Thai PM extends olive branch to anti-govt protesters

[Arkady]

A first step to a peaceful resolution would surely be her resignation to take responsibility for the problem her government created with the outrageous Amnesty Bill. She should show the way.

She could also stop threatening prosecution of people who have invaded government offices. The crisis is caused by her government's attempts to amnesty thousands of people including those who invaded hospitals, burned down provincial halls and shopping malls and looted billions of baht through corruption. Why not offer amnesty instead?

[Robby nz]

In respect of PT winning an election again :

I cant quote the exact statement because of where it was published however the Gist is :

An aid of Thaksin said that he had ordered a survey of PT MP"s in the north and Issan and found that 68 PT MP;s had only 15% or less support and were unlikely to retain their seats in an election.

He told those MP"s to get out there and build support.

Also that he had arranged for 2 new parties to stand where MP's were likely to lose their seats, after an election they would join with PT.

Then there are the rice farmers who are waiting for payment, the rubber farmers who are not happy (yes they have them in the north and east as well) rural doctors who are not happy, those who have been excluded from the flood protection meetings (north and east again), nurses who have been working for years without contracts and can get no answers from repeated calls on the Govt and many more who are seeing the light as to what PT are up to.

As an indication take the reduced majority that big sister won her safe seat by in the recent by-election, in the general election her driver got more votes than she did.

Then there was the red safe seat (they had held it for yonks) of Don Muang which showed a swing to the winning Dem candidate of over 12%.

And of course the fact that PT refuse to get out and hold an election.

Why? the same reason they would not hold a referendum on the constitution changes.

They are afraid of losing.

There is also the 17 % who did not vote in the last general election, no doubt many of them because of the stupid call by the yellows to their followers not to vote, that will not happen again.

However the Dems have several millstones around their necks.

One being the "Fairytale" (as an editor elsewhere put it) of them being controlled by an elite,

Another is the 'Great lie" that Abhisit and Suthep are guilty of murder which has been told so many times that even some non reds on here believe, if their posts are any indication.

There are many out there who want to believe and to bring someone to justice, so it is promoted at every opportunity by the red leaders who need it as protection from their own guilt.

Then if the vote was close and they did not get more than a 50% clear majority then the parasite parties would go where they were offered the most and it is very unlikely they would be able to offer more than PT and their paymaster.

Also PT have control of public funds at present and are not shy of using public money to promote themselves and in their bid to retain power, we see this by the numerous big billboards all over the country.

[LarryBird]

The side with the whitest skin should win.

[Baerboxer]

Embattled Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra today called on protesters to jointly find a resolution for Thailand but insisted she will neither resign nor dissolve Parliament.

It seems that the majority have a resolution to the problem. And that is that Ms Shinawatra resign. The only thing she will not do. How selfish is she ? Runs so strong in the family. width=19 alt=bah.gif>

Why should she resign she has a firm mandate from the people given only 2 years ago, She has another 2 or 3 years to go.

She has lost the mandate - through a combination of lies, corruption, illegal actions, disrespect of the law, and even the dullest now realizing who the real leader is.

The amount of people and cross section of society protesting at the continuance of this sham of a government, who can't even respect parliamentary procedures and have to cheat when voting and deprive those with different views of time to debate or even the chance to vote, is significant.

She has two options, go quickly or try and fight to hold on as long as possible. Given her family loyalty, then sadly the latter is more likely which means bad times ahead.

[SOTIRIOS]

...she should extend her resignation.....and returns the hundreds of billions that have passed through her government's hands....

...is she still buyer her private jets with the Thai peoples money......

...when should the acts of her government be considered treason......

[Artisi]

Once again, she wants to 'sit down and talk'. But her government never listens. They just do whatever the hell they want no matter what. So why bother? Protests should go on until she offers something more substantial. Or quits.

The only substantial thing from YL would be to pack her many suitcase and bugger-off and join her fugitive brother before she also becomes a fugitive as defying the courts of Thailand can have some nasty effects.

[millwall_fan]

The people don't want an olive branch, they want her to go...

The question is why can't they raise a red short support group?

Why can;t they get people down from the provinces? The local MP's losing faith? The people don't want to come and support? All the money has gone? Why aren't he red shirts mobilising? The only way out of this is for the red's to make a massive show of support. Where are they.

