Sound of ticking time bombs is getting louder for Yingluck

[SaamBaht]

So illegal protests and violent obstruction of polling stations is rewarded in the Land of Smiles? Who'd a thunk it?

No.

Incompetence, graft, deceit and corruption is being penalised - now, who would have thunk THAT in Thailand.

Are you saying they're going to finally arrest Suthep?

[Jip99]

So illegal protests and violent obstruction of polling stations is rewarded in the Land of Smiles? Who'd a thunk it?

No.

Incompetence, graft, deceit and corruption is being penalised - now, who would have thunk THAT in Thailand.

Are you saying they're going to finally arrest Suthep?

Hmm. I don't think I said that anywhere.

Now, that is another Mickey Mouse effort from Chalerm and the Keystone Cops. I don't recall Suthep hiding any where and I think that even I could manage to find him.

Perhaps Chalerm is waiting for his Batman outfit to arrive so he can show up in disguise.

[scorecard]

Quote from Thanong who is usually quite reliable:

"And since a country cannot function without a government, a new prime minister can be appointed to form an interim government via Article 7 of the Constitution. The president of the Senate will forward the name of the candidate to serve as Thailand's next prime minister to His Majesty the King for royal endorsement."

If this is correct then all the upfront claims by yingluck, surapong, chalem, tarit and more that an appointed pm was impossible by law are now shown to be in fact lies and deliberate misrepresentation of the truth.

[EvilDrSomkid]

So illegal protests and violent obstruction of polling stations is rewarded in the Land of Smiles? Who'd a thunk it?

No.

Incompetence, graft, deceit and corruption is being penalised - now, who would have thunk THAT in Thailand.

Are you saying they're going to finally arrest Suthep?

Hmm. I don't think I said that anywhere.

Now, that is another Mickey Mouse effort from Chalerm and the Keystone Cops. I don't recall Suthep hiding any where and I think that even I could manage to find him.

Perhaps Chalerm is waiting for his Batman outfit to arrive so he can show up in disguise.

Nah, he is just going to wear a fake mustache, sunnies and a hat.

[Blackmirage2013]

So illegal protests and violent obstruction of polling stations is rewarded in the Land of Smiles? Who'd a thunk it?

No.

Incompetence, graft, deceit and corruption is being penalised - now, who would have thunk THAT in Thailand.

Are you saying they're going to finally arrest Suthep?

Are you on heroin?! Of course not!!!! Just the 20th time they have said they would ;-)

[pookiki]

The sad truth about Thailand is that democracy can be obstructed to the point that it is meaningless exercise, Then 'law abiding' citizens, like those who write editorials for the Nation, can point to the Constitution to say this is the 'way things should be'. The 'rule of law' was abandoned when the elections were obstructed. What follows will be a meaningless exercise in interpreting a Constitution that has become a document that isn't worth the paper on which it is written.

[falangadang]

A good and informative article from the Nation.

At least this gives some clear view to the path ahead and a definite date (April 1st) by which something new will happen.

What an ironic coincidence that the due date happens to be April Fools Day!

[focus27]

The sad truth about Thailand is that democracy can be obstructed to the point that it is meaningless exercise, Then 'law abiding' citizens, like those who write editorials for the Nation, can point to the Constitution to say this is the 'way things should be'. The 'rule of law' was abandoned when the elections were obstructed. What follows will be a meaningless exercise in interpreting a Constitution that has become a document that isn't worth the paper on which it is written.

Surely the most important lesson of this whole fiasco is that the constitution itself is written in such a way that makes democracy far too easy to undermine.

The tactics that have been used have been precisely those that trigger specific clauses in the constitution so as to arrive at the oligarchic heart of the document.

Amending said constitution should have been the PTP's number one priority but they were too greedy or stupid or both and put all their energies into a blatantly biased bill.

Bah!

