Army reshuffle gives Prayut another headache

[Briggsy]

Counter-coup soon. It won't be conducted in the public eye though. It will be a done deal before the news is announced.

[NongKhaiKid]

His brother gets the army job and the only headache left is to make sure the ' best ' candidate for national police chief is appointed. Best of course will not necessarily have anything to do with experience, ability and competence etc.

I can believe his headache may not go away completely as he may worry what disappointed factions within the army may get up to, after all he only needs to think back a year to get a hint if there's any doubt.

[h90]

Well the last coups were only against illegal regimes after failed elections. The problem lies in the fake elections, vote buying, missing checks and balances and weak legal system that should put corrupt, power abusing politicians in jail years before the situation degrades that bad that a coup is necessary.

couldn't have put that better myself.

In saying that I had hope that Payuth Chan (O) Cha was going to be strong enough to take on the challenge of finally getting a working system and getting rid of the Thieves and abusers that have been in office for decades, after a year I am not so confident, I think he has lost his momentum and dropped the ball paying too much attention to critics, he took on a daunting task, I hope he can see it through

I doubt it, I can see that he is blocked at every level from the cronies of the old power. He can't exchange all top and middle level bureaucracy, he can't fire the complete police force. If he tries to cancel all stupid laws to help the legal system than for every single law some small group would protest and with every protest the international community will shout "dictator". The problem is just too deep rooted that anyone but a real ugly dictator can change things in less than 20 years. So short term I see him failing. Long term he might have started something that develops on itself.

Perhaps you didn't recognise that he might be a crony of the old power himself so it may not be a case that he is 'blocked' I think you project your own aspirations and beliefs onto him. I think you're wrong, he has made his personal views and tendencies very clear on a number of occasions.

Perhaps his background and conditioning also make them pretty clear.

have a look who the old powers are: Last 15 years Thaksin, than a short time Democrats and before the same business group Thaksin belongs to. So every top bureaucrat comes from them. They are now the old powers.....everyone older has his cronies retired already.

[h90]

Counter-coup soon. It won't be conducted in the public eye though. It will be a done deal before the news is announced.

Who should make this counter-coup. Thaksin might be able to buy a few Generals, but that hardly makes a coup.

The only coup I can see is that impatient groups force him to step back in favor of someone who gets things done. But that is hardly counter.

[h90]

His brother gets the army job and the only headache left is to make sure the ' best ' candidate for national police chief is appointed. Best of course will not necessarily have anything to do with experience, ability and competence etc.

I can believe his headache may not go away completely as he may worry what disappointed factions within the army may get up to, after all he only needs to think back a year to get a hint if there's any doubt.

in the police it will be difficult, as you need to pay for promotions you won't find any honest policemen.

[lvr181]

Perhaps a diplomatic solution to "replacing" General Udomdej Sitabutr, would be to extend his term for a further 12 months or elections and let an elected Government decide his successor?

[lvr181]

His brother gets the army job and the only headache left is to make sure the ' best ' candidate for national police chief is appointed. Best of course will not necessarily have anything to do with experience, ability and competence etc.

I can believe his headache may not go away completely as he may worry what disappointed factions within the army may get up to, after all he only needs to think back a year to get a hint if there's any doubt.

in the police it will be difficult, as you need to pay for promotions you won't find any honest policemen.

What happened to that idiot, holier than thou Policeman who was caught with a gun (belonging to and then not belonging to him) in Japan? He broke all the Civil Aviation safety rules!

Sorry, a little off topic I know, but relevant to comments about Army Chief and National Police Chief appointments.

[EnglishJohn]

"...The position of Army chief has long been considered to be important to any government's stability.." And therein lies the problem. regime after regime, coup after coup, since the civilians can not seem to ever be in control of the country. Amazing in all my travels and in this modern age that such a military system keeps getting promulgated in Thailand

Well the last coups were only against illegal regimes after failed elections. The problem lies in the fake elections, vote buying, missing checks and balances and weak legal system that should put corrupt, power abusing politicians in jail years before the situation degrades that bad that a coup is necessary.

