Thai cabinet reshuffle sees return of Thaksin loyalists

By Amy Sawitta Lefevre

BANGKOK (Reuters) - A cabinet reshuffle in Thailand has brought loyal allies of self-exiled former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra into the government led by his sister, consolidating his grip on power as he bides his time before making a serious effort to come home.

Thaksin, ousted by the army in 2006, lives abroad to avoid a prison sentence for abuse of power but is widely thought to be running Southeast Asia's second-largest economy from bases in Dubai and elsewhere through Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra.

A former telecoms tycoon who first became prime minister in 2001, Thaksin enjoys huge support among the rural masses but has powerful enemies among the conservative elite, the military and royalist activists, all of whom, he says, undermined his governments or those of his allies.

Thaksin has set no date for his return which would be deeply divisive. Many analysts believe it could upset a fragile peace that has been in place since the army crushed protests by his supporters in mid-2010 and about 90 people were killed. [more...]

Full story: http://www.reuters.c...E89S0GH20121029

-- REUTERS 2012-10-30

Now I wonder who could have thought of this Reshuffle with MARKED Cards

Edited October 30, 201213 yr by jerrysteve

Is every Thai that naive to not think that was the grand plan? Thaksin is slowly putting the pawns in place to do his bidding and with no care to Thai's or Thailand. This is a personal vendetta to re-sieze confiscated assets and to do as much damage to Thailand in retribution as possible. But that's okay - let's all wear the red shirt and wave the red flag as long as we can get our 500 Baht, place a vote and believe the promises made by politicians. Meanwhile Yingluck will go shopping for more Burberry items to match the ones she already has...

"..... most of them have related skills and experiences. It isn't about paying back favours or rewarding loyalty."

Managing to say this with a straight face, Yingluk demonstrates her skill at lying, which is a family trait.

The path that this has been headed on has been foreseeable since 2003 after the "Madam asked us for the use of our names" threatening corruption of justice and the "Innocents in the Drug Executions" deals started to sink in what the fugitive convicted criminal Thaksin sees him and his family as. A populist dictatorship higher than the current most Elite.

The article is correct. As is what is said in the last paragraph.

The Thai Army is corrupt as the rest but the one thing they and those with half a brain still in Thailand will not tolerate is messing with the judicary that sees its power moved from the peoples safety of His Most Royal Highness the King to a despot with each 6 monthly musicial chairs stacking all arms of the controls on Thai society with his family and clan. That or whether the country and its people are about to be financially brought to their knees by the incompetent Shinawatra criminals will be the point that decides a coup and the consequences.

Either way with the criminal Thaksin winning or losing Thailand has got some far bigger pain coming that than what was experienced in 2010.

When will the Red-Shirts see, that this is merely an old-fashioned dynastic power-grab by the Clan whose name begins with 'S', and has nothing to do with helping improve the lot of the poor people ?

And what will they then do about it ?

There are relatively-honest politicians here, Abhisit & Korn to name but a couple, there are millions of people who care about the poor and their country's future, when will a 'clean' political-party emerge ?

One can only hope for the best ... and trust that the Re-Set Button will not be needed yet again.

A previous post stated that Yingluck wasn't influenced by anyone, especially big brother, and was now showing her emerging leadership skills in the reshuffle.

She has carefully selected people based on skill, expereince, performance and qualifications. Great leaders surround themselves with great people!

The fact they are all loyal to Khun Thaksin is purely coincidental and a small irrelevant fact exploited by the gutter press.

When will the Red-Shirts see, that this is merely an old-fashioned dynastic power-grab by the Clan whose name begins with 'S', and has nothing to do with helping improve the lot of the poor people ?

And what will they then do about it ?

There are relatively-honest politicians here, Abhisit & Korn to name but a couple, there are millions of people who care about the poor and their country's future, when will a 'clean' political-party emerge ?

One can only hope for the best ... and trust that the Re-Set Button will not be needed yet again.

Care to name any more than those twopoliticians? I don't presume that even they can be supermen enough to run the country between the two of the, and to be honest, I can't believe that there isn't one skeleton somewhere in their closets. By definition, minimum, they must know about gargantuan amounts of corruption to which they have turned a blind eye, committed by their own side.

Beyond that, how does one bid for the contract to print name cards and put up signage on the doors where these guys supposedly go to work. Every 6 months, it is good repeat busienss.

Care to name any more than those twopoliticians? I don't presume that even they can be supermen enough to run the country between the two of the, and to be honest, I can't believe that there isn't one skeleton somewhere in their closets. By definition, minimum, they must know about gargantuan amounts of corruption to which they have turned a blind eye, committed by their own side.

Beyond that, how does one bid for the contract to print name cards and put up signage on the doors where these guys supposedly go to work. Every 6 months, it is good repeat busienss.

Agree that there's a severe shortage, of relatively-honest/competent people, to choose from !

Perhaps Chuwit ? Because he's willing to embarrass people by pointing-out corruption ?

Perhaps former-PM Surayud, for returning the land to the Forestry Department, rather than brazening it out ?

Perhaps ask Abhisit who he himself might wish to work with, if it weren't for the distasteful necessity of building a coalition, and getting-along with the usual suspects & rats & eels & dinosaurs ?

When will the Red-Shirts see, that this is merely an old-fashioned dynastic power-grab by the Clan whose name begins with 'S', and has nothing to do with helping improve the lot of the poor people ?

And what will they then do about it ?

There are relatively-honest politicians here, Abhisit & Korn to name but a couple, there are millions of people who care about the poor and their country's future, when will a 'clean' political-party emerge ?

One can only hope for the best ... and trust that the Re-Set Button will not be needed yet again.

I think some are already beginning to twig. It's just a question of how many and how soon.

typo edit.

Edited October 30, 201213 yr by bigbamboo

Care to name any more than those twopoliticians? I don't presume that even they can be supermen enough to run the country between the two of the, and to be honest, I can't believe that there isn't one skeleton somewhere in their closets. By definition, minimum, they must know about gargantuan amounts of corruption to which they have turned a blind eye, committed by their own side.

Beyond that, how does one bid for the contract to print name cards and put up signage on the doors where these guys supposedly go to work. Every 6 months, it is good repeat busienss.

Agree that there's a severe shortage, of relatively-honest/competent people, to choose from !

Perhaps Chuwit ? Because he's willing to embarrass people by pointing-out corruption ?

Perhaps former-PM Surayud, for returning the land to the Forestry Department, rather than brazening it out ?

Perhaps ask Abhisit who he himself might wish to work with, if it weren't for the distasteful necessity of building a coalition, and getting-along with the usual suspects & rats & eels & dinosaurs ?

Indeed, Chuwit, once one of the biggest pimps in the country, and if I am not wrong banned from the US, and Surayud, part of one of the least forward thinking organisations in the country, and responsible for overseeing the 1992 mess.

There is barely ANYONE in any party, the army, public service who is not touched with a smear of something. I go for the Norwegian model, where all tax declarations are public domain. Now that would put the cat among the pigeons for these crooks.

That is why I would wholeheartedly support Abhisit making his own party and choosing his own people, instead of being beholden to these dinosaur snakes and thieves.