Pm Thaksin Resigns

[PeaceBlondie]

Just curious - I never heard Mr. Khun Dr. Prime Minister CEO referred to as simply "Lieutenant Colonel" before. Especially by a General!

Is that an indication that the former chief-chief now ranks below a full colonel in the hierarchy of Thailand? Below a caretaker?

[Orion76]

Just curious - I never heard Mr. Khun Dr. Prime Minister CEO referred to as simply "Lieutenant Colonel" before. Especially by a General!

Is that an indication that the former chief-chief now ranks below a full colonel in the hierarchy of Thailand? Below a caretaker?

Pol Lt Col was his rank when he retired from the police, he has been refered to as Lt. Col many times.

[WilliamIV]

Obviously not all Upcountry folks are "Uneducated"

I am aware of a group of upcountry Students in Bangkok

- who IMHO are representative - who struggled to get home

to vote FOR TRT and Thaksin.

They had to Travel 5 hours each way and find the bus fare to do so.

They had to take time off from their poorly paid menial jobs ...

They cannot be regarded as Uneducated - they know Thaksin has faults

but they consider him good for Thailand.

Thaksin may have offended Human Rights - but he quashed the Drug Barrons - he might have stepped on peoples toes and given Projects to Cronnies - which the Opposition would also do if in power - but Thaksin got things DONE

[speculations edited out. Unfortunately we cannot tolerate this type of speculations. Please accept this. Thank you. /Meadish]

Edited April 5, 2006 by meadish_sweetball

[otherstuff1957]

Lt. Colonel? That must be a typo. He's a Lt. General - a very high rank.

Well, yesterday I said that he would still be PM 30 days from now. It looks as though he may not be and I will happily eat my words!

He will probably remain a power behind the throne, but I think that a turning point has been reached. The high water mark for the TRT and Thaksin was probably reached a couple of months ago and in the future they might be a majority party, but not a super party anymore. I wouldn't be surprised if some parts of the the TRT break away before the next election.

On the plus side, TRT had some good ideas - a national health plan, etc... - I just hope that those ideas can be implemented by future governments without the high level of corruption.

[Jai Dee]

TRT executive member refused to give opinion over the person who will take the post of premiership

Deputy Prime Minister and Justice Minister Chitchai Wannasathit (ชิดชัย วรรณสถิตย์), who is also an executive member of Thai Rak Thai Party, has denied to express any opinion over the person who will take the post of Prime Minister.

He personally does not view over any specific contender. However, he is pleased that people have expressed their opinions over the person who is most suitable to take the next Prime Ministerial post.

He has admitted that there are many members from the Thai Rak Thai Party who are appropriate to take on this responsibility.

Source: Thai National News Bureau Public Relations Department - 05 April 2006

[Sandstone Art]

YES. The PM has 'resigned' . But he will still reign behind all his party members. Just hope that some of the party members from TRT has some 'backbones' to stand up and jump ship for the better of Thai politics! They have 90 days ! It's time for them to start preparing.

Edited April 5, 2006 by meadish_sweetball

[otherstuff1957]

Lt. Colonel? That must be a typo. He's a Lt. General - a very high rank.

Oops - I just double checked and he was a Lt. Colonel. I could have sworn I read that he was a Lt. General, but he wasn't. Anyway, Lt. Colonel, Caretaker PM, Primier, RachaMontri, whatever; he's still going to be in power behind the scenes.

[ColPyat]

Later, another key protest leader, media tycoon Sondhi Limthongkul, said anti-Thaksin demonstrators would again rally on Friday, this time to put pressure on the premier to withdraw from political life entirely.

"Thaksin's announcement is a good start, but he only gave 25 per cent. Can he give more?" Sondhi told reporters.

"We will give Thaksin another 30 days to make sure he does what he promised to do," he added.

"If he does not leave politics, we will come back with larger protests."

Yes, difficult to give up being in the spotlight, standing on the stage screaming to the masses...

''If we didn't join forces, there would be no today. This shows that ordinary people like us can solve the crisis rocking the country,'' Maj-Gen Chamlong said.

That is a bit cheeky, Chamlong calling himself "ordinary people". And yes, there would be no today, but what about the tomorrow? How you guys gonna mend the frictions in the Thai society, especially if you gloat, threaten, and generally rub it in to all the folks who admire Thaksin, that your movement, of mainly "ordinary" urban middle class folks has managed to overthrow Thaksin against the will of the ordinary, mostly poor rural folks?

