To Barack Obama: Mr President, some facts you should know about the Thai political crisis

[nputman]

OP lost all credibility the moment she mentioned she is a US trained lawyer.

[gerrythepoet]

Whichever side one may find oneself on, we must all agree that the events from the floods of 2011 and the mismanagements, open corrupt practices to perhaps the final straw for the farmers not getting paid and the backlash from the populist policies has united those outside of Bangkok with the Suthep brigade. This outrage must be fought at the ballot box and whatever the result is as long as it is transparent, accountable and reliable then all Thais must embrace each other for the future of this developing and potentially strong ASEAN partner. The Reds no longer are disillusioned with life, just bitter with being manipulated by ALL SIDES.

[pipkins]

Michael Turner will have a chuckle after reading that nonsense.

Poor old Vanina Sucharitkul hasn't a clue in the slightest what democacy means.

I assume you decided to simply call it nonsense without specifying, because you could not really find the untrue/nonsense parts? :-D

She'd have more chance of a response from Santa Claus.

Just a vacuous airhead that the PDRC think could persude Obama that they are not fascist rearguard coup mongers from a failing regime.

I bet the congress man has a good laugh as he rolls it into a ball and chucks it in the bin....

[Baerboxer]

surely it couldn't be the same person? They aren't THAT stupid are they?

https://twitter.com/princessvanina

And your point is?

Let's deflect the discussion away from the dear leader's past 'accomplishment".

Why don't you give us your erstwhile opinion on the actual content of the letter. Taking each point - are they valid comments or not? With supporting reasons of course.

Or just keep posting diversionary comments as normal.

[glassdude007]

555 I thought Thailand did not allow dual citizenship....

Just wondering ..

Unless this lawyer was born in or has a parent from the USA,

He can not have duel Citizenship since if he is now a Naturalized USA citizen from Thailand and has pledged the oath below to receive this right...

If so then he should butt out of Thai politics as he is not a thai citizen anymore..

Naturalization Oath of Allegiance to the United States of America

I hereby declare, on oath, that I absolutely and entirely renounce and abjure all allegiance and fidelity to any foreign prince, potentate, state, or sovereignty, of whom or which I have heretofore been a subject or citizen; that I will support and defend the Constitution and laws of the United States of America against all enemies, ETC.......bla bla bla...

Edited January 20, 2014 by glassdude007

[wwest5829]

Some people protects the word Democracy as it if were something more sacred than their god, beyond good and evil. The truth is that under some democracies there are hiding the largest niches of corruption, abuse of power, labour rights abuse, destruction of the environment and natural resources, etc of this planet. But as far as they serve for their benefit, they protect them, even with war and blood.

It is the same as when the Crusades protected the name of the church in the Middle Ages. The Knights of Christ that beheaded the non-believers and prosecuted the heretics were convinced that they were fighting for a superior cause that would make the world a better place to live, named the Catholic Church.

Today it can still be called a Crusade; the only difference is that they have changed the name of God for the name of false democracies, in order to dominate and exploit this world.

And so, both are unjust means?

[Baerboxer]

Michael Turner will have a chuckle after reading that nonsense.

Poor old Vanina Sucharitkul hasn't a clue in the slightest what democacy means.

I assume you decided to simply call it nonsense without specifying, because you could not really find the untrue/nonsense parts? :-D

She'd have more chance of a response from Santa Claus.

Just a vacuous airhead that the PDRC think could persude Obama that they are not fascist rearguard coup mongers from a failing regime.

I bet the congress man has a good laugh as he rolls it into a ball and chucks it in the bin....

Nearly as good a laugh as Michele had when Mr. P was photo'd with a vacuous airhead!

What ever happened to YL's pushing for an official invite to Washington?

Edited January 20, 2014 by Baerboxer

[napawan28]

To Barack Obama "US is not my father" HA HA HA

[kikoman]

To the OP, save your stamps, there is no way in the world that President Obama or any other western democracy will back a mob to unseat the duly elected government, They could offer Thailand international poll watchers, that could report any vote buying or intimidation to keep the people from voting.

The only way to unseat the will of the majority of voters in Thailand, is to vote Yingluck out of office, That sir, is the way a democracy works!

