Obama supports Thailand to return to democracy

[Shaunduhpostman]

Yes, and we support Mr. Obama changing his ways in a similar manner. Hardly a paragon or champion of democracy himself except in his own mind or anyone who will fall for his talk.

Bernie Sanders in 2016!

Edited November 19, 2015 by Shaunduhpostman

[waldroj]

Gen Prayut also met Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev and has accepted his invitation to visit Russia in November next year to join the 120th celebration anniversary of the good relations of the two countries.

wondering if Medvedev/Putin will ask Prayuth about status of return to democracy, human rights, etc. just like Obama did?

Maybe Putin will ask him if he wants to strip off his Blofeld top, and go "bear" back riding?

[Reigntax]

And back in the US Obame issued a press statement.

"I unfortunately had this little man chasing me around trying to get into every photo shot. I later found out is a military leader of some backwater country, I think it was Taiwan or similar. Take a note. If this guy represents the intelligence of the people, they are no threat to anything except lowering the average IQ of the world population.

Apparenty we bombed the shit out of the capital some 70 years ago. Thank god we never tried to civilise them and focused on Japan and Germany.

[grumbleweed]

Yes, Obama is leaving the presidency because the U.S. limits presidential terms to two. I think he would be reelected if he could run again. Not that he is the greatest president ever, but consider the competition!

I think Stalin would stand a chance against that lot

[anon4546543]

Gen Prayut has accepted an invitation to visit Russia in November next year. I find this the most interesting post. I wonder in what capacity?

[Jonathon]

Obama should keep quiet and mind his own business. He has created enough problems in his own country without adding others to his list. Hopefully the world will be rid of him and his kind next year.

[uptheos]

Gen Prayut has accepted an invitation to visit Russia in November next year. I find this the most interesting post. I wonder in what capacity?

To stand in awe of St Basil's Cathedral and Lenin's tomb and afterward take a trip to the magnificent St Petersburg where he can visit the wonderful Hermitage of Katherine the Great. Why wouldn't he want a trip like that?

[waldroj]

For our US friends, regardless of your domestic political bent, just have another look at the photo that heads this Thai PBS posting.

Surely you have to feel some sympathy for President Obama? Sitting there (stuck between Viet Nam and Thailand), shaking his head incredulously, and thinking “better the devil you know than the devil you don't”.

[tukkytuktuk]

I like Obama, he's a nice guy. He can come for tea at my house any time he wants. As for Prayut, he's a serious guy and frightens me, when I mention his name to friends and neighbors they immediately change the subject or make an excuse to leave. Ruling through fear has many people on edge. The long reform process needs to be shortened. People on edge are restless.

When the 2011 floods hit, the army emerged the heroes, how that has changed. Protect the people's freedom and human rights. The right to vote, respect my vote. Elections, elections, elections.

[waldroj]

Gen Prayut has accepted an invitation to visit Russia in November next year. I find this the most interesting post. I wonder in what capacity?

To stand in awe of St Basil's Cathedral and Lenin's tomb and afterward take a trip to the magnificent St Petersburg where he can visit the wonderful Hermitage of Katherine the Great. Why wouldn't he want a trip like that?

Average minimum temperature in Moscow in November, -3° Celsius, soaring to average maximum of 1°C. Slightly warmer welcome in St Petersburg, 0°C!

[waitforusalso]

Lots of right wing nutters on this forum who also tend towards being junta fanboys.

[jesimps]

As an American, I can agree with all that Obama is a Fool! Talking about Thailand's Democracy, lets talk about America's Democracy! Obama is a Dictator and has been ruling America as his personnel Kingdom! The American people are ready to Vote for the return of Democracy next November, 2016! There is hope, that a Vote for America next year will carry 40 out of 50 states, with the Vote Being Anti-Obama and the Socialist Democratic Party! Possibility of more states

with the recent activity of Obama's JV Team!

ALL politicians the world over are crooks.

I'm from the US too, & if you believe in "voting the bums out", you are delusional.

The US is so far in debt it's astronomically absurd.

The next president should eliminate the alphabet soup of agencies (FBI, NSA, DEA, SEC, etc, etc... ad nauseam [sp?]) and slash military spending by 90%.

NOPE, whoever gets elected next will just keep kicking the can down the road......except the cliff, and the end of the road is just getting nearer and nearer.

How will it end? Massive inflation, capital controls (look it up), and more jack-booted thugs taking away what small bits of liberty that still remain in the USA.

The idea of "America" was the best ever in the world, but sadly it has gone away, and now we are left with the authoritarian USA, where you are more likely to get shot by a cop than a terrorist.

It is the question if the president has the power to eliminate the alphabet soup....or if rather the alphabet soup will eliminate the president. I think the power is with other people who keep some actor as president and they are scared if some honest military man takes over in a country...because that could happen to them as well.

Honest military man??????? What's the weather like there in cloud-cuckoo land?

