Its Happening - Law to Tax Overseas Income Now in Progress

[Lite Beer]

Two ex-Democrat MPs banished from politics for ten years by the court

BANGKOK: -- Two former Democrat MPs were banished from politics for ten years and given a suspended jailterm after they were found guilty by Trang provincial court of violating local election law on Friday.

Mr Somchai Losathapornpipit, former Democrat MP of Trang province, and Mr Thanin Jaisamut, former Democrat MP of Satun province, were accused by the Trang provincial election committee of making false accusations against Mr Thanit Chupeng and his team who contested in the provincial administration organization election in 2008 against the Democrat team led by Mr Kit Leekpai.

The two former Democrat MPs helped in the electioneering for Mr Kit’s team.

The two pleaded guilty to the charges of violating the local election law.

The court first sentenced them to one year imprisonment and fined each of them 120,000 baht. However, the jailterm was commuted to eight months which was suspended for one year. The fine was halved to 60,000 baht each. Also, the court revoked their voting right for ten years which means they were banished from politics for ten years.

Mr Somchai said he intended to retire from politics anyway because he is already 58. However, he said he would support his daughter who is now studying in England to enter politics once she finished her studies.

Source: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/two-ex-democrat-mps-banished-from-politics-for-ten-years-by-the-court

-- Thai PBS 2015-09-05

[Seastallion]

To be fair, gaol time for telling porkies about your political opponent is a bit harsh, but the fine should have been doubled, not halved. And removing voting rights was good.

Have to laugh at the sour grapes though..."I was going to retire from politics, anyway."

[scorecard]

And the cycle continues... support daughter to enter politics.

As long as the people passively condone this stuff there is little progress.

[robblok]

To be fair, gaol time for telling porkies about your political opponent is a bit harsh, but the fine should have been doubled, not halved. And removing voting rights was good.

Have to laugh at the sour grapes though..."I was going to retire from politics, anyway."

Good to see that also Democrats get caught and punished. Kinda takes away the argument of many posters that the law only goes after the reds.

ANY politician breaking the law should be punished.

[robblok]

And the cycle continues... support daughter to enter politics.

As long as the people passively condone this stuff there is little progress.

Too bad they can't do something about proxies, the best example of a proxy must be thank you 3 times YL.

The guy supporting his daughter would still be calling the shots she would just be a front, but I think its hard to weed that kind of stuff out. Personally I have no idea how to do it, because you would be limiting the rights of family members and a few genuine people would be punished too.

[Yunla]

Too bad they can't do something about proxies, the best example of a proxy must be thank you 3 times YL.

The guy supporting his daughter would still be calling the shots she would just be a front, but I think its hard to weed that kind of stuff out. Personally I have no idea how to do it, because you would be limiting the rights of family members and a few genuine people would be punished too.

You really hit the nail on the head, about the fine line of balancing individual rights versus the dangers of nepotism. There seems to be a consensus in my study group at least, that a person is more likely to go against their better judgment, tell lies and break laws, if a family member is asking them to do this. If a total stranger asked the same person to go against their instincts and act dishonourably, they would be more likely to say "no" than they would if they were bound by family loyalty. If this is true, then nepotism in politics is more dangerous than in many other walks of life, as it can make a good politician turn bad, and the lies and crimes in political office can have severely negative consequences in the lives of so many citizens.

[h90]

To be fair, gaol time for telling porkies about your political opponent is a bit harsh, but the fine should have been doubled, not halved. And removing voting rights was good.

Have to laugh at the sour grapes though..."I was going to retire from politics, anyway."

Good to see that also Democrats get caught and punished. Kinda takes away the argument of many posters that the law only goes after the reds.

ANY politician breaking the law should be punished.

Well that is the only good thing.......Telling something about your political opponent, which is complete normal everywhere: punishment.

Full scale vote buying which you have from all sides: Nothing......That is like focus on people who drive the car to fast on the highway, but let the rapists and murder free.

[robblok]

To be fair, gaol time for telling porkies about your political opponent is a bit harsh, but the fine should have been doubled, not halved. And removing voting rights was good.

Have to laugh at the sour grapes though..."I was going to retire from politics, anyway."

