No right to disrupt the electoral process

[binjalin]

Amazing Thailand

people fighting against democratic elections WITH international monitors - other countries fighting FOR democratic elections against ruling elites

anyway what is more amazing is some TVF posters supporting this AND lying and trying to convince us (not working by the way) that the 'people' want this lol

IF the 'people' want this let's see at the polls? isn't that how every civilized country goes about testing the 'people's' will? the 'reform' they seek is to fix it so the elite retain power through unelected bodies then rig it so the 'Sour Grapes Elite Party' get's in

[KarenBravo]

I see democracy in this country as the right to choose which rapist you want to stiff you.

[truk39]

The only way that you will stop the country from going 'downhill further' is to give the people what they want... reform before elections and a reform council that is in no way connected to this government or any of the Shin clan.... That is the minimum the people will accept.

Why don't you be honest? When you say the people, what you really mean is Suthep and the Democrats.

That is NOT the people, not even a majority of the people.

It is what THE PEOPLE want.... It is something that even most red shirts would accept if it was going to improve politics in Thailand.

Get your head out of your arse... 15 million voted for this Thaksin controlled puppet government, that is about 23% of the population pushing this pile of <deleted> onto the other 77%.

Using that population logic: Obama only got 23% of the US population in 2008 and he was considered to have a mandate. (69 of 300 million)

Sent from my MB886 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[Thait Spot]

get the Shinawatra clan out!!!! thats whant the people, want even the majority of the red shirts want this also.

Looks like their best chance is the February 2 elections then, no?

If the majority wants this, why don't the Democrats participate?

Try to keep up, is your red talking points sheet not up to date? . . . the anti-Govt protestors want "reform" BEFORE "elections" . . . got it? A non-Politician (i.e. impartial) PM, etc etc. Simple.

Also, the Govt are currently scrambling to retain their power base because rice payments haven't been made on time and this will affect the number of votes they get, for them, the sooner elections happen, the better, cos the longer this drags on, the more support they lose.

Good post but I fear you might need to add some cartoons to get it understood by the buffalo botherers

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[TallPalm]

I would not be surprised if Suthep and his thugs end up preventing people from going to the polling stations.

don`t you mean the red shirts

No I think he means Suthep and his brainless thugs. The reds have never mentioned they will disrupt the elections. The reds have hardly been heard of during this and are acting maturely going about their day to day business. They already know they will win the election so no need to carry on like spoilt little rich kids who didn't get the new Ferrari for xmas

I believe it was Suthep who has vowed to disrupt the elections and polling booths not the redshirts. There will be a lot of polling booths north of Bangkok so that is going to take a lot of sheep to cover them all and extremely brave ones to venture north into red territory and use their standover and threatening tactics. I wonder what the life expectancy would be.

.

Absolutely right. The restraint and self control of the red shirts so far has been very impressive. They understand that the yellow shirts want to lure them onto the streets to engage in violence, which would give the army the excuse they need to stage a coup to "restore order". The red shirts are too clever to take the bait. All they have to do is sit tight until 2nd February.

Some of the posts on this topic are getting quite delusional. After all, the Thai people have already elected TS twice. Then they elected his brother in law. Then they elected his sister. Whatever his faults, there's no doubt who the Thai people want as their prime minister. That's why the so-called 'Democrats' aren't even going to bother lining out for this election.

And corruption was deemed the lowest in decades once Thaksin came to power but sharply rose again once the Democrats were given power after the coup. The Democrats are run by the rich elite and the permanently placed Government officials. Thaksin's so called 'want for power' / dicatorship was actually a carefully orchestrated re allignment of government to regain control of what was a self dictating bureacracy rife with corrupt officials. Sutheps idea of a 'reform committee' will be constructed of 400 seats, 300 of which will be based on their occupation, it doesn't take a genius to see that he would be accepting bribes for these postings from big CEO's as he did when he was incharge of the police and did the same for postings in the department. Suthep is no idiot but I can see straight through him. Not only is he attempting to implement the aforementioned but by running these anti-corruption / anti-government protests he believes he can rally up enough support to help exonerate him of his own past wrongdoings and corruption, as he did when facing charges of corruption for selling land reform plots in Phuket.

