Thai Politics

[nevets]

Yes i have just read it my self , its disgusting and they don't even bother to hide the fact .

[charlesh]

Bomb in supreme court, grenades at the uni, troops taking up possy in Bangas. Now on level 3 and 1 step away from the imposition of the ISA !!! Must admit it is better than level 5 which suggests chaos and riots.
Have a look at :
http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/local/3 ... for-action

The over fed poli's have got nothing on Taky Shiningwat's 76 BILLION baht (is that a US billion or a British Billion) ??

[Sydney Jed]

The guy running the country as Prime Minister at the moment was educated in the U.K,but as we all know he is a non elected leader representing a regime of 'croonialism'that are all self serving and hell bent on retaining power and wealth at all costs.No one knows for certain what will happen on the 26th Feb when the final decision is handed down,but one party will ultimately be pissed off that's for certain!Sitting here in Sydney on Thursday everning I was surprised to see the spokeswoman for Thai tourism on the main news here on the ABC warning tourists to stay clear of Bangkok from the 26th Feb and instead go to the beach resorts.Wether she knows something we don't is any bodies guess,but that has to be a first in any case...another airport fiasco would signal a very painful kiss of death for Thai tourism if that happens again.The power of the media will see to that no doubt!

[PeteC]

http://www.bangkokpost.com/opinion/opin ... aw-of-rule

In Thailand it's not 'Rule of Law' but 'Law of Rule'

* Published: 6/03/2010 at 12:00 AM
* Newspaper section: News Bangkok Post

In light of the recent verdict on Thaksin Shinawatra's assets, I think I will for the moment leave that topic to professional political pundits, and focus instead on injustices in society, which are in my view the cause of many of the ghastly symptoms apparent in this deeply divided country we call home.

Moreover, I believe that if some of these injustices persist then whatever verdict or fate awaits Thaksin in the various following cases against him, our society will never find its way back towards the path of reconciliation.

Here are some of the injustices in Thai society that I can think of which warrant our undivided attention.

- In my opinion, Thailand would be a dry and barren land without our women, not just because I'm lucky enough to be married to a beautiful and loving one but because I steadfastly believe the most important institution in Thailand is not Parliament, the Courts or the Military, but it is the Family, and the most vital part of that Family is the role our mothers play.

Therefore, it is rather deplorable and a colossal injustice when I see so few women in Parliament, Cabinet and the justice system, or especially when drafting the highest law of the land where quotas seem to be freely given to the business elite, crusty academics and blabbering bureaucrats; but somehow women, more specifically mothers, seem to always be under-represented in such important matters of state.

So find me a capable Thai female to run for prime minister and I state for the record, I'm all for "one man, one vote", but given the chance this man is going to vote for a woman!

- Thai farmers have also had the short end of the stick for far too long. Farmers are the vast majority of this country but seem to be overlooked by politicians until election time looms.

In Thailand, farming is not just a profession but a way of life. Unfortunately, in order for them to sustain this already subsistence level of living, farmers in my view are subject to so much risk with the promise of such meagre gain.

Entire harvests can be wiped out by disease or drought, subjecting their families to enormous financial and social duress. But even in a successful harvest, the upside is nothing to write home about.

Thailand has a huge comparative advantage against our neighbouring countries when it comes to farming, because we are able grow some of most valuable and flavourful farm produce on earth.

With all due respect to Indonesians (I know I'm going to be heckled here), but have you tried the mangos from Indonesia? They come in the size of a football and usually taste like one too!

So let us embrace our farmers and show them that they are as precious to us as the fruits that they grow, and demand that every government should undertake to redress this risk-versus-reward imbalance and tilt the scales away from the middlemen, who are usually rolling in it, and towards the millions of small farms that are constantly being rolled over.

- Ironically, the most abominable source of injustice in our society comes from the very people we pay to protect us, namely the Army. We may have the illusion of civilian rule but in reality the most influential and powerful seat in Thailand is not occupied by the Prime Minister but by the Commander-in-Chief of the Army.