Good to see that also Democrats get caught and punished. Kinda takes away the argument of many posters that the law only goes after the reds.

ANY politician breaking the law should be punished.

Well that is the only good thing.......Telling something about your political opponent, which is complete normal everywhere: punishment.

Full scale vote buying which you have from all sides: Nothing......That is like focus on people who drive the car to fast on the highway, but let the rapists and murder free.

I thought they were spreading lies here, and doing that about your political opponents during an election sounds bad to me. Of course vote buying should be punished too. I agree there are worse things but at least this got punished even though there is far more to do.

[ChrisY1]

And the cycle continues... support daughter to enter politics.

As long as the people passively condone this stuff there is little progress.

But of course she's studying in England......quite expensive, but being a past pollie, no doubt there's plenty of cash from the troughs of past.

I wonder if the daughter will get an insight in to democracy in the UK.....

[chainarong]

And the cycle continues... support daughter to enter politics.

As long as the people passively condone this stuff there is little progress.

Too bad they can't do something about proxies, the best example of a proxy must be thank you 3 times YL.

The guy supporting his daughter would still be calling the shots she would just be a front, but I think its hard to weed that kind of stuff out. Personally I have no idea how to do it, because you would be limiting the rights of family members and a few genuine people would be punished too.

If you look at the track record the sister was anointed to carry on until the return of brother, when that didn't happen the biggest mistake of all time , they looked to an amnesty, I am not a fan of people who take on the responsibility of Prime minister of a country even Thailand's , without any prior experience as a member of Parliament , you certainly are asking for trouble

[Jon Wetherall]

Odd. The 'vote-buying' and 'corrupted democracy' chatter from the red-phobic crowd has gone very quiet...

[Jon Wetherall]

And the cycle continues... support daughter to enter politics.

As long as the people passively condone this stuff there is little progress.

Too bad they can't do something about proxies, the best example of a proxy must be thank you 3 times YL.

The guy supporting his daughter would still be calling the shots she would just be a front, but I think its hard to weed that kind of stuff out. Personally I have no idea how to do it, because you would be limiting the rights of family members and a few genuine people would be punished too.

If you look at the track record the sister was anointed to carry on until the return of brother, when that didn't happen the biggest mistake of all time , they looked to an amnesty, I am not a fan of people who take on the responsibility of Prime minister of a country even Thailand's , without any prior experience as a member of Parliament , you certainly are asking for trouble

I assume you are referring to Yingluck.

Actually, quite a lot of people believe she was, in general, a very good premier, as good as she was allowed to be by the power-brokers lined up against her anyway. True or not, Thaksin's view of the involvement of the high and mighty in a conspiracy against the elected government of the day appears to be shared by many - certainly the vast majority of Thais I have spoken to about it.

If the post-coup vilification, rhetoric and machinations are all set aside, I agree with them. Of course I never was scared witless of the red-shirts so that probably influences my thinking.

[scorecard]

Too bad they can't do something about proxies, the best example of a proxy must be thank you 3 times YL.

The guy supporting his daughter would still be calling the shots she would just be a front, but I think its hard to weed that kind of stuff out. Personally I have no idea how to do it, because you would be limiting the rights of family members and a few genuine people would be punished too.

You really hit the nail on the head, about the fine line of balancing individual rights versus the dangers of nepotism. There seems to be a consensus in my study group at least, that a person is more likely to go against their better judgment, tell lies and break laws, if a family member is asking them to do this. If a total stranger asked the same person to go against their instincts and act dishonourably, they would be more likely to say "no" than they would if they were bound by family loyalty. If this is true, then nepotism in politics is more dangerous than in many other walks of life, as it can make a good politician turn bad, and the lies and crimes in political office can have severely negative consequences in the lives of so many citizens.

IMHO well said.

Perhaps there's more, I suspect it would be true that many folks (any country / culture) would be fairly strongly influenced by the leanings, morals, etc., they see and hear from their parents and immediate family, plus the social groups their parents align with.

[Bakseeda]

And the cycle continues... support daughter to enter politics.

As long as the people passively condone this stuff there is little progress.

Too bad they can't do something about proxies, the best example of a proxy must be thank you 3 times YL.

