Spreaders of Conspiracy Theories: Unmasking the Motivations Behind the Lies

[webfact]

CDC decides to grant NACC a 9-year term

BANGKOK, 16 July 2015 (NNT) - The Constitution Drafting Committee has resolved to allow members of the anti-graft agency to stay in office for a nine-year term.

CDC spokesman Gen Lertrat Ratanavanich on Wednesday said that the charter drafters have reached a conclusion on the details of all independent organisations under the new Constitution, if it is approved and put into use.

One of the resolutions the CDC has reached is that each of nine members of the National Anti-Corruption Commission will have a nine-year term, which is different from other agencies which have been granted a six-year term.

Gen Lertrat added that the CDC meeting also resolved to leave the Office of the Ombudsman Thailand and the National Human Rights Commission as separate entities and to add a provision to make sure the inspection of their operations will be more efficient.

He said that the Office of the Ombudsman will have three members and will be in charge of the impeachment of any political office holder who is accused of a serious ethical violation, while the NHRC will have seven members.


-- NNT 2015-07-16

[bangkokfrog]

In typical National News Bureau fashion, this article reports the bare facts only (as I assume were contained in a press release) without any background information or analysis. It may not be a big deal, but one must wonder why NACC members should have a 9 year term whereas other agency members have a 6 year term. The only reason I can think of is the time that it takes for corruption cases to go to court, and if that is the case a better solution would be to find ways to speed up this process.

[tbthailand]

great - another decade of Mr. "elections are evil"

I am so happy here ... , so happy that words cannot explain my feeling...

bkkfrog - since the NACC is packed with military/royalist attack dogs, this will guarantee an efficient control of any "out of control" politicians by the generals and their elite backers....

[halloween]

great - another decade of Mr. "elections are evil"

I am so happy here ... , so happy that words cannot explain my feeling...

bkkfrog - since the NACC is packed with military/royalist attack dogs, this will guarantee an efficient control of any "out of control" politicians by the generals and their elite backers....

Should it be packed with illiterate impecunious rice farmers to make bribes more readily acceptable? Is your problem that the NACC isn't doing it's job, or that it keeps uncovering corruption amongst members of "untouchable" elected governments?

[oneday]

This government keeps on making long term changes and decisions that should rightly belong to a Democratically elected government.

[FangFerang]

A shimmering and almost clever mechanism to ensure social inequality forever.

Well done!

[halloween]

This government keeps on making long term changes and decisions that should rightly belong to a Democratically elected government.

But which they will never make to their own detriment. Did the last elected government increase the level of scrutiny during their fanfare STOP Corruption campaign or reduce funding so they could continue to steal unimpeded?

When a government tries to pass an amnesty bill to cover their own crimes, do you really think they are going to increase the checks and balances?

What is the difference between a "democratically elected" criminal and a common, garden variety criminal?

[tbthailand]

This government keeps on making long term changes and decisions that should rightly belong to a Democratically elected government.

But which they will never make to their own detriment. Did the last elected government increase the level of scrutiny during their fanfare STOP Corruption campaign or reduce funding so they could continue to steal unimpeded?

When a government tries to pass an amnesty bill to cover their own crimes, do you really think they are going to increase the checks and balances?

What is the difference between a "democratically elected" criminal and a common, garden variety criminal?

is this current "government" increasing scrutiny of itself??

[tbthailand]

on a grammatical note, after all, this is The Nation, there is a dfference between not broadcasting a propaganda show from a military (self-censored because it is against forum rules) "government" and blocking the broadcast of anything.

one is a choice the other is forced. In the current situation, it is only the government doing the forcing and the rest of Thailand is having it's ability to choose strangled.

[Somtamnication]

I feel safer now.

[halloween]

This government keeps on making long term changes and decisions that should rightly belong to a Democratically elected government.

But which they will never make to their own detriment. Did the last elected government increase the level of scrutiny during their fanfare STOP Corruption campaign or reduce funding so they could continue to steal unimpeded?

When a government tries to pass an amnesty bill to cover their own crimes, do you really think they are going to increase the checks and balances?

What is the difference between a "democratically elected" criminal and a common, garden variety criminal?

is this current "government" increasing scrutiny of itself??

Reforms are being made to improve democracy in Thailand. Whether they are being applied to this interim government is immaterial.

I notice you didn't attempt to address the level of corruption of the previous government, or whether an elected government would ever increase anti-corruption measures to its own detriment. Rather, you sidetrack to something irrelevant but more convenient, as admitting that a temporary step away from democracy to implement reform was necessary would be against your "elections, elections, elections" agenda.

BTW still waiting to hear how unequal representation makes "perfect sense".

