Thai politics: Junta's actions making country far from democratic

[webfact]

BURNING ISSUE
Junta's actions making country far from democratic
NITIPOL KIRAVANICH

BANGKOK: -- IT HAS been nearly 10 months since the junta seized power in a coup. At a time when many problems facing the country are surfacing rapidly, it believes the one way to contain these problems - instead of solving them - is to vest absolute power in its leader.

After taking power, the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) declared martial law, as a supposed tool to control social disputes and put an end to conflicts caused by warring political groups that led to violence.

After martial law was declared, many political observers voiced opposition to it. Dissatisfaction with the law gained momentum when the junta-led government kept shutting down forums of the public and political observers. In addition, many others have claimed violations of their rights.

These problems affect the image of the country as many countries, besides the United Nations, have expressed concern that Thailand is undemocratic because of such actions.

By Wednesday, the government had lifted martial law and replaced it with Article 44 of the 2014 provisional constitution. Though the provisions of the article may be seen as reducing the power the military enjoyed under martial law, it ends up endowing NCPO leader Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha with absolute power.

Article 44 states: "In cases where the head of the National Council for Peace and Order is of the opinion that it is necessary for the benefit of reform and to strengthen public unity and harmony, or for the prevention, disruption or suppression of any act which undermines public peace and order or national security, the monarchy, national economy or administration of state affairs, he shall have the power to issue any order to disrupt or suppress regardless of the legislative, executive or judicial force of that order."

The public believes this is absolute power, as this law would give the PM authority over all three branches of the state - executive, legislative and judicial.

While it cannot be denied that some of the draconian laws and measures used by the government have helped maintain national security and social stability and to end violence caused by different political groups, there are other national issues that also need to be resolved.

Even though the junta has appointed many agencies such as the National Reform Council to reform 11 areas, the National Legislative Assembly to pass and scrutinise important laws, and the Constitution Drafting Committee (CDC) to write a new charter, the public still sees the members of these appointed agencies as lacking independence, which affects their legitimacy as well.

Many political observers have concluded after evaluating the work of the government and its appointed agencies that they are not as efficient as they promised to be. Nonetheless, giving absolute power to the PM will not necessarily improve efficiency in solving national problems.

The junta should bear in mind that those who judge Prime Minister Prayut are not just individuals but the nation's people as a whole. They will not favour one over another and that is why it is important to let contrasting ideas by the opposition to be placed on the table as well.

More importantly the issue raised towards the junta-government and their appointed agencies lie within abstaining the media and public to criticize governmment and the new Constitution.

If the citizens of the country cannot voice their opinions or criticise their own government, or have a say in the writing of the new constitution, by what yardstick can Thailand be called a democratic country?

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/politics/Juntas-actions-making-country-far-from-democratic-30257323.html


-- The Nation 2015-04-03

[trogers]

Can Thailand be called a democratic country before the coup? What value had that gave to the lives of Thais?

State coffer being robbed, lives under armed threat, police inactions or used politically against oppositions, corruption rampant?

[chainarong]

The only inroads gained in having the Junta running Thailand it is a nicer version of Myanmar , freedom of expression is the pinnacle of Democracy , welcome to General Prayut - O -Cha Version. ( addendum: I ref to Prayuth as General , a PM of the people wouldn't pull on 44)

[yellowboat]

"If the citizens of the country cannot voice their opinions or criticise their own government, or have a say in the writing of the new constitution, by what yardstick can Thailand be called a democratic country?"

There are a few great democratic yardsticks within Asia. Thailand (Bangkok) is self obsessed, unaware and chauvinistic to acknowledge them. All of this turmoil is due to neglecting development of northern and eastern parts of the country for so many decades. This crisis is 50 years in the making.