The guy supporting his daughter would still be calling the shots she would just be a front, but I think its hard to weed that kind of stuff out. Personally I have no idea how to do it, because you would be limiting the rights of family members and a few genuine people would be punished too.

Oh , come on , you cannot say that without knowing his daughter... I'm sure this young lady has a mind of her own... she is female..! And sounds like she is at a real University in England.. Not an on-line Uni same as Yinluck...

[scorecard]

And the cycle continues... support daughter to enter politics.

As long as the people passively condone this stuff there is little progress.

Too bad they can't do something about proxies, the best example of a proxy must be thank you 3 times YL.

The guy supporting his daughter would still be calling the shots she would just be a front, but I think its hard to weed that kind of stuff out. Personally I have no idea how to do it, because you would be limiting the rights of family members and a few genuine people would be punished too.

If you look at the track record the sister was anointed to carry on until the return of brother, when that didn't happen the biggest mistake of all time , they looked to an amnesty, I am not a fan of people who take on the responsibility of Prime minister of a country even Thailand's , without any prior experience as a member of Parliament , you certainly are asking for trouble

I assume you are referring to Yingluck.

Actually, quite a lot of people believe she was, in general, a very good premier, as good as she was allowed to be by the power-brokers lined up against her anyway. True or not, Thaksin's view of the involvement of the high and mighty in a conspiracy against the elected government of the day appears to be shared by many - certainly the vast majority of Thais I have spoken to about it.

If the post-coup vilification, rhetoric and machinations are all set aside, I agree with them. Of course I never was scared witless of the red-shirts so that probably influences my thinking.

"I never was scared witless of the red-shirts so that probably influences my thinking."

So you would have gone right ahead with challenging a group / mob of red shirts.

How brave you are.

Edited September 5, 2015 by scorecard

[Jon Wetherall]

Too bad they can't do something about proxies, the best example of a proxy must be thank you 3 times YL.

The guy supporting his daughter would still be calling the shots she would just be a front, but I think its hard to weed that kind of stuff out. Personally I have no idea how to do it, because you would be limiting the rights of family members and a few genuine people would be punished too.

You really hit the nail on the head, about the fine line of balancing individual rights versus the dangers of nepotism. There seems to be a consensus in my study group at least, that a person is more likely to go against their better judgment, tell lies and break laws, if a family member is asking them to do this. If a total stranger asked the same person to go against their instincts and act dishonourably, they would be more likely to say "no" than they would if they were bound by family loyalty. If this is true, then nepotism in politics is more dangerous than in many other walks of life, as it can make a good politician turn bad, and the lies and crimes in political office can have severely negative consequences in the lives of so many citizens.

IMHO well said.

Perhaps there's more, I suspect it would be true that many folks (any country / culture) would be fairly strongly influenced by the leanings, morals, etc., they see and hear from their parents and immediate family, plus the social groups their parents align with.

Of course they would, and the comment by Yunia makes no real sense other than to show he has at least thought about it and encouraged his students to do so. It's always useful if you can get Thai students to think about something other than the 3 pillars. But it's psychology 101 at best and perfectly obvious at worst so one wonders what the point was.

[Jon Wetherall]

If you look at the track record the sister was anointed to carry on until the return of brother, when that didn't happen the biggest mistake of all time , they looked to an amnesty, I am not a fan of people who take on the responsibility of Prime minister of a country even Thailand's , without any prior experience as a member of Parliament , you certainly are asking for trouble

I assume you are referring to Yingluck.

Actually, quite a lot of people believe she was, in general, a very good premier, as good as she was allowed to be by the power-brokers lined up against her anyway. True or not, Thaksin's view of the involvement of the high and mighty in a conspiracy against the elected government of the day appears to be shared by many - certainly the vast majority of Thais I have spoken to about it.

If the post-coup vilification, rhetoric and machinations are all set aside, I agree with them. Of course I never was scared witless of the red-shirts so that probably influences my thinking.

"I never was scared witless of the red-shirts so that probably influences my thinking."

So you would have gone right ahead with challenging a group / mob of red shirts.

How brave you are.

Silly boy. Not being scared witless doesn't mean all sensible judgment goes down the pan.

Or perhaps you weren't being quite serious and I should laugh at what might have been an obscure joke.

[darren84310]

And the cycle continues... support daughter to enter politics.

