US must not impose its idea of democracy: PM

[yellowboat]

"We told them Thailand is unlike others." Because ? Taiwan's form of democracy has drawn praise from Hong Kong and people in China. What makes Thailand incapable of achieving such results ?

[scorecard]

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I agree with him. The US has the worst form of democracy where a government can be bought and paid for. It was the same in Thailand also so hope he changes it for the better.

And while were at it, how come the US is / has been totally quite about 'democracy' in Singapore and Malaysia?

Edited March 14, 2015 by scorecard

[trogers]

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I agree with him. The US has the worst form of democracy where a government can be bought and paid for. It was the same in Thailand also so hope he changes it for the better.

And while were at it, how come the US is / has been totally quite about 'democracy' in Singapore and Malaysia?

They didn't use the army. They used the police.

[scorecard]

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"We told them Thailand is unlike others." Because ? Taiwan's form of democracy has drawn praise from Hong Kong and people in China. What makes Thailand incapable of achieving such results ?

Taiwan nowadays has a history of charging and strongly punishing quite a few previous leaders, especially in regard to corruption, that's certainly one reason why their version of democracy has become stronger.

Thailand now starting to do the same thing.

[trogers]

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"We told them Thailand is unlike others." Because ? Taiwan's form of democracy has drawn praise from Hong Kong and people in China. What makes Thailand incapable of achieving such results ?

Taiwan nowadays has a history of charging and strongly punishing quite a few previous leaders, especially in regard to corruption, that's certainly one reason why their version of democracy has become stronger.

Thailand now starting to do the same thing.

And the US is so concerned.

[DM07]

Aaaaaaaand cue the usual USA- bashers.

I am not even from that place, but it really is soooooo bad!

At least - AT LEAST- I guess, I could stand at any shopping mall in the US, eat a sandwich and read "1984" and I would NOT be taken away to have my attitude adjusted!

Freedom of speech, freedom of expression is a core matter of democracy.

Does Thailand have that (at the moment or in general)?

For this $#@&% up country, even a flawed democracy like the USA would be a beacon!

[trogers]

Aaaaaaaand cue the usual USA- bashers.

I am not even from that place, but it really is soooooo bad!

At least - AT LEAST- I guess, I could stand at any shopping mall in the US, eat a sandwich and read "1984" and I would NOT be taken away to have my attitude adjusted!

Freedom of speech, freedom of expression is a core matter of democracy.

Does Thailand have that (at the moment or in general)?

For this $#@&% up country, even a flawed democracy like the USA would be a beacon!

Yes, I can read 'Born Free' at a sidewalk cafe along Sukhumvit Road without being picked up.

[baboon]

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

"We told them Thailand is unlike others." Because ? Taiwan's form of democracy has drawn praise from Hong Kong and people in China. What makes Thailand incapable of achieving such results ?

Taiwan nowadays has a history of charging and strongly punishing quite a few previous leaders, especially in regard to corruption, that's certainly one reason why their version of democracy has become stronger.

Thailand now starting to do the same thing.

And the US is so concerned.

Just as an aside, I take it you have already relinquished your citizenship?

[Chris Lawrence]

Wasn't there an article the other day about the General doing less talking and leave comments to be done by his advisors?

Democracy is a very loose word in the Thai language. What this regime wants it to mean is not what is understood by the rest of the world. But then again I haven't really seen a detailed definition by this regime.

The manoeuvring of the new constitution to oust representation at the senate level, I suspect will cause trouble in the future. What is being suggested is the senate becomes a group picked predominantly by and from the upper class of Thailand. The judiciary will have little effect except on matters they become directed to look at. The military still remains as the central body to step in if they feel they need to.

The constitution has not yet been approved, but what has been mention is a dismantling of the system of Government to suit the needs of a minority but powerful body of Thai society.

[Balance]

I agree with him. The US has the worst form of democracy where a government can be bought and paid for. It was the same in Thailand also so hope he changes it for the better.

Yes, money was defined by the supreme court as free speech and so rich people can give as much as they want and influence elections. But, the rest of the people can also give money and there are a lot more of them than rich people. If enough people want this changed, then it can be changed, no matter what anyone else thinks or wants.

This is the big difference between the U.S. and other countries. The U.S. Constitution is a set of legal rules that is very difficult to change, but the rules apply to everyone, no matter how much money they have or what family they come from, or who they know. Yes there is some corruption, but the Press in the U.S. digs for the bad actors. It is their job to do this and it is also their business and there are many people competing to find out secrets of the rich and powerful try to hide and make people aware of them. Free speech also helps keep the U.S. Democracy honest. Politicians and the powerful in the U.S. lie all of the time, but other people can also say that they lie; they are not protected by libel laws that protect them.