Cheers

[JoeLing]

Not quite sure what to think about this letter. Although she mentioned some real good points,
there's nothing the world wouldn't have been aware of already. She conveniently forgets to put
all the other crocks in to her equation. At least if she would have commented on all the fractions
involved it would be a brilliant posting but like this? Now, is this letter a reply to a silly statement
of an US Senator or just propaganda aimed at the English speaking readers in Thailand?

First thought, if a Thai-Franco-American lawyer subsidises her income by filling out hundreds
of surveys to make XXX$ every week in order to try to "survive as a Parisian girl" how much
does she earn a week to write letters?

[ https://twitter.com/princessvanina ]

[casualbiker]

To the OP, save your stamps, there is no way in the world that President Obama or any other western democracy will back a mob to unseat the duly elected government, They could offer Thailand international poll watchers, that could report any vote buying or intimidation to keep the people from voting.

The only way to unseat the will of the majority of voters in Thailand, is to vote Yingluck out of office, That sir, is the way a democracy works!

Cheers

They are in the Ukraine!

Sent from my XT1032 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[Gulfsailor]

Not quite sure what to think about this letter. Although she mentioned some real good points,

there's nothing the world wouldn't have been aware of already. She conveniently forgets to put

all the other crocks in to her equation. At least if she would have commented on all the fractions

involved it would be a brilliant posting but like this? Now, is this letter a reply to a silly statement

of an US Senator or just propaganda aimed at the English speaking readers in Thailand?

First thought, if a Thai-Franco-American lawyer subsidises her income by filling out hundreds

of surveys to make XXX$ every week in order to try to "survive as a Parisian girl" how much

does she earn a week to write letters?

[ https://twitter.com/princessvanina ]

"First thought, if a Thai-Franco-American lawyer subsidises her income by filling out hundreds

of surveys to make XXX$ every week in order to try to "survive as a Parisian girl" how much

does she earn a week to write letters? "

Probably not as much as the good congressman received from Raytheon and a range of other defense industry companies to write his letter....

[heybruce]

"The Thaksin authoritarian government, elected through vote-rigging..."

I read words like this a lot. Funny how nobody provides convincing evidence that vote rigging on a scale to invalidate Yingluck's election victory took place. Anyone with evidence of this vote rigging should contact the major news organizations, who somehow overlooked it, along with Abhisit, who took responsibility for his party's poor performance in the election and resigned as party head.

[citizen33]

I am surprised that so many find this a convincing and 'well written' letter. It struck me as little more than an unsophisticated listing of personal (albeit deeply felt) grievances, cobbled together hastily by somebody who would struggle to prepare an article of publishable standard. The facile statement about vote buying, as Snig27 says above, flies in the face of all the credible research evidence. If a reader concludes that that part is false then much of the rest collapses like a house of cards. If the 2011 vote reflected sentiment rather than cash payments, the Western observer will ask what kind of 'reforms' will help. The answer, of course, is reforms that will disenfranchise part of the electorate that votes against the interests of the metropolitan elite. The argument for reforms like that will not prevail in educated Western circles, and there will be consequences if the coup or judicial coup goes ahead.

[Publicus]

Michael Turner will have a chuckle after reading that nonsense.

Poor old Vanina Sucharitkul hasn't a clue in the slightest what democacy means.

So enlighten us, which specific (repeat specific) parts of his letter are incorrect.

[Phaser]

As a US practicing international lawyer and a US and Thai citizen I respect Khun Vanina's views, but respectfully disagree.

I reject the view that the best way to achieve democracy is to suspend democracy pending the 're-education' of the poor and those living outside of Bangkok so that they will vote 'the right way' (i.e. not for Phua Thai). There is no lawful process that I am aware of under the circumstances to require that the PM step down and some non elected panel be appointed to oversee 'reform' so that full and effective democratic elections can then take place sometime in the future. The only 'process' that can achieve this as a practical matter is another 'coup' another revised Constitution and then another election when sufficient 're-education' has taken place. That process is 'extrajudicial'.

