Protest leader Suthep declares Bangkok seizure after New Year

[diehard60]

This is now escalating into what.....

It is escalating into what should have happened decades ago.

A serious reform of the political system, instead of empty promises to work on a reform, but in reality just continue to loot the state coffers

Do you really think suthep is going to bring real political reform here????? He had his chance 4 years ago and only told snipers to open fire.

[Cnxforever]

Hi cnxforever,

Could you estimate the effect of this on voter percentages?

S

Is somebody REALLY in the know about house registration/voter registration in this country?

Please post!!!

I understand, may people, for example construction workers who are only temprary in BKK before going back to the farm, cannot vote in BKK because they are not registered in the shack on the construction site.

How long do you have to be registered in a new residence before you can vote there??

Is there a voter registration (US - style) in LOS??

Is it mandatory to get registered and change your ID card after having moved to another province??

If you have children of school age, do you have to register yourself in the town where they go to school???

Thanks for enlightening me!

In Thailand you are registered where ever your "real" home is.

Meaning you are a resident of where ever your Tabian Baan - or house registration says. Also the Thai national ID card states your hometown as to where you are registered - and not where you actually live since most migrant workers live in rented places. Some Thais spent all their life living and working in Bangkok but are not Bangkok residents.

Meaning that millions of Thais who work in Bangkok or other places in the Kingdom away from home - and most can of course not afford to buy property close to their work place in order to register a new home on a new Tabian Baan.

They can only vote in the district where there Tabian Baan / ID says they are registered.

If you can not afford to go home - or can not get time off for elections you can not vote!

This is why certain countries hold elections always on a Sunday and in some countries it is compulsory to participate in parliamentary elections to make sure all citizens are exercising their duty to vote - employers have to give time off to travel home and vote - or if impossible to return to vote by sealed official letter for citizens who reside abroad for example.

Aslo in my home country you have to register where ever you really reside after a period of 2 weeks and not your hometown - even if you live in a rented property you have to register within 2 weeks at your new address. This is also important for the city / town you are moving to as they get a certain amount of tax money per resident from the national budget.

I am afraid I can not - but if one thinks that voter turnout during the last general election in 2011 was approx. 75 % of all eligible voters it surely must be a burden for somebody who has to survive on minimum wage to return home and travel back to work a day or so later.

Just imagine if a resident of the North or Northeast of Thailand works and lives in the South or the other way around - it would be a huge burden to travel home just to vote.

Again this is one thing that needs to be taken into account when considering reforms as it could easily be construed to favor the rich who can afford to hop on a plane to go home and vote while the poor do not have this choice are deprived of their right / duty to vote because they can not afford to travel home.

Voting in Thailand is compulsory - but voter turnout varies with the highest numbers of voters during general elections.

Wikipedia also states the following:

Elections are held under universal suffrage in accordance with the 2007 constitution however certain restrictions apply:

• The voter must be a national of Thailand; if not by birth then by being a citizen for 5 years.
• Must be over 18 years old before the year the election is held.
• The voter must have also registered ninety days before the election at his constituency.
• Those barred from voting in House elections are: members of the sangha or clergy those suspended from the privilege (for various reasons), detainees under legal or court orders and being of unsound mind or of mental infirmity.

[Balance]

This is now escalating into what.....

It is escalating into what should have happened decades ago.

A serious reform of the political system, instead of empty promises to work on a reform, but in reality just continue to loot the state coffers

Yes, political reform is needed. But let us not forget that IT IS ALL ABOUT MONEY. We are witnessing what happens when a basically feudal agrarian economic system runs into the 21st century. The people at the bottom want more of the growth in the GDP. Many want to start and run small enterprises in their villages and not grow rice on rented land.

Thaksin promised them more and they voted for him. Surprise, Surprise. Let's not forget that this was a sea change in Thai politics. The folks at the bottom of the ladder had never before had any meaningful representation. And he began to deliver on some of their promises with infrastructure investment, more money for rural schools, a bare beginning at making health care accessible. It seems clear that the sum total of what was happening scared the living shit out of the Bangkok power structure that really controlled the country and the economy. Hell, if poor people could REALLY elect someone who represented their interests, what would happen in the future?

Let's not be naive. This has happened in emerging countries all over the world. Hell, it is happening in the United States right now. Oligarchic rule is on the wrong side of history. In Thailand, the Genie is out of the bottle and the political and economic structure will slowly but certainly change to afford greater opportunities to all of the Thai people.

