'Democracy has died in Thailand today': Thai ex-PM Yingluck

[waitforusalso]

They must be praying she leaves. Jail time will be a huge red victory.

[rubl]

Like her or hate her, she was ELECTED by the people.

A few possible replies to that

- She was party list candidate, people couldn't elect her as in vote for her

- allegedly people voted for Thaksin rather than his sister.

[Seastallion]

NCPO tells Yingluck not to hold press conference

BANGKOK: -- Singthong Buachum, a member of the Pheu Thai legal affairs committee, said the National Council for Peace and Order does not want former prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra to hold a press conference after she was impeached by the National Legislative Assembly.

Singthong said Yingluck and the party had no plan to hold such a press conference, which was speculated and the speculated worried the NCPO.

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/breakingnews/NCPO-tells-Yingluck-not-to-hold-press-conference-30252540.html

-- The Nation 2015-01-23

Pure compassion. Don't speak, because you'll only embarrass yourself.

Kudos to Singthong.

[rubl]

They must be praying she leaves. Jail time will be a huge red victory.

Jail time? You're jumping the gun, the case in the Supreme Court for Political Office Holders hasn't even started yet. Also the prosecution has to hand the defence council all charge related documentation AND within reason the defence council can requests a long list of witnesses to be allowed.

Of course people here also keep telling me that 'elite' and 'Amply rich' are seldom sentenced to jail and hardly ever actually do time inside. Mind you, thanks to Ms. Yingluck we still have this comfy LakSi prison for political criminals and I doubt there many inside.

[than]

What did she ever do for Democracy?

Nothing !!!!!!!

[than]

"Democracy has died in Thailand today, along with the rule of law. That move to destroy me is still ongoing and I face it now,"

A pathetic remarks from a pathetic puppet

[TheClog]

Democracy did die, at gunpoint.

[WheresWaldo]

What did she ever do for Democracy?

She was elected by a great majority of the people.

What part of that do you and your "likes" not understand?

[JAG]

Like her or hate her, she was ELECTED by the people.

A few possible replies to that

- She was party list candidate, people couldn't elect her as in vote for her

- allegedly people voted for Thaksin rather than his sister.

Are you seriously suggesting that all those who voted PT, after a campaign in which Yingluck played such a prominent part, did so unaware that a vote for PT also endorsed Yinglucks candidature for PM?

You surpass yourself.

Edited January 24, 2015 by JAG

[Artisi]

What did she ever do for Democracy?

er win a near landslide election?

When did winning an election ensure democracy?

Based on you belief, guess you believe that Nth Korea must be an astounding democracy considering the current leader received 100% of the vote.

[eggers]

Yingluck & the whole Shinawatra clan are full of "me me me"; have never shown concern for the poor farmers who were ripped off due to Yingluck's RP scheme or the those who committed suicide due to the unsustainable financial pressures they faced under the scheme.

Yingluck had the audacity to say in her FB statement that the Scheme was a good project & not caused damage! Tell that to the families of those who suicided!

Once again, Yingluck has shown her total greedy, self - interest ; seems to be a common trait of the Shinawatra's!!

[JemJem]

Yingluck's version of democracy: 'we win the election, we get to do as we please with no censure until someone else wins the election. The end'.

How this women ever got this far in life amazes me, luckily her brother gave her a job.

At least she won an election,I don't remember Prayuth won an election

Adolf Hitler also won an election. So did Tayyip Erdogan in Turkey, and Vladimir Putin in Russia (just a few whose names came to my mind just now). And, the words/concepts 'democracy' and 'human rights' don't (shouldn't, anyway) go along with these people !

[SABloke]

What did she ever do for Democracy?

She was elected by a great majority of the people.

What part of that do you and your "likes" not understand?

Ah ignorance...the safest form of debate. YOU obviously don't understand how the Thai electoral system works and/or what the word 'majority' means

[Artisi]

wow. so many who have benefited from growing up and living in democracies now getting right behind a military junta. Is that what old age does to a lot of people ? sad

Old age tends to give many a better insight into the real world. I, like many come from a democratic (with all its faults) and have a very clear understanding as to how a democracy should operate which is not from vote buying, being run by a convicted fugitive criminal, being headed up by a bimbo placed there by the same criminal, corrupt schemes to buy votes and ensuring your family and friends can benefit by ripping off the system and causing massive damage to the countries economy, manipulating the rules and laws of the country for your own benefits etc.

