I'm not a dictator, says angry Prayut

[whybother]

If you are sane and rational, YOU'LL have to admit that the Country is WORKING a whole lot better since he took over.

Give the guy a chance. Or would you prefer to go back to Rice-Pledging and associated scams?

Any examples of that better working country ?

I don't mean the loose promises that all failed, but actual changes.

What promises has he made?

[fab4]

Many of those replying have no clue how the present government has set up this temporary government. Do not complain or protest about things you have no clear knowledge of. I do not know everything but I do know that there are facilities available to the public to address complains and matters which are in the interest of the public. These have by the way already proven their success.

Most are forgetting the damage past governments have done in about the last decade or so. Fixing a country in distress is not a one day job. Wait for the new

Constitution which will be up for a referandum.

I do not say I agree with everything this government says or does but it does bring the country closer to a stable one where at a new chosen government which stands for democracy will be checked or held responsible through a decent checks & balance by the public.

Also as moderators say be carefully to accuse anyone without prove or grounds to do so.

Many of those replying have no clue how the present government has set up this temporary government........................

..........................Also as moderators say be carefully to accuse anyone without prove or grounds to do so.

Mmmm, OK..........................................

[sandrew33]

"I am ready to listen to any problem. They should tell me. But don't ask for democracy or an election now. I can't give it to you," he said.

he can,but he does not want

Well if they have an election now before all the crap from before has been cleared out thailand will go back to corruption as usual. They have fixed a lot of things but I'm still waiting for them to deal with the head of the snake. My concern is that it feels likely as time passes by.

What have they fixed?

If there was an election tomorrow, or next month or 6 months from now the same party or its progeny would win. Because that's what the people want.

The "crap from before" includes dealing with a wealthy elite who have strong military ties does it not? How has the last 6 months helped in that?

Surely you aren't naive enough to think the crap from before begins and ends with Thaksin? He simply tapped into the wants of a significant sector of the population, like all politicians do, those wants don't change with him being gone.

[Anthony5]

If you are sane and rational, YOU'LL have to admit that the Country is WORKING a whole lot better since he took over.

Give the guy a chance. Or would you prefer to go back to Rice-Pledging and associated scams?

Any examples of that better working country ?

I don't mean the loose promises that all failed, but actual changes.

What promises has he made?

Do a search in the news section for threads started between 22nd of May and the end of June and read how many things he promised to correct, starting with having all passenger vans registered by the end of June to weeding out corruption in the government.

Then compare it to the results.

[Prbkk]

"I am ready to listen to any problem. They should tell me. But don't ask for democracy or an election now. I can't give it to you," he said.

he can,but he does not want

Well if they have an election now before all the crap from before has been cleared out thailand will go back to corruption as usual. They have fixed a lot of things but I'm still waiting for them to deal with the head of the snake. My concern is that it feels likely as time passes by.

I would love to hear about just one things they have "fixed". Something solid, concrete, permanent...not just the usual rhetoric and words. One thing...for the better. Should be easy for those who shrieked for so long about how woeful the previous govt was and how utterly brilliant the current one is, at least for the first few weeks of its tenure.

As many posters said in the months before the coup, "the old guard want back in". Yep, they are back and showing all the reasons why the population voted them out time after time after time.

[angelman]

Successful Democracy requires the ability of, and use of CRITICAL THOUGHT. Neither exists in Thailand, other third world countrys, and is being smothered out in America. Only anarchy exists here as the primary character of the people. You Know that!. Voting? Who pays the most money to you gets your vote here. I have lived in the village and elsewhere. I know the truth and so do you. Democracy is a white mans game at best. Some modified form must be developed to train these people. As it is, periodically a strict man (despot as you call him) must take hold to get on track. Of COURSE he will be called bad things by a people who do not want to be told ANYTHING. And you KNOW the Thai does not want to be told anything. DICIPLINE is a dirty word here, does not even exist for the most part. I do not know this man but unless you have good cause to bad mouth him,, maybe you should be quiet.

[MaxLee]

Nope he ain't a dictator,... just another drastic brainwashing former army general, and a soldier by blood,l of the indirect Red Oppositions, if you know what I mean....

