Bangkok Criminal Court Rejects Abhisit's Suit Against Jatuporn

[animatic]

As I am ignorant of just how the Thai courts work, I would appreciate it if someone would educate me (with facts, not opinions no matter how strongly felt):

Does the composition of the courts change with a change in the PM? During Abhisit's reign as PM, there were a number of decisions that seemed politically motivated against the opposition, including the down-right hilarious removal of a sitting PM for appearing on a TV cooking show. Are these the same judges that are now being accused of political bias in the other direction? Is there a separation between the legislative, execuitve, and judicial branches?

After the coup there was a military government.

After the elections came Thaksins lackey Samak who was removed from being PM after 233 days not for the cooking show but being paid for it.Thai law does not permit the PM to hold another job.

The PPP could have re-elected Samak but instead chose (perhaps on orders from above) but instead chose Thaksins brother in law Somchai who was PM for 75 days before bein dismissed and the party dissolved for electoral fraud. He was followed by a caretaker PM Chaovarat for 13 days and the PPP was unable to get a coalition together.

Abhisist and the Democrats could and did and they were in power for 2 years 231 days before losing the general election.

Abhisit was followed by Yingluck on 23rd August 2011 to date.

I found this information through Google and a list of Prime Ministers or Thailand.

In theory there is a separation between the legislative, execuitve, and judicial branches but each party that comes to power wants it own family, friends and cronies in important places to make their own life easier and safer.

I hope that clears a few things for you.

In addition, prior to Temp. PM Chaovarat Somchai KNEW he and his party leadership would go down,

yet failed to disolve parliament and call a snap election. This might well have returned PTP to power, with a coalition

But, I suspect, from some of-kilter calculation of new-party birth date, and 90 day rule,

not believing it actually would happen, and/or god knows what other mental brain freeze

ensued, they did NOT dispolve parliament,

PM Chaovarat did not really have the POWER to do so,

forcing a 'within the parliament election by MPs.

You may remember that at that time PM Chaovarat Somchai KNEW that the Airport was occupied by the yellow shirts.

It was more important for the constitutional court to dissolve the ruling government, elected in december 2007, just shy of an overall majority, over the 20,000 baht paid to opposition parties by PPP in the south to canvas for votes for their parties than to remove the yellow shirts and to allow 300,000 tourists free passage.

A political party pays opposition parties to get votes to tally against themselves.

Only in Thailand.

You of course supported the seizure of the airport.

You've been here too long.

No, of course, I did not suport the taking of the airport.

I did understand why they did it. which is a totally different thing. The violent and deadly grenade attacks

in the night on them, for 2 weeks at Government House, most likely by Saedang's crew.

That is what pushed PAD over the edge to escalate and take the two airports, the inverse of what

Saedang must have imagined,; Fold the tent and go home tails between legs.

So the only real upshot of that was speeding the inevitable demise of PPP.

It was a forgone conclusion, but the Kings Birthday, and PAD at the airports

made the courts NOT wait till January to meander along and make their ONLY logical move.

As for the airport take over causing an effect, the only one was to speed the courts.

I've been here long enough to know a long time facade versus a temporary facelift.

Edited December 28, 2012 by animatic

[animatic]

And is now continued by your side of the argument? If you found it absurd then, why would you embrace it now?

A little more help to clear up your misunderstanding.

The body called the DSI - supposedly a branch of the police to investigate serious criminal cases - is being used by the PTP on Thaksin's instructions to carry out a witch-hunt on the opposition leader because he refuses to be a good boy and accept a Thaksin amnesty for the conviction & all outstanding cases of corruption against him before the courts.

Only the red-shirts & supporters are accusing (& supporting intimidating against) the courts.

This sums it up well.

The Dems are not threatening or suborning the courts.

The Dems are not going all postal on others that want to talk in their territories.

The Dems are not a cult, mixed with the blindly prevaricating and avaricious,

backing an old school leige lord, using more updated methods for the same old

face and power making plays

[waza]

To Gatorsoft, post no: 56:

Have to do it this way because of 'exceeded the number of posts' error.

