Thaksin Returns As Pm

[John K]

I have actually lost score here. Can anyone summerize what dates all the court rulings and so on are due to hit? There is just getting too much to keep track of.

[sriracha john]

Busy day for Criminal Court judges

It was a busy day for the Criminal Court yesterday as it heard more evidence against the embattled Election Commission (EC) in several cases and announced that it will decide on Thursday whether to accept Democrat party secretary-general Suthep Thaugsuban’s case for trial.

In other cases, the court decided to throw out a case filed by Viroj Nithitham against the EC, but conducted a new hearing in the case filed by caretaker Ubon Ratchathani senator Nirand Pitakwatchara.

In the final pretrial session in Suthep’s case against the EC yesterday morning, the court heard the testimony of the last witness, Wongpan Na Thakuethung, an outgoing senator from Phang Nga, before announcing that it will decide by Thursday whether to accept the case.

In the afternoon, the court heard another case by Nirand against election commissioners Wasana Permlarp, Prinya Nakchudtree, Virachai Naewboonnien and Churupat Ruangsuwan accusing them of violating Article 157 of the Criminal Code and other laws.

The court refused to accept the case filed by Viroj for trial, citing incompatibility with the law.

The EC also announced yesterday that it would finalize its findings by Wednesday on whether the Thai Rak Thai party was guilty of hiring smaller parties to contest the April 2 election.

- TD

[sriracha john]

Speaker of the Senate Suchon to submit petition for EC’s ouster to court

Caretaker Senate Speaker Suchon Chaleekrua yesterday confirmed that he will submit a petition by 35 senators seeking the Election Commission (EC)’s ouster to the Constitutional Court soon and said that their move was legitimate.

Suchon met with senior permanent staff of the Secretariat of the House of Representatives yesterday afternoon to discuss the appeal of the 35 senators and in a brief announcement afterwards said the petition will be submitted to the Constitutional Court shortly, despite efforts to block it by three senators from the northern and northeastern provinces. However, he failed to say exactly when the submission will take place.

Suchon also said the 35 senators were entitled to petition the court under Article 142 of the Constitution.

Last week, 35 outgoing senators who had unsuccessfully tried to scrutinize PM Thaksin Shinawatra and members of his Cabinet throughout their six-year tenure, including Nirand Phitakwatchara from Ubon Ratchathani and Bangkok’s Seree Suwanapanont, submitted a petition for the Constitutional Court through Suchon, seeking a review of the qualifications of the three remaining election commissioners: Chairman Wasana Permlarp, Prinya Nakchudtree and Virachai Naewboonnien.

The petition said the commissioners violated many constitutional stipulations by refusing to resign as a token of assuming responsibility for a series of alleged wrongdoings in the annulled April 2 general election, even after stern recommendations to do so by the chiefs of the country’s three highest courts.

Three senators moved to block the petition yesterday, arguing that the 35 anti-EC senators were not empowered to take such action in a caretaker capacity.

Prakiat Nasinma, Nikom Chaokitisopol and Adul Wanchaitanawong, from Roi Et, Lampang and Mae Hong Son provinces respectively, jointly handed a protest letter to Suchon and urged him not to forward the petition to the Constitutional Court.

Prakiat claimed caretaker senators had only a limited role under the Constitution. “The 35 senators’ actions based on Article 142 cannot be done and their petition is only an act of a citizen and not a senator.”

However, Buri Ram senator Karun Sai-ngam sharply criticized the three, saying they were trying to hinder efforts to resolve the country’s political problems.

“They are trying to protect the Thaksin regime and the EC and their actions are very despicable.”

“And what right are they exercising in sending the letter to prevent us from petitioning the Constitutional Court?” asked Karun.

Nirand had earlier explained to ThaiDay why they must submit their petition through Suchon.

“While there is no House of Representatives, the Senate Speaker is responsible to accept our petition and pass it on to the Constitutional Court,” he said. “In essence, Suchon is only acting as a mailman.”

The three election commissioners are currently also under immense public pressure to resign and face numerous lawsuits.

- TD

[stumonster]

is it (V)Wasana Permlarp's finger in the dyke ?

though there is a bit of irony with the enforcement of shareholders in companies, where the maid , chauffeur or garder gnome cannot be the 51% of the whole.

[sriracha john]

Delusions are replaceable

Pol Gen Wasana Permlarp, chairman of the Election Commission, has shown an arrogance and sense of self-delusion that are unbecoming of his experience in life and position by saying that he must stay on in office. Does the country, as he says, need him to help organise local elections due to take place in the next three months, and to complete the endorsement of senators-elect chosen two months ago?

