Thai govt 'not responsible' for US blacklist rumour

[surangw]

the thought of being on a major power's "black list" somehow makes them feel important, rather than impotent

[GeorgeO]

“The protesters had occupied many government buildings in Bangkok, obstructed the Election Registration procedures, and threatened the freedom of the press” said Ms. Sunisa, “That is barbaric and against the law.”

... that would be in comparison to what your beloved leader and his followers did in 2010, right...?!

[affen02]

I can in my wildest dream not understand that so many foreigners in here, living in Thailand or not, support in quite strong terms, a very undemocratic way to grab power by a man who know that he can never win an election ever, being it pay for vote, or not. Throwing unproven accusations about Thaksin, like he is the root to all evil in this country, is nothing but ridiculous. Where is the proof that it is Thaksin who runs the country, accusations like this are in a court called hearsay evidence and is not good for nothing. Somebody heard from somebody who heard from somebody. What a joke. What more, you are surprised that some countries are considering denying visa to persons who every day show that they have no respect for either law or democracy, occupying government offices, hindering state officials and other people to go to work, destroying government property and threaten, do as i say or face the consequences. What country you u tell me would want this kind of people as visitors, i don' t think many. This is nothing but a pissing contest about who is the less corrupt, and a fight for the all mighty power. Corruption is so deeply accepted in this country that i seriously doubt they ever get rid of it. Anyway corruption in Thailand started long before Thaksin came on the agenda, and will stay long after him or us. Bringing a country to the edge of sivil war, with the very real possibility of bloodshed and loss of life is no solution for anything in our time and age.

[rametindallas]

I can in my wildest dream not understand that so many foreigners in here, living in Thailand or not, support in quite strong terms, a very undemocratic way to grab power by a man who know that he can never win an election ever, being it pay for vote, or not. Throwing unproven accusations about Thaksin, like he is the root to all evil in this country, is nothing but ridiculous. Where is the proof that it is Thaksin who runs the country, accusations like this are in a court called hearsay evidence and is not good for nothing. Somebody heard from somebody who heard from somebody. What a joke. What more, you are surprised that some countries are considering denying visa to persons who every day show that they have no respect for either law or democracy, occupying government offices, hindering state officials and other people to go to work, destroying government property and threaten, do as i say or face the consequences. What country you u tell me would want this kind of people as visitors, i don' t think many. This is nothing but a pissing contest about who is the less corrupt, and a fight for the all mighty power. Corruption is so deeply accepted in this country that i seriously doubt they ever get rid of it. Anyway corruption in Thailand started long before Thaksin came on the agenda, and will stay long after him or us. Bringing a country to the edge of sivil war, with the very real possibility of bloodshed and loss of life is no solution for anything in our time and age.

Very well said! Complete bull shit, but well stated bull shit.

[sawadee1947]

don't blacklist him only but arrest him. Guantanamo would be a good and safe place

[rubl]

"Visa Process is an internal issue of each sovereign state, and Thailand could not intervene with any country’s decision” said Mr. Sunisa."

Of course when the MoFA realy nicely asks to provide a visa for someone who's name starts with an S. ... ...

[GeorgeO]

I can in my wildest dream not understand that so many foreigners in here, living in Thailand or not, support in quite strong terms, a very undemocratic way to grab power by a man who know that he can never win an election ever, being it pay for vote, or not. Throwing unproven accusations about Thaksin, like he is the root to all evil in this country, is nothing but ridiculous. Where is the proof that it is Thaksin who runs the country, accusations like this are in a court called hearsay evidence and is not good for nothing. Somebody heard from somebody who heard from somebody. What a joke. What more, you are surprised that some countries are considering denying visa to persons who every day show that they have no respect for either law or democracy, occupying government offices, hindering state officials and other people to go to work, destroying government property and threaten, do as i say or face the consequences. What country you u tell me would want this kind of people as visitors, i don' t think many. This is nothing but a pissing contest about who is the less corrupt, and a fight for the all mighty power. Corruption is so deeply accepted in this country that i seriously doubt they ever get rid of it. Anyway corruption in Thailand started long before Thaksin came on the agenda, and will stay long after him or us. Bringing a country to the edge of sivil war, with the very real possibility of bloodshed and loss of life is no solution for anything in our time and age.