[EnglishJohn]

People should remember that Thailand was on the edge of civil war when the coup took place. Those people who ordered the terrorist attacks against civilians and the people ready to carry them out are all waiting until they think they can do it again without getting caught. Even worse, the state police had been filled with cronies answering to the one big boss and did nothing to stop it happening. In fact, they aided it in some cases. All of this is because one person knows his chance of amnesty is zero if he doesn't have his lackeys in power.

Maybe Prayuth should have waited until a few hundred more Thais had been murdered - maybe even waited for a massacre - and the country was facing economic ruin before launching the coup. Maybe then some of these armchair critics would appreciate the gravity of the situation which was facing the country and why Prayuth thinks these rules are needed.

[JOC]

People should remember that Thailand was on the edge of civil war when the coup took place. Those people who ordered the terrorist attacks against civilians and the people ready to carry them out are all waiting until they think they can do it again without getting caught. Even worse, the state police had been filled with cronies answering to the one big boss and did nothing to stop it happening. In fact, they aided it in some cases. All of this is because one person knows his chance of amnesty is zero if he doesn't have his lackeys in power.

Maybe Prayuth should have waited until a few hundred more Thais had been murdered - maybe even waited for a massacre - and the country was facing economic ruin before launching the coup. Maybe then some of these armchair critics would appreciate the gravity of the situation which was facing the country and why Prayuth thinks these rules are needed.

Nonsense!!

[JOC]

Junta's actions making country far from democratic

Thank you for sharing, but quite a few Thaivisa poster had figured that out all by themselves............

[LatPhrao]

Can Thailand be called a democratic country before the coup? What value had that gave to the lives of Thais?

State coffer being robbed, lives under armed threat, police inactions or used politically against oppositions, corruption rampant?

YES

Democratically elected government by and for the people. Thai people enjoying freedom of expression and no muzzling of the press.

Some, realizing they've embraced a rapidly sinking anchor, release it and find fresh air at the surface.

[yellowboat]

People should remember that Thailand was on the edge of civil war when the coup took place. Those people who ordered the terrorist attacks against civilians and the people ready to carry them out are all waiting until they think they can do it again without getting caught. Even worse, the state police had been filled with cronies answering to the one big boss and did nothing to stop it happening. In fact, they aided it in some cases. All of this is because one person knows his chance of amnesty is zero if he doesn't have his lackeys in power.

Maybe Prayuth should have waited until a few hundred more Thais had been murdered - maybe even waited for a massacre - and the country was facing economic ruin before launching the coup. Maybe then some of these armchair critics would appreciate the gravity of the situation which was facing the country and why Prayuth thinks these rules are needed.

The ills of the country are well known, and it is a power struggle for which the average Thai is going to suffer.

John, when will the need for constant justifications for the coup come to an end ? What is the justification for giving a man god like powers ? How is he going to stay impartial, not giving into Thai elitist institutions ?

[EnglishJohn]

People should remember that Thailand was on the edge of civil war when the coup took place. Those people who ordered the terrorist attacks against civilians and the people ready to carry them out are all waiting until they think they can do it again without getting caught. Even worse, the state police had been filled with cronies answering to the one big boss and did nothing to stop it happening. In fact, they aided it in some cases. All of this is because one person knows his chance of amnesty is zero if he doesn't have his lackeys in power.

Maybe Prayuth should have waited until a few hundred more Thais had been murdered - maybe even waited for a massacre - and the country was facing economic ruin before launching the coup. Maybe then some of these armchair critics would appreciate the gravity of the situation which was facing the country and why Prayuth thinks these rules are needed.

Nonsense!!

Spoken like an expert on the subject. Armchair expert in the middle of nowhere that is.

[Commerce]

There was justification for the coup, and I believe most understand that. However, there was no justification for Mr. P. entitling himself as PM and what has happened since, and the new employment of Article 44 - which is the biggest unjust action of late, as power has gone to his pee-wee brain. No individual is impartial, and that is the threat - because he has unjustly claimed all power over everything - and that is the ultimate definition of a dictatorship.

[Fat Haggis]

How could the country be on the edge of something that has already been going on for the past 10 years?

