Prem blesses New Year wishes to Prayut

[jayboy]

"Gen Prem told Gen Prayut's delegation to take pride in the May 22 power seizure."

Still anyone doubting that Sutheps roadshow and the following coup was orchestrated by the feudal masters and their mighty sponsors??

To stay within forum rules, I will leave it there......................................

No I agree.There's no doubt any more though there are significant differences between some of the factions.

Incidentally I see the Bangkok Post has at last grown a pair.Better later than never.Some closer to home should pay heed.What's happening at the moment in Thailand is repulsive and all decent people should speak out.

[bangrak]

This piece should be printed and framed in, for all the posters here who are constantly attacking the Armed Forces as being 'coup' perpetrators, when they would still be believing that, in Thailand, 'coups' find their origin with the Military. Of course, they are the 'tool', the ones executing 'coups', but anyone believing they are the ones initiating, organising and approving such moves should read the piece above twice, to clearly understand how things are going here in fact, for real...

[bangrak]

"Gen Prem told Gen Prayut's delegation to take pride in the May 22 power seizure."

Still anyone doubting that Sutheps roadshow and the following coup was orchestrated by the feudal masters and their mighty sponsors??

To stay within forum rules, I will leave it there......................................

Sorry to disagree with you, IMO Suthep was not at the origin of the popular protests (nor 'the feudal masters and their mighty sponsors')!

At the origin there was a growing tidal wave of citizens, from everywhere, basic people, who were not before involved in politics, and came up (slowly, bit by bit) to shout (like in that old movie): 'we are mad as hell, we won't take it anymore'!

And, when the movement gathered pace, Suthep, and others, chose to surf that popular wave, 'recuperated' it and politicised it, to serve their interests.

It would be making great injustice to the basic, true, masses of Thai citizens, to take away from them the, positive, responsibility for this first in Thai History, where the 'normal people' found the enerygy, the courage, the bravery to come up for their own rights, and rally on the streets, risking their life under the terrorists', red and black, attacks, and remain out tenaciously, till the 'Thaksin regime' fell off its pedestal!

[jayboy]

"Gen Prem told Gen Prayut's delegation to take pride in the May 22 power seizure."

Still anyone doubting that Sutheps roadshow and the following coup was orchestrated by the feudal masters and their mighty sponsors??

To stay within forum rules, I will leave it there......................................

Sorry to disagree with you, IMO Suthep was not at the origin of the popular protests (nor 'the feudal masters and their mighty sponsors')!

At the origin there was a growing tidal wave of citizens, from everywhere, basic people, who were not before involved in politics, and came up (slowly, bit by bit) to shout (like in that old movie): 'we are mad as hell, we won't take it anymore'!

And, when the movement gathered pace, Suthep, and others, chose to surf that popular wave, 'recuperated' it and politicised it, to serve their interests.

It would be making great injustice to the basic, true, masses of Thai citizens, to take away from them the, positive, responsibility for this first in Thai History, where the 'normal people' found the enerygy, the courage, the bravery to come up for their own rights, and rally on the streets, risking their life under the terrorists', red and black, attacks, and remain out tenaciously, till the 'Thaksin regime' fell off its pedestal!

Most independent commentators on Thai politics would disagree with you.You are right however to suggest the mainly Sino Thai urban middle class threw their lot in with Suthep and his backers.But this is hardly representative of the Thai people as a whole.In fact your hyperbolic language is not only ludicrous but unsupported by reality.I don't undervalue the role he played in torpedoing the ill advised umbrella amnesty,but this was never going to be enough for the establishment.

The role of Suthep will be debated for decades but I think the consensus is that he acted as an attack dog ie with a degree of autonomy but ultimately directed by his shadowy backers.

[bangrak]

Gen Prem Tinsulanonda is head of the privy council. He's probably the person that is closest to the king.

The Privy council is a group of advisers that are handpicked by the king himself.

The privy council is supposed to be politically neutral.

When a member of the privy council is appointed he makes the following oath:

"I, (name of the declarer), do solemnly declare that I will be loyal to His Majesty the King and will faithfully perform my duties in the interests of the country and of the people. I will also uphold and observe the Constitution of the Kingdom of Thailand in every respect."

