Russell's statement draws more reaction in Thailand

[kamahele]

1. The diplomat has said nothing different than the columnists in the English language newspapers in Bangkok.

2. I don't know about other countries but the US doesn't impeach former elected officials, only office holders. Outside of office, they will be tried in a court of law and not by other politicians or appointees.

[arrowsdawdle]

Hell hath no fury like a Thai criticized.

Never mind the fact that Russell met with Abhisit as well, that gets conveniently overlooked, just like Dems' unlawful street antics.

[Manbing]

Can't think why this country is afraid of USA involvement. They did so well with vietname,Chile, el Salvador, nicaraguar Iraq, afghanastan Honduras wtc etc.

[kieran2698]

"He said impeachment was a justice system to punish corrupt politicians same as what was practised in the US Parliament"

​Okay the parliament of the USA

Yes, the USA does have parliaments, just because they are given different names does not undermine the definition of the word, which is: A representative body having supreme legislative powers within a state or multinational organization.

[umbanda]

Can't think why this country is afraid of USA involvement. They did so well with vietname,Chile, el Salvador, nicaraguar Iraq, afghanastan Honduras wtc etc.

Argentina, Brazil, Panama, ....but that was not enough lesson....still Syria and Iran in its immediate plans, and Pakistan and Yemen coming up.

[wwest5829]

'Commission members voiced concern about the top US diplomat’s misunderstanding of the situation in Thailand and therefore wanted to raise the issue for deliberation in the NLA.'

I think the diplomat has a better understanding of the situation than the members of the NLA.

NLA President might want to understand the U.S. political system. There is no Parliament, the Legislative powers are handled (ha! or not) by a Congress.

[LivinLOS]

Rubber farmers can't protest but others can protest at the American Embassy. And you wonder why they say the things they do. Junta policy do as we say not as we do.

Ohh dont worry about those rubber farmers..

http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/general/458917/ncpo-orders-banks-to-give-soft-loans-to-rubber-buyers

So paying rubber farmers 33% over market price, to drive up the price of rubber.. Makes perfect sense..

Good job populist loss making programs are illegal and can result in impeachment.. Glad that all cleared up then.

[car720]

Danny Russel breached diplomatic protocol when he stated that the impeachment appeared to be politically driven. He needs to be recalled and relieved of his post. Who he met with and his remarks about Thai democracy were not problematic.

Danny Russel was an Obama White House staffer. He was appointed to this diplomatic post in July 2013. In his first speech following his appointment, he conceded that he was immensely unqualified, admitting that in his prior 4 years serving Obama, that he had never left the four walls of his office.

Rather obvious that you don't know much about diplomatic protocol if you think that these where just his views. His speech would of been written and approved by immensely qualified people and be the view of the US State Department!

Correct. Anybody that thinks he was just talking off the top of his head

has no clue what is going on. He was simply being the mouthpiece

for the views of the state department....

So let a poor simple fellow like me see if I can understand this.

He was sent here, purposely, by the state department with a preconceived speech and an order to seek out Yinluck and several other miscreants with the view of putting a whoopee cushion under the butt of the present powers that be.

Sounds about right. Good sound foreign policy.

[SOUTHERNSTAR]

When South Africa was under the apartheid regime, their reaction to foreign critism was - you don't understand what is going on in the country and keep out of our internal affairs. Sounds fimiliar doesn't it ? Even more disturbing is that they also limited free speech and tried to monopolise power for the minority.

[Thai at Heart]

I dare any newspaper to go down there and ask the protesters why they are protesting?

I would hazard they have zero idea why.

[wwest5829]

"He said impeachment was a justice system to punish corrupt politicians same as what was practised in the US Parliament"

​Okay the parliament of the USA

Yes, the USA does have parliaments, just because they are given different names does not undermine the definition of the word, which is: A representative body having supreme legislative powers within a state or multinational organization.

No, with all due respect it is a Congress. The meaning and function is different hence a different word and spelling. Duma, Parliament, Congress, if you are going to speak of Russia, Australia, or U.S. an educated person uses the correct term applied to the country addressed.

