Caretaker premier Yingluck says she's willing to die on the democratic battlefield

[espinoza]

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Yingluck is a hero, showing strength, leadership and standing up for democracy in the face of obnoxious bullying by some very cowardly people.

Suthep is a corrupt, boneheaded bully with murder charges hanging over his head... and yet, bizarrely enough and to their utter shame, we have a vocal group of posters on this forum supporting this scumbag. Suthep is worthless, he is just interested in a power grab at all costs.

You are more right than you probably know. All this farlang heroes should been whipped away to their beloved home countries. One way ticket.

[GAZZPA]

Truly a terrible speech. It looks like her attempt at a Churchill style "never surrender no matter what" speech except it is completely unbelievable coming from her. It's pretty sickening to read it and I feel sad for the people who swallow this nonsense.

This kind of defining moment speech only works if it is delivered with conviction and by a person who has earnt the right and respect of the people, or it is simply unbelievable. I suspect to most this is laughable.

I really hope that the Thai people get a professional politician who really cares for the people and the country soon. They deserve a break from all this crap. Get rid of them all and bring someone in who understands that they are a public servant and that the country desperately needs leadership.

I guess this is pie n the sky at this moment but we can only hope.

[chooka]

No need to die, You have won the battle as Suthep has finally thrown in the towel.

[ponchi]

i hope so much she will be.

[chooka]

i hope so much she will be.

That is a really terrible and nasty thing to say. Even if you don't like someone you don't wish death upon them.

[JRSoul]

While Yingluk is practicing her statesman rhetoric, she could try re-working some of Churchill's better efforts. "We will fleece them on the beaches..." has a certain local resonance, though she should leave "It will be long.........." well alone.

[Chupup]

If you regard this as a 'simplistic rant' then shame upon you. The point is about the support claimed for his drugs war is the difference between theory and practice. Thaksin used a series of popularist images to get people on his side, but the reality of the practice was vastly different. You posters who come out with these comments should think a little deeper about the issues because behind these types of policies there may lie a greater truth. For example, the campaign against identifying the Jews as the enemy was an approach taken by a certain regime - but this became a runaway train and people - who may have been perfectly good and ordinary working class souls - found themselves on the train aiding a regime in the slaughter of many people. This is how mass psychology works. Thaksin's case is not comparable in its mass, but he used similar psychology: Build up the picture of the enemy and once that is accepted go in for the kill. In this case it did no good whatsoever, partly because the main dealers were not targeted and also because he used this as a) a smokescreen to get rid of certain opponents and build popularity and show himself as a man of steel. Sadly many of those killed were not dealers. The charity that promotes reducing the harm caused by drug addiction identified many of those killed as harmless drug users who were pulled out of drop in centres and shot in the back of the head. Interesting here because a real drugs policy would not order extra judicial executions, however popular that may seem. It's undemocratic and autocratic and stinks of the kind of dictatorship you'd find in North Korea. The high places that you refer to made no comment in public about this. However, when those in much higher places identified the drug cultivation problem, they set up a projects which changed the game: instead of growing poppies people were encouraged to develop market gardens. Decisions at this intelligent and critical level can impact on and change society in a beneficial way as we have seen. Undemocratic decisions that lead to the slaughter of innocents in order to solve a problem in society is hardly an intelligent or even humane approach. If you would like chapter and verse on Mass Psychology, and in particular the mass psychology as used in both some religions and in politics such as communist or fascist regimes, I am happy to help you.

You misunderstand my post. I have nothing but contempt for Thaksin and I personally view his "war on drugs" as evil, particularly as I know (innocent) people who were murdered in it. However, it was just another of his populist policies and you won't find many Thai politicians bringing it up as a weapon against him as many of them supported it.

It's easy to paint Thaksin as evil, a dictator etc etc, but doing so is just playing the anti-democracy game. If you can't see that the current problem is far more than just Thaksin's past misdemeanours or crimes, you should do some reading around the subject!

(And you might want to make your rants easier to read by using paragraphing!)

well it's really easy to condemn Thaksin if you mention only the bad things (in your opinion!) but what about Health Insurance, what about water management, what about Public Transport, what about the rice scheme (in it's real sense)? For developing Thailand he was a mile stone!!

