Junta head to hold politicians responsible for their past wrongful management of the country

[sweatalot]

What gives a military dictatorship the right to hold ELECTED politicians, filthy though they may be,'accountable'?

elected ....

yawn

[sweatalot]

all great, but only if both sides would be held accountable... which is unlikely to happen I guess.

both sides?

afaik since 2006 there was only one side in government (except about 1 year). Of course the democrats should be accountable, too. Guess who caused the bigger havoc

You don't know much about recent history do you? Abhisit was PM from 2008 to 2011 and corruption was worse than ever, especially from his pals in the Bhum Jai Thai party. You can be sure the Democrats and their allies won't be held to account though.

2008 to 2011 and corruption was worse than ever,

your opinion

proof? sources?

[noitom]

What are they using as their reference points for "wrongful behavior?" Are they going back and rereading Chris Baker's (Chang Noi) Jungle Book? What exactly is their criteria for wrongful behavior? How about army guys suspected or reported to be acting wrongfully or illegally? How about the PAD airport closings when the army stood by idly and watched for two weeks? What is their criteria?

[leesgems]

What gives a military dictatorship the right to hold ELECTED politicians, filthy though they may be,'accountable'?

One simple word: law.

[baboon]

What gives a military dictatorship the right to hold ELECTED politicians, filthy though they may be,'accountable'?

elected ....

yawn

Yawn indeed. You couldn't even decipher a two line post, one line of which was critical of your enemies.

[rametindallas]

Maybe "Lite Beer" should monitor this more closely?

There is a 'report' button for every post. What's stopping you? Oh, I know, the moderators don't want you abusing it so you just make vague insinuations. lol

[rametindallas]

What gives a military dictatorship the right to hold ELECTED politicians, filthy though they may be,'accountable'?

'Might makes right'. They have all the guns and organization. It seems you don't want the 'filthy though they may be' to be held responsible. Why is that?

[wealth]

The babysitters are moving into the right direction. Yes, it's not a coup but babysitting. One baby, the one with the biggest head or square as some call it will have the biggest part of the cake when in comes to irresponsibility.

Everything I wished for to better this country is taking place. All thumbs are up.

[rametindallas]

all great, but only if both sides would be held accountable... which is unlikely to happen I guess.

both sides?

afaik since 2006 there was only one side in government (except about 1 year). Of course the democrats should be accountable, too. Guess who caused the bigger havoc

You don't know much about recent history do you? Abhisit was PM from 2008 to 2011 and corruption was worse than ever, especially from his pals in the Bhum Jai Thai party. You can be sure the Democrats and their allies won't be held to account though.

2008 to 2011 and corruption was worse than ever,

your opinion

proof? sources?

proof? sources?

Like the General said, it will take time to gather evidence and sort out who is responsible, regardless of party affiliation. A corrupt politician is an anchor around Thailand's neck. I sincerely hope the General does't show favoritism. I can't imagine a politician in Thailand who hasn't engaged in corrupt practices excepting mayby Abhisit and Yingluck. Slowly, slowly, catchee monkey.

Edited June 9, 2014 by rametindallas

[citizen33]

Some say there is a case for going back to the 1997 constitution and investigating all those who broke the laws that it enshrined.

[Roadman]

What gives a military dictatorship the right to hold ELECTED politicians, filthy though they may be,'accountable'?

The "Martial Law B.E. 2457" Act does.

[tullynagardy]

If this was to include both sides (with people such as Suthep getting locked up for example) it would be great,

Sadly its just more of a witch hunt to underscore the dominance of one group prior to someones, shall we say, departure. This will all backfire in epeic fashion eventually. Its the final backlash of a dieing establishment living on borrowed time.

codswallop.... and you know it.

For every Dem that goes to prison for wrongdoing, 50 Thaksin politicians will go in... Because that is probably the ratio.

I genuinely pity people like yourself who think this is all a big fight against corruption. To live in (or have some attachment) to a country and know so little about the underlying situation really is sad. On the plus side you arnt alone and whilst most of the outside world laughs at you theres lots of other sex pats on here that agree with your insular views.

On a serious note would you accept that on the above Suthep should be locked up for all the well documented corruption he has been involved in? Yes or no question, no man in Dubai BS please...

[Roadman]

How far back are they going?

Accountability in Thailand, has a nice ring to it.

Khun General Prayuth constantly refers to the last nine years of lawlessness in all his discussions and talks. So guess that is back to 2005. Good call if he holds every single politician accountable for their wrongdoings for that time. Makes an honest and democratic like reversal of the Thaksin Amnesty garbage for the approx. same period that the Shinawatra criminals were trying to push through.

[englishoak]

Modern day animal farm.

[Living in a cartoon]

When I worked in the United States in the public sector, the law was very broad and clear with severe penalties for corruption. All allegations were thoroughly investigated and prosecuted as a matter of course. If guilty of an undeclared conflict of interest or ethics violation, you were fired at a minimum, full stop. Using your public office for private gain resulted in criminal conviction.