The biggest red herring next to vite buying is this claim, mostly from farangs that civil war was imminent.

Utter nonesence please tell me did the foreign office and any other nation issue orders for its citizens to start evacuating the country?

Thailand would be in chaos if it had s full on civil war. But yet all these doom merchants with their civil war crap, I'm willing to bet were not packing up their homes and getting themselves and their families to safety which kind of tends to happen in countries where civil war erupts.

Then you have the exodus of local national refugees fleeing because they don't want killed!!!

Oh wait but threse I'll informed farang thought they'd woukf still live a normal life in a civil war torn country because of Thainess and its not really a civil war per say? It's a sort of tiny wee civil war but they'll be okay as nobodybtouchrs farangs during civil wars.

But if they keep repeating these claims over and over and over they believe others will be convinced too!!

None of them has any idea of what it takes logistically to stage a civil war either, the amount of weapons and ammo for startes, the RTA would have collapsed in days as there's not a chance they'd start killing their own villagers.

They wouldn't even know who their enemy was there's no uniforms worn in civil wars either, and everybody forgets one thing here, the royal family would also have been evacuated if there was a serious risk of civil war!!

Most farangs making such asinine statements think the civil war would just be like songkran over in a few days, there was no exodus of tourists on the run up to the coup, no warnings from foreign Governments to prepare to evacuate, civil war imminent? Hyperbole at its finest indeed.

And what I've also found is that most of the ones using civil war as an excuse for the coup are the ones who look down on the Thais and call the other non junta supporting farangs derogatory names, question their education and probably don't even live in Thailand either.

[Fat Haggis]

People should remember that Thailand was on the edge of civil war when the coup took place. Those people who ordered the terrorist attacks against civilians and the people ready to carry them out are all waiting until they think they can do it again without getting caught. Even worse, the state police had been filled with cronies answering to the one big boss and did nothing to stop it happening. In fact, they aided it in some cases. All of this is because one person knows his chance of amnesty is zero if he doesn't have his lackeys in power.

Maybe Prayuth should have waited until a few hundred more Thais had been murdered - maybe even waited for a massacre - and the country was facing economic ruin before launching the coup. Maybe then some of these armchair critics would appreciate the gravity of the situation which was facing the country and why Prayuth thinks these rules are needed.

Nonsense!!

Spoken like an expert on the subject. Armchair expert in the middle of nowhere that is.

And you are the expert? Spoken like the exact example I gave in my last post.

[EnglishJohn]

People should remember that Thailand was on the edge of civil war when the coup took place. Those people who ordered the terrorist attacks against civilians and the people ready to carry them out are all waiting until they think they can do it again without getting caught. Even worse, the state police had been filled with cronies answering to the one big boss and did nothing to stop it happening. In fact, they aided it in some cases. All of this is because one person knows his chance of amnesty is zero if he doesn't have his lackeys in power.

Maybe Prayuth should have waited until a few hundred more Thais had been murdered - maybe even waited for a massacre - and the country was facing economic ruin before launching the coup. Maybe then some of these armchair critics would appreciate the gravity of the situation which was facing the country and why Prayuth thinks these rules are needed.

The ills of the country are well known, and it is a power struggle for which the average Thai is going to suffer.

John, when will the need for constant justifications for the coup come to an end ? What is the justification for giving a man god like powers ? How is he going to stay impartial, not giving into Thai elitist institutions ?

As I see it, no Thais are suffering for it now. OK - some feel like their spoils of victory have been stolen but that's about it.

I have said many times the Junta is a bad choice from worse options. Prayuth will not be able to withstand the pressure to hold elections after the reforms are complete and I am quite sure he will not try to anyway.