You are categorically and historically incorrect, h90. Thai history professors all agree that the 18 coups happened because the ruling families had their power bases threatened. Each coup made the same declarations of those in power being corrupt, and needing to save the nation. None of those coups were effective in doing anything about the very issues the coup makers declared as reasons for their coups, not a single one.

The coups were effective in one thing and one thing only -- in removing "undesirables" from the political landscape.

"Thai history professors all agree that the 18 coups happened because the ruling families had their power bases threatened."

Ha ha ha ha. Priceless.

All the presidents of the USA agree that the last 2 coups happened because of a disgraceful and corrupt government following the orders of one dirty megalomaniac.

See ?. Anyone can do it. I can write anything I want, but it doesn't mean I'm not someone who just makes stuff up and I'm so dumb I don't realise only gullible people like me will believe it.

[Baerboxer]

Anyone else on here who feels like ripping the head off someone who says "Get over it". It's definitely a favourite of the junta groupies.

No. Better to add them to your Ignore list. It's not like they add anything new to a discussion except, "But, but, Thaksin...". (They sound like a Tuk-Tuk.)

Nepotism, Thaksin, evil, bad, blah, blah, blah.

Nepotism, Field Marshall Prayut, keep up the good work.

Nepotism is bad, as is cronyism, favoring mates and awarding positions based on family and friendship rather than ability, skill and knowledge.

Thaksin appointed his inexperienced sister PM. She (allegedly) then appointed herself Defense Minister, again without the slightest knowledge or experience. Thaksin appointed his cousin Foreign Minister. The man himself even admitted he was surprised as he had no experience, knowledge or credentials for the job.

Those appointees were close family members who could be trusted to do as told.

Now the two candidates for top army boss are both experienced career army officers. The selection needs to be transparent and fully explained. The fact each represents a powerful competing clique is the issue. Regardless of which one wins, given the current context, the PM will still be in a position of "some influence" over the army.

My Chinese friends laugh at us Westerners. In Asia, particularly those countries with significant ethnic Chinese, corruption, nepotism, cronyism are the way things are done. You can count on your family, then your friends, and finally those you can bribe. In the West we had the "old boy network" based on attending certain schools and universities and coming from certain social groups.

The old adage that "it's who you know, not what you know" is as good today as ever in most if not all places.

[chainarong]

Cast your minds back and one Prime Minister appointed a relative who was only a Major , that in turn lead to resignations from quite a few Generals, just what was intended , nothing would surprise in this appointment, for 6 weeks the Military was never going to take over in a Coup, my how things have changed

[h90]

Anyone else on here who feels like ripping the head off someone who says "Get over it". It's definitely a favourite of the junta groupies.

No. Better to add them to your Ignore list. It's not like they add anything new to a discussion except, "But, but, Thaksin...". (They sound like a Tuk-Tuk.)

Nepotism, Thaksin, evil, bad, blah, blah, blah.

Nepotism, Field Marshall Prayut, keep up the good work.

Nepotism is bad, as is cronyism, favoring mates and awarding positions based on family and friendship rather than ability, skill and knowledge.

Thaksin appointed his inexperienced sister PM. She (allegedly) then appointed herself Defense Minister, again without the slightest knowledge or experience. Thaksin appointed his cousin Foreign Minister. The man himself even admitted he was surprised as he had no experience, knowledge or credentials for the job.

Those appointees were close family members who could be trusted to do as told.

Now the two candidates for top army boss are both experienced career army officers. The selection needs to be transparent and fully explained. The fact each represents a powerful competing clique is the issue. Regardless of which one wins, given the current context, the PM will still be in a position of "some influence" over the army.

My Chinese friends laugh at us Westerners. In Asia, particularly those countries with significant ethnic Chinese, corruption, nepotism, cronyism are the way things are done. You can count on your family, then your friends, and finally those you can bribe. In the West we had the "old boy network" based on attending certain schools and universities and coming from certain social groups.

