waza

tlansford, on Yesterday, 20:43 , said:

Yes as I said in my earlier post, Thailand *could* be a democracy today if it wasn't for government nepotism, larceny & oligarchy. Those things are anti-democracy, democracy meaning the common man in the street is no different from the PM who is merely representing said common man. Meritocracy being the highest form of democracy, meaning the people most able & hard-working get the job. Yingluck? Really? She is meritocratically the single most politically-able and hard-working person in Thailand?
My comment on autocracy meant just that - rule by one individual. He hangs like a spectre over this whole government. Just like before he got kicked out of power and found guilty by the Supreme Court for the handful of charges they actually tagged him with, of which I'm sure they were the very tip of his crime iceberg, he was a shameless undemocratic nepotist, giving jobs to his family at the very top of society and government, like a little Shin family bird-nest in the loftiest boughs of the social tree. How truly democratic of him.
The current PM got the job by carrying his family name  and her campaign funded by his (stolen) billions. That is not democracy. That is autocracy. She serves his interests. He is still the boss. They got votes for him by proxy,  by bribing & by promising a new dawn stuffed full of untold riches to extremely poor people, who are now even poorer today as they are once again in the grip of an uncaring billionaire crook. The nepotism continues now the same as when he wasn't fugitive, with top jobs for the whole famly.
To answer your other point about me "not liking Thaksin" I don't like or dislike him especially, he is just another dangerous fleeing criminal, he is less than me in so many ways I do not even deign to like him or not, I just think he should be in prison where he belongs & that Thai people should be given new progressive candidates who are not related to corrupt former leaders or funded by crime.

Congrats to Mark.

Have to say though, in spite of how tightly packed the top five or six were at the end, i can't remember a much more boring Monaco race. Yes we all know that over-taking is nigh on impossible, but usually there is a bit of vying and challenging going on. Today they were bumper to bumper but nobody ever looked like they even contemplated making a move.

Shucks if Button can't make a move on a Caterham, what possible chance is there of a Red Bull making a move on a Ferrari, or a Mercedes on a Red Bull?

Found it all pretty anticlimactic tbh.

gand, on Yesterday, 09:42 , said:

A very good point.

Thaksin had resigned, after not being renewed as failed Acting PM,
because he screwed up the snap election. The Election commission on
the way to jail, for apparent collusion with his party no less.

His term as acting PM had expired.
He was not renewed, his Deputy PM became officially Acting PM
He unilaterally took back the Acting PM job, and called himself PM.

a week after he PUBLICLY RESIGNED. Saying " The country needs me."
but he NEVER returned to the palace for confirmation, likely sure he would be turned down,
or published his position in The Royal Gazzette as constitutionally required.


There was the obviously faked attempt to blow him up,
and create an SOE or martial law, which specifically was talked of.

Then he paraded himself at the UN as Thaliands Prime MInister,
when he legally was not.  Something had to give;
Either his ego or something more forceful.

The 2009 and 2010 riots were blatant attempts at a coup from the street.
Obviously with hopes that water-mellon Army and police would stand up
to the other side if enough deaths occurred.
And now the whitewash of it all.

Buchholz, on 2012-05-25 22:58:57, said:

Shaking head in amazement.

Another way to look at the Thaksin saga is to look at what is now happening in Chiang Mai. There are a couple of billionnaire families that control this city. They are all friendly with the Shianwatras. The moment the PTP 'won' this election, money from the government coffers started pouring into Chiang Mai. All the big players were in place: Land had been acquired for the development of shopping malls and moo baans; projects that had previously been on 'hold' burst back into life, a new ring road from Hang Dong to Mae Rim was announced: not surprisingly the Thaksinites has already acquired land along the route, thus doubling, tripling (and so on) the value of this land in no time. Its about money. And Thaksin's red shirt movement, for Thaksin at least, is about acquiring the support, through force and menace, to enable him to continue piling cash into his already overful bank accounts. Democracy was simply a useful word that would pull these red shirts into one movement behind him. Thaksin is not a democrat. His actions over the years have proved that time and time again. The majority of reds have no idea what democracy is. But there is a small movement that believe and understand democracy and I guess that these guys know what a scam the rest of the movement is. Another way to develop a movement is by finding a common enemy (in other countries it could be blacks, jews and so on( and in this case it was the 'elite'). This elite is actually the same people who have their snouts in the trough as being demonstrated in Chiang Mai even as you read this. As I see it the Democrat Party is composed, partly, of humanitarians, people who have education and understand the world a little bit more than the average red; it is comprised of academics, intellectuals and people in general who have jai dee. Abhisit had a rough time with some of his own people who had their fingers in the pie but he was well meaning, he held back when the reds were bent on tearing the capital city apart. He knew that the venom would be turned on him with the carefully orchestrated lies and deceit of that master of illusion who now lives in Dubai. But he stood his ground and held his head up high in spite of the pressue that he was under and the lies spread about him by Thaksin, Amsterdam and repeated by Jatuporn, Arissman and the other Kwais in there for the ride. Some posters here (not too many of them thank goodness) seem to ignore these simple truths and prefer to be dragged along by the fake democrat. But in all of these situations over history there have always been a small minority who prefer the notoriety of siding with the bad guys often at the expense of the poor and downtrodden. Lord Haw Haw in the UK is a great example. Sadly, Thai politics cannot change - at least not in my lifetime. Good governance could do so much for this country and the poor sods who still have to manage on 150 baht a day, if they can get work at all. If this was another country we could widen the debate a bit more but I believe that there were very powerful forces that intervened at some point to help save the country but sadly this was not to be and the battle will continue. 'Reconciliation', like 'democracy' is another buzz word designed to create a diversion from what is really happening. Some Thaksinites (here on TV) may be easily fooled by these illusions but thankfully I sense that on TV, at least, there is a body of good people, people who care about others, who truly understand this stuff. They are the kind of people who can make a difference in this world.

