Thaksin and Yingluck fighting lonely battle

[ExPratt]

'Red shirt leaders perceive the "crackdown" against the duo as a junta show of force against Thaksin in retaliation for his stinging attack. However, the movement has decided against staging any moves against the junta."

Oh they are calling it a "Stinging Attack "now, so people will not look at the content of his interview it was "A stinging attack" Utter trash Journalism

Dramatic Leader. Bangkok , Red shirts unlikely to tape up cudgels on behalf on Thaksin and Yingluck, followed by several paragraphs of bilge , speculation and conjecture concerning what measures the Junta and powers that be could do to Thaksin. Finishing off with the reasoning for the Leader headline from and unnamed and an un quoted Source

​Nice one nation , scraping the barrel to appease your masters

[stoli]

I would imagine that in the last 6 months, anyone coming to Thailand for their first time, can finally ask, "Who is Thaksin, and who is Yingluck?" No one would have guessed this one year ago.

[Plutojames88]

but it is unlikely the red-shirt movement will come to their rescue.

The red shirts have chosen to see if the junta can solve the country's problems.

Many posters on this forum keep saying the Red Shirts are wanting to start a revolution over Thaksin's 'mistreatment'. Which is true?

[

.

Aside from the description of calling a Gun wielding General who seizes power "" A new sheriff in Town"" ( the laughter is appreciated)

Your very amusing post , seems to take on face value comments by a carefully worded RED spokesmen.

Do you really think they are going to say things like "" oh yea we are in talks with overseas agencies , and we plan to sit tight until a conviction against Yingluck ""

No they say this.

Why would you show your hand to thugs standing over you?

There is far more likely to be revolt than not.

The scrapping of minimum wage.....Jailing of their elected ex PM .....the Charter that effectively removes their chances of representation.....the silly obsession with Thaksin who successfully ran an economy they can't .

It's just a matter of setting a stage .....

But rather than perhaps the Reds doing the hard work .

The army ( mostly red shirt family members) will perhaps with the support of a few generals over throw the current status Quo to prevent a blood bath.

This Government seems to be testing the Thai people as Thaksin rightly said.

Time will tell.

Your sheriff may well get his high noon

As long as the economy heads south and International opinion questions the corruption and lack of freedoms , waiting is a well thought out plan....

What you think is reluctant commitment , could well be a case of "enough rope "

thaksin run a successful economy..your drunk..and trolling...do you even live here..i mean in the here and now......at best try an unbiased debate if your talking about a murdering corrupt fugative..is there a valid reason he wont return try to think before engaging your pinkies on your pc..

Go read the facts

Brief history

In Thailand, the election of Thaksin Shinawatra ushered in a period of economic success.

Thaksinomics saw projects such as a micro credit scheme to help small businesses, and the promotion of local products outside the big cities.

Thaksin's government designed its policies to appeal to the rural majority, initiating programs like village-managed microcredit development funds, low-interest agricultural loans, direct injections of cash into village development funds (the SML scheme), infrastructure development, and the One Tambon One Product (OTOP) rural small and medium enterprise development program.

Thaksin's economic policies helped Thailand recover from the 1997 Asian financial crisis and substantially reduce poverty. GDP grew from 4.9 trillion baht in 2001 to 7.1 trillion baht in 2006. Thailand repaid its debts to the International Monetary Fund two years ahead of schedule.

Income in the northeast, the poorest part of the country, rose by 46% from 2001 to 2006.Nationwide poverty fell from 21.3% to 11.3%.Thailand's Gini coefficient, a measure of income inequality, fell from.525 in 2000 to.499 in 2004 (it had risen from 1996 to 2000) ). The Stock Exchange of Thailand outperformed other markets in the region. After facing fiscal deficits in 2001 and 2002, Thaksin balanced the national budget, producing comfortable fiscal surpluses for 2003 to 2005. Despite a massive program of infrastructure investments, a balanced budget was projected for 2007.Public sector debt fell from 57 per cent of GDP in January 2001 to 41 per cent in September 2006.Foreign exchange reserves doubled from US$30 billion in 2001 to US$64 billion in 2006.

Edited June 7, 2015 by Plutojames88

[Bruce68]

"Thaksin received nine royal decorations from 1974 to 2002"

So...he too is one of the Elites. In Malaysia, he would be carrying the title 'Datuk'.

Noticeable that the royal decorations stopped in 2002

That's the time frame that a lot of people began seeing through Thaksin.

For the observant, he tipped his hand fairly early to them.

[Basil B]

I live in a small town south of Bangkok and have been asking Thai friends, relatives and associates their views on some of the big issues facing the country a year after the military coup.

While many were understandably reluctant to venture their opinions, others were more forthcoming. Here are some of the conclusions.

1 Most people are not concerned about what happens to the Thaksins and don't want them back in power.

2 They are far less worried about concepts such as democracy and personal freedom than are many of the regime's critics in the West, whom they say simply don't understand Thai mentality.

3 A majority feel the coup was necessary and are prepared to allow the military-led junta to run the show for however long it takes to bring lasting peace, security and stability to the Kingdom.

4 Voters, particularly those living in Bangkok where the army's intervention ended six months of destructive violence and bloodshed, are in no particular hurry for a general election.

5 Most would rather spend years ruled by an" iron fist in a velvet glove" administration rather than return to a political democracy characterised by systemic corruption and political and social unrest.

6 A relatively small number will bother to wade through the fine print of the draft new Constitution, if and when one arrives in the mail box.

7 Many less concerned about the restoration of human rights than the return of the Friday TV soap opera displaced by the PM's weekly paternal chats.

I am not suggesting this small, random sample represents the attitudes of most Thai people. However, it may go some way to explain the apparent ease with which the military-led administration has entrenched itself in the public psyche as a power for good - or at the very worst, a necessary evil.

