Somchai to end attempt to solve country's crisis if proposal rejected

[webfact]

Somchai to end attempt to solve country's crisis if proposal rejected
By Digital Content



BANGKOK, March 18 - Election Commissioner Somchai Srisutthiyakorn said he will end his attempt to mediate political conflicts if the proposal of six independent agencies to solve the crisis is rejected by the caretaker government and anti-government movement.

Mr Somchai made remarks as he is sending a letter to the caretaker government and the People’s Democratic Reform Committee (PDRC) today regarding the agreement of six constitutional organisations to propose setting up a non-partisan committee to collect proposals from both sides and adjust them until a conclusion is mutually reached.

The decision was made yesterday when the six agencies -- the Ombudsman, the National Economic and Social Advisory Council, the Election Commission, the National Human Rights Commission, the National Anti-Corruption Commission and the Office of the Auditor General -- met to discuss a way out of the country's political deadlock.

Mr Somchai said there are seven days, until March 24, for both sides to consider the proposal and that the reply letters proposing list of 10 neutral persons from the government and the PDRC will be opened publicly at the same time.

If both parties reject the idea, Mr Somchai said he and six organisations will end their role, saying that they have done their best.

Mr Somchai reiterated that dialogue is still the best way to solve the problem.

As the Constitutional Court has set its ruling on the legality of Thailand's Feb 2 general election tomorrow, Mr Somchai said Election Commission chairman Supachai Somcharoen and his legal team will appear in court to clarify the agency operations to hold the election.

Mr Somchai said he believes the court could rule in two possible ways - EC could go ahead with the election or the election on Feb 2 was unconstitutional.

If the court give green light, the EC is ready to hold election immediately. For six provinces, the poll could be held for April 27.

But if the court rules that the election is unlawful, the poll agency is also ready to organise the new election. (MCOT online news)


-- TNA 2014-03-18

[bigbamboo]

Now come along children, Uncle Somchai is giving you one last chance to put your toys away and get on with being proper politicians.... you know, like they have in most other countries.

[bkkjames]

I will go out on a limb and say if the decision is to void the election, this announcement will come in the early evening. If it rules the election ok, this will come around 3-4pm.

[MunterHunter]

I will go out on a limb and say if the decision is to void the election, this announcement will come in the early evening. If it rules the election ok, this will come around 3-4pm.

I think that ruling the election void and re-running it is the best hope... the Democrats should agree to contest the election and Sutheps lot should stay clear of the voting booths this time.

If this doesn't happen, i can see things getting a cr@p load worse before/during Songkran and this 'problem' stretching out a helluva long time more.

[Costas2008]

Now come along children, Uncle Somchai is giving you one last chance to put your toys away and get on with being proper politicians.... you know, like they have in most other countries.

bigbamboo, wishful thinking........ you are speaking to Thai politicians.

Very different from what they have in most other countries.

[webfact]

POLITICS
Somchai to end role if Yingluck and Suthep reject proposal

BANGKOK: -- Election Commissioner Somchai Srisutthiyakorn will end his attempt to mediate political conflicts if the proposal of six independent agencies to solve the crisis is rejected by the caretaker government and anti-government movement.

Somchai said he is sending a letter to the caretaker government and the People's Democratic Reform Committee (PDRC) today concerning six constitutional organisations’ proposal to set up a non-partisan panel to collect proposals from both sides.

The decision was made on Monday when the six agencies -- the Ombudsman, the National Economic and Social Advisory Council, the Election Commission, the National Human Rights Commission, the National Anti-Corruption Commission and the Office of the Auditor General -- met to discuss a way out of the country’s political deadlock.

Somchai said it was until March 24 for both sides to consider the proposal and that the reply letters proposing list of 10 neutral persons from the government and the PDRC will be opened publicly at the same time.

If both parties reject the idea, Somchai said he and six organisations will end their role, saying that they have done their best. He reiterated that dialogue is still the best way to solve the problem.


-- The Nation 2014-03-18

[catterwell]

I will go out on a limb and say if the decision is to void the election, this announcement will come in the early evening. If it rules the election ok, this will come around 3-4pm.

Tomorrow is just the hearing. The ruling could come on the same day, or it could come a couple of days thereafter.

[drand11]

Amazing, its so simple for Yingluk to make Suthep look hopeless yet seems like she is taking a pass. She should cooperate 100% and let Suthep be the weak mind. Who the hell ate her advisers?? Not too smart. Should be Yingluk going on tv with bullet proposals that Thais can reasonably relate/ understand.

[drand11]

Truly, if they say "Void", it can actualy help Yingluk. Rice issue is going awsy and Suthep is getting weaker by the day. Does Suthep wish to run another boycott??

