MZurf Posted April 21, 2016 Share Posted April 21, 2016 Ahh now the PM has even resorted to "but but but THAKSIN!". And of course some of the Prayuth TV fan club have come to parrot his statements. Perhaps some people are sick and tired of this bully regime such as they were in 92, 76. 74....Was it Thaksin's fault then too? Duh, of course it was!! So do what proportion of the protests against the Junta do you believe are spontaneous and have nothing to do with Thaksin? Anyone who thinks he'll quietly go away really doesn't understand the real game or what's at stake here. Just as all those who took to the street to protest the contrived Amnesty Bill designed to remove all criminal convictions and charges from Thaksin and place him well and truly above the law weren't Junta supporters, or Suthep supporters, so those who protest against the Junta aren't all Thaksin fans. I wonder what proportion of those protesting the Junta are actually Thaksin stooges as against those that aren't? Too bad they won't put these tick-off choices in the referendum: I am for the junta! I am for the Dems! I am for the PTP! They can all <deleted> off, the lot of them! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JAG Posted April 21, 2016 Share Posted April 21, 2016 And again Thaksin gets himself back in the headlines.at the expense of a certain retired (?) generals blood pressure, and at no cost to himself. It really is a class act..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrrizzla Posted April 21, 2016 Share Posted April 21, 2016 The sharp and sustained fall in oil prices is making someone very desperate to be back to the feeding trough...So are you privy to inside information regarding Thaksin's financial dispositions or are you as usual full of......? Oh dear, how swift you are to defend Thaksin by attacking someone who dare comment against him. And you don't even support him.................................. Thaksin told Forbes the Shin family fortune increased by a whopping 450% during the years of the PTP government. Wonder how much they've increased since? Dare comment against him? I have commented against him numerous times and I will do so in the future, especially if he comes back as (de facto) leader. What I have an issue with are posters who are spectacularly unable to say anything wrong about the junta because they actually believe the junta's claim that Thaksin is the root of all evil. Un effin' believable! "And you don't even support him.................................." Support? I detest the guy but that doesn't make the junta's actions right. We both know that them taking power has nothing to do with ridding the country of corruption and nepotism and everything to do with access to the trough, as well as other matters we cannot discuss. "Thaksin told Forbes the Shin family fortune increased by a whopping 450% during the years of the PTP government." Has someone finally found a link to that interview yet? I wouldn't be surprised if he said it but if there is no link then it's not something you can quote. Yep it is the sheer hypocrisy I cannot stand. Thaksin is everything his detractors say he is. But to declare the dems or even the unquestionable military as some sort of corruption busting saviors is sheer foolishness and history has proven that these people are just as bent as Thaksin time and time again. Baerboxer you point out Thaksin's wealth. Care to comment on the thousands of generals in the Thai army with fortunes far, far beyond what their salaries can explain? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dhream Posted April 21, 2016 Share Posted April 21, 2016 Thaksin = The lesser of two 'weevils'. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leeneeds Posted April 21, 2016 Share Posted April 21, 2016 call a spade a spade, Mr T will now know x marks the spot will have a few more takers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
candide Posted April 21, 2016 Share Posted April 21, 2016 The sharp and sustained fall in oil prices is making someone very desperate to be back to the feeding trough...So are you privy to inside information regarding Thaksin's financial dispositions or are you as usual full of......? Oh dear, how swift you are to defend Thaksin by attacking someone who dare comment against him. And you don't even support him.................................. Thaksin told Forbes the Shin family fortune increased by a whopping 450% during the years of the PTP government. Wonder how much they've increased since? Dare comment against him? I have commented against him numerous times and I will do so in the future, especially if he comes back as (de facto) leader. What I have an issue with are posters who are spectacularly unable to say anything wrong about the junta because they actually believe the junta's claim that Thaksin is the root of all evil. Un effin' believable! "And you don't even support