[metisdead]

An inflammatory insult post has been removed as well as the replies containing that post.

Any user who feels that a posted message is objectionable is encouraged to contact us immediately via the report function. We do have the ability to remove objectionable messages and will make every effort to do so if we determine that removal is necessary. This is a manual process so please realize we may not be able to remove or edit particular messages immediately. Responding to objectionable messages is discouraged.

[waza]

Its all well and good to complain about the present direction of the anti-government protest movement but Suthep seems to be the only one suggesting a achievable solution. Some cry democracy must be seen to be done by the elections continuing unabated and that Thaksin a convicted criminals involvement in Thai politics is acceptable. But many seem to forget what not only the last 2 and a half years of Thaksin rule, but the last 13 years has done to Thailand. We have had an unprecedented period of industrialised corruption that has bankrupted the Thai treasury, political malfeasance that has cripples Thailand's institutions. Political mismanagement that has decimated the agricultural, industrial, financial and manufacturing industries. Not to mention 13 years of social unrest, political turmoil and crimes against humanity that have resulted in thousands of deaths and hundreds of thousands injuries. This callous sentiment of greed, corruption and violence has now permeated into general Thai society turning the land of smiles into a hub of scams and violent crime, where murder is blasé, corruption is the norm and crime is rarely punished. In conclusion, Thaksin has taken a tiger economy and the envy of SEA and turned it into a failed state, and some advocate more of the same. Or argue Yingluck has changed and now wants to promote unity, but her track record has shown she has rejected the findings of the Truth and reconciliation committee and her own reconciliation council lead to the blanket amnesty bill and constitutional amendment that lead us to another political impasse. Its time for a mandated change, time for true democracy timer for the nightmare to end.

[cbluck58]

Suthep and his brownshirts ( lets get the terminology right regardless of what colours they wear ) seem to be obsessed with the numbers of people taking part in their demos more than their legality or purpose.

It doesn't matter if 10 million people were there , they would be 10 million people that were wrong, 10 million people that do not understand and do not wish to understand the principal of universal suffrage, 10 million people that do not understand the fundamental principles of democracy.

Everyone has the right to protest, but those protests should not demand that democracy should be suspended and that a non elective council be invoked to take the place of elected government, just because they don't like them - they won the election !

On a less diplomatic note , Suthep needs his gob stitched up...

[tingtongteesood]

You know why so many people called Suthep a "kamnan" (a village headman of tambon Tha Sathon)?

i know the answer, i know the answer!

because the word "kamnan" was introduced first by the G.I. who used to call any thai official or village idiot a "conman".

Flaming trolling trolling trolling - Rawhide !!!

[tingtongteesood]

I would not be surprised if Suthep and his thugs end up preventing people from going to the polling stations.

don`t you mean the red shirts

No I think he means Suthep and his brainless thugs. The reds have never mentioned they will disrupt the elections. The reds have hardly been heard of during this and are acting maturely going about their day to day business. They already know they will win the election so no need to carry on like spoilt little rich kids who didn't get the new Ferrari for xmas

I believe it was Suthep who has vowed to disrupt the elections and polling booths not the redshirts. There will be a lot of polling booths north of Bangkok so that is going to take a lot of sheep to cover them all and extremely brave ones to venture north into red territory and use their standover and threatening tactics. I wonder what the life expectancy would be.

Right, the reds don't disrupt elections because they know their bosses cronies have rigged it so he can't lose. They prefer to threaten and intimidate people every day, firebomb their opponents houses and burn down buildings. Lovely people.

[HasipHasip5]

Some facts about the population of Thailand and the 2011 election according to this website. There were approx. 51M people of voting age, approx. 47M registered to vote and approx. 35M actual votes. Voting is compulsory.

http://www.idea.int/vt/countryview.cfm?CountryCode=TH

[tingtongteesood]

get the Shinawatra clan out!!!! thats whant the people, want even the majority of the red shirts want this also.

Looks like their best chance is the February 2 elections then, no?

