Army 'needs martial law to shield itself'

[smutcakes]

With God knows how many Generals in Thailand it would be naive to think there is not some dangerous discontent with some of the Generals in the army, who they themselves probably have large group of armed men under their command they wished to summon them.

There are potentially numerous reasons there is discontent namely:

1) Generals being left out the decision making

2) Generals not being paid their fair share of the loot

3) Inter region rivalry

4) Jealousy

and in my opinion the most pertinent is frustration in some that head of armed forces and all important positions are just being handed down/passed along from mate to mate in one regiment. I doubt other large regiments are just going to let the Queens guard monopolize the power over everything into eternity with Prawit passing to his little brother Anupong, Anupong passing it to his little brother Prayuth, he passing to his classmate Udomej etc etc

With so many armed men out there in the army, navy etc there are a lot of people to keep happy- and we all know the best way to keep them happy.....

[Time Traveller]

Oh, dear. He has to choose between his brother and his buddy. How stressful that must be. Maybe everyone should just back off and give the poor guy room to breathe.

And the military government is different from the government of Thaksin how exactly? .

[Bakseeda]

If it's not bad enough this bloke with the mood swings taking over the via the barrel of a gun now we have the military in possible conflict with itself .

As for the army needing martial law to shield itself that's just another excuse to keep the boot on the throats of the thai people while they rort the system to keep the true peoples government out.

True peoples government.... Hmmmm ..... Who or what are the "true people" and who or what is their government... a wee bit vaigue in your statement S/P.... can you enlighten us ?

[yellowboat]

Oh, dear. He has to choose between his brother and his buddy. How stressful that must be. Maybe everyone should just back off and give the poor guy room to breathe.

And the military government is different from the government of Thaksin how exactly? .

They were elected. There were fewer concerns with visas and dooing bisness in the kingdom.

[max72]

I had been under the impression that martial law was imposed to protect the country from upheaval,or civil strife. While this itself is debatable, this article now tells us that martial law is needed to somehow " protect the army".. From what, the article does not tell us, though it does tell us there may be rivalaries wthin the military which could lead to conflict. Unwittingly, the article thereby provides the ultimate argument for democratic elections as the only sustainable means of reglme change in the world of politics. As the article implies, military coups and martial law only breed more military coups and martial law - and that a recipe for disaster.

You had a very wrong impression than. Which upheaval ?

The one CREATED ad hoc to justify the coup ?

The upheaval was the first stage of the incoming coup. Even Suthep said so.

I see how 80 years and 18 coups are still not enough for people to understand that IT IS ALWAYS THE SAME STORY.

When will you realize it ? In the 2050 after the coup number 32 or 33 ?

Costa Rica is the happiest country in the planet because it has no army at all. End of the problems. It doesn't even need a big income to make people happy. No army no cry.

There are still some people believing that democracy can be improved by destroying it, rather than improving it. Very funny indeed. If you can name a single country in the world which is prosper and free thank to its army and coups .....Do you search, take your time,I am waiting....wake me up when you find an answer...thanks

[Bakseeda]

Come on guys ... for us Farangs it is fun to sit back and watch.... Thailand is just a Big funfair for all of us .... Much better to live the easy life here than back in our home countries... So , really who amongst us cares a damn who runs the country.... Leave it to the Thais... If and when we don't like it we can go home.... If there were no girlie bars , massage parlours and cheap beer and food... None of us would be here... Lie back , have fun and enjoy... one day we will all be dead men... just let us hope not too soon.... Pass the Chang..!

[soalbundy]

Anyone remember this story from a month ago?

http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/army-chief-reacts-coolly-gen-chavalits-counter-coup-remark

Wow some real zingers in that story from Chavalit..... So guess elections in his eyes

are a bad thing ? No wonder Thailand is in such trouble.

"He viewed that if the prime minister comes from election or elected by the people, then it might breach the power of the king as past appointments came from royal commands."

Chavalit is well known for his intelligence, as prime minister he wanted all signs, road direction signs etc in Thai only, sod the tourists.

[Christie Paul]

They are going to need more than a shield after they've driven the economy into the 7th circle of hell.

[Mr Yim]

So martial law is for the benefit of the military not the country ?

" Unexpected problems that may arise " can cover simply anything that's not approved of.

If the PM is under too much pressure it's self inflicted injury as he didn't seek the role and the pressure, he took it.