him.................................." Support? I detest the guy but that doesn't make the junta's actions right. We both know that them taking power has nothing to do with ridding the country of corruption and nepotism and everything to do with access to the trough, as well as other matters we cannot discuss. "Thaksin told Forbes the Shin family fortune increased by a whopping 450% during the years of the PTP government." Has someone finally found a link to that interview yet? I wouldn't be surprised if he said it but if there is no link then it's not something you can quote. I found this on a website that maybe is not allowed to be linked: “The wealth of the Shinawatra family increased 4.25 times between 2011 and 2014, outstripping the growth of the top 10”. However, what Baerboxer perfectly knows (I remembered him just last week in another thread) while he continuously cites a growth of 450% (meaning for him: it must come from corruption), is the main reason of such a strong increase: out of a fortune of 1.6 billion, 1 billion comes from recovered frozen assets. “The magazine (it’s about Forbes) also put Thaksin Shinawatra and family on the list, with net worth of US$1.6 billion. It said that "ousted in a 2006 coup, Thaksin managed to recover close to US$1 billion of his US$2.3 billion in frozen assets". http://news.asiaone.com/news/asia/11-thais-make-forbes-billionaires-list-0 Of course, knowing this will not prevent Baerboxer to go on using the same biased argument over and over. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jayboy Posted April 21, 2016 Share Posted April 21, 2016 'All this while no more had been seen of Snowball. He was rumoured to be hiding on one of the neighbouring farms, either Foxwood or Pinchfield. Napoleon was by this time on slightly better terms with the other farmers than before. It happened that there was in the yard a pile of timber which had been stacked there ten years earlier when a beech spinney was cleared. It was well seasoned, and Whymper had advised Napoleon to sell it; both Mr. Pilkington and Mr. Frederick were anxious to buy it. Napoleon was hesitating between the two, unable to make up his mind. It was noticed that whenever he seemed on the point of coming to an agreement with Frederick, Snowball was declared to be in hiding at Foxwood, while, when he inclined toward Pilkington, Snowball was said to be at Pinchfield. Suddenly, early in the spring, an alarming thing was discovered. Snowball was secretly frequenting the farm by night! The animals were so disturbed that they could hardly sleep in their stalls. Every night, it was said, he came creeping in under cover of darkness and performed all kinds of mischief. He stole the corn, he upset the milk-pails, he broke the eggs, he trampled the seedbeds, he gnawed the bark off the fruit trees. Whenever anything went wrong it became usual to attribute it to Snowball. If a window was broken or a drain was blocked up, someone was certain to say that Snowball had come in the night and done it, and when the key of the store-shed was lost, the whole farm was convinced that Snowball had thrown it down the well. Curiously enough, they went on believing this even after the mislaid key was found under a sack of meal. The cows declared unanimously that Snowball crept into their stalls and milked them in their sleep. The rats, which had been troublesome that winter, were also said to be in league with Snowball. Napoleon decreed that there should be a full investigation into Snowball's activities. With his dogs in attendance he set out and made a careful tour of inspection of the farm buildings, the other animals following at a respectful distance. At every few steps Napoleon stopped and snuffed the ground for traces of Snowball's footsteps, which, he said, he could detect by the smell. He snuffed in every corner, in the barn, in the cow-shed, in the henhouses, in the vegetable garden, and found traces of Snowball almost everywhere. He would put his snout to the ground, give several deep sniffs, ad exclaim in a terrible voice, "Snowball! He has been here! I can smell him distinctly!" and at the word "Snowball" all the dogs let out blood-curdling growls and showed their side teeth. The animals were thoroughly frightened. It seemed to them as though Snowball were some kind of invisible influence, pervading the air about them and menacing them with all kinds of dangers. In the evening Squealer called them together, and with an alarmed expression on his face told them that he had some serious news to report. "Comrades!" cried Squealer, making little nervous skips, "a most terrible thing has been discovered. Snowball has sold himself to Frederick of Pinchfield Farm, who is even now plotting to attack us and take our farm away from us! Snowball is to act as his guide when the attack begins. But there is worse than that. We had thought that Snowball's rebellion was caused simply by his vanity and ambition. But we were wrong, comrades. Do you know what the real reason was? Snowball was in league with Jones from the very start! He was Jones's secret agent all the time. It has all been proved by documents which he left behind him and which we have only just discovered. To my mind this explains a great deal, comrades. Did we not see for ourselves how he attempted–fortunately without success–to get us defeated and destroyed at the Battle of the Cowshed?" George Orwell Animal Farm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
