Thai Army chief Prayuth refuses to rule out a military coup

[englishoak]

Great!..A Coup!...this will really place a lot of confidence with the rest of the world.

it did in 2006!

banks hate uncertainty, dont really care too much who or what stabilises it tho

[xminator]

In a functioning society with a functioning press, that statement would be followed by the immediate resignation from Prayuth.

[Lingba]

Great!..A Coup!...this will really place a lot of confidence with the rest of the world.

I and most Thais could not give a toss about what rest of world might or might not think and if it takes a Coup to stop Taksin then as far as I and a very large number of Thais are concerned then so be it. The rest of world and in particular that warmonger nation USA should shut up and go away. They only get in evolved if oil is involved and happily stand bye while genicide is done in many places.

Being from the USA...I agree with most of what you are saying ...but the truth is...Thailand does need to care to some degree what the rest of the world is thinking as does any other country going through a similar situation...Thailand does depend on various things from outside of their own country and without these certain things ...you may not be living as comfortably as you are today...It would be nice to snub your nose to the rest of the world...but we do co exist and have to just accept certain things...Like you, I also despise the Thaksin rulership...but I certainly do not agree with what Suthep is doing and how he is doing it...I agree that this country needs to rid itself of Thaksin and have new leadership....but it should be done in a way where Thailand doesn't look like its heading backwards...Suthep is as much of a crook and a piece of sh_t as Thaksin is...Don't get suckered in to believing everything he says

[hellodolly]

So far they have always handed back power, if YL only agreed to changes before the election we would not be in this mess. But YL and DL dont want this as it will limit their options to rape the finances of Thailand. The business people were right changes should occur before the election. Now with a coup changes can be made and then the power handed back to the people.

In an ideal world nobody wants the military running a country but if the politicians (elected or otherwise) can't do it then what is the alternative.....anarchy?

At least in the interim it would give the country some breathing room and who knows maybe someone will emerge to give the country the leadership it so badly needs.

Maybe they could give the police a much needed kick up the backside too.

I even think YL would prefer this as then she can fight the changes and call them unlawful. Much better as being forced to tie your own hands behind your back. YL has things to gain by a coup too.. nothing to gain by changes that she agrees too.

'So far they have always handed back power'?

Brilliant. Simply brilliant.

Added to the UNELECTED military taking power you add some wonderful conspiracy theories as well. Nice work, I'm sure you're a great defender of democracy

Now tell me when did they hold onto power.. so many coups but always it returned to normal.

As for my conspiracy theories its true.. just look at how the reds always want to go back to the pre coop constitution and call the other one illigal and dont abide by it. Now if there is a coup and changes are made the same will happen. So YL does not have to abide by the changes. Now if there is no coup and she gets into committee that sets up new rules she cant go against them at a later time as she agreed to them before. Not that hard to understand. That is why for YL changes from a coup would be better so she can ignore them and go on raping the country for her brother.

But fair and honest rules agreed upon by both sides.. (even if she was pressured into the rules) she cant ignore and loose her chances to go on being dishonest. Its not that hard to see if you don't wear red glasses.

Now i never said the opposition are angels.. they just realize that if they cant steal then its better that nobody can steal.. id say use this time against the politicians to reign in their power and get an honest country.

I have to agree with you a coup would just result in the same situation we have now. Thaksin buying the elections and people in power. To be the most effective the changes would have to be made before the election. Any changes after it will be made to further insure the corruption down slide that the government is currently bringing to Thailand.

for those who don't know how bad it is here is a reference from an internationally respected organization check it out. It has a chart showing the corruption rise under Thaksin controlled governments as well as the Abhist government stopping the rise. It shows how under the clone led government Thailand has gone from 37% honest to 35%. Look out North Korea here come's the Shinawatra led government.

http://cpi.transparency.org/cpi2013/results/

[Siripon]

In a functioning society with a functioning press, that statement would be followed by the immediate resignation from Prayuth.

This is Thailand, not some Western country. How long did it take the West to develop and fine tune democracy? Hundreds of years.

It's a subconscious reaction for humans to assess new scenarios/ experiences based on what they have already learnt or known.

Thus foreigners assume that bodies such as Parliament, the Armed Forces, the Government,etc in Thailand are the same as in their own countries.