Take a look at this for a model:

http://www.ncsl.org/research/ethics/50-state-chart-criminal-penalties-for-public-corr.aspx#OR

Go ahead and flame me you "Corruption is much worse in the West" chorus. You are usually a bunch of conspiracy theory wackjobs.

Thailand has the chance of a much needed change in direction under the leadership of General Prayuth.

[scorecard]

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all great, but only if both sides would be held accountable... which is unlikely to happen I guess.

The article says 'all'.

[EyesWideOpen]

Yes , looks to me line coming up next is CLAWBACK time !!!!!! This is where the politicians

that have been looting the countries for years, now get their Swiss bank accounts that were

plumped up by corruption money stripped out, their mansions sold off, the fleets of

expensive cars sold off, and the mia nois let go... There is some serious trouble coming up

for Thaksin and his clan. Hard to feel sorry for them, as they got carried away with greed

in the rice scam. And of course the insane amnesty bill in the middle of the night.

The military has learned after the 2007 coup, that unless the head of the snake is cut off,

it will come right back again which is exactly what happened with Thaksin regaining power

over the country with his endless stream of puppets and renamed political parties after the last

coup. I suspect the military will not do that again. And if Thaksin is thinking he can just bide

his time, and vote buy his back into power with yet another puppet, he can think again.

We will not be seeing elections again for a long time......Whether or not that is good or bad

will be shown in the next few months. But I have to say, so far so good.....

Speaking of corruption, and absurd wealth of government officials, where is Chalerm ??

I have not seen a single story about him. He is the poster boy for what is wrong with the Thai government, and he seems to have disappeared off the radar screen. Maybe hiding out in

Cambodia ??? I assume he was among the government officials told to not leave the country.

Edited June 9, 2014 by EyesWideOpen

[scorecard]

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all great, but only if both sides would be held accountable... which is unlikely to happen I guess.

We shouldnt get confused with the past, where our governments took sides and only supported their voters. The military takes no sides and does not favor any political party.

Impartiality at its best. Once the country is subdued, I am sure the Generals will order cuts to the military budget in order to plough resources towards the happiness of each and every Thai, regardless of social status or political affiliation.

Fabie?

[sumtingwong]

This coup keeps getting better and better.

Revoke Thaksin's Thai passport and hold PTP responsible for issuing a criminal fugitive a Thai passport.

Put a bounty on Thaksin's head and go after the Thai money he stole and the property be bought with it.

Go after the entire Shinawatra clan and all the members of PTP, UDD and red-shirts for their murders of Thais.

[Chris Lawrence]

Col Winthai Suwaree is one of the stars of this hit. Hope he gets a good part in the movie?

Do you think the army general will be judged on his actions? Its a bit like he wants to just get the previous guys in front of the car and hit them with the spot lights and put the foot down. but I don't think the general has got hold of the steering wheel.

They are good at putting on the band and free sweets, they also may give a good haircut. However if you haven't got a smile on your dial your against democracy approach is also over the top.

This is about revenge now, looking at the angle taken by the junta. What the junta is doing to the economy at the moment will match what they say they are tryng to stop.

"Wachira Phengchan, deputy permanent secretary of the Ministry of Public Health, on Friday cautioned those who constantly follow up on political developments against stress. According to him, the continuous exposure to such news could cause mental stress, and people at risk of such stress are advised to follow only the news from state-run news outlets in the morning and evening." Saksith Saiyasombut & Siam Voices Jun 03, 2014

"Now, given Thailand’s recent history it would certainly not be a new phenomenon. Actually, it was coined by the same department right at the beginning of this political crisis back in 2006:

One-fourth of Thais are likely to develop political stress syndrome (PSS) – a new mental ailment triggered by fierce political tension, Mental Health Department chief said yesterday. (…) “The risk group includes politicians, protesters and supporters of the government, news addicts, and people with mental health problems,” said M.L. Somchai Chakrabhand.

The PSS, he said, was a new medical term developed by the department after studying the linkage between political tensions and people’s mental health.

”Psychiatrists are afraid that people with accumulated PSS symptoms will resort to violent means to break the political dead end because they feel that a peaceful movement is not a solution to the impasse,” he said. M.L. Somchai said it was the first time the department detected this kind of mental illness in the country.

“Crisis triggers ‘political stress syndrome’”, Bangkok Post, circa March 17, 2006 – found here Saksith Saiyasombut & Siam Voices Jul 16, 2012

First off, PSS is not an officially recognized syndrome, rather it is a coined term to describe the accompanying side effects of a growing political consciousness (which has been acknowledged as a good thing above), where people do take interest in the political decision-making that has an influence on them and thus in return demand to have a say in that. Saksith Saiyasombut & Siam Voices Jul 16, 2012

The junta seems to have developed this syndrome but it sounds as though they have the more serious one now P.I.S.S.E.D.O.F.F. syndrome; again not offically recogniised by WHO, but it is going to have consquence to the actions that it has caused.

