Thaksin denies PM’s accusation that he pulls the strings behind anti-government activities

[rubl]

You get to resemble your hero. You twist and turn as usual, you resort to semi-intelligent gibberish and try to ignore and deflect from 'Thaksin said he had no need to do such' which is a non-denial. Just like his famous "I'm too rich to need to be corrupt'. If that's not clear and direct I fear you are in denial.

Speaking of twist and turn, can you, as a junta supporter, finally answer this simple and unambiguous question:

After 19 coups & attempts where NOTHING changed what makes you think it's different this time around??

Does that have any relation with "Thaksin said he didn't need such" ?

None whatsoever, but I have tried posing the question to the junta supporters probably close to a hundred times in a wide variety of threads but you all run away from it like Dracula from garlic.

Says it all, really

So you're just distracting with questions not related to the topic and you keep trying this distraction.

Well, in the words of your example "I don't need such"

[sjaak327]

Thaksin doesn't need to spend even a single satang to discredit this government. Their incompetence and their human rights abuses among other things are more than enough..

As Thaksin himself said "he doesn't need such". On the other hand 'not needing' has never stopped him before.

PS did you enjoy 'Kingsday' at the Embassy yesterday? Lucky the rain had stopped before things got really started late afternoon.

No I am back in my cold home country again. Left Krung Thep just before "Kings day'.

As to not needing but still doing it, possibly, however the claim from the government that he is behind all protest against the regime is ludicrous and unbelievable, that much is absolutely certain.

[rubl]

Thaksin doesn't need to spend even a single satang to discredit this government. Their incompetence and their human rights abuses among other things are more than enough..

As Thaksin himself said "he doesn't need such". On the other hand 'not needing' has never stopped him before.

PS did you enjoy 'Kingsday' at the Embassy yesterday? Lucky the rain had stopped before things got really started late afternoon.

No I am back in my cold home country again. Left Krung Thep just before "Kings day'.

As to not needing but still doing it, possibly, however the claim from the government that he is behind all protest against the regime is ludicrous and unbelievable, that much is absolutely certain.

Oh we can agree on that. ALL seems a tad overdone, just as much as Thaksin's (non-)denials.

[sjaak327]

Thaksin doesn't need to spend even a single satang to discredit this government. Their incompetence and their human rights abuses among other things are more than enough..

As Thaksin himself said "he doesn't need such". On the other hand 'not needing' has never stopped him before.

PS did you enjoy 'Kingsday' at the Embassy yesterday? Lucky the rain had stopped before things got really started late afternoon.

No I am back in my cold home country again. Left Krung Thep just before "Kings day'.

As to not needing but still doing it, possibly, however the claim from the government that he is behind all protest against the regime is ludicrous and unbelievable, that much is absolutely certain.

Oh we can agree on that. ALL seems a tad overdone, just as much as Thaksin's (non-)denials.

I believe that Thaksin is behind some of those protest if and when the government provides proof. Cannot be hard to obtain one would think.

I'm surprised Thaksin did not file a defamation case against Prayuth. I know he IS above the law, but just file one to piss him off would do nicely.

[Holy Cinema]

For 10 years there's been a civil war in the South, it's never had an impact on tourism, the odd blip, but tourists were not deterred.

During the street protests in Bangkok, tourists were warned to stay away from the protest areas, they mostly did, but what did have an impact was the declaration of an emergency, and then Martial Law, which saw tourists uncertain as to whether their travel insurance was valid, they also heeded the advice of their consulates.

Tourist numbers may well be up, but they're not coming from Europe or Russia, the increase is coming from China, why? because deals have been done behind closed doors to promote them coming here. The numbers are also including domestic tourism.

Why were hotels in Pattaya and Bangkok running midweek price reducing deals during high season? They have reported that they're going to fall short of their quotas, so where are the numbers?

The Chinese also don't give a monkeys about security, they're not the most cautious of people.

So stating that since the coup tourism has increased at an alarming rate, but it seems local business are not seeing much revenue from it.


Bottom line, it's a deflection from the actual topic, which djjamie always manages to do.


How many principles of democracy are flourishing under the Junta djjamie?

[rubl]

As Thaksin himself said "he doesn't need such". On the other hand 'not needing' has never stopped him before.

PS did you enjoy 'Kingsday' at the Embassy yesterday? Lucky the rain had stopped before things got really started late afternoon.

No I am back in my cold home country again. Left Krung Thep just before "Kings day'.