The old adage that "it's who you know, not what you know" is as good today as ever in most if not all places.

Friend of mine told: The difference is that in Asia it is more in the open.....

I don't know if I agree or not

[Baerboxer]

Anyone else on here who feels like ripping the head off someone who says "Get over it". It's definitely a favourite of the junta groupies.

No. Better to add them to your Ignore list. It's not like they add anything new to a discussion except, "But, but, Thaksin...". (They sound like a Tuk-Tuk.)

Nepotism, Thaksin, evil, bad, blah, blah, blah.

Nepotism, Field Marshall Prayut, keep up the good work.

Nepotism is bad, as is cronyism, favoring mates and awarding positions based on family and friendship rather than ability, skill and knowledge.

Thaksin appointed his inexperienced sister PM. She (allegedly) then appointed herself Defense Minister, again without the slightest knowledge or experience. Thaksin appointed his cousin Foreign Minister. The man himself even admitted he was surprised as he had no experience, knowledge or credentials for the job.

Those appointees were close family members who could be trusted to do as told.

Now the two candidates for top army boss are both experienced career army officers. The selection needs to be transparent and fully explained. The fact each represents a powerful competing clique is the issue. Regardless of which one wins, given the current context, the PM will still be in a position of "some influence" over the army.

My Chinese friends laugh at us Westerners. In Asia, particularly those countries with significant ethnic Chinese, corruption, nepotism, cronyism are the way things are done. You can count on your family, then your friends, and finally those you can bribe. In the West we had the "old boy network" based on attending certain schools and universities and coming from certain social groups.

The old adage that "it's who you know, not what you know" is as good today as ever in most if not all places.

Friend of mine told: The difference is that in Asia it is more in the open.....

I don't know if I agree or not

I think the difference is they can be more open in the sense that everyone knows but no one will do anything. Only when they piss the wrong people off or loose protection of their patrons are they in difficulties.

People here would never speak openly in public about it either.

[gk10002000]

Whether you like the current Government or not - get over it, that is the way it is. Stop babbling on about democracy as it is practiced in the West. It did not work in Thailand recently for a number of reasons (unless you are a supporter of corruption and nepotism - which can happen in a western democracy as well, just not as blatant).

Whatever the current PM does, he will be damned for doing and damned for not doing by others! That is life. I am not a supporter of military takeovers, but I am not a supporter of blatant corruption either.

At the very least the NCPO paid the farmers what was due to them! Sure the country needs to be improved economically and military leaders are probably not best suited for this but they could bring in some economic experts from outside the country to provide some advice? Can it happen?

But that's the point. He is not the current PM. He took power illegally, overthrew the constitution which probably didn't have any legal standing anyway. He nominated his own cabinet, again without any legal backing. Then they "elected" him PM. Sure he is called PM, but I don't know what standing it has except he has the military behind him

[lvr181]

Whether you like the current Government or not - get over it, that is the way it is. Stop babbling on about democracy as it is practiced in the West. It did not work in Thailand recently for a number of reasons (unless you are a supporter of corruption and nepotism - which can happen in a western democracy as well, just not as blatant).

Whatever the current PM does, he will be damned for doing and damned for not doing by others! That is life. I am not a supporter of military takeovers, but I am not a supporter of blatant corruption either.

At the very least the NCPO paid the farmers what was due to them! Sure the country needs to be improved economically and military leaders are probably not best suited for this but they could bring in some economic experts from outside the country to provide some advice? Can it happen?

But that's the point. He is not the current PM. He took power illegally, overthrew the constitution which probably didn't have any legal standing anyway. He nominated his own cabinet, again without any legal backing. Then they "elected" him PM. Sure he is called PM, but I don't know what standing it has except he has the military behind him

You are missing the point. HE IS THE PM! How he got there may not meet many western peoples standards BUT there it is! GET OVER IT - that is the Thai way.

This country or the world is not Utopia, learn to deal with realities of life

[billd766]

Anyone else on here who feels like ripping the head off someone who says "Get over it". It's definitely a favourite of the junta groupies.

