Thaksin, Reds Impatient To Claim Benefits From Govt

[ballpoint]

Didn't he say "I'll be back!"?

No, he said "I'm resigning". "I'm through with politics". "I'm going to spend more time with my family". Lies lies lies, unless you take the last one as actually meaning "I'm going to spend more time with my family in government".

[hammered]

Hmmm. The speaker of the house has just suggested a charter rewrite in 3 months. Head exploding time for some methinks. It doesnt seem like the government are going to wait around until crushed under bureaucracy, distance from election result or other things

[rubl]

Hmmm. The speaker of the house has just suggested a charter rewrite in 3 months. Head exploding time for some methinks. It doesnt seem like the government are going to wait around until crushed under bureaucracy, distance from election result or other things

Well, if we want k. Thaksin be able to attend his daughter's wedding, we need to fast-track, now don't we?

[hammered]

Hmmm. The speaker of the house has just suggested a charter rewrite in 3 months. Head exploding time for some methinks. It doesnt seem like the government are going to wait around until crushed under bureaucracy, distance from election result or other things

Well, if we want k. Thaksin be able to attend his daughter's wedding, we need to fast-track, now don't we?

Dunno if they will really go through with this but before the election Chalerm said it had to be done quick. I guess bureaucratic hurdles are difficult so soon after an election with a clear result. Maybe they are going for it. This will be interesting to watch.

[Roadman]

I see prices rising already so what will happen when the 300bt a day promise comes to fruition will be an eye opener, this will not benefit the sole trader who would love to make 300bts a day but struggles by and thos ewho will get it think they will double their money overnight, they forget things will rise to pay for it and soon all will be back where we started. Except of course for the sole trader in the street who will feel the true force of this election pledge. The people will not be too happy and if then big brother returns what will then happen? More rioting, more fighting a coup maybe. The new governemnt had better put the country first and quick and stop looking after number 1 and big brother, dread to think what happen otherwise. What looked like a rosey future a few weeks ago might soon be a disaster.

If the people are not happy with the current government, in the next election they will vote for a new one. We just saw that how it works (albeit the last government was a government the people not really voted for in the first place).

You honestly think that in 4 years time that Thaksin will let an election happen if Pheu Thai are losing support and he can't land a majority? We just saw how it works because the Democrats worked to an acceptable constitution. This current lot of thieves are quickly showing that the stepping stones for the Shinawatra looting of Thailand are quickly being set up for the chief Shinawatra thief's benefit. This time around if he gets control of the Army its bye bye to any fledgling Thai Democracy and hello Shinawatra Dictatorship.

[whybother]

You honestly think that in 4 years time that Thaksin will let an election happen if Pheu Thai are losing support and he can't land a majority? We just saw how it works because the Democrats worked to an acceptable constitution. This current lot of thieves are quickly showing that the stepping stones for the Shinawatra looting of Thailand are quickly being set up for the chief Shinawatra thief's benefit. This time around if he gets control of the Army its bye bye to any fledgling Thai Democracy and hello Shinawatra Dictatorship.

I think that the only way to move forward is to let them do it. A lot of people aren't going to believe it until it actually happens.

[Thaddeus]

Hmmm. The speaker of the house has just suggested a charter rewrite in 3 months. Head exploding time for some methinks. It doesnt seem like the government are going to wait around until crushed under bureaucracy, distance from election result or other things

So, they want everyone to wait six months before they even try to deliver on all their electoral promises, but they are capable of rewriting the charter in three.

I doubt that you will find a clearer indication of who the ring master of this circus is.

[phiphidon]

Most of the editorial comment from The Nation seems vociferously anti Thaksin.

Is there a pedigree there I'm unaware of? Who owns it?

I think it goes back to the first two Thaksin/TRT-governments, when he tried very hard to control the media, only to write positive-stories about his government. Reporters would get fired, people would get 1-Billion-Baht law-suits slapped on them, advertising would be withdrawn, it was all fairly clumsy & obvious. Not that the press has ever been all-that-free, before or after, IME.