[Just1Voice]

Impeachment exist in the US of A but it is done by elected officials in a real parliament, not in a puppet parliament appointed by a dear leader and it is done when a politician is still in power and not disposed in an illegal coup. Regarding the actions of the CIA, the chairman of the kangaroo parliament forgot to mention that his masters in the Thai military were very helpful providing a secret prison and look the other way for a lot of money. It is the story of the pot and the kettle.

in a real parliament

Ahhh, you might want to change that. The US has a Senate and a Congress, with members of both houses being elected, but do not have, and have never had, a "parliament".

Just a "historical correction".

[wabothai]

What's the big deal ????????????

[wabothai]

First official since May.

Not the first unofficial since May.

[Strangebrew]

"He said impeachment was a justice system to punish corrupt politicians same as what was practised in the US Parliament"

​Okay the parliament of the USA

My question exactly since when? My last time there was no parliament in US government but there never been a coup either. Do Thai's even understand Democracy?

[phetmike]

Once again the Americans are telling a country what they must do. Do they never learn from their mistakes. They prop up ruthless dictators Batista, Saudi Arabia, Saddam Hussein and more, until they have passed their use by date, and what follows is chaos. The Army has delivered Thailand from the violence which the authorities were powerless or unwilling to stop and the Americans want a return to that. Go back to your own country and get your own house in order before offering unwanted advice.

[KhnomKhnom]

This situation and the really dumb TV comments shows the complexity of the situation and the difficulty of arm-chair by-standers to have any good insight.

Here are some facts/assertions for you all.......

-polluted voting is not democracy.

-The Thaksins political machine was very near to owning and choking Thailand.

-The Thaksins had assembled a private army almost ready to march on the capital when Army stopped that.

-It is is very possible that USA does not have a SINGLE policy toward Thailand but that State has one or two, WH has a few, CIA at least one more, and usa economic forces, biz elite, other ideas and goals for using Thailand.

-Russel could have found that he could grab onto one of those policies and use it to take a secret payment/bribe from Thaksins; thinking that USA officials are totally clean is just foolish (CIA employees, for example, made tons of money flying drugs which was ok, if sheep dipped, with the CIA bosses). Remember that just in the CIA, there are several Directorates all with semi-autonomous activities, some even at cross purposes in the Agency.

-Contacting a deposed and convicted criminal, even if former PM, would be like a big nation going to a small country and talking with its Mafia heads as well as the govt. or go see Nixon after his disgraced departure WH. This Russel thing really smells but also is indicative of the onion layers at work here.

-All the moaning of self-appointed democracy "freedom fighters" typing on TV is good for a laugh, really silly. To assert full knowledge about Thailand situation and moan about democracy here is just so foolish it is off the foolish charts.

[smutcakes]

One has to ask who is releasing all these USA things. Obviously the easiest way to drum support like Putin is to beat the nationalist drums which has been done countless times before..... Whenever there is an issue at home, the best way to deflect is by pretending there is a threat from abroad.

Edited January 29, 2015 by smutcakes

[marcusd]

The US is not ignorant and know very well what is going on in Thailand. Anyone who thinks otherwise is a fool. As for Russell's statements, they were dead on the mark, and you can bet his speech was both vetted and approved by the US government long before he delivered it. The problem with Thai is that they can't stand the truth, especially when the truth makes the look bad and "lose face".

Oh I think Thialand is only a sticky note on Mr Russell's desk and after he said what he had to say the note about "where is that place again" was swept to the bin.

[baboon]

Once again the Americans are telling a country what they must do.

Where? I haven't seen that and I am taking an interest in this story...?

[Fatty123]

The NLA is just part of the Junta. The US (and other nations) understand fully what the situation is. Only a deluded member of the Thai elite would actually believe their own pomposity to the extent of claiming the first world 'does not understand the situation in Thailand'. Am I surprised this was said? Not at all. They probably believe what they are saying too. That's the scary part.

The situation is this:

A corrupt (but popular) clan of politicians kept winning elections. The fascist elite (Democrats) did not engage the poor, but instead sought to bar them from the political process. A form of political eugenics, if you will. The Democrats missed a great opportunity and will never win over the poor who make up the majority of the Thai population. Not after certain speeches and some of the stunts they pulled. A coup was activated (after Suthep's mob took over the streets) in order to maintain the status quo (make the poor work for very, very low wages and to provide Thailand with a stream of young hookers from poor areas to feed Thailand's sex industry which not only creates money for bar owners, but also hotels, breweries, toursim in general and airlines etc). If you think this was about 'Shinawat collupshun' you are easily misled. Yes, i agree that the Shins were probably corrupt. However, these elitist takeovers of democracy have been going on for almost a century. Same sh.., different excuse.