baboon Posted April 21, 2016 Share Posted April 21, 2016 ^^ It really does highlight what is going on today with chilling accuracy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pookiki Posted April 21, 2016 Share Posted April 21, 2016 When a 'government' drafts a constitution with very little transparency or public input, why would it expect a positive reaction from any former political faction - other than Suthep. It is hard for me to fathom that a broad rejection of the draft constitution is a 'political movement'. Thai people across every political spectrum are rejecting the draft as undemocratic and removing important community involvement in environment and socio-economic issues impacting them. But who receives the brunt of the blame for being outspoken on the issue -- PTP and red-shirt supporters. And now Wattana is to be tried in a military court to serve as an example? For a PM who came to power on bringing reconciliation to Thailand's people, such outbursts only serve to reinforce the obvious bias under which the junta operates. Abhisit's quote about the constitution will be long remembered. And it was more blunt and to the point than has been stated by any other political faction. I only wish that he would support everyone's right to speak their mind on this important issue. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Khon Kaen Dave Posted April 21, 2016 Share Posted April 21, 2016 Christ! Thaksin this Thaksin that,i suppose the junta will hold him responsible for the <deleted> drought next Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ramrod711 Posted April 21, 2016 Share Posted April 21, 2016 The sharp and sustained fall in oil prices is making someone very desperate to be back to the feeding trough... So are you privy to inside information regarding Thaksin's financial dispositions or are you as usual full of......? Oh dear, how swift you are to defend Thaksin by attacking someone who dare comment against him. And you don't even support him.................................. Thaksin told Forbes the Shin family fortune increased by a whopping 450% during the years of the PTP government. Wonder how much they've increased since? Dare comment against him? I have commented against him numerous times and I will do so in the future, especially if he comes back as (de facto) leader. What I have an issue with are posters who are spectacularly unable to say anything wrong about the junta because they actually believe the junta's claim that Thaksin is the root of all evil. Un effin' believable! "And you don't even support him.................................." Support? I detest the guy but that doesn't make the junta's actions right. We both know that them taking power has nothing to do with ridding the country of corruption and nepotism and everything to do with access to the trough, as well as other matters we cannot discuss. "Thaksin told Forbes the Shin family fortune increased by a whopping 450% during the years of the PTP government." Has someone finally found a link to that interview yet? I wouldn't be surprised if he said it but if there is no link then it's not something you can quote. I found this on a website that maybe is not allowed to be linked: The wealth of the Shinawatra family increased 4.25 times between 2011 and 2014, outstripping the growth of the top 10. However, what Baerboxer perfectly knows (I remembered him just last week in another thread) while he continuously cites a growth of 450% (meaning for him: it must come from corruption), is the main reason of such a strong increase: out of a fortune of 1.6 billion, 1 billion comes from recovered frozen assets. The magazine (its about Forbes) also put Thaksin Shinawatra and family on the list, with net worth of US$1.6 billion. It said that "ousted in a 2006 coup, Thaksin managed to recover close to US$1 billion of his US$2.3 billion in frozen assets". http://news.asiaone.com/news/asia/11-thais-make-forbes-billionaires-list-0 Of course, knowing this will not prevent Baerboxer to go on using the same biased argument over and over. It said that "ousted in a 2006 coup, Thaksin managed to recover close to US$1 billion of his US$2.3 billion in frozen assets". Yes, absolutely correct, Thaksin recovered one billion dollars from his sisters government. You know the one, Thaksin thinkd Pheu Thai does. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
