Amnesty bill change by panel 'to benefit' Thaksin

[tominbkk]

Stop slagging off the best thing to happen to Thailand and it's people!

Viva the rightful elected leaders return!

CCC

I totally agree 100%

Drop all charges and let him come back to Thailand.

Because there will be an absolute riot in the streets in BKK and probably all over the country, it will be the end of this government and he and his entire family will likely flee to distant lands.

Hurry up and bring him back..... sooner the better.

Better yet he may face similar consequences as Sae Dang.

[pmugghc]

To be honest I feel extremely worried about these developments. I have a non-Thai family here. We had already planned to leave, waiting for the house to be sold. I hope we can finish the sale and get out of here in time. Thaksin's return plus the other unmentionable event that will come some day can make the 2010 events look like a picnic.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[hellodolly]

Stop slagging off the best thing to happen to Thailand and it's people!

Viva the rightful elected leaders return!

CCC

You would be correct if you were to leave Thaksin out of the deal.

Remember he looks stupid and darn near is that stupid but he is not exactly looking for a free ride home. He would almost have to take it and he knows he has created enough enemies here that there is a bullet with his name on it.

If he gets a free ride home and takes it you will see red again and it will not be shirts.

[Skywalker69]

Stop slagging off the best thing to happen to Thailand and it's people!

Viva the rightful elected leaders return!

CCC

Are you for real?

He can´t be.

[Rich teacher]

Those independent valuers couldn't have been much cop though. The land was sold subsequently for 1.8 billion, much closer to it's previous valuation.

The main issue was the matter of a law which categorically forbids government officials buying government land for the obvious reason that it might induce fraud. Now the PM's wife may not have been aware of this and the PM himself may have made an honest mistake when he signed off the deal. Ok, it was only a measly three quarters of a billion baht but the law is the law and others have gone to jail for a lot less.

Somchainuk Engtrakul, permanent secretary for finance, said the FIDF had examined all related laws before the auction and not found any prohibition.

The charge was based on alleged violation of Section 100 of the National Counter Corruption Act, which specifies that government officials and their spouses are prohibited from entering into or having interests in contracts made with state agencies under their authorisation. However, Section 4 of the Act indicates that persons committing malfeasance must be direct supervisors of the damaged party - in this case, the FIDF. At the time, Bank of Thailand Governor Pridiyathorn Devakula directly supervised the FIDF, not Thaksin. Section 29 of the Bank of Thailand Act of 1942 stated that the Prime Minister did not have jurisdiction to oversee the FIDF, because those managing the fund had sole authority for policies, control, oversight and regulations governing the agency. Pridiyathorn's testimony to the court occurred in secret - Thaksin's legal team was not allowed in the room. The FIDF later noted that the land was sold to the Shinawatras at a price greater than its appraised value.

[whybother]

Those independent valuers couldn't have been much cop though. The land was sold subsequently for 1.8 billion, much closer to it's previous valuation.

The main issue was the matter of a law which categorically forbids government officials buying government land for the obvious reason that it might induce fraud. Now the PM's wife may not have been aware of this and the PM himself may have made an honest mistake when he signed off the deal. Ok, it was only a measly three quarters of a billion baht but the law is the law and others have gone to jail for a lot less.

Somchainuk Engtrakul, permanent secretary for finance, said the FIDF had examined all related laws before the auction and not found any prohibition.

The charge was based on alleged violation of Section 100 of the National Counter Corruption Act, which specifies that government officials and their spouses are prohibited from entering into or having interests in contracts made with state agencies under their authorisation. However, Section 4 of the Act indicates that persons committing malfeasance must be direct supervisors of the damaged party - in this case, the FIDF. At the time, Bank of Thailand Governor Pridiyathorn Devakula directly supervised the FIDF, not Thaksin. Section 29 of the Bank of Thailand Act of 1942 stated that the Prime Minister did not have jurisdiction to oversee the FIDF, because those managing the fund had sole authority for policies, control, oversight and regulations governing the agency. Pridiyathorn's testimony to the court occurred in secret - Thaksin's legal team was not allowed in the room. The FIDF later noted that the land was sold to the Shinawatras at a price greater than its appraised value.

If the government have no authority over the FIDF, how is it that they can transfer the FIDF debt to the BOT?

[Rich teacher]

Those independent valuers couldn't have been much cop though. The land was sold subsequently for 1.8 billion, much closer to it's previous valuation.

The main issue was the matter of a law which categorically forbids government officials buying government land for the obvious reason that it might induce fraud. Now the PM's wife may not have been aware of this and the PM himself may have made an honest mistake when he signed off the deal. Ok, it was only a measly three quarters of a billion baht but the law is the law and others have gone to jail for a lot less.

Somchainuk Engtrakul, permanent secretary for finance, said the FIDF had examined all related laws before the auction and not found any prohibition.