Be under no illusion that the real problems behind this crises - the ever increasing gap between rich and poor in Thailand - have not yet come to the surface. If all the involved powers, vested interests and fractions do not find very fast a way to work out a solution that involves all Thais then i fear we have seen nothing yet.

Given the stupid insensitive comments of those two PAD leaders, and the history of Thai politics, i have my doubts that anyone has spent much thought on how the post Thaksin future could be managed.

[jezchesters]

Now that PAD have got what they demanded it seems as though they're moving the goalposts by demanding more concessions. That does not do them or Thailand any favours. Furthermore to prolong the divisiveness at a time when they should ALL be working togther is just plain stupid.

Maybe power is now going to their heads too as they have achieved everything outside the ballot box by a clever ploy. If they want to earn respect then it is no good just saying sweet words about the resignation of Thaksin. Now is the time to show what they can contribute to moving the country forward.

It will be interesting to see developments in the forthcoming months.

Ahhhh, finally...a voice of reason after almost ten pages of full on gloating.

Yes, expect of lot of strange power struggles between the usual suspects in the coming months (years?). I hope nobody here honestly believes that getting Thaksin to give up power means that things turn less corrupt, or that things now are going to be nice ride for "democracy".

What people still have to deal with is that there are millions of people who were slapped in the face, who were told that their vote in an emerging democracy does not count.

I wonder how the political parties are going to get their confidence into a democratic system back. Their opinion is that the urban elites have taken over the country. The consequences are going to be interesting, and i feel that the interesting times are only starting.

I hope, that a few years down the line we won't be sitting here, and talking about how nice things were under Thaksin...

Colpyat - how many times does this have to be said?

This is not an American presidential style of democracy. The 'millions of people who were slapped in the face' did not vote for Thaksin. They voted for a Thai Rak Thai candidate in their consituency.

So, yes, their votes have counted. You can see this because TRT have won 461 out of the 500 available seats. The fact that the PM has resigned no more nullifies the peoples vote than when Tony Blair resigns as PM before the next election in the UK. Their respective parties will still remain in power.

[ColPyat]

Colpyat - how many times does this have to be said?

This is not an American presidential style of democracy. The 'millions of people who were slapped in the face' did not vote for Thaksin. They voted for a Thai Rak Thai candidate in their consituency.

So, yes, their votes have counted. You can see this because TRT have won 461 out of the 500 available seats. The fact that the PM has resigned no more nullifies the peoples vote than when Tony Blair resigns as PM before the next election in the UK. Their respective parties will still remain in power.

Technically you may be right.

But in practical terms those people voted for Thaksin. And no, in this they do not misunderstand the Thai political systhem, as Thaksin is the man who holds the TRT party together. The party which is his brainchild, the party that he has founded. TRT many opposing and infighting fractions and swallowed small parties are held together by one man - Thaksin.

You can say it how many times you want, but this is reality. And generaly it reality that counts, and not theory and technicalities.

Please don't compare a developed nation such as the UK with Thailand. We are aeons away from the UK here in Thailand.

[Jai Dee]

Mr. Abhisit calls for a meeting with core figures of Democrat Party after the resignation of caretaker PM

Democrat Party Leader Abhisit Vejjajiva (อภิสิทธิ์ เวชชาชีวะ) has called a meeting with the core figures of his party to discuss the political situation, following the resignation announcement of caretaker Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra.

Core figures of Democrat Party have arrived at the party headquarters as Mr. Abhisit has called a meeting to analyze the current political situation and to determine the party’s stance. Such meeting is being held following the announcement of Pol. Lt. Gen. Thaksin that he will not take the post of premiership as he would like to see peace and harmony in the society.

However, Dr. Thaksin will have to perform his duties until the new premier takes the post. However, a discussion will be held between the three former opposition parties again to determine their political stances.

In the meantime, Democrat Party Secretary-General Suthep Thuagsuban (สุเทพ เทือกสุบรรณ) has praised the decision of the caretaker Prime Minister. Mr. Suthep said Pol. Lt. Col. Thaksin has made a right decision to step down since his insistence will cause more troubles to the society and more problems are likely to follow.

However, he said it is too early to summarize the political situation. He believes more rational decisions will be made if every party considers the national and people’s benefits.

Mr. Suthep insisted that Democrat party is not concern over the person who will take the post of premiership. He said his party is more concern about the political reform, especially the four political parties, namely the Democrat, the Mahachon, the Chart Thai, and the Thai Rak Thai Parties. He said all of them should hold a discussion and work together to achieve true conformity.