The sentence you quote in bold might have been added, when the, then absolute, Thai Monarchy decided to give its country a Constitution and by way of consequence to change its name into: Thai Constitutional Monarchy (I know there's a lot more to it than that, but it is nor the time nor the place).

And Thai Constitutional Monarchy it remains, in a very normal way, even in times between a 'new Constitution' being approved by a popular referendum, and the previous Constitution as such becoming abolished (I know there's an underlying message, to the Government, in what I wrote, but being a tolerated Farang, who'd care...).

And there are, some, times when a Constitution, parts of it, needs to be adapted for the better to the reality of life, you will agree on that, won't you? I'm quite sure you would by no means want to insinuate that working towards such an evolution would in any way be in contradiction with the oath made by a member of the Privy Council, actually quite the opposite in my opinion.

Can you please let me know whether you can agree with what I wrote? Thank you

[soalbundy]

Where is Oliver Cromwell when you need him, like Prayut, he controlled parliament but ruled the country effectively, probably because there was no TV to transmit happiness and joy.

Edited December 29, 2014 by soalbundy

[bangrak]

"Gen Prem told Gen Prayut's delegation to take pride in the May 22 power seizure."

Still anyone doubting that Sutheps roadshow and the following coup was orchestrated by the feudal masters and their mighty sponsors??

To stay within forum rules, I will leave it there......................................

Sorry to disagree with you, IMO Suthep was not at the origin of the popular protests (nor 'the feudal masters and their mighty sponsors')!

At the origin there was a growing tidal wave of citizens, from everywhere, basic people, who were not before involved in politics, and came up (slowly, bit by bit) to shout (like in that old movie): 'we are mad as hell, we won't take it anymore'!

And, when the movement gathered pace, Suthep, and others, chose to surf that popular wave, 'recuperated' it and politicised it, to serve their interests.

It would be making great injustice to the basic, true, masses of Thai citizens, to take away from them the, positive, responsibility for this first in Thai History, where the 'normal people' found the enerygy, the courage, the bravery to come up for their own rights, and rally on the streets, risking their life under the terrorists', red and black, attacks, and remain out tenaciously, till the 'Thaksin regime' fell off its pedestal!

Most independent commentators on Thai politics would disagree with you.You are right however to suggest the mainly Sino Thai urban middle class threw their lot in with Suthep and his backers.But this is hardly representative of the Thai people as a whole.In fact your hyperbolic language is not only ludicrous but unsupported by reality.I don't undervalue the role he played in torpedoing the ill advised umbrella amnesty,but this was never going to be enough for the establishment.

The role of Suthep will be debated for decades but I think the consensus is that he acted as an attack dog ie with a degree of autonomy but ultimately directed by his shadowy backers.

Well, your opinion isn't mine, and what you call 'reality' is quite disputable. Your: 'mainly Sino Thai urban middle class' is a reduction, and a betrayal of the reality of facts, and IMO, added to your fixation on Suthep as an initiator, together brush a picture of the popular protests very remote from the truth as perceived by persons having been closely following the events with eyes, and ears, wide open, from well before the popular movement had made its first headline in the, local, press, like I had the opportunity to do...

[Fatty123]

Prem has always been around pulling strings. Sadly, this is also a subject one cannot get into.

[Fatty123]

This piece should be printed and framed in, for all the posters here who are constantly attacking the Armed Forces as being 'coup' perpetrators, when they would still be believing that, in Thailand, 'coups' find their origin with the Military. Of course, they are the 'tool', the ones executing 'coups', but anyone believing they are the ones initiating, organising and approving such moves should read the piece above twice, to clearly understand how things are going here in fact, for real...

x10

Well done. I didn't think it was possible to be so gullible and nuts all in one go

[soalbundy]

This piece should be printed and framed in, for all the posters here who are constantly attacking the Armed Forces as being 'coup' perpetrators, when they would still be believing that, in Thailand, 'coups' find their origin with the Military. Of course, they are the 'tool', the ones executing 'coups', but anyone believing they are the ones initiating, organising and approving such moves should read the piece above twice, to clearly understand how things are going here in fact, for real...

x10

Well done. I didn't think it was possible to be so gullible and nuts all in one go

I think you are the gullible one,you fail to see the grey shadows, as for nuts,there is no need to be insulting.

