Phew! This Article Can Now Be Read: Thai Opinion

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Phew! This article can now be read

Tulsathit Taptim

BANGKOK: -- I drafted this article on what many thought might be the world's last day. Never one to believe in doomsday predictions, I'm paranoid from time to time, though. Which means that while I was 99.99 per cent sure that nothing would happen to our planet over the weekend, 0.01 per cent of me let its imagination run wild. The drafting process, therefore, was disrupted by some scary images. What if something happened and I did it all for nothing? And worse than having nobody left to read your article is having "someone" from the future read it and wonder: "They wrote this kind of stuff on their last day on earth?"

Now that we have survived, I can share it with you. Just to be trendy, let's not call the following list "My wishes for the New Year", which sounds a bit cliched anyway. Let's call it "My wishes for the year that the Mayan prophecy advocates thought would never come". Okay, here's what I want to have, or see, or hear in 2013:

1. A formal media interview by Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra. Come on, lady. About halfway into your second year, we have yet to see a press article with your mugshot and the word "Exclusive". If you still can't overcome stage fright, a closed-door format can be worked out. Every leading politician gives a serious interview at least once or twice, and you can't insist on being the exception.

2. An end to the continuous bedazzlement of the international media by globe-trotting Thaksin Shinawatra. If you keep talking, your sister won't speak. And she's my prime minister, for crying out loud.

3. Thais' love for their Constitution. I don't mean "Only when it suits me" love, but unconditional treatment of a Constitution as truly our common values, that all Thais will stand for and sacrifice themselves to protect.

4. No more 3G, 4G or 5G legal brouhaha. They say the trouble and delay has to do with issues facing consumers like me. I'm done with the lip service. Just get going and let me and other consumers handle the greedy operators. Trust me, Facebook is more effective than slowing it down at the Administrative Court.

5. Uninterrupted cellular calls. People are talking about better mobile phone "packages" and all, but I want basic services to be consistent first. I want to place one call for one conversation and that's it, not three or four calls for telling a colleague why I miss a meeting. And now that I'm at it, I want to hear human voices when I contact the call centres of banks, telecom firms, etc to make complaints. How can they use real humans to chase unpaid bills but make us listen to mechanical voices and silly promotional music when the tables are turned?

6. Continuation of Apple's copyright policy. Samsung must have been celebrating throughout 2012. That Apple kept picking on their products inadvertently made them producers of credible alternatives to iPhones and iPads. What could have been a better advertisement for Samsung, which was a second- or even third-class company a few years ago? But my point, really, is that Apple's refusal to remain aloof is doing everyone the world of good. The whole industry and consumers are benefiting, not just Samsung.

7. An institutionalised concept of working from home, perhaps with great tax incentives. On the streets next year there will be cars, cars, cars, cars, cars, cars, cars, cars, cars and cars. And many of the drivers will be newbies.

8. A Thai soap opera hit that, for a change, doesn't feature a "bad girl" as the heroine. I mean, can't good girls be heroines anymore?

9. "Myanmar" from Barack Obama's lips. What I mean is an unequivocal utterance, not diplomacy-induced mumbles like when he visited that country recently. In fact, Washington's diplomacy and political stand are confusing the living daylights out of me. I don't want to write a news story that begins with "US President Barack Obama yesterday visited a country he finally called 'Myanmar', but that was out of diplomatic courtesy as Washington's formal stand regarding the country's name remains 'Burma'".

10. Settlement of the "Rai Som" controversy. One way or another, it must end. Everyone - TV Channel 3, Sorrayuth Suthassanachinda, his critics and his supporters - can't keep going like this. It's bad for everybody's business, mental health and conscience. I'm begging the judges to please, please, please hurry up.

11. Another "Gangnam"-style (no pun intended) hit featuring an older, fatter man. Psy has boosted the confidence and self-esteem of 30-something guys who don't have a six pack. It's time to step up on the age and weight departments.

12. Civilised manners by both Thailand and Cambodia. This is very important. With an international court verdict on Preah Vihear looming, we are going to need both governments to be anything but thugish this year.

That's it, my list of New Year wishes that had been under threat a few days ago. Merry Christmas to all of you and Happy New Year, albeit a year that Mayan prophecy advocates have had a very different idea about.

-- The Nation 2012-12-26

[angsta]

The Nation - you suck.

[righteous]

Some interesting points-of-view, a couple of which scream for a retort, such as:

• Thai's love for a Constitution...Huh?....There are Constitutions and then there are Constitutions....Coup originated one's don't make this grade. Those are just "self righteous, justification and legitimizing" documents for an assault on the principle of Electoral Democracy, whereby the Governed choose the Governors.
  
