British ambassador Kent expresses concerns over rising political tension

[dundee48]

Interfering old goats go and do something constructive help the poor in Thailand instead of meddling in Thai politics they can spend their money on what they want at least it won’t be spent on HS2 crap like the UK’s dreamers.

Good attempt to introduce a totally unrelated subject. 4/5.

I thought it was a piss poor attempt myself.

[plachon]

I welcome any support from Western governments for the democratically elected government of Thailand. Such support has been sadly lacking in the past when I read little condemnation of the disgraceful behaviour of Abhisit when he was in office

International news bulletins still seem to give much more prominence to the behaviour and views of the protesters. I have yet to see an ordinary Pheu Thai voter interviewed who would be rightly aggrieved that the government he helped to gain office through the ballot box was suffering constant threats and intimidation

Do the likes of Suthep really want to push the government and it's supporters into retaliation?

At this point in time I have nothing but admiration for the way Yingluck and her government are dealing with the situation. If she was, indeed, acting on the instructions of her brother then i don't think she would be adopting this softly softly approach. We would probably be witnessing a battle royal on the streets of Bankok and elsewhere

Thaksin was never one to 'lose face'

Oh come on! Do you not think that the throwing out of the Amnesty bill by Yingluck's govt was not a massive loss of face for the Square One? As is so many people marching on the streets with the only intention but to kick him and his cronies out of office? And how about being tried and found guilty as a criminal? Or not being able to return to Thailand without being arrested for last 5 years? And a thousand other massive sia naa incidents I could name. How many face loss incidents can one man take without throwing in the towel is the question on many people's lips?

[jpeg]

He mentioned the 2 trillion infrastructure deal, had he gone on to mention the rice-pledging scheme he would have done even better.

Ambassadors do look at stability (including financial stability) in the countries they are assigned to. They do not operate in a vacuum and are often given something of a script.

As we look and see what these ambassadors say they have all put a little extra pressure on the government to act in as restrained a way as possible without directly telling anyone what to do.

Remember that the UK did pull Thaksin's business visa after he sold Man City .... and the ambassador was sitting across from Thaksin's clone.

The fact that he did mention the 2 trillion infrastructure deal suggests to me some British companies have bids in on the projects and possibly have a fair bit to lose (mostly stuffed in brown envelopes/lunch boxes to Thaksin acolytes) if this govt falls and the whole thing collapses. Therefore, he's doing his actual job of representing Brit business first and foremost by this visit, and not the imagined job by many of protecting British citizens interests, which comes in as a relatively low priority in the greater scheme of things. This raises the questions of which companies are involved in which parts of the Thaksin fantasy infrastructure scheme? If China has grabbed the lion's share of high-speed railways, which bit did British companies bid for?

The 'Brits' have very strict laws regarding 'tea' money which are strictly adhered to. If you have verifiable proof of malfeasance, you are at liberty to report it to the British Authorities. Bet you won't though

Edited November 30, 2013 by jpeg

[bigbamboo]

He could have brought something important up with her such as why we all have to report needlessly to immigration every 90 days.!

Very good. I bet you even think he's here for our benefit !

Anyone else think maybe there was a translation issue when the ambassador expressed concern about the 2.2 trillion mega loan he was referring to the wisdom of it, not whether Yingluck could 'ram' it through parliament?

edit typo

Edited November 30, 2013 by bigbamboo

[Thai at Heart]

He mentioned the 2 trillion infrastructure deal, had he gone on to mention the rice-pledging scheme he would have done even better.

Ambassadors do look at stability (including financial stability) in the countries they are assigned to. They do not operate in a vacuum and are often given something of a script.

As we look and see what these ambassadors say they have all put a little extra pressure on the government to act in as restrained a way as possible without directly telling anyone what to do.

Remember that the UK did pull Thaksin's business visa after he sold Man City .... and the ambassador was sitting across from Thaksin's clone.