Which will be hanging around most Thai s necks for a long time

[smovi57]

I don't understand beyond keeping an eye on the situation which is common sense, why so many expats with no voting rights what so ever get so worked up about this situation. Some proclaiming to sit on either camp, and defending them on either side,with leaders quotes and copy and paste rhetoric.

The Thais simply couldn't give a toss what westerners living here think, if anarchy was to explode on the scene due to unlikely wide spread unrest, do you think that waving a coloured shirt or blowing whistles whilst showing your support will help?

I live in Aisa with the following mind set and it so far served me well, "See no evil, Speak no evil, Talk no evil.This is particularly true as, a cheese eating farang with regards to politics.

It's sad what is happening in Thailand, but as a non Thai, its sadly not in my control and therefore non of my business.

If you dont care about our country then go hide your head in the sand. Other people want to do somthing, that can show the world the crimes going on here.

[smovi57]

i hope so much she will be.

That is a really terrible and nasty thing to say. Even if you don't like someone you don't wish death upon them.

Unless they live in Dubai.

[smovi57]

No need to die, You have won the battle as Suthep has finally thrown in the towel.

He is now pulling back because he has won, and chased the pm out of the captial and office...

[peterquixote]

from Niuckymaster above Posted Yesterday, 16:24

Some die on the rice field, others die in a jail, others die when in exile and some die claiming they were fighting for democracy.

and also

from JR Soul above

My chippie mate has volunteered to knock up a box for her, free of charge. He needs to know how tall she is, and how wide across that lard arse.

I'm whittling a wooden stake for her heart. Reckon it will need a needle point, fire hardened, to pierce such a shrivelled and hard organ.

[smovi57]

Yingluck is a hero, showing strength, leadership and standing up for democracy in the face of obnoxious bullying by some very cowardly people.

Suthep is a corrupt, boneheaded bully with murder charges hanging over his head... and yet, bizarrely enough and to their utter shame, we have a vocal group of posters on this forum supporting this scumbag. Suthep is worthless, he is just interested in a power grab at all costs.

Although I admittedly am a neophyte when it comes to Thai politics and most of the news I get comes from Thai Visa, I do believe Prime Minister Yingluck is in an extremely difficult position and seems to be able to satisfy no-one. Faced with a political onslaught from a man like Mr. Suthep, PM Yingluck has shown remarkable restraint in not exercising what I presume would be her ability via the police and/or military to crush his blatantly illegal efforts to bring down the present administration. In the USA, we vote politicians out of power or pressure is applied through the impeachment process. It's messy, yes, but it's usually within legal bounds such as in 1974 when the Nixon government was brought down. Former President Nixon was re-elected in 1972 by the largest majority in US history. There were many who hated him but, to my recollection, no-one tried to interfere with an American citizen's right to vote for him simply because they believed Nixon should not be president. True, white Americans in the south were still trying to deny blacks their right to vote but that was an entirely different matter. Even Hitler came to power via legal means in 1932. To block the pathways to the voting booths and even intimidate people into not exercising their right to vote in a legally-held election and to get away with it is not a good sign in any democracy. The attitude behind such manoeuvres seems to be: 'You voters are not smart enough or politically savvy enough to know what is good for you so we will think and act for you.' This kind of political arrogance often leads to dictatorship and is already the beginning of one. Personally, I believe that PM Yingluck - like anyone in that position - is trying to find her way but is assailed from all sides - damned if she does, damned if she doesn't. Thailand has massive problems with corruption etc. and that cannot be undone overnight. It seems that many are part of that antiquated system. Allowing a demagogue to replace PM Yingluck will not further the cause of democracy. My opinion is that everyone should back off including PM Yingluck's brother and let her do her job. Just because her brother exerts undue and improper influence on her does not mean she is corrupt and uncaring. Personally, I thought it was a good thing when PM Yingluck came to power and still believe she is a caring and courageous leader and hope she gets the opportunity to show what she is capable of doing for her people.

She is a not capable of anything but taking orders. And she is very non caring, about thailand and its people.

