US envoy Kenney criticised

[Thai at Heart]

Go read his Facebook and page and try to.challenge a word he says. You will be dumped on by teenage insults from his yellow shirt groupies and he will block u preventing debate.

He is not a news source. He has been part of the machinery to drag the US embassy into this story. I hope there aren't any serious repercussion.

I'm trying to dig up in my memory, sans Google, the name of the ... I want to say "troubled" Australian who got involved on the stage and the press just as the 2010 events were coming to an end. A completely unhinged, self-appointed messenger for the red shirts as Mr Yon is for the yellows today (except without the stage of course). Well, I'll have to look it up.

Conor Purcell. "I was in the Australian army for seven years and...."

I really thought he was ill, but in any case, the red shirts used him just as the yellows are using this poor fellow, who really seems to have no clue despite his total commitment to the causes of Mr Suthep and Mr Sondhi and his very professional hatred for his own country - where by "professional" I mean paid for.

Saksit Saiyasombut's blog has nice background.

http://goo.gl/rPb7

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Well, Yon doesn't seem nuts. But he is peddling propaganda no doubt. Why I can't quite tell.

Maybe he is an embassy plant?

[Prbkk]

..the lunatic fringe whack jobs will take every opportunity to take a cheap shot at the USA

[napawan28]

Credit: Michael Yon Facebook

Silliest Title of the day: "US gets serious about coup in Thailand, threatens to cut military aid"

Withholding 10 million or so dollars from Thailand is like withholding a handful of peanuts from a herd of elephants that live on a banana and sugarcane plantation.

Thailand does not care about our peanuts. The elephant herd will walk away and play in the river and eat when it wants to eat. The United States uses those peanuts for our own ends and access, and we fool ourselves that withholding ten peanuts will pressure a herd of elephants.

We Americans have a thinking-habit which goes like this: They -- whoever they are this time -- do not bow to our righteousness. Cut off their aid! Forgetting that we use that aid for access to the elephants, and these Thai elephants could not care less about ten peanuts.

And when Thailand gets ready to buy more of this and that, such as weapons and passenger jets, they will shop in places like Russia and China and Europe.

Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect Thailand

[Thai at Heart]

Credit: Michael Yon Facebook

Silliest Title of the day: "US gets serious about coup in Thailand, threatens to cut military aid"

Withholding 10 million or so dollars from Thailand is like withholding a handful of peanuts from a herd of elephants that live on a banana and sugarcane plantation.

Thailand does not care about our peanuts. The elephant herd will walk away and play in the river and eat when it wants to eat. The United States uses those peanuts for our own ends and access, and we fool ourselves that withholding ten peanuts will pressure a herd of elephants.

We Americans have a thinking-habit which goes like this: They -- whoever they are this time -- do not bow to our righteousness. Cut off their aid! Forgetting that we use that aid for access to the elephants, and these Thai elephants could not care less about ten peanuts.

And when Thailand gets ready to buy more of this and that, such as weapons and passenger jets, they will shop in places like Russia and China and Europe.

Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect Thailand

Need I say more.

[simon43]

^{Just wait until we need an airport or harbor for our military.}

^{Yangon Airport has long runways and of course there will be Dawei port for the US navy........}

^{For those of us who keep abreast of the bigger picture (via news sources/analysis that cannot be published in Thailand), Thailand is on a very slippery and dangerous slope.}

[tomyummer]

Google any combo of words. It was no secret that Thaksin was a consultant for the group even if he 'resigned' back in 2001. You never really resign from the mafia.

His attempts to give Chevron the exploration contract off of Cambodia was no secret either. Or making PTT public years ago.

Good stuff, useful for sure. But the test will come when we learn if you have the guts to post the lowdown on how it was Thaksin, and not Bush as widely believed, who planted the explosives in Building 7.

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Your sarcasm is saying what. The test will come when we learn if you have the guts to post what you really want to say and show your true colors.

Oh Building 7 was definitely Bush and Co. Thaksin didn't have access to thermite and wouldn't know where to put it even if he did.

He was also busy buying Thai Airways stock, not American Airlines.

[tomyummer]

Always great to read the works and opinions of a community college educated "political scientist", self published on Facebook. Carries a lot of weight.

Hitler was a painter.

[GoodThaiGirl]

I can't believe a 'real' political scientist would write this or be that naive.

The U.S. uses advance technology and intelligence agencies to gather and assimilate information.

Is this 'scientist' stupid enough to believe the U.S. embassy would send a blond-haired, blue-eyed representative to a Thai-only protest?