• Civilized manners by both Thailand and Cambodia...Huh?.... Doesn't that conveniently whitewash internal Thai, Nationalist and Anti-Democratic crazies? (391)
  

Edited December 26, 2012 by righteous

[whybother]

Some interesting points-of-view, a couple of which scream for a retort, such as:

• Thai's love for a Constitution...Huh?....There are Constitutions and then there are Constitutions....Coup originated one's don't make this grade. Those are just "self righteous, justification and legitimizing" documents for an assault on the principle of Electoral Democracy, whereby the Governed choose the Governors.
  
• Civilized manners by both Thailand and Cambodia...Huh?.... Doesn't that conveniently whitewash internal Thai, Nationalist and Anti-Democratic crazies? (391)
  

Does page 391 of your Red Shirt Propaganda manual have anything on Thaksin and Hun Sen's relationship and how that affected the temple conflict?

[bigbamboo]

Some interesting points-of-view, a couple of which scream for a retort, such as:

• Thai's love for a Constitution...Huh?....There are Constitutions and then there are Constitutions....Coup originated one's don't make this grade. Those are just "self righteous, justification and legitimizing" documents for an assault on the principle of Electoral Democracy, whereby the Governed choose the Governors.
  
• Civilized manners by both Thailand and Cambodia...Huh?.... Doesn't that conveniently whitewash internal Thai, Nationalist and Anti-Democratic crazies? (391)
  

Does page 391 of your Red Shirt Propaganda manual have anything on Thaksin and Hun Sen's relationship and how that affected the temple conflict?

The Thais loved their 1997 constitution.

Only Thaksin ripped it apart.

[Orac]

I find #2 a bit ironic given The Nation's obsession with Thaksin.

[MEL1]

What a waste of time to open this.

Pathetic!

-MEL. OH! Yes, still alive. Not taking drugs, and living in a clean and tidy abode, just in case you wondered.

[MrSlatersParrot]

Some interesting points-of-view, a couple of which scream for a retort, such as:

• Thai's love for a Constitution...Huh?....There are Constitutions and then there are Constitutions....Coup originated one's don't make this grade. Those are just "self righteous, justification and legitimizing" documents for an assault on the principle of Electoral Democracy, whereby the Governed choose the Governors.
  
• Civilized manners by both Thailand and Cambodia...Huh?.... Doesn't that conveniently whitewash internal Thai, Nationalist and Anti-Democratic crazies? (391)
  

Does page 391 of your Red Shirt Propaganda manual have anything on Thaksin and Hun Sen's relationship and how that affected the temple conflict?

What I do remember is Hun sen telling us about his "off the record" meetings with Suthep (who initially denied the meetings) regarding shared gas and oil interests off shore and Suthep's attempt to ascribe these interests to certain families in Thailand.

Then we have the pitak Siam calling for seizure of foreign interests ie gas and oil but not of course to nationalise but to hand over to certain Thai families. To the robber Barons.

As to the temple well abhisit just wanted war to deflect domestic criticism.

Sent from my far superior iPad 4

[caykay]

The nation is a rag

[Baerboxer]

Some interesting points-of-view, a couple of which scream for a retort, such as:

• Thai's love for a Constitution...Huh?....There are Constitutions and then there are Constitutions....Coup originated one's don't make this grade. Those are just "self righteous, justification and legitimizing" documents for an assault on the principle of Electoral Democracy, whereby the Governed choose the Governors.
  
• Civilized manners by both Thailand and Cambodia...Huh?.... Doesn't that conveniently whitewash internal Thai, Nationalist and Anti-Democratic crazies? (391)
  

Does page 391 of your Red Shirt Propaganda manual have anything on Thaksin and Hun Sen's relationship and how that affected the temple conflict?

What I do remember is Hun sen telling us about his "off the record" meetings with Suthep (who initially denied the meetings) regarding shared gas and oil interests off shore and Suthep's attempt to ascribe these interests to certain families in Thailand.

Then we have the pitak Siam calling for seizure of foreign interests ie gas and oil but not of course to nationalise but to hand over to certain Thai families. To the robber Barons.

As to the temple well abhisit just wanted war to deflect domestic criticism.

Sent from my far superior iPad 4

So you don't remember anything about Big T and Hun Yet's relationship then? Or have any comments on his business dealings with various neighbouring countries whilst in public office? Still, no worries - all be whitewash soon and history can be re-written.

[khunken]

Not a bad article. Pity I had to pass through MrSlatersparrot's usual inane 'I hate Suthep' comments to get to the end of the thread.

I disagree with No: 6. Apple has done consumers a disservice by resorting to the courts to try & kill the opposition. Now where have I heard that before? Anyway, they haven't succeeded apart from a partial victory in their home town with a stacked deck.

