Prayut seeks time to make Kingdom stronger, rejects outside assistance

[Eric Loh]

Something drastic needed doing to rid Thailand from the self serving scourge of the Shin clan. They were depleting The Kingdom and its citizens from every bit of finances humanly possible. The Shin clan and its gang took needed funds that could have greatly increased the living standard of the average citizen e.g. education/ sanitation/water distribution/roads etc.

Yes the appearance of liberties being diminished is a concern. However in the short term it might be significantly necessary to halt the ones who want to further cripple Thailand and keep citizens subservient to the rich/powerful minority. In the long term if the coup eliminates the cancer of the Shin family and ALL corrupt officials, the general will be held in the highest regard and a savior of Thailand. Time will tell. And it takes time to dismantle a corrupt empire and build anew.

What on earth are you going on about. What a melodrama that story is.

What selfie said was that corruption in Thailand only started after Thaksin become PM. Before Thailand is a land of bliss, devour of oorruption and standard of living, education were all good. This melodrama should be made into a movie. Good guys like the general and his elites should play the key roles

[jayboy]

Is it really diplomatic protocol for US consular staff to be meeting with red shirt leaders.

Yes.Diplomats always maintain contacts with a range of civil society including opposition and dissidents.

[binjalin]

Something drastic needed doing to rid Thailand from the self serving scourge of the Shin clan. They were depleting The Kingdom and its citizens from every bit of finances humanly possible. The Shin clan and its gang took needed funds that could have greatly increased the living standard of the average citizen e.g. education/ sanitation/water distribution/roads etc.

Yes the appearance of liberties being diminished is a concern. However in the short term it might be significantly necessary to halt the ones who want to further cripple Thailand and keep citizens subservient to the rich/powerful minority. In the long term if the coup eliminates the cancer of the Shin family and ALL corrupt officials, the general will be held in the highest regard and a savior of Thailand. Time will tell. And it takes time to dismantle a corrupt empire and build anew.

absolute elite yellow brainwashing TWADDLE

[kareona]

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Can someone point out what peacekeeping missions and to where was thailand involved or how much financially thailand contributed to those peacekeeping or any other missions

East Timor. Can't think of any others but there must be plenty.

Others: First World War, Korean War, Viernam War, Iraq war, the first and last only about 500 solders, the other two close to one division

[Alwyn]

Can someone point out what peacekeeping missions and to where was thailand involved or how much financially thailand contributed to those peacekeeping or any other missions

Peace keeping missions? Gawd knows.. Laos or something like that maybe? Somewhere there's already peace is my guess. if any at all. Financial input? We both know the answer to that

[Alwyn]

I recall having banter with a few of the ones here with the yellow tinted specs. My point right from the start (without going into the "democracy" rhetoric again) was that the autocrat (he was another name before that was banned) has no intention of moving on. He will stay as PM (and I use that word with some despair) until his end. He's already done everything that people who have witnessed this type of autocrat before expected. His military mates placed in the non-existent government to shore him up, same with the military law that is now getting stronger and will not be lifted while he's paranoid and in power. He's ridding himself of any likely oppostition from political parties and the police and building his power base. He's closing the country off to other democratic countries and getting close to China and N Korea if we can believe what we read. There will be no elections, there will be more attitude adjustment. Maybe he has a good heart and is just misunderstood.. Does anybody believe there will be an election any time while the Junta is running the country?

[rijb]

Sounds like the rest of the world needs an attitude adjustment.

[mikemac]

Something drastic needed doing to rid Thailand from the self serving scourge of the Shin clan. They were depleting The Kingdom and its citizens from every bit of finances humanly possible. The Shin clan and its gang took needed funds that could have greatly increased the living standard of the average citizen e.g. education/ sanitation/water distribution/roads etc.