As to not needing but still doing it, possibly, however the claim from the government that he is behind all protest against the regime is ludicrous and unbelievable, that much is absolutely certain.

Oh we can agree on that. ALL seems a tad overdone, just as much as Thaksin's (non-)denials.

I believe that Thaksin is behind some of those protest if and when the government provides proof. Cannot be hard to obtain one would think.

I'm surprised Thaksin did not file a defamation case against Prayuth. I know he IS above the law, but just file one to piss him off would do nicely.

When the rumour appeared about Yingluck government peace talks with Southern Terrorists preparations Thaksin non-denied with "who am I to do such" and six months later people involved offered the proof he was some-or-another to do such. Before the info was available lots of 'nice' posters tried the same tack you're now trying.

So, Thaksin has no need to do such. Good to know and file for when more data becomes available.

[Holy Cinema]

Your beloved General has been caught telling as many porky pies in recent years, both are as bad as each other, except one has a lot more to lose than the other, and it ain't the man in the desert.

[djjamie]

You're becoming more detached from reality. The protests were fading, as was the violence. Tourism took it's biggest hit after the coup, and in spite of the stories hyping the wonderful Chinese tourists, many tourism dependent businesses have yet to recover. The economy has stagnated since the coup.

Yingluck was no longer PM. The PTP government was attempting to hold an election in July 2014 when both it and the ironically misnamed Democrats were at a low point in popularity. Democracy had a tenuous foothold and a chance to advance. Then there was the coup.

In case you haven't figured it out yet, the coup was staged to ensure the "right" people had a secure grip on power during and after an upcoming event. It wasn't staged for noble "save the country" reasons, it was staged out of pure self-interest for a small minority of the country.

Quite correct on the tourist hit.

The number plummeted up to he coup due to tourist attacks against protestors and continues until one month after the coup. Then they rose again to record levels

Tourists prefer peace and stability to death and terrorism my friend even if it doesn't suit some agenda.

FACTS. The PTP's greatest enemy.

"tourist attacks against protestors"?

I assume you meant "terrorist". You continue to ignore the violence committed by the protesters, and that the violence was low by Thailand standards. Tourists stayed away because international news was showing Bangkok in gridlock because of the protests. Both violence and gridlock were part of Suthep's plan to provide justification for a coup. The protest was dwindling because the government wasn't taking the bait and ordering a bloody crackdown, which also would have justified the coup.

The coup was staged because life was returning to normal in Bangkok, which would have made an election possible. A successful election would have resulted in a government with electoral legitimacy, which would have made a coup much more difficult. After the coup tourists stayed away because they didn't want to holiday in a place under military rule with martial law and curfews.

Your self-serving opinion of why the tourists stayed away doesn't qualify as a fact. Also, you are the first one I know who claimed that the protest was dwindling due to the attacks. Do you have any sources to support that claim, or is it also a made up fact?

REALITY. The junta huggers greatest enemy.

You refuse to admit it don't you.

Pre coup - Tourist numbers at record low.

Post coup - Tourist number rebound to record highs.

These are official numbers from Bank of Thailand released globally. (apparently Bank of Thailand is in on this as well) It aint hard boys. Peace = tourists. No peace = lack of tourists. Spin it however you want.

But spin it and dismiss these official figures and denounce them in fact because flights from Amsterdam have gone down or the the room next to mine at the hotel I stayed at was vacant. What next "there are less tourist buses around so there must be less tourists" Oh hang on, got that one as well.

The weak excuses to dismiss facts get more and more imaginative.

Edited May 2, 2016 by djjamie

[sjaak327]

You're becoming more detached from reality. The protests were fading, as was the violence. Tourism took it's biggest hit after the coup, and in spite of the stories hyping the wonderful Chinese tourists, many tourism dependent businesses have yet to recover. The economy has stagnated since the coup.

Yingluck was no longer PM. The PTP government was attempting to hold an election in July 2014 when both it and the ironically misnamed Democrats were at a low point in popularity. Democracy had a tenuous foothold and a chance to advance. Then there was the coup.

In case you haven't figured it out yet, the coup was staged to ensure the "right" people had a secure grip on power during and after an upcoming event. It wasn't staged for noble "save the country" reasons, it was staged out of pure self-interest for a small minority of the country.

Quite correct on the tourist hit.

The number plummeted up to he coup due to tourist attacks against protestors and continues until one month after the coup. Then they rose again to record levels

Tourists prefer peace and stability to death and terrorism my friend even if it doesn't suit some agenda.