The fact that he did mention the 2 trillion infrastructure deal suggests to me some British companies have bids in on the projects and possibly have a fair bit to lose (mostly stuffed in brown envelopes/lunch boxes to Thaksin acolytes) if this govt falls and the whole thing collapses. Therefore, he's doing his actual job of representing Brit business first and foremost by this visit, and not the imagined job by many of protecting British citizens interests, which comes in as a relatively low priority in the greater scheme of things. This raises the questions of which companies are involved in which parts of the Thaksin fantasy infrastructure scheme? If China has grabbed the lion's share of high-speed railways, which bit did British companies bid for?

The 'Brits' have very strict laws regarding 'tea' money which are strictly adhered to. If you have verifiable proof of malfeasance, you are at liberty to report it to the British Authorities. Bet you won't though

Where does he say they paid for anything?

[BigC]

UK Ambassador Cautions Thais Against Confrontation

By Khaosod Online

BANGKOK: -- The British Ambassador to Thailand, Mr. Mark Kent, has expressed his concerns over the political unrest during his visit to Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra yesterday.

According to Mr. Teerat Rattanasevi, Prime Minister Office Spokesman, Mr. Kent had discussed with Ms. Yingluck about the current political situation in the country after the protest had occupied many administrative headquarters throughout Bangkok.

“The British Ambassador said he wishes to see the negotiation between the government and the anti-government protesters. He also stated that Britain support political protests as a feature of democratic nation, but they must be within the boundary of the laws," the government spokesman said.

Mr. Teerat added that "Mr. Kent disagreed with the occupying of government administrative offices, at which point the Prime Minister assured him that the Thai government will not use force against the protesters".

"The Prime Minister also wishes to see the negotiation to avoid the confrontation between two sides, which is very well agreed by the British Ambassador," said Mr. Teerat.

During the discussion, the Prime Minister reportedly insisted to Mr. Kent that many government offices can still operate properly, despite the occupation.

However, according to Mr. Teerat, Ms. Yingluck replied to Mr. Kent′s question regarding the two-trillion baht infrastructure development scheme that the government may have to delay its proposal at this time.

The United Kingdom is not the only nation expressing its concerns over the ongoing crisis, as the United States, the United Nations and China have previously sent letters to the Prime Minister asking for negotiations between the Government and the protesters.

However, anti-government protest leader Suthep Thaugsuban has rejected any chance of negotiation with the government.

Source: http://www.khaosod.co.th/en/view_newsonline.php?newsid=TVRNNE5UYzNOelEyTUE9PQ==

-- KHAOSOD English 2013-11-30

 

He best check to see if his wallet is there. Why can not the two of them look at each other when they shake hands?

 

The British ambassador also showed concern over the future of the planned 2-trillion-baht infrastructure projects. Prime Minister Yingluck told him that the decision lies with the Constitutional Court which is set to rule whether the loan bill conflicts with the charter.

 

Why is it up to the constitutional court to decide if Thailand wastes 2,2 trillion Baht?

Why did Parliament even consider it. I am not saying that Thailand could not put that much money to purposeful uses but let's face it that is not what it is intended to do. When it is all spent Thailand will not be any better than it is now. The poor will still  be poor the cost of living will still be going up they will have trains that can not pay there way. They will have a substandard railroad when it come s to safety concerns and last but not least 52 years of debt to pass on to are great grandchildren.

Plus they will however have a lot more rich politicians and bureaucrats plus contractors

 

Yes it is right for the Ambassador and the Ambassador's of all countries to ttake interest in what is happenings in this country just as it is of interest to Yingluck what they think. Alone we might not make much difference on the economy but when you put all the expats from other countries and the tourists together there is a huge impact on the economy.

Also these ambassadors are responsible for all of us so it is in their interests to monitor the situation to make sure we are safe

So they can get involved and because allot of us live hear as expats of tourists we pay allot of tax into the country so we can say something as we have paid for the right to

Sent from my iPhone using ThaiVisa app

[Rama]

The usual holier than thou attitude of western governments. The new and modern version of white man's burden, but the same message...we know what is good for you, you don't. I think the Thai ambassador should express concern about the destabizing effect of the Scottish separitist movement and the possible vote in the UK to leave the EU. Oh, and how about the destabilizing effect of all that debt they take on to project a larger than life military for a small island of 60 million......and how about that high unemployment rate? Get your own house in order. People who live in glass houses shouldn't throw rocks.