[Enoon]

Please excuse my absurdist interjection, but isn't it nice to know that nobody can say anything bad about Mr Obama (who I think is a nice man) in Thailand because:

The structure of offences of insult or defamation in the current Thai Criminal Code is divided into three groups and six levels:

The third group is insult against the head of state of foreign countries or lèse-majesté. Insulting or threatening the king, queen, consort, heir-apparent, or the head of state of foreign countries (Section 133), which is an offence against friendly relations with foreign states, is punishable by one to seven years imprisonment or a fine of 2,000-140,000 baht, or both. The penalty for defaming, insulting or threatening the Thai monarch, the queen, heir-apparent, or regent (Section 112) is imprisonment for three to 15 years. Insulting or defaming a representative of a foreign state accredited to the royal court has the penalty of imprisonment for a term of six months to 15 years or a fine of 1,000-10,000 baht, or both.

[waldroj]

Please excuse my absurdist interjection, but isn't it nice to know that nobody can say anything bad about Mr Obama (who I think is a nice man) in Thailand because:

The structure of offences of insult or defamation in the current Thai Criminal Code is divided into three groups and six levels:

The third group is insult against the head of state of foreign countries or lèse-majesté. Insulting or threatening the king, queen, consort, heir-apparent, or the head of state of foreign countries (Section 133), which is an offence against friendly relations with foreign states, is punishable by one to seven years imprisonment or a fine of 2,000-140,000 baht, or both. The penalty for defaming, insulting or threatening the Thai monarch, the queen, heir-apparent, or regent (Section 112) is imprisonment for three to 15 years. Insulting or defaming a representative of a foreign state accredited to the royal court has the penalty of imprisonment for a term of six months to 15 years or a fine of 1,000-10,000 baht, or both.

Better have the moderator close off this forum then!

[uptheos]

Gen Prayut has accepted an invitation to visit Russia in November next year. I find this the most interesting post. I wonder in what capacity?

To stand in awe of St Basil's Cathedral and Lenin's tomb and afterward take a trip to the magnificent St Petersburg where he can visit the wonderful Hermitage of Katherine the Great. Why wouldn't he want a trip like that?

Average minimum temperature in Moscow in November, -3° Celsius, soaring to average maximum of 1°C. Slightly warmer welcome in St Petersburg, 0°C!

Yeah, I've done but nothing a North Face parka couldn't deal with. He will be warm most of the time and in and out of heated cars. He's a soldier of high ranking isn't he, not a pussy cat.

[uptheos]

It may only be coincidence, but since Obama was elected the world seems to have gone nuts!

[willyumiii]

" The US president told him that he would be delighted to support the country to return to democracy which he assured the president he would try his best to enable the country back to full and sustainable democracy."

The PM needs to hurry up.

The way things are going, Obama will no longer be President by the Time Thailand holds elections again!

[uptheos]

" The US president told him that he would be delighted to support the country to return to democracy which he assured the president he would try his best to enable the country back to full and sustainable democracy."

The PM needs to hurry up.

The way things are going, Obama will no longer be President by the Time Thailand holds elections again!

Oh boy doesn't this phrase sound so nice.

Obama will no longer be President.....such a sweet sound.

[Thaidream]

It looks like Yingluck called Obama a Hansum man and he liked it!! Hmmmm.... No, I won't go there...

[digibum]

Prayut: Oh, my gawd, Obama shook my hand! Can you believe it?

Prayut Aide: I know, I totally saw it.

Prayut: I'm not going to wash this hand for a month.

Prayut Aide: You know what this means, don't you? He totally supports your return to democracy.

Prayut: I know. Gaaaaaaaawd. This is so keeeeeewl! Hurry, write up a press release and tell everyone I touched Obama! The Thai people will be so impressed.

[jaywalker]

I'll never understand how people find niche blogs and articles written by people who are so out-of-reality that they couldn't find their own nose but then use quotes from those articles as facts when they're written in such a bias fashion that there is likely no part of those articles that's true...

Then again, it supports their own bias so it must be true... right?...... Right?

If running up the largest check-bin of any country in the history of the world is normal, and you think it's OK, and don't believe that the Roman, Ottoman, Mongolian, Spanish, Portuguese and British empires were destroyed by debt, endless foreign wars, and too many laws, well, Up2U.

Hang on to your paper dollars.

[connda]

Prayuth Warns Obama Not to Trust Reports of Rights Abuses

By Sasiwan Mokkhasen

Staff Reporter

MANILA — Junta chairman Prayuth Chan-ocha said he told U.S. President Barack Obama today that concerns about human rights violations in Thailand were partly based on inaccurate news presented by people with bad intentions.

Gen. Prayuth said he and Obama had the brief conversation on the matter as they sat next to each other this morning at a regional economic summit in Manila. It was the second time Prayuth encountered Obama, whose government condemned the coup d’etat he staged in May 2014.

“Mr. Obama stressed that he’s well aware of the complexity of Thai politics, but the things that worried him are issues about human rights,” Prayuth said in an interview with Thai reporters in Manila today. “I insisted to him that I’m already trying to take care of these issues, but they were really [the results of] news presented by people with bad intentions. Sometimes, these reports were presented without any facts, so it led to misunderstanding.”