PM Abhisit Vejjajiva constantly reminds us that everyone has to play by the rules. But when the rules - in this case the 1997 charter affectionately called "The People's Constitution" - can be torn up in broad daylight by the 2006 coup d'etat and rewritten to suit the purposes of the military junta, you don't have to be Sherlock Holmes to figure out why the "Rule of Law" has ceased to exist and in its place is Thailand's own special brand of "Law of Rule".

The "Law of Rule" makes it very clear that in this Kingdom the military has absolute power and is above the law because it appoints its own generals to positions of strategic importance, allocates its own overblown budget for military spending and answers to nobody.

I am in agreement with the prime minister when he constantly asks every citizen wearing a red or yellow shirt to adhere to "The Rule of Law". But in this case it is the law itself that is perceived by many Thais to be unjust, because there seems to be one set of rules for the general public and an entirely different set of rules for the Army.

Glaringly obvious double standards when it comes to the law and its implementation has me wondering why Mr Abhisit unrelentingly refers to the "Rule of Law" with the conviction and faith of an orthodox Jew praying on the Temple Mount.

The GT200 scandal is a clear example of how the Army can blatantly ignore the concerns of a nation and defy the will of a prime minister.

In my view, the 76-billion-baht question is why Mr Abhisit is forcing the "Rule of Law" down our throats when real and meaningful justice is actually very easy to swallow and can be perceived and embraced in the hearts and minds of the public.

I'm afraid justice will never be perceived in Thaksin's 76-billion-baht case because it was tainted by the degenerate deliverance of the Army and its construction of a shoddy toll-free expressway to justice, called the Assets Scrutiny Committee.

To be honest, I disagreed and abhorred many things the Thaksin administration was involved with, but getting rid of an unlawful person - however gruesome that individual might be - by using unlawful means is simply not just and should be condemned in a nation of laws.So therein lies the problem: where does society go from here? What rules and whose laws do we obey?

Even if Thaksin is one day caught and thrown in Thailand's darkest and most decadent dungeons, our journey back to being a nation of laws is a long and winding road, because regrettably in Thailand some of those that we have entrusted to protect and enforce the "Rule of Law" seem to think that they need not observe the "Rule of Law".

* Songkran Grachangnetara is an entrepreneur. He graduated from The London School of Economics and Columbia University.

[nevets]

Very true a good piece

[richard]

Come back in 500 years and things may have changed

[PeteC]

http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/local/1 ... arms-theft

Army admits to massive arms theft

* Published: 7/03/2010 at 10:07 PM
* Online news: Local News Bangkok Post

An investigation into massive losses of weapons and explosives stolen from an arms depot of a military camp in the southern province of Phatthalung is under way, according to Panitan Wattanayagorn, acting government spokesman.

The incident was reported to police and concerned officials last Thursday, said Mr Panitan, adding that investigators were checking whether the stolen weapons and explosives were secretly transported within the insurgency-affected southern provinces or to Bangkok where anti-government protesters from the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD) plan to hold a mass demonstration next Sunday aimed at ousting the government.

UDD activists nationwide will begin moving to Bangkok March 12 and will gather at Sanam Luang next Sunday morning.

Asked whether the Fourth Army Region which is responsible for security in the South should be held accountable for the loss of the materiel, Mr Panitan said the probe is focusing on whether it was an inside job.

Security at other army weaponry warehouses, especially in Bangkok, has been tightened following Thursday's incident, he added.

Meanwhile, Fourth Army Region Commander Lt-Gen Pichet Wisaijorn has inspected the arms depot.

The media were barred from the site, and no details were disclosed after the meeting of senior officials, including Lt Gen Pichet and the province's governor.

EDIT: PS; the article does not state the headline comment on the front page that the number of weapons missing is 6,000+

[lomuamart]

Just how do you get away from an arms depot with 6,000+ weapons and explosives? A possible "inside job" seems a fairly good place to start the investigation from.
Unbelievable.