Source: Thai National News Bureau Public Relations Department - 05 April 2006

[ColPyat]

Mr. Suthep insisted that Democrat party is not concern over the person who will take the post of premiership. He said his party is more concern about the political reform, especially the four political parties, namely the Democrat, the Mahachon, the Chart Thai, and the Thai Rak Thai Parties. He said all of them should hold a discussion and work together to achieve true conformity.

I hope that this does not translate into the usual re-arrangement of who gets to eat what, how much, and for how long...

[amarka]

hi...

right to the point!

amarka

Extraordinary...TVers complained that Thaksin should resign, and then complained when he did....and you wonder why Thailand ignores farangs.

[sriracha john]

Interesting piece of writing ayakiawe...

But I'm a bit confused as to who actually wrote it...

... here is the real score written by a friend of mine...

Civil War Averted

By-me!

Whoever wrote it did an excellent job!

TNNBPRD needs to hire someone like this....

Jai Dee, please speak to the management there and get this guy signed up...

[Jai Dee]

Mr. Pongthep: The selection process of the new premier will take place in the month of May

Thai Rak Thai Party Deputy Leader Pongthep Thepkanchana (พงศ์เทพ เทพกาญจนา) believes that the selection process of the new Prime Minister will take place in the month of May.

Mr. Pongthep revealed that the Thai Rak Thai Party will hold a discussion with all of its executive members to determine the party's political stance after caretaker Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra has announced his resignation.

However, he said the party has not drawn any conclusion yet as it has to wait for the election result from the Election Commission. He stated that his party members will also wait for the first parliamentary meeting. Mr. Pongthep added that the party will be opened for its MPs to vote for the person who will be suitable to take the post of premiership.

At the same time, Deputy Leader of the Thai Rak Thai Party Bhokin Bhalakula (โภคิน พลกุล), who is another probable candidate to replace Dr. Thaksin, said that the party will hold a meeting again. He personally views that Deputy Prime Minister and Commerce Minister Somkid Jatusripitak (สมคิด จาตุศรีพิทักษ์) and Agriculture and Cooperatives Minister Sudarat Keyuraphan (สุดารัตน์ เกยุราพันธ์) are also suitable for the premier post.

Source: Thai National News Bureau Public Relations Department - 05 April 2006

[sriracha john]

Just curious - I never heard Mr. Khun Dr. Prime Minister CEO referred to as simply "Lieutenant Colonel" before. Especially by a General!

Is that an indication that the former chief-chief now ranks below a full colonel in the hierarchy of Thailand? Below a caretaker?

Pol Lt Col was his rank when he retired from the police, he has been refered to as Lt. Col many times.

Yes, the former, ex-caretaker, previous, interim Prime Minister has held quite a few titles... most of them rather amusingly ironic in nature.

"Lieutenant Colonel" for work in the law enforcement field yet resigns due mainly to the crime of corruption.

"Doctor" for receiving a PhD from a university in America yet possesses abilities in English that are surpassed by a typical Prathom 2 public school student.

Probably best if we just all referred to him by the title that he prefers himself, "Maew"

[jezchesters]

Colpyat - how many times does this have to be said?

This is not an American presidential style of democracy. The 'millions of people who were slapped in the face' did not vote for Thaksin. They voted for a Thai Rak Thai candidate in their consituency.

So, yes, their votes have counted. You can see this because TRT have won 461 out of the 500 available seats. The fact that the PM has resigned no more nullifies the peoples vote than when Tony Blair resigns as PM before the next election in the UK. Their respective parties will still remain in power.

Technically you may be right.

But in practical terms those people voted for Thaksin. And no, in this they do not misunderstand the Thai political systhem, as Thaksin is the man who holds the TRT party together. The party which is his brainchild, the party that he has founded. TRT many opposing and infighting fractions and swallowed small parties are held together by one man - Thaksin.

You can say it how many times you want, but this is reality. And generaly it reality that counts, and not theory and technicalities.

Please don't compare a developed nation such as the UK with Thailand. We are aeons away from the UK here in Thailand.

I agree with your sentiments regarding the comparison of democracies. However, the fact remains is that the policies (after all, we are talking politics here) the TRT voters voted for in their masses (30 baht healthcare, village loan systems etc) will still continue to be implemented, as that is what the people voted for. TRT as a party has a political mandate from the electorate, and will have a majority in government to be able to implement these policies.

I agree that TRT and Thaksin are synonymous in many people's minds, but so were Sharon and his Kadima party. After he went into a coma, people initially gave Kadima no chance during the recent elections as it was widely regarded that Sharon was Kadima - after all, he invented the party! When the election took place, people voted for policies and Kadima won the largest share of the vote under Ehud Olmert.