And no, this bunch for Suthep don't represent "the people" any more than the reds represent 'the people". That's by the by. Thailand has chosen to change its governments by coup and protest, let them reap what they sow. Chaos every 2 years.

Partly, why should they 'raise a Red support group' they are happy with what the government is doing. Mainly because many, many Red families are at home harvesting the rice, which is still a major export crop for the country.Come off it mate, 'someone seems to be cooking the books and has been for 2 years' This country is corrupt to the core and it didn't start and wont end with Thaksin Shinawatra.

Edited November 25, 2013 by millwall_fan

[Artisi]

The prime minister said, Now that all factions have displayed their political positions, its time they meet and talk to find a resolution for the country. The National Reform forum is ready to listen.

Of course, you will have to say what they want to hear, otherwise there will be

That picture is enough to make an abattoir worker spew.

[Artisi]

The people don't want an olive branch, they want her to go...

The question is why can't they raise a red short support group?

Why can;t they get people down from the provinces? The local MP's losing faith? The people don't want to come and support? All the money has gone? Why aren't he red shirts mobilising? The only way out of this is for the red's to make a massive show of support. Where are they.

And no, this bunch for Suthep don't represent "the people" any more than the reds represent 'the people". That's by the by. Thailand has chosen to change its governments by coup and protest, let them reap what they sow. Chaos every 2 years.

Partly, why should they 'raise a Red support group' they are happy with what the government is doing. Mainly because many, many Red families are at home harvesting the rice, which is still a major export crop for the country.Come off it mate, 'someone seems to be cooking the books and has been for 2 years' This country is corrupt to the core and it didn't start and wont end with Thaksin Shinawatra.

Correction; Rice- WAS the major export for the country, now screwed nicely by the fugitive and his brown-nose mates.

[Thai at Heart]

Embattled Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra today called on protesters to jointly find a resolution for Thailand but insisted she will neither resign nor dissolve Parliament.

It seems that the majority have a resolution to the problem. And that is that Ms Shinawatra resign. The only thing she will not do. How selfish is she ? Runs so strong in the family. width=19 alt=bah.gif>

Why should she resign she has a firm mandate from the people given only 2 years ago, She has another 2 or 3 years to go.

Look mate, someone seems to be cooking the books and has been for 2 years, one or two middle of the road decisions normally a nation expects, NOT near everyday in your face corruption, even they have been in office 2 years that does NOT give any government do what you like for 4 and never mind, that is why you have this upheaval.

Had the elected government done it's very best in those 2 years I am sure no one would be on the streets. This time the majority are NOT Issan farmers, but people from ALL walks of life, this is the difference.

But when even the statement to the farmers is "wait another 45 days", what do you expect them to be thinking.

They aren't stupid at all. They wouldn't have been stupid to have taken Thaksins money from the rice pledging, and they most certainly wouldn't be stupid to not support him when they don't get paid.

And people say that farmers aren't sophisticated voters.

[Arkady]

In respect of PT winning an election again :

I cant quote the exact statement because of where it was published however the Gist is :

An aid of Thaksin said that he had ordered a survey of PT MP"s in the north and Issan and found that 68 PT MP;s had only 15% or less support and were unlikely to retain their seats in an election.

He told those MP"s to get out there and build support.

Also that he had arranged for 2 new parties to stand where MP's were likely to lose their seats, after an election they would join with PT.

Then there are the rice farmers who are waiting for payment, the rubber farmers who are not happy (yes they have them in the north and east as well) rural doctors who are not happy, those who have been excluded from the flood protection meetings (north and east again), nurses who have been working for years without contracts and can get no answers from repeated calls on the Govt and many more who are seeing the light as to what PT are up to.

As an indication take the reduced majority that big sister won her safe seat by in the recent by-election, in the general election her driver got more votes than she did.

Then there was the red safe seat (they had held it for yonks) of Don Muang which showed a swing to the winning Dem candidate of over 12%.

And of course the fact that PT refuse to get out and hold an election.

Why? the same reason they would not hold a referendum on the constitution changes.

They are afraid of losing.

There is also the 17 % who did not vote in the last general election, no doubt many of them because of the stupid call by the yellows to their followers not to vote, that will not happen again.

However the Dems have several millstones around their necks.

One being the "Fairytale" (as an editor elsewhere put it) of them being controlled by an elite,

Another is the 'Great lie" that Abhisit and Suthep are guilty of murder which has been told so many times that even some non reds on here believe, if their posts are any indication.