Not at all!

How many leaders of Western countries have been described as a clone by their elder brother?

[fasteddie]

How dare this traitor refuse to back the democratically elected government, sack him now and replace him with someone willing to do his duty.

[Spalpeen]

Thais are too stupid to be allowed to run their own affairs'

You are making up words. I never said they are too stupid to run their own affairs. That suggests that someone/body who is not Thai should run the country. My comments were clear. Thai people do not seem to understand the responsibilities of living in a democracy that fall on both politicians and the general public.

Their lack of understanding (IMHO) stems from a culture that is corrupt and rotten to the core, with 'passing the blame' a national sport, failing to admit when one is wrong, failing to apologise, failing to think of others etc etc etc.

But I'm not blaming the 'common people'. They find themselves in this sorry situation due to decades of a poor educational system and the lack of any decent political role-models who set a good example, and lack of strong governance.

The sickness of this country has even infiltrated the monks and followers of the Buddhist faith.

Where to start to clean up this mess? How can you easily 'clean up' a corrupt system that's been in place for decades.

If there were a strong and honest political leader (of any party), who could be a figurehead for others to look up to, then that would be a start. But alas, I don't think any Thai exists who fits that descrption.

In the absence of such a political figure, both political sides obscenely claim allegiance to the very institution which holds this country together.

Simon

.

Quote "Squabbling children....spoilt brats....they are all infantile." Not so much making up words as merely summarising what you said. You seem to think that the phrase 'Thai people' is synonymous with 'common people', as you put it, and that their betters, including the institution you mentioned, are somehow above them. They're all Thai people - Suthep, Abhisit, Thaksin, the generals. They may not do a great job but there's no point gazing up into the sky and hoping for some benevolent mythical redeemer to appear and save the day. The Thais will just have to muddle through with the batch of politicians they have, same as every other country.

After all, if the Thais can't be left to run their own affairs, who can? The Greeks, Spanish, Irish, Egyptians, Sudanese? What Thailand needs is for the goons with guns, and the people who lurk behind them, to get off the peoples back and leave democracy to run its rocky course without the constant threat of coup no.19.

[Siripon]

How dare this traitor refuse to back the democratically elected government, sack him now and replace him with someone willing to do his duty.

Maybe he saw the government not behaving very democratically, ie openly defying the ruling of the Constitutional Court.

[Halion]

These event of the last eight years eventually will open up the Thai society a lot better.

By the time all these issues and problems are resolved, the Thai way of doing things or the TIT mentality will not be the first line of the first paragraph.

One can only hope but redemption is not an overnight occurrence. It will take many years..

[bunuel]

Excellent, very thoughtful post. As a former UN peacekeeper who has served in a few hot spots in Asia and Africa, I have learned all countries are very different, and generalizations are to be avoided.

Thailand is a beautiful country which has been blessed by history and geography. However,this good fortune has led to a certain insularity - a belief that what applies to every other country in the world does not apply to Thailand. This delusion is perpetuated by the Thai education system, which, to be charitable, does not encourage critical thinking.

As a result, many Thais seem incapable of learning from the examples of other countries. If they coukf, they would see that people have found solutions to seemingly impossible conflicts elsewhere.

For example, two decades ago, South Africa seemed headed towards a bloodbath after decades of

apartheid. Miraculously, leaders Nelson Mandela and FW DeKlerk managed to find a relatively peaceful path to democracy - which internationally is recognized as " one man, one vote". For this heroic effort, both

received the Nobel Peace Prize.

Closer to Thailand, few experts thought Timor Leste would ever becone a free country after 25 years of brutal Indonesian occupation, in which c. 20 % of the Timorese population died. Thanks to remarkable Timorese leaders like Xanana Gusmao and Nobel Peace Prize winner Jose Ramos Horta, the UN was able to hold a plebescite in 1999 in which 78.5 % of the Timorese voted for independence. Two years later, Timor Leste was the world's newest nation.

In short, what seems to be impossible, is sometimes possible in the world - and, last time I looked, Thailand is still part of the rest of the world! I pray for a peaceful solution to Thailand's deep conflicts, and that cooler heads prevail. Jai yen!

