No unity government: Suthep

[Lite Beer]

POLITICS
No unity government: Suthep
The Sunday Nation

Farmers get donations for ears of rice, tied with ribbon in the national flag colours, that they offered as a souvenir to participants of the anti-government rally at the Pathumwan intersection yesterday. The farmers are raising funds for their legal action

BANGKOK: -- PDRC leader says there must be no Thaksin people in next govt; backs farmers' protest

Anti-government protest leader Suthep Thaugsuban yesterday ruled out the possibility of talks with politicians in power and also rejected a proposal for a national unity government with figures from all parties.

Suthep said he would only talk with Thaksin Shinawatra, who he said was the de-facto leader of the government, if the ex-premier met him in person at the Dusit Thani Hotel, which is near the main protest site at Lumpini Park.

But he didn't think Thaksin would dare to return to Thailand for such a meeting and risk being arrested after being convicted and sentenced to two years' jail for abuse of power.

"So the door for talks should be considered shut," Suthep said

"I won't have a talk with Yingluck [shinawatra, the caretaker prime minister], either in secret or in public. Also, I won't negotiate with any representative from the government because they have no real power," he said.

Suthep, who is secretary general of the People's Democratic Reform Committee, said his group also opposed the idea of replacing the current caretaker government with a national unity administration consisting of Cabinet members from all political parties.

"That's because we believe that such a government would include people from Thaksin's network," he said.

He still insists that the caretaker administration must go and be replaced with an appointed "people's government".

Suthep said this goal would be achieved if thousands of rice farmers stage a protest against the government in Bangkok. He said the PDRC would be ready to support the farmers.

Meanwhile, the government's Centre for Maintaining Peace and Order (CMPO) has resolved to summon individuals and businesses suspected of financing the PDRC's protests for questioning, said Tarit Pengdith, a key CMPO official who is also director general of the Department of Special Investigation. He said bank accounts of these people and companies would be "frozen" if they failed to provide convincing explanations.

Labour Minister Chalerm Yoobamrung, who is in charge of the CMPO, said yesterday the prime minister could return to work at Government House on Monday although he wanted her to wait till Wednesday.

He said he had instructed Metropolitan Police commissioner Pol Lt Gen Camronwit Thoopkrajank to thoroughly check the compound to ensure it is safe for the PM.

Yingluck has been unable to enter Government House since protesters began camping out outside the site three months ago.

Chalerm said he would not order an operation to reclaim protest sites at the Pathumwan intersection at the moment, adding he wanted Suthep to "go broke" having to pay for holding the protest.

The protest site at Government House, meanwhile, got a clean-up after police managed to reclaim an area on Friday. City workers took part in the "big cleaning day".

Pol Maj Gen Nipon Charoen-phol, deputy commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, said that the area from the Royal Plaza to the Makkhawan Bridge was cleaned up in preparation for the Red Cross Fair in late March.

In a related development, 40 more companies of crowd-control police were sent yesterday from several provinces in the north. They will serve as reinforcements to some 30 companies that have already been dispatched in Bangkok, according to a police source.

The police are expected to help increase pressure on protesters in the capital or a possible crackdown on PDRC protest sites, the source said.

-- The Nation 2014-02-16

[JAG]

I suppose Suthep is right in one sense, if he ends up setting up a government it won't be one of "unity", as it will be against the wishes of most of the Thai people!

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[Curt1591]

Suthep said he would only talk with Thaksin Shinawatra, who he said was the de-facto leader of the government, if the ex-premier met him in person at the Dusit Thani Hotel, which is near the main protest site at Lumpini Park.

That's like inviting Custer to Little Big Horn. Why not meet up at Imperial World?

[Red Snake]

How about no democracies in the next government along with protest leaders. Let's have a farmer as the next PM and a rubber plantation owner as Foreign Minister.

[Snig27]

Suthep said he would only talk with Thaksin Shinawatra, who he said was the de-facto leader of the government, if the ex-premier met him in person at the Dusit Thani Hotel, which is near the main protest site at Lumpini Park.

That's like inviting Custer to Little Big Horn. Why not meet up at Imperial World?

And of course, what possible right does Suthep, a barking mad old right wing puppet, have to demand anything. He has no mandate, his empire is shrinking daily and his support base is shrinking with it.

Interesting posts on Twitter yesterday about Southern supporters jumping ship and heading south in the past few days.

[aimbc]

I suppose Suthep is right in one sense, if he ends up setting up a government it won't be one of "unity", as it will be against the wishes of most of the Thai people!

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

What the protesters and most people who wants national reform agrees with, is a interim govt free of politicians. Because it is the politicians who got Thailand into these mess.

We can always look at the American Revolution when the founding fathers were unelected but managed to establish one of the greatest governing democracy.

Thais and most foreigners all recognize that the system is so broken and tainted. And everyone argues why whoever is in charge never make changes. This is the reason why politicians can not be involved with the reform. The reform is not about party lines. A government should work for the people and not for themselves or their parties. Remember most people are not corrupt, they only become corrupt when it becomes standard practice. Time for a long over due housekeeping.