There are many out there who want to believe and to bring someone to justice, so it is promoted at every opportunity by the red leaders who need it as protection from their own guilt.

Then if the vote was close and they did not get more than a 50% clear majority then the parasite parties would go where they were offered the most and it is very unlikely they would be able to offer more than PT and their paymaster.

Also PT have control of public funds at present and are not shy of using public money to promote themselves and in their bid to retain power, we see this by the numerous big billboards all over the country.

PT and their paymaster rarely offer anything from their own pockets. In case of coalition parties they are offered ministries that they can gouge taxpayers' money from. The Dems do the same. Last time they gave Bhumjai Thai Transport and the Interior and Chart Thai Pattana got Agriculture. Transport and the Interior are really plum ministries. The Interior has a lot of local administrative power and Transport has huge cash flow from road contruction as well the mega projects.

[khunken]

I'd suggest to Yingluck that if she offered Thaksin's head on an olive branch she might well get a positive answer.

[Scott]

An inflammatory post has been removed.

[Artisi]

I'd suggest to Yingluck that if she offered Thaksin's head on an olive branch she might well get a positive answer.

It's a fair bet that his head has greatly diminished in value over the past week or so, probably at todays exchange rate not worth much more than a bag of mouldy rice.

[waza]

The people don't want an olive branch, they want her to go...

The question is why can't they raise a red short support group?

Why can;t they get people down from the provinces? The local MP's losing faith? The people don't want to come and support? All the money has gone? Why aren't he red shirts mobilising? The only way out of this is for the red's to make a massive show of support. Where are they.

And no, this bunch for Suthep don't represent "the people" any more than the reds represent 'the people". That's by the by. Thailand has chosen to change its governments by coup and protest, let them reap what they sow. Chaos every 2 years.

Partly, why should they 'raise a Red support group' they are happy with what the government is doing. Mainly because many, many Red families are at home harvesting the rice, which is still a major export crop for the country.Come off it mate, 'someone seems to be cooking the books and has been for 2 years' This country is corrupt to the core and it didn't start and wont end with Thaksin Shinawatra.

At their peak the red could only muster 100,000 supporters, and that's with a daily wage of 500 baht each, food, entertainment and holed up in a bamboo cage. The anti-government protestors already number over 400,000 peacefull protestors.

[PeterSmiles]

Partly, why should they 'raise a Red support group' they are happy with what the government is doing. Mainly because many, many Red families are at home harvesting the rice, which is still a major export crop for the country.

Harvesting the rice which will be stored in warehouses, instead of exported, and for which the farmers will not get paid.

Next year that will not be an issue anymore, as there have been reports that the farmers don't have money to plant new crop, as they still haven't been paid for the previous harvest.

My apologies if you were referring to different country in your post.

[Thai at Heart]

The people don't want an olive branch, they want her to go...

The question is why can't they raise a red short support group?

Why can;t they get people down from the provinces? The local MP's losing faith? The people don't want to come and support? All the money has gone? Why aren't he red shirts mobilising? The only way out of this is for the red's to make a massive show of support. Where are they.

And no, this bunch for Suthep don't represent "the people" any more than the reds represent 'the people". That's by the by. Thailand has chosen to change its governments by coup and protest, let them reap what they sow. Chaos every 2 years.

Partly, why should they 'raise a Red support group' they are happy with what the government is doing. Mainly because many, many Red families are at home harvesting the rice, which is still a major export crop for the country.Come off it mate, 'someone seems to be cooking the books and has been for 2 years' This country is corrupt to the core and it didn't start and wont end with Thaksin Shinawatra.

You did notice that they tried last week to do so, and no one arrived? There are millions of farmers out there in the reds strongholds, not all of whom are harvesting rice right now. If you think this is some intentional effort to not have a significant red push back against Suthep you are nuts.

This is getting close to the end game, and the reds are just going to sit around on the outside watching their government probably get overthrown? Where did say they have been cooking books for 2 years? I said they have decided that instead of having elections they have chosen chaos every 2 years. Elsewhere people were wirting about the possiblity that red shirt supporters haven't been paid for previous protests and as such dont' trust to come for this one, hence why I asked whether the "money has all gone".

And believe me, i have never ever believed that the 100% solution to corruption in Thailand is to get rid of Thaksin. It may be a start, but he represents only 20% of the way they have to go.