Does it have to take at least another month, as he says, to select his successor?

If the ability of senators' to convene to carry out this task is in question, isn't a main obstruction the current commissioners' failure to endorse 91 senators-elect?

Pol Gen Wasana does not convince critics of the EC's performance when he says disorder would prevail if he and the two remaining commissioners, Prinya Nakchudtree and Veerachai Naewboonnian, were to step down. He is trying to say that he cannot be replaced, or is irreplaceable at this juncture.

A new team of commissioners can just as well, if not better, organise the local elections due to take place between now and August. Indeed, a new team might act faster to complete the endorsement of senators-elect because they would be free of the ill feelings that some current commissioners espouse towards certain senators-elect.

And the advent of new commissioners would remove a major source of contention in the lack of public confidence in the current commissioners.

Pol Gen Wasana may be right to point to the selection of new election commissioners as a problem while almost half the senators-elect have yet to be endorsed.

But this task could just as well be accomplished by outgoing senators who, under article 131 of the Constitution, remain caretakers until their successors come into office.

Insisting that he has done no wrong, Pol Gen Wasana has challenged his critics to impeach or prosecute him according to proper channels. He may live to regret that challenge because the judiciary's nullification of the April general elections makes him at least partly responsible for misspending two billion baht of taxpayers' money on the polls.

Under a cabinet decision last week, grassroots organisations at tambon and provincial levels look forward to being allocated 35% of the national budget ( or an estimated 516 billion baht ) from the

next fiscal year.

Continued here:

http://www.bangkokpost.com/News/06Jun2006_news26.php

[sriracha john]

Putting The Economist in its place:

Let the People Speak

When thousands of Thais took to the streets in Bangkok to call on Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra to stand down, they were criticized by elements of the Western Press as undemocratic. But the crowds were peaceful and orderly—and using their constitutional rights

Dog eat dog is a rather loathsome term, originally coined in London’s old Fleet Street. It was a colorful way of describing the bloodletting there as rival newspapers tried to score points off each other, often using the basest means.

So it is with temerity that I proceed to take elements of the Western Press, particularly The Economist, to task for the stance they have taken in covering Thailand’s recent political turmoil. In a nutshell, the theme they adopt is that the Thai people have now resoundingly elected Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra to power three times, so why should a “mob” of his opponents be allowed to flout this democratic exercise and effectively force him out of office.

The Economist’s April 8-14 cover line was “A blow to Thai democracy,” and in a lead editorial it proceeded to hammer the tens of thousands of Thais who took to the streets for two months to demand Thaksin’s resignation. The prime minister had to make a “tearful early exit” despite winning the three elections, even though in the last, on April 2, his Thai Rak Thai party was unchallenged after opposition parties boycotted the poll. While admitting that Thaksin, like another elected leader, Italy’s Silvio Berlusconi, had been “bad for democracy,” the editorial said the correct way to oust Thaksin was through the ballot box. “It was a great pity that the mob was in the end allowed to beat the electoral system,” it added.

The editorial, like others in other sections of the Western press, seemed to say that an election is the be all and end all of democracy. It ended by saying the opposition should accept the results of any new election because “that’s how democracy should work.”

I don’t know how well the editorial writer was acquainted with Thailand and its experience of Thaksin’s rule but for starters, depicting the huge peaceful crowds on Bangkok’s streets— comprising academics, professionals and others from a mainly middle-class background—as a “mob” is an insult to a respectable body of opinion, including some of the best minds in the country.

A mob, according to my dictionary, is a “disorderly, riotous crowd—a criminal gang.” The Bangkok crowds were no such thing.

The well-worn word “democracy,” according to the same Webster’s dictionary, is “a government by the people—a government in which “the supreme power is exercised by the people.” Only towards the end does the dictionary say that this is a system usually involving free elections.

So while Thaksin kept answering his opponents with the chant that he had been elected by 19 million Thais—presumably enough to satisfy those Western editorial writers—this overlooked the democratic right of people everywhere to protest loudly if they feel a leader is no longer serving them but just himself and his circle.

Those who protested took the democratic view that Thaksin was unworthy of continuing in office.

For instance, two well-respected academic commentators living in Bangkok, Pasuk Phongpaichit, an economics professor at Bangkok’s prestigious Chulalongkorn University, and Chris Baker, wrote in a guest column in the New York Times on April 14: “Thaksin has left behind a mess of political pith and pulp that has seriously damaged the country’s political institutions and climate.”