The anti government protesters always list the 'parade of horrors' of Taksin, and paint Yingluck with the same brush and THAT is the reason she must step down. IF there was sufficient evidence to support an impeachment of Yingluck then the case should be brought - but frankly, overall, she has done a reasonable job in my view over the last two years given the insanity of Thai politics. Saying she is the 'puppet' of Taksin is hardly new or a basis for demanding her immediate resignation. Saying that she supports 'populist' policies, is not a reason to demand she resign. Show me and the other Thai people the proof and follow the legal process of impeachment and/or winning an election.

The Democrats are no better than Puea Thai - corruption allegations can easily be laid on both sides. Remember Abisit and the on line lottery? How Abisit citing how the on line lottery is not consistent with Thai culture and morals so he cancelled the contract AFTER it was approved and the system deployed (the same system that is operating fine in Malaysia to bring in significant monies into the Malaysian treasury) - without any reference to the real reason - that the UNDERGROUND lottery brings in over USD 1 BIllion a year (and a significant amount of this being siphoned off by unnamed Thai officers) and that by deploying the on line system that cash would be going directly into the Thai treasury lawfully and for the benefit of Thailand. How about the underground casinos in Bangkok? What about the Democrats going into the provinces and giving 'Things' (not money) to the rural folks (where the Puea Thai purportedly give money - but the aim is the same). My point is not to assert anything more than this - both parties are just as guilty/dirty so it is pointless to say that only Puea Thai is 'corrupt'.

I accept that democratic processes have lawfully elected dictators (Hilter, Rajapaksa in Sri Lanka, et al), but I reject that the voice of the Thai people should be silenced by not holding elections in February. If the Democrats want to be elected, then let them go win an election. To put a US spin on this, currently Obama has an approval rating of under 40% - and I am sure that rallies of millions could be staged across the USA demanding that he resign NOW well before the 2016 elections. But that is not how it works, and the only way to get rid of Obama mid term is to impeach him - and the only lawful way to get rid of Yingluck is to impeach her (and prove the case against her and Puea Thai).

As a Thai citizen I want to be able to exercise my right to vote in February - I do not want to be told that I am too stupid to vote 'correctly' nor do I want to see another coup, another appointed PM, and then after I and others are re-educated, another election years down the road.

[AlphMichaels]

Wow OP, as a US trained lawyer as you claim then you would understand that weather you, Suthep, the Dem's or whistle blowers like it or not,

that this government was elected and those trying to overthrow the government are not respecting the vote of the people, ie the democratic process,

Also you as a US trained lawyer you would also know that the correct way to remove a government leader is to impeach them, clearly show corruption or breaches of laws, but this has not been shown has it.

But the US are well known for their style of removing government they no longer have use for yes?

Not trained..., rather educated and matriculated. A deserved distinction, poster. UC Berkley undergrad - UC Hastings JD too which is no gravy train. AVVO rating in US is good but little experience in litigation (reported specialty) in US. Could be she came back here quickly after passing CA Bar. Nonetheless, qualified as a JD, Barrister, whatever your part of the world wants to call legal professional. Very capable..., possibly with an opinion worthy and she is, after all, allowed to voice her opine and obviously possesses the ability to reason through it. Prefer listening/reading from someone of her caliber to some of the drivel I read here.

But even with US citizenship, US constitutional law is not as important to her as is Thai constitutional law. I respect her letter and the premise of it.

Her Uncle is a well known playwright, author and anti-Thaksin guy too.

I read her letter with high interest and want to do some research now on things she states that I do not know about. This has been an interesting exercise in democratic principle and the evolution of it in Thailand over my time here. Far from over too.

[TVGerry]

Not quite sure what to think about this letter. Although she mentioned some real good points,

there's nothing the world wouldn't have been aware of already. She conveniently forgets to put

all the other crocks in to her equation. At least if she would have commented on all the fractions

involved it would be a brilliant posting but like this? Now, is this letter a reply to a silly statement

of an US Senator or just propaganda aimed at the English speaking readers in Thailand?

First thought, if a Thai-Franco-American lawyer subsidises her income by filling out hundreds

of surveys to make XXX$ every week in order to try to "survive as a Parisian girl" how much

does she earn a week to write letters?