Full story: http://www.khaosodenglish.com/detail.php?newsid=1447917761

-- Khaosod English 2015-11-19

Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain.

https://youtu.be/YWyCCJ6B2WE

[connda]

As an American, I can agree with all that Obama is a Fool! Talking about Thailand's Democracy, lets talk about America's Democracy! Obama is a Dictator and has been ruling America as his personnel Kingdom! The American people are ready to Vote for the return of Democracy next November, 2016! There is hope, that a Vote for America next year will carry 40 out of 50 states, with the Vote Being Anti-Obama and the Socialist Democratic Party! Possibility of more states

with the recent activity of Obama's JV Team!

Ahhh, American is not a Democracy. It's a Constitutional Republic that is being gutted from the inside. Study history.

[webfact]

THAI-US RELATIONS
Thai politics a complicated affair: Obama
THE NATION



US leader offers to help bring back democracy; aims to boost mutual times

MANILA: -- US PRESIDENT Barack Obama said yesterday he realised that Thailand's internal politics were complicated, and that the US was ready to cooperate with the Kingdom in its bid to forge a stable democracy.

Obama conveyed his message in a meeting with Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) summit in Manila.

Deputy government spokesman Werachon Sukhondhapatipak said Prayut had told Obama he would do his best to bring full democracy back to Thailand.

"US President Obama told Prayut that Thai politics is complicated, but that he is ready to help Thailand return to sustainable democracy," Werachon said.

Obama said relations between the two countries were very significant, especially since Thailand is an old US ally in the region. "He emphasised that the bilateral relations and military cooperation are still strong," Werachon said.

Thai-US ties were strained by the May 2014 coup, with Washington downgrading ties, including military assistance.

The spokesman said Prayut had thanked Obama and the US Congress for appointing a new United States envoy to Thailand, adding that the Thai government was willing to work closely with the new ambassador in order to continue and maintain cooperation in mutually beneficial spheres.

Werachon also told reporters that, in his statement to the Apec summit, Prayut said Thailand was committed to placing importance and giving support to the roles of Apec in promoting sustainable growth among member states.

The annual 21-member Apec summit - hosted this year by the Philippines - aims to forge trade unity, but often finds itself side-tracked by other events. The summit ended yesterday.

Prayut also expressed condolences over the series of attacks in Paris last week, which claimed at least 129 lives and injured many others. He condemned the attacks and offered moral support to families of the victims, saying that Thailand would join hands with the international community in fighting against terrorism.

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/politics/Thai-politics-a-complicated-affair-Obama-30273356.html


-- The Nation 2015-11-20

[arjunadawn]

What's he supposed to say?

I don't support democracy.

The usual partisan predictable mindless attacks on Obama.

I don't agree with all his policies but to call him an idiot doesn't wash.

Obama may be many things but idiot is not one of them. In fact, much of what he has evidenced is genuis. It is untrue that people contrary to what we think is right are stupid, or idiots. Having said that, it is ironic that "Gen Prayut also disclosed that the president.....voiced concern of human rights. He, however, assured the president that his government is taking care of the matter."

Under Obama indefinite detention has pretty much tortured habeus corpus and non elected 'panels' can select Americans for death, and have. Under Obama, the us ranking for press freedom has dropped way, way down the list. America has lost its moral authority on so many points lately that its cramming 'Democracy' down the throats of peoples to whom it is still alien seems ridiculous. Under Obama the National Endowment for Democracy has aggressively meddled in numerous countries polluting the independence of NGOs and aid agencies through its hybrid relationship, and toppling or trying to topple leaders, in at least one case a democratically elected president. The Color Revolutions, the Arab Spring, Ukraine 1 & 2, Hong Kong, Thailand, etc, ad naseum are hardly a track record for lecturing another on Democracy.

http://edition.cnn.com/2015/02/13/politics/u-s-press-freedom-ranking-obama-administration-leaks/

[oneday]

Who really knows what was said or meant, given there are zero quotes from Obama, which is typical of the vast majority of articles that put Thailand in a positive light.

[eddie61]

Awkward body language by Obama:

Aside to aide "who is this idiot who wants a pic with me"

Aide to Obama " Prayut Chan O Cha from Taiwan,,, er Thailand, whispering aside (democratic dictator, long story)"

So Obama adopts the shake hands with largely irrelevant democratic dictator position ; not too warm not to close, and take that picture quickly please....

[LannaGuy]

much ado about nothing

[arrowsdawdle]

Who really knows what was said or meant, given there are zero quotes from Obama, which is typical of the vast majority of articles that put Thailand in a positive light.

But the operative description is 'complicated affair.'

Affairs typically cannot stand the light of day.

[arrowsdawdle]

Americans would love to see Mr. Obama return the government to the people...including the Congress when writing new legislation into law...and quit issuing executive orders without any debate or approval...circumventing the mandates of the Constitution...that would return American Democracy to its original state of checks and balances...not a pseudo dictatorship...

You don't speak for Americans only your fellow zealots.The language you use is curiously similar to that deployed in Thailand about the last government by some of its critics.Democracy is a messy and imperfect business but only a fool would accept your facile observations.

As to Obama all the evidence suggests that if a third term was permitted, he would win it.

Boy are you out of the loop. Let's not embarrass you about that evidence fantasy.