Their column goes on: “Mr Thaksin used the electronic media for government propaganda, abused critics, violated human rights and disdained democracy and the rule of law. In short, he brought back the authoritarian strain in Thai politics that optimists hoped had been laid to rest. He has also made a mess of the 1997 constitution, especially by undermining the bodies intended to check executive power.”

There were similar expressions of a total lack of faith in Thaksin as a legitimate leader from several other leading Thai academics, with not one coming out in his defense. And as for the “mob,” sections 44 and 65 of the Thai constitution guarantee a person’s right to assemble peacefully, without arms, and to resist anyone ruling the country in a way which doesn’t accord with democratic principles laid down in the constitution.

So while not wishing to engage in a dog fight with colleagues—the lowly Irrawaddy is hardly a match for The Economist— it does seem unfair to tar as undemocratic and unruly those Thais who felt sufficiently motivated to take to the streets as their democratic right to try to restore democracy.

A highly-influential journal like The Economist should perhaps think more deeply, and with more understanding, about what has actually happened in Thailand before trashing a significant sector of its population as an undemocratic mob.

- The Irrawaddy

[sriracha john]

Thai economy pays the price for the country's political limbo

During April and much of May, Thaksin Shinawatra, Thailand's billionaire prime minister, sought to defuse political tensions by conspicuously acting the unemployed man of leisure - playing golf, travelling overseas and visiting upscale Bangkok malls with his family.

Mr Thaksin's political "cooling off" period ended on May 20 when he took back the reins of government ostensibly to tackle pressing national problems, including worsening violence in the south and a slowdown in the economy. But with elections still months ahead, analysts say Mr Thaksin has few tools to reinvigorate an economy now losing steam after months of political turbulence.

"I'm writing off 2006," said Supavud Saicheau, managing director of Phatra Securities. "We are drifting along with 4-4.5 per cent growth, or maybe less. The direction is not going to be there. We are rudderless."

"The real issue is that investment - public and private - will falter as a direct result of the political uncertainty," he said.

While government agencies are paring their growth forecasts for this year, Thanong Bidaya, the finance minister, has expressed concern that the economic fall-out from the prolonged political crisis could persist through next year. "For 2007, I dread to imagine how things would look," he said last week.

At the start of the year, Thailand's economy appeared poised to grow by up to 6 per cent this year, pushed by an expected strong pick-up in private investment and the beginning of a surge in large-scale infrastructure projects.

But that was before Mr Thaksin's family sold Shin Corp, its telecommunications empire, to Singapore's Temasek Holdings for a tax-free Bt79bn ($2bn, €1.6bn, £1.1bn), triggering a mass outcry, the dissolution of parliament and a bizarre election that has left the country without a fully functioning government. Last month the constitutional court annulled the controversial April 2 election, which was boycotted by the opposition, and fresh polls have been tentatively set for October 15. But a stand-off between the courts and the discredited Election Commission over the supervision of new polls, and speculation that Mr Thaksin's Thai Rak Thai party could be dissolved for legal violations, is weighing on sentiment.

Amid the political tensions, consumer confidence is being eroded by record high retail oil prices and high inflation, which hit 6.2 per cent in May. Banks are paring back projected loan growth and warning of early signs of rising defaults, while property companies are cutting estimates for sales of new homes.

The stock market has fallen 9 per cent since its peak on May 10, two days after the election was annulled. Talks with the US on a free trade agreement are at a standstill.

"You have people not wanting to make foreign direct investment commitments, or that incremental capacity expansion decision if they have no idea what policy decisions are in the offing," said Mr Pietersz. "It doesn't make sense to make the final decision unless you are certain policies will not be detrimental.

"For local investors, the issue is visibility of growth," he said. "If you are seeing the economy softening now, why would you want to make that upfront bet be-cause you may be misreading demand."

The government's spending, especially on long-awaited infrastructure projects, will also be impeded as the lack of a functioning parliament is creating serious delays in the budget process.

Normally, parliament approves the budget for the next fiscal year - which starts on October 1 - by August. But Thailand will not have a fully functioning government until November or December. Even if a new budget is approved quickly, the time required for tendering and bidding means big projects may not get under way until mid-2007.

To keep his core support base - poor rural voters - happy ahead of the next polls, Mr Thaksin has pledged Bt59 billion in new rural spending and to lower interest rates for farmers. He also intends to start development of three new subway lines, although analysts are sceptical about his ability to proceed in the present climate.

So far, robust exports, which grew a better-than-expected 17 per cent in the first quarter, have cushioned the impact of the political crisis on the domestic economy. But export growth, which was a slower 11 per cent in April, may also be softening because of the weakening dollar and global imbalances.

