Thaksin Flees The Capital ... And Reality

[Plus]

Sea ports? Sold already. To Hong Kong. Was in the news last year. No one said anything about selling to foreigners, they just pointed that the decision was made in non-transparent manner and there were grounds for serious corruption allegations. One of the Democrats complaints at that time was that the future of Laem Chabang is now tied up only to one foreign company. They wanted to see competition between Arabs and Chinese for future expansion.

I think at this moment foreign investors will welcome Taksin's resignation - it can't go on like this forever. Please also don't forget that this country is not for the benefit of foreign investors - it's for Thais. They are not going to bend over for Taksin because foreign investors like him so much.

Do they actually like him? He confused everybody with his megasale ideas. Can they work with a man who changes his mind everyday and sets impossible deadlines for political gains?

It wasn't like this with Democrats in power, and investors loved them. They followed IMF rules and didn't play nationalistic card at every opportunity, like Taksin does.

As for other wrongdoings - check the latest news on The Nation site - they take turns telling people what Taksin has done wrong - drug war, the South, bribing senators, sawing divisions betweem Muslims and Buddhists - they have a long list of grivances.

[Orion76]

I think at this moment foreign investors will welcome Taksin's resignation - it can't go on like this forever. Please also don't forget that this country is not for the benefit of foreign investors - it's for Thais. They are not going to bend over for Taksin because foreign investors like him so much.

IMO foreign investment is crucial for a developing country like Thailand, foreign investment IS for the benefit of Thais.

And the Thai people didn't bend over for Thaksin, they elected him The ones against him are an elite minority with their own agendas.

Do they actually like him? He confused everybody with his megasale ideas. Can they work with a man who changes his mind everyday and sets impossible deadlines for political gains?

I think foreign investors like politicial stability and a stable currency a lot more than a country where democratically elected governments are toppled by an elite minority group.

[Plus]

And the Thai people didn't bend over for Thaksin, they elected him

I meant the protesters. Many of them actually voted Taksin they admit.

foreign investment IS for the benefit of Thais....I think foreign investors like politicial stability and a stable currency a lot more than a country where democratically elected governments are toppled by an elite minority group.

Foreigners invest in Thailand for their OWN benefit first. I'm all for it, but I also respect Thai dignity - if they are not going to accept a corrupt leader so that foreigners can throw them a bone, so be it. A bit harsh maybe, but the issues at stake are far more important to the country than possible short term drop in foreign investment.

Surely investors love stability but corrupt to the core government subverting all laws startgin with Constitution, controlling mass media and stamping all dissent, offers only short term stability. Come in, make a quick buck, and get out before the hel_l breaks lose.

What Thailand needs is a rule of law. If the next government provides it - the coutnry will be far more stable than now when all power rests with one man.

[Orion76]

Foreigners invest in Thailand for their OWN benefit first. I'm all for it, but I also respect Thai dignity - if they are not going to accept a corrupt leader so that foreigners can throw them a bone, so be it.

That's fair, no argument against that

What Thailand needs is a rule of law. If the next government provides it - the coutnry will be far more stable than now when all power rests with one man.

And that I am sceptical of

Actually from what I have seen the rule of law is much stronger under the Thaksin administration than under the Chuan administration. Before Thaksin people could run almost any type of illegal business unbothered as long as the police were being paid. It has become a lot more difficult for the police to turn a blind eye to things like entertainment law violations, sex trade, boiler rooms, gambling etc. and basically impossible to tolerate drugs. This increased rule of law in part has lead to his popularity.

What Thailand needs is organizations that keep the government in check, but if TRT gets booted out I really doubt that the next majority party will be in a hurry to put institutions in place that are against its own interest, because his opposition parties are as self serving as Thaksin is and probably would trade places with him in a heartbeat if they could.

If Thaksin leaves people will probably say "problem solved" and stop paying interest in politics again and allow the collective masturbation of the elite to continue as long as nobody else comes along and outsmarts and outmanouvers the whole system.

Now that the focus is on him and his opponents have an audience I believe it would be more beneficial for him to stay in office, with the opposition in parliament, under continued public pressure to push through reforms.

[cmsmania]

The tragedy of Thaksin is that he could have been a very good leader but he bungled it because of his greed and arrogance.

[lukamar]

- check the latest news on The Nation site -

This is a general comment and not aimed at you plus, I'm just using your quote.

The Nation is anything but objective, on the contrary it is very one sided almost fanatical. Without debating the right or wrong of that action, people should seek out other news source as well or risk themselves caught up in an orchestrated propaganda campaign.

[sriracha john]

Sorry to go a few days back, but I just found a quote to reply to Lukamar

A business transaction of that size would be orchestrated by a team of lawyers, accountants and assorted other specialists. All he would have to do is say "See if you can make a deal I want $xxx per share."

Actually what he said was:

“I don’t know about that kind of stuff,” the young man said. “It’s up to the big guys. If they want to sell, then it will be sold.”

http://nationmultimedia.com/search/page.ar...date=2006-01-11

that fits rather precisely into dictionary.com's definition of the word "stooge":

One who allows oneself to be used for another's profit or advantage; a puppet.