You are not really being serious are you?! One can only assume that you have been hibernating for the past few years.

You are one of those apologists who believe that corruption is, always has been, and always will be, such that the Thaksinistra are beyond reproach for ensuring that it remains so...!!

It is not undemocratic to bring down a regime which pisses all over democracy, as the current government prides itself in doing...!! "like [Thaksin] is the root of all evil" ... yes, he is the f***ing "root of all evil" in Thailand.

Wake up and recognise that the anti-government protesters represent the grass-root feelings of the country today, and that this regimes days are numbered...!

YL says "let them eat cake", the BAAC says there is no money to buy cake, so the Shin clan jump all over the BAAC for lying to the people and making the PTP look bad.

I'll tell you in a heartbeat who I would rather believe.

[Robby nz]

This is a large country == it has a large economy- it occupies a very sepcial place on the map=

I think you are wrong.

THais may not give a shit about what is happening down south- but other countries do.

A fascist Thailand is not what the global community wants- or will tolerate. So sorry.

You are absolutely right the and the people protesting realize it.

That is why they are out there fighting against Thaksin and the third reincarnation of his TRT party.

And by the way, the 'large economy' as you put it is stuffed, they cant afford to pay the rice farmers for their pledged crop.

[rwdrwdrwd]

I can in my wildest dream not understand that so many foreigners in here, living in Thailand or not, support in quite strong terms, a very undemocratic way to grab power by a man who know that he can never win an election ever, being it pay for vote, or not. Throwing unproven accusations about Thaksin, like he is the root to all evil in this country, is nothing but ridiculous. Where is the proof that it is Thaksin who runs the country, accusations like this are in a court called hearsay evidence and is not good for nothing. Somebody heard from somebody who heard from somebody. What a joke. What more, you are surprised that some countries are considering denying visa to persons who every day show that they have no respect for either law or democracy, occupying government offices, hindering state officials and other people to go to work, destroying government property and threaten, do as i say or face the consequences. What country you u tell me would want this kind of people as visitors, i don' t think many. This is nothing but a pissing contest about who is the less corrupt, and a fight for the all mighty power. Corruption is so deeply accepted in this country that i seriously doubt they ever get rid of it. Anyway corruption in Thailand started long before Thaksin came on the agenda, and will stay long after him or us. Bringing a country to the edge of sivil war, with the very real possibility of bloodshed and loss of life is no solution for anything in our time and age.

I agree with many of the things you say, and I am not enamoured with the current state of protests nor the very real spectre of civil war, however it is irrefutable that Thaksin has been pulling the strings. They did not even bother denying this until recently.

Firstly, the campaign slogan for PTP was 'Thaksin Thinks, Pheu Thai Acts' - it says everything very succinctly.

This article from January in the New York Times offers very interesting quotes from PTP ministers, for example:

“We can contact him at all hours,” said Charupong Ruangsuwan, the interior minister and secretary general of Mr. Thaksin’s Pheu Thai Party. “The world has changed. It’s a boundless world. It’s not like a hundred years ago when you had to use a telegraph.”

To illustrate the point during an interview, Mr. Charupong took out his iPhone and scrolled through a list of phone numbers for Mr. Thaksin. (Mr. Thaksin gives different numbers to different people, often depending on seniority, party officials say.)

“If we’ve got any problem, we give him a call,” Mr. Charupong said.

“He’s the one who formulates the Pheu Thai policies,” said Noppadon Pattama, a senior official in Mr. Thaksin’s party who also serves as his personal lawyer. “Almost all the policies put forward during the last election came from him.”

For some decisions, Mr. Thaksin insists on meeting in person. He regularly summons politicians to meetings at his Dubai home and at hotels in Hong Kong, which he visits frequently, and it is a given in Thai politics today that anyone who wants an important job in government must fly to see Mr. Thaksin.

There is another very relevant article here, that I cannot directly quote due to forum rules - http://www.bangkokpost.com/learning/learning-from-news/257963/who-s-the-boss

It is only in the face of rising opposition triggered by the amnesty bill that would have exonerated him that the widespread influence of Thaksin began to be denied consistently by ministers within PTP.

Edited December 26, 2013 by rwdrwdrwd