Could someone explain to this idiotic attention-seeker that many Thai people work for the U.S. government - and not just the embassy?

only americans have blond hair and blue eyes....a pure immigrant country ..could have put a camera round there neck and said there tourists...americans do know how to spy..on others....

[Dogmatix]

She is doing even less than most honorary consuls do in Phuket. At least they have the balls to talk about things going wrong. Mrs. Kenney better sticks to parties instead of making herself and the USA ridiculous.

At parties she also makes herself and the USA look ridiculous. Can't imagine how she ever got promoted beyond vice-consul.

[watcharacters]

From what I understand, what the USA is doing is the minimum required by US law. Flaming the USA, flaming Taksin, flaming the army, flaming whatever and whoever is so shallow. Thailand is coming to a crossroads in its history and it could be violent. I have my rapid exit cash in USD and Euros. Do you? ps ... I used to work in Iran in the late 80s.

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Why not just have good ATM cards available?

[phanangpete]

"US Ambassador Kristie Kenney: An American in Thailand sent this to me.

Sent what?

… [Thailand] have been our natural allies for decades since WWII and earlier.

Forgetting the small fact of Thailand declaring war on the US in 1942.

Right now, most Thai people are angry at us.

Someone else who thinks he knows what most Thai people are thinking.

Exactly, Thailand let the Japs ,apart from a few skirmiches walk through ,cross the border into Malay and invade Singapore, taking many thousands of allied forces prisoners !

Most of whom were taken up north to build the railway and bridge over the river Qwai.

Thats a very close friendship, woul'nt you say ?

[johnno2]

What the US and her rep's do is their business, as for me I think the Australian gov should STOP 100% of support and impose trade sanctions for a number of reasons, including undemocratic behavior and human trafficking censorship, the list go's on The problem is that The Dem's and other groups simply will not play by the democratic rules, or respect the umpires decision (the voters) and if you won't follow the rules and respect the umpires call then don't play the game...

so would you play in a game that has been rigged?

[phanangpete]

Please note , any bloggers out there , read up on your history before spreading crap and misinformation.

Its not rocket science is it !!

[johnno2]

Michael Yon is known as a bad joke around in social medias.

as opposed to you who isn't known at all

[pisico]

100% Agree and yes I'm an AMERICAN.

Ignorance is in Mr. Michael Yon's court"

Thailand a USA ally?

Thailand not only allowed the Japanese army to occupy Thailand for 2 years.

Check this out: Comfort zones with Thai comfort ladies for the R&R of Japanese soldiers, a hard labor camp, Japanese army barracks in several parts of the country, etc. But those are little details that Mr. Yon overlooks to substantiate his dim witted view.

To top off the list of deeds that brand Thailand as a traditional USA "ally": Thailand also declared war to UK and the USA.

Whoever agrees with that fellow is in the netherland of supine ignorance?

[ThaiRich]

Just a quick addition, I didn't notice that the source was Michael Yon. LOL

Just so Thais here understand, no one in our country respects him. There's a reason why he moved to Thailand to scam the protestors out of money.

http://asp.militarygear.com/2014/01/09/michael-yon-continues-to-lose-credibility-if-its-possible-to-lose-more/

[digibum]

100% Agree and yes I'm an AMERICAN.

Yes, many Americans who move to Thailand sadly abandon the principles their parent country were founded upon. Thankfully, I am not one of them.

Kenney is doing a good job representing US interests in Thailand and defending the rights of the people of both countries with her actions and words. If you truly prefer living in a military dictatorship then by all means enjoy yourself while it lasts.

While I am neither for or against the actions of the ambassador since none of us can separate what she has actually said or done from the fabrications used to denigrate her and none of us know what she is doing or saying on her own initiative or based on directions she is receiving ...

... but this has got to be one of the most pompous, meaningless statements I've heard since the last presidential campaign:

"...many Americans who move to Thailand sadly abandon the principles their parent country were founded upon. Thankfully, I am not one of them."

Please enumerate these "principles" that you hold so dear and which so many of us have abandoned willy-nilly. We could use a good laugh. If anything, America was founded with respect for diversity of opinion and not the imposition of some principles from on-high ... speaking of military dictatorships.

Like you, I do not want to wade into what the ambassador has or hasn't said or done or any of that. However, as an American who has spent six years living in Europe and several more living in Asia, it seems to be a habit of many Americans who find themselves overseas to try to fit in by adopting an anti-American attitude.

I think michaelscottfan may have worded it a little too star spangled bannery for my own beliefs but I loathe hearing Americans blindly repeating Euro-criticisms of their fellow Americans because they don't have the guts to stick up for themselves (or they're so weak-spined they crave acceptance) as much as I loathe idiots chanting U-S-A, U-S-A.

