Thai coup leader disbands Senate, assumes law-making power

[BIACK]

In Nakhon Phanom were all house have a Reed shirt in front of the house, it is quite. ??

[englishoak]

Anyone on this site that can name one principle of democracy. I will tell you how the PTP abused it.

Only one...

None of you can name 15, 14, 13 or 12. Not even 3!

I tried 2 and I was belittled.

So is one to much to ask?

Name one and I will tell you how the PTP abused it.

Please…...

This is a straw man argument to suggest its all one sided, its far from that.

Please stop acting like no one else understands democracy and its basic principles here. Most of us understand them far better than anyone in this country it seems, including you if you think the military is on the side of democracy.The only thing you said that is accurate is that PTP abuse most points most of the time but then again its not unique to PTP either and I do not subscribe to the polarity of a particular colour deciding whos right and who is wrong. The whole country routinely does as it sees fit when it wishes. At present the Military is having its turn. Ignoring democratic principles is not the monopoly of PTP by a long shot.

Its all very well to harp on about democracy, principles et al isnt upheld by PTP etc, it is quite something else to pretend or infer the rest of the political and or system here has it as a priority or does, they dont and certainly not the military.

It never has in fact, it has given as little democratic freedoms as possible and routinely suspends them as we are right now.. in the land of coups there is nothing about the principles of democracy that is solidly upheld when you consistently scrap the constitution and routinely redraw the rules.The military does this on a regular basis, there is nothing democratic about that and its largely responsible by decades of interfering and taking over for the state of the political and moral scene now and lack of respecting the main democratic principles goes a long way as to why.

To prove it ill give you 3 that do not exist here regardless of ruling party, the following is conditional with massive restrictions, it is the military in large part that is responsible for compromising the following basics

Freedom of speech, debate and enquiry.

Equality before the law

free, open and accountable mass media

I do not have to break it down as we all know how it works ( or dosnt work ) here. None of the above operates correctly here and never has.

To applaud a military takeover above elections and talking about democratic principles makes your argument untenable to say the least

Now back to living under rule by junta ... may it be short as possible and we return to elections and at least the weak form of democracy Thailand does have when the military allow civilian rule asap.

Edited May 24, 2014 by englishoak

[NCFC]

PDRC, TV anti-Thaksinistas, Suthepistas and Yellows wanted reforms, out with YS, block elections and abolish the government, senators, the house et al.

You clamored, ranted and wished it:. There you have it and then some.

Are you guys happy now?

Don't need to say PDRC, anti thaksonite, Suthepists and yellows. 15 principle of democracy supporters will suffice.

Not until yingluck is held accountable for the rice scheme and is jailed for a long time, ohhh and when taksin is in jail took…...Oh and all UDD leaders….Oh and Chalerm….Oh and Plodprasop…..Oh and Tarit….Oh and ahhh forget it..

No I am not happy yet!!!

Would a patient be happy if the doctor only removed half his cancer?

They've shutdown the Senate, and poor deluded Jamie still thinks this is about Thaksin, 555.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/thailand/10852417/Crown-Prince-of-Thailand-takes-refuge-in-5-star-Hampshire-hotel.html

[davehowden]

NCFC

Another self imposed exile like Mr T?

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2637236/Thailand-junta-Please-change-soundtrack.html

Edited May 24, 2014 by davehowden

[F4UCorsair]

He's cutting out the cancer piece by piece.

He is consolidating power, simple as that.

Long time before you will see any elections here now!

He already hinted at the beginning that election would not happen before 24 months from now.

Wow 2 years? That's a long time. He will surely put in place a non partisan government for the interim period.

Fear not....bro & sis shinawatra are proposing setting up a government in exile (if she can ever leave Thailand), so all will be well.

Thailand is looking more like a 'black' country in Africa, or the Pacific, by the day, or minute.

Edited May 24, 2014 by F4UCorsair

[ozvenison]

the senate was all appointed hi-so and I think with permanent status... until they die ... we will see i still trust Prayuth he is taking out all the roots..

Wrong.

No wrong just inaccurate...

74 out of 150 are appointed from various sectors by the Senate Selection Committee. The Senate operates under fixed terms of six years.

Thats a big % not elected by the people.. and one of the constitution changes the PTP were trying to push through I believe?

And if you look at who's who in the Senate Selection Committee you can see why not much support for the last government

[ozvenison]

Yep…Not a single 1 principle supporter can name 1 principle which I can ensure the PTP don't adhere to.

You're scared.

I sense it. I feel it. I know it.

Name one.