As long as the people passively condone this stuff there is little progress.

Too bad they can't do something about proxies, the best example of a proxy must be thank you 3 times YL.

The guy supporting his daughter would still be calling the shots she would just be a front, but I think its hard to weed that kind of stuff out. Personally I have no idea how to do it, because you would be limiting the rights of family members and a few genuine people would be punished too.

[djjamie]

When a PTP MP is dealt this sentence it is a travesty of justice and a biased court. Never mind the evidence. When it is a democrat that is given the sentence it is usually a "token" sentence to give the perception that the courts are not biased. One excuse I have not heard for quite a while to give the facade that the courts are still biased despite all the evidence (FACTS - PTP's biggest enemy) to the contrary is "these MP's are not important" so their arrest and sentence means nothing.

Well done on the 10 year ban and lets hope it is a sign of things to come for other MP's as well.

Once can be assured no one will disrespect this judges decision and throw sh*t at the courthouse or burn effigies of the judges like some did previously. That reaction has no part to play in a democracy.

[ramrod711]

This article was written in 2013, it is highly critical of Suthep, but also takes a couple of shots at the amnesty bill in paragraph seven and Thaksin in paragraph eight. Balanced and, I think, fair over all.

http://asiapacific.anu.edu.au/newmandala/2013/11/20/uprooting-the-thaksin-regime/

[The Deerhunter]

Odd. The 'vote-buying' and 'corrupted democracy' chatter from the red-phobic crowd has gone very quiet...

Thanks for noticing that the law punishes both sides. Us red-phobic folk like to see bad pollies from all parties punished. (Hip Hip Hooray if they deserved it.) Please note for future reference that many red-phobic folk can also be phobic about politicians of other colours including yellow. Its really the random killing of innocents that upsets us much more than their apparent political colour. That and any large scale blatant corruption when exhibited by any politician. You appear to be a new contributor. Asking in a Thai Visa Forum context, rather than in a strictly Buddhist context: Are you anyone we would remember from a previous incarnation? Edited September 5, 2015 by The Deerhunter

[Jon Wetherall]

When a PTP MP is dealt this sentence it is a travesty of justice and a biased court. Never mind the evidence. When it is a democrat that is given the sentence it is usually a "token" sentence to give the perception that the courts are not biased. One excuse I have not heard for quite a while to give the facade that the courts are still biased despite all the evidence (FACTS - PTP's biggest enemy) to the contrary is "these MP's are not important" so their arrest and sentence means nothing.

Well done on the 10 year ban and lets hope it is a sign of things to come for other MP's as well.

Once can be assured no one will disrespect this judges decision and throw sh*t at the courthouse or burn effigies of the judges like some did previously. That reaction has no part to play in a democracy.

Ooh. Stand to attention and pay attention you guys, the junta-huggers just made an appearance.

Must be a shortage of free bar-stools.

[Baerboxer]

And the cycle continues... support daughter to enter politics.

As long as the people passively condone this stuff there is little progress.

Too bad they can't do something about proxies, the best example of a proxy must be thank you 3 times YL.

The guy supporting his daughter would still be calling the shots she would just be a front, but I think its hard to weed that kind of stuff out. Personally I have no idea how to do it, because you would be limiting the rights of family members and a few genuine people would be punished too.

If you look at the track record the sister was anointed to carry on until the return of brother, when that didn't happen the biggest mistake of all time , they looked to an amnesty, I am not a fan of people who take on the responsibility of Prime minister of a country even Thailand's , without any prior experience as a member of Parliament , you certainly are asking for trouble

I assume you are referring to Yingluck.

Actually, quite a lot of people believe she was, in general, a very good premier, as good as she was allowed to be by the power-brokers lined up against her anyway. True or not, Thaksin's view of the involvement of the high and mighty in a conspiracy against the elected government of the day appears to be shared by many - certainly the vast majority of Thais I have spoken to about it.

If the post-coup vilification, rhetoric and machinations are all set aside, I agree with them. Of course I never was scared witless of the red-shirts so that probably influences my thinking.

The only people who claim she was a good premier are those who post on here supporting her families control of Thailand. Mention her name to Thais and they all either grimace in disgust, giggle as they think she was an embarrassment, or say they feel sorry for her because her brother bullied her.