Engaging the poor would mean educating them properly at some point in the future and without so much nationalistic propaganda. This would not suit the elite at all. People will see them for what they really are. It would also mean a decline in the sex industry over time with infrastrucutal developments and workers (in factories etc) actually demanding more wages and better working conditions from employers. In essence, this would cost the elite some of their fortunes.

No matter how you look at it, Thailand's elite has a history going back almost a century of ignoring the voting rights of the poor when the status quo is threatened.

That is what the US and other nations 'understand' about the current situation. We're not as easily led as you hope your own (previous) electorate are.

Edited January 29, 2015 by Fatty123

[Manbing]

"He said impeachment was a justice system to punish corrupt politicians same as what was practised in the US Parliament"

​Okay the parliament of the USA

My question exactly since when? My last time there was no parliament in US government but there never been a coup either. Do Thai's even understand Democracy?

Democracy literally means administration by the people. It's about self rule. But within this there is a sense of freedom to protest.

I could.'t imagine so called western democratic countries allowing the red shirt protests occurring in the centre of their capital cities, as we saw in Thailand

Nor live televised debates, bloodless seizure of control. Re-imposing order, undertaking the impossible task of combating corruption etc etc.

It's unlikely any farang have been adversely affected by this process. Sure some Thais are put out but personally, I am clear the paternalistic actions that occurred last year managed to quell a nasty sense of civil unrest.

As well are reverse the economy from its inexorable tail-spin.

I see little wrong here. I wish there was someone to have righted the diabolical actions of Bush, Blair and that little sh!# Howard.

[iReason]

Impeachment exist in the US of A but it is done by elected officials in a real parliament, not in a puppet parliament appointed by a dear leader and it is done when a politician is still in power and not disposed in an illegal coup. Regarding the actions of the CIA, the chairman of the kangaroo parliament forgot to mention that his masters in the Thai military were very helpful providing a secret prison and look the other way for a lot of money. It is the story of the pot and the kettle.

in a real parliament

Ahhh, you might want to change that. The US has a Senate and a Congress, with members of both houses being elected, but do not have, and have never had, a "parliament".

Just a "historical correction".

America is governed by three branches: the Executive. the Legislative and the Judicial.

Congress, (the Legislators) consists of two houses: the Senate and the House of Representatives.

[kieran2698]

"He said impeachment was a justice system to punish corrupt politicians same as what was practised in the US Parliament"

​Okay the parliament of the USA

Yes, the USA does have parliaments, just because they are given different names does not undermine the definition of the word, which is: A representative body having supreme legislative powers within a state or multinational organization.

No, with all due respect it is a Congress. The meaning and function is different hence a different word and spelling. Duma, Parliament, Congress, if you are going to speak of Russia, Australia, or U.S. an educated person uses the correct term applied to the country addressed.

How does the meaning and function of parliament differ to congress? Australia has followed the US model having both a House of Representatives and a Senate, they call this the Parliament of Australia.

[laubau]

daveAustin, on 29 Jan 2015 - 10:38, said:

Just1Voice, on 29 Jan 2015 - 10:02, said:

The US is not ignorant and know very well what is going on in Thailand. Anyone who thinks otherwise is a fool. As for Russell's statements, they were dead on the mark, and you can bet his speech was both vetted and approved by the US government long before he delivered it. The problem with Thai is that they can't stand the truth, especially when the truth makes the look bad and "lose face".

Sorry, but I'm with the Thais on this one. Russell is about as 'on the mark' as most newbies thinking they have a handle on the place after being here all of 5 minutes. Only reason the US is pissed is because their investment and bosom buddy, Thaksin, is no longer calling the shots and the ultimate issue, China.

You probably need something and are trying to look good in the eyes of the current administration. I have been here 35 years and you are a brown nose or just plain stupid. Do you have to be a long time member in your eyes to be right? Well, you obviously lay that theory to waste!!