[Thai at Heart]

"Gen Prem told Gen Prayut's delegation to take pride in the May 22 power seizure."

Still anyone doubting that Sutheps roadshow and the following coup was orchestrated by the feudal masters and their mighty sponsors??

To stay within forum rules, I will leave it there......................................

Sorry to disagree with you, IMO Suthep was not at the origin of the popular protests (nor 'the feudal masters and their mighty sponsors')!

At the origin there was a growing tidal wave of citizens, from everywhere, basic people, who were not before involved in politics, and came up (slowly, bit by bit) to shout (like in that old movie): 'we are mad as hell, we won't take it anymore'!

And, when the movement gathered pace, Suthep, and others, chose to surf that popular wave, 'recuperated' it and politicised it, to serve their interests.

It would be making great injustice to the basic, true, masses of Thai citizens, to take away from them the, positive, responsibility for this first in Thai History, where the 'normal people' found the enerygy, the courage, the bravery to come up for their own rights, and rally on the streets, risking their life under the terrorists', red and black, attacks, and remain out tenaciously, till the 'Thaksin regime' fell off its pedestal!

My word. A tidal wave of citizens.

A tsunami of the people. A flood of the righteous.

That is really one of the most beautifully scripted bit of revisionist propaganda ever.

[jayboy]

"Gen Prem told Gen Prayut's delegation to take pride in the May 22 power seizure."

Still anyone doubting that Sutheps roadshow and the following coup was orchestrated by the feudal masters and their mighty sponsors??

To stay within forum rules, I will leave it there......................................

Sorry to disagree with you, IMO Suthep was not at the origin of the popular protests (nor 'the feudal masters and their mighty sponsors')!

At the origin there was a growing tidal wave of citizens, from everywhere, basic people, who were not before involved in politics, and came up (slowly, bit by bit) to shout (like in that old movie): 'we are mad as hell, we won't take it anymore'!

And, when the movement gathered pace, Suthep, and others, chose to surf that popular wave, 'recuperated' it and politicised it, to serve their interests.

It would be making great injustice to the basic, true, masses of Thai citizens, to take away from them the, positive, responsibility for this first in Thai History, where the 'normal people' found the enerygy, the courage, the bravery to come up for their own rights, and rally on the streets, risking their life under the terrorists', red and black, attacks, and remain out tenaciously, till the 'Thaksin regime' fell off its pedestal!

Most independent commentators on Thai politics would disagree with you.You are right however to suggest the mainly Sino Thai urban middle class threw their lot in with Suthep and his backers.But this is hardly representative of the Thai people as a whole.In fact your hyperbolic language is not only ludicrous but unsupported by reality.I don't undervalue the role he played in torpedoing the ill advised umbrella amnesty,but this was never going to be enough for the establishment.

The role of Suthep will be debated for decades but I think the consensus is that he acted as an attack dog ie with a degree of autonomy but ultimately directed by his shadowy backers.

Well, your opinion isn't mine, and what you call 'reality' is quite disputable. Your: 'mainly Sino Thai urban middle class' is a reduction, and a betrayal of the reality of facts, and IMO, added to your fixation on Suthep as an initiator, together brush a picture of the popular protests very remote from the truth as perceived by persons having been closely following the events with eyes, and ears, wide open, from well before the popular movement had made its first headline in the, local, press, like I had the opportunity to do...

Broad brush strokes are inevitable in a forum of this sort.It is nevertheless a reality that the middle class supporters of Suthep were primarily in the category I specified earlier.The Thai majority was certainly not on side despite the rhetoric of the protesters.Awkward for some but undeniable.I stress that the good faith and motives of many in the protest cannot be denied.