[newcomer71]

If only more Thais would think like this...

RT@RichardBarrow: Do you agree with this Red Shirt? - RT @UDD_English: To hell with Thaksin and Suthep - they are the same breed that destroy this country

[wprime]

The guy is a nutter. Why don't the police arrest him. They have the warrant. Somebody please explain

He is opposing a government which was trying to make unlawful changes to the constitution. Article 113 of the criminal code protects him from authoritative violence.

[longway]

If only more Thais would think like this...

RT@RichardBarrow: Do you agree with this Red Shirt? - RT @UDD_English: To hell with Thaksin and Suthep - they are the same breed that destroy this country

I think you will find that the majority do, but the system does not allow that view to be expressed; this is the real tragedy of Thailand.

[Asiantravel]

The guy is a nutter. Why don't the police arrest him. They have the warrant. Somebody please explain

He is opposing a government which was trying to make unlawful changes to the constitution. Article 113 of the criminal code protects him from authoritative violence.

If it was as clear cut as that , how come the arrest warrant was issued in the first place?

[Gone]

I propose that all of us TV members get together and bring a proposal to the board that we should be running Thailand as WE all seem to know what is best here.

[wprime]

The guy is a nutter. Why don't the police arrest him. They have the warrant. Somebody please explain

He is opposing a government which was trying to make unlawful changes to the constitution. Article 113 of the criminal code protects him from authoritative violence.

If it was as clear cut as that , how come the arrest warrant was issued in the first place?

An arrest is not inherently violent, they have the power to arrest him, they just cannot use any violence in the process. Don't ask me how they plan to arrest him without violence, if someone had an answer to that he'd be behind bars already.

[DGIE]

Suthep declares Bangkok seizures after New Year and Yingluck owns provinces outside Bangkok.

Yingluck leaves Sangkok to Suthep to continue to upset

[catmac]

Old Musso's in top form today! Stand by for the Blitzkrieg you lucky Bangkok people! He did let slip that his mob are being backed and financed by big business, not suprising in this land of unfettered monopolies and cartels all enriching themselves at the public expense.

Will be interesting to hear the squeels from the "hi-so" expats working for big International companies when their phone lines and power are turned off by the mob. They might be posted to Singapore and lose all that cheap sex that makes BKK so appealling to them!

I don't regard myself as hi-so but am certainly wanting to scream not squeal. Sitting on your barstool in some dingy corner of wherever, you probably don't realize how many ordinary citizens are being negatively affected by this nonsense , and no, we are not all here for cheap sex. Maybe you are, knucklehead!

Then ask yourself why did all those thousands of middle class sheep trot along behind him blowing their whistles and cheering? The chaos that is about to be unleashed on BKK is a direct result of that blind, unthinking and unquestioning support for a power hungry demagogue. The phrase "turkeys voting for Christmas" comes to mind.

[catmac]

I am seriously thinking of deleting my Thaivisa account after reading all of the idiotic and ignorant posts here.

I mean, really people, most of you know jacksh#t about global politics yet you make Fox News type replies. Pathetic.

If you are indeed the great oracle on all things political, your sharing of that wisdom on these pages is a little thin, wouldn't you say?

[DGIE]

"Protest leader Suthep declares Bangkok seizure after New Year"

I declare seizure of the north & south poles for England.

But you have not stated when will you seize North and South Poles. Suthep specified dates several times. I like specific person like Suthep

If you really like Suthep, please go live in a communist country and leave us in peace with the majority of Thai people.

oh my... you have a very shallow understanding of what I said above.

I am not saying that Suthep is a real specific person because he made promises several times but none has been really happened. Don't you understand that?

Next time analyze first what you read before commenting, OK?

[soi41]

I looked at Blue Sky TV yesterday and listened to some of Sutheps rantings!

I am sorry to break it to his supporters here, but this guy is raving mad!! I don't say that only because I disagree with him, but seriously this guy have mental issues.

He makes Mugabe, Kim Il Ung or even Thaksin look like the good guys!!

Let the Thais continue to steal from eachother (corruption), and we can all go on with our small lives!

This guy is putting us all (including the Thais) at risk!!

And all to enable the fat cats to get even fatter!

[route8]

Prison first for you" To**er"and maybe

A few years on a funny farm.