[sriracha john]

Hmmm... running unopposed in well over half the constituencies (with dozens of districts where TRT stands little chance of ever getting to the golden 20% mark) along with massive disqualification of pseudo-opposition candidates.... it would certainly seem to indicate an impasse is on its way.

Anyone with resolutions to this one?

TRT to stand alone in 274 of 400 seats

EC will bar candidates from unknown parties

Thai Rak Thai candidates will stand alone in at least 274 of the 400 constituencies nationwide in the April 2 election as the candidates of unknown political parties who plan to join the contest will be disqualified. According to sources at the Election Commission (EC), 65 constituencies in the North, 80 in the Central Plains, 94 in the Northeast and 35 in the South will only have Thai Rak Thai contenders.

To win the election, the votes that Thai Rak Thai candidates must win must account for at least 20% of all eligible voters in their constituency.

The 80 constituencies in the Central Plains include as many as 20 constituencies out of the total of 36 in Bangkok.

Candidates from unknown parties will be disqualified for belonging to more than one party, their memberships not having reached 90 days before their applications or failure to cast votes in past elections.

Candidates to be rejected have the right to petition the Supreme Court to overrule the EC's decisions. If the court rules in favour of them, the EC must finally announce them as candidates. Normally, the court through its provincial branches reaches such a ruling in three days.

Thai Rak Thai candidate Udom Kraiwatnusorn will do so as the EC has rejected his application to run in constituency 3 in Samut Sakhon province. He is the personal secretary to caretaker Education Minister Chaturon Chaisaeng.

Mr Chaturon said Mr Udom complained the EC unfairly rejected his application in reasoning that he had failed to cast his vote in the last election.

Mr Chaturon said Mr Udom did cast his vote but prior to the election date. The EC might have encountered a technical problem with its database, he said.

Democrat Sathit Wongnongtoey said Thai Rak Thai candidates were unlikely to obtain the 20% minimal vote requirement in many southern constituencies.

In the 2005 poll, Thai Rak Thai candidates got less than 20% of support from all eligible voters in 32 out of the 54 constituencies in the South, he said.

- BP

[stumonster]

Thai PM considers standing aside

From correspondents in Bangkok

March 15, 2006

THAI Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra was willing to consider stepping aside for a period of time, he said today.

But he said he had not yet made a decision. "I am open to considering every solution," the embattled premier said, when asked if he would consider stepping down temporarily.

"I still have to decide what to do. I will make the best decision when the time comes," Mr Thaksin said in the town of Buriram in norteastern Thailand, where he was campaigning for April 2 snap elections.

Mr Thaksin spoke one day after about 70,000 protesters blockaded his office, in the latest mass protest to demand he step down over allegations of corruption.

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/commo...55E1702,00.html

[Plus]

The Nation is anything but objective, on the contrary it is very one sided almost fanatical. Without debating the right or wrong of that action, people should seek out other news source as well or risk themselves caught up in an orchestrated propaganda campaign.

What would you recommend for a more balanced reporting? Foreign agenices? The article above is exactly the same as on the Nation site. Real life coverage is the best available, IMO. Editorials are biased, I agree, but that's why they are called editorials.

I would quote Bangkok Post if they had a proper archive.

Actually from what I have seen the rule of law is much stronger under the Thaksin administration than under the Chuan administration.

Your examples of Taksin's success are debatable, like enterntainment or massage parlours, or gambling, but that's not what I actually meant by the rule of law. Those are peanuts, especially from foreign investors point of views.

I meant something more fundamental, more or less this:

What Thailand needs is organizations that keep the government in check, but if TRT gets booted out I really doubt that the next majority party will be in a hurry to put institutions in place that are against its own interest

and you can't be more wrong here. Democrats allowed the Concstitution Court to ban their Secretary General from politics for asset concealment, for example, and the only modern day former minister arrested for corruption was busted in Democrats time.

Really you should read what Jaruwan said about levels of corruption under Taksin, and she won't spare Democrats if they come to power either.

[sriracha john]

More news from the "far side" or "tales from the dark side":

BANGKOK, Thailand (AP) -- Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra is taking his fight to hold onto his job all over the country and beyond -- to the netherworld.

Thaksin, who has previously accused his political foes of using black magic in their efforts to force him from office, received a gift Tuesday -- a magical elephant prod -- to help him ward off bad luck.

"I will use this prod, along with spells and talismans, to control the fierce opponents who are trying to oust me," Thaksin said during a campaign stop in the northeastern Surin province where he rode an elephant.

[Jai Dee]

Coming to a cinema near you...

[Insight]

More news from the "far side" or "tales from the dark side":

BANGKOK, Thailand (AP) -- Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra is taking his fight to hold onto his job all over the country and beyond -- to the netherworld.

Thaksin, who has previously accused his political foes of using black magic in their efforts to force him from office, received a gift Tuesday -- a magical elephant prod -- to help him ward off bad luck.