"The only engine that is still humming strong is exports," said Kitti Nathisuwan, head of research for Macquarie Securities. "If exports slow down, we are talking about even more downside to GDP growth."

- Financial Times

[Jai Dee]

Khunying Sudarat : TRT did not register for a new political party

Thai Rak Thai Party Deputy Leader Sudarat Keyuraphan (สุดารัตน์ เกยุราพันธ์) has insisted that her party did not register to establish a new political party. She believes the party members have confidence in the process of judgment.

Khunying Sudarat referred to the statement of Election Commissioner that the investigation over the hiring of small political parties to run in the previous general election will be concluded today. She said that more than one political party will be dissolved. She said the law department of the party has been assigned to look after the issue. She further stated that she has no idea about the result of the investigation.

However, the deputy leader has confirmed that her party will not interfere with the investigation process, and it is ready to inform the facts. She revealed that the party members are not anxious. She stated that the party did not prepare for the new registration to establish a new political party as claimed by Democrat Party.

As for the news citing that former Thai Rak Thai Party MPs in the three southern border provinces will transfer to the Chart Thai party, Deputy Leader Sudarat said that she has no information regarding the matter. She also said Mr. Wan Muhammad Nor Matha will be the one who will give clearer answer.

Source: Thai National News Bureau Public Relations Department - 06 June 2006

[sriracha john]

As for the news citing that former Thai Rak Thai Party MPs in the three southern border provinces will transfer to the Chart Thai party, Deputy Leader Sudarat said that she has no information regarding the matter. She also said Mr. Wan Muhammad Nor Matha will be the one who will give clearer answer.

From his stateroom onboard the cruise ship, SS Thai Rak Thai, with its slight listing to the starboard, Wan busily prepares a letter.

Edited June 6, 2006 by sriracha john

[lukamar]

Court rejects lawsuit against poll agency

The Criminal Court yesterday threw out a lawsuit filed against the Election Commission (EC) accusing it of negligence of duty for refusing to review its decision to allow constituency hopping.

The charge was levelled by nine residents of Surat Thani province, led by Wirot Nititam, after the EC allegedly failed to "promptly" reconsider its decision following objections raised by Democrat party secretary-general Suthep Thaugsuban.

The court ruled that the EC did not violate the election law because the Democrat complaint focused on the point already discussed and decided by the EC.

The EC met to discuss constituency hopping on April 10. Failed candidates in the April 2 snap elections were then allowed to change their constituencies for the by-election on April 23.

The switch by candidates of small parties was criticised as an alleged attempt to help the Thai Rak Thai party (TRT) win House seats.

A boycott by the three main opposition parties _ Democrat, Chat Thai, and Mahachon _ in the last general election meant TRT candidates standing unopposed had to meet the minimum 20% vote requirement, thus making it difficult for them to win in constituencies where the party's popularity was in a slump.

The EC, chaired by Pol Gen Wasana Permlarp, resolved on April 10 that the constituency hopping was not illegal.

It said the failed candidates could switch to stand in new constituencies in the by-election even though the EC had yet to announce the poll results in their old constituencies.

-BP-

[jdinasia]

Putting The Economist in its place:

Let the People Speak

When thousands of Thais took to the streets in Bangkok to call on Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra to stand down, they were criticized by elements of the Western Press as undemocratic. But the crowds were peaceful and orderly—and using their constitutional rights

Dog eat dog is a rather loathsome term, originally coined in London’s old Fleet Street. It was a colorful way of describing the bloodletting there as rival newspapers tried to score points off each other, often using the basest means.

So it is with temerity that I proceed to take elements of the Western Press, particularly The Economist, to task for the stance they have taken in covering Thailand’s recent political turmoil. In a nutshell, the theme they adopt is that the Thai people have now resoundingly elected Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra to power three times, so why should a “mob” of his opponents be allowed to flout this democratic exercise and effectively force him out of office.

The Economist’s April 8-14 cover line was “A blow to Thai democracy,” and in a lead editorial it proceeded to hammer the tens of thousands of Thais who took to the streets for two months to demand Thaksin’s resignation. The prime minister had to make a “tearful early exit” despite winning the three elections, even though in the last, on April 2, his Thai Rak Thai party was unchallenged after opposition parties boycotted the poll. While admitting that Thaksin, like another elected leader, Italy’s Silvio Berlusconi, had been “bad for democracy,” the editorial said the correct way to oust Thaksin was through the ballot box. “It was a great pity that the mob was in the end allowed to beat the electoral system,” it added.

The editorial, like others in other sections of the Western press, seemed to say that an election is the be all and end all of democracy. It ended by saying the opposition should accept the results of any new election because “that’s how democracy should work.”