I did not say Suthep was an initiator.I said he had a degree of independence but his backers ultimately held the whip hand.There is of course evidence of collusion between Suthep and senior military officers.Once the military had the excuse they sought Suthep became irrelevant.Even the most sceptical must acknowledge that the PDRC have got exactly what they were calling for.

Finally let us do all the courtesy of accepting that those posting - trolls and extremists apart - have all been following events closely and attempting to interpret them sensibly.

[JOC]

bangrak.

Selective memory?? You seem to forget, that your "popular" uprising by the average Thai had as its main goal to establish a appointed "peoples" council, excluding 90 % of the population from having a say.

No this "uprising" was fueled and financed by (and I repeat) the feudal masters and their backers, with the sole purpose of turning the clock back, to secure that their privileges survived another decade or two!!

[pantareiyingluck]

Good to hear the Real Boss of Thailand is still around.

[Fatty123]

This piece should be printed and framed in, for all the posters here who are constantly attacking the Armed Forces as being 'coup' perpetrators, when they would still be believing that, in Thailand, 'coups' find their origin with the Military. Of course, they are the 'tool', the ones executing 'coups', but anyone believing they are the ones initiating, organising and approving such moves should read the piece above twice, to clearly understand how things are going here in fact, for real...

x10

Well done. I didn't think it was possible to be so gullible and nuts all in one go

I think you are the gullible one,you fail to see the grey shadows, as for nuts,there is no need to be insulting.

Oops! My mistake. I've just seen what he did there, misread the post a little. Humble apologies etc. Agree that the military are just the tool and do not protect democracy, only help to crush it.

[Fatty123]

But Suthep was also a tool. In more ways than one.

[tbthailand]

This piece should be printed and framed in, for all the posters here who are constantly attacking the Armed Forces as being 'coup' perpetrators, when they would still be believing that, in Thailand, 'coups' find their origin with the Military. Of course, they are the 'tool', the ones executing 'coups', but anyone believing they are the ones initiating, organising and approving such moves should read the piece above twice, to clearly understand how things are going here in fact, for real...

x10

Well done. I didn't think it was possible to be so gullible and nuts all in one go

I think you are the gullible one,you fail to see the grey shadows, as for nuts,there is no need to be insulting.

Oops! My mistake. I've just seen what he did there, misread the post a little. Humble apologies etc. Agree that the military are just the tool and do not protect democracy, only help to crush it.

it's been a long history together... since the 50s or so...

[bangrak]

This piece should be printed and framed in, for all the posters here who are constantly attacking the Armed Forces as being 'coup' perpetrators, when they would still be believing that, in Thailand, 'coups' find their origin with the Military. Of course, they are the 'tool', the ones executing 'coups', but anyone believing they are the ones initiating, organising and approving such moves should read the piece above twice, to clearly understand how things are going here in fact, for real...

x10

Well done. I didn't think it was possible to be so gullible and nuts all in one go

Ooh, I could easily agree with you it's x10, but, as you should know when you live here long enough, nothing is what it seems, and reality often largely surpasses fiction. I would be able to explain and justify the content of my post to you very easily, but the present rules and laws don't allow me to do so. When you would not be 'gullible and nuts' yourself, it should not be difficult at all for you to find back the clear evidence confirming what I wrote, say f.i. somewhere in 2006, to avoid too close actuality. Mind you, you can stick to your opinion about me, when you don't have the capacity to dig a little bit. No problem with me, as I can remember what many of your biased contributions, howling with the comrades, were made of...

[bangrak]

Good to hear the Real Boss of Thailand is still around.

Don't mix up the servant with its masters...

[rickirs]

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

Ah, the farang experts, with your many years of experience with governing Thailand, have had to comment.

Perhaps you should be appointed to the Privy Council, then your opinions might be taken into consideration!

Having foreigners from democratic countries on the Privy Council might actually be a great idea for the nation. Feel free to pass your suggestion to the PC.