[peptidebomber]

This situation and the really dumb TV comments shows the complexity of the situation and the difficulty of arm-chair by-standers to have any good insight.

Here are some facts/assertions for you all.......

-polluted voting is not democracy.

-The Thaksins political machine was very near to owning and choking Thailand.

-The Thaksins had assembled a private army almost ready to march on the capital when Army stopped that.

-It is is very possible that USA does not have a SINGLE policy toward Thailand but that State has one or two, WH has a few, CIA at least one more, and usa economic forces, biz elite, other ideas and goals for using Thailand.

-Russel could have found that he could grab onto one of those policies and use it to take a secret payment/bribe from Thaksins; thinking that USA officials are totally clean is just foolish (CIA employees, for example, made tons of money flying drugs which was ok, if sheep dipped, with the CIA bosses). Remember that just in the CIA, there are several Directorates all with semi-autonomous activities, some even at cross purposes in the Agency.

-Contacting a deposed and convicted criminal, even if former PM, would be like a big nation going to a small country and talking with its Mafia heads as well as the govt. or go see Nixon after his disgraced departure WH. This Russel thing really smells but also is indicative of the onion layers at work here.

-All the moaning of self-appointed democracy "freedom fighters" typing on TV is good for a laugh, really silly. To assert full knowledge about Thailand situation and moan about democracy here is just so foolish it is off the foolish charts.

Very well written! 90% wrong, but well written nonetheless.

I did like the comment about armchair bystanders having no insight!!

[oneday]

"...a small group of political activists gathered in front of the US embassy to protest internal interference..."

Wait a minute...I thought it was unlawful to hold political protests due to martial law. Oh, that's right, they are protesting about something the NLA and Junta believes in also...humm, well then it's OK, go right ahead.

"...it was better than sending CIA agents to intervene in internal affairs of other countries as it always used, thinking it is a super power country..."

Wow! Now that's firing off a few arrows. So the US isn't a super power anymore. OK, now the rest of the world knows because if Thailand says so then it must be true. I will admit China seems to be the big gorilla now so you go suck up to them and watch yourself become a province of China one day. If the CIA is here then I'm sure they are only here to check up on other nefarious nations you are doing business with. I seriously doubt the US has any security concerns about Thailand.

"...He said the US sees only democracy comes from election and is happy to it while ignoring other factors??? and what that country will suffer from its term of “democracy???..."

Huh? What does that mean. The US was built on Democracy over 200 years ago. A reasonable track record; not as long as the Roman's, but reasonable. I think the US has a pretty good handle on what Democracy is. It's a lot more than elections, that's for sure. Now Thailand's Democracy has yet to be born; it seems to still be in the womb so when Thailand actually achieves a viable Democratic birth then maybe Democratic issues and ideals can be discussed on an equal level of knowledge and understanding.

"...He said impeachment was a justice system to punish corrupt politicians same as what was practised in the US Parliament...."

Seriously?...IMPEACHMENT in the US is explicitly used to REMOVE someone from office who has done something inappropriate or illegal. It isn't used to ban them from politics after they have already been removed by a coup. And when did the US get a "Parliament"...wow, that's huge news to me.

"...He affirmed the good relation between the Thai and the US parliaments in all aspects remained firm be they are economical, political and social cooperation..."

I have to help the reporter out on this one, because his English leaves a little bit to be desired.

"...He affirmed that good relations between Thailand and the US governments, in all aspects, remained firm whether those relations are based on economic, political or social cooperation..."

I think that is what he was trying to say. At least it makes more sense.

"...But what Mr Russell’s attempt to mix up the impeachment case with the call for the junta to lift martial law was totally opposite..."

A little more help for the reporter here.

"...But Mr Russell’s attempt to link the impeachment case with a call for the junta to lift martial law was totally out-of-line or off-base or misleading or a couple other synonyms ..."

Go back to English school reporter. I don't speak Thai very well, but then I'm not trying to write Thai news articles either.

[Fatty123]

As a peace offering I hear Russell is being offered an all expenses paid trip...

...to Koh Tao

[BadBouy]

Simple solution, send Thai diplomats to speak at US colleges and criticize Obama administration. You will soon see who the thin skinned one is.

[emilymat]

Paranoia....it's the only word can think of to describe this soap opera!