[F430murci]

The usual holier than thou attitude of western governments. The new and modern version of white man's burden, but the same message...we know what is good for you, you don't. I think the Thai ambassador should express concern about the destabizing effect of the Scottish separitist movement and the possible vote in the UK to leave the EU. Oh, and how about the destabilizing effect of all that debt they take on to project a larger than life military for a small island of 60 million......and how about that high unemployment rate? Get your own house in order. People who live in glass houses shouldn't throw rocks.

Uhm seriously? Some just don't get a hard on over watching other people suffer and destroy their country. This could be upsetting to a lot of normal Thai people not caught up in the power grab. Calling for cooler heads is not only wise, it is the humane thing to do. I guess some nutters out there just want to get their thrills from watching violence erupt and people get hurt . . . and get these thrills from the safety of their own house.

[simple1]

The usual holier than thou attitude of western governments. The new and modern version of white man's burden, but the same message...we know what is good for you, you don't. I think the Thai ambassador should express concern about the destabizing effect of the Scottish separitist movement and the possible vote in the UK to leave the EU. Oh, and how about the destabilizing effect of all that debt they take on to project a larger than life military for a small island of 60 million......and how about that high unemployment rate? Get your own house in order. People who live in glass houses shouldn't throw rocks.

So what do you have to say about the Chinese Ambassador’s recent offer to assume the role of the mediator to solve the current political turmoil within the principle of Thai democracy? Not quite sure what the Ambassador was inferring by the phase "principle of Thai democracy", perhaps you would like to provide your interpretation.

Off topic: Thailand has a total of approx 300,000 in the Armed Services and a reserve of around 250,000, not exactly small is it?

In comparison UK must have a professional armed forces to contribute to NATO, counter terrorism, protect trade routes and if called upon to assist the 54 Commonwealth countries. However, HMG is currently cutting defense spending and Army will be reduced from 102,000 to 82,000 personnel by 2020. Further cuts to airforce and navy, plus layoff of 32,000 civilian personnel. It is claimed that with the deployments (that you may disagree with) to Iraq and Afghanistan, previous defense spending cuts initially severely affected war fighting capability and led to unnecessary deaths and injuries.

Edited November 30, 2013 by simple1

[hellodolly]

UK Ambassador Cautions Thais Against Confrontation

By Khaosod Online

BANGKOK: -- The British Ambassador to Thailand, Mr. Mark Kent, has expressed his concerns over the political unrest during his visit to Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra yesterday.

According to Mr. Teerat Rattanasevi, Prime Minister Office Spokesman, Mr. Kent had discussed with Ms. Yingluck about the current political situation in the country after the protest had occupied many administrative headquarters throughout Bangkok.

The British Ambassador said he wishes to see the negotiation between the government and the anti-government protesters. He also stated that Britain support political protests as a feature of democratic nation, but they must be within the boundary of the laws," the government spokesman said.

Mr. Teerat added that "Mr. Kent disagreed with the occupying of government administrative offices, at which point the Prime Minister assured him that the Thai government will not use force against the protesters".

"The Prime Minister also wishes to see the negotiation to avoid the confrontation between two sides, which is very well agreed by the British Ambassador," said Mr. Teerat.

During the discussion, the Prime Minister reportedly insisted to Mr. Kent that many government offices can still operate properly, despite the occupation.

However, according to Mr. Teerat, Ms. Yingluck replied to Mr. Kent′s question regarding the two-trillion baht infrastructure development scheme that the government may have to delay its proposal at this time.

The United Kingdom is not the only nation expressing its concerns over the ongoing crisis, as the United States, the United Nations and China have previously sent letters to the Prime Minister asking for negotiations between the Government and the protesters.