She was asked to address parliament, but apparently she is allergic.

Nisa, on 2012-05-23 15:33:44, said:

http://www.pattaya-f...n.com/news.html

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Many trips in China are booked as groups because of the requirements to get visas and paperwork which the agents take care of.  Often a tourist in China has to use a licensed agent to buy tickets.  They often use a "licensed" agent tour because they have to, and it simplifies the process of them getting the right to leave.   Pattaya is very popular as a destination advertised in Korea, and China, with very good prices far lower than booking individual tickets and accommodation.  It is a package.

So, if the figures for the whole country for Chinese visitors shows such a close figure to those claimed in Pattaya, it would either indicate that the figures are screwy, or that a very high percentage of total Chinese tourist visitors went to Pattaya.

http://www.nationmul...u-30182346.html

Quote

waza, on 2012-05-23 10:12:08, said:

You'd shit yourself?

waza, on 2012-05-23 09:07:22, said:

  Who cares about the color if the skin aeeh shirts?.........

"It has been a weird mix from the start - one of Thailand's richest men declaring himself a champion of the poor, and a politician who flouted democracy in many ways becoming a symbol of the clamour for greater political freedom.".

Just STOP will you? Keep it civil, I am sure you recall how. The flaming the sniping and the off topic bickering is getting beyond ridiculous and I am about one step away from suspending the major instigators.

birdpooguava, on 2012-05-21 08:52:19, said:

Do you EVER stop to think about what you are writing? On an off topic sideline about Chula, you now want to include Seh Dang and any other sniper that may have been deployed? Was Seh Dang shot from Chula, was it even the same day? If there is a sniper on one building, is that proof there is a sniper on EVERY building?
BTW what is your hang-up about the RTA using snipers to pick the armed militants from a crowd? Would you prefer artillery or high altitude aerial bombing?

Some of them may decide that they don't want to come back now that Yingluck is cracking down on corruption.

hellodolly, on 2012-05-19 10:59:37, said:

Agree. I just find it shocking that some people can view those who took part in an armed siege of the city as victims.  At the very minimum being part of the group that was armed and refused to leave when lawfully ordered to numerous times over numerous weeks,  There are tons of victims but not these criminals who brought all sorts of violence with them to the city including multiple bombings.

I could care less if they were yellow, red or any other shirt or had any other belief. If you are that convicted and determined in your beliefs that you take such actions then you accept the consequences of your illegal actions. This group however are nothing but a bunch of whiners who can't stop finding things to complain about and their belief that others owe them.

Very hard to have any respect of sympathy for such an ignorant group of people that blindly follow the orders of their leaders or do so to make a few baht but really have no clue whatsoever that they are being led down a road that will not be helpful to them, Thailand and their children in the future. Any valid points their leaders have are lost because of there actions ... not much different than Muslim terrorists in this case who too also have some valid issues behind their sick and twisted actions.

Thai Federation of Red Shirt Villages for Democracy, the Democratic Front of Red Shirt Villages, and National United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD)

If you remember Life of Brian, think what fun Monty Python could have with these turkeys. All the strutting and squabbling to be the head turkey, without enough brains to realise he's still just a turkey.

phiphidon, on 2012-05-20 11:20:51, said:

As you pointed out, the grenades were mostly fired from M79 launchers, not from genuine RPGs.  I am not familiar with weaponry and used the wrong terminology.

Were you in Thailand when this all happened?  If so, you will remember the explosions (whatever their exact cause) that hit various branches of Bangkok Bank (where most of Thaksin's seized assets were being held), the Saladang Skytrain Station (the BTS is run by companies associated with the Democrats, the Thonburi and BangNa extensions were initiated by Democrat Gov. Aphirak in defiance of Thaksin's express wishes), the Temple of the Emerald Buddha (the Chakri Dynasty is supposed to fall when the Buddha is destroyed), the Poseidon Massage Parlour(which is owned by a pro-Democrat), the home of the chief of the Election Commission (which referred complaints to the Constitutional Court which, in turn, disqualified PMs Samak and Somchai), the grenade attacks against the PAD protesters on Nov. 15, 2009 (and other times) and, last but not least, the propane tanker owned by Siam Gas PCL (Chaiyasit Shinawatra, president) that was parked with the gas valve open outside the Dindang Flats(some of the residents of which were referred to by Nick Nostitz as "PAD thugs" in his article about "Crushing the Redshirts").

Now, I will admit that the Redshirts have denied involvement with most of these explosions, however, it is curious that a quick google will find so many explosions over the past few years that target entities that are seen as being hostile to the Redshirts or who compete finiancial with the Shinatras.  Perhaps, as some forum Reds have suggested, the Army/Amayat/Elite was behind all of these attacks and they targeted their own supporters just to make the peaceloving Redshirts look bad.   I, for one, suspect that the simplest explanation is probably true: Thaksin funded both peaceful protesters and an armed movement.  Such a double pronged approach is typical of him.