I don’t know how well the editorial writer was acquainted with Thailand and its experience of Thaksin’s rule but for starters, depicting the huge peaceful crowds on Bangkok’s streets— comprising academics, professionals and others from a mainly middle-class background—as a “mob” is an insult to a respectable body of opinion, including some of the best minds in the country.

A mob, according to my dictionary, is a “disorderly, riotous crowd—a criminal gang.” The Bangkok crowds were no such thing.

The well-worn word “democracy,” according to the same Webster’s dictionary, is “a government by the people—a government in which “the supreme power is exercised by the people.” Only towards the end does the dictionary say that this is a system usually involving free elections.

So while Thaksin kept answering his opponents with the chant that he had been elected by 19 million Thais—presumably enough to satisfy those Western editorial writers—this overlooked the democratic right of people everywhere to protest loudly if they feel a leader is no longer serving them but just himself and his circle.

Those who protested took the democratic view that Thaksin was unworthy of continuing in office.

For instance, two well-respected academic commentators living in Bangkok, Pasuk Phongpaichit, an economics professor at Bangkok’s prestigious Chulalongkorn University, and Chris Baker, wrote in a guest column in the New York Times on April 14: “Thaksin has left behind a mess of political pith and pulp that has seriously damaged the country’s political institutions and climate.”

Their column goes on: “Mr Thaksin used the electronic media for government propaganda, abused critics, violated human rights and disdained democracy and the rule of law. In short, he brought back the authoritarian strain in Thai politics that optimists hoped had been laid to rest. He has also made a mess of the 1997 constitution, especially by undermining the bodies intended to check executive power.”

There were similar expressions of a total lack of faith in Thaksin as a legitimate leader from several other leading Thai academics, with not one coming out in his defense. And as for the “mob,” sections 44 and 65 of the Thai constitution guarantee a person’s right to assemble peacefully, without arms, and to resist anyone ruling the country in a way which doesn’t accord with democratic principles laid down in the constitution.

So while not wishing to engage in a dog fight with colleagues—the lowly Irrawaddy is hardly a match for The Economist— it does seem unfair to tar as undemocratic and unruly those Thais who felt sufficiently motivated to take to the streets as their democratic right to try to restore democracy.

A highly-influential journal like The Economist should perhaps think more deeply, and with more understanding, about what has actually happened in Thailand before trashing a significant sector of its population as an undemocratic mob.

- The Irrawaddy

Great Editorial .... strangely it reflects what almost everyone on this forum other than the Thaksin supporters were saying from the very beginning! All those folks claiming blood in the streets etc must at this point be feeling a bit silly!

Hope we can move along today with the results of the charges of major parties paying smaller parties to run people in the elections ... once that happens the EC will be done ... we can get a new EC and then new elections scheduled!

[slimdog]

I expect that there will be clarification soon, but at the moment The Nation website is reporting that the EC has voted to dissolve the Thai Rak Thai party.

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/breakingne...newsid=30005876

[John K]

This is just getting more bazaar every day. If the EC votes anything other that the TRT is guilty, I feel this will so enrage the people that violence could erupt. After reading today’s posts I find it hard to think there is any other reasonable motive to stay in office. I guess we now know what strings, threads, and ropes Thaksin has been pulling in recent days. It is so obvious, he does not ever care to hide it anymore as he has become so arrogant.

[slimdog]

EC forwards report against Thai Rak Thai to attorney general

The Election Commission Tuesday resolved to forward an investigative report against the Thai Rak Thai to the Office of the Attorney General for filing charges against the party in the Constitution Court.

EC chairman Vasana Puemlarp said the report of the Nam Yimyaem panel would be forwarded to the Office of the Attorney General in a few days.

The report concluded that there were grounds for the allegations that the Thai Rak Thai had hired small parties to stand in the April elections.

The Constitution Court would be the one to consider whether the Thai Rak Thai would be guilty warranting dissolution or not.

The Nation

[John K]

That is great news for a change, what is the time frame for this?

[lingling]

I expect that there will be clarification soon, but at the moment The Nation website is reporting that the EC has voted to dissolve the Thai Rak Thai party.

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/breakingne...newsid=30005876

I guess someone at "the nation" was a bit too quick at submitting that one. See http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=71691

[John K]

The only possible fly here is that if the EC is on shaky ground, it may be difficult to substantiate their findings. This could be the first sign of “every man for himself.” Never the less I am sure everyone in the TRT has inched up a notch getting closer to the fight or flight reaction. Watch for a lot of infighting and distancing inside the TRT over the next few days.