[chooka]

He wants it all for himself.

[spirit47]

Agree with Suthep, involving politicans from the Taksin Network would cause problems for a real progress. Politicans are one of the most hated jobs, you find them in the top 5 everywhere, together with insurance sellers or used car sellers and stock brokers, maybe real estate sellers. Why people hate them? Because they all liars, sorry if you have a job you must lie if you want to make money, but thats the reality. Nobody would make a goat to your gardener, so it is important that the overhaul of the constitiution will be done by honest people in two stages, a peoples council and the interims-Government. How this can be organized looks difficult, because they must be accepted by the Thais, but its possible. It can be a historic step forward for democracy...

[LomSak27]

As the protestors dwindle to nada and even the big pockets of the PDRC supporters seemed ot have stopped their handouts Suthep keeps with the party line.. At least Suthep has got his retirment punched for this epic effort, like Sondhi before him.

Wonder who they will find for the next attempt

[thesetat2013]

How about no democracies in the next government along with protest leaders. Let's have a farmer as the next PM and a rubber plantation owner as Foreign Minister.

Good idea!! Im sure they would do better than the people running things right now. Also im sure they would at least know what city they are in when they give a speech.

[thesetat2013]

What is wrong with the CMPO? The courts aleady set precedence on the people who are protesting and the people donating money when they ruled the PDRC protests were within the constitutional right as well as the courts ordering the banks to releasing their hold on money and assets from other supporters including Suthep.

The CMPO is trying to show they still have power yet everything they have done so far has been put down by the courts

Edited February 16, 2014 by thesetat2013

[BirdsandBooze]

The only solution is to have no Thais at all in government. I propose that Thailand comes within the governance of Finland.

[PREM-R]

So Suthep will not negotiate, but still, after several months of demanding "reforms" he has yet to identify a single thing that will be part of this. What if Suthep wins and sets up his group of 'good people'? What if Suthep decides that the minimum requirement to be able to vote will be a bachelor degree or evidence of paying tax for the previous 12 months? This would exclude millions from the voting system but would give the dems their chance to take power after so many years and there would be nothing 'the people' could do about it.

The point is that if Suthep got his way, there would be no control on what he and his 'good people' would be able to push on to Thailand. There would be no elections until this group decided that 'the time is right', that could be sometime, later or never and there would be nothing anyone could do about it because democracy would have been removed from Thailand.

PTP may or may not be a good government but at least, at the moment, 'the people' have the to opportunity to vote them out in an election, if Suthep gets his way that option may never return to Thailand.

Be careful what you wish for!!!!

[TallPalm]

Suthep said he would only talk with Thaksin Shinawatra, who he said was the de-facto leader of the government, if the ex-premier met him in person at the Dusit Thani Hotel, which is near the main protest site at Lumpini Park.

That's like inviting Custer to Little Big Horn. Why not meet up at Imperial World?

And of course, what possible right does Suthep, a barking mad old right wing puppet, have to demand anything. He has no mandate, his empire is shrinking daily and his support base is shrinking with it.

Interesting posts on Twitter yesterday about Southern supporters jumping ship and heading south in the past few days.

An even bigger point your're missing is that Suthep is as corrupt if not more so than the any of those currently in power. Handing power to him power would be a bigger mistake than Thaksin ever was.

[ubonjoe]

A post containing a flame removed.

[smedly]

I'm at a complete loss here

If a court has already ruled the protests are legal then surely the funding must be legal too

Am I missing something or perhaps the nasty biased Tarit has

[smedly]

Suthep said he would only talk with Thaksin Shinawatra, who he said was the de-facto leader of the government, if the ex-premier met him in person at the Dusit Thani Hotel, which is near the main protest site at Lumpini Park.

That's like inviting Custer to Little Big Horn. Why not meet up at Imperial World?

And of course, what possible right does Suthep, a barking mad old right wing puppet, have to demand anything. He has no mandate, his empire is shrinking daily and his support base is shrinking with it.

Interesting posts on Twitter yesterday about Southern supporters jumping ship and heading south in the past few days.

An even bigger point your're missing is that Suthep is as corrupt if not more so than the any of those currently in power. Handing power to him power would be a bigger mistake than Thaksin ever was.

he doesn't want power and has clearly stated same many times - making stuff up does your credibility no good at all

[focus27]

I want a People's Party. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khana_Ratsadon)

My People! My Party!

[binjalin]

he doesn't want power and has clearly stated same many times - making stuff up does your credibility no good at all

of course he does... and he has stated many things many times? 'we will win on Monday' 'it will all be over on Sunday' 'next Friday we take power' ' we are peaceful' 'we will not block voting'

bla, bla, bla, lies, lies lies,

[Scamper]

Chalerm - for all his bluster - hasn't affected any real change to this situation at all. Yingluck hasn't been able to go to Government House in three months, and Chalerm's daily assurances of an " imminent " return are about as plausible as all his other assurances and timelines. One thing is happening though that is true to its word - the protesters are continuing to daily donate money to the farmers. Not to be left out, Pheu Thai is daily going after the " financiers " of the protest movement. One is engaged in a humanitarian effort. The other is engaged in a vindictive cling to power.