[Bagwan]

She looks nervous to me.

Does she look nervous to you?

I've thought for some time that she looks like Nong Natt.

[Bagwan]

She is a Shinawatra. They are the epitome of stubbornness. The only thing that will force her to do what she doesn't want to do, is the threat of a wooden spike plunged into her heart.

Well its a very very high stakes game. They run the risk of the whole family becoming person non grata in Thailand. You reckon the kids are worth much more than flipping burgers anywhere else in the world?

They are networkers, facilitators and money changers. Not worth much once they are out of their own pond.

Persona non grata with whom? most the country love Thaksin and understand why his sister is looking after the shop. The country should no longer be dictated to but an oligarchy that has strutted around lording is over the ordinary people for far too long.

I can well understand why you are a Millwall supporter. You must feel really at home on the terraces at The Den.

[moe666]

The great health system, tens of thousands of social housing units, OTOP, the minimum wage, There are 4 massive reasons for a start.

The great health system alt=cheesy.gif width=32 height=20>

I honestly wish you that you never come in the situation to depend on the 30 Baht system.What you get is not even worth the 30 Baht.

Well my wife's family all use it and it has proved to be excellent. It's a dam_n sight better than what went before where only the rich got decent health care. Even America is slowly catching with the idea that health care should be freely available. Thailand now has a first rate health care system in my experience.

The 30baht health plan originally a democratic plan that had to be put on hold because of the 1997 financial collapse. Thaskin just dusted off someoneothe parties idea and implemented it. When the Dems took over in what 2008 they made health care free to Thais in other words getting rid of the 30baht co-pay. When PTP returned to power they put the 30baht payment back into play hows that for screwing the people. You may want to do some research before extrolling the virtues of crook and convicted felon.

[Robby nz]

PT and their paymaster rarely offer anything from their own pockets. In case of coalition parties they are offered ministries that they can gouge taxpayers' money from. The Dems do the same. Last time they gave Bhumjai Thai Transport and the Interior and Chart Thai Pattana got Agriculture. Transport and the Interior are really plum ministries. The Interior has a lot of local administrative power and Transport has huge cash flow from road contruction as well the mega projects.

Absolutely true Arkady.

And that is one of the main reasons, along with the red riots, why the Dems were not able to preform to anywhere near their potential, they had these parasites sucking the blood out of the system.

But they needed them to be able to form a Govt and unfortunately that would probably happen again.

People talk about the corruption within the Dems administration, I would suspect that there is the reason for a fair bit of it.

And throughout it all and a global downturn they still managed to leave the finances of the country in good shape, look where they are today after only 2 years of PT.

[ratcatcher]

I'd suggest to Yingluck that if she offered Thaksin's head on an olive branch she might well get a positive answer.

It's a fair bet that his head has greatly diminished in value over the past week or so, probably at todays exchange rate not worth much more than a bag of mouldy rice.

His head may have diminished in value, but in anybody's books it would be a square deal.

[Bagwan]

The great health system, tens of thousands of social housing units, OTOP, the minimum wage, There are 4 massive reasons for a start.

The great health system

I honestly wish you that you never come in the situation to depend on the 30 Baht system.What you get is not even worth the 30 Baht.

And it costs more than 30 baht to collect the money. Brilliant idea. I suppose they borrowed the notion from Gordon Brown.

[Thai at Heart]

She looks nervous to me.

Does she look nervous to you?

I've thought for some time that she looks like Nong Natt.

[Thai at Heart]

PT and their paymaster rarely offer anything from their own pockets. In case of coalition parties they are offered ministries that they can gouge taxpayers' money from. The Dems do the same. Last time they gave Bhumjai Thai Transport and the Interior and Chart Thai Pattana got Agriculture. Transport and the Interior are really plum ministries. The Interior has a lot of local administrative power and Transport has huge cash flow from road contruction as well the mega projects.

Absolutely true Arkady.

And that is one of the main reasons, along with the red riots, why the Dems were not able to preform to anywhere near their potential, they had these parasites sucking the blood out of the system.

But they needed them to be able to form a Govt and unfortunately that would probably happen again.

People talk about the corruption within the Dems administration, I would suspect that there is the reason for a fair bit of it.

And throughout it all and a global downturn they still managed to leave the finances of the country in good shape, look where they are today after only 2 years of PT.

