I think there has been enough good natured ribbing of the Thai Armies capabilities. I am sure, if the day comes, that they have to repel the foreign hords their blunderbusses will be up to the task and their aim will be reasonable accurate!

There have previously been foreign troops in Thailand and it has occurred along the Thai Cambodian Myanmar border. It's nothing unusual. Sometimes they have strayed and sometimes they were pursuing rebels as was the case with the Myanmar forces. The Thais have also crossed over into both countries. Neither Myanmar, nor Cambodia has to send anyone military agents into Thailand to stir up trouble as the Thais are doing a bang up job of it themselves. The military said it would respond if there were foreign militaries encroaching on Thai territory. Nothing new there.

An army of 3,000+++ General Vs a few vans of Khmers. What do these people actually think a real army does?

Unless they were playing snooker I'd back almost any army against Thailand's.

Funny that comment when Thailand has been the only country to have NEVER been colonised or beaten by a Western nation out of all ASEAN nations.... They must have done something right... Victory Monument ring any bells...

Yes, it is called surrender.

There was no need to conquer Thailand as the western powers were able to obtain the territory they wanted without much bloodshed. Do you remember what happened when the Thais tried to regain lands they had lost to the French and to gain part of Cambodia? Despite superior numbers and a surprise attack on what was ostensibly an "ally", the Thais had to turn tail and retreat. The French sunk the Thai naval invasion force and were on their way to take more land. The Japanese interceded on behalf of the Thais, forcing the Vichy French to back off. The point of this story is that Thailand used to be a significantly larger size. Over the years it simply gave up is lands in return for being left with the remnants.

Do you even know the history of Tailand? Did you know that Thailand once stretched all the way down to Malacca in Malaysia? In that region you are correct that there was no colonization. However, it was due to the British simply taking the territory. This is why Thais can say they were not colonized. It is because there was nothing to colonize.

There have previously been foreign troops in Thailand and it has occurred along the Thai Cambodian Myanmar border. It's nothing unusual. Sometimes they have strayed and sometimes they were pursuing rebels as was the case with the Myanmar forces. The Thais have also crossed over into both countries. Neither Myanmar, nor Cambodia has to send anyone military agents into Thailand to stir up trouble as the Thais are doing a bang up job of it themselves. The military said it would respond if there were foreign militaries encroaching on Thai territory. Nothing new there.

Good god.. twice in as many days .. i agree with you!

They're thrashing at everything now doing some CYA that they can point to later and say see I told you.

Someone need to remind them this is not the 1960s and you can't get away with making stuff up anymore...

Unfortunately, it seems you can still get away with it.

"The Thai army today confirmed that no armed foreign troops have been found in the kingdom to instigate violence but conceded that there is a possibility of some gradually sneaking across the border."

In other words................there are already here

Not to difficult to walk through the jungle or pay a Lao fisherman for a ride across the Mekong. In fact an Aussie in the 70's scuba dived from Thailand to Laos and rescued his Laos girlfriend. Sorry Sir, you maybe wrong on this one and now you have made me agree with my mate here Costa, which is a first!

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hey i saw that movie. i thought that was Michael Landon (an american) for real. thanks for clearing things up. I've often wondered what that trip across the mekong must be like as a result (sans the old mukdahan ferry)

Incidentally, all fun aside, i have it on good advice that it's 20 baht across in a fishing boat, at least it was back in 2006. can't imagine the costs or lack of credentials has gone up much since then

That movie was based on a true story. The couple married and had son who is well known (and quite talented actor) Ananda Everingham.

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Yes, one of the lesser known but great stories from that sad time...

obviously not a product of a western education.

Unless they were playing snooker I'd back almost any army against Thailand's.

Funny that comment when Thailand has been the only country to have NEVER been colonised or beaten by a Western nation out of all ASEAN nations.... They must have done something right... Victory Monument ring any bells...

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Only because France and England agreed to use Thailand as a buffer between their two respective empires. If either had wanted Thailand, they could have taken it.

This inconvenient fact is always forgotten.

Someone need to remind them this is not the 1960s and you can't get away with making stuff up anymore...

I don't know, you often do a pretty good job of it

Well the Troubled south of Thailand does border the Al Queda stronghold of...... oh, hang on a minute. Erm, the West borders a slowly reforming military state...... nope that doesn't work either. How about two poverty stricken undeveloped countries to the East? Or the communist country to the North? Nah.

But all more palatable than saying that corruption on all sides is driving a beautiful country to civil war.

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An army of 3,000+++ General Vs a few vans of Khmers. What do these people actually think a real army does?

Unless they were playing snooker I'd back almost any army against Thailand's.

Nah the Iraqi Army is <deleted> too

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Therefore, army cannot confirm foreign armed are in thailand?

Face is such a load of bu*******t. How to say something that has the opposite of what you should be saying.

Could you imagine.

Engineer confirms nuclear station safe

Engineers today confirmed that the new nuclear station was being maintained properly, whilst insisting that the fact that all maintenenace records were missing as irrelevant.....

An army of 3,000+++ General Vs a few vans of Khmers. What do these people actually think a real army does?

Unless they were playing snooker I'd back almost any army against Thailand's.

Funny that comment when Thailand has been the only country to have NEVER been colonised or beaten by a Western nation out of all ASEAN nations.... They must have done something right... Victory Monument ring any bells...

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Seriously

Unless they were playing snooker I'd back almost any army against Thailand's.

Funny that comment when Thailand has been the only country to have NEVER been colonised or beaten by a Western nation out of all ASEAN nations.... They must have done something right... Victory Monument ring any bells...

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Only because France and England agreed to use Thailand as a buffer between their two respective empires. If either had wanted Thailand, they could have taken it.