I guess what I am saying is that the election served two purposes: firstly as a referendum on Thaksin the man, and secondly as a way for Thai people to elect the party which would implement policies most beneficial to them. The victory was not convincing enough for Thaksin's position to be tenable, but still returned a government representative of the majority of voters.

[WilliamIV]

Obviously not all Upcountry folks are "Uneducated"

I am aware of a group of upcountry Students in Bangkok

- who IMHO are representative - who struggled to get home

to vote FOR TRT and Thaksin.

They had to Travel 5 hours each way and find the bus fare to do so.

They had to take time off from their poorly paid menial jobs ...

They cannot be regarded as Uneducated - they know Thaksin has faults

but they consider him good for Thailand.

Thaksin may have offended Human Rights - but he quashed the Drug Barrons - he might have stepped on peoples toes and given Projects to Cronnies - which the Opposition would also do if in power - but Thaksin got things DONE

[speculations edited out. Unfortunately we cannot tolerate this type of speculations. Please accept this. Thank you. /Meadish]

Meadish - I am ever ready to accept your Moderation - but to say I was Speculating is Completely wrong - in fact my Original post said it would be wrong to do so.

I merely quoted Thaksin himself - the one condition under which he would resign.

I can understand you deleting what Thaksin said - but do not distort your reason - there was no speculation in my post.

[lingling]

...and now he is taking a leave, handing over to Chidchai...

[Tolley]

The big question is will Thailand be better off when Thaksin goes?

I doubt it quite frankly.

Until such time as core problems are resolved Thailand is unlikely to benefit no matter who becomes PM.

Endemic corruption, transparency in govt, a reformed legal system infrastructure problems, polarities in income, education issues etc all need to be addressed asap if Thailand is to develop and rid itself of its third world image.

[Thaible]

A billionaire will be less corrupt than a bankrupt media mogul or a professional academic that's never held a real job.

If there is a re-election TRT will still kick the opposition's butt.

[Old Man River]

Just curious - I never heard Mr. Khun Dr. Prime Minister CEO referred to as simply "Lieutenant Colonel" before. Especially by a General!

Is that an indication that the former chief-chief now ranks below a full colonel in the hierarchy of Thailand? Below a caretaker?

Pol Lt Col was his rank when he retired from the police, he has been refered to as Lt. Col many times.

Yes, the former, ex-caretaker, previous, interim Prime Minister has held quite a few titles... most of them rather amusingly ironic in nature.

"Lieutenant Colonel" for work in the law enforcement field yet resigns due mainly to the crime of corruption.

"Doctor" for receiving a PhD from a university in America yet possesses abilities in English that are surpassed by a typical Prathom 2 public school student.

Probably best if we just all referred to him by the title that he prefers himself, "Maew"

A very small issue at best considering all that is going on, but I have found Dr. Thaksin's English language abilities to be quite a bit better than you make it out to be. When he is at rest, not worrying about what he should or should not say and how it would be interpreted or misinterpreted, his English is easily understood and he understands everything said. I only wish my Thai was that good!

[ando]

Believe it or not they actually have radio and TV up in Issarn now. Very few people in the country do not have access to information anymore. The main reason the majority of Thais prefer TRT is because of what TRT is actually doing for them rather than any failure of access to information.

LOL ... again you have missed current events .... the TV and Radio stations were towing the Government line all over the country. There were no broadcasts of the PAD rallies etc. There was almost 0 mention of the allegations against Thaksin. The broadcast media ((and until very recently the print media)) have been censored both from outside and from self-censorship due to the lawsuits brought against them by the Gov.

[

Very strange, as we watch Thai TV live on the internet here in Australia and my Thai wife discussed Thai current events with her family up in Issarn during this alleged political black out period. The family up in Issarn seemed to be up with the news from what I could tell from the wifes feedback. Perhaps we are not subjected to the same political black outs as your Thai family is.

However I would repeat what I have said earlier,-- for the up country Thais who make up the majority of the voting public, it is not some debatable technical point of law re corruption that influences their vote, but rather the candidates actual performance in serving those who put him in power.

For the majority of Thai voters (who happen to be rural people) Thaksin and TRT is judged on physical results on the ground in the local community rather than intellectual debates over points of law. People in village #2 up in the boon docks dont care about the outcome of some court case re telco sales, but they they do care about a new reservoir to provide water during the dry season.

The corruption allegations may or may not be true. Thais accept that just about all politicians are corrupt and so it is not a big factor in deciding votes. What does influence the voters is how the politicans serve the public while in office. The simple truth is that the TRT under Thaskin has served the majority of voters better than any other party and better than any other party has promised to do.