A very fair assumption, but Thailand is split and many think otherwise, brainwashed to the idea of overnight instant wealth (the Thaksin Dream), they now know Thaksin can not deliver this and are just waiting for the next politician who promises this with down payments at the polling station.

[mikemac]

'Red shirt leaders perceive the "crackdown" against the duo as a junta show of force against Thaksin in retaliation for his stinging attack. However, the movement has decided against staging any moves against the junta."

Oh they are calling it a "Stinging Attack "now, so people will not look at the content of his interview it was "A stinging attack" Utter trash Journalism

Dramatic Leader. Bangkok , Red shirts unlikely to tape up cudgels on behalf on Thaksin and Yingluck, followed by several paragraphs of bilge , speculation and conjecture concerning what measures the Junta and powers that be could do to Thaksin. Finishing off with the reasoning for the Leader headline from and unnamed and an un quoted Source

​Nice one nation , scraping the barrel to appease your masters

.................."​Nice one nation , scraping the barrel to appease your masters"........................

Now hang on a minute EP, it was not that long ago that The Nation published a very negative report on the Military Junta and a lot of the PTP fans on this forum were all over it like a cheap suit.

I did not bother keeping any record of it but I did comment on the hypocrisy of it.

It seems when the Nation attacks the Junta that is ok, but when they dare attack Thaksin that is unforgivable and they are guilty of "trash journalism" , publishing - "several paragraphs of bilge , speculation and conjecture" , and lastly - "scraping the barrel to appease your masters".

Are these the same masters they are appeasing when they dare to attack the Militart Junta ?

The word "hypocrisy" really does come to mind.

From now on, every time The Nation attacks the current government I will pm you a copy of it, just in case you miss it, you know.

[rubl]

but it is unlikely the red-shirt movement will come to their rescue.

The red shirts have chosen to see if the junta can solve the country's problems.

Many posters on this forum keep saying the Red Shirts are wanting to start a revolution over Thaksin's 'mistreatment'. Which is true?

[

.

Aside from the description of calling a Gun wielding General who seizes power "" A new sheriff in Town"" ( the laughter is appreciated)

Your very amusing post , seems to take on face value comments by a carefully worded RED spokesmen.

Do you really think they are going to say things like "" oh yea we are in talks with overseas agencies , and we plan to sit tight until a conviction against Yingluck ""

No they say this.

Why would you show your hand to thugs standing over you?

There is far more likely to be revolt than not.

The scrapping of minimum wage.....Jailing of their elected ex PM .....the Charter that effectively removes their chances of representation.....the silly obsession with Thaksin who successfully ran an economy they can't .

It's just a matter of setting a stage .....

But rather than perhaps the Reds doing the hard work .

The army ( mostly red shirt family members) will perhaps with the support of a few generals over throw the current status Quo to prevent a blood bath.

This Government seems to be testing the Thai people as Thaksin rightly said.

Time will tell.

Your sheriff may well get his high noon

As long as the economy heads south and International opinion questions the corruption and lack of freedoms , waiting is a well thought out plan....

What you think is reluctant commitment , could well be a case of "enough rope "

thaksin run a successful economy..your drunk..and trolling...do you even live here..i mean in the here and now......at best try an unbiased debate if your talking about a murdering corrupt fugative..is there a valid reason he wont return try to think before engaging your pinkies on your pc..

Go read the facts

Brief history

In Thailand, the election of Thaksin Shinawatra ushered in a period of economic success.

Thaksinomics saw projects such as a micro credit scheme to help small businesses, and the promotion of local products outside the big cities.

Thaksin's government designed its policies to appeal to the rural majority, initiating programs like village-managed microcredit development funds, low-interest agricultural loans, direct injections of cash into village development funds (the SML scheme), infrastructure development, and the One Tambon One Product (OTOP) rural small and medium enterprise development program.

Thaksin's economic policies helped Thailand recover from the 1997 Asian financial crisis and substantially reduce poverty. GDP grew from 4.9 trillion baht in 2001 to 7.1 trillion baht in 2006. Thailand repaid its debts to the International Monetary Fund two years ahead of schedule.

Income in the northeast, the poorest part of the country, rose by 46% from 2001 to 2006.Nationwide poverty fell from 21.3% to 11.3%.Thailand's Gini coefficient, a measure of income inequality, fell from.525 in 2000 to.499 in 2004 (it had risen from 1996 to 2000) ). The Stock Exchange of Thailand outperformed other markets in the region. After facing fiscal deficits in 2001 and 2002, Thaksin balanced the national budget, producing comfortable fiscal surpluses for 2003 to 2005. Despite a massive program of infrastructure investments, a balanced budget was projected for 2007.Public sector debt fell from 57 per cent of GDP in January 2001 to 41 per cent in September 2006.Foreign exchange reserves doubled from US$30 billion in 2001 to US$64 billion in 2006.

After the PM Chavalit government had squandered away the National Foreign Reserves and started the 1997 financial crisis, the Chuan government setup various austerity programs which really helped set the country in the right direction again. Austerity programs are disliked by voters who tend to look at now rather than then and with Thaksin having 'bought' most small parties he won the 2001 elections (covered a minor slipup with a tear) and started on spending in an worldwide economical boom. That enabled him to swap the IMF loan with a longer terms loan with Singapore. Still unclear if longterm that led to higher costs.

By 2006 the Thaksinomics program runout of steam, like the rest of the world. Luckily he was dropped so some still state 'all would have been better if only Thaksin had been there".

Same with younger sister Yingluck. If only she'd been able to get those 2.4 trillion Baht to be paid of in 50 years, all would be well. For the 'right' people probably.