This country has shown time and time again (for decades) that it is not ready for a democracy. All sides don't seem to understand what a real democracy involves, and what responsibiilities each and every citizen has. Thai politics is akin to squabbling children or spoilt brats who throw their toys out of their pram when they don't get their way.

Since none of these children seem to ever grow up, it needs a firm, parental hand to show them what to do and to issue a hard 'smack' when they fail to listen and toe the line.

Political colours and sides are irrelevant in this country - they are all infantile in their actions and views. There is not one single, respected politician in this country who people look up to as an honest person with the country's interests at heart.

Forget democracy - Thai history clearly shows that it doesn't work in this country.

Simon

simon - i think you are one of the more sensible posters on this forum but i think this post misses the point or at least could be misunderstood

it's not that thailand (and its people) don't want / deserve a proper democracy but rather no sensible / capable leader has stepped forward to offer this

this leader needs to be strong but this strength should not be about how to take / hold power from the opposition

rather such a leader needs the bravery to address their own shortcomings and put the needs of thailand as a whole before the desires of themselves / their supporters

neither democracy / dictatorship has worked in the past - only democracy offers hope for a better future

Your point is well taken but Thais on the whole have been tough on democracy. So it needs to be recognized it works both ways, i.e. democracy is good for Thailand too but is Thailand good to democracy or is Thailand much open to it.

Feudalism predates and precedes democracy and so much of Thailand is feudal that it's difficult for democracy to develop here, much less do well.

Add to that there isn't any possibility of nurturing a Nelson Mandela here and we see that the point you make is valid. Thailand hasn't nor will ii ever be capable of producing a Vaclav Havel, a Lech Walesa, an Aung San Suu Kyi.

Democracy can of course do a great deal for Thailand.

However Thailand's perpetual and persistent feudalism worshiped by the amarat and supported by the military will never be good to or for democracy.

I don't ever expect Thailand to be like the United States as the nature of the political systems and their respective culture are inherently and radically different. Thailand though could much more resemble the parliamentary system of the UK or, more locally, Malaysia for instance.

The Thai system of democracy is better than the anti-democracy Saudi system but the fact fails to rise even to the level of being of a cold comfort.

[fasteddie]

How dare this traitor refuse to back the democratically elected government, sack him now and replace him with someone willing to do his duty.

Maybe he saw the government not behaving very democratically, ie openly defying the ruling of the Constitutional Court.

He doesn't have the luxury of making up his own mind, he is a soldier and his duty is to his government.

Sent from my LG-P880 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[binjalin]

How dare this traitor refuse to back the democratically elected government, sack him now and replace him with someone willing to do his duty.

Maybe he saw the government not behaving very democratically, ie openly defying the ruling of the Constitutional Court.

He doesn't have the luxury of making up his own mind, he is a soldier and his duty is to his government.

Sent from my LG-P880 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

this 'should' be true...

[HerbalEd]

so... from the 'Military won't intervene - we are not good at government' to 'we don't rule it out'

and Thai's wonder why people say you can't take a Thai at their word?

So you've never had to change your position or word or attitude because a situation changed? Life is in constant change and we must adapt accordingly. Of course, many people don't when it comes to politics ... it's called conservatism.

[a99az]

Would someone inform this idiot that it is not the army of a nation that makes political polices, but it's government (it's people).

[geriatrickid]

This country has shown time and time again (for decades) that it is not ready for a democracy. All sides don't seem to understand what a real democracy involves, and what responsibiilities each and every citizen has. Thai politics is akin to squabbling children or spoilt brats who throw their toys out of their pram when they don't get their way.

Since none of these children seem to ever grow up, it needs a firm, parental hand to show them what to do and to issue a hard 'smack' when they fail to listen and toe the line.

Political colours and sides are irrelevant in this country - they are all infantile in their actions and views. There is not one single, respected politician in this country who people look up to as an honest person with the country's interests at heart.

Forget democracy - Thai history clearly shows that it doesn't work in this country.

Simon

Well, the military doesn't meet the job requirements either. They are as poorly educated and just as tainted by corruption as the politicians fighting amongst themselves.

[zydeco]

From what I can find, South Africa has a higher murder rate than Thailand. What exactly do you want Thailand to learn from South Africa?