[bkkjames]

I will go out on a limb and say if the decision is to void the election, this announcement will come in the early evening. If it rules the election ok, this will come around 3-4pm.

Tomorrow is just the hearing. The ruling could come on the same day, or it could come a couple of days thereafter.

well whatever day it is announced, the timing for me still stands...

[chainarong]

I would say you will be ending your attempt at solving the crisis Somchai, this is not something that is going to go away and the longer it drags on the worse it will get, however there is away to avoid all of this, go and live next door to Thaskin in Dubai

[Thailand]

A void election.

A uninterrupted re-run and another win for the PTP?

[WhizBang]

Amazing, its so simple for Yingluk to make Suthep look hopeless yet seems like she is taking a pass. She should cooperate 100% and let Suthep be the weak mind. Who the hell ate her advisers?? Not too smart. Should be Yingluk going on tv with bullet proposals that Thais can reasonably relate/ understand.

But you forget, she is NOT a leader. She is but a puppet, whose strings are pulled from Dubai.

Long distance relationships never work out well. And she is leagues out of her depth.

[PepperMe]

A void election.

A uninterrupted re-run and another win for the PTP?

Very wishful thinking.

More like voided and a new election with the Dems contesting it.

It won't be interrupted this time.

But there could be several outcomes for a few reasons and the red shirts could be at the heart of it.

The PTP and YL may not be involved in the new election once the campaigning starts, there are many swords of Damocles hanging over them that can have most of them removed and banned at any given time. Then the reds will rise up and disrupt the elections Especially if the PTP are dissolved.

If they are able to see another election through. It will be tightened up and they will be monitored very closely for any sign of breech of election rules. However, they won't win it. They only managed 8 million votes the last time and where I live used to be pure red, and now they hate this government and they also hate the red shirts... It is highly likely that the Dems will pick up most of the PTP's lost votes giving them almost certain landslide.

Then the reds will rise up and refuse to accept the result, bringing about a campaign f terrorism.

The PTP may also lose even more votes and get only 5 to 6 million because they have clearly not spoken out against the UDD and red threats of violence, civil war or secession, they have in fact by their very silence backed up all the threats. That will lose them a lot of votes.

Also, the rice farmers have still to be paid, and people are now sick of their lying.

The PTP have almost no chance of winning, but if they did by a miracle and because of the makeup of the massive amount of constituencies in the north and only had the popular vote of abot 10 to 15% of the electorate, not only would the masses refuse to accept it, but the constitutional courts will reject that as not being a mandate especially if the Dems had about 15 million votes and still lost.

So a new election will still not guarantee a parliament.

That is why election reforms are needed and the constituency map adjusted so that a party with a minute mandate can not possibly end up winning.

If YL and PTP denounced the way the UDD and red mob threaten and intimidate everyone... They may actually pick up a lot more votes.... But I doubt that.

But a government that aligns itself with terrorist in a hope to keep them in power is going to be their downfall if the courts don't do it already.

[Scamper]

A nullified election is still the most likely outcome, as is a call for a new one. But even that notwithstanding, there are all these impeachment proceedings which could potentially rob Pheu Thai of a leader and even a party. The NACC investigation goes on undeterred, as do all other cases. The most likely scenario of a new election is that Pheu Thai ( or an alias if dissolved ) would be held to a minority. They have suffered a significant loss of support, particularly from farmers. A majority seems highly unlikely. Remember, in 2011, they garnered 265 seats out of a 500 seat parliament, and 48.41 % of the vote. They would be no where near that now. The Democratic party under optimal conditions could hold a minority government, but holding Pheu Thai to a minority seems the most likely scenario. But we still have to keep in mind everything that the Constitutional Court will rule regarding the February 2 election. Article 7 still needs to be addressed, which would open up the way for an interim period where reform could be aired and discussed. A replication of a Thaksin proxy administration with another relative is not going to solve any of these long term concerns. The public has grown since 2006. They've left Thaksin far behind.

Edited March 18, 2014 by Scamper

[rreddin]

I will go out on a limb and say if the decision is to void the election, this announcement will come in the early evening. If it rules the election ok, this will come around 3-4pm.

I will go further. If the decision is to void the election, it will be announced only after the army have moved into place. Immediately following the announcement, martial law will be declared in parts of Bangkok and the Election Commission will resign en mass.

Of course, the only thing voiding the election would achieve is antagonising the majority of the elctorate who did vote and elected a representative. They will not accept having the the election stolen from them, and it would be theft. So, if this scenario were to take place, it would have to be coupled with some form of interim government. If it is not, the caretaker government will merely relocate to another place.