FACTS. The PTP's greatest enemy.

"tourist attacks against protestors"?

I assume you meant "terrorist". You continue to ignore the violence committed by the protesters, and that the violence was low by Thailand standards. Tourists stayed away because international news was showing Bangkok in gridlock because of the protests. Both violence and gridlock were part of Suthep's plan to provide justification for a coup. The protest was dwindling because the government wasn't taking the bait and ordering a bloody crackdown, which also would have justified the coup.

The coup was staged because life was returning to normal in Bangkok, which would have made an election possible. A successful election would have resulted in a government with electoral legitimacy, which would have made a coup much more difficult. After the coup tourists stayed away because they didn't want to holiday in a place under military rule with martial law and curfews.

Your self-serving opinion of why the tourists stayed away doesn't qualify as a fact. Also, you are the first one I know who claimed that the protest was dwindling due to the attacks. Do you have any sources to support that claim, or is it also a made up fact?

REALITY. The junta huggers greatest enemy.

You refuse to admit it don't you.

Pre coup - Tourist numbers at record low.

Post coup - Tourist number rebound to record highs.

These are official numbers from Bank of Thailand released globally. (apparently Bank of Thailand is in on this as well) It aint hard boys. Peace = tourists. No peace = lack of tourists. Spin it however you want.

But spin it and dismiss these official figures and denounce them in fact because flights from Amsterdam have gone down or the the room next to mine at the hotel I stayed at was vacant. What next "there are less tourist buses around so there must be less tourists" Oh hang on, got that one as well.

The weak excuses to dismiss facts get more and more imaginative.

No Jamie, the flights from Amsterdam reference was to point out that less and less tourists arrive from western countries and that the increase in tourists (around 4 million give or take) is largely due to Chinese tourists who spend significantly less and travel on package tours.

The TAT can talk about tourist numbers all they want, but that increase isn't being noticed by a lot of local businesses, and that was what heybruce was alluding to. If you don't believe me, look at what is happening in Phuket right now.

Edited May 2, 2016 by sjaak327

[heybruce]

You're becoming more detached from reality. The protests were fading, as was the violence. Tourism took it's biggest hit after the coup, and in spite of the stories hyping the wonderful Chinese tourists, many tourism dependent businesses have yet to recover. The economy has stagnated since the coup.

Yingluck was no longer PM. The PTP government was attempting to hold an election in July 2014 when both it and the ironically misnamed Democrats were at a low point in popularity. Democracy had a tenuous foothold and a chance to advance. Then there was the coup.

In case you haven't figured it out yet, the coup was staged to ensure the "right" people had a secure grip on power during and after an upcoming event. It wasn't staged for noble "save the country" reasons, it was staged out of pure self-interest for a small minority of the country.

Quite correct on the tourist hit.

The number plummeted up to he coup due to tourist attacks against protestors and continues until one month after the coup. Then they rose again to record levels

Tourists prefer peace and stability to death and terrorism my friend even if it doesn't suit some agenda.

FACTS. The PTP's greatest enemy.

"tourist attacks against protestors"?

I assume you meant "terrorist". You continue to ignore the violence committed by the protesters, and that the violence was low by Thailand standards. Tourists stayed away because international news was showing Bangkok in gridlock because of the protests. Both violence and gridlock were part of Suthep's plan to provide justification for a coup. The protest was dwindling because the government wasn't taking the bait and ordering a bloody crackdown, which also would have justified the coup.

The coup was staged because life was returning to normal in Bangkok, which would have made an election possible. A successful election would have resulted in a government with electoral legitimacy, which would have made a coup much more difficult. After the coup tourists stayed away because they didn't want to holiday in a place under military rule with martial law and curfews.

Your self-serving opinion of why the tourists stayed away doesn't qualify as a fact. Also, you are the first one I know who claimed that the protest was dwindling due to the attacks. Do you have any sources to support that claim, or is it also a made up fact?

REALITY. The junta huggers greatest enemy.

You refuse to admit it don't you.

Pre coup - Tourist numbers at record low.

Post coup - Tourist number rebound to record highs.

These are official numbers from Bank of Thailand released globally. (apparently Bank of Thailand is in on this as well) It aint hard boys. Peace = tourists. No peace = lack of tourists. Spin it however you want.

But spin it and dismiss these official figures and denounce them in fact because flights from Amsterdam have gone down or the the room next to mine at the hotel I stayed at was vacant. What next "there are less tourist buses around so there must be less tourists" Oh hang on, got that one as well.