[seajae]

The sad truth about Thailand is that democracy can be obstructed to the point that it is meaningless exercise, Then 'law abiding' citizens, like those who write editorials for the Nation, can point to the Constitution to say this is the 'way things should be'. The 'rule of law' was abandoned when the elections were obstructed. What follows will be a meaningless exercise in interpreting a Constitution that has become a document that isn't worth the paper on which it is written.

good attempt but a big fail. The people where sick of the corruption, pandering to a wanted criminal, the rorts and sending the country broke so they allowed suthep to do what he did. The only ones bitching are thaksin/ptp/red supporters and they are the reason all this happened. The courtd have stuck to the law and used it the way it was designed, not the wat the reds/ptp wnated them too. You have to remember that the courts(the deciding judge) let thaksin go originally(because he was pm) but then turned around and said they were wrong and should have gone with the line of law and found him guilty, now they stick to the laws completely. This is upsetting those that are guilty because they can see their demise fast approaching and are doing everything to try to stop it. Calling the courts and EC corrupt is just that, an excuse that doesnt wash but does not stop you from continually using it to get your personal bias across. Even the voting percentages have shown that, in red dominated areas people have voted no/destroyed their ballots because they to are sick of the thaksinites/reds running their lives and destroying them. The only ones that cant see it are the blinkered ones, the ones that are red supporters because they dont have the balls to disagree with their wives/partners/kids/family & make an informed decision for themselves in case they are thrown out, sad but true.

[drand11]

I think this article fails to address the remedy. If the House does not have 95% representation then there is a remedy to continue elections to reach 95%. So first, you remedy the representation and then the 30 day voting window begins for the PM.

[HOOD Robin]

I don't think she wanted the job to begin with, it seemed like she was just being dutiful all the time. I feel that in her private moments she will be grateful when its all over. And of course, that is the last thing you want in a PM.

Agree with that! Am almost sure that she never wanted this, but she simply was FORCED to !!

[eddie61]

Bye Bye Shinawatras : thank god

[pookiki]

The sad truth about Thailand is that democracy can be obstructed to the point that it is meaningless exercise, Then 'law abiding' citizens, like those who write editorials for the Nation, can point to the Constitution to say this is the 'way things should be'. The 'rule of law' was abandoned when the elections were obstructed. What follows will be a meaningless exercise in interpreting a Constitution that has become a document that isn't worth the paper on which it is written.

good attempt but a big fail. The people where sick of the corruption, pandering to a wanted criminal, the rorts and sending the country broke so they allowed suthep to do what he did. The only ones bitching are thaksin/ptp/red supporters and they are the reason all this happened. The courtd have stuck to the law and used it the way it was designed, not the wat the reds/ptp wnated them too. You have to remember that the courts(the deciding judge) let thaksin go originally(because he was pm) but then turned around and said they were wrong and should have gone with the line of law and found him guilty, now they stick to the laws completely. This is upsetting those that are guilty because they can see their demise fast approaching and are doing everything to try to stop it. Calling the courts and EC corrupt is just that, an excuse that doesnt wash but does not stop you from continually using it to get your personal bias across. Even the voting percentages have shown that, in red dominated areas people have voted no/destroyed their ballots because they to are sick of the thaksinites/reds running their lives and destroying them. The only ones that cant see it are the blinkered ones, the ones that are red supporters because they dont have the balls to disagree with their wives/partners/kids/family & make an informed decision for themselves in case they are thrown out, sad but true.

What is more sad is people who can't read English and make biased responses based on incompetent and irrelevant conclusions. Anarchy is the enemy of democracy whoever may be at the helm when it raises its ugly head. Maybe the West shouldn't have cared about democracy so much. Then, Thailand may have thought more about democracy provided it was willing to fight the Japanese. No reds, no yellows -- only the rising sun.

[ianf]

So we have a date now, April 1st!

Keep that private jet ready to fly, Poo. Come April Fool's Day, you'll be the biggest fool with a one way flight to sandy Dubai!