Which makes me very angry with Abhisit. The bloke apparently has absolutely NO vision and NO balls. I mean, he was schooled at Eton and Oxford pretty much through the period of Maggie when right wing politics was the love of the world. He could have had Maggie, Reagan, Kohl, Howard or any other of his dozens of right wing politicians as his inspiration. He could stand for free markets, liberalisation, low taxes, the family, ANYTHING. Least of all he could stand for right and wrong.

But instead, what do we get? A bloke so unprincipled that he allows a bloke with a murder charge to stay in the party to avoid prosecution. He is an absolute let down, a whimp who has played the game and has absolutely no political principal at all, other than to do what is necessary to maintain the status quo of thievery and corruption in his own party.

I would suggest his education was a complete and utter waste and it has created a complete and utter poltical minnow. No Winchester appears to be far better.

Edited November 25, 2013 by Thai at Heart

[ratcatcher]

PT and their paymaster rarely offer anything from their own pockets. In case of coalition parties they are offered ministries that they can gouge taxpayers' money from. The Dems do the same. Last time they gave Bhumjai Thai Transport and the Interior and Chart Thai Pattana got Agriculture. Transport and the Interior are really plum ministries. The Interior has a lot of local administrative power and Transport has huge cash flow from road contruction as well the mega projects.

Absolutely true Arkady.

And that is one of the main reasons, along with the red riots, why the Dems were not able to preform to anywhere near their potential, they had these parasites sucking the blood out of the system.

But they needed them to be able to form a Govt and unfortunately that would probably happen again.

People talk about the corruption within the Dems administration, I would suspect that there is the reason for a fair bit of it.

And throughout it all and a global downturn they still managed to leave the finances of the country in good shape, look where they are today after only 2 years of PT.

"...........they had these parasites sucking the blood out of the system."

[tingtongteesood]

No olive branch there, just a lot of hot air, what do you expect from an airhead ?

[F430murci]

Interesting to see how a bunch of expats and farrangs that cannot even own real property seem so happy and amused at watching these poor people lead by manipulation and greed tear their own country apart. Quiet sad and the insanity of it all is readily apparent from an outsider looking in.

If YIngluck is removed, in a year or two the reds will take to the streets and history will repeat itself over and over. Something about doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results equating insanity. The solution was to sit tight for two years and rally at the polls and stop giving Thalsin so much power in the minds of the people.

[Thai at Heart]

Interesting to see how a bunch of expats and farrangs that cannot even own real property seem so happy and amused at watching these poor people lead by manipulation and greed tear their own country apart. Quiet sad and the insanity of it all is readily apparent from an outsider looking in.

If YIngluck is removed, in a year or two the reds will take to the streets and history will repeat itself over and over. Something about doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results equating insanity. The solution was to sit tight for two years and rally at the polls and stop giving Thalsin so much power in the minds of the people.

Unfortunately, this amnesty and senate reform bill was a step too far. forget power in the minds of the people, Thaksin could have had absolute power in his own hands.

[skorchio]

This is not about leading the government to resign and then come back in another guise. There are 2 likely outcomes.

a. PTP stand down, and Suthep continues protesting to get rid of the Shinawatras, the protests spread before there is a chance for an election and they are hounded out of the country for their own safety. His line is going to be that the only way to keep Thaksin out of the country is to hound them all out and never let PTP/TRT into power again, and that he is a threat to the monarchy. Once they are gone, they will rev up the courts to sentence them in absentia.

b. PTP don't stand down, the army comes in, they really rev up the courts and start raking over the corruption during PTP and there is a list of corruption as long as your arm that can be connected to the Shins and they leg it for fear of conviction.

They have support, but I tell you what, looking at their pretty lack luster efforts so far, it is weakening. It is pretty hard to take his amnesty bill and sell it to the grass roots as anything but a self serving bit of legislation. You can't fool all the people all the time. The farmers aren't getting paid for their rice for gods sake. Keep the tablets, but the government can't even pay for the rice? The last person you will fool ALL the time is a hand to mouth farmer. He will take your money when you offer, and leave you when you don't offer, as simple as that. They are the most fickle people because they have to be.

Their MP's will scurry like cockroaches if being associated with them effects their ability to stay apparently "respectable" in their home regions.

Yes true words, the Rice Scam could so easily be the downfall of the whole Shin game. If they can't afford to keep propping it up, those farmers will bit the hand that has stopped feeding .....