OK - that is another current thread. I support anyone breaking the law to face charges & be found guilty by a court. 34 years is completely over the top (but I don't know how much politics were involved) when you look at comparable cases. Check out another thread where 10 years was the sentence for being responsible for a number of deaths:

http://www.thaivisa....migrant-deaths/

I agree, considering that Aussie in Chang Mai got 2 years for shooting the American because "he didn't like Yanks".

Seems a bit excessive I guess he was lucky not to get the death penalty.

[EarthAlien]

"Commenting on the killing of Army officer Romklao Thuwatham during the 2010 mayhem, Tarit said the DSI was in process of applying for warrants to arrest three suspects, known as "unidentifed forces", which means they were not soldiers in charge of crowd control nor those linked to the red shirts."

And if we had an honest government there would be a lot more red shirts charged. The idea that they were not red shirt related is ludicrous. I doubt even a red shirt would believe it.

Seems like there is no end to what this government will do to make the red shirts look like peace loving citizens. I would be tempted to call them scum but that would be a step up for them.

You're being very generous there HD

[EarthAlien]

"Jatuporn was sued for a speech he made during a rally on May 10, 2009"

I thought that parliamentary privelige protecting one against defamation only applied to comments made during a sitting of parliament!

Poor Mark,.. he gave too much lee way to these rebels and now it's coming back to haunt him!

[geriatrickid]

This sums it up well.

The Dems are not threatening or suborning the courts.

The Dems are not going all postal on others that want to talk in their territories.

The Dems are not a cult, mixed with the blindly prevaricating and avaricious,

backing an old school leige lord, using more updated methods for the same old

face and power making plays

Oh is that so? The attempt by political interest groups to stage rallies and organize on Phuket has been sabotaged and the organizers both threatened and physically assaulted. There were even some small arson incidents. Phuket is a Democrat stronghold. Until you experience one of the roadblocks by the locals that ties up traffic, you won't ever experience the joys of living in Thailand's hub of debauchery.

Every attempt by the central government in the past year to address the rampant corruption on Phuket has been met with obstruction and a lack of cooperation by local officials. I consider the allegations of a corrupt judiciary that allows the corruption to continue to be an assault upon the very cornerstone of civilized society: The rule of law.

If you do not see the oligarchy, or as some call it the kleptocracy, that has ruled Phuket as a corrupt group, then you have no idea of what endemic societal corruption is. This is the group that not only has caused prices to be at least 25% higher than elsewhere in thailand, but furthers its ill gotten gains by refusing to allow the migrant workers decent wages or political rights. The migrant workers are not allowed to vote locally with the direct result that hundreds of thousands of Thais are denied a voice in the local government. This is for all intents and purposes Thailand's version of Jim Crow laws. The most vociferous of opposition to the increase in the minimum wage was in on Phuket. It didn't come from the large foreign resorts that were already paying decent wages, but from the coterie of entrenched corrupt Thais that exploited these workers. These Thais have a home with the party of General Prem, the mutineers/coup supporters and the defeated PM and exposed owner of false military papers, Mr. Abhisit.

[rubl]

"Jatuporn was sued for a speech he made during a rally on May 10, 2009"

I thought that parliamentary privelige protecting one against defamation only applied to comments made during a sitting of parliament!

Poor Mark,.. he gave too much lee way to these rebels and now it's coming back to haunt him!

I don't think k. Jatuporn was an MP at that time. Only for a brief moment in 2011 as Pheu Thai party list MP.

[Docno]

Interesting legal precedent, that "the verbal attack between the two was just politics" , and is therefore not seen as legal grounds for defamation.

Wonder how many other cases this might also be true of ?

Trust me, this is a good thing. In Singapore, the government stifles opposition criticism by suing anyone who says or suggests something that they may not be able to muster a whole lot of explicit evidence for (but for which there may be strong indications). The critics are bankrupted and therefore banned from politics. Has been happening for decades down here. Good to see that Thai courts are closing the door to this sort of thing. I'd rather have people flinging accusations at each other in the political arena and having those accusations proven false (if they are) in the same arena than to bring in the courts and libel suits etc etc. I've seen how that can turn out....

[OzMick]

Interesting legal precedent, that "the verbal attack between the two was just politics" , and is therefore not seen as legal grounds for defamation.

Wonder how many other cases this might also be true of ?