"I will use this prod, along with spells and talismans, to control the fierce opponents who are trying to oust me," Thaksin said during a campaign stop in the northeastern Surin province where he rode an elephant.

For the love of god, not the elephant! We're doomed!

[h90]

More news from the "far side" or "tales from the dark side":

BANGKOK, Thailand (AP) -- Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra is taking his fight to hold onto his job all over the country and beyond -- to the netherworld.

Thaksin, who has previously accused his political foes of using black magic in their efforts to force him from office, received a gift Tuesday -- a magical elephant prod -- to help him ward off bad luck.

"I will use this prod, along with spells and talismans, to control the fierce opponents who are trying to oust me," Thaksin said during a campaign stop in the northeastern Surin province where he rode an elephant.

For the love of god, not the elephant! We're doomed!

"I will use this prod, along with spells and talismans, to control the fierce opponents" I am impressed a talismans-spelled based remote control. Does this also come as remote control for TVs, it would not need bateries (good for enviroment)?

Add: "Thaksins spell and talisman based universal remote control, no need for bateries, pray them 5 min. and your talisman is loaded with spells for up to two hours, now only 499.50 Baht at Lotus"

Edited March 15, 2006 by h90

[sriracha john]

Coming to a cinema near you...

Or for a different genre of films from apparently the same film distributor :

[Orion76]

Actually one of the Thaksin movies is already out

http://www.mangosauce.com/swf/musicmaew.swf

[kyselak]

More news from the "far side" or "tales from the dark side":

BANGKOK, Thailand (AP) -- Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra is taking his fight to hold onto his job all over the country and beyond -- to the netherworld.

Thaksin, who has previously accused his political foes of using black magic in their efforts to force him from office, received a gift Tuesday -- a magical elephant prod -- to help him ward off bad luck.

"I will use this prod, along with spells and talismans, to control the fierce opponents who are trying to oust me," Thaksin said during a campaign stop in the northeastern Surin province where he rode an elephant.

AP added another clip to this news this morning (European time):

Danai Anantayo, vice president of the Law

Society of Thailand, was quoted as telling the

demonstrators that Thaksin had been cursed for holding a

Cabinet meeting at a sacred old Cambodian-style temple in

the area by ancient Cambodian kings whose spirits guarded

it.

[Orion76]

What Thailand needs is organizations that keep the government in check, but if TRT gets booted out I really doubt that the next majority party will be in a hurry to put institutions in place that are against its own interest

and you can't be more wrong here. Democrats allowed the Concstitution Court to ban their Secretary General from politics for asset concealment, for example, and the only modern day former minister arrested for corruption was busted in Democrats time.

Really you should read what Jaruwan said about levels of corruption under Taksin, and she won't spare Democrats if they come to power either.

That may be but they haven't been very effective in the past at putting a good justice system in place or at stamping out corruption. The so called "checks and balances" were never really effective or Thaksin wouldn't have had the powers to corrode them. If you argue that no "checks and balances" could have been strong enough to keep Thaksin in check in a corrupt country like Thailand then surely you must realize that sooner or later a PM who has learned Thaksins tricks is going to come along and do exactly the same thing, the Democrats are not the only party

When Thaksin won the election the first time he had to face the courts over his alleged asset concealement. This court let him off the hook and allowed him to become prime minister. This corrupt court that allowed Thaksin to become PM in spite of his hidden assets is the legacy of the Democrats administration

[billd766]

What Thailand needs is organizations that keep the government in check, but if TRT gets booted out I really doubt that the next majority party will be in a hurry to put institutions in place that are against its own interest

and you can't be more wrong here. Democrats allowed the Concstitution Court to ban their Secretary General from politics for asset concealment, for example, and the only modern day former minister arrested for corruption was busted in Democrats time.

Really you should read what Jaruwan said about levels of corruption under Taksin, and she won't spare Democrats if they come to power either.

That may be but they haven't been very effective in the past at putting a good justice system in place or at stamping out corruption. The so called "checks and balances" were never really effective or Thaksin wouldn't have had the powers to corrode them. If you argue that no "checks and balances" could have been strong enough to keep Thaksin in check in a corrupt country like Thailand then surely you must realize that sooner or later a PM who has learned Thaksins tricks is going to come along and do exactly the same thing, the Democrats are not the only party

When Thaksin won the election the first time he had to face the courts over his alleged asset concealement. This court let him off the hook and allowed him to become prime minister. This corrupt court that allowed Thaksin to become PM in spite of his hidden assets is the legacy of the Democrats administration

I vaguely remember that Thaksin was found not guilty with a majority of 1 vote, however 3 judges said that as he had just won the election by a large majority they judged what was best for the country and not according to the law.

I also think that some of those judges are faced with impeachment.

[bulmercke]

Let's hope.

It was gross injustices like this that have caused the current political turmoil.

This is what the whole anti-Thaksin movement is about....putting to rest..... flagrant disregard for proper and fair justice, amongst other things.

It was, by any standards, a truly disgraceful decision.