Suthep calls for 3-day national strike, tells corporates to defer their tax payments

[webfact]

Suthep calls for 3-day national strike, tells corporates to defer their tax payments
The Nation

BANGKOK: -- Suthep Thaugsuban, a key leader of the ongoing protest against the controversial amnesty bill, last night called a three-day national strike starting from tomorrow, as part of a civil disobedience action against the government.

He called on employees and workers all over the country to stop working from tomorrow until Friday and take part in the protest at Democracy Monument. Suthep said those who could not actually stop working should work slowly in an act of disobedience.

He also called on schools, colleges and universities throughout the country to cancel all classes on those days and display banners with messages against the amnesty bill.

Addressing several thousand people at the protest site, Suthep also announced three other measures of disobedience. He urged businesses to delay their corporate tax payments and told people to show their opposition to the government-backed amnesty bill by raising the national flag at home, carrying it with them, or displaying one on their car.

Suthep, a veteran politician of the opposition Democrat Party, suggested that another measure of disobedience was for bill opponents to blow whistles at the prime minister, other Cabinet members and MPs who voted for the amnesty legislation whenever they meet them at a public place.

He also said the protest leaders would welcome any other measure of civil disobedience that is not against the law.

The amnesty bill, passed hastily by the House of Representatives before dawn last Friday, would absolve all offenders of political crimes since 2004, including politicians convicted of corruption and those responsible for severe crimes, such as murder, arson and terrorism.

Suthep also announced last night that he and eight other Democrat MPs had decided to resign their seats to fight alongside the people against "the evil government". The eight other MPs are Thavorn Senneam, Satit Wongnongtaey, Witthaya Kaewparadai, Issara Somchai, Chumphon Junsai, Puttipong Kunnakan, Ekkanat Promphan and Natthapol Theepsuwan.

Suthep said the resignation would take effect immediately and that he and the other MPs would submit their resignations today.

"If this fight fails, I will never seek a return to the House of Representatives," he said.

The veteran politician made the announcement after the self-imposed deadline for the government to terminate the amnesty bill by 6pm yesterday had expired.

Suthep opened the so-called "people's court" to try the Yingluck government. He then asked the gathering protesters for a resolution on whether to keep up their fight until the government "kills the bill". The protesters gave loud applause and cheers, which were interpreted as "yes" by Suthep.

Earlier yesterday, despite the mounting pressure against his sister's embattled government, former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra yesterday instructed the ruling Pheu Thai Party to cling on to power in the hope the opposition-led rally against the amnesty bill would die down soon, a Pheu Thai source said yesterday.

Thaksin, who is believed to be pulling the strings behind the ruling party, disagreed with an idea for Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra to dissolve the House of Representatives, according to the source.

He believed the anti-amnesty protest, now centring around the Democracy Monument, would fizzle soon after "the funds run out" and the Senate rejects the government-backed amnesty bill. He wanted Pheu Thai MPs to help retain the government's status quo, the source said.

Ruling politicians presented a number of possible solutions to Thaksin, including House dissolution and the PM's resignation, but the ex-leader disagreed with those proposals, according to the source.

The party source said Suthep decided during a party discussion yesterday to resign so he could lead the protest without worrying that his role would lead to legal action against the party and to its dissolution.

Initially, the party had resolved to allow Democrat MPs to resign of their own volition. However, with the party worried about the by-elections coming up in 45 days, it decided only a few could resign.

Many more Democrat MPs would resign if the government remains adamant, the Democrat source said.

The political situation negatively affected stocks and the baht yesterday.

The baht fell to a 7-week low at 31.62 per US dollar, weakening by 0.70 from Friday's closing. The SET index closed at 1,405.91 points.

Traffic congestion in many areas of Bangkok worsened yesterday as anti-amnesty protesters gathered at four locations in inner city areas - Silom, Asoke, Ari and Saphan Kwai - before marching to Democracy Monument, where the main protest site was located.

Many businesses cancelled events scheduled for yesterday and later this week, citing severe traffic congestion in the city and the political situation. They included Charoen Pokphand Foods, Kasikornbank, and Seacon Group.

The Government Housing Bank announced the closure of its two branches near Ratchadamnoen Road from yesterday until tomorrow.

The Thai Chamber of Commerce planned an urgent press conference today about its concern over possible negative impacts on the country's economy from the ongoing political situation.


-- The Nation 2013-11-12

[RubbaJohnny]

I wonder if they could organise refreshments in a brewery.

Reading the news here is so deja vu.