The charge was based on alleged violation of Section 100 of the National Counter Corruption Act, which specifies that government officials and their spouses are prohibited from entering into or having interests in contracts made with state agencies under their authorisation. However, Section 4 of the Act indicates that persons committing malfeasance must be direct supervisors of the damaged party - in this case, the FIDF. At the time, Bank of Thailand Governor Pridiyathorn Devakula directly supervised the FIDF, not Thaksin. Section 29 of the Bank of Thailand Act of 1942 stated that the Prime Minister did not have jurisdiction to oversee the FIDF, because those managing the fund had sole authority for policies, control, oversight and regulations governing the agency. Pridiyathorn's testimony to the court occurred in secret - Thaksin's legal team was not allowed in the room. The FIDF later noted that the land was sold to the Shinawatras at a price greater than its appraised value.

If the government have no authority over the FIDF, how is it that they can transfer the FIDF debt to the BOT?

Please reread before making poor comebacks with little relevance; "However, Section 4 of the Act indicates that persons committing malfeasance must be direct supervisors of the damaged party"

Also note that the whole deal was checked & approved by the FIDF before Potjaman went ahead with the purchase.

[whybother]

Somchainuk Engtrakul, permanent secretary for finance, said the FIDF had examined all related laws before the auction and not found any prohibition.

The charge was based on alleged violation of Section 100 of the National Counter Corruption Act, which specifies that government officials and their spouses are prohibited from entering into or having interests in contracts made with state agencies under their authorisation. However, Section 4 of the Act indicates that persons committing malfeasance must be direct supervisors of the damaged party - in this case, the FIDF. At the time, Bank of Thailand Governor Pridiyathorn Devakula directly supervised the FIDF, not Thaksin. Section 29 of the Bank of Thailand Act of 1942 stated that the Prime Minister did not have jurisdiction to oversee the FIDF, because those managing the fund had sole authority for policies, control, oversight and regulations governing the agency. Pridiyathorn's testimony to the court occurred in secret - Thaksin's legal team was not allowed in the room. The FIDF later noted that the land was sold to the Shinawatras at a price greater than its appraised value.

If the government have no authority over the FIDF, how is it that they can transfer the FIDF debt to the BOT?

Please reread before making poor comebacks with little relevance; "However, Section 4 of the Act indicates that persons committing malfeasance must be direct supervisors of the damaged party"

Also note that the whole deal was checked & approved by the FIDF before Potjaman went ahead with the purchase.

Maybe you need to reread this part to see the relevance of my comment.

"Section 29 of the Bank of Thailand Act of 1942 stated that the Prime Minister did not have jurisdiction to oversee the FIDF, because those managing the fund had sole authority for policies, control, oversight and regulations governing the agency."

Obviously, that must have changed (maybe in amendments to the act after 1997), since the government seems to be able to control their policy.

[Gonzo the Face]

Well I am happy to see the Pheu Thai Party live up to the promise to stop the problems and illegality of corruption. Not quite so happy to see that how they are going about doing it is by making ammending the constitution to make corruption it not a problem by now just forgiving all involved..... corruption will now be not a problem if your are caught, you will just be forgiven. No problem.

[rametindallas]

How long before the tanks start to roll?

If this bill gets passed, not too long.

Thailand, the hub of the foot shot.

At the moment the army doesn't show any sign that they want to help Thailand.

They didn't show much sign in 2006 either. I told my Royalist friends that the Army was going to stage a coup d’état and they said, "no way, the Army doesn't do that anymore". I told them to wait and see. The Army is made up of Thai people and we know that they are capable of smiling to your face while they stab you in the back. Don't be fooled that the Army seems to be on good terms with this government. Their first oath of loyalty is to the Monarchy, then the Country, then to the Government. Why do your think the Red Shirt operatives are always warning their people of a coup? They want their people ready to put up a fight this time.

[rametindallas]

Stop slagging off the best thing to happen to Thailand and it's people!

Viva the rightful elected leaders return!

CCC

Hold on to that dream for that is all it is.

[rametindallas]

How long before the tanks start to roll?

If this bill gets passed, not too long.

Thailand, the hub of the foot shot.

At the moment the army doesn't show any sign that they want to help Thailand.

The situation hasn't reached the point of no return yet, but you can bet there are some fervent conversations going on behind closed doors right now to prevent that happening.

But if this one man party keeps pushing just for his benefit..... get the popcorn out.

We are living in interesting times.

Well the Generals are no idealists as well and there are the questions:

1) Will a coup improve the situation in the long range.....so far the history doesn't give much hope.

2) Will all the other corrupt governments in the West boycott Thailand and ensure that everything fails?

3) Where is the profit, if Thaksin pays a lot why do it?

4) Does a coup with part of the military already paid by Thaksin might result in a civil war?

5) Is the point of no return really the point of no return or will all resolve itself in 5 years (or any other reasonable time)? No one can see into the future.

6) There must be a trigger event...like the police shooting at demonstrators.

7) There must be a good plan on what to do after the coup and there must be good people to do it, even they risk to stay in jail for the rest of their lives if the other side wins.