Also take a close look at Thaksin on tv in the next few days. I am confident you will see the physical effects of sleep depravation. Slurred words, bags under the eyes, shorter than normal temper, and disorientation .

[tettyan]

If the EC votes anything other that the TRT is guilty, I feel this will so enrage the people that violence could erupt.

Unfortunately, we may be in a lose-lose situation here. If TRT is indeed dissolved, then certain figures may follow through on their threats to wreak havoc. I don't read Thai well enough to follow all the chatter on the Thai-language webboards, but from what I can glean, it's pretty frightening stuff. Take a look at some roughly translated bits yourself at:

http://www.angkor.com/2bangkok/2bangkok/fo...22&postcount=60

http://www.angkor.com/2bangkok/2bangkok/fo...p?t=1679&page=5

[John K]

If the EC votes anything other that the TRT is guilty, I feel this will so enrage the people that violence could erupt.

Unfortunately, we may be in a lose-lose situation here. If TRT is indeed dissolved, then certain figures may follow through on their threats to wreak havoc. I don't read Thai well enough to follow all the chatter on the Thai-language webboards, but from what I can glean, it's pretty frightening stuff. Take a look at some roughly translated bits yourself at:

http://www.angkor.com/2bangkok/2bangkok/fo...22&postcount=60

http://www.angkor.com/2bangkok/2bangkok/fo...p?t=1679&page=5

I admit it looks raw but the ones that are touting violence are on the TRT handout list I am certain. This actually is a very predicable reaction of people who prefer muscle over brains. However don’t forget the rumors that the TRT was spreading about the anti Thaksin rally turning violent. This is nothing more than a suggestion that will find it’s way to the subconscious. If people believe the suggestion then the chances are greater it will happen. Who’s to say that the TRT is not posting this themselves. This is a last ditch effort to suggest it is better to keep the TRT.

You have to understand Thailand has been dancing with the devil for several years. Now it looks like the song has ended, and Thailand has the chance to ask for another dance, or find a new partner.

It also certainly suggests Thaksin was setting it up so that Thailand would be totally dependent on him. By surrounding himself with unqualified people it only adds to the illusion that he is the answer and the only answer.

Metaphorically Thailand will bleed for a while as even the best surgeon must cut away some healthy flesh to remove all the cancer.

[lukamar]

All 3 courts called for the EC resignation on the grounds that they were now illegitimate and has no quorum so they could not make "any" decisions. So will the courts now reverse their stand and now make the EC legitimate and allow them to have a quorum of 3 or will they stick by their previous stand and reject all the EC's proposals......... What a country this is turning into...

[penzman]

The only possible fly here is that if the EC is on shaky ground, it may be difficult to substantiate their findings. This could be the first sign of “every man for himself.” Never the less I am sure everyone in the TRT has inched up a notch getting closer to the fight or flight reaction. Watch for a lot of infighting and distancing inside the TRT over the next few days.

Also take a close look at Thaksin on tv in the next few days. I am confident you will see the physical effects of sleep depravation. Slurred words, bags under the eyes, shorter than normal temper, and disorientation .

You mean it will get worse?

If the EC votes anything other that the TRT is guilty, I feel this will so enrage the people that violence could erupt.

Unfortunately, we may be in a lose-lose situation here. If TRT is indeed dissolved, then certain figures may follow through on their threats to wreak havoc. I don't read Thai well enough to follow all the chatter on the Thai-language webboards, but from what I can glean, it's pretty frightening stuff. Take a look at some roughly translated bits yourself at:

http://www.angkor.com/2bangkok/2bangkok/fo...22&postcount=60

http://www.angkor.com/2bangkok/2bangkok/fo...p?t=1679&page=5

. ..

. ...

.. . ...

[John K]

All 3 courts called for the EC resignation on the grounds that they were now illegitimate and has no quorum so they could not make "any" decisions. So will the courts now reverse their stand and now make the EC legitimate and allow them to have a quorum of 3 or will they stick by their previous stand and reject all the EC's proposals......... What a country this is turning into...

paradox

[ando]

This is starting to get really crazy now. Hundreds of frivolous and malicious court cases and court rulings that end up in deadlock stalemates.

I sure hope someone somewhere has a plan to pull the country out of the poo.

If TRT is to be dissolved completely it would in effect be handing government to a party with minority support and infuriate the majority of the countries voters. Sort of a coup by proxy.

It is my belief that if things turn into a violent quagmire the generals will step in and sort it out.

[stumonster]

All 3 courts called for the EC resignation on the grounds that they were now illegitimate and has no quorum so they could not make "any" decisions. So will the courts now reverse their stand and now make the EC legitimate and allow them to have a quorum of 3 or will they stick by their previous stand and reject all the EC's proposals......... What a country this is turning into...