Now, with a situation like what has happened in Thailand, I'm divided. On one hand, I've been saying for many years that Thailand was on a coarse for civil war or disappearing into a failed state status. So, I'm somewhat pleased to see the actions of the military. If they are doing what I think they're doing, this reset could be the best thing that has every happened to Thailand in recent memory.

On the other hand, it's troubling that it's taken a circumvention of democracy to make it happen and there's no real guarantee the military is actually going to improve anything. Anybody who is surprised that any western democracy is going to publicly decry the circumvention of democracy is just a little more than naive. It's like saying "Bless you" when someone sneezes. It's a standard response and the threat of harming trade relations is supposed to act as an incentive to not hold onto power for any longer than is necessary to fix the problem. If the world simply shrugged, what incentive does the military ever have to turn power back over to the people (other than internal pressures they can't control via a few mass executions)?

Furthermore, it's pretty obvious that the US (as well as most of the world) has had no problem working with either Thaksin or the Democrats so nobody is picking sides in this. In fact, I find the Thai arguments against the US right now as silly as I found Thaksin's infamous "The UN is not our father" rhetoric. As a nation heavily dependent on exports, US or UN sanctions would set Thailand back 20 years. Saying it is none of anyone's business and that we should shut up is simply nationalistic masterbation. And Thais who go looney on Facebook or Twitter defending this ignorant view of how their own economy, or even how the rest of the world, works are living in propaganda filled la-la land.

[wandasloan]

Thailand not only allowed the Japanese army to occupy Thailand for 2 years.

Check this out: Comfort zones with Thai comfort ladies for the R&R of Japanese soldiers, a hard labor camp, Japanese army barracks in several parts of the country, etc. But those are little details that Mr. Yon overlooks to substantiate his dim witted view.

To top off the list of deeds that brand Thailand as a traditional USA "ally": Thailand also declared war to UK and the USA.

Whoever agrees with that fellow is in the netherland of supine ignorance?

Kindly check your history books again on an important fact. Thailand did not declare war on the USA. It's quite a story what happened after Thailand did not declare war on the US, worth reading up on. Take my word on it. You won't be sorry.

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[FangFerang]

In the US diplomat positions are given as 'freebies' to people who supported the administration and are frankly not qualified to do anything else. They are told not to make press releaases without permission and sent on their way, like bathtub ducks. There are lots of these 'posts' in America. During Hurricane Katrina and the Bush the Lesser administration, a Mr. Brown was head of FEMA. The only qualification Mr. Brown has was that he had....run horse shows.

No kidding.

[wandasloan]

In the US diplomat positions are given as 'freebies' to people who supported the administration and are frankly not qualified to do anything else. They are told not to make press releaases without permission and sent on their way, like bathtub ducks. There are lots of these 'posts' in America. During Hurricane Katrina and the Bush the Lesser administration, a Mr. Brown was head of FEMA. The only qualification Mr. Brown has was that he had....run horse shows.

No kidding.

I can't let this go because it is way, way wrong, fantastically wrong. Yet another urban legend courtesy of the incredible Thai Visa Rumour Machine.

Fact: Almost all US ambassadors are career diplomats who worked as coffee-getters at the State Department and worked their way up to be ambassadors through a very rigorous, difficult, career-long selection process. They are CAREER diplomats. The US ambassador to Thailand did not and does not "support the administration". Period. She is a career diplomat who has had many, many postings.

None of the above has anything to do with whether she is a good ambassador but she has spent her whole working life getting here. Brilliant, incompetent or in-between, she is massively trained and does not work for the administration, but for the government of the United States. During her working career, many presidents and bosses of both parties have come and gone and she has continued.

There are some US diplomatic posts headed by political appointees as you say. They are few in number, and they tend to be in places where there's not much for a "real" ambassador to do, apart from party-attending and schmoozing and having a July 4 party. These ambassadors have bought the post through political donations as you say. Since World War II, no US ambassador has been such a person, up to and including Ambassador Kenney.

US cabinet positions are always filled by people who support the administration, but some don't have to buy the post.

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[davidstipek]

100% Agree and yes I'm an AMERICAN.

Yes, many Americans who move to Thailand sadly abandon the principles their parent country were founded upon. Thankfully, I am not one of them.

Kenney is doing a good job representing US interests in Thailand and defending the rights of the people of both countries with her actions and words. If you truly prefer living in a military dictatorship then by all means enjoy yourself while it lasts.