The people have spoken, And they have spoken in elections in the past also. The majority of voters in Thailand want TRT. The law suits and allegations are a side issue to most Thai voters. They vote on what a politican can deliver to them rather than what bad things someone else says he might have done.

If the opposition wants to get into power it needs to start serving the majority of voters who might put them into power instead of pandering to a minority of intellectuals in the city who want to seize power through the back door via civil unrest. Thailand has a long history of coups and dictaters brought into power by civil unrest . That is not the way things are supposed to work in a democracy.

TRT will again no doubt win the next election simply because it does the most for the greatest number of voters. The opposition parties need to open their eyes and see that there is a whole country out there in Thailand outside of Bangkok. Thaksin did and it gave TRT a lead that the others will take a long time to catch up to. The biggest stumbling block to their PAD ideal and its supporters is democracy. Once they embrace democracy, they can start to attack corruption, but not before.

[skippybangkok]

English skills...... reality Check, this is Thailand.

[Jai Dee]

New government urged to carry on with mega-projects

The Director-General of the Government Savings Bank, Mr. Goanpot Asvinvichit (กรพจน์ อัศวินวิจิตร), has requested the new government to carry on with the mega-projects that are benefcial to Thailand as many foreign investors still want to invest in them.

He indicated that the new government would use some time to consider all the mega-projects that have been slowed down. He said the new government should continue with the essential projects.

He stated that the current situation will have no impact on the confidence of the investors. He said they have a clear view that the situation in Thailand has returned to normal.

Mr. Goanpot disclosed that the Board of Investment of Thailand has reported that the investment has not declined but has rather improved, as can be seen from the constant increase of interest rates.

Source: Thai National News Bureau Public Relations Department - 05 April 2006

[cmcarrent]

A billionaire will be less corrupt than a bankrupt media mogul or a professional academic that's never held a real job.

That was what most Thais believes initially, but, Toxin the openly-known-tax-evading-self-profit-corrupted-billionaire-fearless-PM had proven otherwise.

If there is a re-election TRT will still kick the opposition's butt.

I have to agree with that...and probably TRT would score even more votes without their openly-known-tax-evading-self-profit-corrupted-billionaire-fearless-leader.

[Hermano Lobo]

TRT = Thais love Thais

What sort of name for a political party is that ?

People's Alliance for Democracy - now that sounds better !

TRT really means 'Thaksin Rips-off Thais' !

Without doubt Thai political consciousness has changed.

With that, the country will change.

The Thais have found a political voice.

The 'Old Guard' days are numbered.

The new young well educated technocrat's time has arrived.

What this will mean for 'Farang' I really don't know ?

Edited April 5, 2006 by Hermano Lobo

[Jai Dee]

PM Thaksin assigns DPM Chitchai to take care of his duties as he would like to rest for awhile

Deputy Minister of Public Health Anutin Charnvirakul (อนุทิน ชาญวีรกุล) revealed that during the Cabinet meeting, caretaker Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra said he would like to rest for awhile.

The caretaker premier has assigned Deputy Prime Minister and Justice Minister Chitchai Wannasathit to administrate the country and to be the chairperson of the Cabinet meeting. Dr. Thaksin said he would only join the meeting if certain urgent issues arise. However, Dr. Thaksin has reiterated to all ministers to perform their duties at the utmost until the last day of the present government’s administration.

The caretaker Prime Minister indicated that he has perform all his tasks as he has promised and has urged all the parties to keep their promises as well.

Source: Thai National News Bureau Public Relations Department - 05 April 2006

[francois]

hi'

yesterday evening for the first time since crisis began, they talked about on the news in France ...

to say the prime minister of Thailand mr T Chinawatra resigned and won't be part of the next government, explaining that he was in a trouble because of high level corruption and they also show the mass of protesters in the street in BKK!

just once in all this time, as a simple news!

wil he step off for good, it's still a remaining question, what kind of role will he play?

on the dark side, in the shade and still directing the new pm as a puppet?

who knows?

wait and see

francois

[Orion76]

Lt. Colonel? That must be a typo. He's a Lt. General - a very high rank.

Oops - I just double checked and he was a Lt. Colonel. I could have sworn I read that he was a Lt. General, but he wasn't. Anyway, Lt. Colonel, Caretaker PM, Primier, RachaMontri, whatever; he's still going to be in power behind the scenes.

The Thai National News Bureau has refered to Thaksin as Lt General Thaksin in many of their press releases so that is probably where you got that.