Did the Bombers lose again

[Roadman]

Have to admit even I was getting a bit tired out by djjamie's call of the need to know the 15 principles of democracy. There are no set numbers for a start.

However what I do find amusing is while there is a basic requirement for democratic principles to apply a large number denounce the over riding of those principles by the military junta, but their Red tinted glasses could never let them see the same democratic principles had been / and were continuing to be lawlessly trashed by the elected government that has been now removed from office.

Khun General Prayuth needs to carry on the good work removing the trash from both sides of the political divide. I will look forward to the reforms that he will bring in rather than look back at the constant corrupt and lawless trash that was the order of the day under the Shinawatra regime, and quite frankly also from their opponents including the lately out of control Suthep. Happily I left out the Shinawatra incompetence which is what elections are used to decide on.

[Catoni]

Julius Caesar did the same.

Of course, that was 2.000 years ago.

Yes.... Caesar did the same... ..... and remember what happened to him for seizing power......The Ides of March..... the day of the daggers...

[Strangebrew]

To plant a garden one must first pull out all the weeds. Once that is done you add fertilizer turn the soil plant the seeds. It seems he is going by the book here. next He will work on reforms and accountabilty, then setup a process to form new parties under strict guidelines.Then set a poll date finally a vote. But the caretaker government been feeding the people crap for years so maybe bypass the ferterilizer.

[Robby nz]

Not going to read through 23 pages of red crowing this morning.

Well Thaksin has finally got the complete coup he has been after for the last few months.

With international condemnation that he will take as support for his previous cock up of an administration and himself.

Amsterdam has apparently come out with a long tirade about the coming Govt in exile, no doubt to be headed by glorious leader himself.

Still has to pay a country to host it but that shouldn't be a problem.

I suspect the arms found so far are only a dot on the i of the Thaksin evil and in the next few days we will see the organized bombings and killings start, although I sincerely hope not.

Then after a suitable period of death and destruction the hero can return to reunite the ruins of a country he has single handedly destroyed.

Thaksins dream.

Thailands nightmare.

[Catoni]

Julius Caesar did the same.

Of course, that was 2.000 years ago.

Julius Caesar never disbanded the Senate. (Nor did any other Roman Emperor.) It was at a meeting of the Senate - the day before he was due to leave the country to invade Parthia/Persia on what would be a self-imposed exile taking at least 10 years - that he was assassinated.

No... Caesar did not disband the Senate, and he didn't do away with the yearly elected Consuls. But following him.... with his nephew Octavian... who became the first Emperor ...Augustus..... the Senate and the Consuls became little more than a rubber stamp...the Emperor had almost total power from that point on...

Julius Caesar of course paid with his life.... as we all know. A third to a half of the Senate turned on him, stabbing him to death, led by the Senators Brutus and Cassius.

I don't want to see Thailand going the same way... I have a deep love for Thailand.... and Chiang Mai and the north in particular...

[Richard W]

I think whatever principles you may be thinking of, characteristics must include not having a self-appointed PM and not having a change of government without an election. Having a constitution and civil rights.

Change of government without an election is quite common in parliamentary systems with more than two significant parties.

[FangFerang]

I have a feeling that there is much more to this coup, and today's consolidation of power, than we are being told.

and you are surprised you weren't informed beforehand because....?.........

Your response is unrelated to the post. He mad no reference whatsoever to surprise, nor an expectation of being informed ahead of time.

Snark.

[FangFerang]

This news, together with the events at Victory monument today and elsewhere, doesn't look promising for the near future.

There will be hard times ahead.

What was the thing on victory monument about I drove by two times a few 2-300 hundreds standing on bridges with paper notes of something that was unreadable from the car.

Now what happens all depends on what he does...if he set the laws to be the things pdrc had in their reform program and then steps down for an election this can turn out nicely...but now we have to wait and see what he does with his powers.

"if he set the laws to be the things pdrc had in their reform program"

What things? The PDRC never made any concrete plans, just a vague wish list like freedom and justrice for all with no corruption, and not a single road map to reach any of their goals.

[FNQ]

Wow, the guy is really showing his colors, ain't he? A dictator of his ilk won't stand much longer for a free flow of information and public expression of opinion on the internet. But I guess that would come after the shuttering of the judicial branch of gov't.? I'm afraid our days are numbered.

Nonsense. He is just cleaning out the dirt. To bring about reforms so there can be elections in the shortest possible time, he needs to eliminate all obstructions. No half measures, just go for it, do it. It won't be long before the curfew is lifted.