I wish he had not taken the role on, would have been much better if he stepped back and let the entire population, including the north-eastern people, turn on the Shins.

It was beginning to happen and would have been much more fun to watch.

(I truly believe the main reason the coup happened was because of the redshirts killing innocent people on the streets)

You believe that bs????? The couphad nothing to do with the protests, killings, rice scheme or corruption. They were nothing more than an excuse.

[yellowboat]

Come on guys ... for us Farangs it is fun to sit back and watch.... Thailand is just a Big funfair for all of us .... Much better to live the easy life here than back in our home countries... So , really who amongst us cares a damn who runs the country.... Leave it to the Thais... If and when we don't like it we can go home.... If there were no girlie bars , massage parlours and cheap beer and food... None of us would be here... Lie back , have fun and enjoy... one day we will all be dead men... just let us hope not too soon.... Pass the Chang..!

What Nihilism. Would love to see a poll: What do you do in Thailand.

Actually some of us or a few of us or maybe just one of us have ongoing business in the Kingdom and are less than happy with the current regime.

[soalbundy]

Come on guys ... for us Farangs it is fun to sit back and watch.... Thailand is just a Big funfair for all of us .... Much better to live the easy life here than back in our home countries... So , really who amongst us cares a damn who runs the country.... Leave it to the Thais... If and when we don't like it we can go home.... If there were no girlie bars , massage parlours and cheap beer and food... None of us would be here... Lie back , have fun and enjoy... one day we will all be dead men... just let us hope not too soon.... Pass the Chang..!

Many of us here have children who, in my case anyway, are Thai and after my death will continue to live here.

[Muirton]

Oh, dear. He has to choose between his brother and his buddy. How stressful that must be. Maybe everyone should just back off and give the poor guy room to breathe.

And the military government is different from the government of Thaksin how exactly? .

The Taksin government was one of 4 elections won in a row by the RedShirts. The military government is a fascist coup. Next question, please.

[EyesWideOpen]

Come on guys ... for us Farangs it is fun to sit back and watch.... Thailand is just a Big funfair for all of us .... Much better to live the easy life here than back in our home countries... So , really who amongst us cares a damn who runs the country.... Leave it to the Thais... If and when we don't like it we can go home.... If there were no girlie bars , massage parlours and cheap beer and food... None of us would be here... Lie back , have fun and enjoy... one day we will all be dead men... just let us hope not too soon.... Pass the Chang..!

Many of us here have children who, in my case anyway, are Thai and after my death will continue to live here.

Would suggest you get foreign passports for your children as I have done.

Thus if things turn bad, they then have the option to leave. Sort of like having

money in the bank. You may not need it, but it is nice to know it is there....

[Valentine]

Autocratic rule did wonders for Singapore & I have often thought it is exactly what Thailand needs as long as the benefits are more evenly spread than before. If just 50% of all corruption money was actaully spent for the betterment of the general populace then it would raise the standard of living immensely. The rich & controllong powers do not need anymore wealth, they have that aplenty, it is all about absolute power. It will take a complete change in the mindset to achieve good, lasting results yet the current government seems not to mention much about education other than making it more patriotic. Patriotism is fine but teach the kids how to think independently & therein lies the rub.

[jpeg]

Come on guys ... for us Farangs it is fun to sit back and watch.... Thailand is just a Big funfair for all of us .... Much better to live the easy life here than back in our home countries... So , really who amongst us cares a damn who runs the country.... Leave it to the Thais... If and when we don't like it we can go home.... If there were no girlie bars , massage parlours and cheap beer and food... None of us would be here... Lie back , have fun and enjoy... one day we will all be dead men... just let us hope not too soon.... Pass the Chang..!

It may come as a surprise to you, but not all of us are sadly dependent on cheap sex tourism. Tell me, if it were not for the availability of so many prostitutes, would YOU still be here?

Edited January 3, 2015 by jpeg

[rickirs]

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

Wow, this thread is like fly-paper.

Or raw meat?

[Valentine]

Anyone remember this story from a month ago?

http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/army-chief-reacts-coolly-gen-chavalits-counter-coup-remark

Wow some real zingers in that story from Chavalit..... So guess elections in his eyes

are a bad thing ? No wonder Thailand is in such trouble.

"He viewed that if the prime minister comes from election or elected by the people, then it might breach the power of the king as past appointments came from royal commands."