The weak excuses to dismiss facts get more and more imaginative.

Immediately pre-coup, when Suthep was causing chaos in Bangkok and generating a lot of negative publicity for Thailand, tourist numbers were low. I won't believe they were at a record low until you provide a link to a credible source, which you rarely do. However I won't argue that Suthep did a lot of damage to Thailand's economy in general and tourist businesses in particular. If peace equates to tourists, then why aren't you objecting to all the damage Suthep did?

Back up a year before the protest to the high season of 2012-2013, before Suthep's chaos, and tourism was much better than any high season since. If you know of any tourist business that is doing better now than then, please identify it. However provide a credible source.

Post-coup, during martial law, curfews, military rule, etc. tourist numbers definitely crashed.

Now we are being told that tourist numbers are up, but nobody can identify any tourist businesses that are benefiting from this.

Your selective use of vague "facts" is ridiculously transparent.

[Nickymaster]

You're becoming more detached from reality. The protests were fading, as was the violence. Tourism took it's biggest hit after the coup, and in spite of the stories hyping the wonderful Chinese tourists, many tourism dependent businesses have yet to recover. The economy has stagnated since the coup.

Yingluck was no longer PM. The PTP government was attempting to hold an election in July 2014 when both it and the ironically misnamed Democrats were at a low point in popularity. Democracy had a tenuous foothold and a chance to advance. Then there was the coup.

In case you haven't figured it out yet, the coup was staged to ensure the "right" people had a secure grip on power during and after an upcoming event. It wasn't staged for noble "save the country" reasons, it was staged out of pure self-interest for a small minority of the country.

Quite correct on the tourist hit.

The number plummeted up to he coup due to tourist attacks against protestors and continues until one month after the coup. Then they rose again to record levels

Tourists prefer peace and stability to death and terrorism my friend even if it doesn't suit some agenda.

FACTS. The PTP's greatest enemy.

"tourist attacks against protestors"?

I assume you meant "terrorist". You continue to ignore the violence committed by the protesters, and that the violence was low by Thailand standards. Tourists stayed away because international news was showing Bangkok in gridlock because of the protests. Both violence and gridlock were part of Suthep's plan to provide justification for a coup. The protest was dwindling because the government wasn't taking the bait and ordering a bloody crackdown, which also would have justified the coup.

The coup was staged because life was returning to normal in Bangkok, which would have made an election possible. A successful election would have resulted in a government with electoral legitimacy, which would have made a coup much more difficult. After the coup tourists stayed away because they didn't want to holiday in a place under military rule with martial law and curfews.

Your self-serving opinion of why the tourists stayed away doesn't qualify as a fact. Also, you are the first one I know who claimed that the protest was dwindling due to the attacks. Do you have any sources to support that claim, or is it also a made up fact?

REALITY. The junta huggers greatest enemy.

You refuse to admit it don't you.

Pre coup - Tourist numbers at record low.

Post coup - Tourist number rebound to record highs.

These are official numbers from Bank of Thailand released globally. (apparently Bank of Thailand is in on this as well) It aint hard boys. Peace = tourists. No peace = lack of tourists. Spin it however you want.

But spin it and dismiss these official figures and denounce them in fact because flights from Amsterdam have gone down or the the room next to mine at the hotel I stayed at was vacant. What next "there are less tourist buses around so there must be less tourists" Oh hang on, got that one as well.

The weak excuses to dismiss facts get more and more imaginative.

Immediately pre-coup, when Suthep was causing chaos in Bangkok and generating a lot of negative publicity for Thailand, tourist numbers were low. I won't believe they were at a record low until you provide a link to a credible source, which you rarely do. However I won't argue that Suthep did a lot of damage to Thailand's economy in general and tourist businesses in particular. If peace equates to tourists, then why aren't you objecting to all the damage Suthep did?

Back up a year before the protest to the high season of 2012-2013, before Suthep's chaos, and tourism was much better than any high season since. If you know of any tourist business that is doing better now than then, please identify it. However provide a credible source.

Post-coup, during martial law, curfews, military rule, etc. tourist numbers definitely crashed.

Now we are being told that tourist numbers are up, but nobody can identify any tourist businesses that are benefiting from this.

Your selective use of vague "facts" is ridiculously transparent.