[djjamie]

With the amount of corruption witnessed in Thailand the NACC should be given a larger slice of the budget as well so as not to impinge in its ability to bring the corrupt to justice.

In fact, if not for the NACC the Junta would not have declared their assets, the rice scheme would still be losing 19 000kg of rice and costing 29 million baht an hour and Somsak Prisananantakul would still be living in his 16 million baht mansion in Ang Thong paid for with corrupt money.

And some fear this latest move...Only the ones that fear accountability when engaging in corruption do fortunately.

[Srikcir]

Make NAAC members civil service employees and they can fight corruption until retirement regardless of who holds power.

[mikemac]

great - another decade of Mr. "elections are evil"

I am so happy here ... , so happy that words cannot explain my feeling...

bkkfrog - since the NACC is packed with military/royalist attack dogs, this will guarantee an efficient control of any "out of control" politicians by the generals and their elite backers....

Gee tb, you must be feeling pretty low right now. I don't know how you can force yourself to read all these heartbreaking news stories ! (yes I do)

[tbthailand]

This government keeps on making long term changes and decisions that should rightly belong to a Democratically elected government.

But which they will never make to their own detriment. Did the last elected government increase the level of scrutiny during their fanfare STOP Corruption campaign or reduce funding so they could continue to steal unimpeded?

When a government tries to pass an amnesty bill to cover their own crimes, do you really think they are going to increase the checks and balances?

What is the difference between a "democratically elected" criminal and a common, garden variety criminal?

is this current "government" increasing scrutiny of itself??

Reforms are being made to improve democracy in Thailand. Whether they are being applied to this interim government is immaterial.

I notice you didn't attempt to address the level of corruption of the previous government, or whether an elected government would ever increase anti-corruption measures to its own detriment. Rather, you sidetrack to something irrelevant but more convenient, as admitting that a temporary step away from democracy to implement reform was necessary would be against your "elections, elections, elections" agenda.

BTW still waiting to hear how unequal representation makes "perfect sense".

Reforms are being made to improve democracy in Thailand. Whether they are being applied to this interim government is immaterial.

many many many analysts and political observers have pointed out how the current reforms are anti-democratic- objectively - so your statement is not only nonsense, it is simply wrong.

Re: corruption, you must have not read or not understood a number of posts I -and others- have made regarding corruption in this current "government" as well as in the elected governments which have preceded it. The fundamental points being that (1) corruption exists everywhere, (2) corruption in not dependent on the type of government, and (3) addressing corruption is more likely to happen in a free, open society than in a controlled, censored society.

Last but not least, I believe that my reply to you regarding the US Senate was removed as being off-topic.Perhaps you did not see it. Briefly, I pointed out that if you understood the history of the United States and knew how the founders created the government structure, then you would recognize that it makes perfect sense in the context of the entire structure of the US government. If you don't understand US history, then don't complain to me - I'm not your history prof. Got it?

[halloween]

Reforms are being made to improve democracy in Thailand. Whether they are being applied to this interim government is immaterial.

many many many analysts and political observers have pointed out how the current reforms are anti-democratic- objectively - so your statement is not only nonsense, it is simply wrong.

Re: corruption, you must have not read or not understood a number of posts I -and others- have made regarding corruption in this current "government" as well as in the elected governments which have preceded it. The fundamental points being that (1) corruption exists everywhere, (2) corruption in not dependent on the type of government, and (3) addressing corruption is more likely to happen in a free, open society than in a controlled, censored society.

Last but not least, I believe that my reply to you regarding the US Senate was removed as being off-topic.Perhaps you did not see it. Briefly, I pointed out that if you understood the history of the United States and knew how the founders created the government structure, then you would recognize that it makes perfect sense in the context of the entire structure of the US government. If you don't understand US history, then don't complain to me - I'm not your history prof. Got it?

Yes there are many so called 'democrats" who refuse to accept that democracy here could possibly be improved under a junta. Bad luck, that's what you are getting.

As for your points 1 and 2, while correct you fail to address the relative level of corruption in the Thaksin administrations that people have had to endure. Point 3, when has Thailand EVER been a free and open society? One of the reform issues I await, possibly in vain, is the control of MP's incomes so that they are not allowed to accept regular payment (AKA continuous bribes) to vote to the orders of anyone. Is that unreasonable? If not, explain how that could happen under a government formed on that basis.

If you think a 40:1 representation imbalance makes perfect sense because of which state you reside, why not a lesser ratio for income or education level? I understand the states rights object, we have the same situation in Oz, where the balance of power in the senate has often been held by rabid idiots elected by a handful of voters.

[mikemac]

tb, regarding this part of your last post -

......................"(3) addressing corruption is more likely to happen in a free, open society than in a controlled, censored society."..................