The Constitution protects the peoples right to protest, whether against a corrupt city administration as in Ferguson, or against a business or politician.

Anyone can run for almost any office, either state or federal. The only exceptions are for president, and maybe vice president who have to have been born in the U.S. or territory.

Yes, there are problems in Thailand that are different that in other countries, but almost all of them are caused because of long standing vested interests that do not want to give up any of their power to more modern interests. This creates a situation that fights against democracy and change. The PM has a very hard job solving this problem, but much of the rest of the world does not see the problem as legitimate. Their view is that there is no choice but that it changes and a peaceful, open, fair, democratic way is the best way to accomplish the change. As we say, the Genie is out of the bottle and it cannot be put back.

[metisdead]

A post with a formatting error has been removed as it messed up the formatting of this page. A reply has been removed as well.

[Pib]

THE UNITED STATES should not try to impose a one-size-fits-all democracy on the rest of the world, Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha said yesterday.

The USA is doing no such thing wrt Thailand, so yet another strawman argument and another attempt to make outsiders the boogyeman from the unelected 'PM'.

Martial law for 10 months, .... suspension of basic human rights... the General finds time to even let the word "democracy" cross his lips under these circumstances???

The PM wanted his speech to get max media coverage and discussion...how better to do that than to mention the U.S. as a bad guy. That's how the Dear Leader in N. Korea does it. If nothing else you'll fire-up the keyboard warrior rage of U.S. haters on social media.

[trogers]

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"We told them Thailand is unlike others." Because ? Taiwan's form of democracy has drawn praise from Hong Kong and people in China. What makes Thailand incapable of achieving such results ?

Taiwan nowadays has a history of charging and strongly punishing quite a few previous leaders, especially in regard to corruption, that's certainly one reason why their version of democracy has become stronger.

Thailand now starting to do the same thing.

And the US is so concerned.

Just as an aside, I take it you have already relinquished your citizenship?

Never have been nor looking to be. Do not need to have half my assets taken away in the name of 'Democracy'.

[KonaRain]

Clinton, Obama, Jimmy Carter, peanut farmer, is the main One.

Watching from Hawaii, cause I'm too poor to come,

Except for the jail system, where folks are held before trail,

Thailand is, on the whole, rather, er..

Nevermind

?

[KonaRain]

I like a lot of Posts..

Hard to click for me 'cause of bandwidth..

Alohz

[HeijoshinCool]

The United States is not a democracy. It is a republic. Voters elect liars people to represent them in congress and the White House.

If the US were a democracy, we would not be going to war continuously; creating a pubic debt of tens of trillions of now worthless dollars; nor allowing illegal immigrants good jobs and social security and free school and medical.

No, Mr Couper, the US is not a democracy.

That is why it is doomed.

But then, Thailand ain't one either.

1. The governmental system in US is a democracy.

2. The word republic means nothing in this argument.

3. The people choose and elect who they want to office. That's a basic principle of a democratic society/government. Freedom to choose.

4. In the dictionary meaning of democracy, the word war is not found.

5. You need to read this: http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democracy

No need to cry Chicken Little just yet, the US isnt doomed. And for the record, it is the world's strongest economy and the dollar is what currency the world uses for trade.

If you are going to argue a topic at least have one sentence that is true

.

Wikipedia is a source of information for the intellectually lazy. It is a indoctrinating pile of garbage for the upcoming generations.

I prefer reading the Federalist papers for a better understanding:

In Federalist #10, James Madison wrote that one of the biggest differences between a republic and a democracy, is the delegation of government, in a republic, to a few citizens elected by the rest, as opposed to the majority rule of a democracy.

In a true democracy, like ancient Greece, the majority could vote you to be executed, just like Greece did to Socrates when they grew tired of him.

There are indeed "democratic moments" in America, such as ballot initiatives (less than half the states allow these) and referendums. But there have been many instances where the majority has made their voice clear, and their few representatives overruled them.

The word democracy has been altered in dictionaries in just the last half century, treating them as inherently coupled. Older dictionaries draw a distinct difference between a republic and a democracy, and deeming them, like Madison, Jefferson, and Adams, as being mutually exclusive, even antithetical. Applying the founder's definitions, the USA, as the Constitution and Pledge of Allegiance attest to, is a republic.