Edited December 29, 2014 by rickirs

[cms22]

Mafia and mafia. Simple

[rickirs]

You'd think that after twelve military coups whose leaders have been so brave to sacrafice themselves for the betterment of the Thai society that number 13 wouldn't amount to more than a flashcard with the word "Again?" The sixty-five million People of Thailand deserve a New Year's blessing to have to constantly survive the repeated loss of human rights, dignity, and liberties in order to satisfy the visions of a Junta leader. Hang on to that flashcard - it might be needed in 2016.

[bangrak]

bangrak.

Selective memory?? You seem to forget, that your "popular" uprising by the average Thai had as its main goal to establish a appointed "peoples" council, excluding 90 % of the population from having a say.

No this "uprising" was fueled and financed by (and I repeat) the feudal masters and their backers, with the sole purpose of turning the clock back, to secure that their privileges survived another decade or two!!

No, sorry JOC, the appointed people's council thing came later, well after Suthep & Co. had 'recuperated' the genuine popular 'uprising' (to quote you), but, indeed, later, next to the common people spending to their last Baht (know it, seen it!), it got 'fueled and financed', by the political opposition, in a, IMO failed, attempt to turn the clock back and secure their privileges, which could be the reason why the audience and following dropped like a stone, as that wasn't, at all, the reason why those 'common people' had come up for in the first place. Oddly(?), this is about the same time Thaksin lost an important 'piece' called General Prayuth, 'thought to be' parked on his side of the chessboard, to the 'mystery player'(?!) at the other side of the board... The intensifying bloody terrorist campaign organised and financed 'by one side', together with the high treason perpetrated by 'one side''s MPs and Senators sealed the end of the game, accelerated by a foolish separatist glow and its crazy creation of militias. This was maybe the first time Thailand, to avoid civil war and an explosion of the country, was, sadly but truly, in need of... a 'coup'...

[bangrak]

You'd think that after twelve military coups whose leaders have been so brave to sacrafice themselves for the betterment of the Thai society that number 13 wouldn't amount to more than a flashcard with the word "Again?" The sixty-five million People of Thailand deserve a New Year's blessing to have to constantly survive the repeated loss of human rights, dignity, and liberties in order to satisfy the visions of a Junta leader. Hang on to that flashcard - it might be needed in 2016

I'd praise all divinities of the universe, watching Thailand close the year 2014 without being immersed in the turmoil of a bloody fratricide internal conflict, and to have the luck to look forward to a better year 2015, which could in turn lead to the seeds of democracy becoming a first chance to germinate in its soil, at last. A prosperous (Farang) New Year to you, Thailand!

[JAG]

Where is Oliver Cromwell when you need him, like Prayut, he controlled parliament but ruled the country effectively, probably because there was no TV to transmit happiness and joy.

Oliver Cromwell was a military strongman who seized power and ruled through his appointees. He suppressed criticism, dictated a series of moral principles and used his zealots to force them upon the people. He also was rather into nepotism ( he planned for his son Richard to succeed him). Under his rule the democratic rights and many of the freedoms of the people (such as they were) were removed. He was well known for having no sense of humour.

Now why is this starting to sound familiar?

[JAG]

Gen Prem said what “Loong Tu” or Uncle Tu had done as he was called by the people proved that he was right and now accepted and welcomed by the majority of the people.

Okay, so if the majority of the people are of like mind, elections should be a snap, huh Prem?

I'm not sure how to break this to you my friend, but I don't think Prem and electoral democracy really go together, you know.

[cdk]

I don't know what polling system they use but I have interviewed over 1k Anti Thaksin supporters and they have all said that they would prefer to have Thaksin back since he was at least elected.

Please provide a list of your > 1,000 interviewees.

[cdk]

"Gen Prem told Gen Prayut's delegation to take pride in the May 22 power seizure."

Still anyone doubting that Sutheps roadshow and the following coup was orchestrated by the feudal masters and their mighty sponsors??

Please identify these "feudal masters and their mighty sponsors".

[cdk]

Thailand is and has for a long time been controlled by a loose alliance of convenience of 3 factions keeping each other in check - the military elite, the civilian (mainly ethnic Chinese) elite and the royalists.

Please identify a few of each of these "military elite, the civilian (mainly ethnic Chinese) elite and the royalists".

[maxme]

Of course he would.