[smovi57]

The old guard can't stand the fact that they've been outsmarted by YL, she has beaten them pointless at every turn. The derision she gets on TV is symptomatic of her victory

If she is so smart, why has she ran away, refused to debate or answer questions in parliament and only communicate via social media or scripted speeches which she often reads very badly.

She is so clever that she has repeatedly lied to the farmers about when they will be paid, going back months and months.

Oh she's smart alright. Her family's wealth has increased 450% since she took office according to Forbes and her criminal fugitive brother bragged to them that his little sisters government has sent 1 billion baht to him. Pretty smart providing she get away with eh?

The derision she gets on TV is because she lies, acts illegally and refuses basic questions on propriety that people in public life in any democracy must answer. Add the repeated incompetency of her often reshuffled government and she really does look a smartie.

I thought she sent him 30 billion baht.

[smovi57]

Yingluck is a hero, showing strength, leadership and standing up for democracy in the face of obnoxious bullying by some very cowardly people.

Suthep is a corrupt, boneheaded bully with murder charges hanging over his head... and yet, bizarrely enough and to their utter shame, we have a vocal group of posters on this forum supporting this scumbag. Suthep is worthless, he is just interested in a power grab at all costs.

Well said, and that he hates farangs is beyond the fools.

These are two excellent posts, if I may say so.

It's been clear from the outset of Suthep's anti-democracy insurrection that he and his backers intended to vanquish the other side, which means to identify fully who they are, seize them, process them legally or extra-legally, expel them from Thailand. First and foremost on the ground zero list of Thais to be expelled from Thailand are the Shinawatras and their allies.

Suthep spoke some months ago in the Thaispeak cultural code that he would pursue Yingluck till the death - figuratively one can hope - so now Yingluck has responded with her own Thai culture speak death statement of the absolute resolve to fight it out and to the end on Thai soil. Yingluck has in a few short months now completed her transition, from citizen, to politician, to prime minister - from wallflower to wildflower. One can think of Cory Aquino, Gloria Macapal Arroyo, Aung San Suu Kyi.

Suthep and his powerful entrenched backers are serious about purging Thailand of what they view as corrupting influences, such as democracy, empowerment of the poor, creating a broad based and viable middle class that is egalitarian and dominant socioeconomically, and more. These and most other modern ideas and practices are to be purged.

Integral to this reactionary campaign, farang influences are to undergo a systematic purging, to include farang themselves. Not all farang influences are democratic, however, as can be read here the past several months, so some number of certain farang will be exempted. Every Suthep reference to farang says so and Abhisit has yet to contradict him.

You think Yingluck is in the same league as Aung San Suu Kyi ???

Please can you explain what exactly you think Yingluck has actually done in her 2+ years in office to warrant this comparison?

Amelda Marcos would be a better comparisan.

[Thait Spot]

Yingluck is a hero, showing strength, leadership and standing up for democracy in the face of obnoxious bullying by some very cowardly people.

Suthep is a corrupt, boneheaded bully with murder charges hanging over his head... and yet, bizarrely enough and to their utter shame, we have a vocal group of posters on this forum supporting this scumbag. Suthep is worthless, he is just interested in a power grab at all costs.

I believe that the same 2 charges you named for Suthep are hanging over your heroine's (she is a female is she not?) Head

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[brewsterbudgen]

i hope so much she will be.

That is a really terrible and nasty thing to say. Even if you don't like someone you don't wish death upon them.

I'm giving Ponchi the benefit of the doubt, as he/she is not an English speaker and most of his/her (misguided) posts are from the heart rather than the head!

[Mosha]

Talking of democratic battle fields. Were not the election results due 27th Feb from the participating areas?

[geriatrickid]

To sum up: PM Yingluck is still PM and Suthep has been forced to shut down his squatter camps and blockades.

Apparently some foreigners wish to ridicule her position. However, her statement was intended for supporters and to reassure those Thais who want a firmer approach to the protests. IMO it's a long overdue statement and serves a very important political purpose. She's asserting her position.

[Mosha]

To sum up: PM Yingluck is still PM and Suthep has been forced to shut down his squatter camps and blockades.

Apparently some foreigners wish to ridicule her position. However, her statement was intended for supporters and to reassure those Thais who want a firmer approach to the protests. IMO it's a long overdue statement and serves a very important political purpose. She's asserting her position.