Yes the appearance of liberties being diminished is a concern. However in the short term it might be significantly necessary to halt the ones who want to further cripple Thailand and keep citizens subservient to the rich/powerful minority. In the long term if the coup eliminates the cancer of the Shin family and ALL corrupt officials, the general will be held in the highest regard and a savior of Thailand. Time will tell. And it takes time to dismantle a corrupt empire and build anew.

absolute elite yellow brainwashing TWADDLE

If that is the case bin, don't read it, don't even make eye contact with it ! You run the risk of being turned into a elite, yellow, hi-so, amart, junta-loving dem if you do. We all know how susceptible you are to brainwashing...................

[rickirs]

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US officials meeting with red shirt " leaders"..... Wow, here comes

another fire storm of from indignant government officials.... I

have said it before and I will say it again, Prayut will be in power

for at least 3 to 5 years. As time rolls by , you will hear less

and less talk about upcoming elections. A headline like this is

an example.

If he stays into power for 3 to 5 years then after that the reds are done for. All their finances gone, they need to be in power to drain the states coffers and get money in their own. So this strategy of Prayut might work as then the reds have no longer the money or the influence (they are getting kicked out of places of influence). That would mean they would a spent force.

And the Junta will be a spending force in the meantime. By the time it leaves there won't be a treasury, just a wastepaper basket.

[rickirs]

"We don't want to be a burden to our allies. If we can't solve our problems, we may end up having to need other countries to take care of us,"

USA took care of South Korea, Taiwan, Philippines, and Japan. They didn't fare so badly. The USA together with free Europe took care of West Germany, and eventually eastern Europe, They didn't fare so badly. I'd like to see Prayuth disarm the military and agree to a UN peacekeeping force in Thailand, but I fear his ego would fare badly.

Edited January 31, 2015 by rickirs

[tbthailand]

Something drastic needed doing to rid Thailand from the self serving scourge of the Shin clan. They were depleting The Kingdom and its citizens from every bit of finances humanly possible. The Shin clan and its gang took needed funds that could have greatly increased the living standard of the average citizen e.g. education/ sanitation/water distribution/roads etc.

Yes the appearance of liberties being diminished is a concern. However in the short term it might be significantly necessary to halt the ones who want to further cripple Thailand and keep citizens subservient to the rich/powerful minority. In the long term if the coup eliminates the cancer of the Shin family and ALL corrupt officials, the general will be held in the highest regard and a savior of Thailand. Time will tell. And it takes time to dismantle a corrupt empire and build anew.

absolute elite yellow brainwashing TWADDLE

Re: Yellow - parts of the twaddle could have come straight from Suthep's LINE account.

Oddly enough, this part (with "it" referring to martial law and suppression in general) is weirdly accurate - if you invert the verb "to halt" into "to allow":

it might be significantly necessary to halt the ones who want to further cripple Thailand and keep citizens subservient to the rich/powerful minority.

[wowfactor10]

Hi General,

Why u have still not arrested and locked up K.Sutheb?

[binjalin]

Hi General,

Why u have still not arrested and locked up K.Sutheb?

slight correction (apologies)

Phra Suthep

[selftaopath]

More xenophobic isolationist nationalistic ramblings. Im not a fan of the red mess but this isnt heading in a positive direction either. Globalisation is real and no country has prospered by shutting it out. The only reason Thailand's economy has developed is because it has traditionally been a (relative to neighbors) open country. With a stagnant aging population, floundering economy and poorly skilled, poorly motivated and poorly educated workforce, a closed door approach is the last thing Thailand needs. This just reeks of the small elite guarding their turf to the scant benefit of the easily swayed, readily brainwashed, euphoric Thai masses.

And nobody agrees with the above more than me!

I am also seriously beginning to doubt the sanity of the General turned unelected PM! Not joking, his ramblings are getting worrisome.

The best thing a foreigner can do is to enjoy their private space, environment and their own little world if they are retired or long term in Thailand.

Stay under the radar and away from these nutjobs and don't ever build your hopes up that there is a chance in the near future for democracy, justice or any chance of stamping out corruption. Greed is now in the veins of even those in the lowest jobs and occupations.

The country is a complete basket case.

The country is a complete basket case. YES ... because it is morally bankrupt.