Trust me, this is a good thing. In Singapore, the government stifles opposition criticism by suing anyone who says or suggests something that they may not be able to muster a whole lot of explicit evidence for (but for which there may be strong indications). The critics are bankrupted and therefore banned from politics. Has been happening for decades down here. Good to see that Thai courts are closing the door to this sort of thing. I'd rather have people flinging accusations at each other in the political arena and having those accusations proven false (if they are) in the same arena than to bring in the courts and libel suits etc etc. I've seen how that can turn out....

But will it be applied equally? I know PTP/reds campaign on a policy of "no double standards" but it would be a brave person to publicly state the Thaksin paid the MIB to attack the RTA so as to cause armed response and the death of protesters.

[chrisrazz]

And is now continued by your side of the argument? If you found it absurd then, why would you embrace it now?

My side? Aston Villa?

Oh dear, not going well are they?

[Arkady]

"Commenting on the killing of Army officer Romklao Thuwatham during the 2010 mayhem, Tarit said the DSI was in process of applying for warrants to arrest three suspects, known as "unidentifed forces", which means they were not soldiers in charge of crowd control nor those linked to the red shirts."

And if we had an honest government there would be a lot more red shirts charged. The idea that they were not red shirt related is ludicrous. I doubt even a red shirt would believe it.

Seems like there is no end to what this government will do to make the red shirts look like peace loving citizens. I would be tempted to call them scum but that would be a step up for them.

Lets wait to see who gets charged and where their loyalties lie. They may yet have links to the army. It would appear the DSI knows who it wants to arrest. It may be wise to hold back with the 'scum' until we see the accused.

If all this is politically motivated what would you call the DSI's non action, under the Abhisit regime, when no progress into crimes was made in 12 months. Thats right, politically motivated

Like the alleged assassination plot against Thaksin they will probably arrest some half wits who don't know what day of the week it is and will say anything the DSI tells them to say. They will get bail and the case will never come to court.

[waza]

And is now continued by your side of the argument? If you found it absurd then, why would you embrace it now?

My side? Aston Villa?

Oh dear, not going well are they?

Well the owner is American.

[animatic]

This sums it up well.

The Dems are not threatening or suborning the courts.

The Dems are not going all postal on others that want to talk in their territories.

The Dems are not a cult, mixed with the blindly prevaricating and avaricious,

backing an old school leige lord, using more updated methods for the same old

face and power making plays

Oh is that so? The attempt by political interest groups to stage rallies and organize on Phuket has been sabotaged and the organizers both threatened and physically assaulted. There were even some small arson incidents. Phuket is a Democrat stronghold. Until you experience one of the roadblocks by the locals that ties up traffic, you won't ever experience the joys of living in Thailand's hub of debauchery.

Every attempt by the central government in the past year to address the rampant corruption on Phuket has been met with obstruction and a lack of cooperation by local officials. I consider the allegations of a corrupt judiciary that allows the corruption to continue to be an assault upon the very cornerstone of civilized society: The rule of law.

If you do not see the oligarchy, or as some call it the kleptocracy, that has ruled Phuket as a corrupt group, then you have no idea of what endemic societal corruption is. This is the group that not only has caused prices to be at least 25% higher than elsewhere in thailand, but furthers its ill gotten gains by refusing to allow the migrant workers decent wages or political rights. The migrant workers are not allowed to vote locally with the direct result that hundreds of thousands of Thais are denied a voice in the local government. This is for all intents and purposes Thailand's version of Jim Crow laws. The most vociferous of opposition to the increase in the minimum wage was in on Phuket. It didn't come from the large foreign resorts that were already paying decent wages, but from the coterie of entrenched corrupt Thais that exploited these workers. These Thais have a home with the party of General Prem, the mutineers/coup supporters and the defeated PM and exposed owner of false military papers, Mr. Abhisit.

That has so much more to do with Phuket's grassroots inherent and rampant corruption

systems being threatened, than with the Dem party itself, and you should know that.

I've seen PPP and PTP on Samui, and in Surat Thani Suthep's home, getting freedom of speech.

Not a lot of smiles, but not harassment.

So why only in Phuket?

Because Phuket's lower echelon people were threatened street for street.

Edited December 29, 2012 by animatic