taony Posted April 21, 2016 Share Posted April 21, 2016 555555555555 Didn't expect the desperation so soon!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sawadee1947 Posted April 21, 2016 Share Posted April 21, 2016 So typically "Thai". When you can't accept your own short comings, such as admitting that there actually be Thai people who do not like you or your programs, and are making themselves heard, blame someone else. And, of course, for the Junta Leader, the easiest, and first, person to blame is Thaksin, whether he has a hand in it or not. " whether he has a hand in it or not." he has and you know, I bet oh, that sounds interesting. What is what we do not know but only you. Can't wait to hear (read) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tuanku Posted April 21, 2016 Share Posted April 21, 2016 a "but Thaksin" from the very top. Nice one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jayboy Posted April 21, 2016 Share Posted April 21, 2016 So the Junta leader tells us Thaksin is "behind "the small protests against the government.While he is in an informative mood could he tell us exactly who is "behind "the NCPO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johnniey Posted April 21, 2016 Share Posted April 21, 2016 So typically "Thai". When you can't accept your own short comings, such as admitting that there actually be Thai people who do not like you or your programs, and are making themselves heard, blame someone else. And, of course, for the Junta Leader, the easiest, and first, person to blame is Thaksin, whether he has a hand in it or not. Is this true of your Thai wife and relatives? If you married her, it says a lot about your integrity. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yellowboat Posted April 21, 2016 Share Posted April 21, 2016 Thaksin still has a large following in Thailand. What did the junta think was going to happen ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
inbangkok Posted April 21, 2016 Share Posted April 21, 2016 So typically "Thai". When you can't accept your own short comings, such as admitting that there actually be Thai people who do not like you or your programs, and are making themselves heard, blame someone else. And, of course, for the Junta Leader, the easiest, and first, person to blame is Thaksin, whether he has a hand in it or not.Is this true of your Thai wife and relatives? If you married her, it says a lot about your integrity. You wouldn't be so silly to deny such behavior is rampant, would you? There are plenty of nice things about Thailand and Thai people..... But taking responsibility for ones own actions and owning up to ones mistakes is generally not one of them. Seems like you just wanted to take a cheap shot at his gf/wife while completely ignoring the factual nature of his statement. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
candide Posted April 21, 2016 Share Posted April 21, 2016 The sharp and sustained fall in oil prices is making someone very desperate to be back to the feeding trough... So are you privy to inside information regarding Thaksin's financial dispositions or are you as usual full of......? Oh dear, how swift you are to defend Thaksin by attacking someone who dare comment against him. And you don't even support him.................................. Thaksin told Forbes the Shin family fortune increased by a whopping 450% during the years of the PTP government. Wonder how much they've increased since? Dare comment against him? I have commented against him numerous times and I will do so in the future, especially if he comes back as (de facto) leader. What I have an issue with are posters who are spectacularly unable to say anything wrong about the junta because they actually believe the junta's claim that Thaksin is the root of all evil. Un effin' believable! "And you don't even support him.................................." Support? I detest the guy but that doesn't make the junta's actions right. We both know that them taking power has nothing to do with ridding the country of corruption and nepotism and everything to do with access to the trough, as well as other matters we cannot discuss. "Thaksin told Forbes the Shin family fortune increased by a whopping 450% during the years of the PTP government." Has someone finally found a link to that interview yet? I wouldn't be surprised if he said it but if there is no link then it's not something you can quote. I found this on a website that maybe is not allowed to be linked: The wealth of the Shinawatra family increased 4.25 times between 2011 and 2014, outstripping the growth of the top 10. However, what Baerboxer perfectly knows (I remembered him just last week in another thread) while he continuously cites a growth of 450% (meaning for him: it must come from corruption), is the main reason of such a strong increase: out of a fortune of 1.6 billion, 1 billion comes from recovered frozen assets. The