I tend to agree with the last post, my thinking is the general has been asked by his boss of whom he is most loyal to, get out there and break the deadlock how you see fit.

[englishoak]

Have to admit even I was getting a bit tired out by djjamie's call of the need to know the 15 principles of democracy. There are no set numbers for a start.

However what I do find amusing is while there is a basic requirement for democratic principles to apply a large number denounce the over riding of those principles by the military junta, but their Red tinted glasses could never let them see the same democratic principles had been / and were continuing to be lawlessly trashed by the elected government that has been now removed from office.

Khun General Prayuth needs to carry on the good work removing the trash from both sides of the political divide. I will look forward to the reforms that he will bring in rather than look back at the constant corrupt and lawless trash that was the order of the day under the Shinawatra regime, and quite frankly also from their opponents including the lately out of control Suthep. Happily I left out the Shinawatra incompetence which is what elections are used to decide on.

Because previous military interventions have been so effective in the past right. ?

There is hardly anyone in academic, economic or think tanks that believe the military will succeed in cleaning up either. Thailands act or come up with a magic bullet that will fix anything beyond temporarily. The military are not business people and they are not well educated judges .. they are in fact just soldiers with military expertise not state and certainly not known for their diplomatic ability to compromise nor patience. Sound familiar ? Most in fact believe it will just compound the problems and add to the risk of deepening the unrest and destabilising things further the longer they hold onto the power. as do I.

Case in point the south is no safer now than it was a decade ago, things could easily look like that in a decade in the rest of the country if the population feel suppressed and their choice ( whoever it may be ) is consistently over ruled.

It is not that the general or military may have certain parties interests at heart it is that they are more likely to try and secure their own pivotal role and power base as we move into a new age and likely miss reforming the basics whilst using a sledgehammer to crack a few minor reform nuts.

If they overlook education and the basics in reforms ( which i suspect they will as no one has mentioned it ) then nothing will change and we will be doomed to repeating the same old problems over and over again.

I have never come across a military body in control of a nation that is healthy to its prosperity both economically or socially. I certainly dont think Thailand will be an exception to the rule.

[Oscar2]

If only this would happen in America where it is long overdue - those would be glory days.

i've been saying this for the last 20 years.

[Guest]

A good thing if the general takes it all the way and cuts out as much crap as he can under the circumstances this has been needed for a long time.

the country has a lot to offer if the elected ones would put a little of their self interest aside now and then to actually govern the country with the country in mind.

[Strangebrew]

If only this would happen in America where it is long overdue - those would be glory days.

i've been saying this for the last 20 years.

It would be hard for this to happen in the US first you have a nation that is armed, Also there are hundreds of thousands Veterans that were trained to fight. An armed force who would be out numbered 25 to 1 the shear numbers would over whelm any Coup attempt. Of course there would be massive causilties But in the end the military would lose.

[diehard60]

well it looks like because of suthep's ungodly BS he has now taken Thailand back in time to about 1989 when the army ruled everything. The coup leaders next step might be controlling all the banks and major bussinesses. Will be getting very interesting in the next few days.

[lineofentry]

This is probably the high point for the junta, it will be downhill from now.

[HiSoLowSoNoSo]

I like this so much I had to post it.

Thaksin's son oak with a few mates about to jet off somewhere, upload this selfie on their f/book or twitter....

15 minutes later

Who is the fat guy to the right with the Cocaine and Kaviar cap?

[FangFerang]

The following is a profiled speculation for your amusement:

Knock.

General Prayuth, "Come in."

Nameless Senator: "General you have our full support, but a simple majority object to you paying the farmers. We will, of course, support your decision, but...there are good reasons not to pay them, especially since poverty could make them finally hate the Shinawatras."

General Prayuth, considering, "I will take your words under advisement."

"Thank you, sir." The nameless Senator wais and exits.

Prayuth's attaché: "It's starting already, and it was your first decision."

"No it's not starting already," Prayuth replies. "With armed thugs from both sides eager to kill anyone, we do not have the resources to start second guessing and coddling and making concessions to politicians – appointed or elected. I am going to dissolve the Senate. After all, it is easy to reform it."

Edited May 24, 2014 by FangFerang

[gk10002000]

He's cutting out the cancer piece by piece.

He is consolidating power, simple as that.

Long time before you will see any elections here now!

He already hinted at the beginning that election would not happen before 24 months from now.

Elections are meaningless without any law to back them up. They have no constitution that details how the government must work. Every few years, they vote, toss out, etc. 100s of parliamnet members are appointed versus elected, etc. I don't even try to follow it any more

[scorecard]

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Franco governed for 36 years in Spain.