Edited June 7, 2015 by rubl

[nithisa78]

The maladjusted have just turned this into an every day soap opera. Confuse the confused and continue to conquer.

The clueless have spoken. Lives are being lost, this is a serious situation that we can't understand VIA the media.

[mikemac]

After the PM Chavalit government has squandered away the National Foreign Reserves and started the 1997 financial crisis, the Chuan government setup various austerity programs which really helped set the country in the right direction again. Austerity programs are disliked by voters who tend to look at now rather than then and with Thaksin having 'bought' most small parties he won the 2001 elections (covered a minor slipup with a tear) and started on spending in an worldwide economical boom. That enabled him to swap the IMF loan with a longer terms loan with Singapore. Still unclear if longterm that led to higher costs.

By 2006 the Thaksinomics program runout of steam, like the rest of the world. Luckily he was dropped so some still state 'all would have been better if only Thaksin had been there".

Same with younger sister Yingluck. If only she'd been able to get those 24 trillion Baht to be paid of in 50 years, all would be well. For the 'right' people probably.

Yes, wouldn't that have been great ? The next 50 years hearing the PTP telling the farmers that there will be no more handouts until this massive debt has been paid off, and the TVF PTP fan club defending the actions of the most financially inept political party in history.

[ExPratt]

'Red shirt leaders perceive the "crackdown" against the duo as a junta show of force against Thaksin in retaliation for his stinging attack. However, the movement has decided against staging any moves against the junta."

Oh they are calling it a "Stinging Attack "now, so people will not look at the content of his interview it was "A stinging attack" Utter trash Journalism

Dramatic Leader. Bangkok , Red shirts unlikely to tape up cudgels on behalf on Thaksin and Yingluck, followed by several paragraphs of bilge , speculation and conjecture concerning what measures the Junta and powers that be could do to Thaksin. Finishing off with the reasoning for the Leader headline from and unnamed and an un quoted Source

​Nice one nation , scraping the barrel to appease your masters

.................."​Nice one nation , scraping the barrel to appease your masters"........................

Now hang on a minute EP, it was not that long ago that The Nation published a very negative report on the Military Junta and a lot of the PTP fans on this forum were all over it like a cheap suit.

I did not bother keeping any record of it but I did comment on the hypocrisy of it.

It seems when the Nation attacks the Junta that is ok, but when they dare attack Thaksin that is unforgivable and they are guilty of "trash journalism" , publishing - "several paragraphs of bilge , speculation and conjecture" , and lastly - "scraping the barrel to appease your masters".

Are these the same masters they are appeasing when they dare to attack the Militart Junta ?

The word "hypocrisy" really does come to mind.

From now on, every time The Nation attacks the current government I will pm you a copy of it, just in case you miss it, you know.

They should be attacking the Junta , normal citizens cannot ,its the duty of the press to keep them honest. This Thaksin thing has turned into a "Ner , ner , ner ,ner , ner and blowing a Raspberry fest. So what if they strip him of everything I doubt he really cares , I find the article a stirring rather than sycophantic.. They wont report the real issues so want to make a story out of this nonsense. I read quite a lot of subjects about Thailand on News now from International News agencies and The English speaking papers here dont go near it

[jesimps]

I live in a small town south of Bangkok and have been asking Thai friends, relatives and associates their views on some of the big issues facing the country a year after the military coup.

While many were understandably reluctant to venture their opinions, others were more forthcoming. Here are some of the conclusions.

1 Most people are not concerned about what happens to the Thaksins and don't want them back in power.

2 They are far less worried about concepts such as democracy and personal freedom than are many of the regime's critics in the West, whom they say simply don't understand Thai mentality.

3 A majority feel the coup was necessary and are prepared to allow the military-led junta to run the show for however long it takes to bring lasting peace, security and stability to the Kingdom.

4 Voters, particularly those living in Bangkok where the army's intervention ended six months of destructive violence and bloodshed, are in no particular hurry for a general election.

5 Most would rather spend years ruled by an" iron fist in a velvet glove" administration rather than return to a political democracy characterised by systemic corruption and political and social unrest.

6 A relatively small number will bother to wade through the fine print of the draft new Constitution, if and when one arrives in the mail box.

7 Many less concerned about the restoration of human rights than the return of the Friday TV soap opera displaced by the PM's weekly paternal chats.

I am not suggesting this small, random sample represents the attitudes of most Thai people. However, it may go some way to explain the apparent ease with which the military-led administration has entrenched itself in the public psyche as a power for good - or at the very worst, a necessary evil.

You need go no further than "I live in a small town south of Bangkok....." to know that there's going to be a load of pro-junta drivel to follow.

[jesimps]

One wonders where what direction this article actually heads, the less said the better when it comes to the Shinawatra family or so the junta would like you all to believe, so what have we here, just another dreary drab nothing new article on the Shinawatra family or the two most prominent ones, boring boring , nothing new and as to fighting a lonely battle, are they, how do you know what is happening behind closed doors.

Without Thaksin the Junta would lose its excuse for holding power. Things are not looking good as far as the economy is going and there are more on more ppl voicing discontent especially with the debacle that is the draft constitution so, since the cupboard is looking bare for 'us' things to talk about they need to expand on how bad 'them' is to deflect from their own shortcomings.

For the Junta to get away with extending its stay in power it needs to ramp up the 'threat' hence all the pointless articles such as this one and his trip to Macedonia appearing at the moment.

........................"Without Thaksin the Junta would lose its excuse for holding power."........................

If it was not for Thaksin the military coup would not have happened. If Thaksin had half a brain he would still be PM and would never have been forced into "self imposed exile".....

Every poster who has ever ridiculed the Military Junta on this forum has Thaksin to thank, which is why I find their comments ludicrous.