Whats wrong with you? You more than anybody can see the Armies actions were not done to end democracy. It was done to end the political hatred and corruption that had taken hold in the 2 major parties and to quell a blood bath. YOU know darn well if political parties started to defy laws and entice terrorism in the US that they would have an Army of feds with shoot to kill orders be they pro or anti Gov. The US is not above what is happening here. They are just more devious in how they resolve it. Thailand needed this reset or would you prefer a civil war like the US had. Thai democracy is still young and learning how it works. But any idiot can see it was NOT working and the parties had twisted everything to benefit themselves.

I think as long as the Army is making progress to end the madness of Thak and Suthep and that they do all they can to restor democracy then they are doing a good job and should not be condemned. They are trying to save the country from its own self destruction which was getting closer and closer every day.

Sent from my GT-S5310 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

In a way it is kinda Reminicant of Early America....

Colonial Military throwing England to the Wind.... or.... Thai Military under the direction of General Prayuth throwing anything remotely attached to Dr. Thaksin and his Cronies to the Wind. Openning the doors for the possibility of the first Honest.... and freely Elected Government, answering to just one enity "The Thai People"

Those who speak-up now maybe because their hands might be dirty? Or following percieved directions that maybe proven wrong!

[pisico]

Thailand not only allowed the Japanese army to occupy Thailand for 2 years.

Check this out: Comfort zones with Thai comfort ladies for the R&R of Japanese soldiers, a hard labor camp, Japanese army barracks in several parts of the country, etc. But those are little details that Mr. Yon overlooks to substantiate his dim witted view.

To top off the list of deeds that brand Thailand as a traditional USA "ally": Thailand also declared war to UK and the USA.

Whoever agrees with that fellow is in the netherland of supine ignorance?

Kindly check your history books again on an important fact. Thailand did not declare war on the USA. It's quite a story what happened after Thailand did not declare war on the US, worth reading up on. Take my word on it. You won't be sorry.

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OK, Semantics and/or technicalities.

Yes, the war was publicly declared by Pbun.

No, the Ambassadors to the UK and USA DID NOT deliver the declaration of war.

Duplicitous, isn't it?

Sorry that I cannot take your word for it when one of my ancestor did spend time in Kanchanaburi and nearly died building the railroad to Death built on Thai soil. His accounts first hand are an invaluable source of knowledge I have.

Next Thai apologist!

[digibum]

Foreign embassies and namely led by the US have pandered to Thailand and their Thainess for decades. Pandering to Thailand's corruption and lawlessness. Spending US taxpayer money to lunch, wine, and dine these pompous, self absorbed Thais. Keeping the trough flowing and full for decades since the "communist threat" started in the 50s. Creating the modern Thai military creature on the back of US taxpayers. Pandering to Thailand's silent drug network and human trafficking. post WWII Thailand is an establishment and military creature of the US. Building up the Thai military strength so the Japanese would feel secure investing in Thailand.

To some extent, this may be part of the problem. For several decades, Thailand enjoyed the benefits of being the only western friendly country in the region. Cambodia was decimated after Pol Pot. Vietnam was a communist state. Laos was a communist state. Burma wasn't playing ball.

Thailand was the only country in the sub-region that allowed western countries to operate with impunity. I say that as both a good thing and a bad thing. But the end result was a lot of investment in Thailand that was totally undeserved. They were the least F'd up country in a region of F'd up countries. A lot of money flowed into Thailand in order to keep it from going communist and then later because Thailand happened to be in the right place at the right time for many businesses.

The world has changed since then and Thailand hasn't adapted. The whole "Thai exceptionalism" mindset has blinded them to what's going on around them because they really believe that Buddha or destiny or whatever has made them "special." As far as I know, Thailand is the only country in the world that claims to have such a special culture that nobody who isn't Thai can ever understand it so it shouldn't be criticized, compared, or even discussed.

[Thai at Heart]

Right now, most Thai people are angry at us.

That is straight out of the Fox News school of reporting. Completely unproven, unproveable opinion.

[wandasloan]

OK, Semantics and/or technicalities.

Yes, the war was publicly declared by Pbun.

No, the Ambassadors to the UK and USA DID NOT deliver the declaration of war.

Duplicitous, isn't it?

Sorry that I cannot take your word for it when one of my ancestor did spend time in Kanchanaburi and nearly died building the railroad to Death built on Thai soil. His accounts first hand are an invaluable source of knowledge I have.

Next Thai apologist!