My point is that picking faults now is far too late. It is easy to criticise from an armchair after the event but Pheu-Thai showed quite clearly they did not give a damn what anybody thought : they were going to follow through whatever Mr T said no matter what. 2010 was a lesson in how far he is prepared to go and Prayuth knows how far that is (what a shame the press did not make a big point of it - but they are subject to the same pressures as his cronies in Parliament). Thailand has to suffer this brief period where the 'elite' are back in partial control but it is quite certain they will get their election soon and all of this will be consigned to history.

[Fat Haggis]

John, when is the last time Thaksin stated he wanted to return to Thailand and have absolute power just like the current PM has just given himself?

Don't you think that the people wouldn't have a say in that ? Many PTP voters don't like Thaksin but dont care for the alternatives either.

The coup had to happen it was inevitable as it always happen when teddies get thrown out of prams by politicians. The biggest problem in Thailand isn't the politicians it's the army interfering in the political system say what you want but since the 1930's they have always been the behind the scenes string pullers and watching over everything 19 coups doesn't alarm you in the slightest?

Almost 12 months have passed and not a single reform has been implemented I said in another thread I will give 10,000 baht to any charity George names if there's elecgions before April 2016.

I'm that confident it's not going to happen? Are you confident enough to state it will because isn't that what prayuth stated right from the get go?

12-16 months no more and there will be elections he said, and within 6 months the excuses started to roll in.

Put your money where your mouth is.

[lostoday]

I'm vacilating between.

Hobson's choice – Choice between taking what is offered and taking nothing; named after James Hobson, owner of a livery stable who required his customers to take the horse nearest the door or no horse at all.

And

Catch 22.

Maj. Major Major Major: Sergeant, from now on, I don't want anyone to come in and see me while I'm in my office. Is that clear?

First Sgt. Towser: Yes, sir. What do I say to people who want to come in and see you while you're in your office?

Maj. Major Major Major: Tell them I'm in and ask them to wait.

First Sgt. Towser: For how long?

Maj. Major Major Major: Until I've left.

[Commerce]

People should remember that Thailand was on the edge of civil war when the coup took place. Those people who ordered the terrorist attacks against civilians and the people ready to carry them out are all waiting until they think they can do it again without getting caught. Even worse, the state police had been filled with cronies answering to the one big boss and did nothing to stop it happening. In fact, they aided it in some cases. All of this is because one person knows his chance of amnesty is zero if he doesn't have his lackeys in power.

Maybe Prayuth should have waited until a few hundred more Thais had been murdered - maybe even waited for a massacre - and the country was facing economic ruin before launching the coup. Maybe then some of these armchair critics would appreciate the gravity of the situation which was facing the country and why Prayuth thinks these rules are needed.

The ills of the country are well known, and it is a power struggle for which the average Thai is going to suffer.

John, when will the need for constant justifications for the coup come to an end ? What is the justification for giving a man god like powers ? How is he going to stay impartial, not giving into Thai elitist institutions ?

As I see it, no Thais are suffering for it now. OK - some feel like their spoils of victory have been stolen but that's about it.

I have said many times the Junta is a bad choice from worse options. Prayuth will not be able to withstand the pressure to hold elections after the reforms are complete and I am quite sure he will not try to anyway.

My point is that picking faults now is far too late. It is easy to criticise from an armchair after the event but Pheu-Thai showed quite clearly they did not give a damn what anybody thought : they were going to follow through whatever Mr T said no matter what. 2010 was a lesson in how far he is prepared to go and Prayuth knows how far that is (what a shame the press did not make a big point of it - but they are subject to the same pressures as his cronies in Parliament). Thailand has to suffer this brief period where the 'elite' are back in partial control but it is quite certain they will get their election soon and all of this will be consigned to history.

"now" being the operative word, as you see it. Article 44 hasn't even been tried or tested yet, and its limitations have no bounds; but if you might recognise - it has only just been implemented so wait and see how it may be tried and tested..... sometimes I do actually wonder if you live here John or, if you do, where your golden castle is.

[deecee10]

Never been much of a democracy, but Article 44 confirms that the place is now a one man dictatorship.