So it does not look easy.

some good points. Regarding point 6, though, what was the trigger in 2006? Dr. Thaksin had illegally seized power for 11 months before the Army stepped in.

[rametindallas]

Let’s just forgive and forget and we can all start afresh once again.

Let me just thoroughly rip you off first, okay?

[rametindallas]

It is worrying the paranoia that clouds the Thaksin obsessives on here.

It's all about him, him, him.

Hoping for military coups to remove elected government.

Please get a grip people.

Why not him, him, him. He organized and funded the attempted overthrow of the Abhisit government in 2010. He rules Thailand from Dubai through Skype and his young sister. Who else is pulling the strings on this puppet government? Do you know who if not Thaksin? It's not paranoia, Dr. Thaksin has a track record; we know he is capable of blocking all NGOs and controlling all power excepting the Monarchy and the Military. His megalomania is well documented. How paranoid do you have to be to be afraid of a known mass murderer?

[rametindallas]

Yeah, right. He wasn't the elected leader when he was forcibly removed, he'd dissolved parliament and was illegally holding on to power. He has been convicted in a scandalous fraud case where his government siezed a plot of land and then allowed his then wife to buy it at far less than the market price. He has other more serious criminal charges outstanding.

He wasn't elected to anything, because he is a convicted criminal fugitive who is trying very hard to change laws and the constitution, via his puppet sisters regime, which he selected, to whitewash these criminal offences under the umbrella of political amnesty and reconciliation. The problems is he's arrogant enough to try and do it openly, which creates even more tension.

If you think he's good for Thailand, and is the rightful elected leader then you probably think the same about Hun Set, Mugabe , the crackpot North Korean and all the other criminal dictators who line their own and their families' pockets at the expense of their country.

How many more times do you need to be told the truth before it sinks in. Thaksin was legally caretaker PM awaiting the royally approved elecion on October 15th

Mon Jul 31 2006

Embattled TRT still holds edge over opposition: poll

Eligible voters who intend to vote for a political party in the next general election are split in their choice between the ruling Thai Rak Thai (TRT) Party and any of the three main opposition parties, with TRT holding a slight edge, a national survey has found.

He said the result pointed to what he called "political equilibrium", which could serve as a deterrent against possible abuse of power by the ruling party.

As many as 84.3 per cent of those surveyed said they would vote in the poll, scheduled for October 15. http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2006/07/31/headlines/headlines_30009984.php

A newspaper poll is not history.

When Dr. Thaksin was PM, he dissolved Parliament because of protests over his tax free sale of 49% of his telecom business to Singapore's Sovereign Wealth Fund. During the new elections, his TRT party broke the election law that states when a party has no opposition candidate in a district, they must win 40% of the electorate (not 40% of the votes cast). The Democrat Party boycotted the elections and TRT was running unopposed in many districts. It is difficult to get enough turnouts to get 40% of the electorate so the TRT party paid other, smaller parties to run against them and got caught and the election was nullified by the EC. Thaksin had 60 days to hold new elections after the previous elections were voided but failed to do so. At the end of those 60 days, his mandate to govern was over and he moved out of Government House and a caretaker PM was installed to facilitate new elections. After a couple of weeks, Dr. Thaksin moved back into government house and there was no power to stop him. Though Dr. Thaksin was in Government House acting as PM, he had no legal authority to be there. When the Army moved in, they did not oust a sitting PM but they did oust a pretender and power grabber. Who else was going to enforce Constitutional rules that should be enforced by the Executive Branch of Government? In this case, The Executive Branch had been coopted by a pretender (Dr. Thaksin) who was not following the Constitution that he was sworn to obey. The Army is the Last Resort to prevent dictatorship and abuse at the highest levels. I repeat, Dr. Thaksin was not a legal PM when the Army moved in and in fact, when the Army held elections, they did not prevent the installation of a government by Dr. Thaksin's nominee, K. Somchai after he won. Now you can see why so many people can never trust an undemocratic figure as Dr. Thaksin has proved himself to be.

2006

January 23 - The Shinawatra family announce the sale of its controlling stake in telecom company Shin Corp. to Singapore's state-owned Temasek Holdings for a tax-free $1.9 billion.

February 24 - Thaksin dissolves parliament, calls for snap elections on April 2 amid protests and mounting criticism over his family's sale of shares in Shin Corp.

March 5 - Tens of thousands attend rally by newly formed People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) to call for Thaksin's resignation for alleged abuse of power, corruption and business conflicts of interest.

April 3 - Thaksin claims victory after snap election, which opposition parties boycotted over corruption allegations. Thaksin's Thai Rak Thai party was the only major party to participate.

May 8 - Constitutional Court rules April election invalid.

September 19 - Military seizes power in a bloodless coup following series of PAD rallies, while Thaksin is at the U.N. General Assembly in New York.

Actually the coup was more than four months AFTER the judgment and he STILL hadn't held new elections.

source: Thailand timeline 2001-2011 http://www.cnn.com/2...line/index.html

[Baerboxer]

Yes and the murder charged of former PM.Abhisit and former CREST Director Suthep. PAD leaders Democratic partys MP:s blocked main Air-Ports and put Thailand in an very dangerous situation , this Was an terrorist action against Thailand !!!!