No on really thinks she was ever, in the slightest way, the real PM. She made no decisions, was told what to do and say, and even had her cabinet picked and shuffled by her brother.

Still, perhaps that's your idea of a good premier. Someone who simply hands power over to her non elected criminal fugitive brother and does as told while he tries to find a way back that avoids his conviction, bail jumping, and 15 serious outstanding court cases.

I'm sure your not scared of the Red Shirts. That particular militia protects the political vehicle of the Shins whom you seem to adore.

[Baerboxer]

When a PTP MP is dealt this sentence it is a travesty of justice and a biased court. Never mind the evidence. When it is a democrat that is given the sentence it is usually a "token" sentence to give the perception that the courts are not biased. One excuse I have not heard for quite a while to give the facade that the courts are still biased despite all the evidence (FACTS - PTP's biggest enemy) to the contrary is "these MP's are not important" so their arrest and sentence means nothing.

Well done on the 10 year ban and lets hope it is a sign of things to come for other MP's as well.

Once can be assured no one will disrespect this judges decision and throw sh*t at the courthouse or burn effigies of the judges like some did previously. That reaction has no part to play in a democracy.

Ooh. Stand to attention and pay attention you guys, the junta-huggers just made an appearance.

Must be a shortage of free bar-stools.

At least it provides a contrast from the Shin PR you post.

[Baerboxer]

This article was written in 2013, it is highly critical of Suthep, but also takes a couple of shots at the amnesty bill in paragraph seven and Thaksin in paragraph eight. Balanced and, I think, fair over all.

http://asiapacific.anu.edu.au/newmandala/2013/11/20/uprooting-the-thaksin-regime/

A good balanced article - thank you for posting the link.

Of course the Shin fan boys brigade won't like it because it tells some home truths about Thaksin the Innocent. They much prefer his recent CNN interview where he stated he, and indeed his little sister, have never ever done anything wrong, never ever.

[Jon Wetherall]

This article was written in 2013, it is highly critical of Suthep, but also takes a couple of shots at the amnesty bill in paragraph seven and Thaksin in paragraph eight. Balanced and, I think, fair over all.

http://asiapacific.anu.edu.au/newmandala/2013/11/20/uprooting-the-thaksin-regime/

A good balanced article - thank you for posting the link.

Of course the Shin fan boys brigade won't like it because it tells some home truths about Thaksin the Innocent. They much prefer his recent CNN interview where he stated he, and indeed his little sister, have never ever done anything wrong, never ever.

FWIW, in my experience, there are very few people with the delusion that Thaksin is anything but a thief and fraudster. He's a Sino-Thai so he has a natural advantage in that respect. He is also amartya, and only became a hate figure for them after some of them accused him of being more beloved among Thai people than someone else.

Also in my experience, these same people are pretty rational about Thaksin, he was definitely a bad egg but he was the first bad egg to help the rrural poor out of their poverty and inferiority, and that is why they were so loyal to him. Prayuth has clearly been trying to cosy up to them in the same way but with no apparent success - unsurprisingly. Mostly, admirers of Thaksin are admirers only because he was at least democratically elected and a democratically elected thief is infinitely preferable to a coup-installed thief, which is what Thais have at present.

Oh that the Shin-haters were so rational, but they appear to be almost rabid in their hatred and that doesn't enhance their credibility, not at all. It's almost as though for them, Thaksin were the sole cause of everything that's wrong with the world instead of being someone, who, among his most definite failings, did more for non-urban Thais than anyone else in history.

Oh wait - *you're* not one of those Shin-haters are you?

Edited September 5, 2015 by Jon Wetherall

[h90]

To be fair, gaol time for telling porkies about your political opponent is a bit harsh, but the fine should have been doubled, not halved. And removing voting rights was good.

Have to laugh at the sour grapes though..."I was going to retire from politics, anyway."

Good to see that also Democrats get caught and punished. Kinda takes away the argument of many posters that the law only goes after the reds.

ANY politician breaking the law should be punished.

Well that is the only good thing.......Telling something about your political opponent, which is complete normal everywhere: punishment.

