011 it must comfort you to know Abhisit cracks down heavily on those (justified or not) critical of his goverment. the concept of free speech under this goverment is non existant. if you truely support democracy , i really wouldnt be gloating. Who has Abhisit cracked down on? A few people have been charged with LM crimes ... by the army and police. A few people have been charged with terrorism and other crimes in relation to the protests last year ... by the police. A few unlicenced radio stations have been shut down ... by the police. dont remember this article ? http://nationmultime...on_30045480.php Junta's bills stifle free expression in run-up to vote Thailand will vote tomorrow in a national referendum for a new constitution that the government says will guarantee democratic rights, including press freedom and freedom of expression. Published on August 18, 2007 <br class="clear-all"> <br class="clear-all"> Yet before people can vote, the military-appointed legislature is ramming though a series of restrictive new laws that will make a mockery of these constitutional protections. The legislature is now rushing to enact as many as eight new laws, which for broadly defined reasons of national security will strictly limit the charter's media freedom guarantees and once implemented will undermine further the country's fading democratic credentials. The legislation entails some of the most restrictive and potentially punitive measures for governing the Internet anywhere in the world. The new Computer Crime Act, which came into force on July 19, gives Thai authorities broad discretionary censorship powers and entails possible prison terms for people who use proxy servers to access government-blocked materials on the Internet. Since last September's coup, military-appointed authorities attached to the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Ministry have on then dubious legal authority moved to block several politically-oriented websites, particularly those that have reported favourably on ousted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra. In a move that made global headlines, the ICT Ministry blocked popular video-sharing website YouTube after anonymous contributors posted video clips that, in violation of the country's strict lese majeste laws, which carry possible 15-year jail terms, lampooned His Majesty the King. The government's new willingness to openly censor Internet-posted news suddenly puts Thailand in league with Asia's more notorious media freedom violators, including the likes of China, Vietnam and Burma. More broadly, it shows how the application of laws intended to protect the honour of Thailand's widely revered monarch can have a sweeping and adverse impact on freedom of expression. With YouTube blocked, the Thai people are cut off from a vital new tool of global communication. Despite the military's promise to hold elections and restore democracy by the end of this year, there are more media restrictions in the interim government's legal pipeline. Apart from the already passed Computer Crime and Film and Video acts, the appointed National Assembly is hastily drafting bills for governing broadcasting and television operations, public-broadcasting organisations, printing and publishing, and the suppression of so-called "dangerous behaviour instigation". Several media freedom and pro-democracy advocates in Thailand fear that in varying degrees and forms, every one of the eight bills will include new restrictions and limitations on the media and stall the once constitutionally mandated process of shifting ownership of the broadcast media frequencies from state to private hands. Currently, all of the country's six main television stations are state-owned and since last year's coup on military orders news broadcasts have been heavily self-censored. Not only do the proposed bills represent a significant step backward from the various media liberalisation and press-freedom guarantees enshrined in the now abrogated 1997 constitution, but their proposed restrictions chillingly hark to the darkest days of Thailand's long history of military rule. For instance, the new print bill now under deliberation will likely leave in place the 1941 Printing and Publishing Act, which gives government authorities broad discretionary powers to close down newspapers for reasons of national security. Thai journalists have for years been campaigning to have the draconian law taken off the books. Even with the more progressive 1997 constitution in place, Thai journalists were already working in an increasingly hostile environment. Deposed prime minister Thaksin filed several crippling criminal and civil defamation suits against journalists and editors and guided big state advertising contracts away from the few critical local newspapers that refused to tow his government's line. But the military-appointed interim government's repeated promise to take a more enlightened approach towards press and media freedom issues nearly 11 months later clearly has not been honoured. Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont in particular had vowed not to use the same "carrot and stick" approach to media management that the previous government employed. Local press freedom advocates, including the vocal Campaign for Popular Media Reform, have called on the military-appointed legislature to cease passing any additional media-related laws until a new democratically elected government is installed early next year. Even as questions linger about the legality of last year's military intervention, the appointed legislature is now rushing to enact laws that seem partially designed to stifle critical debate about the military's controversial plans to extend its influence over Thai politics even after this year's elections. The people of Thailand are being asked to make a decision about their political future in an environment in which the flow of information and ideas is deeply curtailed. The fact that new laws are being rammed through before and outside of the referendum raises questions about the legitimacy of the entire constitutional process. The Thai people are not being given a say on their rights to freedom of expression - the future on that crucial democratic score, it seems, has already been decided. i will try to keep it simple for you you made a statement in a previous post, you have been asked by a number of TV members to justify it heres the question again: ''please show your sources to support your claim that Abhisit has personally cracked down on ''on those (justified or not) critical of his goverment.'' Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bungalownights Posted June 3, 2011 Share Posted June 3, 2011 (edited) it must comfort you to know Abhisit cracks down heavily on those (justified or not) critical of his goverment. the concept of free speech under this goverment is non existant. if you truely support democracy , i really wouldnt be gloating. Who has Abhisit cracked down on? A few people have been charged with LM crimes ... by the army and police. A few people have been charged with terrorism and other crimes in relation to the protests last year ... by the police. A few unlicenced radio stations have been shut down ... by the police. http://en.rsf.org/pr...-2010,1034.html reporters without borders PRESS FREEDOM INDEX: 2004: 54 2005: 107 2010: 153 yes it got worse with Thaksin but Abhisit was even more worse ok so you are defending the man who indirectly protects your views, but please dont claim that you care for democracy or press freedom. Edited June 3, 2011 by bungalownights Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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