If the majority wants this, why don't the Democrats participate?

Try to keep up, is your red talking points sheet not up to date? . . . the anti-Govt protestors want "reform" BEFORE "elections" . . . got it? A non-Politician (i.e. impartial) PM, etc etc. Simple.

Also, the Govt are currently scrambling to retain their power base because rice payments haven't been made on time and this will affect the number of votes they get, for them, the sooner elections happen, the better, cos the longer this drags on, the more support they lose.

And what reform exactly is that? Suthep has not even once outlined his reform proposals.

I think the people want to know what exatly "reform" means BEFORE putting an "impartial" PM (chosen by Suthep) in place of a democratically elected PM.

Actually he has many times if you would care to actually read the news instead of spending all your time flaming and trolling....

[chooka]

I would not be surprised if Suthep and his thugs end up preventing people from going to the polling stations.

don`t you mean the red shirts

No I think he means Suthep and his brainless thugs. The reds have never mentioned they will disrupt the elections. The reds have hardly been heard of during this and are acting maturely going about their day to day business. They already know they will win the election so no need to carry on like spoilt little rich kids who didn't get the new Ferrari for xmas

I believe it was Suthep who has vowed to disrupt the elections and polling booths not the redshirts. There will be a lot of polling booths north of Bangkok so that is going to take a lot of sheep to cover them all and extremely brave ones to venture north into red territory and use their standover and threatening tactics. I wonder what the life expectancy would be.

Right, the reds don't disrupt elections because they know their bosses cronies have rigged it so he can't lose. They prefer to threaten and intimidate people every day, firebomb their opponents houses and burn down buildings. Lovely people.

I haven't read anywhere that the reds are firebombing the homes of Suthep supporters or burning down buildings. I think you are making this up as you go along.

[chooka]

I would not be surprised if Suthep and his thugs end up preventing people from going to the polling stations.

don`t you mean the red shirts

No I think he means Suthep and his brainless thugs. The reds have never mentioned they will disrupt the elections. The reds have hardly been heard of during this and are acting maturely going about their day to day business. They already know they will win the election so no need to carry on like spoilt little rich kids who didn't get the new Ferrari for xmas

I believe it was Suthep who has vowed to disrupt the elections and polling booths not the redshirts. There will be a lot of polling booths north of Bangkok so that is going to take a lot of sheep to cover them all and extremely brave ones to venture north into red territory and use their standover and threatening tactics. I wonder what the life expectancy would be.

Right, the reds don't disrupt elections because they know their bosses cronies have rigged it so he can't lose. They prefer to threaten and intimidate people every day, firebomb their opponents houses and burn down buildings. Lovely people.

I haven't read anywhere that the reds are firebombing the homes of Suthep supporters or burning down buildings. I think you are making this up as you go along.

[tingtongteesood]

Quote

And corruption was deemed the lowest in decades once Thaksin came to power but sharply rose again once the Democrats were given power after the coup. The Democrats are run by the rich elite and the permanently placed Government officials. Thaksin's so called 'want for power' / dicatorship was actually a carefully orchestrated re allignment of government to regain control of what was a self dictating bureacracy rife with corrupt officials. Sutheps idea of a 'reform committee' will be constructed of 400 seats, 300 of which will be based on their occupation, it doesn't take a genius to see that he would be accepting bribes for these postings from big CEO's as he did when he was incharge of the police and did the same for postings in the department. Suthep is no idiot but I can see straight through him. Not only is he attempting to implement the aforementioned but by running these anti-corruption / anti-government protests he believes he can rally up enough support to help exonerate him of his own past wrongdoings and corruption, as he did when facing charges of corruption for selling land reform plots in Phuket.

Conjecture, supposition, conspiracy theory and rubbish !