Oh wait, maybe not the biggest fool since Chalerm is there.

she and big bro have got more money than could be spent in several luxurious lifetimes ,even if she is forced to retire on april 1st

it wont be the end of her world anyway

According to 'insiders' Yingluck has been within a whisker of resigning on at least three occasions. Trouble is in Thailand, is that you respect and even obey your older or wealthier siblings and she finds it very difficult to say 'no' to the monster that is her brother. Suthep has played the long game quite effectively and in a clever way. Trouble is, he should now end his protests because the PTP are crumbing. More and more people can see the damage that Thaksin and his cronies have done to the country and their support base has withered. The Rice Scheme has shown people what a scammer, and cheater, Thaksin is and this is something that can only get worse. His support base in Chiang Mai with the farmers is not so precarious because they have been paid for their rice. Can you see the picture. Tose like MillwallFan who continue to beat the Thaksin drum are so far away from the reality of the situation that it's almost a different world. If I were Suthep I'd call a halt now. I'd hand myself over to the authorities (the judiciary are hardly likely to convict) and play the waiting game. Hopefully the Thaksin era will come to an end - he has done untold damage to this country and those that spin otherwise are living in a completely false reality.

[siamsina]

So having let that idiotic thug Suthep have his day in the sun the Ruling Elite will now wheel on the heavy guns of their constitution and their judiciary.

The answer to The Nations -obviously unbiased reporter - is that we need another election (1) which the Dems wont boycott and (2) the mob wont disrupt. Then the people can vote freely, then they can vote for reform minded parties if they so wish.

and (3) Shinawatra / PTP wont buy.

Then, yes, indeed, "the people can vote freely".

[siampolee]

One fact we can all be sure of is that her brother will be ensconced very safely in his own bomb proof shelter wearing political Kevlar so as not to be in any danger from the delayed action political U.X.B. he has dropped.

Yingluck, with family like you've got who needs enemies?

Edited February 7, 2014 by siampolee

[scorecard]

The sad truth about Thailand is that democracy can be obstructed to the point that it is meaningless exercise, Then 'law abiding' citizens, like those who write editorials for the Nation, can point to the Constitution to say this is the 'way things should be'. The 'rule of law' was abandoned when the elections were obstructed. What follows will be a meaningless exercise in interpreting a Constitution that has become a document that isn't worth the paper on which it is written.

good attempt but a big fail. The people where sick of the corruption, pandering to a wanted criminal, the rorts and sending the country broke so they allowed suthep to do what he did. The only ones bitching are thaksin/ptp/red supporters and they are the reason all this happened. The courtd have stuck to the law and used it the way it was designed, not the wat the reds/ptp wnated them too. You have to remember that the courts(the deciding judge) let thaksin go originally(because he was pm) but then turned around and said they were wrong and should have gone with the line of law and found him guilty, now they stick to the laws completely. This is upsetting those that are guilty because they can see their demise fast approaching and are doing everything to try to stop it. Calling the courts and EC corrupt is just that, an excuse that doesnt wash but does not stop you from continually using it to get your personal bias across. Even the voting percentages have shown that, in red dominated areas people have voted no/destroyed their ballots because they to are sick of the thaksinites/reds running their lives and destroying them. The only ones that cant see it are the blinkered ones, the ones that are red supporters because they dont have the balls to disagree with their wives/partners/kids/family & make an informed decision for themselves in case they are thrown out, sad but true.

What is more sad is people who can't read English and make biased responses based on incompetent and irrelevant conclusions. Anarchy is the enemy of democracy whoever may be at the helm when it raises its ugly head. Maybe the West shouldn't have cared about democracy so much. Then, Thailand may have thought more about democracy provided it was willing to fight the Japanese. No reds, no yellows -- only the rising sun.

? and ?

[mightyatom]

who dominates the senate?

Nobody at the moment, there technically isn't a functioning senate with no lower house.

The senator's tenures expire next month and there will be another round of senatorial elections and appointments to cover the next 5 years.

The last lot of elected senators were firmly controlled by Thaksin and were voted in by the same majorities that voted in this sad act of a government. But we can see that is all changed now. The pro-Thaksin support has halved in the country and that makes a Dem leadership the most popular I will bet.

So come the new lot of senators, there is no way a pro-Thaksin government will have a majority of support in the senate. Highly unlikely anyway. Why do you think the PTP were so keen to change the way the senate was assembled??.... which obviously backfired.

[JesseFrank]

CMPO: PM cannot quit until new Govt is formed

BANGKOK, 7 January 2014 (NNT) – The Center for Maintaining Peace and Order (CMPO) has reaffirmed that the Prime Minister cannot resign from her post until the new government has been set up.