That's caretaker PM if you don't mind.

[Davidhere]

To sum up: PM Yingluck is still PM and Suthep has been forced to shut down

A testament to the highly effective nature of the M-79 Grenade Launcher.

.

[downunderontop]

silly silly woman, is she for real ? Surely she is slightly retarded !

are you a relative of hers then?

[ginjag]

To sum up: PM Yingluck is still PM and Suthep has been forced to shut down his squatter camps and blockades.

Apparently some foreigners wish to ridicule her position. However, her statement was intended for supporters and to reassure those Thais who want a firmer approach to the protests. IMO it's a long overdue statement and serves a very important political purpose. She's asserting her position.

Asserting her position???? from facebook, Look at the topic headline, would that battlefield somewhere in Chiang Rai ?? at an OTOP shop.

Let the court assert her position. Suthep was forced was he to shut down his "Squatter camps" these camps were like the Hilton compared to the reds dirty untidy heaps of rubble, then they tried to make all BKK the same as they were FORCED to get out, and rightly so.

The difference here Suthep forced and the reds 2010 forced is very apparent.

For whatever Anyone thinks of the man, time, whether it be a million or 5,000 protesters was his friend -time enough to expose all these irregularities, to put it mildly.

At times you need this gap in politics to expose fraud-scams the protests were effective and have done what was intended.

[Publicus]

While Yingluk is practicing her statesman rhetoric, she could try re-working some of Churchill's better efforts. "We will fleece them on the beaches..." has a certain local resonance, though she should leave "It will be long.........." well alone.

Yingluck not Suthep or Abhisit is consistent with another famous quote the feudalists here might give some greater attention to: that "Government of the people, by the people and for the people, shall not perish from this earth."

In the former LOS the people are only just starting to establish a democratic government that is free of military control and is less commanded by the old guard elites, government that is open to the society as a whole, Thai society, the Thai people.

Taking literary license of another of Abraham Lincoln's historic statements, Suthep has managed to fool all of his voices here all of the time.

[bigbamboo]

"I may have the body of a weak and feeble woman but I have the mind of one too."

This thread is certainly bringing out the misogynists.

Yingluck may be Thailand's greatest female Prime Minister but she's not yet a match for England's greatest female monarch.

Edited March 1, 2014 by bigbamboo

[JRSoul]

While Yingluk is practicing her statesman rhetoric, she could try re-working some of Churchill's better efforts. "We will fleece them on the beaches..." has a certain local resonance, though she should leave "It will be long.........." well alone.

Yingluck not Suthep or Abhisit is consistent with another famous quote the feudalists here might give some greater attention to: that "Government of the people, by the people and for the people, shall not perish from this earth."

In the former LOS the people are only just starting to establish a democratic government that is free of military control and is less commanded by the old guard elites, government that is open to the society as a whole, Thai society, the Thai people.

Taking literary license of another of Abraham Lincoln's historic statements, Suthep has managed to fool all of his voices here all of the time.

There seemed to be a distinct lack of "for the people" in the last government. Perhaps you didn't notice.

If we take the big issue of the protests, the amnesty bill, do you spot any "for the people" or is it all for "us and our criminal friends"?

How about the rice scam? Some people obviously benefited mightily, but how much benefit has the been for the ALL Thais? Perhaps what you mean is "for the people that matter."

[geriatrickid]

Yingluck may be Thailand's greatest female Prime Minister but she's not yet a match for England's greatest female monarch.

A different era. I doubt that your presumed greatest female monarch would have lasted very long under the conditions that PM Yingluck has faced.

I also doubt that any of the PM's petty detractors posting on this thread, so quick to insult and denigrate her, would have lasted a day without soiling themselves, drowning their sorrows in booze or collapsing in a puddle of tears.

Thailand's PM has stood fast against violent insurrectionists and must now turn her attention to healing the wounds. I have confidence that with her compassion, patience and understanding of the conflicting views, she will help Thais to reconcile, despite the ruthless and selfish attempts of some interest groups to sow discord and hatred.