Its all well and good to complain about the present direction of the anti-government protest movement but Suthep seems to be the only one suggesting a achievable solution. Some cry democracy must be seen to be done by the elections continuing unabated and that Thaksin a convicted criminals involvement in Thai politics is acceptable. But many seem to forget what not only the last 2 and a half years of Thaksin rule, but the last 13 years has done to Thailand. We have had an unprecedented period of industrialised corruption that has bankrupted the Thai treasury, political malfeasance that has cripples Thailand's institutions. Political mismanagement that has decimated the agricultural, industrial, financial and manufacturing industries. Not to mention 13 years of social unrest, political turmoil and crimes against humanity that have resulted in thousands of deaths and hundreds of thousands injuries. This callous sentiment of greed, corruption and violence has now permeated into general Thai society turning the land of smiles into a hub of scams and violent crime, where murder is blasé, corruption is the norm and crime is rarely punished. In conclusion, Thaksin has taken a tiger economy and the envy of SEA and turned it into a failed state, and some advocate more of the same. Or argue Yingluck has changed and now wants to promote unity, but her track record has shown she has rejected the findings of the Truth and reconciliation committee and her own reconciliation council lead to the blanket amnesty bill and constitutional amendment that lead us to another political impasse. Its time for a mandated change, time for true democracy timer for the nightmare to end.

Absolutely spot on as ever sir.

[tingtongteesood]

I haven't read anywhere that the reds are firebombing the homes of Suthep supporters or burning down buildings. I think you are making this up as you go along.

I see you have been in Thailand 10 minutes and think you know everything. Try reading what happened in 2010 then you can stop being so ignorant.

[cigar7]

PDRC are sounding like Maoist or Communists and are probably supported by the Chinese.

[daboyz1]

I would not be surprised if Suthep and his thugs end up preventing people from going to the polling stations.

don`t you mean the red shirts

No I think he means Suthep and his brainless thugs. The reds have never mentioned they will disrupt the elections. The reds have hardly been heard of during this and are acting maturely going about their day to day business. They already know they will win the election so no need to carry on like spoilt little rich kids who didn't get the new Ferrari for xmas

I believe it was Suthep who has vowed to disrupt the elections and polling booths not the redshirts. There will be a lot of polling booths north of Bangkok so that is going to take a lot of sheep to cover them all and extremely brave ones to venture north into red territory and use their standover and threatening tactics. I wonder what the life expectancy would be.

.

Absolutely right. The restraint and self control of the red shirts so far has been very impressive. They understand that the yellow shirts want to lure them onto the streets to engage in violence, which would give the army the excuse they need to stage a coup to "restore order". The red shirts are too clever to take the bait. All they have to do is sit tight until 2nd February.

Some of the posts on this topic are getting quite delusional. After all, the Thai people have already elected TS twice. Then they elected his brother in law. Then they elected his sister. Whatever his faults, there's no doubt who the Thai people want as their prime minister. That's why the so-called 'Democrats' aren't even going to bother lining out for this election.

you used red shirts and clever in the same sentence.

ETA: Weird how in 2010 Thaksin was paying the protesters, yet in 2013 the protesters are giving Suthep cash. Just an observation.

Edited December 26, 2013 by daboyz1

[chooka]

I haven't read anywhere that the reds are firebombing the homes of Suthep supporters or burning down buildings. I think you are making this up as you go along.

I see you have been in Thailand 10 minutes and think you know everything. Try reading what happened in 2010 then you can stop being so ignorant.

My apologies, I thought you were referring to the current political situation and not past unsubstantiated historical events or are you trying to combine the two unrelated events into one?

P.S arrived in Thailand on the 11th Dec 2006, your watch is slow

[Snig27]

In conclusion, Thaksin has taken a tiger economy and the envy of SEA and turned it into a failed state,

Not sure what country you've been in but Thailand is booming out there. The last few years have seen Thailand economically way ahead of global averages. Real income has risen and the county is now classed as a middle income nation by the UN.

[Scamper]

The opinion of this article is appropriately expressed. Indeed, it is wrong to impede the electoral process. But the fact that it is happening is an indication that it is not likely to stop. The government has no real way of stopping it. We have what is called " a Mexican standoff ". No side will step down. So what can the reasonably expected outcome be if that continues ? An election that is conducted under enormous upheaval and unrest. Both sides say they are interested in reforms. But one side has a vested interest in maintaining the status quo, and the other doesn't. So the author of this article may indeed feel that the strength and persuasiveness of his arguments should hold sway with the protest movement. But in this current climate, he also knows that they likely will not ! The question that should now occupy the minds of the administration - is how best to cool this crisis. The tactics they are adopting now, though, clearly aren't working.