[mariner16]

The writing is on the wall

Simon and Garfunkel in 1964 and still very apt today 50 years later

Hello darkness, my old friend

I've come to talk with you again

Because a vision softly creeping

Left its seeds while I was sleeping

And the vision that was planted in my brain

Still remains

Within the sound of silence

In restless dreams I walked alone

Narrow streets of cobblestone

'Neath the halo of a street lamp

I turned my collar to the cold and damp

When my eyes were stabbed by the flash of a neon light

That split the night

And touched the sound of silence

And in the naked light I saw

Ten thousand people, maybe more

People talking without speaking

People hearing without listening

People writing songs that voices never share

And no one dared

Disturb the sound of silence

"Fools", said I, "You do not know

Silence like a cancer grows

Hear my words that I might teach you

Take my arms that I might reach you"

But my words, like silent raindrops fell

And echoed

In the wells of silence

And the people bowed and prayed

To the neon god they made

And the sign flashed out its warning

In the words that it was forming

And the sign said, "The words of the prophets are written on the subway walls

And tenement halls"

And whispered in the sounds of silence

[Ve37]

''I may not be 100% democratic.''

In other news, Russia is a big country and the sun is hot.

"One millionth of 1% false is completely false" Jed McKenna

"D"addy appears concerned with how history will perceive him. He should spend more time with the non-elite in the North, if he really wants history to treat him well,...because the PDRC will not be writing the history much longer. Just listen to one Suthep speech from last winter, and you will hear hate, no love for Thai people.

“Before martial law was declared, Gen Prayuth told me ‘Khun Suthep and your masses of PDRC supporters are too exhausted. It’s now the duty of the army to take over the task’, ” Mr Suthep said.

[JOC]

No, he is not a Dictator, he is busy in the USA, but will be available in a couple of years !!

I have been allowed to live here for 11 years with my beautiful wife and enjoy Thailand, although it gets on you nerves after a while, so go away and come back.

There has not been a Democracy here in those 11 years, with bought votes and high level of corruption. There is not a high level of education among a large portion of the citizens. They are like children who follows the latest trend and hand out.

YOU NEED TO LET THIS PLAY OUT. Thailand did not get this bad in a few months and the cure will take a while.

Of course if you do not like it here, you are free to leave.

My biggest concern is about the Terrorist in the South, you know the "Peaceful Religion Group"!! My concerns about this is for the whole World !!

Not bad !! In your short post you managed to insult:

1. An democratically elected American President

2. The entire Thai population

3. Thai Muslims (they are not all insurgents)

As for your classic comment: "If you don't like it here, you are free to leave"

You might find it hard to believe, but the reason for many posters critical attitude towards a lot of things going on in Thai society, is because we actually care!! We want a better future Thailand for our Thai families and our Thai children.

And unlike you, we actually live here fulltime!!

[Nakajima]

"I am ready to listen to any problem. They should tell me. But don't ask for democracy or an election now. I can't give it to you," he said.

he can,but he does not want

"I am ready to listen to any problem. They should tell me" ... so I can deny, ignore and send them all to attitude adjustement sessions.

[gemguy]

Hmmmm...so now the General is feeling the pressure of criticism while he thinks he is such a nice guy...in his own mind.

Really...long story short:

The only agenda and objective that he should be pursuing is the formation of a stable democratic political election while making sure all parties abide by the rules which he and his armed forces personal could, if need be, lord over and or oversee and make sure the elections are far less corrupted.

Time to step down.

Cheers

[Chris Lawrence]

Well in esence they are no diiferent to the one's they have replaced?

The coup was to eradicate chronic corruption and nepotisim? Out of fear the media and public are unwilling to speak out against this crop of leaders.

The blaming of the Shinawatra clan was a way to legitamise the coup. As it turns out the General is not in favour of demonstrations, but was prepared to have Suthep orchestrate the movement to oust Ms Y via demonstrations.

Corruption was to be eliminated from Thai culture. So are the handpicked NLC Cabinet members any more ethical than the supposedly corrupt Shinawatras? The recent purchase of the micropones that cost more than one could purchase over the internet? Where is M.L. Panadda Diskul to answer questions? A number of NLC members were reluctant to disclose their wealth status? General Preecha Chan-ocha had a problem with maths and the seperation of a army bank account? Police Chief Somyos Poompanmuang and his wife’s net worth was revealed to about 355.8 million baht (roughly $11 million), raising questions about how a lifelong career in the public service could have made him a millionaire many times over. But you can't ask questions to how this was accumulated. Many amounts of money/assets have recently transfered between family members of the NLC?