I feel like Rip van Winkle stuck in the morass of groundhog day an eternal loop of loony tunes.

I guess the upside is you know howver futile and self serving the behaviour,like Asoke's wheel and proud Mary it keeps on turning coup mumble grumble stumble coup and so it goes.

Democracy for slow learners.

Edited November 11, 2013 by RubbaJohnny

[Thainy Tim]

So Mr T has all but admitted that his PT party are 'clinging on to power'.

Seems to me that the reality is starting to sink in now that 'they' are in trouble.

[impulse]

Suthep said those who could not actually stop working should work slowly in an act of disobedience.

Not really sure it's possible to work any slower.

All kidding aside, screw the people paying your salary. That should teach the gov't a lesson.

[angsta]

Didn't they reject the bill already?

This is just retarded.

Is The Nation hoping that Thailand can go the way of say a North Korea or Burma? Would it then be happy?

[soi41]

Has Sutheps 15 minutes of fame made him completely lose his head??

He now thinks he is Thailands:

Wonder if Che too had cases pending for stealing government land in Samui with the help of corrupt landoffice officials??

[whybother]

Didn't they reject the bill already?

This is just retarded.

Is The Nation hoping that Thailand can go the way of say a North Korea or Burma? Would it then be happy?

The Senate rejected the bill. Now it sits in the lower house for 180 days before it can either be passed by a vote of a majority of MPs, or killed off.

So, the bill is actually still alive, but on death row. The worry of the protesters is that the government will pass the bill in 180 days.

[EyesWideOpen]

Didn't they reject the bill already?

This is just retarded.

Is The Nation hoping that Thailand can go the way of say a North Korea or Burma? Would it then be happy?

The Senate rejected the bill. Now it sits in the lower house for 180 days before it can either be passed by a vote of a majority of MPs, or killed off.

So, the bill is actually still alive, but on death row. The worry of the protesters is that the government will pass the bill in 180 days.

A reasonable worry, as the last time the house voted on this bill it was 315 to 0 I believe.

So it appears that if the government can hang on by its fingernails for 180 days, the passage

of this bill is a slam dunk. Regarding a strike, can the farangs join in? Should we be be

boycotting the bar beers and gogo bars ??

[h90]

Has Sutheps 15 minutes of fame made him completely lose his head??

He now thinks he is Thailands:che-guevara.jpg

Wonder if Che too had cases pending for stealing government land in Samui with the help of corrupt landoffice officials??

I think if Suthep has really stohlen some government land in Samui, than this government would have found it out already.

I guess 10 PTP layer are going over his life with a magnifying glass the last few days.

If he lost his head or not will be seen in the next few days.

If he win he'll be remembered as hero.

If he loose he'll be remembered as idi0t.

Anyway to put all you nice jobs away to fight the government deserves respect.

[JRSoul]

Didn't they reject the bill already?

This is just retarded.

Is The Nation hoping that Thailand can go the way of say a North Korea or Burma? Would it then be happy?

The Senate rejected the bill. Now it sits in the lower house for 180 days before it can either be passed by a vote of a majority of MPs, or killed off.

So, the bill is actually still alive, but on death row. The worry of the protesters is that the government will pass the bill in 180 days.

As I see it, if the house was dissolved in the interim, the bill would be dead. But Thaksin rejects this, so we'll have to trust his and PTP's ethics and morality.

[noikrit]

Oh Goody !!!! ....... More Holidays !!!

[arthurboy]

Has Sutheps 15 minutes of fame made him completely lose his head??

He now thinks he is Thailands:che-guevara.jpg

Wonder if Che too had cases pending for stealing government land in Samui with the help of corrupt landoffice officials??

Yes, I wonder why Suthep and the Dems aren't calling for an all out onslaught against corruption in Thailand.

Oh, well I never, here's part of the answer to my question.

1995 Corruption Scandal

The Democrat Party won elections in 13 September 1992, shortly after Black May, and formed a government. Suthep became Agriculture Minister. As part of the Sor Por Kor 4-01 (สปก.4-01) land reform scheme, Suthep gave title deeds to 592 plots of land in Khao Sam Liam, Kamala and Nakkerd hills of Phuket province to 489 farmers. It was later found that members of 11 wealthy families in Phuket were among the recipients. Suthep addressed a huge crowd in his Surat Thani constituency a month before a no-confidence debate and called on his supporters to march on Bangkok in the hundreds of thousands to defend his reputation.The scandal led Prime Minister Chuan Leekpai of the Democrat Party to dissolve the House of Representatives in July 1995 in order to avoid the no-confidence debate.In subsequent elections, the Chart Thai party won a majority, leading to the downfall of Chuan Leekpai's Democrat Party-led government.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suthep_Thaugsuban#1995_Corruption_Scandal

Edited November 12, 2013 by arthurboy

[JRSoul]

Should we be be

boycotting the bar beers and gogo bars ??