Chavalit is well known for his intelligence, as prime minister he wanted all signs, road direction signs etc in Thai only, sod the tourists.

I always thought he was pretty intelligent. After driving the country into the ground by spending all its reserves trying the defend the Baht it is likely him & his cronies (one of whom is in exile) purchased huge amounts of USD at 25 Baht just prior to the devaluation after which they could more than double that back to Baht. It would be naive to think there was no insider forex trading at that time.

[jpeg]

Oh, dear. He has to choose between his brother and his buddy. How stressful that must be. Maybe everyone should just back off and give the poor guy room to breathe.

And the military government is different from the government of Thaksin how exactly? .

The Taksin government was one of 4 elections won in a row by the RedShirts. The military government is a fascist coup. Next question, please.

Much as I disliked Taksin and his ilk, the so called 'elite' (in what respect, BTW?) continue to screw it up by believing in their invincibility because of their backers.

[Valentine]

Oh, dear. He has to choose between his brother and his buddy. How stressful that must be. Maybe everyone should just back off and give the poor guy room to breathe.

And the military government is different from the government of Thaksin how exactly? .

The Taksin government was one of 4 elections won in a row by the RedShirts. The military government is a fascist coup. Next question, please.

Much as I disliked Taksin and his ilk, the so called 'elite' (in what respect, BTW?) continue to screw it up by believing in their invincibility because of their backers.

It also appeared that the red shirt "elite" thought they were invincible with their "mandate" from the people to trample over due process which eventually led to the coup.

[soalbundy]

Come on guys ... for us Farangs it is fun to sit back and watch.... Thailand is just a Big funfair for all of us .... Much better to live the easy life here than back in our home countries... So , really who amongst us cares a damn who runs the country.... Leave it to the Thais... If and when we don't like it we can go home.... If there were no girlie bars , massage parlours and cheap beer and food... None of us would be here... Lie back , have fun and enjoy... one day we will all be dead men... just let us hope not too soon.... Pass the Chang..!

Many of us here have children who, in my case anyway, are Thai and after my death will continue to live here.

Would suggest you get foreign passports for your children as I have done.

Thus if things turn bad, they then have the option to leave. Sort of like having

money in the bank. You may not need it, but it is nice to know it is there....

My son has large tracts of farm land in his name and the choice of two houses, what has he got in the UK, nothing, he could always live in a rented room and have a stressed out western styled life of course but i think he is better of here no matter what.

[Just1Voice]

Come on guys ... for us Farangs it is fun to sit back and watch.... Thailand is just a Big funfair for all of us .... Much better to live the easy life here than back in our home countries... So , really who amongst us cares a damn who runs the country.... Leave it to the Thais... If and when we don't like it we can go home.... If there were no girlie bars , massage parlours and cheap beer and food... None of us would be here... Lie back , have fun and enjoy... one day we will all be dead men... just let us hope not too soon.... Pass the Chang..!

If there were no girlie bars , massage parlours and cheap beer and food... None of us would be here.

Not sure where you live, or who your friends are, but I live in Chiang Mai, and every falang I know here is married and taking care of their family, don't go to girlie bars or massage parlors for sex. I really hate to break this to you, but not every farang is a beer guzzling sex-pat. Perhaps you should take a good look around you and see the real world sometime. And perhaps change your class of friends.

[Time Traveller]

Oh, dear. He has to choose between his brother and his buddy. How stressful that must be. Maybe everyone should just back off and give the poor guy room to breathe.

And the military government is different from the government of Thaksin how exactly? .

The Taksin government was one of 4 elections won in a row by the RedShirts. The military government is a fascist coup. Next question, please.

Correct. The military said they had the higher moral authority to act outside of the law. I was just pointing out that they themselves behave exactly the same behaviour they blamed on Thaksin.

[jpeg]

It also appeared that the red shirt "elite" thought they were invincible with their "mandate" from the people to trample over due process which eventually led to the coup.

You miss my point. Taksin could have been voted out. No chance other than one faction within another deposing a military dictatorship. Aka, Junta .

Edited January 3, 2015 by jpeg

[djjamie]

If it's not bad enough this bloke with the mood swings taking over the via the barrel of a gun now we have the military in possible conflict with itself .

As for the army needing martial law to shield itself that's just another excuse to keep the boot on the throats of the thai people while they rort the system to keep the true peoples government out.