A few days ago, Prayuth appeared angry when Thais demanded the government increase transparency. He reportedly said, “I beg you not to dig up anything. There is no benefit in so doing. My government is here today to solve problems. I have so many burdens on my shoulder. My wife is also in this difficult situation. I just want some kind of moral support from you. I need your understanding. But the media has tried to dig up many issues. So have some politicians. I must say that you cannot do that for the time being.” http://thediplomat.com/2014/10/thai-junta-beset-by-corruption-scandals/

According to the report, the military tried to pressure the students to admit “guilt.” The military also wanted them to renounce “any further anti-coup activity.” Bravely, the students refused, even after the “military … brought their parents in to pressure the students and threatened that if they do not sign the document, they will be dismissed from the university and officially charged.” https://thaipoliticalprisoners.wordpress.com/tag/prayuth-chan-ocha/

Banned gatherings of five or more people, censored the media, and arrested more than 500 people, most of them government supporters. Unknown numbers of them are still detained in army camps without contact with friends and family. Anti-coup posters depict General Prayuth as Airstrip One's ruling figurehead, known as Big Brother, and flyers have been distributed containing the words "Coup is Peace. Democracy is Junta. Ignorance is Strength" — a version of Big Brother's slogan from the novel. Whilst the novel 1984 is banned? http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/world/thailands-big-brother-bans-orwells-1984/story-fnb64oi6-1226950413039?nk=2cdf0a958f03776e0ffee40ea905a3ef

So what does one call the Big C, your not to call it a big D so it may be comming back to calling it the Big B. But it does sound like the Big A (authoritarian).

Many may want you to see the General as your big Brother, but the definition would differ to any that may oppose the Big C or D.

[jpeg]

Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha asserted yesterday that his government was not dictatorial although he admitted that it "may not be 100 per cent democratic".

"I may not be 100 per cent democratic. But I want to ask if being 100 per cent democratic did anything good to the country? Find the answer for me," he added, appearing tense.

Thaksin supporters should like this guy, they have very much the same opinions of democracy, after all who said "democracy was never the end goal". At least Prayut wants democracy someday.

Same sh1t different bucket.

[sandrew33]

Successful Democracy requires the ability of, and use of CRITICAL THOUGHT. Neither exists in Thailand, other third world countrys, and is being smothered out in America. Only anarchy exists here as the primary character of the people. You Know that!. Voting? Who pays the most money to you gets your vote here. I have lived in the village and elsewhere. I know the truth and so do you. Democracy is a white mans game at best. Some modified form must be developed to train these people. As it is, periodically a strict man (despot as you call him) must take hold to get on track. Of COURSE he will be called bad things by a people who do not want to be told ANYTHING. And you KNOW the Thai does not want to be told anything. DICIPLINE is a dirty word here, does not even exist for the most part. I do not know this man but unless you have good cause to bad mouth him,, maybe you should be quiet.

Spoken like a zealot. And frankly, a bigot.

I've spent plenty of time in Isaan and I've got plenty of "educated" Bangkok Thai friends. In my experience there are plenty of Thais across the full spectrum that are capable of forming and expressing an opinion in this area. There are some aspects of Thai thinking that make me think there's an overall lack of sophistication in political thinking but that's not exactly purely a Thai position. I mean a simple reading of political "debate" in the UK or the U.S. would lead to similar views.

The idea that Thais need a dictator is about as absurd as the idea that election outcomes swing on vote buying. Not a single external analyst believes vote buying changed the result in any of the recent elections - and quite a few studies have been done. Vote "buying" is widespread but is not determinative. Of course you'll disagree and instead base your absolute knowledge on anecdotal personal experience. And who I am to get between a bigot and his strongly held view.