[thairookie]

Suthep is great in Chiang Mai. There is a mountain named after him.

Sent from my GT-N7105 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[JiveTalker]

you used red shirts and clever in the same sentence.

ETA: Weird how in 2010 Thaksin was paying the protesters, yet in 2013 the protesters are giving Suthep cash. Just an observation.

I'm embarrased for posters - like you - who resort to calling red shirts ignorant, stupid or buffalos. This is why the red shirts won't ever vote for the Democrats/ yellow shirts and this is why they despise Suthep and his cronies. Thaksin doesn't need to pay people to vote - people like you are doing the job for him.

Perhaps when you've lived in Thailand for some time you'll realise it's not a case of them versus us. It's much more complicated than that. I would suggest you try to learn more about all the parties involved in this issue.

[honzad]

get the Shinawatra clan out!!!! thats whant the people, want even the majority of the red shirts want this also.

Looks like their best chance is the February 2 elections then, no?

If the majority wants this, why don't the Democrats participate?

Try to keep up, is your red talking points sheet not up to date? . . . the anti-Govt protestors want "reform" BEFORE "elections" . . . got it? A non-Politician (i.e. impartial) PM, etc etc. Simple.

Also, the Govt are currently scrambling to retain their power base because rice payments haven't been made on time and this will affect the number of votes they get, for them, the sooner elections happen, the better, cos the longer this drags on, the more support they lose.

A non-politician Prime Minister? What on earth is that? (Oh, yes - a dictator.)

[binjalin]

Suthep is great in Chiang Mai. There is a mountain named after him.

Sent from my GT-N7105 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

Yes and you can hardly see it for the pollution most days

[waza]

In conclusion, Thaksin has taken a tiger economy and the envy of SEA and turned it into a failed state,

Not sure what country you've been in but Thailand is booming out there. The last few years have seen Thailand economically way ahead of global averages. Real income has risen and the county is now classed as a middle income nation by the UN.

Take another look Snig27, this booming economy is built on a foundation of debt that has inflated the bubbles and these bubbles are about to burst.

Edited December 26, 2013 by waza

[hellodolly]

I would not be surprised if Suthep and his thugs end up preventing people from going to the polling stations.

don`t you mean the red shirts

I think from the tone of his posts he is color blind and has not taken any steps to understand the difference in colors.

As a reply to the headline they have every right in the world to disrupt the election process if the guidelines for it allow the changes. I believe they do allow the EC to put it off to a later date. If it is not allowed under the present guidelines they have no rite.

Either way they have no rite to block or intimadate the registration of candidates.

[Spare]

A Police officer shot in the chest and dead. He has to be brought to hospital by helicopter from the sports stadium. The protesters refuse to let anybody in or out by land.

Edited December 26, 2013 by Spare

[chooka]

A Police officer shot in the chest and dead. He has to be brought to hospital by helicopter from the sports stadium. The protesters refuse to let anybody in or out by land.

That is totally wrong. A police officer gets up every morning and goes to work like everyone else, the baker, butcher and candlestick maker. He wants to go home to his family at night hug his kids and do what he wants with his wife.

Killing an innocent person to try and get total domination of the country is wrong. To block his medical attention is totally disgusting and can only be considered as pure evil.

This is totally disgusting and words can not describe how the yellow shirts can stoop to such low, revolting and urinating levels as to treat a fellow human being and Thai citizen in such a manner.

I guess the the poor man and my condolences to his family was not Yellow Hi So so he was shit and expendible in their cause to own Thailand.

Suthep you should be disgusted

You have some COWARD Yellow shirt who doesn't want to shoot himself to make his point so he shoots an innocent copper who was just going to work to inflict pain on an innocent persons family.

Suthep scum...

Edited December 26, 2013 by chooka

[jackrich]

This is what Suthep wants. A total civil war. Thais killing Thais.