Get real! Don't you think the 2010 terrorist uprising by financed red shirt thugs put Thailand in danger ?

[rametindallas]

Yeah, right. He wasn't the elected leader when he was forcibly removed, he'd dissolved parliament and was illegally holding on to power. He has been convicted in a scandalous fraud case where his government siezed a plot of land and then allowed his then wife to buy it at far less than the market price. He has other more serious criminal charges outstanding.

He wasn't elected to anything, because he is a convicted criminal fugitive who is trying very hard to change laws and the constitution, via his puppet sisters regime, which he selected, to whitewash these criminal offences under the umbrella of political amnesty and reconciliation. The problems is he's arrogant enough to try and do it openly, which creates even more tension.

If you think he's good for Thailand, and is the rightful elected leader then you probably think the same about Hun Set, Mugabe , the crackpot North Korean and all the other criminal dictators who line their own and their families' pockets at the expense of their country.

How many more times do you need to be told the truth before it sinks in. Thaksin was legally caretaker PM awaiting the royally approved elecion on October 15th

Mon Jul 31 2006

Embattled TRT still holds edge over opposition: poll

Eligible voters who intend to vote for a political party in the next general election are split in their choice between the ruling Thai Rak Thai (TRT) Party and any of the three main opposition parties, with TRT holding a slight edge, a national survey has found.

He said the result pointed to what he called "political equilibrium", which could serve as a deterrent against possible abuse of power by the ruling party.

As many as 84.3 per cent of those surveyed said they would vote in the poll, scheduled for October 15. http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2006/07/31/headlines/headlines_30009984.php

"He has been convicted in a scandalous fraud case where his government siezed a plot of land and then allowed his then wife to buy it at far less than the market price"

You couldn't be more wrong if you tried. Everything, apart from the word "scandalous". but even then it was scandalous in a different way to the way you mean.

The government did not "seize a plot of land". A subsidiary of the Bank of Thailand, the FIDF had bought some land off a Finance Company,the Erawan Trust and were auctioning that land off in 3 parcels. Far from buying it at under market price, Thaksin's wifes bid was the highest of the three accepted on the 33 rai parcel of land.

The rest of your rant is not worth answering.

In fact the bank had the land independently valued at 750 million having failed to get a single offer when they set the asking price too high in a previous e-auction.

She narrowly outbid land and house and paid 775 million baht.

Of course, no one in Thailand has ever rigged a bid. \sarc

[rametindallas]

Those independent valuers couldn't have been much cop though. The land was sold subsequently for 1.8 billion, much closer to it's previous valuation.

The main issue was the matter of a law which categorically forbids government officials buying government land for the obvious reason that it might induce fraud. Now the PM's wife may not have been aware of this and the PM himself may have made an honest mistake when he signed off the deal. Ok, it was only a measly three quarters of a billion baht but the law is the law and others have gone to jail for a lot less.

Somchainuk Engtrakul, permanent secretary for finance, said the FIDF had examined all related laws before the auction and not found any prohibition.

The charge was based on alleged violation of Section 100 of the National Counter Corruption Act, which specifies that government officials and their spouses are prohibited from entering into or having interests in contracts made with state agencies under their authorisation. However, Section 4 of the Act indicates that persons committing malfeasance must be direct supervisors of the damaged party - in this case, the FIDF. At the time, Bank of Thailand Governor Pridiyathorn Devakula directly supervised the FIDF, not Thaksin. Section 29 of the Bank of Thailand Act of 1942 stated that the Prime Minister did not have jurisdiction to oversee the FIDF, because those managing the fund had sole authority for policies, control, oversight and regulations governing the agency. Pridiyathorn's testimony to the court occurred in secret - Thaksin's legal team was not allowed in the room. The FIDF later noted that the land was sold to the Shinawatras at a price greater than its appraised value.

Mr. Somchainuk was overruled by the Supreme Court which has more clout than Mr. Somchainuk.

[billd766]

Yeah, right. He wasn't the elected leader when he was forcibly removed, he'd dissolved parliament and was illegally holding on to power. He has been convicted in a scandalous fraud case where his government siezed a plot of land and then allowed his then wife to buy it at far less than the market price. He has other more serious criminal charges outstanding.

He wasn't elected to anything, because he is a convicted criminal fugitive who is trying very hard to change laws and the constitution, via his puppet sisters regime, which he selected, to whitewash these criminal offences under the umbrella of political amnesty and reconciliation. The problems is he's arrogant enough to try and do it openly, which creates even more tension.

If you think he's good for Thailand, and is the rightful elected leader then you probably think the same about Hun Set, Mugabe , the crackpot North Korean and all the other criminal dictators who line their own and their families' pockets at the expense of their country.