EDIT: For those with an interest in vote-buying, Korn's comments are basically the Democrat position. http://asiancorrespondent.com/116697/vote-buying-thaksin-and-the-democrats/

Edited November 22, 2014 by sandrew33

[Chris Lawrence]

"I am ready to listen to any problem. They should tell me. But don't ask for democracy or an election now. I can't give it to you," he said.

he can,but he does not want

Well if they have an election now before all the crap from before has been cleared out thailand will go back to corruption as usual. They have fixed a lot of things but I'm still waiting for them to deal with the head of the snake. My concern is that it feels likely as time passes by.

I would love to hear about just one things they have "fixed". Something solid, concrete, permanent...not just the usual rhetoric and words. One thing...for the better. Should be easy for those who shrieked for so long about how woeful the previous govt was and how utterly brilliant the current one is, at least for the first few weeks of its tenure.

As many posters said in the months before the coup, "the old guard want back in". Yep, they are back and showing all the reasons why the population voted them out time after time after time.

They cleaned up a beach and made sure you could get a taxi in Bangkok? Well that is what the papers said.

[BudRight]

You're a dictator, says angry three finger salute people.

[JOC]

Successful Democracy requires the ability of, and use of CRITICAL THOUGHT. Neither exists in Thailand, other third world countrys, and is being smothered out in America. Only anarchy exists here as the primary character of the people. You Know that!. Voting? Who pays the most money to you gets your vote here. I have lived in the village and elsewhere. I know the truth and so do you. Democracy is a white mans game at best. Some modified form must be developed to train these people. As it is, periodically a strict man (despot as you call him) must take hold to get on track. Of COURSE he will be called bad things by a people who do not want to be told ANYTHING. And you KNOW the Thai does not want to be told anything. DICIPLINE is a dirty word here, does not even exist for the most part. I do not know this man but unless you have good cause to bad mouth him,, maybe you should be quiet.

"Democracy is a white mans game" "Some modified form must be developed to train these people"

Take your selfinflated opion about white supremacy and stuff it!!

[Ve37]

"D"addy asks, "Did I do anything wrong? Have I done any damage or wasn't the situation already bad when I took over?"

Yes,...you did. First you did nothing to support the democratically elected government. Second, you allowed the hate monger Suthep stage anti-government protests without consequence. Third, you sided with the Bangkok Elitist, not the majority of the People of Thailand, and overthrew the democratically elected government.

Before martial law was declared, Gen Prayuth told me Khun Suthep and your masses of PDRC supporters are too exhausted. Its now the duty of the army to take over the task, Mr Suthep said.

[angelman]

Successful Democracy requires the ability of, and use of CRITICAL THOUGHT. Neither exists in Thailand, other third world countrys, and is being smothered out in America. Only anarchy exists here as the primary character of the people. You Know that!. Voting? Who pays the most money to you gets your vote here. I have lived in the village and elsewhere. I know the truth and so do you. Democracy is a white mans game at best. Some modified form must be developed to train these people. As it is, periodically a strict man (despot as you call him) must take hold to get on track. Of COURSE he will be called bad things by a people who do not want to be told ANYTHING. And you KNOW the Thai does not want to be told anything. DICIPLINE is a dirty word here, does not even exist for the most part. I do not know this man but unless you have good cause to bad mouth him,, maybe you should be quiet.

Spoken like a zealot. And frankly, a bigot.

I've spent plenty of time in Isaan and I've got plenty of "educated" Bangkok Thai friends. In my experience there are plenty of Thais across the full spectrum that are capable of forming and expressing an opinion in this area. There are some aspects of Thai thinking that make me think there's an overall lack of sophistication in political thinking but that's not exactly purely a Thai position. I mean a simple reading of political "debate" in the UK or the U.S. would lead to similar views.

The idea that Thais need a dictator is about as absurd as the idea that election outcomes swing on vote buying. Not a single external analyst believes vote buying changed the result in any of the recent elections - and quite a few studies have been done. Vote "buying" is widespread but is not determinative. Of course you'll disagree and instead base your absolute knowledge on anecdotal personal experience. And who I am to get between a bigot and his strongly held view.

[lewy67]

<script type='text/javascript'>window.mod_pagespeed_start = Number(new Date());</script>

As a farang who has no political history or bias in Thailand, it's pretty clear to me that the country was running under a virtual dictatorship when Mr T was in charge. The 310:0 amnesty vote proved that. It is a shocking testament to Thai society that every single MP in the government was bought. Of course that is because they were all selected at the Dubai interview for that very reason.