Even when Yingluck was in power Thaksin was in control of the PTP government and all it's stupid schemes and scams. I am still amazed at the way he abused the people of Issan with the Rice Scheme, the very people he used all those years as a way to get into power and stay there.

All that madman had to do was keep flicking the crumbs to the farmers and act like their savior and all would have been fine. Just don't give the Military an excuse to launch a coup, but what happened ? His greed and hunger for power stuffed everything up and now he is blaming everyone but himself for it.

I hope he never steps foot on Thai soil again in his miserable lifetime.

And pre-Thaksin, what was the excuse for the juntas then? Thaksin is just the convenient bogeyman of the moment. After they annihilate him and his clan they'll just nominate another poor so and so as an excuse to take power for themselves and their cronies.

[DP25]

"Thaksin received nine royal decorations from 1974 to 2002"

So...he too is one of the Elites. In Malaysia, he would be carrying the title 'Datuk'.

Yup. His grandmother was a princess and he is decended from the former king of Chiang Mai, his father was a member of parliament, his uncle was a member of parliament and a cabinet member, and another uncle was mayor of Chiang Mai. He was born in to wealth, power, and status, and he leveraged all of that to become a billionaire and the prime minister of Thailand. He masquerades as some kind of self made man, but like everything out of his mouth, it is all a lie.

[jackanapes]

this is no more than a witch hunt against the thaksins and the red shirt faction I am sure there are far worse people in Thailand that have done more damage to the country than they have there are far more urgent matters to deal with than make the thaksins scapegoats . my advice is don't dwell on this subject start putting the country to rights .

[Solomon]

I live in a small town south of Bangkok and have been asking Thai friends, relatives and associates their views on some of the big issues facing the country a year after the military coup.

While many were understandably reluctant to venture their opinions, others were more forthcoming. Here are some of the conclusions.

1 Most people are not concerned about what happens to the Thaksins and don't want them back in power.

2 They are far less worried about concepts such as democracy and personal freedom than are many of the regime's critics in the West, whom they say simply don't understand Thai mentality.

3 A majority feel the coup was necessary and are prepared to allow the military-led junta to run the show for however long it takes to bring lasting peace, security and stability to the Kingdom.

4 Voters, particularly those living in Bangkok where the army's intervention ended six months of destructive violence and bloodshed, are in no particular hurry for a general election.

5 Most would rather spend years ruled by an" iron fist in a velvet glove" administration rather than return to a political democracy characterised by systemic corruption and political and social unrest.

6 A relatively small number will bother to wade through the fine print of the draft new Constitution, if and when one arrives in the mail box.

7 Many less concerned about the restoration of human rights than the return of the Friday TV soap opera displaced by the PM's weekly paternal chats.

I am not suggesting this small, random sample represents the attitudes of most Thai people. However, it may go some way to explain the apparent ease with which the military-led administration has entrenched itself in the public psyche as a power for good - or at the very worst, a necessary evil.

You use the terms majority, most and many with much ease.

If you were anywhere near right then your majority (most, many) people should be clamouring for an election, instead as they are the minority, they are doing all they can to deny an election.

The "explanation" for why Thais seem to have accepted the coup with "apparent ease" is most likely explained by the following: section 44 empowers the military to lock up (and torture) any dissidents, the military is not shy about committing the odd massacre every decade or so to suppress opposition, the courts are biased and partial and indict and convict citizens at the Juntas behest and of course the fact that they've seen it all before as this is the 20th or so coup trampling democracy in this nation.

The "explanation" is most certainly not love or support for the junta by the majority (most, many) Thais.

[Robby nz]

As far as the red leaders are concerned they must be getting seriously worried about their own hides.

Most if not all of them have serious charges to answer regarding their part in the 2010 riots and they have left behind them screeds of evidence in the way of speeches from their stages, all faithfully recorded on video.

They must be wondering what support they can expect from Thaksin when their day before the judge arrives. Is he bound to support them because they can implement him in things like source of funding and orders received if he does not.

However if any were to turn against him they would have to keep in mind the disappearance or untimely end of others who have previously had the temerity to forward evidence against him.

Had he been an honest man he could have done great things for this country and would very likely still be PM to this day and receiving the kudos and respect he craves.

But unfortunately for the country and himself that was not to be, his greed got the better of him and even though, as he said when first standing, he had enough money so didn't need to cheat and increase his wealth, he did cheat and lie at the expense of the country and the people.

Now he finds himself in the invidious position of being to cowardly to return and face his accusers and having to pay others to do his dirty work, how long can he rely on those "Others" before they decide the cost is to high ?

Wonder how much money he does actually have and how much of his so called wealth is borrowed or in non preforming enterprises, after all he was never a good businessman having several failed attempts and only succeeding when he was able to get a monopoly, then paying others to do the work for him, (and cheating a partner https://wikileaks.org/plusd/cables/06BANGKOK5229_a.html)

The final indignity would be for someone to call in his debts and declare him bankrupt.

[scorecard]

this is no more than a witch hunt against the thaksins and the red shirt faction I am sure there are far worse people in Thailand that have done more damage to the country than they have there are far more urgent matters to deal with than make the thaksins scapegoats . my advice is don't dwell on this subject start putting the country to rights .

'scapegoats'

There's lots of hard evidence and one conviction (not politically motivated).

[scorecard]

I live in a small town south of Bangkok and have been asking Thai friends, relatives and associates their views on some of the big issues facing the country a year after the military coup.

While many were understandably reluctant to venture their opinions, others were more forthcoming. Here are some of the conclusions.

1 Most people are not concerned about what happens to the Thaksins and don't want them back in power.

2 They are far less worried about concepts such as democracy and personal freedom than are many of the regime's critics in the West, whom they say simply don't understand Thai mentality.

3 A majority feel the coup was necessary and are prepared to allow the military-led junta to run the show for however long it takes to bring lasting peace, security and stability to the Kingdom.