[baboon]

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"We told them Thailand is unlike others." Because ? Taiwan's form of democracy has drawn praise from Hong Kong and people in China. What makes Thailand incapable of achieving such results ?

Taiwan nowadays has a history of charging and strongly punishing quite a few previous leaders, especially in regard to corruption, that's certainly one reason why their version of democracy has become stronger.

Thailand now starting to do the same thing.

And the US is so concerned.

Just as an aside, I take it you have already relinquished your citizenship?

Never have been nor looking to be. Do not need to have half my assets taken away in the name of 'Democracy'.

Never have been or looking to be what? I don't follow?

[trogers]

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

"We told them Thailand is unlike others." Because ? Taiwan's form of democracy has drawn praise from Hong Kong and people in China. What makes Thailand incapable of achieving such results ?

Taiwan nowadays has a history of charging and strongly punishing quite a few previous leaders, especially in regard to corruption, that's certainly one reason why their version of democracy has become stronger.

Thailand now starting to do the same thing.

And the US is so concerned.

Just as an aside, I take it you have already relinquished your citizenship?

Never have been nor looking to be. Do not need to have half my assets taken away in the name of 'Democracy'.

Never have been or looking to be what? I don't follow?

Citizen!

[lildragon]

The idea of fiefdoms, mass corruption and military coups aren't uncommon in the west, they just happened 500 or so years ago

Democracy doesn't work in Asia? Japan and South Korea are doing well with it, places like Taiwan and Hong Kong too.

This East and West stuff is just a poor excuse for this man to consolidate power for his 'team' of elites so that they never lose their grip of power. This kind of Rhetoric is like the stuff the Kim family says in North Korea. Thailand pretty much is diet North Korea in some ways.

Some fools on here though think this man is a 'hero' and 'cleaning up' Thailand. They should read there (uncensored) Thai history to know that the previous 19 coups did nothing but benefit the traditional elite.

[Mudlover]

"Thailand has been rated as the happiest nation on Earth because we adhere to the philosophy of a sufficiency economy." Hilarious.

[trogers]

The idea of fiefdoms, mass corruption and military coups aren't uncommon in the west, they just happened 500 or so years ago

Democracy doesn't work in Asia? Japan and South Korea are doing well with it, places like Taiwan and Hong Kong too.

This East and West stuff is just a poor excuse for this man to consolidate power for his 'team' of elites so that they never lose their grip of power. This kind of Rhetoric is like the stuff the Kim family says in North Korea. Thailand pretty much is diet North Korea in some ways.

Some fools on here though think this man is a 'hero' and 'cleaning up' Thailand. They should read there (uncensored) Thai history to know that the previous 19 coups did nothing but benefit the traditional elite.

So it is time to let in a new group of elite?

[baboon]

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

"We told them Thailand is unlike others." Because ? Taiwan's form of democracy has drawn praise from Hong Kong and people in China. What makes Thailand incapable of achieving such results ?

Taiwan nowadays has a history of charging and strongly punishing quite a few previous leaders, especially in regard to corruption, that's certainly one reason why their version of democracy has become stronger.

Thailand now starting to do the same thing.

And the US is so concerned.

Just as an aside, I take it you have already relinquished your citizenship?

Never have been nor looking to be. Do not need to have half my assets taken away in the name of 'Democracy'.

Never have been or looking to be what? I don't follow?

Citizen!

Help. Is it these cold pills I am on or is he not making any sense?

[lildragon]

The idea of fiefdoms, mass corruption and military coups aren't uncommon in the west, they just happened 500 or so years ago

Democracy doesn't work in Asia? Japan and South Korea are doing well with it, places like Taiwan and Hong Kong too.

This East and West stuff is just a poor excuse for this man to consolidate power for his 'team' of elites so that they never lose their grip of power. This kind of Rhetoric is like the stuff the Kim family says in North Korea. Thailand pretty much is diet North Korea in some ways.

Some fools on here though think this man is a 'hero' and 'cleaning up' Thailand. They should read there (uncensored) Thai history to know that the previous 19 coups did nothing but benefit the traditional elite.

So it is time to let in a new group of elite?

If you mean the Shinwatra family, there corruption should of been exposed and the Thai people that elected them in should have had a chance to elect them out.

[trogers]

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

"We told them Thailand is unlike others." Because ? Taiwan's form of democracy has drawn praise from Hong Kong and people in China. What makes Thailand incapable of achieving such results ?

Taiwan nowadays has a history of charging and strongly punishing quite a few previous leaders, especially in regard to corruption, that's certainly one reason why their version of democracy has become stronger.