Excellent, very thoughtful post. As a former UN peacekeeper who has served in a few hot spots in Asia and Africa, I have learned all countries are very different, and generalizations are to be avoided.

Thailand is a beautiful country which has been blessed by history and geography. However,this good fortune has led to a certain insularity - a belief that what applies to every other country in the world does not apply to Thailand. This delusion is perpetuated by the Thai education system, which, to be charitable, does not encourage critical thinking.

As a result, many Thais seem incapable of learning from the examples of other countries. If they coukf, they would see that people have found solutions to seemingly impossible conflicts elsewhere.

For example, two decades ago, South Africa seemed headed towards a bloodbath after decades of

apartheid. Miraculously, leaders Nelson Mandela and FW DeKlerk managed to find a relatively peaceful path to democracy - which internationally is recognized as " one man, one vote". For this heroic effort, both

received the Nobel Peace Prize.

Closer to Thailand, few experts thought Timor Leste would ever becone a free country after 25 years of brutal Indonesian occupation, in which c. 20 % of the Timorese population died. Thanks to remarkable Timorese leaders like Xanana Gusmao and Nobel Peace Prize winner Jose Ramos Horta, the UN was able to hold a plebescite in 1999 in which 78.5 % of the Timorese voted for independence. Two years later, Timor Leste was the world's newest nation.

In short, what seems to be impossible, is sometimes possible in the world - and, last time I looked, Thailand is still part of the rest of the world! I pray for a peaceful solution to Thailand's deep conflicts, and that cooler heads prevail. Jai yen!

This country has shown time and time again (for decades) that it is not ready for a democracy. All sides don't seem to understand what a real democracy involves, and what responsibiilities each and every citizen has. Thai politics is akin to squabbling children or spoilt brats who throw their toys out of their pram when they don't get their way.

Since none of these children seem to ever grow up, it needs a firm, parental hand to show them what to do and to issue a hard 'smack' when they fail to listen and toe the line.

Political colours and sides are irrelevant in this country - they are all infantile in their actions and views. There is not one single, respected politician in this country who people look up to as an honest person with the country's interests at heart.

Forget democracy - Thai history clearly shows that it doesn't work in this country.

Simon

simon - i think you are one of the more sensible posters on this forum but i think this post misses the point or at least could be misunderstood

it's not that thailand (and its people) don't want / deserve a proper democracy but rather no sensible / capable leader has stepped forward to offer this

this leader needs to be strong but this strength should not be about how to take / hold power from the opposition

rather such a leader needs the bravery to address their own shortcomings and put the needs of thailand as a whole before the desires of themselves / their supporters

neither democracy / dictatorship has worked in the past - only democracy offers hope for a better future

Your point is well taken but Thais on the whole have been tough on democracy. So it needs to be recognized it works both ways, i.e. democracy is good for Thailand too but is Thailand good to democracy or is Thailand much open to it.

Feudalism predates and precedes democracy and so much of Thailand is feudal that it's difficult for democracy to develop here, much less do well.

Add to that there isn't any possibility of nurturing a Nelson Mandela here and we see that the point you make is valid. Thailand hasn't nor will ii ever be capable of producing a Vaclav Havel, a Lech Walesa, an Aung San Suu Kyi.

Democracy can of course do a great deal for Thailand.

However Thailand's perpetual and persistent feudalism worshiped by the amarat and supported by the military will never be good to or for democracy.

I don't ever expect Thailand to be like the United States as the nature of the political systems and their respective culture are inherently and radically different. Thailand though could much more resemble the parliamentary system of the UK or, more locally, Malaysia for instance.

The Thai system of democracy is better than the anti-democracy Saudi system but the fact fails to rise even to the level of being of a cold comfort.

[JRSoul]

How dare this traitor refuse to back the democratically elected government, sack him now and replace him with someone willing to do his duty.

Maybe he saw the government not behaving very democratically, ie openly defying the ruling of the Constitutional Court.

He doesn't have the luxury of making up his own mind, he is a soldier and his duty is to his government.

Sent from my LG-P880 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

Actually, his allegiance is to king and country, not the pack of thieves temporarily in government, whichever side they be.

BTW a coup is never preceded by an announcement, and is more likely after a denial. By refusing to deny the possibility of intervention, he is giving notice that the current situation is unacceptable.