I thought the reomendation that the accusations be passed on to the court was by a panel that did not include the EC commisioners? The EC commissioners wished to stop it progressing claiming that more investigation was needed.

It is my belief that if things turn into a violent quagmire the generals will step in and sort it out.

it is all these police colonels/generals , army generals/field marshals that are the cause of the problem thailand is facing. To break free from this cycle of stupidity they need to purge them all from the beauracracy - But as there is few intellectual leaders available , there is not much in the way of hope for real change.

[konangrit]

All 3 courts called for the EC resignation on the grounds that they were now illegitimate and has no quorum so they could not make "any" decisions. So will the courts now reverse their stand and now make the EC legitimate and allow them to have a quorum of 3 or will they stick by their previous stand and reject all the EC's proposals......... What a country this is turning into...

The EC have seemed to prove the point by not actually making any decision and passing the buck to the Auditor General.

From The Nation:

POLITICAL DRAMA

TRT targeted for dissolution

Election Commission hands over subcommittee report to Attorney General without recommendation

The embattled Elec-tion Commission yesterday passed the buck to the Office of the Attorney General on whether to dissolve the ruling Thai Rak Thai Party, handing over all legal documents and evidence from the Nam Yimyaem investigation to the OAG.

It did so without making any specific comment or opinion on the evidence and documents.

The Nam report - produced by an EC subcommittee - indicated that the Thai Rak Thai had violated the law by hiring small political parties to run in the April 2 election and subsequent rounds of voting.

It allegedly did this so its candidates would be able to take seats without having to win 20 per cent of the vote - the minimum required to win the seat if they had run unopposed. Attorney-General Pachara Yuthithamdamrong said his office would determine if it would forward the charges to the Constitutional Court for a final ruling.

The EC had not specified any legal grounds for dissolving the Thai Rak Thai Party so his office would have to strictly follow Sections 66 and 67 of the Political Party Act to determine whether the party violated the law and whether it should be dissolved.

Chaikasem Nithisiri, deputy chief of the OAG, was appointed to chair the committee that will examine the legal documents and other evidence from the EC. Pachara said the EC should have indicated whether the party had violated the law and whether it should be dissolved when it passed the evidence to the OAG.

"We'll send a letter to the EC to come up with a ruling first. If it didn't have one, then, we'll proceed to determine the case based on Section 63 of the Political Party Act," he said.

Section 63 bans persons or groups from engaging in unconstitutional means that may overthrow the system of democratic governance.

Legal experts said EC chairman General Vasana Puemlarp, in his capacity as chief registrar of political parties, was the only person with the authority to decide whether to propose the dissolution of a political party. Suriyasai Katasila, a leader of the anti-Thaksin movement, said he suspected the EC was trying to buy more time for the ruling party and itself. "The embattled EC should make this matter clear and straightforward sooner rather than later," Suriyasai said.

"It's very unusual in the sense that the EC did not propose any action on the Thai Rak Thai. Previously, it had a clear-cut opinion on dissolving small parties that violated the law."

Chamlong Kru-khuntod, a Thai Rak Thai executive, said that even if the EC had sent the Nam report to the OAG, it remained uncertain what actions would be taken against the party. He said the matter could be seen as wrongdoing committed solely by a key member of the party.

The Criminal Court is scheduled to decide tomorrow whether to accept a case filed by Democrat Party secretary-general Suthep Thaug-suban.

Atthayuth Butsripoom

The Nation

[ColPyat]

I don't read Thai well enough to follow all the chatter on the Thai-language webboards, but from what I can glean, it's pretty frightening stuff. Take a look at some roughly translated bits yourself at:

They are insane! Completely nuts! Lunatics!

"Finland declaration", "Royal Power", "Communist conspiracy", and whatever not...if this would just involve some idiots on a web board, it would be a great laugh, but when some of the most powerful men of this country come up with this rubbish, then this is truly frightening.

The ideas of social engeneering and conspiracies going around presently in this country are beyond believe. I fear that we might be just now in a period of calm before the storm is gonna break loose after the 60 year anniversery celebrations are over.

Can nobody put those tossers into a mental asylum? All of them - Thaksin and his cabinet, Sondhi, Chamlong, etc!

Beyond believe!

[sriracha john]

Cabinet secretary quits post

Bavornsak said to have conflicts with Thaksin

Bavornsak Uvanno, the cabinet secretary-general, submitted his resignation to caretaker Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra yesterday after just over three years in this position with nine years left to go. Sources said his decision was the result of a series of differences with Mr Thaksin and his political team.