Where is this barrel of a gun you keep mentioning?

He saved the country from the barrel of a gun. He saved the majority who do not like violence from the 7% that thrive on it to further their political agenda.

Remember the daily terrorist attacks pre coup? Do you remember? That was not fought with flowers.

Then on the day of the coup Prayut brought all parties together and asked them to sort their differences out. He didn't shot anyone, didn't hurt anyone, didn't kill anyone, didn't maim anyone. He asked them to sort their differences out. Guess what? With their fate in their own hands they told Prayut they will not sort those differences out. So he removed them and the barrel of the gun vanished ergo the terrorist attacks stopped.

I wonder what your views would be had the army killed 28 and injured over 700 innocent people over a 7 month period and the PTP came in and stopped it.

Good PTP I assume.

The Junta need martial law because the innocent blood on the streets of Bangkok and Trat are still fresh on their minds. The majority need it because they do not hold violence in a good light.

[djjamie]

The army has M16's field guns,tanks, modern fighter aircraft and they need a shield to protect themselves ?

Quite correct and a pertinent point.

They use martial law as their weapon because unlike the UDD and PTP backed they refuse to use their war weapons on the people of Thailand.

[asdecas]

General Happinesses' task is a thankless one, but I suspect he knew that from the beginning; the list of military-led governments worldwide that end in tears is a very long one. Indeed it is a rule-of-thumb that the shorter the tenure in power of the military boys, the better the result.

In recent decades, the perpetrators of Thai coups have understood this and acted accordingly, staying a year or so at most. The fact that the present incumbents look increasingly likely to extend their stay at the top of the pyramid does not bode well for the eventual outcome.

[EyesWideOpen]

Oh, dear. He has to choose between his brother and his buddy. How stressful that must be. Maybe everyone should just back off and give the poor guy room to breathe.

And the military government is different from the government of Thaksin how exactly? .

The Taksin government was one of 4 elections won in a row by the RedShirts. The military government is a fascist coup. Next question, please.

Correct. The military said they had the higher moral authority to act outside of the law. I was just pointing out that they themselves behave exactly the same behaviour they blamed on Thaksin.

Wow so this is just like George Orwell's Animal Farm , come to life.... :-)

[Valentine]

It also appeared that the red shirt "elite" thought they were invincible with their "mandate" from the people to trample over due process which eventually led to the coup.

You miss my point. Taksin could have been voted out. No chance other than one faction within another deposing a military dictatorship. Aka, Junta .

Yes he or his proxy could have been voted out but if you rcall some of his earlier comments about ruling for 12 or 20 years he was, IMO, preparing to be president for life.

[rijb]

A "mandate" from the people? They got to be on TV. But, they were just being used.

Behind the scenes, one group of elites were beaten by another group of elites. It's happened many times over the years.

The 'common people' don't have a say in this country. And the way it's going, they might not have a say, for a long time to come.

[djjamie]

I've watched every one of Dear Leader's Friday spiels. There's nothing in the world like them. Last night was his shortest yet, 30 minutes. and the major topic, bike lanes. But consider his dilemma, he had no photo-ops to show us and can't bring up the subject of the tanking economy. What next week? 20 minutes of garlic chicken recipes?

The Thaitanic sails on.

Can't bring up the subject of the tanking economy? What!!! He could talk for hours on the economy.

The SET couldn't be stronger under the Junta? Look at the graph here. Look at Thailand inflation rate here. That is going in the right direction as well. Look at the GDP growth rate here. Thats looking pretty good as well heay. Consumer confidence has gone through the roof here. Couple that with consumer spending here that is looking very health. Business confidence is plodding along nicely here.

In fact take a look at all the graphs and they are similar to any countries that was healing after being crippled by a rotten entity.

Unlike the majority on here that are retired I actually work and have a Thai crew. Pre coup we were working for an Aussie mine in Laos because the work was drying up in Thailand due to the instability. We are currently in Sudan after a small break back home over xmas because of the rippling effect of this pre coup instability, but mark my words since the 22nd of May and the slow recovery after the UDD and PTP backed violence has stopped the work is mounting up back home. My crew are itching to come home to work now. My crew vote as well. My crew love stability ergo they respect what the Junta are achieving. My crew reflect what the majority are echoing.

And all the economic indicators back up what my Thai crew reflect as well. It is this narrative the Junta cannot control that hold them in a good light.

Cheers from my crew!