As Tonto said when 1000 Native Americans came over the ridge "What's this WE, white man?"

Edited November 12, 2013 by JRSoul

[Thait Spot]

Didn't they reject the bill already?

This is just retarded.

Is The Nation hoping that Thailand can go the way of say a North Korea or Burma? Would it then be happy?

The only people who are retarded are those who believe that the bill is legally dead.

[Soi Dog]

These guys don't know how to take "yes" for an answer.

[JRSoul]

These guys don't know how to take "yes" for an answer.

Perhaps "I'll gladly pay you Tuesday for a hamburger today." isn't the answer they want to hear.

[ballpoint]

So Mr T has all but admitted that his PT party are 'clinging on to power'.

Seems to me that the reality is starting to sink in now that 'they' are in trouble.

One could compare them to a banarcle clinging to the bottom of a boat, although there are differences. One is a fishy smelling, mindless organism, clinging on for dear life to the detriment of the vessel it's attached to, the other is an arthropod on a boat.

[bangkokheat]

"the evil government" yeh kick out the evil doers and elect the "honest politicians"

never judge a politician by what he takes, but by what he gives back

[Estrada]

"Suthep also announced last night that he and eight other Democrat MPs had decided to resign their seats to fight alongside the people against "the evil government".

F.Y.I. Suthep is not an M.P., he was disqualified as an M.P. in 2009. He had been involved in a number of corruption scandals and also violating the Constitution of Thailand, which led to his disqualification. Corrupt politicians of one party try to remove the incumbent party they are accusing of being corrupt, is typical Thai politics. They do not really want to get rid of corruption, only to get their turn at the pig trough, so they can feed on the up and coming trillion Baht mega projects. Shutting down industry for 3 days does not help the country, but politicians can make mega bucks by selling their Thai Shares, making the Stock Exchange Crash, then buying the shares at a 20-30% discount. After 3 days they come to an agreement and the SET shoots up and they have made Millions. Meanwhile the public has lost money. The fat cats win again. Most of the demonstrators, in Thai tradition, are rent-a-mob paid by the day and provided with meals and refreshments.

[Bluespunk]

"Suthep calls for 3-day national strike, tells corporates to defer their tax payments"

Methinks, someone has finally lost the plot.

[whybother]

"Suthep also announced last night that he and eight other Democrat MPs had decided to resign their seats to fight alongside the people against "the evil government".

F.Y.I. Suthep is not an M.P., he was disqualified as an M.P. in 2009. He had been involved in a number of corruption scandals and also violating the Constitution of Thailand, which led to his disqualification. Corrupt politicians of one party try to remove the incumbent party they are accusing of being corrupt, is typical Thai politics. They do not really want to get rid of corruption, only to get their turn at the pig trough, so they can feed on the up and coming trillion Baht mega projects. Shutting down industry for 3 days does not help the country, but politicians can make mega bucks by selling their Thai Shares, making the Stock Exchange Crash, then buying the shares at a 20-30% discount. After 3 days they come to an agreement and the SET shoots up and they have made Millions. Meanwhile the public has lost money. The fat cats win again. Most of the demonstrators, in Thai tradition, are rent-a-mob paid by the day and provided with meals and refreshments.

He wasn't actually disqualified. He stepped down before he was disqualified and then was reelected in a by-election. Since then, he was elected in a general election.

[newermonkey]

Suthep is asking the Thai people to deliberately break the law, what sort of person is this ?

"
He also said the protest leaders would welcome any other measure of civil disobedience that is not against the law."

Any civil disobedience is in principal against the law, did this guy go to school or was he day dreaming of graduar in lessons?

I think the Amnesty bill should fail but I don't think he is helping with his childish and dangerous ideas.

Edited November 12, 2013 by newermonkey

[Thaddeus]

He (Thaksin) believed the anti-amnesty protest, now centring around the Democracy Monument, would fizzle soon after "the funds run out"

This is the only tactic he knows, totally unable to grasp the concept of people acting on what they believe in, without financial gain.

[h90]

Has Sutheps 15 minutes of fame made him completely lose his head??