How many more times do you need to be told the truth before it sinks in. Thaksin was legally caretaker PM awaiting the royally approved elecion on October 15th

Mon Jul 31 2006

Embattled TRT still holds edge over opposition: poll

Eligible voters who intend to vote for a political party in the next general election are split in their choice between the ruling Thai Rak Thai (TRT) Party and any of the three main opposition parties, with TRT holding a slight edge, a national survey has found.

He said the result pointed to what he called "political equilibrium", which could serve as a deterrent against possible abuse of power by the ruling party.

As many as 84.3 per cent of those surveyed said they would vote in the poll, scheduled for October 15. http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2006/07/31/headlines/headlines_30009984.php

A newspaper poll is not history.

When Dr. Thaksin was PM, he dissolved Parliament because of protests over his tax free sale of 49% of his telecom business to Singapore's Sovereign Wealth Fund. During the new elections, his TRT party broke the election law that states when a party has no opposition candidate in a district, they must win 40% of the electorate (not 40% of the votes cast). The Democrat Party boycotted the elections and TRT was running unopposed in many districts. It is difficult to get enough turnouts to get 40% of the electorate so the TRT party paid other, smaller parties to run against them and got caught and the election was nullified by the EC. Thaksin had 60 days to hold new elections after the previous elections were voided but failed to do so. At the end of those 60 days, his mandate to govern was over and he moved out of Government House and a caretaker PM was installed to facilitate new elections. After a couple of weeks, Dr. Thaksin moved back into government house and there was no power to stop him. Though Dr. Thaksin was in Government House acting as PM, he had no legal authority to be there. When the Army moved in, they did not oust a sitting PM but they did oust a pretender and power grabber. Who else was going to enforce Constitutional rules that should be enforced by the Executive Branch of Government? In this case, The Executive Branch had been coopted by a pretender (Dr. Thaksin) who was not following the Constitution that he was sworn to obey. The Army is the Last Resort to prevent dictatorship and abuse at the highest levels. I repeat, Dr. Thaksin was not a legal PM when the Army moved in and in fact, when the Army held elections, they did not prevent the installation of a government by Dr. Thaksin's nominee, K. Somchai after he won. Now you can see why so many people can never trust an undemocratic figure as Dr. Thaksin has proved himself to be.

2006

January 23 - The Shinawatra family announce the sale of its controlling stake in telecom company Shin Corp. to Singapore's state-owned Temasek Holdings for a tax-free $1.9 billion.

February 24 - Thaksin dissolves parliament, calls for snap elections on April 2 amid protests and mounting criticism over his family's sale of shares in Shin Corp.

March 5 - Tens of thousands attend rally by newly formed People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) to call for Thaksin's resignation for alleged abuse of power, corruption and business conflicts of interest.

April 3 - Thaksin claims victory after snap election, which opposition parties boycotted over corruption allegations. Thaksin's Thai Rak Thai party was the only major party to participate.

May 8 - Constitutional Court rules April election invalid.

September 19 - Military seizes power in a bloodless coup following series of PAD rallies, while Thaksin is at the U.N. General Assembly in New York.

Actually the coup was more than four months AFTER the judgment and he STILL hadn't held new elections.

source: Thailand timeline 2001-2011 http://www.cnn.com/2...line/index.html

You won't convince fab4 or whoever he was in a previous life.

He is an ardent believer that Thaksin NEVER did anything wrong or broke any law in his life.

He lives and dies by the truths in Thaksins little red book.

[whybother]

You won't convince fab4 or whoever he was in a previous life.

He is an ardent believer that Thaksin NEVER did anything wrong or broke any law in his life.

He lives and dies by the truths in Thaksins little red book.

I'm guessing he was PhiPhiDon.

[fab4]

You won't convince fab4 or whoever he was in a previous life.

He is an ardent believer that Thaksin NEVER did anything wrong or broke any law in his life.

He lives and dies by the truths in Thaksins little red book.

A bit presumptous of you isn't it, thinking you know me and how I think. If you want to believe that is how I regard Thaksin, fair enough, but take a good look at your "truths" just once in awhile and see if they are really true.

[fab4]

A newspaper poll is not history.

When Dr. Thaksin was PM, he dissolved Parliament because of protests over his tax free sale of 49% of his telecom business to Singapore's Sovereign Wealth Fund. During the new elections, his TRT party broke the election law that states when a party has no opposition candidate in a district, they must win 40% of the electorate (not 40% of the votes cast). The Democrat Party boycotted the elections and TRT was running unopposed in many districts. It is difficult to get enough turnouts to get 40% of the electorate so the TRT party paid other, smaller parties to run against them and got caught and the election was nullified by the EC. Thaksin had 60 days to hold new elections after the previous elections were voided but failed to do so. At the end of those 60 days, his mandate to govern was over and he moved out of Government House and a caretaker PM was installed to facilitate new elections. After a couple of weeks, Dr. Thaksin moved back into government house and there was no power to stop him. Though Dr. Thaksin was in Government House acting as PM, he had no legal authority to be there. When the Army moved in, they did not oust a sitting PM but they did oust a pretender and power grabber. Who else was going to enforce Constitutional rules that should be enforced by the Executive Branch of Government? In this case, The Executive Branch had been coopted by a pretender (Dr. Thaksin) who was not following the Constitution that he was sworn to obey. The Army is the Last Resort to prevent dictatorship and abuse at the highest levels. I repeat, Dr. Thaksin was not a legal PM when the Army moved in and in fact, when the Army held elections, they did not prevent the installation of a government by Dr. Thaksin's nominee, K. Somchai after he won. Now you can see why so many people can never trust an undemocratic figure as Dr. Thaksin has proved himself to be.