4 Voters, particularly those living in Bangkok where the army's intervention ended six months of destructive violence and bloodshed, are in no particular hurry for a general election.

5 Most would rather spend years ruled by an" iron fist in a velvet glove" administration rather than return to a political democracy characterised by systemic corruption and political and social unrest.

6 A relatively small number will bother to wade through the fine print of the draft new Constitution, if and when one arrives in the mail box.

7 Many less concerned about the restoration of human rights than the return of the Friday TV soap opera displaced by the PM's weekly paternal chats.

I am not suggesting this small, random sample represents the attitudes of most Thai people. However, it may go some way to explain the apparent ease with which the military-led administration has entrenched itself in the public psyche as a power for good - or at the very worst, a necessary evil.

You use the terms majority, most and many with much ease.

If you were anywhere near right then your majority (most, many) people should be clamouring for an election, instead as they are the minority, they are doing all they can to deny an election.

The "explanation" for why Thais seem to have accepted the coup with "apparent ease" is most likely explained by the following: section 44 empowers the military to lock up (and torture) any dissidents, the military is not shy about committing the odd massacre every decade or so to suppress opposition, the courts are biased and partial and indict and convict citizens at the Juntas behest and of course the fact that they've seen it all before as this is the 20th or so coup trampling democracy in this nation.

The "explanation" is most certainly not love or support for the junta by the majority (most, many) Thais.

"The "explanation" for why Thais seem to have accepted the coup with "apparent ease" is most likely explained by the following: section 44 empowers the military to lock up (and torture) any dissidents, the military is not shy about committing the odd massacre every decade or so to suppress opposition,..."

A nice convenient comment but without much credibility in regard to section 44.

'Military... odd massacre'. Yes it's true that some military coups in Thailand have been ruthless and violent but certainly not all, but there is no evidence that the current junta has been or intends to be violent towards ti public at large.

[baboon]

As far as the red leaders are concerned they must be getting seriously worried about their own hides.

Most if not all of them have serious charges to answer regarding their part in the 2010 riots and they have left behind them screeds of evidence in the way of speeches from their stages, all faithfully recorded on video.

They must be wondering what support they can expect from Thaksin when their day before the judge arrives. Is he bound to support them because they can implement him in things like source of funding and orders received if he does not.

However if any were to turn against him they would have to keep in mind the disappearance or untimely end of others who have previously had the temerity to forward evidence against him.

Had he been an honest man he could have done great things for this country and would very likely still be PM to this day and receiving the kudos and respect he craves.

But unfortunately for the country and himself that was not to be, his greed got the better of him and even though, as he said when first standing, he had enough money so didn't need to cheat and increase his wealth, he did cheat and lie at the expense of the country and the people.

Now he finds himself in the invidious position of being to cowardly to return and face his accusers and having to pay others to do his dirty work, how long can he rely on those "Others" before they decide the cost is to high ?

Wonder how much money he does actually have and how much of his so called wealth is borrowed or in non preforming enterprises, after all he was never a good businessman having several failed attempts and only succeeding when he was able to get a monopoly, then paying others to do the work for him, (and cheating a partner https://wikileaks.org/plusd/cables/06BANGKOK5229_a.html)

The final indignity would be for someone to call in his debts and declare him bankrupt.

I read your post and what sprang to mind was, "Why is this poster so fixated on the man?" We all get you don't like him, (quite understandably) but mate, you know...?

[rametindallas]

'Red shirt leaders perceive the "crackdown" against the duo as a junta show of force against Thaksin in retaliation for his stinging attack. However, the movement has decided against staging any moves against the junta."

Oh they are calling it a "Stinging Attack "now, so people will not look at the content of his interview it was "A stinging attack" Utter trash Journalism

Dramatic Leader. Bangkok , Red shirts unlikely to tape up cudgels on behalf on Thaksin and Yingluck, followed by several paragraphs of bilge , speculation and conjecture concerning what measures the Junta and powers that be could do to Thaksin. Finishing off with the reasoning for the Leader headline from and unnamed and an un quoted Source

​Nice one nation , scraping the barrel to appease your masters

.................."​Nice one nation , scraping the barrel to appease your masters"........................

Now hang on a minute EP, it was not that long ago that The Nation published a very negative report on the Military Junta and a lot of the PTP fans on this forum were all over it like a cheap suit.

I did not bother keeping any record of it but I did comment on the hypocrisy of it.

It seems when the Nation attacks the Junta that is ok, but when they dare attack Thaksin that is unforgivable and they are guilty of "trash journalism" , publishing - "several paragraphs of bilge , speculation and conjecture" , and lastly - "scraping the barrel to appease your masters".

Are these the same masters they are appeasing when they dare to attack the Militart Junta ?

The word "hypocrisy" really does come to mind.

From now on, every time The Nation attacks the current government I will pm you a copy of it, just in case you miss it, you know.

They should be attacking the Junta , normal citizens cannot ,its the duty of the press to keep them honest. This Thaksin thing has turned into a "Ner , ner , ner ,ner , ner and blowing a Raspberry fest. So what if they strip him of everything I doubt he really cares , I find the article a stirring rather than sycophantic.. They wont report the real issues so want to make a story out of this nonsense. I read quite a lot of subjects about Thailand on News now from International News agencies and The English speaking papers here dont go near it

They should be attacking the Junta , normal citizens cannot ,its the duty of the press to keep them honest.