He now thinks he is Thailands:che-guevara.jpg

Wonder if Che too had cases pending for stealing government land in Samui with the help of corrupt landoffice officials??

Yes, I wonder why Suthep and the Dems aren't calling for an all out onslaught against corruption in Thailand.

Oh, well I never, here's part of the answer to my question.

1995 Corruption Scandal

The Democrat Party won elections in 13 September 1992, shortly after Black May, and formed a government. Suthep became Agriculture Minister. As part of the Sor Por Kor 4-01 (สปก.4-01) land reform scheme, Suthep gave title deeds to 592 plots of land in Khao Sam Liam, Kamala and Nakkerd hills of Phuket province to 489 farmers. It was later found that members of 11 wealthy families in Phuket were among the recipients. Suthep addressed a huge crowd in his Surat Thani constituency a month before a no-confidence debate and called on his supporters to march on Bangkok in the hundreds of thousands to defend his reputation.The scandal led Prime Minister Chuan Leekpai of the Democrat Party to dissolve the House of Representatives in July 1995 in order to avoid the no-confidence debate.In subsequent elections, the Chart Thai party won a majority, leading to the downfall of Chuan Leekpai's Democrat Party-led government.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suthep_Thaugsuban#1995_Corruption_Scandal

And since 1995 no court could find something wrong with it.

If a 20 year old "non-corruption" case is the only thing to blame on Suthep, than he is an angle in Thai politics.

(

[shunima]

Has Sutheps 15 minutes of fame made him completely lose his head??

He now thinks he is Thailands:che-guevara.jpg

Wonder if Che too had cases pending for stealing government land in Samui with the help of corrupt landoffice officials??

No. Che was toobusy killing thousands of citizens who disagreed with his views during the cuban revolution, no time . An achievement that, if one wants to go down the path of comparison, puts this racist, gay hating, trigger happy psycho close to the man in Dubai.

[thaicbr]

Suthep is asking the Thai people to deliberately break the law, what sort of person is this ?

"

He also said the protest leaders would welcome any other measure of civil disobedience that is not against the law."

Any civil disobedience is in principal against the law, did this guy go to school or was he day dreaming of graduar in lessons?

I think the Amnesty bill should fail but I don't think he is helping with his childish and dangerous ideas.

Please explain,,, where or what law he is asking people to break?

He is asking for a strike and a DELAY in paying taxes... not in fact NOT paying taxes... we all understand how cash strapped this PTP government is becoming as they spend more money than they are receiving.

Civil disobedience has been used around the world.

[belg]

why not block the airports, that seem to be popular

[Brevity]

Thai politics is very interesting in a strange way.

If I understand the situation right the government has taken the bills off the table for now but in or within 180 days they can push it through the process by not having to put in before the senators. That doesn't seem right, so I can understand why the that people won't stop their protest.

It seems that the PM and her brother are digging a deeper hole for themselves every time one of them opens their mouth.

BTW, it seems the PM has been very quiet for the past few days. Maybe she can see the writing on the wall and realises that her days in office are running out. If it's true that she has been nothing more that a proxy for her brother in Dubai she must be furious with him for throwing her under the bus and would probably like to resign. Or if the rumors are true about Thaksin really being her father I guess she can't refuse him and will keep on doing what she is told.

[Nepsydaz]

"He called on employees and workers all over the country to stop working from tomorrow until Friday and take part in the protest at Democracy Monument. Suthep said those who could not actually stop working should work slowly in an act of disobedience."

Should have added "and try getting Fired" to the sentence above.....

[thaicbr]

Thai politics is very interesting in a strange way.

If I understand the situation right the government has taken the bills off the table for now but in or within 180 days they can push it through the process by not having to put in before the senators. That doesn't seem right, so I can understand why the that people won't stop their protest.

It seems that the PM and her brother are digging a deeper hole for themselves every time one of them opens their mouth.

BTW, it seems the PM has been very quiet for the past few days. Maybe she can see the writing on the wall and realises that her days in office are running out. If it's true that she has been nothing more that a proxy for her brother in Dubai she must be furious with him for throwing her under the bus and would probably like to resign. Or if the rumors are true about Thaksin really being her father I guess she can't refuse him and will keep on doing what she is told.

iF THE GOVERNMENT was serious about stopping this bill they can call a vote within the 180 days to actually annul / cancel the bill. BUT i believe that would then make it impossible to bring it back at a later stage.

I may be wrong but that's my take on reading all the varies articles on the subject.