Your comment just shows that you need to age a little more and gain some understanding of life as it is.

[MadDog2020]

Democracy died last year with the coup and it we not come back for the next 20 years

Democracy has to be alive before it can die. What Thailand had before was not Democracy so cannot have died. Please don't confuse the sham and illusion of what was before with what Democracy is.

[wabothai]

One thing is for sure that during her reign as PM she did not do anything about wide spread corruption in the policeforce which is supposed to protect democracy. Yes, lots of these police guys are family friends.

So, here already reason enough for impeachement in my book.

I shed no tears.

[oneday]

I'm sorry to say Ms. Yingluck, democracy has NEVER lived here.

NCPO tells Yingluck not to hold press conference

There goes "Freedom of Speech" right down the drain.

[Keesters]

Yingluck put the last nail in the coffin. The present administration buried it. Hoping for an exhumation soon.

[Floater 7]

Yinglucks governing was a joke. The current rule by the military is a joke.

It just seems extremely difficult these days for anyone to show good leadership, with forward looking ideas.

And people not driven by greed or some odd religious ideas.

[MadDog2020]

If you don't realise that the rice scheme was manufactured and managed to fail and impeach Yingluck by the ammart and conceived long ago in order to crush any opposition to the military/yellow rule . . well, you are dafter than Suthep and Prayuth together

Wow........ and all life on earth is manipulated by the aliens living on Jupiter. Shielded from our prying eyes into space by their superior technology.

Or are you still sitting in the bar somewhere coming up with these theories because you have nothing better to do?

[mike324]

Democracy has died because it does not allow corruption?

[JAG]

wow. so many who have benefited from growing up and living in democracies now getting right behind a military junta. Is that what old age does to a lot of people ? sad

Old age tends to give many a better insight into the real world. I, like many come from a democratic (with all its faults) and have a very clear understanding as to how a democracy should operate which is not from vote buying, being run by a convicted fugitive criminal, being headed up by a bimbo placed there by the same criminal, corrupt schemes to buy votes and ensuring your family and friends can benefit by ripping off the system and causing massive damage to the countries economy, manipulating the rules and laws of the country for your own benefits etc.

Your comment just shows that you need to age a little more and gain some understanding of life as it is.

And yet, irrespective of our respective ages, is not a democracy, however flawed it may be preferable to a military junta, installed by a coup, with all its trappings of martial law, censorship, denial of freedoms and an appointed legislative assembly "representing parliament"?

If you refute this basic point, you're argueing that the Thais should not have the fundamental right to choose their own government. It really is as simple as that.

[Kerryd]

Democracy in Thailand died a long, long time ago. It was pretty much dead and dusted even before Thaksin decided the best way to increase his net worth was to buy an election and then rip-off his fellow countrymen (while enriching himself, his family and their cronies of course).

I don't know if the people of Thailand have ever really known what Democracy really is (or is supposed to be at least). Is that an educational problem ? An economic problem ? A cultural problem ?

It is a problem that isn't limited to Thailand either. Just look at the rhetoric of the different political parties in western "democratic" nations. People expressing outright hatred for opposition parties simply because they are the "opposition". People aren't voting for who they think will do the best job in office, they are voting for whoever "their" party tells them to, regardless of their actual position on matters. People are voting for parties because "dang nab it, my pappy an his pappy before him all voted (insert party here) so that's gud enough fer me" ! The people may not like a lot of the policies of their party but will vote for them any ways because it's "their" party. It would be "disloyal" to vote for another party. "We're a (insert party here) family and we always vote (insert party here) !"

Even in many (if not all) "Democratic" western countries people aren't exercising their freedom, the right to vote for whoever they think is the best person for the job. They have been conditioned to vote a certain way, regardless of the outcome. Much like sports teams, people will chose one and stay with it for life even if they don't like anything about it anymore, because it would be "disloyal" to switch.