Where were you when Thaksin was PM and holding up signs he would not answer a probing question? Where were you when Thaksin was suing individual reporters for billions for reporting on his corrupt practices? Thaksin and his billionaire business allies withheld billions in advertising from news outlets that published unfavorable news and he attempted to buy The Nation Multimedia Group (https://books.google.com/books?id=TLToo6osHS4C&pg=PA194&lpg=PA194&dq=Thaksin+tries+to+buy+the+nationion+multimedia+group&source=bl&ots=fLSey8Ocer&sig=LLNFQn4IXj4TBA0wehq96e_St2A&hl=en&sa=X&ei=WlR0VbbjF9WkyASLhICwCw&ved=0CDoQ6AEwBQ#v=onepage&q=Thaksin%20tries%20to%20buy%20the%20nationion%20multimedia%20group&f=false) to stop their reporting on him. When you say the press has a duty to keep a PM honest, are you saying that the current government is less honest than Thaksin's government because of limitations on the freedom of the press?

Thaksin meets the press - in court

By Pepe Escobar Nov 2, 2005

BANGKOK - Once upon a time, Thailand was known to have a free and open press. Not anymore. In the 2005 Worldwide Press Freedom Index, released last month by Paris-based Reporters Without Borders and ranking 167 countries, Thailand shows up at a far from flattering 107th place, behind post-Khmer Rouge Cambodia and post-Suharto Indonesia.

http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Southeast_Asia/GK02Ae01.html

It's ridiculous to compare current press freedom to press freedom under Thaksin as Thaksin made every effort to stifle the press and it was never able to keep Thaksin honest; history has proven that. Let me know when you have some data that the current government is behaving in a corrupt way as Thaksin constantly did.

.

Edited June 7, 2015 by rametindallas

[Orac]

'Red shirt leaders perceive the "crackdown" against the duo as a junta show of force against Thaksin in retaliation for his stinging attack. However, the movement has decided against staging any moves against the junta."

Oh they are calling it a "Stinging Attack "now, so people will not look at the content of his interview it was "A stinging attack" Utter trash Journalism

Dramatic Leader. Bangkok , Red shirts unlikely to tape up cudgels on behalf on Thaksin and Yingluck, followed by several paragraphs of bilge , speculation and conjecture concerning what measures the Junta and powers that be could do to Thaksin. Finishing off with the reasoning for the Leader headline from and unnamed and an un quoted Source

​Nice one nation , scraping the barrel to appease your masters

.................."​Nice one nation , scraping the barrel to appease your masters"........................

Now hang on a minute EP, it was not that long ago that The Nation published a very negative report on the Military Junta and a lot of the PTP fans on this forum were all over it like a cheap suit.

I did not bother keeping any record of it but I did comment on the hypocrisy of it.

It seems when the Nation attacks the Junta that is ok, but when they dare attack Thaksin that is unforgivable and they are guilty of "trash journalism" , publishing - "several paragraphs of bilge , speculation and conjecture" , and lastly - "scraping the barrel to appease your masters".

Are these the same masters they are appeasing when they dare to attack the Militart Junta ?

The word "hypocrisy" really does come to mind.

From now on, every time The Nation attacks the current government I will pm you a copy of it, just in case you miss it, you know.

They should be attacking the Junta , normal citizens cannot ,its the duty of the press to keep them honest. This Thaksin thing has turned into a "Ner , ner , ner ,ner , ner and blowing a Raspberry fest. So what if they strip him of everything I doubt he really cares , I find the article a stirring rather than sycophantic.. They wont report the real issues so want to make a story out of this nonsense. I read quite a lot of subjects about Thailand on News now from International News agencies and The English speaking papers here dont go near it

They should be attacking the Junta , normal citizens cannot ,its the duty of the press to keep them honest.

Where were you when Thaksin was PM and holding up signs he would not answer a probing question? Where were you when Thaksin was suing individual reporters for billions for reporting on his corrupt practices? Thaksin and his billionaire business allies withheld billions in advertising from news outlets that published unfavorable news and he attempted to buy The Nation Multimedia Group (https://books.google.com/books?id=TLToo6osHS4C&pg=PA194&lpg=PA194&dq=Thaksin+tries+to+buy+the+nationion+multimedia+group&source=bl&ots=fLSey8Ocer&sig=LLNFQn4IXj4TBA0wehq96e_St2A&hl=en&sa=X&ei=WlR0VbbjF9WkyASLhICwCw&ved=0CDoQ6AEwBQ#v=onepage&q=Thaksin%20tries%20to%20buy%20the%20nationion%20multimedia%20group&f=false) to stop their reporting on him. When you say the press has a duty to keep a PM honest, are you saying that the current government is less honest than Thaksin's government because of limitations on the freedom of the press?

Thaksin meets the press - in court

By Pepe Escobar Nov 2, 2005

BANGKOK - Once upon a time, Thailand was known to have a free and open press. Not anymore. In the 2005 Worldwide Press Freedom Index, released last month by Paris-based Reporters Without Borders and ranking 167 countries, Thailand shows up at a far from flattering 107th place, behind post-Khmer Rouge Cambodia and post-Suharto Indonesia.

http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Southeast_Asia/GK02Ae01.html

It's ridiculous to compare current press freedom to press freedom under Thaksin as Thaksin made every effort to stifle the press and it was never able to keep Thaksin honest; history has proven that. Let me know when you have some data that the current government is behaving in a corrupt way as Thaksin constantly did.

.

If 107th on the Press Freedom Index in 2005 was not exactly a stellar performance but since they have dropped to 134th this year is probably not all that bad.

[rametindallas]

this is no more than a witch hunt against the thaksins and the red shirt faction I am sure there are far worse people in Thailand that have done more damage to the country than they have there are far more urgent matters to deal with than make the thaksins scapegoats . my advice is don't dwell on this subject start putting the country to rights .

this is no more than a witch hunt against the thaksins

Only the corrupt/criminal ones and really, shouldn't we get rid of the witches in Thailand?

...and the red shirt faction

Bet you can't name one of the Red Shirt faction that the Junta has initiated charges against.