[ https://twitter.com/princessvanina ]

It's pretty lame for certain people to attack a Twitter account that if you look carefully, hasn't been active since 2010. The so called money making surveys show that her inactive account has obviously been hacked. But hey, let's not let that get in the way when you decide to attack the writer and not the message.

[mamypoko]

p.s. Mr. President, how'd y'all keep the traffic flowing during those million man marches?

[DocN]

May I ad: the (Democrats) protesters, who are complaining about the "heavily flawed" elections...please recall what K' Suthep said to the idea of international election monitors!

I have two words for you: Boooo Hoooo!

[falangadang]

Great letter, but unlikely to be given much notice.

Good but not great,.. and for a US trained lawyer the grammar wasn't up to par!

I very much doubt that the US president is actually going to read it or at least give it any more than a cursory glance.

[kittosoft]

Suthep win= common Thai citizen lost.

Government wins= common Thai people still lost.

Damaged has already been done, So no matter what or who says /argument is.... all points to the human weakness.

Selfishness, greed, etc.

Root of all evil = humans.

Try changing the education system in most part of the world and maybe a more peaceful world after 20-30years.

Do what you want others to do onto you......

[Prbkk]

Not quite sure what to think about this letter. Although she mentioned some real good points,

there's nothing the world wouldn't have been aware of already. She conveniently forgets to put

all the other crocks in to her equation. At least if she would have commented on all the fractions

involved it would be a brilliant posting but like this? Now, is this letter a reply to a silly statement

of an US Senator or just propaganda aimed at the English speaking readers in Thailand?

First thought, if a Thai-Franco-American lawyer subsidises her income by filling out hundreds

of surveys to make XXX$ every week in order to try to "survive as a Parisian girl" how much

does she earn a week to write letters?

[ https://twitter.com/princessvanina ]

yes, I think this goes to the heart of it. I'm sure she is well-intentioned, but can the opposition be serious? First the slightly loopy beer heiress and now the lawyer writing to The President ( but tweeting that she is going to vomit in a bucket, complains about how long it takes to get a glass of water in Parisian restaurants and other nonsense). Where the hell do they find these people? Do they not understand this does not resonate with either Thais or foreigners?

On a day that should have been bad for the govt....when an ageing rock/porn star with a huge penis ( somehow germane as it's in the headline) stumbles onto the stage...they get countered and trumped by the DYKWIA, self-titled "princess" writing to a president. seriously, they do need to get a credibility campaign going, fast. While I know that TIT, it has all the hallmarks of a french farce or "carry on" movie. What next...Barbara Windsor to appear to endorse one of the parties?

[mca]

What next...Barbara Windsor to appear to endorse one of the parties?

Saucy

[kjun12]

Barking Insane does not give a dam about what people think about Thai elections etc ...HE WANTS THAILAND IN THE TPP ...so he needs chaos like this to get his CFR buddy Thaksin into an absolute Dictatorship thats why the Washington Post cartoon rag & AFP etc are so Anti Suthep

"Often wrong but never in doubt". I think this best fits you and others who blindly support the Democrats who, you neglect to remember, murdered over 90 Red Shirts a couple of years ago. Or, was your head stuck in the sand at that time?

[pkspeaker]

The anti-government protesters are also pro-democracy. The movement is not to rid Thailand of democracy, but to rid Thailand of the most tyrannical and dictatorial leader in history. Throughout history, many dictators have been democratically elected. Saddam Hussein received 100 per cent of the votes. Hugo Chavez, whom you publicly called authoritarian, was also elected by the majority.

The Thaksin authoritarian government, elected through vote-rigging, proved to be the most corrupt and the gravest human rights violator. In order to fully appreciate the current political crisis, one must examine the telecommunications tycoon's legacy. Just to name a few examples of Thaksin's egregious conduct:

THIS IS BULLSHIT! The elections in Thailand are monitored internationally, there are multiple candidates on the ballot. In Saddams Iraq he got 100% of the vote because he was the only one on the ballot, and there were secret police everywhere and if you showed opposition to him it was extremly dangerous. Yingluck is the current PM, NOT Thaksin, these idiots can call her a 'pupet all they want, I guess GWB was the elder Bush's puppet, Hilary is Bills puppet, etc. it's a baseless charge, and the 'vote-rigging, vote buying' charge has no substance since she won by a large majority and the independent agency's monitoring the election found no rampant fraud occurred.