Full scale vote buying which you have from all sides: Nothing......That is like focus on people who drive the car to fast on the highway, but let the rapists and murder free.

I thought they were spreading lies here, and doing that about your political opponents during an election sounds bad to me. Of course vote buying should be punished too. I agree there are worse things but at least this got punished even though there is far more to do.

Yes but spreading lies about your political opponent is normal....of course it should be punished but that is one of the smallest problems Thailand has....

[h90]

This article was written in 2013, it is highly critical of Suthep, but also takes a couple of shots at the amnesty bill in paragraph seven and Thaksin in paragraph eight. Balanced and, I think, fair over all.

http://asiapacific.anu.edu.au/newmandala/2013/11/20/uprooting-the-thaksin-regime/

A good balanced article - thank you for posting the link.

Of course the Shin fan boys brigade won't like it because it tells some home truths about Thaksin the Innocent. They much prefer his recent CNN interview where he stated he, and indeed his little sister, have never ever done anything wrong, never ever.

FWIW, in my experience, there are very few people with the delusion that Thaksin is anything but a thief and fraudster. He's a Sino-Thai so he has a natural advantage in that respect. He is also amartya, and only became a hate figure for them after some of them accused him of being more beloved among Thai people than someone else.

Also in my experience, these same people are pretty rational about Thaksin, he was definitely a bad egg but he was the first bad egg to help the rrural poor out of their poverty and inferiority, and that is why they were so loyal to him. Prayuth has clearly been trying to cosy up to them in the same way but with no apparent success - unsurprisingly. Mostly, admirers of Thaksin are admirers only because he was at least democratically elected and a democratically elected thief is infinitely preferable to a coup-installed thief, which is what Thais have at present.

Oh that the Shin-haters were so rational, but they appear to be almost rabid in their hatred and that doesn't enhance their credibility, not at all. It's almost as though for them, Thaksin were the sole cause of everything that's wrong with the world instead of being someone, who, among his most definite failings, did more for non-urban Thais than anyone else in history.

Oh wait - *you're* not one of those Shin-haters are you?

Half true half right....

He did a few very offensive things that we should not discuss. That is true. He didn't help the rural poor, he gave them loans. I recall to get a bank loan from the government for buying a mobile phone from his mobile phone company. He made many people who don't have much cash but own lots of lands and having a stable income, really poor. Lots lost their land. But he handed out massive amounts for vote buying and that made him popular no question.

So he was elected with full scale vote buying....that is not democratic. He was the worst thief in Thailands history (there is a lot competition). There is no indication that the General is corrupt. Sure when checking everyone you'll find some corruption here and there but nothing in the scale of the Shinawatras and their cronies.

He did huge damage to Thailand and the worst is, he had that much power because he was far smarter than all the others....Lets remember the time of Abhisit which was a complete fail. So no other politician in sight that could win the heart of the public and non who has the funds to do the same kind of vote buying. That made the Shin-haters so rabid....they saw how everything goes down and see no solution.

[The Deerhunter]

When a PTP MP is dealt this sentence it is a travesty of justice and a biased court. Never mind the evidence. When it is a democrat that is given the sentence it is usually a "token" sentence to give the perception that the courts are not biased. One excuse I have not heard for quite a while to give the facade that the courts are still biased despite all the evidence (FACTS - PTP's biggest enemy) to the contrary is "these MP's are not important" so their arrest and sentence means nothing.

Well done on the 10 year ban and lets hope it is a sign of things to come for other MP's as well.

Once can be assured no one will disrespect this judges decision and throw sh*t at the courthouse or burn effigies of the judges like some did previously. That reaction has no part to play in a democracy.

Ooh. Stand to attention and pay attention you guys, the junta-huggers just made an appearance.

Must be a shortage of free bar-stools.

Nothing of importance! Dunno where djjamiie lives but there are no bar stools out here for miles in any direction. Oh yes. In the messes of the military bases we are surrounded by.

Edited September 5, 2015 by The Deerhunter

[mikemac]

Ooh. Stand to attention and pay attention you guys, the junta-huggers just made an appearance.

Must be a shortage of free bar-stools.

Hmmmm, arrogant, obnoxious, condescending and insulting.....................nope, got me, could be the reincarnation of any one of a thousand banned Shin fans.