I am sure there are far worse people in Thailand that have done more damage to the country than they have

How about you name even one person who has done more damage to the country.

there are far more urgent matters to deal with than make the thaksins scapegoats

Since the Shinawatra clan are the number one force for corruption and against peace and prosperity in Thailand, it is imperative that the removal of their political presence is the key to Thailand's progress to a truly democratic state.

scapegoats

Scapegoating (from the verb "to scapegoat") is the practice of singling out any party for unmerited negative treatment or blame as a scapegoat http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scapegoating

When someone is truly guilty as proven in a court of law, they can hardly be described as 'scapegoats'.

my advice is don't dwell on this subject

Yes, "Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain" (from 'The Wizard of Oz') who's pulling strings to upset any progress against corruption and foment hate and class divisions.

start putting the country to rights

That's exactly what PM Prayut is doing by de-clawing the Thaksinistas among the many, many other positive changes he is making in Thailand.

You, my friend (and I use that term loosely) have crammed an awful lot of propaganda into a short post.

.

Edited June 7, 2015 by rametindallas

[Wombat6]

this is no more than a witch hunt against the thaksins and the red shirt faction I am sure there are far worse people in Thailand that have done more damage to the country than they have there are far more urgent matters to deal with than make the thaksins scapegoats . my advice is don't dwell on this subject start putting the country to rights .

They are putting the country to rights by cutting out the cancerous Shins for a start.

[Solomon]

I live in a small town south of Bangkok and have been asking Thai friends, relatives and associates their views on some of the big issues facing the country a year after the military coup.

While many were understandably reluctant to venture their opinions, others were more forthcoming. Here are some of the conclusions.

1 Most people are not concerned about what happens to the Thaksins and don't want them back in power.

2 They are far less worried about concepts such as democracy and personal freedom than are many of the regime's critics in the West, whom they say simply don't understand Thai mentality.

3 A majority feel the coup was necessary and are prepared to allow the military-led junta to run the show for however long it takes to bring lasting peace, security and stability to the Kingdom.

4 Voters, particularly those living in Bangkok where the army's intervention ended six months of destructive violence and bloodshed, are in no particular hurry for a general election.

5 Most would rather spend years ruled by an" iron fist in a velvet glove" administration rather than return to a political democracy characterised by systemic corruption and political and social unrest.

6 A relatively small number will bother to wade through the fine print of the draft new Constitution, if and when one arrives in the mail box.

7 Many less concerned about the restoration of human rights than the return of the Friday TV soap opera displaced by the PM's weekly paternal chats.

I am not suggesting this small, random sample represents the attitudes of most Thai people. However, it may go some way to explain the apparent ease with which the military-led administration has entrenched itself in the public psyche as a power for good - or at the very worst, a necessary evil.

You use the terms majority, most and many with much ease.

If you were anywhere near right then your majority (most, many) people should be clamouring for an election, instead as they are the minority, they are doing all they can to deny an election.

The "explanation" for why Thais seem to have accepted the coup with "apparent ease" is most likely explained by the following: section 44 empowers the military to lock up (and torture) any dissidents, the military is not shy about committing the odd massacre every decade or so to suppress opposition, the courts are biased and partial and indict and convict citizens at the Juntas behest and of course the fact that they've seen it all before as this is the 20th or so coup trampling democracy in this nation.

The "explanation" is most certainly not love or support for the junta by the majority (most, many) Thais.

"The "explanation" for why Thais seem to have accepted the coup with "apparent ease" is most likely explained by the following: section 44 empowers the military to lock up (and torture) any dissidents, the military is not shy about committing the odd massacre every decade or so to suppress opposition,..."

A nice convenient comment but without much credibility in regard to section 44.

'Military... odd massacre'. Yes it's true that some military coups in Thailand have been ruthless and violent but certainly not all, but there is no evidence that the current junta has been or intends to be violent towards ti public at large.

"but there is no evidence that the current junta has been or intends to be violent towards ti public at large."

And just who were the military leadership during the 2010 massacre??

The current PM and Deputy PM have form.

[redandyellow]

I've always espoused that Thais are better off to be politically red and yellow at the same time - in other words politically neutral - I mean neutered..

[scorecard]

I live in a small town south of Bangkok and have been asking Thai friends, relatives and associates their views on some of the big issues facing the country a year after the military coup.

While many were understandably reluctant to venture their opinions, others were more forthcoming. Here are some of the conclusions.

1 Most people are not concerned about what happens to the Thaksins and don't want them back in power.

2 They are far less worried about concepts such as democracy and personal freedom than are many of the regime's critics in the West, whom they say simply don't understand Thai mentality.

3 A majority feel the coup was necessary and are prepared to allow the military-led junta to run the show for however long it takes to bring lasting peace, security and stability to the Kingdom.

4 Voters, particularly those living in Bangkok where the army's intervention ended six months of destructive violence and bloodshed, are in no particular hurry for a general election.

5 Most would rather spend years ruled by an" iron fist in a velvet glove" administration rather than return to a political democracy characterised by systemic corruption and political and social unrest.

6 A relatively small number will bother to wade through the fine print of the draft new Constitution, if and when one arrives in the mail box.

7 Many less concerned about the restoration of human rights than the return of the Friday TV soap opera displaced by the PM's weekly paternal chats.

I am not suggesting this small, random sample represents the attitudes of most Thai people. However, it may go some way to explain the apparent ease with which the military-led administration has entrenched itself in the public psyche as a power for good - or at the very worst, a necessary evil.

You use the terms majority, most and many with much ease.

If you were anywhere near right then your majority (most, many) people should be clamouring for an election, instead as they are the minority, they are doing all they can to deny an election.