Are you saying that Thailand under the Shin rule was a free and open society ? Or do you mean that the situation would be free and open under any regime or government other than the present one ?

Either way, if corruption was supposedly addressed under the PTP government it was a pitiful attempt.

[tbthailand]

Reforms are being made to improve democracy in Thailand. Whether they are being applied to this interim government is immaterial.

many many many analysts and political observers have pointed out how the current reforms are anti-democratic- objectively - so your statement is not only nonsense, it is simply wrong.

Re: corruption, you must have not read or not understood a number of posts I -and others- have made regarding corruption in this current "government" as well as in the elected governments which have preceded it. The fundamental points being that (1) corruption exists everywhere, (2) corruption in not dependent on the type of government, and (3) addressing corruption is more likely to happen in a free, open society than in a controlled, censored society.

Last but not least, I believe that my reply to you regarding the US Senate was removed as being off-topic.Perhaps you did not see it. Briefly, I pointed out that if you understood the history of the United States and knew how the founders created the government structure, then you would recognize that it makes perfect sense in the context of the entire structure of the US government. If you don't understand US history, then don't complain to me - I'm not your history prof. Got it?

Yes there are many so called 'democrats" who refuse to accept that democracy here could possibly be improved under a junta. Bad luck, that's what you are getting.

As for your points 1 and 2, while correct you fail to address the relative level of corruption in the Thaksin administrations that people have had to endure. Point 3, when has Thailand EVER been a free and open society? One of the reform issues I await, possibly in vain, is the control of MP's incomes so that they are not allowed to accept regular payment (AKA continuous bribes) to vote to the orders of anyone. Is that unreasonable? If not, explain how that could happen under a government formed on that basis.

If you think a 40:1 representation imbalance makes perfect sense because of which state you reside, why not a lesser ratio for income or education level? I understand the states rights object, we have the same situation in Oz, where the balance of power in the senate has often been held by rabid idiots elected by a handful of voters.

Yes there are many so called 'democrats" who refuse to accept that democracy here could possibly be improved under a junta. Bad luck, that's what you are getting.

why don't you just describe how we are getting something more democratic from this regime? Or even point out a military regime which through it's own efforts ever produced a fundamentally democratic structure...

The argument : claiming that Thailand has never been an open and free society in order to justify the current conditions is not logical at all. And it is wrong - you should be fully aware of international ratings on issues like freedom of the press, the level of freedom in a society, etc... Those ratings are tanking for Thailand on every front.

Again, the US Senate is not the topic and you apparently are unwilling to do the necessary work to understand while the structure on the US government makes sense. But that is not my problem.

[tbthailand]

tb, regarding this part of your last post -

......................"(3) addressing corruption is more likely to happen in a free, open society than in a controlled, censored society."..................

Are you saying that Thailand under the Shin rule was a free and open society ? Or do you mean that the situation would be free and open under any regime or government other than the present one ?

Either way, if corruption was supposedly addressed under the PTP government it was a pitiful attempt.

I'm saying a couple of things...

one is that democracies have corruption, too. It's everywhere.

another is that in an open and free society, corruption is more likely to be found and addressed than in a closed, authoritarian society.

[halloween]

tb, regarding this part of your last post -

......................"(3) addressing corruption is more likely to happen in a free, open society than in a controlled, censored society."..................

Are you saying that Thailand under the Shin rule was a free and open society ? Or do you mean that the situation would be free and open under any regime or government other than the present one ?

Either way, if corruption was supposedly addressed under the PTP government it was a pitiful attempt.

I'm saying a couple of things...

one is that democracies have corruption, too. It's everywhere.

another is that in an open and free society, corruption is more likely to be found and addressed than in a closed, authoritarian society.

It was certainly found and addressed in our last government. After a few tries, they had become bloody experts at it.

[JAG]

By setting up these long term arrangements and agencies, staffed by their people, all the Junta are doing is ensuring that if (when) change comes it will be more thorough and far reaching than before.

[tbthailand]

tb, regarding this part of your last post -

......................"(3) addressing corruption is more likely to happen in a free, open society than in a controlled, censored society."..................

Are you saying that Thailand under the Shin rule was a free and open society ? Or do you mean that the situation would be free and open under any regime or government other than the present one ?

Either way, if corruption was supposedly addressed under the PTP government it was a pitiful attempt.

I'm saying a couple of things...

one is that democracies have corruption, too. It's everywhere.

another is that in an open and free society, corruption is more likely to be found and addressed than in a closed, authoritarian society.

It was certainly found and addressed in our last government. After a few tries, they had become bloody experts at it.

and with this current "government" we'll probably never know how good they are at it...

they're just so modest, ...