"...........his service in the police, because he only served briefly as an officer." Yet managed to obtain the rank of Lt-Colonel AND 2 higher degree from US universities. His most stunning success though was marrying the bosses daughter. I'm not sure what the decoration for that looks like.

A big smirk on the face???

oh and another thing if I was in Australia and a rep from the liberal government came round my house and gave me 10 or 100 or 1000 dollars to buy my vote I would say yes and vote labor anyway. Your under the assumption that because they received the measly 200 baht that they all did what they said. How would they know? or police it? or get the money back?

"How would they know? or police it?"

Which is why, for the 2005-election, our local village voting-booths (and where you put your cross) were visible through the window, and IIRC that's why the E.C. nullified that election. And of course the village paluang is paid, to deliver the vote from 'his' village, or not paid, if he fails to.

None of this is news, of course. But perhaps people who weren't here, way back then missed it.

Pu yai ban (village headmen) are paid to deliver the block of votes for their village. They're either given money to pay for votes. Not all is cash. Pu yai ban may get 'gifts' like large screen TV's and new cars/trucks, lucrative no-bid contracts, and other favors. Someone asked "how do they know who voted as they were told/paid to vote?" This is not a western country. This is Thailand. The pu yai ban and his operative know who voted for whom. If a villager got paid to vote for TRT and didn't, that person would face trouble. They might not get the 200 sq.M plot of nice land promised, but instead get the 120 sq.M located in a bog, ....and so on. I know three hill tribers from three different villages, and they all tell the same sort of story about getting payments for voting for TRT (or whatever Red Shirt name was used at the time). If they don't vote as agreed-upon, they get penalized and berated. Up here in northern Thailand, there are hundreds of hill tribes comprising tens of thousands of voters. Take the same dynamic and spread it around Thailand, and you get an idea of why the Shinawatres get voted in.

Another payment-for-votes scheme, similar to western countries: promise poor people you'll implement ways for them to get more money. Rice scheme, computers for kids, 30-baht hospital visits, rebates for new cars, .....and the beat goes on.......

Last time there was an election, if you remember those things, a friend drove his wife to the local polling station so she could do her civic duty.

Driving away he asked who she had voted for and was shocked when his wife didn't know as she has put her X beside the number on the ballot sheet as instructed by her mother, She didn't even know if she had voted for a man or a woman as she only looked for the number, made the mark and got out.

Job Done !

oh and another thing if I was in Australia and a rep from the liberal government came round my house and gave me 10 or 100 or 1000 dollars to buy my vote I would say yes and vote labor anyway. Your under the assumption that because they received the measly 200 baht that they all did what they said. How would they know? or police it? or get the money back?

"How would they know? or police it?"

Which is why, for the 2005-election, our local village voting-booths (and where you put your cross) were visible through the window, and IIRC that's why the E.C. nullified that election.

And of course the village paluang is paid, to deliver the vote from 'his' village, or not paid, if he fails to.

None of this is news, of course. But perhaps people who weren't here, way back then missed it.

Well in my village people were paid before they voted and I didn't go to.the booths as I am not Thai and don't get a stay and as I have been living here since 2002 permanently I have seen a fair bit smart <deleted>

In our village, I waited outside while my wife went in to vote, and could see through the window how people were making their marks, so I have seen a fair bit too ! In fact we've both seen the same set of elections, since we arrived at a similar time.

But thanks for calling me "smart" !

Aha! So once again we are second-guessing His Majesty!

If HM granted Thaksin Royal decorations, to withdraw them charges the King made a mistake--most obviously a false assertion!

That's, ahem, lese majéste...

One of the other decorations or honour that cannot be removed that they won't acknowledge , was bestowed on Khun Thaksin by the people of Thailand , Former Prime Minister, .shove that up your funk & wagnalls.

My dog could be Prime Minister if it would have the funds for the vote buying.

Or Guns....

Prayuth is the best marketing/publicity agent that Thaksin could ask for - and all for free

Take the same dynamic and spread it around Thailand, and you get an idea of why the Shinawatres get voted in.

Lol, you make it sound as if Thaksin has a monopoly on vote-buying.

Here in Phuket, everyone in my village received a very decent payment for voting for the Yellow Shirts......

The Junta is still not governing and the police also don't do their job, this is again a prove of the manhunt and a lack of proper governance .

They should be focused on much more important things, but they are both incompetent .

The first good thing that this government did for the country is still to be seen, so far nothing !!!!

Aha! So once again we are second-guessing His Majesty!

If HM granted Thaksin Royal decorations, to withdraw them charges the King made a mistake--most obviously a false assertion!

That's, ahem, lese majéste...

Good example of:

A fallacy is an incorrect argument in logic and rhetoric which undermines an argument's logical validity or more generally an argument's logical soundness.

More information on your nonsensical post:

List of fallacies

He's a fugitive. Revoke and be done with it. All this dancing around and media blah...blah...blah. Sheesh!