2006

January 23 - The Shinawatra family announce the sale of its controlling stake in telecom company Shin Corp. to Singapore's state-owned Temasek Holdings for a tax-free $1.9 billion.

February 24 - Thaksin dissolves parliament, calls for snap elections on April 2 amid protests and mounting criticism over his family's sale of shares in Shin Corp.

March 5 - Tens of thousands attend rally by newly formed People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) to call for Thaksin's resignation for alleged abuse of power, corruption and business conflicts of interest.

April 3 - Thaksin claims victory after snap election, which opposition parties boycotted over corruption allegations. Thaksin's Thai Rak Thai party was the only major party to participate.

May 8 - Constitutional Court rules April election invalid.

September 19 - Military seizes power in a bloodless coup following series of PAD rallies, while Thaksin is at the U.N. General Assembly in New York.

Actually the coup was more than four months AFTER the judgment and he STILL hadn't held new elections.

source: Thailand timeline 2001-2011 http://www.cnn.com/2...line/index.html

Are you denying there were election polls scheduled for October 15th 2006? That Thaksin was not Caretaker PM?

29th April 2006

Abhisit announces candidacy for PM

Democrat Party leader Abhisit Vejjajiva said on Saturday he is ready and willing to be prime minister whose policies will focus on anti-corruption and free tuitions for students. Caretaker Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra had said that he would allocate budgets to those who voted for him and his Thai Rak Thai Party only.

http://nationmultimedia.com/2006/04/29/headlines/headlines_30002859.php

26th July 2006

Premier cornered again as court hands down verdict

Thaksin Shinawatra can really get a taste of his own medicine now. He thought he had regained the upper hand following Friday's royal endorsement of the October 15 election date. But his triumph was short-lived - a mere four days.

Yesterday he looked demoralised upon learning that the Criminal Court had handed down a verdict that effectively booted Vasana Puemlarp, Prinya Nakchudtree and Virachai Naewboonnien off the Election Commission (EC).

http://nationmultimedia.com/2006/04/29/headlines/headlines_30002859.php

7th August 2006

Democrat leader Abhisit Vejjajiva yesterday again challenged caretaker Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra to a live TV showdown - something Thai voters would love to see most, according to the latest opinion poll.

"If Prime Minister Thaksin is confident in Thai Rak Thai policies, please see me on television so that people can see and compare the differences," Abhisit said at a major seminar on his party's policies.

http://nationmultimedia.com/2006/08/07/headlines/headlines_30010532.php

Oh, well. No point trying to convince you any further

[slapout]

Some people forsee a check mate and concede, some have to make the moves that make it an offical checkmate, and some scatter the pieces, board and all. Thaksin seemed to have the latter mentality/desposition as do many of his supporters.

[longway]

Yeah, right. He wasn't the elected leader when he was forcibly removed, he'd dissolved parliament and was illegally holding on to power. He has been convicted in a scandalous fraud case where his government siezed a plot of land and then allowed his then wife to buy it at far less than the market price. He has other more serious criminal charges outstanding.

He wasn't elected to anything, because he is a convicted criminal fugitive who is trying very hard to change laws and the constitution, via his puppet sisters regime, which he selected, to whitewash these criminal offences under the umbrella of political amnesty and reconciliation. The problems is he's arrogant enough to try and do it openly, which creates even more tension.

If you think he's good for Thailand, and is the rightful elected leader then you probably think the same about Hun Set, Mugabe , the crackpot North Korean and all the other criminal dictators who line their own and their families' pockets at the expense of their country.

"He has been convicted in a scandalous fraud case where his government siezed a plot of land and then allowed his then wife to buy it at far less than the market price"

You couldn't be more wrong if you tried. Everything, apart from the word "scandalous". but even then it was scandalous in a different way to the way you mean.

The government did not "seize a plot of land". A subsidiary of the Bank of Thailand, the FIDF had bought some land off a Finance Company,the Erawan Trust and were auctioning that land off in 3 parcels. Far from buying it at under market price, Thaksin's wifes bid was the highest of the three accepted on the 33 rai parcel of land.

The rest of your rant is not worth answering.

In fact the bank had the land independently valued at 750 million having failed to get a single offer when they set the asking price too high in a previous e-auction.

She narrowly outbid land and house and paid 775 million baht.

Narrowly outbid?