If people cannot see that Prayuth is genuinely doing what is right to try and recover the mess Pheu-Thai and the UDD created, they are either stupid and/or (probably 'and') actually want a government which buys their support by actively encouraging corruption, cheating and scamming.

The most amusing part is all those in the Thai media crying foul who kept quiet while Pheu-Thai did the same things 10 times worse. Respect = zero. I particularly see it from Bangkok Post who I thought were quite good when I first came here. It's clear someone high up took Mr T's shilling.

This is either the most biased or most naive post in this thread. Given your first sentence one would assume the most naive. Calling others stupid is a little ironic. Equating opposition to the current situation as unfettered support for Thaksin is, in fact, stupid.

That aside your post is solid.

I think the stupidity lies with those who believe that a military ictatorship can be agent of positive and progressive change. What real motivation does this regime of generals and the elite have to make changes when under the current structure, that they have created, they are at the top of the heap?

[EnigmaBurn]

Hey guys!

[Just an attempt to make new friends of course..]

In a forum that occasionally has astute arguments and observations by farang who regularly claim intellectual and moral superiority, it is ironic that some of you are playing 'Hooked on Phonics' with meaningless characters.

Such demonstrations of intellectual prowess, from the 'I know better' westerners, make it little wonder that people buy into propaganda and follow a jackboot government lock step, and unquestionably.

Well done!

[JOC]

With a 93.3% approval rate and "D"addy is still worried about what people call him??

Maybe he has been told by his mighty sponsors, to at least pretend that he cares about the "people"!!

Was about to write a little more, but forum-rules....................

[DrTuner]

He should have come down extremely heavy handed from the beginning, fire the entire government and police farce and be a real dictator for a few months. The country needs a restart and bootstrapping from zero, not the rinse and repeat we get now.

[Bluespunk]

The man who brought this all on; has disappeared quietly... Suthep. Time will tell.

Suthep was one of those who led the country to this point. He wasn't alone. PT's lords and ladies of misrule are equally responsible.

[cup-O-coffee]

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"I am ready to listen to any problem. They should tell me. But don't ask for democracy or an election now. I can't give it to you," he said.

he can,but he does not want

"I Can't"

Considering all matters at present, there may be a lot more to this statement than meets the eye. If big things change suddenly around here, I would much rather have the military in the power seat than the other wimpy alternatives.

"I can't", may truly mean he can't, but not for the reasons you propose, and moreover for reasons that preserve and keep the integrity of the country from falling apart in the event of...

You may end up liking him and thanking him some day for being there with his armed men and tanks and keeping vandals and hooligans from ransacking your neighborhood.

"Can't" means he is not capable.

I believe that he capable even if it is by simple decree.

"Won't" means he is capable but will not.

This is confusing because you are suggesting proper grammar here. Forgive my being pedantic, but:

"Cannot" means "will not".

"Unable to" means "the means or methods are not within his capacity" and he has no control, and hence, logic dictates he would not now be in control.

He said "can't" and that means he will not, which I inferred that he will not because of personal choice (doubtful) or that he has been asked by someone more powerful than he, as a favor, a request, or a command. This also leads me to infer that he knows things you and I do not, and he is willing to take the fall for honoring the wishes of someone, or those he respects and honors above and beyond the call of duty.

There is a deep rooted belief in me that compels me to respect this man, even though what h is engaging in annoys me. The tone at which he responds to his critics seems almost a desperate plea; almost as if he truly wants to, but is compelled by a stronger sense of duty. I know this sounds strange, but I truly detect sincerity in his tone, and not an arrogance meant to harm his country,,, but rather to protect it from things to come, and the certain guarantee that any other people or person in the seat of control would not be able to contain the utter chaos that would follow, were the people not to have a healthy respect of retribution of their foolish actions or power grabs during the vacuum that would follow.

Maybe this explains why my view is that for the time being, this man is the best candidate to run things, and as far as I am concerned, when I look at my family and their welfare and security in the near future, he is my best friend and security blanket... for me and every expat out there.