No. Better to add them to your Ignore list. It's not like they add anything new to a discussion except, "But, but, Thaksin...". (They sound like a Tuk-Tuk.)

Nepotism, Thaksin, evil, bad, blah, blah, blah.

Nepotism, Field Marshall Prayut, keep up the good work.

A bit like those who keep adding but but Suthep to the discussion, wouldn't you agree?

[GeorgesAbitbol]

Whether you like the current Government or not - get over it, that is the way it is. Stop babbling on about democracy as it is practiced in the West. It did not work in Thailand recently for a number of reasons (unless you are a supporter of corruption and nepotism - which can happen in a western democracy as well, just not as blatant).

Whatever the current PM does, he will be damned for doing and damned for not doing by others! That is life. I am not a supporter of military takeovers, but I am not a supporter of blatant corruption either.

At the very least the NCPO paid the farmers what was due to them! Sure the country needs to be improved economically and military leaders are probably not best suited for this but they could bring in some economic experts from outside the country to provide some advice? Can it happen?

Maybe the army should get rid of the corruption as well instead of just changing from the police pocket to their own?

If the army was able to handle the country we could argue that they re doing a good job...so far except changing the motosoy shirts, arming the farmers in the south (for the best of course) and make laws like the 300m ban from school (before seeing it is completly stupid) i don t see a lot of improvement...

Oh yes an improvement is made over the lese majeste law which is now harsher than ever and of course is everything except a political tool...

Army should do their job: be an army, not rules a country

[Jonmarleesco]

Perhaps an army with so many generals should stop trying to please them all, and promote on ability allied to an age that doesn't involve them retiring between one and three years later.

[Anthony5]

So they though The Shin's away beause it's was a clan accused of nepotism, then Junta Leader came and promoted members of his family but this is ot nepotism just "right man at the right place". OK

Corruption is still here

Nepotism is still here

Why not after all?

Maybe this is Thainess and we should repect that!

I think there is no other choice (neither for the Shin's nor for Prayut). If you want someone loyal it is difficult.

I remember when Thaksin made Samak his premier and than Samak thought he can decide things himself and didn't follow orders and it went horrible wrong.

So he made his brother in law PM and later his sister......Didn't work well because of incompetence. So whatever you do it is wrong.....

And there was me thinking that in such a position competence would be of more importance than loyalty.

No it is not.....What sales-manager would you prefer in your company? A silly one that is loyal or a smart one that sells all your customer base to your competitors?

One that increases my customer base.

[Jonmarleesco]

Whether you like the current Government or not - get over it, that is the way it is. Stop babbling on about democracy as it is practiced in the West. It did not work in Thailand recently for a number of reasons (unless you are a supporter of corruption and nepotism - which can happen in a western democracy as well, just not as blatant).

Whatever the current PM does, he will be damned for doing and damned for not doing by others! That is life. I am not a supporter of military takeovers, but I am not a supporter of blatant corruption either.

At the very least the NCPO paid the farmers what was due to them! Sure the country needs to be improved economically and military leaders are probably not best suited for this but they could bring in some economic experts from outside the country to provide some advice? Can it happen?

But that's the point. He is not the current PM. He took power illegally, overthrew the constitution which probably didn't have any legal standing anyway. He nominated his own cabinet, again without any legal backing. Then they "elected" him PM. Sure he is called PM, but I don't know what standing it has except he has the military behind him

So just who is the PM? And please don't say Yingluck; she wasn't the PM when she was the PM.

[LannaGuy]

Counter-coup soon. It won't be conducted in the public eye though. It will be a done deal before the news is announced.

Who should make this counter-coup. Thaksin might be able to buy a few Generals, but that hardly makes a coup.

The only coup I can see is that impatient groups force him to step back in favor of someone who gets things done. But that is hardly counter.

why keep on and on and on about Thaksin? this has absolutely nothing to do with Thaksin don't you 'get it'? on second thoughts don't answer that as it's obvious