Why is this man still free!!!!!!????

[blabth]

I absolutely do not agree with Bangkok being held hostage. It's over the top. Peaceful protest is OK by me. Mind you once again I post on the subject that people

seem to pass by again and again. The reason they don't want elections with the biased system is here again:

Some people don't seem to understand why the Democrats and yellow shirts do NOT WANT elections right now. It is NOT because Suthep wants to control anything else but the WAY elections are being held. During the Mr. "T" regime the constituencies have been altered to fit the TRT party. Very large constituencies with large numbers of voters would give one party only one seat (These they changed and were Democratic strongholds) much smaller constituencies, with much fewer people were divided up in several constituencies with one seat each. This means that even when people did not vote a 100% for the TRT they would still have a "glorious victory" over the Democrats. It was all made to match the TRT.

In numbers: The TRT and Dems had respectively: 15,744,190 and 11,433,762 people vote for them. A difference in % of the population of resp. (TRT, Dems) 48.41% and 35.15%. (say 13%) This was NOT reflected in the seats in Parliament by the self dividing rule of the TRT who changed the constituencies. (TRT/ Dems) 265 seats against 159 seats or in seats 106 (!!). If this had been in the range of anything like 225 to 196 this would have been a fair and acceptable result. (the difference being about 13%) or in seats 29. Read that again: The difference in what would have been an acceptable and fair divide in seats was 29 but it became 106 !!! This would have allowed (just an example) the Democrats to team up with some other parties and still form a Government. Besides in the opposition it would have given them lots more control.

Then due to certain constituents differences it could have been anything in the range of 210 to 235 for the TRT and 190 to 220 for the Dems and it would be acceptable, justifiable and explainable.

NOW do we understand why this system is unacceptable and nothing near free and fair elections?

Mind you, I do not agree with an interim Government and all that, unless it would be an agreed upon (by both parties) Business Government to boost the country back on the map first. But that would demand restraint, patience and understanding. Values that are the foundation of Buddhism, but are hard to be found in politricks. All in all, I am NOT a Suthep supporter. But fairness needs to be in place before an election is being held and the Shins can claim another

fake victory bought with money and bending the rules.

The democrats under Abhisit Vejjajiva were in Power for 2 years and 239 day if the system is so unfair as you describe why he and his party did not make the changes. They did not do any changes at all. Therefore don't blame it to the Shins.

Rome wasn't built in a day, nor is there much in the way of magic dust: Real education reforms and real rice payment reforms aimed at making those parts of the system better serve the citizens of Thailand were of course reversed (and made sillier) by Thaksin as part of his effort to demonize Abhisit in order to forestall calm, rational policy discussion. Do you support that ?

how can agree to nonsense,

I am not saying that all the reforms could be done during the short time of the leadership of Abhisit , but what did he do at all, any program any reform comes to your mind? Educational program? What did he do? Still until now the rural area people hardly can effort proper education for their kids? The old government have always neglected the North Part of Thailand as it not industrialized. The government in the past were only driven by the Bangkokanians as a elite driven Governement, and when you read what Khun S. Is talking it will go back to this road. I went to the homepage of the democrats try to find something about the party program you will find nothing. The same applies to all parties. Nobody here in Thailand knows what he is electing except all the promises during the election campaign. Read the financial analysis of Thailand for the last 20 years you will hardly find any deviation regardless who is in power. The obsession with Thaksin will only strengthen the supporters of him. Don't talk about him ignore him after some time most of the people will forget that he ever existed.

[catmac]

Give up your jobs, abandon your families, travel to bangkok to block streets and disrupt the lives of millions of others! Let's kill this economy and destroy the country.

Anything for you, Dear Leader!

[blabth]

Prison first for you" To**er"and maybeA few years on a funny farm.Why is this man still free!!!!!!????

you are talking about S or T, because both deserve to have a nice padded cell in a madhouse.

[newcomer71]

Prison first for you" To**er"and maybeA few years on a funny farm.Why is this man still free!!!!!!????

you are talking about S or T, because both deserve to have a nice padded cell in a madhouse.

You are right, and someone else should join them for make a funny group...

[catmac]

Maybe it's time for the civilising influence of the farang to make itself heard....

I'm sorry, but doesn't that look a bit like old Suthep (drunk on his own rhetoric!).