This explains the jokes on TV, about his Good-Question/Bad-Question Cross/Tick hand-signs, or about Billion-Baht law-suits, you might not 'get' the references if you weren't here at the time.

Hopefully the rise of the internet might make this sort of manipulation less-successful nowadays ? And sometime someone might look at reforming the LM-law. One can only hope !

The press freedom index was falling under Abhisit and far worse than during the Thaksin days.

Time to get real.

Really, is that so.

http://www.nieman.ha...strictions.aspx

There are probably more than a couple of people currently in the press industry that remember those dark days, and can see them emerging again, so they are getting their feelings out now before it happens.

You may want to check out the Press Freedom Index website http://en.rsf.org/sp...d_rubrique=1034

To save you the bother here's how Thailand ranked from the years 2002 -2010

2002 - 65

2003 - 82

2004 - 59

2005 - 107

2006 - 122

2007 - 135

2008 - 124

2009 - 130

2010 - 153

So a a fairly high rating during Thaksins tenure then a big drop during the last year of it, a coup in 2006 and it's been downhill since then until Thailand reaches the nadir of Press Freedom under Abhisits reign . You were saying?

[rubl]

You may want to check out the Press Freedom Index website http://en.rsf.org/sp...d_rubrique=1034

To save you the bother here's how Thailand ranked from the years 2002 -2010

2002 - 65

2003 - 82

2004 - 59

2005 - 107

2006 - 122

2007 - 135

2008 - 124

2009 - 130

2010 - 153

So a a fairly high rating during Thaksins tenure then a big drop during the last year of it, a coup in 2006 and it's been downhill since then until Thailand reaches the nadir of Press Freedom under Abhisits reign . You were saying?

Without proper explanation these figures give an indication with which not all will agree. I've seen some posters here complaining about TheNation's articles as anti-government or anti-Thaksin. Go figure

To remind all:

"Reporters Without Borders:

-defends journalists and media assistants imprisoned or persecuted for doing their job and exposes the mistreatment and torture of them in many countries.

-fights against censorship and laws that undermine press freedom.

-gives financial aid each year to 300 or so journalists or media outlets in difficulty (to pay for lawyers, medical care and equipment) as well to the families of imprisoned journalists.

-works to improve the safety of journalists, especially those reporting in war zones."

Please also inform the British Government who have a problem with social media in combating riots

[tlansford]

Most of the editorial comment from The Nation seems vociferously anti Thaksin.

Is there a pedigree there I'm unaware of? Who owns it?

I agree with your observation, this particular writer is off the chart...

Looking for the same information as you...

[tlansford]

Most of the editorial comment from The Nation seems vociferously anti Thaksin.

Is there a pedigree there I'm unaware of? Who owns it?

It's no bad thing that at least one newspaper can write honest opinions. How long before the Thaksin Government gags The Nation? Perhaps we should take bets on that scenario!

honest opinions?

That's like watching Fox News and repeating their mantra, "Fair and Balanced"

[rubl]

Most of the editorial comment from The Nation seems vociferously anti Thaksin.

Is there a pedigree there I'm unaware of? Who owns it?

It's no bad thing that at least one newspaper can write honest opinions. How long before the Thaksin Government gags The Nation? Perhaps we should take bets on that scenario!

honest opinions?

That's like watching Fox News and repeating their mantra, "Fair and Balanced"

An opinion. The doubt on honesty is your opinion. IMHO

[rubl]

Most of the editorial comment from The Nation seems vociferously anti Thaksin.

Is there a pedigree there I'm unaware of? Who owns it?

I agree with your observation, this particular writer is off the chart...

Looking for the same information as you...

An opinion. Off the chart? That's another opinion. Follow the link provided by phiphidon on press freedom, or follow this intro

http://en.rsf.org/introduction-24-03-2011,32617.html

[Thaddeus]

Really, is that so.

http://www.nieman.ha...strictions.aspx

There are probably more than a couple of people currently in the press industry that remember those dark days, and can see them emerging again, so they are getting their feelings out now before it happens.