Also he doesn't explain why democracy needs to be suspended in order to reform when that was just done a few years ago by a coup and a new constitution was written. Why wasn't the 'reform' done then , like the loosers of the election need a new coup every 2 years, absurd.

[Thai at Heart]

Not quite sure what to think about this letter. Although she mentioned some real good points,

there's nothing the world wouldn't have been aware of already. She conveniently forgets to put

all the other crocks in to her equation. At least if she would have commented on all the fractions

involved it would be a brilliant posting but like this? Now, is this letter a reply to a silly statement

of an US Senator or just propaganda aimed at the English speaking readers in Thailand?

First thought, if a Thai-Franco-American lawyer subsidises her income by filling out hundreds

of surveys to make XXX$ every week in order to try to "survive as a Parisian girl" how much

does she earn a week to write letters?

[ https://twitter.com/princessvanina ]

yes, I think this goes to the heart of it. I'm sure she is well-intentioned, but can the opposition be serious? First the slightly loopy beer heiress and now the lawyer writing to The President ( but tweeting that she is going to vomit in a bucket, complains about how long it takes to get a glass of water in Parisian restaurants and other nonsense). Where the hell do they find these people? Do they not understand this does not resonate with either Thais or foreigners?

On a day that should have been bad for the govt....when an ageing rock/porn star with a huge penis ( somehow germane as it's in the headline) stumbles onto the stage...they get countered and trumped by the DYKWIA, self-titled "princess" writing to a president. seriously, they do need to get a credibility campaign going, fast. While I know that TIT, it has all the hallmarks of a french farce or "carry on" movie. What next...Barbara Windsor to appear to endorse one of the parties?

Indeed, I love it.

Someone is going to inform the president of the USA to the facts of the matter.

Dear concerned of Bangkok,

I am well aware of the facts of the matter.

Kind regards,

BOB

[djjamie]

Yep, can't argue with that OP. Ohh yes, people can make hollow excuses that are even answered in the OP.

Impeach her? The OP did say "When a system allows for voter fraud and places corrupt politicians above the law"

The government was elected. There goes the spouters of only 1 principle of democracy again. The OP highlights ALL the principles they didn't adhere too and nothing is mentioned by the terrorist supporters?

[kingstonkid]

I realize his letter serves more of a purpose than that, but does he really believe the President of the US knows less about this situation than him?

Now, I'm just guessing here, but maybe the US intelligence agencies have a decent grasp on what's happening, and perhaps, just perhaps, a bit more knowledge than the ThaiVisa brigade, as well as Thai Citizens.

Larry

Remember this is the same guy that said

IF YOU LIKE YOUR POLICY YOU CAN KEEP YOUR POLICY PERIOD

if you like your doctor you can keep your doctor PERIOD

That Benghazi was not a terrorist attack but a spur of the moment protest because of a video.

I did not know there was a problem until I read it in the newspaper.

I fear that when it comet to having a grasp that he isn ot the sharpest or most well versed person.

Personally i think it would have done better to send the letter to a couple of newspapers

The last thing any American should be doing at this stage is getting involved in Thailand they have enough issues to deal with.

[LarryBird]

I am surprised that so many find this a convincing and 'well written' letter. It struck me as little more than an unsophisticated listing of personal (albeit deeply felt) grievances, cobbled together hastily by somebody who would struggle to prepare an article of publishable standard. The facile statement about vote buying, as Snig27 says above, flies in the face of all the credible research evidence. If a reader concludes that that part is false then much of the rest collapses like a house of cards. If the 2011 vote reflected sentiment rather than cash payments, the Western observer will ask what kind of 'reforms' will help. The answer, of course, is reforms that will disenfranchise part of the electorate that votes against the interests of the metropolitan elite. The argument for reforms like that will not prevail in educated Western circles, and there will be consequences if the coup or judicial coup goes ahead.

Stop making so much sense!