[Thai at Heart]

I recall having banter with a few of the ones here with the yellow tinted specs. My point right from the start (without going into the "democracy" rhetoric again) was that the autocrat (he was another name before that was banned) has no intention of moving on. He will stay as PM (and I use that word with some despair) until his end. He's already done everything that people who have witnessed this type of autocrat before expected. His military mates placed in the non-existent government to shore him up, same with the military law that is now getting stronger and will not be lifted while he's paranoid and in power. He's ridding himself of any likely oppostition from political parties and the police and building his power base. He's closing the country off to other democratic countries and getting close to China and N Korea if we can believe what we read. There will be no elections, there will be more attitude adjustment. Maybe he has a good heart and is just misunderstood.. Does anybody believe there will be an election any time while the Junta is running the country?

The scary part is that he seems to be making this up as he is going along. There is no major master plan.

Just him and his moodswings to lead the way.

[aimbc]

Can someone point out what peacekeeping missions and to where was thailand involved or how much financially thailand contributed to those peacekeeping or any other missions

Thailand has been in many. You need to not be lazy and look it up yourself. Some maybe UN peace keeping mission. And money is not always the most important thing to sacrifice, but there is a high risk of losing your life during these deployments.

According to Sorpong Peou of the Ryerson University in Toronto, Canada:

"Thailand did not begin contributing forces to UN peacekeeping operations until 1991 and since the downsizing of its contribution to UNAMID (in 2012) has made only a modest contribution; 31 uniformed peacekeepers as of 21 May, 2014. Defense spending per troop: $17,211; global average per troop $70,000."

CLICK HERE to read the full article: http://www.providingforpeacekeeping.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/Thailand-Peou-21-May-2014.pdf

Thanks for the links. As I read, Thailand has sent many troops, more than the 31 quoted here. If you read further on the 1 page and look on the second page, you will see that it was a significant amount.

Again lives are on the line with these missions and they are more than any some financial figures can place.

I see one reason why it the US backs Thaksin. He sent a large contingency to Iraq. Scratching each other back. My guess is that is one of the trump card he pulled. But than any questioning of the killings of the Muslim under his watch or the many judicial killings of suspected drug runners are not pursued. As proof, we can see that USA would like to use Thailand as a tool and any other country for that matter.

[aimbc]

Something drastic needed doing to rid Thailand from the self serving scourge of the Shin clan. They were depleting The Kingdom and its citizens from every bit of finances humanly possible. The Shin clan and its gang took needed funds that could have greatly increased the living standard of the average citizen e.g. education/ sanitation/water distribution/roads etc.

Yes the appearance of liberties being diminished is a concern. However in the short term it might be significantly necessary to halt the ones who want to further cripple Thailand and keep citizens subservient to the rich/powerful minority. In the long term if the coup eliminates the cancer of the Shin family and ALL corrupt officials, the general will be held in the highest regard and a savior of Thailand. Time will tell. And it takes time to dismantle a corrupt empire and build anew.

What on earth are you going on about. What a melodrama that story is.

What selfie said was that corruption in Thailand only started after Thaksin become PM. Before Thailand is a land of bliss, devour of oorruption and standard of living, education were all good. This melodrama should be made into a movie. Good guys like the general and his elites should play the key roles

Corruption exist in every government. Just that the shins took it to another level by manipulating the policies and the rule of law to obtain it.

The last election clearly showed that. Just looking at Rice policy, tablet for every child. Both riddled with corruption. But all placed to win votes. Buying votes on the back of tax payers and siphoning money out from under them as well. None are sustainable policies and surely none were well thought of. I am sure YL didn't see any thing wrong with it. It was just like a big shopping spree with someone else credit card.

[Utley]

Can someone point out what peacekeeping missions and to where was thailand involved or how much financially thailand contributed to those peacekeeping or any other missions

Thailand has been in many. You need to not be lazy and look it up yourself. Some maybe UN peace keeping mission. And money is not always the most important thing to sacrifice, but there is a high risk of losing your life during these deployments.