Labor Minister Police Captain Chalerm Yubamrung, as Chief of the Center for Maintaining Peace and Order (CMPO),has reiterated that by law Miss Yingluck Shinawatra cannot quit her post as the caretaker Prime Minister until the new administration has been formed. His comment came after former Finance Minister M.R. Pridiyathorn Devakula had sent an open letter to PM Yingluck, asking her and her cabinet to resign as the caretaker government.

But it seems that Chalerm is making up his own constitutional laws once again.

[Scamper]

This article is a keeper, to be framed and laminated, and remembered with fondness and glasses of champagne. Indeed, this article spells out very clearly what the constitution says. Having said that, we know that will not be the final word for Pheu Thai. They will no doubt opt to stay, although by that point likely the only one who will be doing the coat-tail pulling will be Thaksin. But the gig is up, as they say. By then, the constitutional clock will have run out, and Yingluck will be faced with courts who will have no hesitation in enthusiastically upholding the constitution. For all intents and purposes, the Yingluck administration has ceased to function - from whatever standpoint one could legitimately maintain.

[mightyatom]

CMPO: PM cannot quit until new Govt is formed

BANGKOK, 7 January 2014 (NNT) – The Center for Maintaining Peace and Order (CMPO) has reaffirmed that the Prime Minister cannot resign from her post until the new government has been set up.

Labor Minister Police Captain Chalerm Yubamrung, as Chief of the Center for Maintaining Peace and Order (CMPO),has reiterated that by law Miss Yingluck Shinawatra cannot quit her post as the caretaker Prime Minister until the new administration has been formed. His comment came after former Finance Minister M.R. Pridiyathorn Devakula had sent an open letter to PM Yingluck, asking her and her cabinet to resign as the caretaker government.

But it seems that Chalerm is making up his own constitutional laws once again.

When the time comes, the Constitutional Court will be given the task of interpenetrating the constitution and let's just say that I have a sneaky suspicion that the result won't be in favour of Ms Yingluck.

Chalerm is a nobody as far as the constitution goes and he is just full of hot air and ear medicine

[xminator]

Logic for april 1st breaks down in second paragraph. That date assumes there will be a session of parliament 2nd of march. That in turn assumes that EC manage to organize elections so the 95% requirement is met. Thanong should know that the law have clear layout of what to do even if the EC drag their feet. Any constituency that have majority of NO votes will go trough the process until NO is minority. Or after 3 tries, NO votes are ignored and a winner will be announced.

If PDRC keep blocking elections in bangkok, there will be no 95% on march 2nd. There will be no first session of parliament and no 30 day countdown will start.

And then there is this dream of a interim government. It is done in other countries, but this is not something that can be done in Thailand. I would recomend that anyone want to know why read bangkokpundits blog on the issue of caretaker vs interim government.

Now for the sake of argument, lets say the 95% is met and a parliament session can be set in march. The countdown for 30 days will start. But then there is a question, why would the party that all leaks say will win a majority of the seats wait 30 days before forming a new government? Democrats wont win. Their supporters that did vote votes no, but no votes get no seat in parliament. As a result there will be a very weak opposition in the new parliament.

So I would guess Yingluck is counting down to that "time bomb" with a smile on her face. The only way this country will not get a PT government led coalition or majority led government is if there is a coup either by generals or judges. Both will be undemocratic events that will blow up and create unrest that would hurt Thailand way more.

Anyone cheering for democracy should hope the by-elections can be held as soon as possible. That PT will host the reform panels as promised once back in power. And that the democrats get down from their burried high horse and agree to contest the next elections.

[Brevity]

So having let that idiotic thug Suthep have his day in the sun the Ruling Elite will now wheel on the heavy guns of their constitution and their judiciary.

The answer to The Nations -obviously unbiased reporter - is that we need another election which the Dems wont boycott and the mob wont disrupt. Then the people can vote freely, then they can vote for reform minded parties if they so wish.