You may want to check out the Press Freedom Index website http://en.rsf.org/sp...d_rubrique=1034

To save you the bother here's how Thailand ranked from the years 2002 -2010

2002 - 65

2003 - 82

2004 - 59

2005 - 107

2006 - 122

2007 - 135

2008 - 124

2009 - 130

2010 - 153

So a a fairly high rating during Thaksins tenure then a big drop during the last year of it, a coup in 2006 and it's been downhill since then until Thailand reaches the nadir of Press Freedom under Abhisits reign . You were saying?

Well, that's all very nice but, that index is not based solely on press freedom, it also factors in political instability, which started in, let's say 2006 or maybe even a year earlier if you like, or maybe two, and who were in power then?

You were saying?

(Research 3/10, could do better)

Edited August 16, 2011 by Thaddeus

[bibblies]

You may want to check out the Press Freedom Index website http://en.rsf.org/sp...d_rubrique=1034

To save you the bother here's how Thailand ranked from the years 2002 -2010

2002 - 65

2003 - 82

2004 - 59

2005 - 107

2006 - 122

2007 - 135

2008 - 124

2009 - 130

2010 - 153

So a a fairly high rating during Thaksins tenure then a big drop during the last year of it, a coup in 2006 and it's been downhill since then until Thailand reaches the nadir of Press Freedom under Abhisits reign . You were saying?

Looking at some of the reports on that site, I don't think they're particularly relevant. The ratings seem to be higher (worse) recently because of emergency situations with coups, yellow shirts, red shirts, etc. It says nothing about Abhisit trying to suppress bad stories about himself or anything like that.

The stats you give are rankings so they're dependent on the situations in 160 other countries going up and down.

Lastly you conveniently overlook a large drop in the ranking from 2004 to 2005. Nearly doubled. Thaksin was in then. And 2002-3.

[tlansford]

Most of the editorial comment from The Nation seems vociferously anti Thaksin.

Is there a pedigree there I'm unaware of? Who owns it?

I agree with your observation, this particular writer is off the chart...

Looking for the same information as you...

An opinion. Off the chart? That's another opinion. Follow the link provided by phiphidon on press freedom, or follow this intro

http://en.rsf.org/in...2011,32617.html

Correct, that is another opinion.

I had seen the list of press freedom recently. It points out a real problem in Thailand. Hmmmm, another opinion.

[scorecard]

Most of the editorial comment from The Nation seems vociferously anti Thaksin.

Is there a pedigree there I'm unaware of? Who owns it?

I think it goes back to the first two Thaksin/TRT-governments, when he tried very hard to control the media, only to write positive-stories about his government. Reporters would get fired, people would get 1-Billion-Baht law-suits slapped on them, advertising would be withdrawn, it was all fairly clumsy & obvious. Not that the press has ever been all-that-free, before or after, IME.

This explains the jokes on TV, about his Good-Question/Bad-Question Cross/Tick hand-signs, or about Billion-Baht law-suits, you might not 'get' the references if you weren't here at the time.

Hopefully the rise of the internet might make this sort of manipulation less-successful nowadays ? And sometime someone might look at reforming the LM-law. One can only hope !

The press freedom index was falling under Abhisit and far worse than during the Thaksin days.

Time to get real.

Really, is that so.

http://www.nieman.harvard.edu/reports/article/101381/Thai-Journalists-Fight-an-Unexpected-Revival-of-Press-Restrictions.aspx

There are probably more than a couple of people currently in the press industry that remember those dark days, and can see them emerging again, so they are getting their feelings out now before it happens.

Anybody remember the incident when a western journalist asked the paymaster a question which made him squirm,the paymaster replied 'idiot scum' and the journalist was deported the next day.