Everywhere else, Samsung has either won or been handed a draw with Apple.

[TPI]

Some interesting points-of-view, a couple of which scream for a retort, such as:

• Thai's love for a Constitution...Huh?....There are Constitutions and then there are Constitutions....Coup originated one's don't make this grade. Those are just "self righteous, justification and legitimizing" documents for an assault on the principle of Electoral Democracy, whereby the Governed choose the Governors.
  
• Civilized manners by both Thailand and Cambodia...Huh?.... Doesn't that conveniently whitewash internal Thai, Nationalist and Anti-Democratic crazies? (391)
  

Does page 391 of your Red Shirt Propaganda manual have anything on Thaksin and Hun Sen's relationship and how that affected the temple conflict?

The Thais loved their 1997 constitution.

Only Thaksin ripped it apart.

I loved the part when they both kicked the "national benefit" can and then said they were responding to the others threat! If there was any justice neither would be a problem today!

[fasteddie]

Oh dear! I had to go and read it, what a waste of time, the author is a nitwit!

It's Burma! renamed against the wishes of the elected leader by a vicious and cruel illegal junta.

[hellodolly]

Some interesting points-of-view, a couple of which scream for a retort, such as:

• Thai's love for a Constitution...Huh?....There are Constitutions and then there are Constitutions....Coup originated one's don't make this grade. Those are just "self righteous, justification and legitimizing" documents for an assault on the principle of Electoral Democracy, whereby the Governed choose the Governors.
  
• Civilized manners by both Thailand and Cambodia...Huh?.... Doesn't that conveniently whitewash internal Thai, Nationalist and Anti-Democratic crazies? (391)
  

Does page 391 of your Red Shirt Propaganda manual have anything on Thaksin and Hun Sen's relationship and how that affected the temple conflict?

What I do remember is Hun sen telling us about his "off the record" meetings with Suthep (who initially denied the meetings) regarding shared gas and oil interests off shore and Suthep's attempt to ascribe these interests to certain families in Thailand.

Then we have the pitak Siam calling for seizure of foreign interests ie gas and oil but not of course to nationalise but to hand over to certain Thai families. To the robber Barons.

As to the temple well abhisit just wanted war to deflect domestic criticism.

Sent from my far superior iPad 4

So you don't remember anything about Big T and Hun Yet's relationship then? Or have any comments on his business dealings with various neighbouring countries whilst in public office? Still, no worries - all be whitewash soon and history can be re-written.

righteous AKA calgaryll is working on as we speak.

[Unwisemonkey]

how about Thailand becoming a signatory the Hague convention? Or adopting labor and immigration policies for visa's that strengthen family units instead of tearing them apart? How about paying the police a salary that makes corruption a less lucrative option, Maybe even some traffic signals while your at it.

[whybother]

how about Thailand becoming a signatory the Hague convention? Or adopting labor and immigration policies for visa's that strengthen family units instead of tearing them apart? How about paying the police a salary that makes corruption a less lucrative option, Maybe even some traffic signals while your at it.

Thailand has formally acceded to the convention; however, at this time the proper procedures for acting upon the convention have not been codified into Thai law.

http://www.thailand-family-law-center.com/thailand-child-abduction-law/

[jbrain]

Some interesting points-of-view, a couple of which scream for a retort, such as:

• Thai's love for a Constitution...Huh?....There are Constitutions and then there are Constitutions....Coup originated one's don't make this grade. Those are just "self righteous, justification and legitimizing" documents for an assault on the principle of Electoral Democracy, whereby the Governed choose the Governors.
  
• Civilized manners by both Thailand and Cambodia...Huh?.... Doesn't that conveniently whitewash internal Thai, Nationalist and Anti-Democratic crazies? (391)
  

Does page 391 of your Red Shirt Propaganda manual have anything on Thaksin and Hun Sen's relationship and how that affected the temple conflict?

What I do remember is Hun sen telling us about his "off the record" meetings with Suthep (who initially denied the meetings) regarding shared gas and oil interests off shore and Suthep's attempt to ascribe these interests to certain families in Thailand.

Then we have the pitak Siam calling for seizure of foreign interests ie gas and oil but not of course to nationalise but to hand over to certain Thai families. To the robber Barons.

As to the temple well abhisit just wanted war to deflect domestic criticism.

Sent from my far superior iPad 4

Keep up with your propaganda posting, and I'm sure the Righteous event will not be far away

[Jawnie]

The article has one glaring omission: a full-throttled call for the repeal of Article 112 and for the release of anyone in custody because of this abomination of a law.

Thailand will never have the respect of the international community and will always be seen as a third-rate, backwater outpost while this "law" still exists.