The three bids were

Pojaman Shinawatra - 772,000,000 baht

Land & Houses Plc - 730,000,000 baht

Noble Development - 750,000,000 baht

I think 22 and 42 Million baht more for a property is a bit more than narrowly outbidding them. But I agree with you that the FIDF did well out of the sale, even if the Junta appointed judges didn't think so.

Has Pojaman ever lost an government `auction`?

[rubl]

How many times do YOU need to be told that Thaksin was NOT legally the caretaker Prime Minister.

He formally resigned on 06 April 2006 after tendering his resignation to the King and was NO LONGER the caretaker PM. He also declared that he was finished with politics for ever.

Thaksin named Justice Minister Chitchai Wannasathit, who is also a deputy prime minister and former police general, as this Southeast Asian nation's interim prime minister.

Ref http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0604/S00075.htm

Thailand's prime minister, Thaksin Shinawatra, resigned last night, accepting that continuing would trigger prolonged unrest.

Ref http://www.theguardian.com/world/2006/apr/05/thailand

After 48 days he took back the position of caretaker PM but was not formally recognised by the King in that position.

In September he was ousted by the coup.

Now I spent about 10 minutes on the internet looking this lot up.

It is called research. Try it sometime BEFORE you post.

Well if you spent longer than 10 minutes and analyzed what was said instead of taking things at face value you'd learn something too.

When he "resigned" he said he would not seek a post as Prime Minister in a new government. He added that he would remain in post as caretaker PM until new elections were held. Due to the need for an election of new EC officers this date was royally endorsed for Oct 15th. He was or would have been caretaker PM up until the new elections.

Former Democrat MP for District 2, Chalermlak Kebsup, told the Gazette this morning, “We have to examine this more closely. PM Thaksin has said he will resign after Parliament convenes, but right now he is still the PM. People may believe that all the problems have been solved, but if you think about it nothing has changed.

“What the PM did last night was for his own benefit. Ordinary people who do not understand politics in depth will have seen his announcement and will admire him. But last night, as I was listening to him, many people called me to ask, ‘What does it mean?’

“He said that he would continue to push TRT policies [after stepping down], so that means nothing has changed.

“If he is sincere [about resigning] it will be good, but if he is simply maneuvering for position, things will get worse because he will be able to shift blame onto the new Prime Minister.”

“In fact, the PM and the entire Cabinet should quit, making way for a royally-appointed interim Prime Minister to take over running of the country,” she added.

As things stand, Thaksin will remain in the chair until the new Parliament is convened and a new PM can be elected by MPs. Just when that will happen is not clear; if opposition parties continue to boycott elections, the likely result will be a repeat of the April 2 poll, which left dozens of provinces – including Phuket – without MPs. Without enough MPs nationwide, Parliament cannot be convened. http://www.phuketgazette.net/archives/articles/2006/article4927.html

Only one small, almost neglectable miniscule problem with all that. The part "Thaksin said he would"

Anyway, don't worry, you probably don't need amnesty yourself, so just relax my dear fabby

[zydeco]

How long before the tanks start to roll?

If this bill gets passed, not too long.

Thailand, the hub of the foot shot.

At the moment the army doesn't show any sign that they want to help Thailand.

The situation hasn't reached the point of no return yet, but you can bet there are some fervent conversations going on behind closed doors right now to prevent that happening.

But if this one man party keeps pushing just for his benefit..... get the popcorn out.

We are living in interesting times.

Well the Generals are no idealists as well and there are the questions:

1) Will a coup improve the situation in the long range.....so far the history doesn't give much hope.

2) Will all the other corrupt governments in the West boycott Thailand and ensure that everything fails?

3) Where is the profit, if Thaksin pays a lot why do it?

4) Does a coup with part of the military already paid by Thaksin might result in a civil war?

5) Is the point of no return really the point of no return or will all resolve itself in 5 years (or any other reasonable time)? No one can see into the future.

6) There must be a trigger event...like the police shooting at demonstrators.

7) There must be a good plan on what to do after the coup and there must be good people to do it, even they risk to stay in jail for the rest of their lives if the other side wins.

So it does not look easy.

Most people on this forum have much more experience and time in Thailand than I do. I've only been here for four years. But there seem to be a lot of good points, here. From my perspective, the anti-government forces now look exhausted, dispirited, and beaten. Maybe there is something else behind the facade, but on the surface, they look whipped. I do wonder about issue #2 above. Will other governments care? Their experience supporting the Arab Spring seems to have made them open their eyes about universal principles of government. And, otherwise, I think countries like the US just will not care about Thailand anymore. They have more important and more trustworthy partners in the region. I think the US has just about written off Thailand as a literal swamp of corruption. I doubt they'll care, and most average Americans don't even pay attention to what is going on in Mexico. For them to care about "democracy" in Thailand is about as far fetched their balancing the US deficit.

[marcusd]

Stop slagging off the best thing to happen to Thailand and it's people!

 

Viva the rightful elected leaders return!