The "explanation" for why Thais seem to have accepted the coup with "apparent ease" is most likely explained by the following: section 44 empowers the military to lock up (and torture) any dissidents, the military is not shy about committing the odd massacre every decade or so to suppress opposition, the courts are biased and partial and indict and convict citizens at the Juntas behest and of course the fact that they've seen it all before as this is the 20th or so coup trampling democracy in this nation.

The "explanation" is most certainly not love or support for the junta by the majority (most, many) Thais.

"The "explanation" for why Thais seem to have accepted the coup with "apparent ease" is most likely explained by the following: section 44 empowers the military to lock up (and torture) any dissidents, the military is not shy about committing the odd massacre every decade or so to suppress opposition,..."

A nice convenient comment but without much credibility in regard to section 44.

'Military... odd massacre'. Yes it's true that some military coups in Thailand have been ruthless and violent but certainly not all, but there is no evidence that the current junta has been or intends to be violent towards ti public at large.

"but there is no evidence that the current junta has been or intends to be violent towards ti public at large."

And just who were the military leadership during the 2010 massacre??

The current PM and Deputy PM have form.

Ahhhh,, another new twister, that wasn't the subject of the thread. It was about coups.

Try harder.

[ExPratt]

'Red shirt leaders perceive the "crackdown" against the duo as a junta show of force against Thaksin in retaliation for his stinging attack. However, the movement has decided against staging any moves against the junta."

Oh they are calling it a "Stinging Attack "now, so people will not look at the content of his interview it was "A stinging attack" Utter trash Journalism

Dramatic Leader. Bangkok , Red shirts unlikely to tape up cudgels on behalf on Thaksin and Yingluck, followed by several paragraphs of bilge , speculation and conjecture concerning what measures the Junta and powers that be could do to Thaksin. Finishing off with the reasoning for the Leader headline from and unnamed and an un quoted Source

​Nice one nation , scraping the barrel to appease your masters

.................."​Nice one nation , scraping the barrel to appease your masters"........................

Now hang on a minute EP, it was not that long ago that The Nation published a very negative report on the Military Junta and a lot of the PTP fans on this forum were all over it like a cheap suit.

I did not bother keeping any record of it but I did comment on the hypocrisy of it.

It seems when the Nation attacks the Junta that is ok, but when they dare attack Thaksin that is unforgivable and they are guilty of "trash journalism" , publishing - "several paragraphs of bilge , speculation and conjecture" , and lastly - "scraping the barrel to appease your masters".

Are these the same masters they are appeasing when they dare to attack the Militart Junta ?

The word "hypocrisy" really does come to mind.

From now on, every time The Nation attacks the current government I will pm you a copy of it, just in case you miss it, you know.

They should be attacking the Junta , normal citizens cannot ,its the duty of the press to keep them honest. This Thaksin thing has turned into a "Ner , ner , ner ,ner , ner and blowing a Raspberry fest. So what if they strip him of everything I doubt he really cares , I find the article a stirring rather than sycophantic.. They wont report the real issues so want to make a story out of this nonsense. I read quite a lot of subjects about Thailand on News now from International News agencies and The English speaking papers here dont go near it

They should be attacking the Junta , normal citizens cannot ,its the duty of the press to keep them honest.

Where were you when Thaksin was PM and holding up signs he would not answer a probing question? Where were you when Thaksin was suing individual reporters for billions for reporting on his corrupt practices? Thaksin and his billionaire business allies withheld billions in advertising from news outlets that published unfavorable news and he attempted to buy The Nation Multimedia Group (https://books.google.com/books?id=TLToo6osHS4C&pg=PA194&lpg=PA194&dq=Thaksin+tries+to+buy+the+nationion+multimedia+group&source=bl&ots=fLSey8Ocer&sig=LLNFQn4IXj4TBA0wehq96e_St2A&hl=en&sa=X&ei=WlR0VbbjF9WkyASLhICwCw&ved=0CDoQ6AEwBQ#v=onepage&q=Thaksin%20tries%20to%20buy%20the%20nationion%20multimedia%20group&f=false) to stop their reporting on him. When you say the press has a duty to keep a PM honest, are you saying that the current government is less honest than Thaksin's government because of limitations on the freedom of the press?

Thaksin meets the press - in court

By Pepe Escobar Nov 2, 2005

BANGKOK - Once upon a time, Thailand was known to have a free and open press. Not anymore. In the 2005 Worldwide Press Freedom Index, released last month by Paris-based Reporters Without Borders and ranking 167 countries, Thailand shows up at a far from flattering 107th place, behind post-Khmer Rouge Cambodia and post-Suharto Indonesia.

http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Southeast_Asia/GK02Ae01.html

It's ridiculous to compare current press freedom to press freedom under Thaksin as Thaksin made every effort to stifle the press and it was never able to keep Thaksin honest; history has proven that. Let me know when you have some data that the current government is behaving in a corrupt way as Thaksin constantly did.

.

Agreed it was shit then but its worse now

[MAJIC]

I feel so sorry for these poor misunderstood Siblings! i'm actually breaking down while I write this!.....sniff.

Edited June 7, 2015 by MAJIC

[fareastguy]

Perhaps now the "Reds" can see that there is life after Thaksin/Yingluk and actually it's not all that bad >>>

Maybe they got wise at last, instead of being used as "foot soldiers" and being given scraps from the masters table.

Living in relative peace & being able to turn a few baht over themselves in the new climate of steady growth domestically & internationally.

Thaksin could only reign when the country was in turmoil, making himself out to be some sort of Saviour of the poor... maybe now they can see that it was in fact him ripping them off & keeping them poor!!

[Yunla]

It is one thing to tell everyone to surf on your highest career wave, it is quite different when your career becomes a stagnant pond with no waves and many dark slimy things lurking in it.