[soi41]

Prison first for you" To**er"and maybeA few years on a funny farm.Why is this man still free!!!!!!????

you are talking about S or T, because both deserve to have a nice padded cell in a madhouse.

Roommates??

[JenksB]

Nut case and when you all travel to Bangkok after the new year please turn on your head lights

He's only a nutcase to those who people have no principles and no passion for human rights and justice and for those who have no interest in fighting for rights for their fellow human being. I stand for those who stand against injustice and evil. Go Go Suthep. Evil prevails when good men do nothing.

It would appear that you support a dictatorship, his "passion" is a self seeking egotistical "passion" to get into power at the expense of anyone who gets in his way,this peoples council hearkens back to the stalinist era when anyone who disagreed with the politicians who were in power dissapeared for ever, the peoples council will pave the way for the Democrats (an oxymoron in this instance) to remove any opposition and when they can be sure there will be no meaningful opposition they will call "elections" that will ensure they can stay in power, I know the Shins are not much better but the people of Thailand get the form of government that they vote for even if the votes are purchase, and dont forget the democrats where buying votes as well, the just didn't get it right, evil will prevail when to many people are blinded by charisma, its all smoke and mirrors, no one has a clue what will happen except it will probably get a lot worse in the near future as a wanabe dictator puts the squeeze on the people of Bangkok until violence boils over and then he will blame it all on the government, he is a very dangerous man who believes he can do no wrong, he really believes he is the Messiah of Tailand!

[MJP]

Maybe it's time for the civilising influence of the farang to make itself heard....

I'm sorry, but doesn't that look a bit like old Suthep (drunk on his own rhetoric!).

Superb focus and colours in that shot . . . sadly.

[soi41]

After 240 posts of calling each other for idiots, general mudslinging and being as stubborn as the Thais (Face?), isn't about time we came up with our suggestions to a solution ?

Being pigheaded is leading nowhere.

The reds and yellows aren't going to agree on anything in this century. IMO a coup is not a good solution.

So my idea is the Thailand needs a new political party. Not like the small ultranationalist ones, of which the are too many already. But a party with some political heavyweights from both sides of the divide, there are some reasonably clean and smart guys on both sides.

From the yellow side I would nominate Korn Chakivanij (who as the smart guy he is, resigned from the Democrats board when the Suthep nonsense began) and Surin Pitsuwan (former secretary general of Asean). Those two are both educated in the west and are as "clean" as they come in Thailand!

From the red side, honestly I don't know their members of government well enough to suggest any, but sure amongst their members there are some decent and intelligent people.

Sure a majority of average Thais are fed up with the present stalemate, so a new political party with politics for the benefit of the country and all its people, will be their choice?

Maybe I am being naive (I am) but it must be better than calling my fellow posters for idiots?

Your solutions? Thank you!

[newcomer71]

After 240 posts of calling each other for idiots, general mudslinging and being as stubborn as the Thais (Face?), isn't about time we came up with our suggestions to a solution ?

Being pigheaded is leading nowhere.

The reds and yellows aren't going to agree on anything in this century. IMO a coup is not a good solution.

So my idea is the Thailand needs a new political party. Not like the small ultranationalist ones, of which the are too many already. But a party with some political heavyweights from both sides of the divide, there are some reasonably clean and smart guys on both sides.

From the yellow side I would nominate Korn Chakivanij (who as the smart guy he is, resigned from the Democrats board when the Suthep nonsense began) and Surin Pitsuwan (former secretary general of Asean). Those two are both educated in the west and are as "clean" as they come in Thailand!

From the red side, honestly I don't know their members of government well enough to suggest any, but sure amongst their members there are some decent and intelligent people.

Sure a majority of average Thais are fed up with the present stalemate, so a new political party with politics for the benefit of the country and all its people, will be their choice?

Maybe I am being naive (I am) but it must be better than calling my fellow posters for idiots?

Your solutions? Thank you!

This is an intelligent post, finally! Kudos for you.

Your idea is actually good, no matter if someone sees it as naive or not possible. Everything can be done in the interest of people!

As I wrote in many posts before, I would also love to see a panel of technical, neutral and balanced, working together to help all the things that in this country need improvements.

I don't know how corruption can be fought, as is too much deep dug into the social texture and costumes.

But if someone eventually will try to do something for this country and not for themselves, then Thailand has some hope.

[NanLaew]

After 240 posts of calling each other for idiots, general mudslinging and being as stubborn as the Thais (Face?), isn't about time we came up with our suggestions to a solution ?