magazine (its about Forbes) also put Thaksin Shinawatra and family on the list, with net worth of US$1.6 billion. It said that "ousted in a 2006 coup, Thaksin managed to recover close to US$1 billion of his US$2.3 billion in frozen assets". http://news.asiaone.com/news/asia/11-thais-make-forbes-billionaires-list-0 Of course, knowing this will not prevent Baerboxer to go on using the same biased argument over and over. It said that "ousted in a 2006 coup, Thaksin managed to recover close to US$1 billion of his US$2.3 billion in frozen assets". Yes, absolutely correct, Thaksin recovered one billion dollars from his sisters government. You know the one, Thaksin thinkd Pheu Thai does. Up to my knowledge it was a supreme court decision, not a government decision. You know, the same judicial system that convicted him, seized $ 1.3 billion, and ousted his sister.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
inbangkok Posted April 21, 2016 Share Posted April 21, 2016 555555555555 Didn't expect the desperation so soon!!! That's exactly what it is. Absolute desperation from a man who is in way over his head. His legacy will be remembered as a man who cleared a few footpaths in BKK and cleaned up a beach. That and the fact he was unable to go more than a week at a time without throwing a temper tantrum whenever asked the simplest question by reporters. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kareona Posted April 21, 2016 Share Posted April 21, 2016 I listened to the video. Prayut said not only 'Thaksin!' but 'Ai Thaksin!' which in this context means 'that damned Thaksin'. The newspapers didn't mention it, too embarrassing perhaps or just his normal kind of talking. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lensta Posted April 21, 2016 Share Posted April 21, 2016 Whether Thaksin is behind the protests or not, under Thai Law (and numerous examples of previous cases), it would seem that Prayuth can now be sued by Thaksin for defamation of character. Update - I just read the full exchange between Prayuth and the reporter. IMHO, one of these guys is losing his marbles...... yes, the lunatics really are running the asylum. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JAG Posted April 21, 2016 Share Posted April 21, 2016 'All this while no more had been seen of Snowball. He was rumoured to be hiding on one of the neighbouring farms, either Foxwood or Pinchfield. Napoleon was by this time on slightly better terms with the other farmers than before. It happened that there was in the yard a pile of timber which had been stacked there ten years earlier when a beech spinney was cleared. It was well seasoned, and Whymper had advised Napoleon to sell it; both Mr. Pilkington and Mr. Frederick were anxious to buy it. Napoleon was hesitating between the two, unable to make up his mind. It was noticed that whenever he seemed on the point of coming to an agreement with Frederick, Snowball was declared to be in hiding at Foxwood, while, when he inclined toward Pilkington, Snowball was said to be at Pinchfield. Suddenly, early in the spring, an alarming thing was discovered. Snowball was secretly frequenting the farm by night! The animals were so disturbed that they could hardly sleep in their stalls. Every night, it was said, he came creeping in under cover of darkness and performed all kinds of mischief. He stole the corn, he upset the milk-pails, he broke the eggs, he trampled the seedbeds, he gnawed the bark off the fruit trees. Whenever anything went wrong it became usual to attribute it to Snowball. If a window was broken or a drain was blocked up, someone was certain to say that Snowball had come in the night and done it, and when the key of the store-shed was lost, the whole farm was convinced that Snowball had thrown it down the well. Curiously enough, they went on believing this even after the mislaid key was found under a sack of meal. The cows declared unanimously that Snowball crept into their stalls and milked them in their sleep. The rats, which had been troublesome that winter, were also said to be in league with Snowball. Napoleon decreed that there should be a full investigation into Snowball's activities. With his dogs in attendance he set out and made a careful tour of inspection of the farm buildings, the other animals following at a respectful distance. At every few steps Napoleon stopped and snuffed the ground for traces of Snowball's footsteps, which, he said, he could detect by the smell. He snuffed in every corner, in the barn, in the cow-shed, in the henhouses, in the vegetable garden, and found traces of Snowball almost everywhere. He would put his snout to the ground, give several deep sniffs, ad exclaim in a terrible voice, "Snowball! He has been here! I can smell him distinctly!" and at the word "Snowball" all the dogs let out blood-curdling growls and showed their side teeth. The animals were thoroughly frightened. It seemed to them