I'm not exactly sure what "ruling elite wheel on the heavy guns of their constitution and their judiciary" means. It's sounds like overdone and meandering political rhetoric to me, but the 'ruling elite' may be better for the country in the long run than to be deceived so terribly by Thaksin and Yingluck, who declared themselves to be the champions of the poor Isaan rice farmer. In the end the "champions' of the poor Isaan rice farmer jeopardized Thailand's global rice market position and generally screwed the rice farmers over. Thaksin and Yingkluck drained the country's coffers, and we can only imagine how much of that money was stuffed directly in their and their cronies off-shore bank accounts.

After this complete disaster of a government, it has become quite clear that nobody is really looking out for the downtrodden Isaan rice farmer, so perhaps knowing that the "Bangkok elite" are running the show, and the farmers need to rely on their own smarts and ability to get a fair shake for their product is better than being lulled into a false sense of security, being promised the moon and the stars, but then actually getting the carpet pulled out from under their feet while being 'bent over' is better. I don't see how this Shinawatra government can sincerely be defended on any level now.

[shiok]

who dominates the senate?

A very good point! This is what I do not understand. If Yingluck has to resign she will just be replaced by someone anointed by Thaksin. Unless there are fundamental changes to Thai politics and the accountability of government bureaucracies I cannot see the point of the whole exercise as it will just be business as usual.

Even if the Pheu Thai Party is disbanded and another party created, as was the case with Thai Rak Thai, the Thaksin family and supporters will regain power. Currently seems to me an exercise in futility, am I wrong?

The point is he does not YET control the senate.

He failed in his attempt to rewrite the constitution in this regard.

That attempt and the one to give him a pardon and his money back,

is the reason we have the street protest and gridlock.

He over-reached yet again and the pushback started in earnest.

Animatic you should write all this in capital letters for those few to understand why the protest is necessary. Thank you!

[Jonmarleesco]

'The ruling Pheu Thai Party is believed to have mustered about 8 million votes ...' Didn't some optimistic supporter recently predict, on TV, upwards of 20m?

[Jonmarleesco]

'It will be interesting to see whether the prime minister can find a way out of the corner she has painted herself into.' There's always the fallback hankie and tears.

[pipkins]

She is safe as houses.

Could not be much clearer this week with the strong wording of the US, UN and EU to name but a few. That was some of the strongest diplomatic language I've heard here in over 20 years.

They said, DON"T coup and they directed this at everybody in Thailand and went out of their way to mention that it was directed to EVERY part of Thai Society. They know it's a judicial coup and Thailand is a backwater if they do push Yingluck out.

Day one of the new gov. The country if broke due to the whistle mob, they have the farmers on their doorstep, they can't sell the rice as they pissed off the chinese etc. etc. So a Junta would be starting from a much lower point even than the Government is now.

Add to this it is illigitimate judicial coup, will attract sanctions and scare off business with the Red shirts protesting and it's a recipie for disaster.

Which explains why the Army have cold feet and even some of the court cases have gone PT way!!

[pipkins]

'The ruling Pheu Thai Party is believed to have mustered about 8 million votes ...' Didn't some optimistic supporter recently predict, on TV, upwards of 20m?

Which is 8 million more than Suthep got.

And thats the point.

Those 8 million turn up in Bangkok along with the disenfranchised and it dwarfs Sutheps peoples march which today was about 400 again.

[MaxLee]

Sound of ticking time bombs is getting louder for Yingluck

Thanong Khanthong

BANGKOK: -- That Thailand will get an interim government is now inevitable. The tenure of Yingluck Shinawatra's caretaker administration will end unceremoniously on April 1.

Constitutionally speaking, it cannot last beyond that deadline.

Well, that means there'll just be another red mob waiting from the orders from the man of Dubai; enough brainwashed supporters in Thailand, who would follow orders without questioning and technically believe in the same old white-to-BLACK-lie-populist policies all over again.... and taking it on battlefield Bangkok for ANOTHER disruption of business and peace in daily life...

... wanna bet????

Edited February 7, 2014 by MaxLee

[winstonc]

So having let that idiotic thug Suthep have his day in the sun the Ruling Elite will now wheel on the heavy guns of their constitution and their judiciary.

The answer to The Nations -obviously unbiased reporter - is that we need another election which the Dems wont boycott and the mob wont disrupt. Then the people can vote freely, then they can vote for reform minded parties if they so wish.

you still cant bring yourself to say shes awful and corrupted can you little child...