 

CCC

chitty...are you an ignoramus or a trouble maker?. That man Thaksin .. After the phuket dunami siphoned off millions of dollars donated by overseas governments and what hedid was rebuild HIS resorts. He totally forgot others. This started enquiries by overseas governments against him. Then he swindled more and more. Like selling a dud phone network to Myanmar and getting the Thai government to foot the bill. A crime against his own people. Hang the bastard and any other in public office who rapes their own.

Sent from my RM-892_apac_laos_thailand_219 using Tapatalk

[h90]

"He has been convicted in a scandalous fraud case where his government siezed a plot of land and then allowed his then wife to buy it at far less than the market price"

You couldn't be more wrong if you tried. Everything, apart from the word "scandalous". but even then it was scandalous in a different way to the way you mean.

The government did not "seize a plot of land". A subsidiary of the Bank of Thailand, the FIDF had bought some land off a Finance Company,the Erawan Trust and were auctioning that land off in 3 parcels. Far from buying it at under market price, Thaksin's wifes bid was the highest of the three accepted on the 33 rai parcel of land.

The rest of your rant is not worth answering.

In fact the bank had the land independently valued at 750 million having failed to get a single offer when they set the asking price too high in a previous e-auction.

She narrowly outbid land and house and paid 775 million baht.

Narrowly outbid?

The three bids were

Pojaman Shinawatra - 772,000,000 baht

Land & Houses Plc - 730,000,000 baht

Noble Development - 750,000,000 baht

I think 22 and 42 Million baht more for a property is a bit more than narrowly outbidding them. But I agree with you that the FIDF did well out of the sale, even if the Junta appointed judges didn't think so.

Has Pojaman ever lost an government `auction`?

Another point was that the max. building height was restricted before the auction and lifted afterwards.

[BigC]

Stop slagging off the best thing to happen to Thailand and it's people!

Viva the rightful elected leaders return!

CCC

Never met any politician that i would trust or vote for anywhere in the world. Demcoracy is normally shaped to let to powerful people in,

Anyway as Winston Chirchill said " Demcoracy is not perfect but it is the best deal we have got"

[rametindallas]

A newspaper poll is not history.

When Dr. Thaksin was PM, he dissolved Parliament because of protests over his tax free sale of 49% of his telecom business to Singapore's Sovereign Wealth Fund. During the new elections, his TRT party broke the election law that states when a party has no opposition candidate in a district, they must win 40% of the electorate (not 40% of the votes cast). The Democrat Party boycotted the elections and TRT was running unopposed in many districts. It is difficult to get enough turnouts to get 40% of the electorate so the TRT party paid other, smaller parties to run against them and got caught and the election was nullified by the EC. Thaksin had 60 days to hold new elections after the previous elections were voided but failed to do so. At the end of those 60 days, his mandate to govern was over and he moved out of Government House and a caretaker PM was installed to facilitate new elections. After a couple of weeks, Dr. Thaksin moved back into government house and there was no power to stop him. Though Dr. Thaksin was in Government House acting as PM, he had no legal authority to be there. When the Army moved in, they did not oust a sitting PM but they did oust a pretender and power grabber. Who else was going to enforce Constitutional rules that should be enforced by the Executive Branch of Government? In this case, The Executive Branch had been coopted by a pretender (Dr. Thaksin) who was not following the Constitution that he was sworn to obey. The Army is the Last Resort to prevent dictatorship and abuse at the highest levels. I repeat, Dr. Thaksin was not a legal PM when the Army moved in and in fact, when the Army held elections, they did not prevent the installation of a government by Dr. Thaksin's nominee, K. Somchai after he won. Now you can see why so many people can never trust an undemocratic figure as Dr. Thaksin has proved himself to be.

2006

January 23 - The Shinawatra family announce the sale of its controlling stake in telecom company Shin Corp. to Singapore's state-owned Temasek Holdings for a tax-free $1.9 billion.

February 24 - Thaksin dissolves parliament, calls for snap elections on April 2 amid protests and mounting criticism over his family's sale of shares in Shin Corp.

March 5 - Tens of thousands attend rally by newly formed People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) to call for Thaksin's resignation for alleged abuse of power, corruption and business conflicts of interest.

April 3 - Thaksin claims victory after snap election, which opposition parties boycotted over corruption allegations. Thaksin's Thai Rak Thai party was the only major party to participate.

May 8 - Constitutional Court rules April election invalid.

September 19 - Military seizes power in a bloodless coup following series of PAD rallies, while Thaksin is at the U.N. General Assembly in New York.

Actually the coup was more than four months AFTER the judgment and he STILL hadn't held new elections.

source: Thailand timeline 2001-2011 http://www.cnn.com/2...line/index.html

Oh, well. No point trying to convince you any further

Since the only link you came up with was a newspaper poll, you're right, I will believe CNN's version before I believe your undocumented propaganda every time. Why can't you supply links to history. where's your proof? It's not like you are some recognized authority on the subject. Whether it's me or someone else, this forum will challenge anyone trying to subvert the truth; we're not convinced by undocumented hearsay. We are not gullible Red Shirts who drink the Thaksin Kool-Ade