as though Snowball were some kind of invisible influence, pervading the air about them and menacing them with all kinds of dangers. In the evening Squealer called them together, and with an alarmed expression on his face told them that he had some serious news to report. "Comrades!" cried Squealer, making little nervous skips, "a most terrible thing has been discovered. Snowball has sold himself to Frederick of Pinchfield Farm, who is even now plotting to attack us and take our farm away from us! Snowball is to act as his guide when the attack begins. But there is worse than that. We had thought that Snowball's rebellion was caused simply by his vanity and ambition. But we were wrong, comrades. Do you know what the real reason was? Snowball was in league with Jones from the very start! He was Jones's secret agent all the time. It has all been proved by documents which he left behind him and which we have only just discovered. To my mind this explains a great deal, comrades. Did we not see for ourselves how he attempted–fortunately without success–to get us defeated and destroyed at the Battle of the Cowshed?" George Orwell Animal Farm bravo - I'll buy you a sandwich!☺☺ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JAG Posted April 21, 2016 Share Posted April 21, 2016 I listened to the video. Prayut said not only 'Thaksin!' but 'Ai Thaksin!' which in this context means 'that damned Thaksin'. The newspapers didn't mention it, too embarrassing perhaps or just his normal kind of talking. Ai is often put before swear words. Isn't it more like f'ing Thaksin? Prayuth and the elite he serves absolutely hate his guts. Probably for all the money he made from their rackets and giving those damn peasants a voice! Indeed, and does anyone really believe that if Thaksin were to return to Thailand to " serve his time" he would survive the first month? Of course not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jesimps Posted April 21, 2016 Share Posted April 21, 2016 What recent protests? Does he mean some individual voicing a contrary opinion on the charter? Protests are what the junta stood back and let happen which enabled them to seize power. Shame they weren't a little more anti protests then. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Winniedapu Posted April 21, 2016 Share Posted April 21, 2016 I found this on a website that maybe is not allowed to be linked: “The wealth of the Shinawatra family increased 4.25 times between 2011 and 2014, outstripping the growth of the top 10”. However, what Baerboxer perfectly knows (I remembered him just last week in another thread) while he continuously cites a growth of 450% (meaning for him: it must come from corruption), is the main reason of such a strong increase: out of a fortune of 1.6 billion, 1 billion comes from recovered frozen assets. “The magazine (it’s about Forbes) also put Thaksin Shinawatra and family on the list, with net worth of US$1.6 billion. It said that "ousted in a 2006 coup, Thaksin managed to recover close to US$1 billion of his US$2.3 billion in frozen assets". http://news.asiaone.com/news/asia/11-thais-make-forbes-billionaires-list-0 Of course, knowing this will not prevent Baerboxer to go on using the same biased argument over and over. Thaksin's rise from a police officer, who managed a tender that was won by a company he set up to quote, through to becoming a telecoms tycoon thanks to a monopoly that allowed him to charge the people what he wanted and forced them to buy their mobile phones from his business at his prices, to lending a military dictatorship Thai treasury money at low interests rates so they could buy from his companies when PM, to the land deal that he was convicted over, to changing the law to enable his selling of his business to a foreign company and avoid tax etc etc etc is all very well documented and easily researched for such a computer whiz as yourself. Or do you want to claim, as the man himself says, he's never ever done anything wrong in his life, never ever? Of course it depends on your definition of corruption too. If you think contriving and manipulating things, getting into powerful and influential positions and then taking full advantage of conflicts of interest, insider knowledge and changing things to benefit yourself aren't considered corruption then that's up to you. Naive at best. In my opinion, there is no doubt at all that Thaksin was dishonest. A cheat and a swindler, those are characteristics of the upwardly-mobile Sino-Thai. But he was a democratically elected cheat and swindler, elected in elections that were described by international observers as "substantially free and fair", which is the best they will ever say about 3rd world elections. He was dishonest before, during and after his time as PM. In my personal opinion the man is an unredeemed shit. And yet, despite all of his many failings, he was a democratically elected unredeemed shit. And to my knowledge never plotted or committed treason. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heybruce Posted April 21, 2016 Share Posted April 21, 2016 Thaksin's rise from a police officer, who managed a tender that was won by a company he set up to quote, through to becoming a telecoms tycoon thanks to a monopoly that allowed him to charge the people what he wanted and forced them to buy their mobile phones from his business at his prices, to lending a military dictatorship Thai treasury money at low interests rates so they could buy from his companies when PM, to the land deal that he was convicted over, to changing the law to enable his selling of his business to a foreign company and avoid tax etc etc etc is all very well documented and easily researched for such a computer whiz as yourself. Or do you want to claim, as the man himself says, he's never ever done anything wrong in his life, never ever? Of course it depends on your definition of corruption too. If you think contriving and manipulating things, getting into powerful and influential positions and then taking full advantage of conflicts of interest, insider knowledge and changing things to benefit yourself aren't considered corruption then that's up to you. Naive at best. Right, thanks to a government installed by the military after the 2006 coup, Thaksin's financial dealings are out in the open. Unusual wealth - that should be investigated and all who have acquired vast wealth far in access to their salaries, inheritances, or normal incomes should be investigated. But that would require transparency, a truly impartial, well resourced and free from political influence investigative body and a sound justice system. No one within the upper echelons, the elites, the rich hisos, call them what you will, are going to support or allow that. No one wants that transparency. The current government have already ruled that out for themselves. Previous government's didn't do a lot. Tarit and Chalerm were said to be under investigation. The latter fled to Denmark last time, but judging by his wealth nothing really happened. Politicians all over want to make the rules for everyone else, but of course think they don't apply to themselves (a la Cameron and his ilk in the UK). Senior military, senior police, senior civil servants - all seem to have married well and be almost as good at financial management and investment as Warren Buffet. As you correctly point out, transparency only happens against the enemies of the military, the military never investigates it's own. Lots of suspicious wealth, no transparency or investigations, unlike with Thaksin. Even if a democratically elected government wanted to investigate the military and other suspiciously wealthy government types, it wouldn't because it would trigger another coup. Politicians aren't the only ones who want to make the rules for everyone else, the military has been doing it in Thailand since 1932. I have greater faith that transparency and cleaner government will occur after an extended run of democratically elected government than under military rule. After all, when the military rules it rules with unchecked power, as it does now. If the military wanted transparency and clean government it could make it happen. It clearly doesn't want it to happen. As is being demonstrated in South and Central America now, after a run of coups and military governments the people's first priority when democracy is returned is to make sure democracy remains. After they are confident they have a stable democracy, then they make it clear they are sick of corruption. Government officials, especially the dirtiest ones, stall and obfuscate as long as they can, but eventually have to relent if the people persist. Democracy doesn't provide a quick fix to corruption, but at least it provides hope. Military rule doesn't. I'll change my opinion when the military cleans up it's act. I'm not anticipating a change. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
facthailand Posted April 21, 2016 Share Posted April 21, 2016 Every time I think things couldn't get more surreal here, Holy <deleted!>, Robin! Whoo-hoo, four students and a lawyer PAID by that devil to go to Victory Monument! Wow! (Do they even engage their brains?!?) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim walker Posted April 21, 2016 Share Posted April 21, 2016 The locals are revolting or soon will be Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arrowsdawdle Posted April 21, 2016 Share Posted April 21, 2016 The little general has done his part to further elevate Thaksin to legendary status. The little general has as much as admitted that his own existence is defined by Thaksin and accordingly, Thaksin will likely be blamed for global warming, earth quakes, and floods throughout Thailand. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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