According to Sorpong Peou of the Ryerson University in Toronto, Canada:

"Thailand did not begin contributing forces to UN peacekeeping operations until 1991 and since the downsizing of its contribution to UNAMID (in 2012) has made only a modest contribution; 31 uniformed peacekeepers as of 21 May, 2014. Defense spending per troop: $17,211; global average per troop $70,000."

CLICK HERE to read the full article: http://www.providingforpeacekeeping.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/Thailand-Peou-21-May-2014.pdf

Thanks for the links. As I read, Thailand has sent many troops, more than the 31 quoted here. If you read further on the 1 page and look on the second page, you will see that it was a significant amount.

Again lives are on the line with these missions and they are more than any some financial figures can place.

I see one reason why it the US backs Thaksin. He sent a large contingency to Iraq. Scratching each other back. My guess is that is one of the trump card he pulled. But than any questioning of the killings of the Muslim under his watch or the many judicial killings of suspected drug runners are not pursued. As proof, we can see that USA would like to use Thailand as a tool and any other country for that matter.

31 troops is what they were contributing as of 21 May 2014.

[Baerboxer]

Is it really diplomatic protocol for US consular staff to be meeting with red shirt leaders.

Why not? They issued a visa to the red shirts big boss despite his criminal fugitive status.

American politics, like all so called developed countries' politics, is about their own interests and agenda. Thaksin and his family party and their allies are good for American business. The Carlyle Group and Wall Street like them. To hell with all the corruption. human rights violations and criminal activities. America has backed criminal family dictators before when it suits and will continue to do so.

Ukraine - support the "people" and overthrow a democratically elected president. He's corrupt. The fact he has close links to Putin and supports Russia is purely coincidental of course. The Crimean people vote to join Russia, have no real historic connection to Ukraine but America refuses to accept that democracy.

Thailand - support the "democratically" elected government that were lying, cheating and refusing to obey the law, openly being led by a non democratically elected convicted criminal fugitive with 15 serious court cases outstanding. A government clinging on to power using attacks, intimidation and murder on the people who were protesting the attempt at ramming through a complete whitewash for their criminal leader and themselves so he could return and take power.

American diplomacy and foreign policy is decided by big business, the banks and financiers. There isn't any black and white anymore, it's all grey.

[binjalin]

Is it really diplomatic protocol for US consular staff to be meeting with red shirt leaders.

Why not? They issued a visa to the red shirts big boss despite his criminal fugitive status.

American politics, like all so called developed countries' politics, is about their own interests and agenda. Thaksin and his family party and their allies are good for American business. The Carlyle Group and Wall Street like them. To hell with all the corruption. human rights violations and criminal activities. America has backed criminal family dictators before when it suits and will continue to do so.

Ukraine - support the "people" and overthrow a democratically elected president. He's corrupt. The fact he has close links to Putin and supports Russia is purely coincidental of course. The Crimean people vote to join Russia, have no real historic connection to Ukraine but America refuses to accept that democracy.

Thailand - support the "democratically" elected government that were lying, cheating and refusing to obey the law, openly being led by a non democratically elected convicted criminal fugitive with 15 serious court cases outstanding. A government clinging on to power using attacks, intimidation and murder on the people who were protesting the attempt at ramming through a complete whitewash for their criminal leader and themselves so he could return and take power.

American diplomacy and foreign policy is decided by big business, the banks and financiers. There isn't any black and white anymore, it's all grey.

more drivel

you are so right wing you make Genghis Khan look a leftie

[ldiablo]

We eat rice and falang eat bread. More like we eat fice and falang eat whatever the f@@k he wants.

[Chris Lawrence]

"Prayut said last year's coup was staged with the goal of ending political violence that had led to many deaths and injuries."

This is coming from a man that hates demonstrations; he was also responsible to help out when called upon, but decided to sit on his hands.

This is propaganda at its best. If the General could take this US envoy to court for hurting his feelings, he would. This is more to the point. A 'right royal snub' by a low level diplomat to the General.

And the report in TV by a right-wing activist saying the US are preparing to invade? Who is writing this script.

What one should be doing is sending off handkerchiefs, so the big cry baby can have a good cry?

Imagine if the leader of your country was stiring up such a fuss, what would you be thinking?