[wave]

An even bigger point your're missing is that Suthep is as corrupt if not more so than the any of those currently in power. Handing power to him power would be a bigger mistake than Thaksin ever was.

That's like inviting Custer to Little Big Horn. Why not meet up at Imperial World?

And of course, what possible right does Suthep, a barking mad old right wing puppet, have to demand anything. He has no mandate, his empire is shrinking daily and his support base is shrinking with it.

Interesting posts on Twitter yesterday about Southern supporters jumping ship and heading south in the past few days.

he doesn't want power and has clearly stated same many times - making stuff up does your credibility no good at all

You are indeed correct, Suthep has repeatedly stated that he doesn't want power.

What he does want though is his (PDRC) appointed nominees to take power.

Which ironically echoes the system he claims is in place and is attempting to overthrow.

[bkkdave1220]

Suthep said he would only talk with Thaksin Shinawatra, who he said was the de-facto leader of the government, if the ex-premier met him in person at the Dusit Thani Hotel, which is near the main protest site at Lumpini Park.

That's like inviting Custer to Little Big Horn. Why not meet up at Imperial World?

And of course, what possible right does Suthep, a barking mad old right wing puppet, have to demand anything. He has no mandate, his empire is shrinking daily and his support base is shrinking with it.

Interesting posts on Twitter yesterday about Southern supporters jumping ship and heading south in the past few days.

i saw that. many of the protesters were packed and ready to leave. Was just the thugs at the barrier facing down police.

this should be big weekend of love rally. police boxed them in for 3 days. very clever i think has kept the marching to a minimum and many really are deserting daily thats why down to a few hundred from one hundred thousand.

if numbers not falling as suthep says, there must be more than 200,000 at asoke? are there?

[bkkdave1220]

Chalerm - for all his bluster - hasn't affected any real change to this situation at all. Yingluck hasn't been able to go to Government House in three months, and Chalerm's daily assurances of an " imminent " return are about as plausible as all his other assurances and timelines. One thing is happening though that is true to its word - the protesters are continuing to daily donate money to the farmers. Not to be left out, Pheu Thai is daily going after the " financiers " of the protest movement. One is engaged in a humanitarian effort. The other is engaged in a vindictive cling to power.

Hmmm a vindictive cling to power through ballot box. very funny I like the sunday joke sectiion.

Just hope they sweep PDRC (got that bit right at last) away this week.

[airconsult]

Chalerm - for all his bluster - hasn't affected any real change to this situation at all. Yingluck hasn't been able to go to Government House in three months, and Chalerm's daily assurances of an " imminent " return are about as plausible as all his other assurances and timelines. One thing is happening though that is true to its word - the protesters are continuing to daily donate money to the farmers. Not to be left out, Pheu Thai is daily going after the " financiers " of the protest movement. One is engaged in a humanitarian effort. The other is engaged in a vindictive cling to power.

Hmmm a vindictive cling to power through ballot box. very funny I like the sunday joke sectiion.

Just hope they sweep PDRC (got that bit right at last) away this week.

Right, but PADRC would be more accurate.... (Anti)

EDIT - isn't putting "republic" in their name a sign of disrespect? This is not and should never be a republic, it is a constitutional monarchy.

Edited February 16, 2014 by airconsult

[bigbamboo]

I agree that Suthep should meet with Thaksin. Let's have the real players on the stage and not clutter the show up with extras like Yingluck, Abhisit, Surapong and the rest.

Something has to happen and it has to happen soon.

The venue would be interesting though!....... and better still let's have it on live television.

[Suriya4]

He wants it all for himself.

Thaksin, that is.

[Fat Haggis]

Better the devil you know!!

[bkkdave1220]

As the protestors dwindle to nada and even the big pockets of the PDRC supporters seemed ot have stopped their handouts Suthep keeps with the party line.. At least Suthep has got his retirment punched for this epic effort, like Sondhi before him.

Wonder who they will find for the next attempt

we had pitak siam and those mask faces.

looking at the scene I think Suthep is the only big gun they had so they had to go with him.

love these feeders. I not yet seen any threads and post with people writing about how great is suthep and all the wonderful policies he is proposing and all the very nice people who will do his work for him

not even one name in the hat for a governement he wants to handpick... hmmmm

will there be lots of informative new posts now about PDRC policy and cabinet.?

[bkkdave1220]

sorry i post too soon,

wife just tell me this is man who they want to be pm for suthep. surin pitsuwan not sure what the name of his hairpiece is

[diehard60]

This just goes to show that suthep only wants a dictatorship and whith him as the dictator. it is so simple to see I dont know why the good people of thailand can not see that.