[lostoday]

The ills of the country are well known, and it is a power struggle for which the average Thai is going to suffer.

John, when will the need for constant justifications for the coup come to an end ? What is the justification for giving a man god like powers ? How is he going to stay impartial, not giving into Thai elitist institutions ?

As I see it, no Thais are suffering for it now. OK - some feel like their spoils of victory have been stolen but that's about it.

I have said many times the Junta is a bad choice from worse options. Prayuth will not be able to withstand the pressure to hold elections after the reforms are complete and I am quite sure he will not try to anyway.

My point is that picking faults now is far too late. It is easy to criticise from an armchair after the event but Pheu-Thai showed quite clearly they did not give a damn what anybody thought : they were going to follow through whatever Mr T said no matter what. 2010 was a lesson in how far he is prepared to go and Prayuth knows how far that is (what a shame the press did not make a big point of it - but they are subject to the same pressures as his cronies in Parliament). Thailand has to suffer this brief period where the 'elite' are back in partial control but it is quite certain they will get their election soon and all of this will be consigned to history.

"now" being the operative word, as you see it. Article 44 hasn't even been tried or tested yet, and its limitations have no bounds; but if you might recognise - it has only just been implemented so wait and see how it may be tried and tested..... sometimes I do actually wonder if you live here John or, if you do, where your golden castle is.

Dr Visanu insisted that powers vested by Section 44 had been invoked before in the form of Section 17 during the regime of military strongman, Field Marshal Sarit Thanarat.

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/814366-dr-visanu-section-44-is-needed-to-deal-with-ill-intent-elements/

[Eric Loh]

Can Thailand be called a democratic country before the coup? What value had that gave to the lives of Thais?

State coffer being robbed, lives under armed threat, police inactions or used politically against oppositions, corruption rampant?

State coffer being robbed, lives under armed threat, police inactions or used politically against oppositions, corruption rampant? What have all these got to do with democracy ???? By the way, you sure all that you described are not happening now? I also treasure the value of freedom of speech and expression before the coup. That's a hell of a lot of values that have been lost with the coup. You don't see?

[Commerce]

The ills of the country are well known, and it is a power struggle for which the average Thai is going to suffer.

John, when will the need for constant justifications for the coup come to an end ? What is the justification for giving a man god like powers ? How is he going to stay impartial, not giving into Thai elitist institutions ?

As I see it, no Thais are suffering for it now. OK - some feel like their spoils of victory have been stolen but that's about it.

I have said many times the Junta is a bad choice from worse options. Prayuth will not be able to withstand the pressure to hold elections after the reforms are complete and I am quite sure he will not try to anyway.

My point is that picking faults now is far too late. It is easy to criticise from an armchair after the event but Pheu-Thai showed quite clearly they did not give a damn what anybody thought : they were going to follow through whatever Mr T said no matter what. 2010 was a lesson in how far he is prepared to go and Prayuth knows how far that is (what a shame the press did not make a big point of it - but they are subject to the same pressures as his cronies in Parliament). Thailand has to suffer this brief period where the 'elite' are back in partial control but it is quite certain they will get their election soon and all of this will be consigned to history.

"now" being the operative word, as you see it. Article 44 hasn't even been tried or tested yet, and its limitations have no bounds; but if you might recognise - it has only just been implemented so wait and see how it may be tried and tested..... sometimes I do actually wonder if you live here John or, if you do, where your golden castle is.

Dr Visanu insisted that powers vested by Section 44 had been invoked before in the form of Section 17 during the regime of military strongman, Field Marshal Sarit Thanarat.

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/814366-dr-visanu-section-44-is-needed-to-deal-with-ill-intent-elements/

Nooo. Never! I didn't know that.

And my new wife comes in the form of my ex-wife, but she <deleted>?s a lot better and harder, and can play on the same dirty ground too!