Any interim government would have to be appointed and then you have a defacto PRDC coup in Bangkok and a divided country with two groups both claiming to be the legitimate government.

The international community does not like coups d'état. So gaining international recognition might be a challenge for an appointed government, which might also discover it has few friends in the region and those it does have will exact a high price for their support.

[MunterHunter]

I will go out on a limb and say if the decision is to void the election, this announcement will come in the early evening. If it rules the election ok, this will come around 3-4pm.

I will go further. If the decision is to void the election, it will be announced only after the army have moved into place. Immediately following the announcement, martial law will be declared in parts of Bangkok and the Election Commission will resign en mass.

Of course, the only thing voiding the election would achieve is antagonising the majority of the elctorate who did vote and elected a representative. They will not accept having the the election stolen from them, and it would be theft. So, if this scenario were to take place, it would have to be coupled with some form of interim government. If it is not, the caretaker government will merely relocate to another place.

Any interim government would have to be appointed and then you have a defacto PRDC coup in Bangkok and a divided country with two groups both claiming to be the legitimate government.

The international community does not like coups d'état. So gaining international recognition might be a challenge for an appointed government, which might also discover it has few friends in the region and those it does have will exact a high price for their support.

And yet that still sounds favorable to the Parasite Thaksin draining the blood (money) from this country day by day, whilst pushing his dictatorial point of view down the throats of the Red Shirts and brainwashing them into thinking its called 'Democracy'.

I'll take the Coup, sanctions and 'noise' from other countries, thanks!

[tezzainoz]

A void election.

A uninterrupted re-run and another win for the PTP?

If this is true

why are they trying so hard not to do it this way

[bigbamboo]

I will go out on a limb and say if the decision is to void the election, this announcement will come in the early evening. If it rules the election ok, this will come around 3-4pm.

That's nice....... considering the decision that caused all this chaos came at three o clock in the morning.

[tezzainoz]

A void election.

A uninterrupted re-run and another win for the PTP?

Very wishful thinking.

More like voided and a new election with the Dems contesting it.

It won't be interrupted this time.

But there could be several outcomes for a few reasons and the red shirts could be at the heart of it.

The PTP and YL may not be involved in the new election once the campaigning starts, there are many swords of Damocles hanging over them that can have most of them removed and banned at any given time. Then the reds will rise up and disrupt the elections Especially if the PTP are dissolved.

If they are able to see another election through. It will be tightened up and they will be monitored very closely for any sign of breech of election rules. However, they won't win it. They only managed 8 million votes the last time and where I live used to be pure red, and now they hate this government and they also hate the red shirts... It is highly likely that the Dems will pick up most of the PTP's lost votes giving them almost certain landslide.

Then the reds will rise up and refuse to accept the result, bringing about a campaign f terrorism.

The PTP may also lose even more votes and get only 5 to 6 million because they have clearly not spoken out against the UDD and red threats of violence, civil war or secession, they have in fact by their very silence backed up all the threats. That will lose them a lot of votes.

Also, the rice farmers have still to be paid, and people are now sick of their lying.

The PTP have almost no chance of winning, but if they did by a miracle and because of the makeup of the massive amount of constituencies in the north and only had the popular vote of abot 10 to 15% of the electorate, not only would the masses refuse to accept it, but the constitutional courts will reject that as not being a mandate especially if the Dems had about 15 million votes and still lost.

So a new election will still not guarantee a parliament.

That is why election reforms are needed and the constituency map adjusted so that a party with a minute mandate can not possibly end up winning.

If YL and PTP denounced the way the UDD and red mob threaten and intimidate everyone... They may actually pick up a lot more votes.... But I doubt that.

But a government that aligns itself with terrorist in a hope to keep them in power is going to be their downfall if the courts don't do it already.

when I met my Thai wife 8 years ago she and her family and her village where 100% followers of Thaskin and the red shirts

8 years on she we 24 village friends where at the protest protestion against them

Don't count you chickens before they are hatched

alot has changed under the bridge since the last election

[rickirs]

Somchai said he will end his attempt to mediate political conflicts if the proposal of six independent agencies to solve the crisis is rejected by the caretaker government and anti-government movement. Seeing as these two parties are the only ones that matter in any political resolution, does he have any other choice? It's like saying that if I can't jump across a 1,000 foot canyon, then I will discontinue my attempts. These six independent agencies have one thing in common and that's their egos fed by their very independence. They flop around with meaningless ideas and uncreative "suggestions" knowing they are secure in their positions and have no accountability for their ineffectiveness. Some might say such a condition is also professional "corruption."