[citizen33]

Actually, his allegiance is to king and country, not the pack of thieves temporarily in government, whichever side they be.

BTW a coup is never preceded by an announcement, and is more likely after a denial. By refusing to deny the possibility of intervention, he is giving notice that the current situation is unacceptable.

It seems that the traditional doctrine is still in place. Of course this is highly controversial

General Prem: In this country we consider that we belong to the king.

The armed forces [belong to the king]. Thats what we take oath [on]

and have to profess--that we have to belong to the king. So that makes

it easier to understand.

Do you know horse racing? In horse racing they have the stable and the

owner of the stable owns the horse. The jockey comes and rides the

horse during the race, but the jockey does not own the horse. It's

very easy [to comprehend].

[interview, Far Eastern Economic Review 2006].

http://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/bmalaysia/conversations/topics/57285 (original now defunct)

Edited December 28, 2013 by citizen33

[KOZMO]

Great!..A Coup!...this will really place a lot of confidence with the rest of the world.

Better than what is going on now. Yingluck will not step down, which would take some of the pressure off of this crap. She promised to earlier after sneaking thru the AMNESTY BILL. Thaksin is just hoping the AMNESTY BILL will be voted on soon enough so he can sneak in and get more money and control of the Thai people. This is a no win solution, so a Coup is the best bet for now!!!!

[rogerdee123]

Would someone inform this idiot that it is not the army of a nation that makes political polices, but it's government (it's people).

Keep on dreaming ......

[fasteddie]

How dare this traitor refuse to back the democratically elected government, sack him now and replace him with someone willing to do his duty.

Maybe he saw the government not behaving very democratically, ie openly defying the ruling of the Constitutional Court.

He doesn't have the luxury of making up his own mind, he is a soldier and his duty is to his government.

Sent from my LG-P880 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

Actually, his allegiance is to king and country, not the pack of thieves temporarily in government, whichever side they be.

BTW a coup is never preceded by an announcement, and is more likely after a denial. By refusing to deny the possibility of intervention, he is giving notice that the current situation is unacceptable.

Thailand is a Unitary parliamentary constitutional monarchy and as such the commander of the armed forces is the minister of defence, the king is just a figurehead. The generals comments are tantamount to treason and the PM must uphold the rule of law and have him arrested for gross dereliction of duty. In any democracy in the world generals obey orders and a request by the PM can be taken as an order.

[Roychua]

Coup or no coup will not make much of a difference if nothing is change in the ways Thailand deal with corruption. It is the root of the problem where everyone wants a piece of the pie and when someone doesn't get their share they will cause unrest to the country.

After this standoff has end, I hope the one in power will set up a anti-corruption unit who answer only to the AG or the judges of the courts, maybe have a look at the anti-corruption unit from Hong Kong or Singapore on their setup and how they operate which makes them so effective at minimizing corruption in their country. All the dirty politician in Thailand are so b;antantly corrupted is because they know that they will not be held accountable for their action to anyone.

Corruption will never be rooted out in any country but they can be minimize and I believe that only when the lawmaker or future lawmaker start to respect the rules of law and the people who have voted for them will follow.

It will be a enormous project but they will have to start somewhere by tackling it at the root of the problem if they really want to see real improvement to their country.

Edited December 28, 2013 by Roychua

[fab4]

He doesn't have the luxury of making up his own mind, he is a soldier and his duty is to his government.

Sent from my LG-P880 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

Actually, his allegiance is to king and country, not the pack of thieves temporarily in government, whichever side they be.

BTW a coup is never preceded by an announcement, and is more likely after a denial. By refusing to deny the possibility of intervention, he is giving notice that the current situation is unacceptable.

""BTW a coup is never preceded by an announcement, and is more likely after a denial. By refusing to deny the possibility of intervention, he is giving notice that the current situation is unacceptable.

Or just carrying on a long Army Tradition of threatening denying coups:

Prayuth denies coup involvement

By The Nation

Published on January 27, 2010

Thai army chief denies coup rumours

BANGKOK, April 4, 2011 (Xinhua)

Thai government, army deny coup claims

(AFP) – Jan 27, 2011

Thai army chief denies coup rumors

POSTED JUNE 30, 2011 BY BNO NEWS

Army C-in-C Prayuth has denied a coup is imminent

AsianCorrespondent.com | Sun, 10 Jun 2012 23:00:00 GMT

Prayuth spurns coup rumours Published: 5 Aug 2013 at 16.07

etc.