[siampolee]

Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra may not have said that International Herald Tribune writer Philip Bowring "deserves to die", but that's not to say he doesn't agree with the sentiment. The well-known journalist wrote an article questioning Thaksin's economic policies and political ambitions, prompting the angry premier to call him "ngo badsop" (a close translation would be "idiot scum").

"Just because someone has a chance to get published, doesn't mean that you have to believe him,"Thaksin blasted. "He's an idiot scum for what he's written. Pure emotions and no information. It's known worldwide where Thailand stands at the moment, and Moody's has upgraded our country. I can't say how stupid it is to predict Thailand is on the verge of collapsing."

In his article, published on Wednesday, Bowring said Thaksin took the credit for a recovery largely brought about by austerity measures implemented by the Democrats three years ago. The writer warned against using state spending to push up GDP. "The danger now is that Thaksin will be carried away by his own ambitions. Not content with 6.5 per cent growth in 2003, he is looking for 8 per cent in 2004 and 10 per cent in 2005, a goal which if achieved would almost certainly be followed by another bust," Bowring wrote. THE NATION

.

PrimeMinister Thaksin set the tone for coverage (or lack thereof) byrepeatedly dismissing the bad news from the south as mere “banditry”and “conflicts of interest among drug dealers.” Even after theBali bombing of 2002, when the Thai language press began to reportmore aggressively on terror activities in south Thailand, Thaksinopenly castigated journalists in Hong Kong and Bangkok who dared tosuggest that Thailand might have a homegrown terror problem of itsown. And this March, the prime minister cavalierly dismissed theunsolved disappearance and suspected murder of Somchai Neelaphaijit,a renowned lawyer who had been defending five Thai Muslim suspectsbrutally tortured by the police, as “a domestic spat.”

Followingthe prime minister’s lead down the primrose path has again andagain proved to be bad journalism. While it would be an exaggerationto say the Post had embraced Thaksin, it nonetheless effectivelyavoided his wrath at a time when less august watchdogs within theThai press were being systematically silenced. The absence ofalternative views on television was especially deafening, as Thaksinused his position as prime minister to assume the levers of controlat state-controlled radio and TV, while as Thailand’s number onetycoon he bought ITV, a formerly independent station that had beenset up specifically to offer an alternative to state-dominatedbroadcast media. The print press, being less amenable to centralizedcontrol, came increasingly under attack, not so much in the form ofdraconian censorship but rather through quirky, idiosyncratic attacksvoiced by Prime Minister Thaksin himself.

Theowner of the small but respected Naew Na, a Thai language daily, wasapproached by Thaksin during a friendly game of golf and asked tosack his star columnist and commentator, Prasong Soonsiri. The ownerbalked and went public with the story, and Prasong continues to writewithering criticisms of Thaksin, largely couched in fable andmetaphor. But another writer on the same paper was pressured toleave. Respected academic Thirayuth Boonmee was roundly criticizedfor daring to criticize and told to “go back to the library whereyou belong.” The Nation Group, which lost its contract to producenews for ITV, was further yanked around and humiliated withadvertising boycotts, spurious assets investigations, and anincreasingly unfriendly regulatory environment that nearly decimatedits television channel.

Foreignjournalists were not immune to Thaksin’s fury. Four Far EasternEconomic Review [FEER] journalists were named in a lése majestécase for allegedly impugning the dignity of Thailand’s highlyrespected monarch, while a close reading of the news snippet on thecontrary suggests that it was Thaksin himself who had annoyed theking with his intrusive business dealings. Two FEER correspondentswho reside in Thailand were subject to xenophobic pressures and onlynarrowly escaped jail or deportation. The Economist’s annual reporton Thailand was banned, and International Herald Tribune contributorPhilip Bowring was roundly booed by Thaksin for suggesting the primeminister’s much-vaunted “Thaksinomics” economic program was notwhat it seemed.

Perhaps this little offering may help some of our members with memory loss problems as to the state of , "press freedom and indeed critics freedom under Thaskins regime.