In short, I believe that this man has been asked to fulfill this role, but that he is not permitted to reveal that, and it genuinely grieves me in my heart (in a deep and heartfelt way) to think about that and what it portends. If what I suspect is true, then he is an honorable man and perhaps kinder considerations should be directed his way.

I wish it were never to be so, and that things could continue forever in that perspective.

[gemguy]

"I am ready to listen to any problem. They should tell me. But don't ask for democracy or an election now. I can't give it to you," he said.

he can,but he does not want

Well if they have an election now before all the crap from before has been cleared out thailand will go back to corruption as usual. They have fixed a lot of things but I'm still waiting for them to deal with the head of the snake. My concern is that it feels likely as time passes by.

What have they fixed?

If there was an election tomorrow, or next month or 6 months from now the same party or its progeny would win. Because that's what the people want.

The "crap from before" includes dealing with a wealthy elite who have strong military ties does it not? How has the last 6 months helped in that?

Surely you aren't naive enough to think the crap from before begins and ends with Thaksin? He simply tapped into the wants of a significant sector of the population, like all politicians do, those wants don't change with him being gone.

True indeed.

I talk to many Thai people about that and they all agree that the military is buddy, buddy with the money, money and everyone knows or should know the yellow shirts are the money money part while being buddy buddies with the armed forces.

Mind you, the red shirts had to develop a buddy, buddy affair with the military also but the military hearts remain with the Yellow shirts as that is their evolution and their political past history.

All the Thai people I talk with that oppose the democrats know well they ran the country for how long??....seemingly always ..while there was not a whole lot they could do about it and or say about it .

With Thaksin....they had a voice ..or they felt they had a voice and certainly more hope than they ever had before and they liked the fact that Thaksin gave the democrats and everything entailed a "run for their money"

Most Thais I talk to about this, knew well enough, that sooner or later, the red shirts would be brought down by political shenanigans , as usual, but they still want to vote for a political party that can stand up to the democrats and all that they entail and hopefully change the power structures and spread the wealth around.

They also know well that Thaksin and their political cronies are really no better than the other political cronies and just as corrupt and greedy but they will vote for him or any party that can stand up to the status quo,,,,,, as a vote for Thaksin is a vote AGAINST the democrats...but not really a fully supportive vote for the red shirts ...rather they simply do not want to live in the "political past" and want the Status Quo to be changed.

So, when asked if another party, similar to the Thaksin affair, was to evolve and become a political powerhouse and fight with the democrats and the elite and the status quo and the military establishment...would they vote for them????....the answer is Yes.

They know well that they are all fighting over the money and jockeying for position...such is politics...but they are hoping some of the money they fight over will come their way, as any amount is better then nothing...which they all agree is what they received from the numerous people who ran the country for so long...more or less nothing....but lots of Lip Service and Lectures...seemingly for ever.

Even if a new political party is corrupt and greedy and no better really that the democrats....they still answer yes ...as they loathe the democrats and everything they represent while remembering the political past while agreeing that this is the year 2014...not 1974 and NOT the way it was back then.

Most of them believe they can retain their "Thainess" and many aspects of the Thai culture and not so difficult to do in their minds and thinking...but the politics and who runs the country...well that has to change.

So they vote for any party that can hopefully change that aspect of Thailand while they also know they do not have to be politically savvy or know anything in depth about Thai politics rather they want the chance to vote for political parties other than the democrats and anything like the democrats that are interconnected to the past and former political structure that lorded over Thailand for so long.

They want change.....no different than other people in other countries.

Cheers

[55Jay]

He was in the military all his life. Being a comes naturally. That's not meant to be negative but it goes without saying, he is not accustomed to this style of governance and you can see his fuse is burning hotter and faster as the days go by.

I hope there is someone to restrain this fellow if he has a meltdown and tries to keep the SS Junta afloat on a river of civilian blood.

[mattyc1957]

Oh yes you are a 'D'. And a very petulant one at that! Carries on like a right spoilt brat when someone dares to do or say something he doesn't like (which is usually something that shows just how wrong he is). It would all be very comical if it was a movie (one of Charlie Chaplin's greats, 'The Great D....') but unfortunately this is real life and as such it's just tragic. Not good for Thailand.

[emilymat]

After the honeymoon it's all unravelling.