Ending when he died in 1975

Meanwhile the opposing team became educated.

It wont matter what this General does.

It doesn't matter how long it takes.

History shows us, that one day in the future the ''people '' always win!

'' Power concedes nothing without a demand.

It never did and it never will.''

''Nobody in the world, nobody in history, has ever gotten their freedom by appealing to the moral sense of the people who were oppressing them.''

Talking mostly about the paymasters machine are you?

[pmugghc]

the senate was all appointed hi-so and I think with permanent status... until they die ... we will see i still trust Prayuth he is taking out all the roots..

Wrong! Limited 1 term but PTP tried to change that to unlimited number of terms and include relatives of the PMs.

[NoshowJones]

Suthep was heard screaming 'It should be me, IT SHOULD BE ME!"

If I understand correctly there was a warrant for his arrest

Is he now under arrest?

If he is not, he should be, and locked up for a very long time.

[Roadman]

Have to admit even I was getting a bit tired out by djjamie's call of the need to know the 15 principles of democracy. There are no set numbers for a start.

However what I do find amusing is while there is a basic requirement for democratic principles to apply a large number denounce the over riding of those principles by the military junta, but their Red tinted glasses could never let them see the same democratic principles had been / and were continuing to be lawlessly trashed by the elected government that has been now removed from office.

Khun General Prayuth needs to carry on the good work removing the trash from both sides of the political divide. I will look forward to the reforms that he will bring in rather than look back at the constant corrupt and lawless trash that was the order of the day under the Shinawatra regime, and quite frankly also from their opponents including the lately out of control Suthep. Happily I left out the Shinawatra incompetence which is what elections are used to decide on.

Because previous military interventions have been so effective in the past right. ?

There is hardly anyone in academic, economic or think tanks that believe the military will succeed in cleaning up either. Thailands act or come up with a magic bullet that will fix anything beyond temporarily. The military are not business people and they are not well educated judges .. they are in fact just soldiers with military expertise not state and certainly not known for their diplomatic ability to compromise nor patience. Sound familiar ? Most in fact believe it will just compound the problems and add to the risk of deepening the unrest and destabilising things further the longer they hold onto the power. as do I.

Case in point the south is no safer now than it was a decade ago, things could easily look like that in a decade in the rest of the country if the population feel suppressed and their choice ( whoever it may be ) is consistently over ruled.

It is not that the general or military may have certain parties interests at heart it is that they are more likely to try and secure their own pivotal role and power base as we move into a new age and likely miss reforming the basics whilst using a sledgehammer to crack a few minor reform nuts.

If they overlook education and the basics in reforms ( which i suspect they will as no one has mentioned it ) then nothing will change and we will be doomed to repeating the same old problems over and over again.

I have never come across a military body in control of a nation that is healthy to its prosperity both economically or socially. I certainly dont think Thailand will be an exception to the rule.

For a start remove the south from the equation. It is a red (no pun intended) herring. It is a completely separate issue which even outside of Thailand even better democratic minds and military forces than Thailand struggle to deal with in terms of fundamental radical terrorist groups.

And hell in the hell can anyone situation be judged the same as the past when there are completely different players involved this time around. The closest you could get is to the 2006 coup where the clean out required was poor and half arsed. This time around the intent as displayed is cleaner and what is real obvious is there is no favorites with the General. He is rounding up the scum bags on both sides of the political divide and giving them all a good arse kicking.

And remove the opinions on here that quote all coup are a failure. For the very start in Thailand's case you then overlook the most important coup of all in Thai history that moved Thailand from the Absolute Monarchy it was to the Constitutional Monarchy it now is and which gave Thailand the first hope of democratic rule.

Can agree on most other points you present in terms of reform being needed (especially the one with the first positives that Khun General Prayuth did with prioritising the rice scam payments), as one that is dear to my heart being education. Anyone could again look at the dismal failure here under the Yingluck administration alone with four trough feeders as Minister of Education during the brief tenure she had. That again shows how badly this lot preformed and how much they have not been different from most of the garbage before them, and their true priorities were anything but the needs of the poor.

Where I will disagree strongly until Khun General Prayuth does detour from the path he is currently on is there are exceptions to the rule and they are right through society in all fields of endeavor. Perhaps the difference is those that meet those standards of endeavor belief in something better is achievable rather than having to live with the same failed governance that in this case has been dragging Thailand deeper into a lawless sewer at an alarming rate.

[wabothai]

so now the man with the big guns is going to make the laws !?