This inconvenient fact is always forgotten.

Finally someone who knows something rather than just having a guess

"The Thai army today confirmed that no armed foreign troops have been found in the kingdom to instigate violence but conceded that there is a possibility of some gradually sneaking across the border."

In other words................there are already here

It's true I spotted this group of special forces sneaking across the border the other day

An army of 3,000+++ General Vs a few vans of Khmers. What do these people actually think a real army does?

Unless they were playing snooker I'd back almost any army against Thailand's.

Funny that comment when Thailand has been the only country to have NEVER been colonised or beaten by a Western nation out of all ASEAN nations.... They must have done something right... Victory Monument ring any bells...

Yes, it is called surrender.

There was no need to conquer Thailand as the western powers were able to obtain the territory they wanted without much bloodshed. Do you remember what happened when the Thais tried to regain lands they had lost to the French and to gain part of Cambodia? Despite superior numbers and a surprise attack on what was ostensibly an "ally", the Thais had to turn tail and retreat. The French sunk the Thai naval invasion force and were on their way to take more land. The Japanese interceded on behalf of the Thais, forcing the Vichy French to back off. The point of this story is that Thailand used to be a significantly larger size. Over the years it simply gave up is lands in return for being left with the remnants.

Do you even know the history of Tailand? Did you know that Thailand once stretched all the way down to Malacca in Malaysia? In that region you are correct that there was no colonization. However, it was due to the British simply taking the territory. This is why Thais can say they were not colonized. It is because there was nothing to colonize.

Yes I did. Though this is not the question. Has Thailand ever been invaded by the West? Simple answer NO. You are also incorrect in your assertions that there was nothing to conquer. If you need facts Google Thailand and colonisation. Your assertions are incorrect, not only in Thai History but also that of Malaysia, whose original ancestry is indigenous, being of a dark coloured people or has one forgotten this fact.

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.. Victory Monument ring any bells...

Not really as it was only to commemorate re gaining a bit of lao territory after the japanese had invaded Thailand. After the war Thailand was forced to give this land back, or not be allowed to join the UN. No victory at all, just an embarrassment.

It was Thais fighting the French. Take a look at the monument once more...

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Someone need to remind them this is not the 1960s and you can't get away with making stuff up anymore...

really?????????..............you do it in every post you make!!

I see by the star that people do like trolling on this forum. Shame

An army of 3,000+++ General Vs a few vans of Khmers. What do these people actually think a real army does?

Unless they were playing snooker I'd back almost any army against Thailand's.

Funny that comment when Thailand has been the only country to have NEVER been colonised or beaten by a Western nation out of all ASEAN nations.... They must have done something right... Victory Monument ring any bells...

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NEVER been colonised? The Bowring treaty?

or beaten by a Western nation? The Paknam incident when 3 French warships forced the Thais to give up Lao?

Thailand didn't need to be formally colonized by western forces. Unequal trade treaties allowed the extraction of natural resources under favorable terms (the motivation of much colonization in this area of the world) and Siam was a handy buffer between French and British colonies. The Thai armed forces were formed partly as an exercise in nation-building (the population of the northeast considering themselves Lao rather than Siamese; conscription was to change that) and partly for suppression of internal dissent against the Bangkok elite (many of them at least part Chinese like the Chakri dynasty) who administered the country in a way that resembled British practices in India (which the Siamese went to study).

Victory Monument celebrates a Thai victory so memorable that it is almost impossible to find a Thai who knows what victory it celebrates.

harada, on 31 Jan 2014 - 05:53, said:

Costas2008, on 30 Jan 2014 - 17:04, said:

"The Thai army today confirmed that no armed foreign troops have been found in the kingdom to instigate violence but conceded that there is a possibility of some gradually sneaking across the border."

In other words................there are already here

It's true I spotted this group of special forces sneaking across the border the other day

Ah....I wish they were Dad's Army.....then I wouldn't be worried.

Interesting that so many Generals, from various corners, seem to be enabled to make these types of public statements.

I wonder, as do others, why public statements such as these, are not the responsibility of the various Cabinet Ministers. It seems that portfolios and job descriptions are very muddled, the end result of which is conflicting statements, confusion and the appearance that it's a chaotic mess in officialdom.

Following the recent shooting attack against one of the anti-government protest leaders

Why do MCOT refuse to call a spade3 a spade -

Following the recent shooting attack MURDER of one of the anti-government protest leaders

Another day another story in the constant battle to save face. The whole country is looking for a blame hound on so many different subjects that they will need to set up another ministry. Ministry of Plausible Denial, Thai style , where the denial does not need to be plausible in any shape or form.

Foreign troops sneaking across the border of any nation is simply not on.

What does the Defence Minister have to say about this?

That's Caretaker Defence Minister to you.

An army of 3,000+++ General Vs a few vans of Khmers. What do these people actually think a real army does?

Unless they were playing snooker I'd back almost any army against Thailand's.

Funny that comment when Thailand has been the only country to have NEVER been colonised or beaten by a Western nation out of all ASEAN nations.... They must have done something right... Victory Monument ring any bells...

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The King at the time played clever with the French and Brits, and they were happy to have a buffer state. As to Victory Monument. more akin to a scrap outside the pub on a Friday night, than a battle,

Another day another story in the constant battle to save face. The whole country is looking for a blame hound on so many different subjects that they will need to set up another ministry. Ministry of Plausible Denial, Thai style , where the denial does not need to be plausible in any shape or form.

The finger is going to be pointed at us soon enough

I love to read the thai version of thai military history.

I wonder if there is an official literary collection surrounding Thailand stirring military history.