However, anti-government protest leader Suthep Thaugsuban has rejected any chance of negotiation with the government.

Source: http://www.khaosod.co.th/en/view_newsonline.php?newsid=TVRNNE5UYzNOelEyTUE9PQ==

-- KHAOSOD English 2013-11-30

He best check to see if his wallet is there. Why can not the two of them look at each other when they shake hands?

The British ambassador also showed concern over the future of the planned 2-trillion-baht infrastructure projects. Prime Minister Yingluck told him that the decision lies with the Constitutional Court which is set to rule whether the loan bill conflicts with the charter.

Why is it up to the constitutional court to decide if Thailand wastes 2,2 trillion Baht?

Why did Parliament even consider it. I am not saying that Thailand could not put that much money to purposeful uses but let's face it that is not what it is intended to do. When it is all spent Thailand will not be any better than it is now. The poor will still be poor the cost of living will still be going up they will have trains that can not pay there way. They will have a substandard railroad when it come s to safety concerns and last but not least 52 years of debt to pass on to are great grandchildren.

Plus they will however have a lot more rich politicians and bureaucrats plus contractors

Yes it is right for the Ambassador and the Ambassador's of all countries to ttake interest in what is happening in this country just as it is of interest to Yingluck what they think. Alone we might not make much difference on the economy but when you put all the expats from other countries and the tourists together there is a huge impact on the economy.

And it's standard to 'cheese' at the camera, not look at each other.

Especially when you are making insincere hand shakes.

It is standard in a photo op to look at the camera. I didn't realize this was a meaningless meeting to them.

I know it was to us.

[hawksway]

The Ambassador has one concern only - that's the effect on Bilateral trade. Everything else is simply text book stuff.

[fareastguy]

Two puppets together!!

Enough said...

[metisdead]

Off topic posts and replies have been removed. Another post using weird bold fonts was removed as well.

[jpeg]

When Taksin was voted in, one of the very first things he did was to 'scapegoat' the expat community. The local Thais, despite their purported xenophobia, were very uneasy about this, here on Phuket, particularly. 'What are we going to do now? All the rubber trees are gone!'.

THEN. Taksin was given the bum's rush. The very FIRST thing on the newly installed junta's list, headed by Suthep, was to swarm Phuket and 'crackdown on the 'foreigners'. Us. Hence the bottoming out of the realtor economy. Good for what's left of the environment.

The most recent attempt at 'smoke and mirrors' (distraction from the real problems), was just a few months ago, when the Yingluck/Taksin government sent down the DSI to 'clean up Phuket'. What happened? Nothing bar a soi by soi visit by Immigration Officials to crack down on the foreigners. I use Phuket (being quite possibly the province with the most farang per capita in Thailand), as an example of the nefarious means by both sides, of whipping up, I believe, now mostly defunct nationalist propaganda.

My point is, and there is one is that whichsoever obscenely wealthy player in all of this will continue to use The Foreigner, including the idiot Kent/Head/various Embassies, together with the populace of Thailand to further their individual agendas. So, TVrs, do NOT expect anything positive for anyone, including yourselves, to come out of all this. Except for a well overdue slide in the over valued Thai Baht

In closing. Although all this bickering may be something to enliven your otherwise boring day, leave the continuing circus that is Thai politics to it. Not too serious, nah?

Edited December 1, 2013 by jpeg

[Bpuumike]

I would suggest that the Ambassador looks towards his own country, which also happens to be mine. I am surprised that the British public have not taken to the streets to protest at the way its citizens are being treated as third class citizens. I would also suggest that he points out to Her Majesty's Government the deep resentment of British pensioners who are existing here on frozen pensions, when expats in certain other countries do not have their pensions frozen. This inequality is happening while thousands of people in the UK, who have contributed nothing to the country, are receiving massive handouts. The political disruption here hardly affects the expats one iota. but the dismissive attitude of the British Government does. I suppose we old codgers are deemed superfluous now we cannot vote and are now not important enough to be wooed.

Ron Martin

You hit the nail right on the head there.