I'm sorry about your ancestor, I truly am. I have empathy since three of my ancestors didn't "nearly" die in that war, if you catch my drift, and I have no access to their accounts apart from far too few of those "don't worry about me" letters, which still distress me too often, I suppose.

I don't understand your personal attack at all, or the "apologist" statement, either one. It's not semantical that Thailand declared war on the UK (yes it did!) and did not declare war on the US, it's an important development of that terrible time. If you don't believe me it's an interesting story, don't, and I will simply have to try to console myself.

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[POSA290103]

100% Agree and yes I'm an AMERICAN.

Good for you! I'm pleased someone has had the gumption to tell those guys what the reality is. They obviously have no idea about the situation here.

The British and Aussie media are most informative, and I wonder if the US media are doing the same?

The US mainstream press and media are the propaganda wing of Washington. The liberal agenda is the main focus and what they don't report may be more important than what they do report. In my opinion, this event will be spun to make the US look so free and open and for everyone to look down on the oppressive gov't now in charge. Most of the sheeple will agree.

[devaram]

100% Agree and yes I'm an AMERICAN.

Yes, many Americans who move to Thailand sadly abandon the principles their parent country were founded upon. Thankfully, I am not one of them.

Kenney is doing a good job representing US interests in Thailand and defending the rights of the people of both countries with her actions and words. If you truly prefer living in a military dictatorship then by all means enjoy yourself while it lasts.

Whats wrong with you? You more than anybody can see the Armies actions were not done to end democracy. It was done to end the political hatred and corruption that had taken hold in the 2 major parties and to quell a blood bath. YOU know darn well if political parties started to defy laws and entice terrorism in the US that they would have an Army of feds with shoot to kill orders be they pro or anti Gov. The US is not above what is happening here. They are just more devious in how they resolve it. Thailand needed this reset or would you prefer a civil war like the US had. Thai democracy is still young and learning how it works. But any idiot can see it was NOT working and the parties had twisted everything to benefit themselves.

I think as long as the Army is making progress to end the madness of Thak and Suthep and that they do all they can to restor democracy then they are doing a good job and should not be condemned. They are trying to save the country from its own self destruction which was getting closer and closer every day.

Sent from my GT-S5310 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

Thats one way of seeing it. The other way would be simply follow the law and give support to the civilian government even if you dont agree with their political stance because they were chosen by the people to run the country. Those anti-gov protests would have been considered illegal in any normal democracy why were they allowed?

Why were the elections not given the security needed by the same army that now shuts down the entire country?

Why was Yingluck dismissed for transferring a hostile official but now the very forces that judged her are dismissing every official in the government and transferring many others.

This is not an experiment in democracy it is a huge step backwards and should be condemned.

The violence has been suppressed for the time being but later it will return with a vengeance.

How long can you stop a volcano?

[northernjohn]

What the US and her rep's do is their business, as for me I think the Australian gov should STOP 100% of support and impose trade sanctions for a number of reasons, including undemocratic behavior and human trafficking censorship, the list go's on The problem is that The Dem's and other groups simply will not play by the democratic rules, or respect the umpires decision (the voters) and if you won't follow the rules and respect the umpires call then don't play the game...

Interesting you talk about the umpire rules and refer to them as what the PTP say's rules are. When in actuality the other 52% of the population disagree with the them. 48% make up the rules and impose it on 52%. What really makes it sad is the 48% did not make them up for the good of 100% just themselves. They teach you funny things in Australia. Glad I never went to school there. In fact at the time I was in school Australian schools gave the Aborigines no credit if they said any thing it was negative. Kind of like the States in their treatment of the Native Americans.

I guess that is Australian thinking. You talk about human trafficking. Well Australia has not done that. But their treatment of the Aborigines is not any better than human trafficking.

They forget that those were the people who taught them how to survive when they arrived and now treat them like sh t.

Best you look to your own country before you look to another. I am an American and ashamed of the position and lack of trying to understand they have taken. They are very similar to you.

[northernjohn]

From what I understand, what the USA is doing is the minimum required by US law. Flaming the USA, flaming Taksin, flaming the army, flaming whatever and whoever is so shallow. Thailand is coming to a crossroads in its history and it could be violent. I have my rapid exit cash in USD and Euros. Do you? ps ... I used to work in Iran in the late 80s.

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Why not just have good ATM cards available?

Or go back to Iran. Not that I can see the link. An ATM card makes it no difference where you are in the world. Well most of it.

[valvenus]

This guy is a journalist? He's a terrible writer.

Maybe he didn't write it.

Wouldn't be the first victim of imposters posting.

Thai PM Yingluck Shinawatra's Twitter account is hacked