[Fat Haggis]

Another red herring I keep reading is that the Army stepped in to stop the killing of the protesters, so why didn't they step in sooner if that's one excuse? A lot more lives would have been saved if they had.

So the coup stopped the civil war wheel in it's tracks according to a certain section of the Kool aid drinkers club, how exactly?

I was able to move from Issan to Bangkok in my pick up without seeing any roadblocks, or increased Army presence, so it didn't stop freedom of movement, which is key to any warfare.

7% of the population according to one poster are die hard terrorists (UDD) that's about 5,000,000 which is like what? 10 times larger than the RTA, and yet they chose to not go to war because of the coup?

The huge arms caches of modern weapons (needed for wars) never ever materialised, sure there was the odd find, highly publicised, but not boxes and boxes of military grade weapons, and ammunition again needed for a war, several thousand tonnes of it more to the point, most civil wars run between 5 and 10 years based on historical civil wars, with the odd exception going either way, so how would a civil war that was imminent be conducted without weapons and ammunition to sustain even a week of war?

Just how would that 7% identify their targets, would all their enemies,( who would that be exactly too) wearing some kind of garment that identifies them as enemy combatants or is it the belief of the civil war banner wavers that they were just going to drive across the country like ISIS and commit mass murders and destroy properties and infrastructure?

When these farangs went to their local tescos, and 7/11's were the shelves bare, and no food found because the Thai's and other farangs stockpiled in their homes and started fortifying their homes and started hunkering down for the civil war?

I'm willing to bet that for the other farangs here, there was no change to the village or town life in the run up to the coup, and life was about as normal as it got?

[aaacorp]

People should remember that Thailand was on the edge of civil war when the coup took place. Those people who ordered the terrorist attacks against civilians and the people ready to carry them out are all waiting until they think they can do it again without getting caught. Even worse, the state police had been filled with cronies answering to the one big boss and did nothing to stop it happening. In fact, they aided it in some cases. All of this is because one person knows his chance of amnesty is zero if he doesn't have his lackeys in power.

Maybe Prayuth should have waited until a few hundred more Thais had been murdered - maybe even waited for a massacre - and the country was facing economic ruin before launching the coup. Maybe then some of these armchair critics would appreciate the gravity of the situation which was facing the country and why Prayuth thinks these rules are needed.

We should all praise the calm and quietness of North Korea as an exemple of political stability....

[yellowboat]

People should remember that Thailand was on the edge of civil war when the coup took place. Those people who ordered the terrorist attacks against civilians and the people ready to carry them out are all waiting until they think they can do it again without getting caught. Even worse, the state police had been filled with cronies answering to the one big boss and did nothing to stop it happening. In fact, they aided it in some cases. All of this is because one person knows his chance of amnesty is zero if he doesn't have his lackeys in power.

Maybe Prayuth should have waited until a few hundred more Thais had been murdered - maybe even waited for a massacre - and the country was facing economic ruin before launching the coup. Maybe then some of these armchair critics would appreciate the gravity of the situation which was facing the country and why Prayuth thinks these rules are needed.

The ills of the country are well known, and it is a power struggle for which the average Thai is going to suffer.

John, when will the need for constant justifications for the coup come to an end ? What is the justification for giving a man god like powers ? How is he going to stay impartial, not giving into Thai elitist institutions ?

As I see it, no Thais are suffering for it now. OK - some feel like their spoils of victory have been stolen but that's about it.

I have said many times the Junta is a bad choice from worse options. Prayuth will not be able to withstand the pressure to hold elections after the reforms are complete and I am quite sure he will not try to anyway.

My point is that picking faults now is far too late. It is easy to criticise from an armchair after the event but Pheu-Thai showed quite clearly they did not give a damn what anybody thought : they were going to follow through whatever Mr T said no matter what. 2010 was a lesson in how far he is prepared to go and Prayuth knows how far that is (what a shame the press did not make a big point of it - but they are subject to the same pressures as his cronies in Parliament). Thailand has to suffer this brief period where the 'elite' are back in partial control but it is quite certain they will get their election soon and all of this will be consigned to history.