Edited December 28, 2013 by fab4

[Publicus]

@zydeco

You posted that -

From what I can find, South Africa has a higher murder rate than Thailand. What exactly do you want Thailand to learn from South Africa?

Not too much, actually, and certainly not how to murder - Thais have their own ways in this regard. I'd be sure you can find more than that about South Africa, especially if you genuinely tried.

Just how to organize Thair society for times such as these, since roughly 1992 but going back to the 1950s so it can produce a Nelson Mandela or an F.W DeKlerk. Each is a native South African. Together they shook South Africa to its foundations and positively influenced the world.

Instead Thailand gives itself a Pridi, a Chavalit, a Thaksin, a Suthep and so on along with a feudal self-indulgent military and the reactionary amarat.

The peasantry have outright dismissed symbolic and token public works projects and other meaningless gestures in favor of their substantive inclusion in the development of Thailand by significant socioeconomic and political means, democracy being their first, logical and reasonable choice.

The peasants have left behind feudal society. Conversely and bizarrely, it's "cosmopolitan" Bangkok that gives Thailand its uniquely Thai lords and lieges, some of whom are coarse and loud, most of whom are shameless autocrats and oligarchs.

And it is central to the point that Thailand couldn't provide the peasantry with a leader who isn't anything other than a brazen scoundrel .

[Mosha]

Thailand is a Unitary parliamentary constitutional monarchy and as such the commander of the armed forces is the minister of defence, the king is just a figurehead. The generals comments are tantamount to treason and the PM must uphold the rule of law and have him arrested for gross dereliction of duty. In any democracy in the world generals obey orders and a request by the PM can be taken as an order.

I remember the generals going to ask permission to hold the last coup and they got it Unitary Parliamentary Constitutional Monarchy or not.

[Publicus]

Thailand is a Unitary parliamentary constitutional monarchy and as such the commander of the armed forces is the minister of defence, the king is just a figurehead. The generals comments are tantamount to treason and the PM must uphold the rule of law and have him arrested for gross dereliction of duty. In any democracy in the world generals obey orders and a request by the PM can be taken as an order.

Your post looks good on paper.

For sure.

[harrry]

Thais are too stupid to be allowed to run their own affairs'

You are making up words. I never said they are too stupid to run their own affairs. That suggests that someone/body who is not Thai should run the country. My comments were clear. Thai people do not seem to understand the responsibilities of living in a democracy that fall on both politicians and the general public.

Their lack of understanding (IMHO) stems from a culture that is corrupt and rotten to the core, with 'passing the blame' a national sport, failing to admit when one is wrong, failing to apologise, failing to think of others etc etc etc.

But I'm not blaming the 'common people'. They find themselves in this sorry situation due to decades of a poor educational system and the lack of any decent political role-models who set a good example, and lack of strong governance.

The sickness of this country has even infiltrated the monks and followers of the Buddhist faith.

Where to start to clean up this mess? How can you easily 'clean up' a corrupt system that's been in place for decades.

If there were a strong and honest political leader (of any party), who could be a figurehead for others to look up to, then that would be a start. But alas, I don't think any Thai exists who fits that descrption.

In the absence of such a political figure, both political sides obscenely claim allegiance to the very institution which holds this country together.

Simon

Definitely not too stupid. And not all politicians are totally bad. Many do .care for the country, I put much of the blame on the party system which was put in with its party lists and the restrictions on individual candidates. This was bought in to provide a workable majority but in Thailands case it made two large opposing blocks and the individual candates have no say whatsoever.

[sirineou]

"That door is neither open or closed. Everything depends on the situation."

Finally quantum mechanics find their way in to Thai politics.

[Publicus]

"That door is neither open or closed. Everything depends on the situation."

Finally quantum mechanics find their way in to Thai politics.

Perhaps more like off its hinges.

[sirineou]

And then we have Abhisit and his Entanglement principle

Spooky politics at a distance