'Crisis triggers 'political stress syndrome'
by Apinya WIPATAYOTIN (The Bangkok Post)

One-fourth of Thais are likely to develop political stress syndrome
(PSS) - a new mental ailment triggered by fierce political tension,
Mental Health Department chief said yesterday. PSS patients would
suffer frequent headaches, stomach ache, insomnia and body numbness.
They might also express anger, despair, and over-concentrate on a
particular issue, said Somchai Chakrabhand.

PSS patients may find their relationships with people deteriorate, and
might assault other people verbally and physically, he said, adding
that people developing these symptoms should visit a psychiatrist.
''The risk group includes politicians, protesters and supporters of
the government, news addicts, and people with mental health
problems,'' said M.L. Somchai.

The PSS, he said, was a new medical term developed by the department
after studying the linkage between political tensions and people's
mental health.'

This would be my defence if the wheels fell off.

[sumtingwong]

"Junta head to hold politicians responsible for their past wrongful management of the country"

Are you lovin it, yes we're lovin it.

[Chris Lawrence]

Just a bit more on the report by Apinya:

"The chief of Mental Health Department should read SCT. We have some
hopeless cases here... and most of them are not Thai. ''We
appreciate their determination to take part in the political struggle,
but we wonder if they are 'mature' enough to make the right
decision,'' he said."

This might explain some of the rants we see here on TV.

No more than 2 hours a day looking at the ploitical funnies or see a psychiatrist.

[Prbkk]

Glass houses.

[Jay Sata]

Unfortunately the biggest criminal is beyond the grasp of even the Junta trying to set up his "Government in Exile".

Some of his henchmen such as Chalerm and his sons are still around. what about Kamnan Po who runs Pattaya with his offspring despite being subject to a jail term never imposed

[Robby nz]

all great, but only if both sides would be held accountable... which is unlikely to happen I guess.

both sides?

afaik since 2006 there was only one side in government (except about 1 year). Of course the democrats should be accountable, too. Guess who caused the bigger havoc

You don't know much about recent history do you? Abhisit was PM from 2008 to 2011 and corruption was worse than ever, especially from his pals in the Bhum Jai Thai party. You can be sure the Democrats and their allies won't be held to account though.

Another one who has no idea what they are talking about.

Once again from transparency international :

Even with them having to take on BJT and the other parasite parties they still managed to get corruption on the way down.

Look where it went when Yingluck got in control.

Sure the Dem Govt should be held accountable the same as the Thaksin proxy parties but tell me what mismanagement the Dems should be accountable for ?

[sumtingwong]

Get some!

[Prbkk]

Good idea. They could call it 'An Audience With General Prayuth' and show it live on TV.

Now that is what I'd call real political transparency.

With that steely glare it would be better on radio, lest it frighten the children. ( just an observation, not a political statement)

[bkkgooner]

Great let's hope that he doesn't forget the obscene budgets that the army have received year after year just do they don't stage a coup

He's talking all the right words at the moment but let's not forget they are arresting people for sticking three fingers in the air and that actually they haven't punished a single person for corruption yet

[UbonRatch]

both sides?

afaik since 2006 there was only one side in government (except about 1 year). Of course the democrats should be accountable, too. Guess who caused the bigger havoc

You don't know much about recent history do you? Abhisit was PM from 2008 to 2011 and corruption was worse than ever, especially from his pals in the Bhum Jai Thai party. You can be sure the Democrats and their allies won't be held to account though.

You're having a , yeah?

[pmugghc]

all great, but only if both sides would be held accountable... which is unlikely to happen I guess.

both sides?

afaik since 2006 there was only one side in government (except about 1 year). Of course the democrats should be accountable, too. Guess who caused the bigger havoc

You don't know much about recent history do you? Abhisit was PM from 2008 to 2011 and corruption was worse than ever, especially from his pals in the Bhum Jai Thai party. You can be sure the Democrats and their allies won't be held to account though.

The Bhum Jai is more allied to Taksin and are thieving..... anyway. All evidence is gone and the PTP did nothing when they could. Now only their crimes (recent) can be investigated. Maybe some crimes from the past. God this must hurt al the red lovers so much.

But I for one would not shed a tear for any Democrat caught for corruption. But because they were only short in power and had to give most of the profitable post to Bhum Jai (to form a coalition) there is not much to be found.

I really don't understand the red lovers, I mean PTP had all the chance in the world to go after Democrats if they were corrupt when they were in power. They did not because they could not find anything because not much love lost between the two parties.

But anyway I dont have a problem if they catch a few on my side.. because I dont consider any corrupt official a good guy.

PTP had no power to 'go after' Democrats. You don't much about the legal system do you? That would be the role of the National Anti-Corruption Commission and the courts, who are part of the same establishment as the Democrats and army.

You forgot DSI and Tharit.