There is a reason why the PM continues to keep the support of many Thais and it's all about her remarkable strength and perseverance in the face of adversity. She is a lot stronger than the foreigners on this thread presume, but then an educated and strong woman probably scares them. I hope one day some of the foreigners posting on this thread can meet her in person. She is engaging, hard working, considerate, kind and fully aware of the problems Thailand faces.

[spidermike007]

I assume she meant a political death. I seriously doubt she has the courage to die for her cause. Sounds like a lot of rhetoric to me. And since Suthep has declared the protests over, now is the time for her to make sure the meeting takes place. How long will she dally before this happens? We are all waiting to see a level of competency in dealing with this crisis. How about some political talent? Some intelligence? Some creativity? Some savvy? Some ability? Can she please show us why she was elected? Or should I say selected?

Mike Macarelli

Chaiyaphum, Thailand

Sent from my iPad using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[Mister Fixit]

This is quite likely. People who have accompanied her on the famous boondoggle trips overseas say she was in the habit of going up to the rostrum and stumbling through a speech that she obviously hadn't even read through beforehand. Hence the famous "khop khun kha si krang" at the end of one her Thai speeches when the writer actually meant her to say "khob khun kha" four times, waiing in each direction. But the idiot Poo read it literally and said "Thank you four times".

Thais also love to tell the story of her reading of concrete written in Thai letters as KORN-OK-KRIT. She is a complete moron and dying on the battlefield might be her highest intellectual achievement but her vile siblings will ensure that plenty of other people do the dying bit rather than Poo.

I thought it was 'Thank you THREE times' ... That's what I've read and everyone tells me she said. Even my students say it to me at the end of a class as a joke about her.

Love the 'concrete' one, though ... But then, Thai is written phonetically and the transliteration system is poor - such as why they talk about 'sa-tek' for steak - because it's written that way in Thai (actually 'sa-daek)

Edited March 1, 2014 by Mister Fixit

[Mister Fixit]

A different era. I doubt that your presumed greatest female monarch would have lasted very long under the conditions that PM Yingluck has faced.

I also doubt that any of the PM's petty detractors posting on this thread, so quick to insult and denigrate her, would have lasted a day without soiling themselves, drowning their sorrows in booze or collapsing in a puddle of tears.

Thailand's PM has stood fast against violent insurrectionists and must now turn her attention to healing the wounds. I have confidence that with her compassion, patience and understanding of the conflicting views, she will help Thais to reconcile, despite the ruthless and selfish attempts of some interest groups to sow discord and hatred.

There is a reason why the PM continues to keep the support of many Thais and it's all about her remarkable strength and perseverance in the face of adversity. She is a lot stronger than the foreigners on this thread presume, but then an educated and strong woman probably scares them. I hope one day some of the foreigners posting on this thread can meet her in person. She is engaging, hard working, considerate, kind and fully aware of the problems Thailand faces.

What utter fawning, sycophantic tosh.

The woman has ruined the country and continues to run away, or put her head in the sand. Abhisit described her well in just two short words ...

Edited March 1, 2014 by Mister Fixit

[bigbamboo]

Yingluck may be Thailand's greatest female Prime Minister but she's not yet a match for England's greatest female monarch.

A different era. I doubt that your presumed greatest female monarch would have lasted very long under the conditions that PM Yingluck has faced.

I also doubt that any of the PM's petty detractors posting on this thread, so quick to insult and denigrate her, would have lasted a day without soiling themselves, drowning their sorrows in booze or collapsing in a puddle of tears.

Thailand's PM has stood fast against violent insurrectionists and must now turn her attention to healing the wounds. I have confidence that with her compassion, patience and understanding of the conflicting views, she will help Thais to reconcile, despite the ruthless and selfish attempts of some interest groups to sow discord and hatred.

There is a reason why the PM continues to keep the support of many Thais and it's all about her remarkable strength and perseverance in the face of adversity. She is a lot stronger than the foreigners on this thread presume, but then an educated and strong woman probably scares them. I hope one day some of the foreigners posting on this thread can meet her in person. She is engaging, hard working, considerate, kind and fully aware of the problems Thailand faces.

"I doubt that your presumed greatest female monarch would have lasted very long under the conditions that PM Yingluck has faced'.

Thanks, GK! That is one of the most hilarious lines I've ever read on TV.

Now please tell me your humour was intentional.