Some of us complaining have been marginalized by the good general. Some of us work with fine people on both sides of the conflict and we wonder should we even bother Thailand , as China is cheaper and simpler to deal with. The power we see in Thailand is the patience which is reflected in the workmanship. We are trying to bring modern technology to the country and feel our efforts are unappreciated and curtailed.

"after the reforms are complete". We can only hope that your optimism comes true, but the reform process is being carried by a man with elitist leanings, questionable impartiality and god like powers. He is not including the breadth of the nation in this process/discussion and has outlawed critical polls of his performance. He has solely taken on this responsibility. That is alarming.

[Srikcir]

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

Can Thailand be called a democratic country before the coup? What value had that gave to the lives of Thais?

State coffer being robbed, lives under armed threat, police inactions or used politically against oppositions, corruption rampant?

"State coffer being robbed, lives under armed threat, police inactions or used politically against oppositions, corruption rampant?"

But what was it like before the coup?

[Fat Haggis]

Well according to many farangs here, Thai's are too lazy to work, so imagine what their appetite will be for a war!!

[NeilSA1]

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

Can Thailand be called a democratic country before the coup? What value had that gave to the lives of Thais?

State coffer being robbed, lives under armed threat, police inactions or used politically against oppositions, corruption rampant?

"State coffer being robbed, lives under armed threat, police inactions or used politically against oppositions, corruption rampant?"

But what was it like before the coup?

Refresh your memory - Google is your friend.

[trogers]

Can Thailand be called a democratic country before the coup? What value had that gave to the lives of Thais?

State coffer being robbed, lives under armed threat, police inactions or used politically against oppositions, corruption rampant?

State coffer being robbed, lives under armed threat, police inactions or used politically against oppositions, corruption rampant? What have all these got to do with democracy ???? By the way, you sure all that you described are not happening now? I also treasure the value of freedom of speech and expression before the coup. That's a hell of a lot of values that have been lost with the coup. You don't see?

I see and value the realities on the ground. Not all the hot air coming out of mouths.

[NeilSA1]

This article succinctly but unconsciously provides the solution to its own question. ".......when many problems facing the country are surfacing rapidly........"

Edited April 3, 2015 by NeilSA1

[Fat Haggis]

Can Thailand be called a democratic country before the coup? What value had that gave to the lives of Thais?

State coffer being robbed, lives under armed threat, police inactions or used politically against oppositions, corruption rampant?

State coffer being robbed, lives under armed threat, police inactions or used politically against oppositions, corruption rampant? What have all these got to do with democracy ???? By the way, you sure all that you described are not happening now? I also treasure the value of freedom of speech and expression before the coup. That's a hell of a lot of values that have been lost with the coup. You don't see?

I see and value the realities on the ground. Not all the hot air coming out of mouths.

As do I and I never seen half the things you seen, lives under armed threat? ... So the people in the South who have been under armed threat for the past decade are not important to you because you want to make a POLITICAL statement out of it?

You seen open corruption before? so what did you do about it? Most corruption is invisible, but you must have some sort of superpowers to be able to have seen it openly before, and not see it anymore, does that come with a particular flavour of kool aid you drink, or is it a genetic sort of thing?

How many Armed attacks happened in Pattaya, Korat, Chiang Mai, any of the Andaman Islands, Phuket, Hua Hin that peoples lives were under threat.. Hyperbole much?

Sure in small areas in Bangkok there was an increased risk of being harmed, but there was enough warnings issued to keep away from those areas both for Thais and Farangs, those that went there did so on their own free will, and took their own lives in their hands, they had the right to protest but at the same time knew the risks.

If you were told that the car you wanted to by so badly didn't have any brakes would you still buy it, or would common sense kick in and realise the risk was greater than the need?

See that hot air coming out of mouths ? go and have a look in the mirror.