How to fix the problem is the hard part. Better education, reducing the gap between the rich and the poor, changing cultural stereotypes (and of course, eliminating corruption and coercion). Not something that's going to happen in the short term. Even if dramatic, long lasting changes were enacted today, it would take generations before effective results were achieved. It would take tremendous strength on behalf of the people to demand those changes, just as it would take tremendous resolve from the leaders of the country to enact and maintain those changes.

Will that happen here ? Can it happen here ?

[hugh2121]

Whatever your and my opinion of Yingluck and PTP, they were legally and properly elected by the vast majority of Thai people. Whether votes were "bought" with promises or not is irrelevant. All parties in all countries make such promises at election time. Was PTP's removal from government legal at the time? Was the current government voted in by a majority of Thai people? Many posters berate Yingluck and her government, how many of these posters are Thai people with the right to decide who governs them? The fact that Yingluck was properly elected is indisputable. Not being Thai I do not have a personal opinion.

[bridge2bridge]

And so she calls BUYING votes to win Government.

DEMOCRACY.

[bridge2bridge]

Whatever your and my opinion of Yingluck and PTP, they were legally and properly elected by the vast majority of Thai people. Whether votes were "bought" with promises or not is irrelevant. All parties in all countries make such promises at election time. Was PTP's removal from government legal at the time? Was the current government voted in by a majority of Thai people? Many posters berate Yingluck and her government, how many of these posters are Thai people with the right to decide who governs them? The fact that Yingluck was properly elected is indisputable. Not being Thai I do not have a personal opinion.

You must be joking.

If votes are BOUGHT that is NOT LEGAL.

[JAG]

Whatever your and my opinion of Yingluck and PTP, they were legally and properly elected by the vast majority of Thai people. Whether votes were "bought" with promises or not is irrelevant. All parties in all countries make such promises at election time. Was PTP's removal from government legal at the time? Was the current government voted in by a majority of Thai people? Many posters berate Yingluck and her government, how many of these posters are Thai people with the right to decide who governs them? The fact that Yingluck was properly elected is indisputable. Not being Thai I do not have a personal opinion.

I quite agree with you, except that I do have a personal opinion, and I am prepared to argue it on this forum. However as I am not Thai I accept that I cannot express it through the ballot box (mind you neither can they) ! Morever I am circumspect about arguing it with Thais. Edited January 24, 2015 by JAG

[AGareth2]

And so she calls BUYING votes to win Government.

DEMOCRACY.

are you from Barcelona or called jon snow?

[Ricardo]

Whatever your and my opinion of Yingluck and PTP, they were legally and properly elected by the vast majority of Thai people. Whether votes were "bought" with promises or not is irrelevant. All parties in all countries make such promises at election time. Was PTP's removal from government legal at the time? Was the current government voted in by a majority of Thai people? Many posters berate Yingluck and her government, how many of these posters are Thai people with the right to decide who governs them? The fact that Yingluck was properly elected is indisputable. Not being Thai I do not have a personal opinion.

"by the vast majority of Thai people" (my bold for emphasis)

Sorry but you are very mistaken in what you claim, PTP only got 48.4% of the votes cast, and many Thais failed to vote at all, or were ineligible to vote.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thai_general_election,_2011

Why spoil the good case you do have, for example you might say that PTP/Yingluck were the largest single-party or got the most MPs, by trying to make out that it was even more than it actually was ?

As to Yingluck's remarks, where she equates Thai-democracy with her own personal grip on power, it only shows her naive & inexperienced view of things.

[JAG]

Whatever your and my opinion of Yingluck and PTP, they were legally and properly elected by the vast majority of Thai people. Whether votes were "bought" with promises or not is irrelevant. All parties in all countries make such promises at election time. Was PTP's removal from government legal at the time? Was the current government voted in by a majority of Thai people? Many posters berate Yingluck and her government, how many of these posters are Thai people with the right to decide who governs them? The fact that Yingluck was properly elected is indisputable. Not being Thai I do not have a personal opinion.

You must be joking.

If votes are BOUGHT that is NOT LEGAL.

But the commander of the army announcing that he is taking over, abrogating the constitution, appointing himself Prime Minister and appointing his own legislative assembly to "represent parliament" is?