''The country's situation has changed and this is not normal times, leading to mutual distrust in the society,'' Mr Bavornsak said in his written statement.

''This has prevented me from being able to perform my duties as smoothly as I did in the past even though, as a government official, I must abide by my responsibility under prevailing conditions. The situation has caused serious concerns for my family and myself as it appears it is likely to persist for quite some time.''

Continued here:

http://www.bangkokpost.com/News/07Jun2006_news01.php

Edited June 6, 2006 by sriracha john

[sriracha john]

ahhhh.... a last ditch effort by the EC to save itself explains why it provided no specific findings before sending it to the Attorney General...

EC passes Nam report on to attorney-general

The commissioners could not be reached to explain why they forwarded the report, authored by its sub-panel headed by Nam Yimyaem, without attaching their own recommendation.

A source said the EC made the strange move because it had failed to make a final decision. Commissioners Prinya Nakchudtree and Veerachai Naewboonnien did not want to make a decision, and turned the matter over to EC chief Wasana Permlap, the source said.

They then agreed to send the report, together with other findings and evidence gathered from witnesses, to the OAG without a ruling, the source said.

If the OAG agrees with the sub-panel's recommendation, it will then file the case with the Constitution Court, which is responsible for handing down a verdict.

Continued here:

http://www.bangkokpost.com/News/07Jun2006_news03.php

[sriracha john]

Attorney-General accepts TRT case

The Election Commission yesterday submitted its report on allegations that Thai Rak Thai hired parties to run in the April 2 polls to the Attorney-General.

In cases where a party is considered for dissolution, the EC must hand evidence to the Attorney-General for deliberation.

If the case has merit, it is then passed on to the Constitutional Court, the Attorney-General’s Office said.

Conducted by a subcommittee headed by Nam Yimyaem, the report concluded TRT was guilty of hiring smaller parties, a crime, the report says should be punished by the party’s dissolution.

- TD

--------------------------------------------

Tesla - Party's Over Lyrics

It's the same old song and dance,

You're askin' me for a second chance.

I don't care, baby, what you say,

All I wanna do is gotta get away.

Been too many times callin' out your name,

You promised me, but you never came.

Was it, baby, all a game to you? Yeah.

After all the things that I've done for you,

Say your love, your love, could not be true.

I don't need nobody like you.

So turn out the lights, the party's over.

Turn out the lights, the party's over for you.

This time is the last time, never be a next time.

Tonight I wanna dance to a brand new tune.

You know, it took so long for me to realize

You got a cheatin' heart full of dirty lies.

Now listen baby, I got news for you.

Now don'tcha come knockin' on my door.

'Cause I don't want your love no more.

I don't need nobody like you.

So turn out the lights, (lights out) the party's over.

Turn out the lights, (lights out) the party's over for you.

This time is the last time, never be a next time.

Tonight I wanna dance to rock and roll.

I guess it must-a been you were so caught up

That you didn't even notice we were fallin apart.

Now you played the game, now you play the fool.

I don't need nobody like you.

I don't want it. I don't need it.

No, no, nobody like you. All I got to say.

So turn out the lights, (lights out) the party's over.

Turn out the lights, (lights out) the party's over for you.

This time is the last time, never be a next time.

Turn out the lights, the party's over.

Turn out the lights.

Turn out the lights. (turn out the lights)

Turn out the lights, the party's over.

Turn out the lights. (turn out the lights)

Turn out the lights, (lights out) the party's over.

Turn out the lights, the party's over. Yeah.

[sriracha john]

Far too little, far too late :

Thaksin’s Cabinet show their colors

Caretaker Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra yesterday ordered Cabinet members to wear the yellow shirts commemorating the 60th anniversary of His Majesty the King’s accession to the throne everyday until June 15.

“On top of wearing them everyday until June 15, the Cabinet will also wear the shirts at the weekly Cabinet meeting every Tuesday until the end of this year,” said Thaksin.

--------------------------------------------------------

and now for our older TV members, the "other" turn out the lights lyrics:

Turn out the lights

The party's over

They say that

All good things must end

Call it tonight

The party's over

But the crazy crazy party

Never seen so many people

Laughing dancing

Look at you you're having fun

But look at me

I'm almost cryin'

That don't keep her love from dyin'

Misery cause for me the party's over

Turn out the lights...

Once I had a love undyin'

I didn't keep it but I tried

Life for me was just one party

And then another

I broke her heart so many times

I had to have my parting wife

I had to have my party

Why broke her heart so many times

But one day she said

Sweetheart... the party's over

Turn out the lights...