Thailand now starting to do the same thing.

And the US is so concerned.

Just as an aside, I take it you have already relinquished your citizenship?

Never have been nor looking to be. Do not need to have half my assets taken away in the name of 'Democracy'.

Never have been or looking to be what? I don't follow?

Citizen!

Help. Is it these cold pills I am on or is he not making any sense?

What do you not understand?

Q - I take it that you have already relinquished your citizenship?

A - Never have been nor looking to be.

Or should I be more specific?

A - Never have been a citizen, and so have nothing to relinquished.

Edited March 14, 2015 by trogers

[NeilSA1]

"I ask all countries not to be angry at Thailand simply because of me. If there's any inconvenience today, I will clear it up."

The PM might not not have tact, and cannot talk like a typical hypocritical politician, but IMO I believe he is genuine. He is sincere.

Yes, people may describe him as a dictator but he has not become what a typical held view of a dictator is "... a person who rules a country with total authority and often in a cruel or brutal way..." "genocidal"

Putin is more likely to become the next dictator to be feared.

Dictators usually become infamous because they rule with an iron fist, are and annihilate their enemies. "The definition of annihilate means to completely destroy. To bomb a building, murdering all of the inhabitants, is an example of annihilate. YourDictionary ..."

These people are notorious dictators Kim Jong 2 Muammar al Qaddafi F Marcos Franco Pol Pot Stalin Mussolini and of course Hitler.

[richard10365]

I'm not sure what you guys are complaining about. Life in Thailand hasn't really changed much since the coup. This is especially true for foreigners living here. People still go about their daily lives free to go where ever they want and do what they want to do. I admit that there are some new rules intended to keep the peace during this transition process but it's definitely more peaceful in Thailand.

Personally, I don't know anyone impacted by the change in government. By that I mean people who have had their personal freedoms impacted to the point of it causing distress. People I know are still doing what they were doing before the coup. The only time I'm ever reminded there has been a coup is when I read about it here or on online somewhere else. Otherwise it's not really on my mind.

[lucky11]

Bill Clinton

.....and he was one of the best, if not the best!!!

[lucky11]

"I ask all countries not to be angry at Thailand simply because of me. If there's any inconvenience today, I will clear it up."

The PM might not not have tact, and cannot talk like a typical hypocritical politician, but IMO I believe he is genuine. He is sincere.

Yes, people may describe him as a dictator but he has not become what a typical held view of a dictator is "... a person who rules a country with total authority and often in a cruel or brutal way..." "genocidal"

Putin is more likely to become the next dictator to be feared.

Dictators usually become infamous because they rule with an iron fist, are and annihilate their enemies. "The definition of annihilate means to completely destroy. To bomb a building, murdering all of the inhabitants, is an example of annihilate. YourDictionary ..."

These people are notorious dictators Kim Jong 2 Muammar al Qaddafi F Marcos Franco Pol Pot Stalin Mussolini and of course Hitler.

He is a classic benign dictator - just what Thailand needed given the dire situation in the country prior to the coup.

He is also a breath of fresh air that Thailand should be thankful for, instead of berating him as if he is in it for himself!!

[SOUTHERNSTAR]

Democracy is "a system of government in which all the people of a state or polity ... are involved in making decisions about its affairs, typically by voting to elect representatives to a parliament or similar assembly."[1] According to American political scientist Larry Diamond, it consists of four key elements: "1. A political system for choosing and replacing the government through free and fair elections. 2. The active participation of the people, as citizens, in politics and civic life. 3. Protection of the human rights of all citizens. 4. A rule of law, in which the laws and procedures apply equally to all citizens".

By having a unelected senate and PM we can make cross against the first requirement of a democracy. By banning any protest, constraints on a national conversation on all matters politically important, attitude adjustment in army camps, silencing opponents through law suits, etc etc numbers 2 to 4 gets crosses.

THE PROBLEM IS THUS NOT ONE OF AN IMPERFECT DEMOCRACY (LIKE WE HAD BEFORE)BEING PUT INTO PLACE BUT A DICTATORSHIP IN THE DISGUISE OF DEMOCRACY.

No person or country is perfect, the democracy in the US is not perfect. Our choice in life are many times not a choice of perfect sollutions but a choice of least the imperfect sollution. The new constitution is not the least imperfect sollution it just imperfect.

[trogers]

Bill Clinton

.....and he was one of the best, if not the best!!!

Look under his desk...tsk tsk. Boy, he was good, wasn't he?