Facts are available. http://www2.bot.or.th/statistics/ReportPage.aspx?reportID=624&language=eng

[heybruce]

You're becoming more detached from reality. The protests were fading, as was the violence. Tourism took it's biggest hit after the coup, and in spite of the stories hyping the wonderful Chinese tourists, many tourism dependent businesses have yet to recover. The economy has stagnated since the coup.

Yingluck was no longer PM. The PTP government was attempting to hold an election in July 2014 when both it and the ironically misnamed Democrats were at a low point in popularity. Democracy had a tenuous foothold and a chance to advance. Then there was the coup.

In case you haven't figured it out yet, the coup was staged to ensure the "right" people had a secure grip on power during and after an upcoming event. It wasn't staged for noble "save the country" reasons, it was staged out of pure self-interest for a small minority of the country.

Quite correct on the tourist hit.

The number plummeted up to he coup due to tourist attacks against protestors and continues until one month after the coup. Then they rose again to record levels

Tourists prefer peace and stability to death and terrorism my friend even if it doesn't suit some agenda.

FACTS. The PTP's greatest enemy.

"tourist attacks against protestors"?

I assume you meant "terrorist". You continue to ignore the violence committed by the protesters, and that the violence was low by Thailand standards. Tourists stayed away because international news was showing Bangkok in gridlock because of the protests. Both violence and gridlock were part of Suthep's plan to provide justification for a coup. The protest was dwindling because the government wasn't taking the bait and ordering a bloody crackdown, which also would have justified the coup.

The coup was staged because life was returning to normal in Bangkok, which would have made an election possible. A successful election would have resulted in a government with electoral legitimacy, which would have made a coup much more difficult. After the coup tourists stayed away because they didn't want to holiday in a place under military rule with martial law and curfews.

Your self-serving opinion of why the tourists stayed away doesn't qualify as a fact. Also, you are the first one I know who claimed that the protest was dwindling due to the attacks. Do you have any sources to support that claim, or is it also a made up fact?

REALITY. The junta huggers greatest enemy.

You refuse to admit it don't you.

Pre coup - Tourist numbers at record low.

Post coup - Tourist number rebound to record highs.

These are official numbers from Bank of Thailand released globally. (apparently Bank of Thailand is in on this as well) It aint hard boys. Peace = tourists. No peace = lack of tourists. Spin it however you want.

But spin it and dismiss these official figures and denounce them in fact because flights from Amsterdam have gone down or the the room next to mine at the hotel I stayed at was vacant. What next "there are less tourist buses around so there must be less tourists" Oh hang on, got that one as well.

The weak excuses to dismiss facts get more and more imaginative.

Immediately pre-coup, when Suthep was causing chaos in Bangkok and generating a lot of negative publicity for Thailand, tourist numbers were low. I won't believe they were at a record low until you provide a link to a credible source, which you rarely do. However I won't argue that Suthep did a lot of damage to Thailand's economy in general and tourist businesses in particular. If peace equates to tourists, then why aren't you objecting to all the damage Suthep did?

Back up a year before the protest to the high season of 2012-2013, before Suthep's chaos, and tourism was much better than any high season since. If you know of any tourist business that is doing better now than then, please identify it. However provide a credible source.

Post-coup, during martial law, curfews, military rule, etc. tourist numbers definitely crashed.

Now we are being told that tourist numbers are up, but nobody can identify any tourist businesses that are benefiting from this.

Your selective use of vague "facts" is ridiculously transparent.

Facts are available. http://www2.bot.or.th/statistics/ReportPage.aspx?reportID=624&language=eng

Thanks, a useful link. The numbers aren't as dramatic as I anticipated, but they do support what I posted.

From November 2012 to March 2013, high season before the protests or coup, monthly tourist numbers averaged about 2.3 million, hotel occupancy about 70%.

From November 2013 to March 2014, high season during the protests, monthly tourist numbers averaged about 2.26 million, hotel occupancy about 63%.

From June 2013 to August 2013, backpacker season before the protests or coup, monthly tourist numbers averaged about 2.2 million, hotel occupancy about 65%.

From June 2014 to August 2014, backpacker season immediately after the coup, monthly tourist numbers averaged about 1.8 million, hotel occupancy about 48%. There was a significant drop off August compared to August 2013, 2.1 to 1.5 million.

I suspect there is a lag time between negative news reports and declines in tourism.

The data do show a big increase in 2016, high season numbers around 3 million. As I have posted repeatedly, where are these tourists and their money? Who is benefiting? The people I know in tourist businesses, people who had a good year in 2013, are hurting.