Being pigheaded is leading nowhere.

The reds and yellows aren't going to agree on anything in this century. IMO a coup is not a good solution.

So my idea is the Thailand needs a new political party. Not like the small ultranationalist ones, of which the are too many already. But a party with some political heavyweights from both sides of the divide, there are some reasonably clean and smart guys on both sides.

From the yellow side I would nominate Korn Chakivanij (who as the smart guy he is, resigned from the Democrats board when the Suthep nonsense began) and Surin Pitsuwan (former secretary general of Asean). Those two are both educated in the west and are as "clean" as they come in Thailand!

From the red side, honestly I don't know their members of government well enough to suggest any, but sure amongst their members there are some decent and intelligent people.

Sure a majority of average Thais are fed up with the present stalemate, so a new political party with politics for the benefit of the country and all its people, will be their choice?

Maybe I am being naive (I am) but it must be better than calling my fellow posters for idiots?

Your solutions? Thank you!

This is an intelligent post, finally! Kudos for you.

Your idea is actually good, no matter if someone sees it as naive or not possible. Everything can be done in the interest of people!

As I wrote in many posts before, I would also love to see a panel of technical, neutral and balanced, working together to help all the things that in this country need improvements.

I don't know how corruption can be fought, as is too much deep dug into the social texture and costumes.

But if someone eventually will try to do something for this country and not for themselves, then Thailand has some hope.

How dare you guys assume to derail this pithy and learned debate about who's dog has a bigger dick into a facile and sterile wish-list.

I will indulge you this; in the 'worlds greatest democracy', there has been one notable attempt for a 'third party' that was always doomed to ignominious defeat. If that happened in a country with almost 230 years of 'government of/by/for the people', what hope has such a grand scheme in this bedlam called Thailand with its paltry 12 years (or so) of elected government with only one military interruption in the interim?

As to the earlier debate about the restructuring of constituencies to manipulate the vote in favour of TRT and their subsequent reincarnations, isn't gerrymandering a key part of political wile and stealth in the much more civilised west? Maybe, just maybe, had the opposition initiated their very own, very legal POPULIST campaigns in the past 3 elections they may have had better fortune. But no. They perceive this as another form of 'vote buying' and insult the intelligence of the swelling middle class voter. The all-critical voting class that they are further disenfranchising with all this rhetoric about people's committee's, disruptive and violent demonstrations, seizing Bangkok and other kindergarten histrionics.

[Jim walker]

I think I will just stay in the UK for another few months before returning to Bangkok and by that time hopefully it will be about 70Baht to the pound also by then all the protesters will be finished and back to their respective jobs, and the last of the big international banks will have pulled out of Thailand and let it stand on its own two feet, with the taxes from the street vendors to replace the big bank taxes

[Yunla]

“Bangkok people who feel uncomfortable will have time to manoeuvre, leaving those with the hearts to fight to join hands in wiping out the Thaksin regime.”

You're either with us or against us. Or bored. Or too tired to care. Or all knackered out and exhausted because you work a real job instead of just waving your fist around dramatically infront of some cameras. As the old joke went "the last smart thing came out of his mouth was when he spilled his alphabetti-spaghetti on his bib."

[ratcatcher]

I think I will just stay in the UK for another few months before returning to Bangkok and by that time hopefully it will be about 70Baht to the pound also by then all the protesters will be finished and back to their respective jobs, and the last of the big international banks will have pulled out of Thailand and let it stand on its own two feet, with the taxes from the street vendors to replace the big bank taxes

[aguy30]

Many of the TV trolls hate Suthep. If you are one of them, please feel free to offer alternative ideas on how to rid Thailand of the Shin wannabe dictatorship.

But the absolute majority want Yingluck, did'nt you know that, so why should Suthep be able to tell them what they can have, comparitively no one wants him, as opposed to the millions who voted for Yingluck

Actually none of the voters directly voted for Yingluck because Thailand has a parliamentary system of government. The House of Representatives appoints the Prime Minister who appoints the Cabinet of Thailand. You knew that, didn't you? Guess not.

Did the voters really vote for the candidate they wanted or was it because they were PAID for making certain candidates their choice? My understanding is that often, someone checks the voter's ballot for the "right" selections at the poll before paying the voter a 500 baht "reward". Isn't a democratically elected government great?