[PeteC]

http://www.bangkokpost.com/opinion/opin ... g-shake-up

Opinion » Opinion
EDITORIAL Military needs big shake-up

* Published: 8/03/2010 at 12:00 AM
* Newspaper section: News Bangkok Post

Two questionable matters throwing grave doubts on the judgement of the top military commanders have come up almost simultaneously. The army and other services have spent almost one billion baht on useless bomb detectors. The GT200 devices have proved worthless at finding explosives. Even more seriously, they have actually resulted in casualties, and in human rights violations against civilians, particularly in the South. Now, the army is having trouble with the world's only blimp ever designed to be used in a counter-insurgency role. The 350-million-baht ''Sky Dragon'' dirigible cannot yet even fly right.

The dangerous GT200 devices and the grounded airship are putting heat on the government and the military. But authorities must not be allowed to wave off these scandals as an untimely coincidence. A major reason for the immense public interest in the fake bomb detectors and failed flights by the airship is the long history of such poorly thought out purchases. The list is long but includes the country's greatest white elephant ever, the multi-billion-baht aircraft carrier purchased from Spain during the height of the country's economic growth in the late 20th century.

But if the mothballed and virtually useless HTMS Chakri Naruebet is the all-time biggest boondoggle, there have been plenty more. The list must include the vertical takeoff jets bought with the carrier, which have never effectively flown in combat or war exercises. To them, add the equally ground-bound Alpha jets purchased against massive public opposition, and the recent Gripen fighter purchases. The purchase of the Ukrainian armoured cars was another expensive exercise in poor military judgement. After years of being turned down, it now appears the Royal Thai Navy is actually closer to getting permission to purchase submarines than ever.

These and many other equally questionable purchases by the military, virtually without any public oversight, have naturally raised suspicions. The almost completely opaque purchasing system appears to actually favour the buying of useless items like the GT200s rather than potentially useful defence items such as anti-explosive armour for bomb squads, and better weapons for the low-ranking troops sent out every day against one of the world's most deadly and persistent insurgencies in the deep South.

There are those who tend to see the positive side of life and maintain that adversity and failure present opportunities. The concurrent military purchase scandals could bring about positive results if the government takes action and the public holds authorities accountable for these ill-advised purchases. Unfortunately, barring fundamental changes, this hope appears forlorn. Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva has personally criticised the GT200 devices as useless. But he has failed to order his own Defence Ministry or the army chief to stop using the fake bomb detectors. The premier has not commented on the failed attempts to get the ''Sky Dragon'' airborne and functioning.

It is a serious matter that billions of baht have been thrown at needless and even harmful items like the GT200 and ''Sky Dragon''. And the terrible planning in buying the airship apparently forgot to account for the horrendous cost of pumping it up so it can fly _ a million baht per month by current estimates. Operating costs are what effectively mothballed the aircraft carrier, too.

The government has increased concern by refusing to address these and other recent matters of extremely poor judgement or worse by the military brass. The apparent waste of money came as the country struggled with a recession that touched almost every family in the country. Such waste is inexcusable. Clearly, better oversight of military spending is needed, and the sooner the better.

[PeteC]

I have to chuckle. It's getting hard to tell these days if I should post something here or in Thailand Corruption Watch.

Seems both threads are synonymous. Pete

[sandman67]

Just how do you get away from an arms depot with 6,000+ weapons and explosives?

At the end of the 90s I worked a case involving 120kgs of P4 demolition explosive, 100 LAWS rocket launchers, 2 Barrats Light 50 anti-light vehicle rifles, grenades, anti light vehicle mines and two TRUCKS full of ammo that went "missing" on its way back from the Balkans, nicked by Brit soldiers, sold to Scandinavians, and then partially sold on to two rather prominant Scandy bike gangs who were having a shit kicking contest.

The P4 turned up in the hands of a UK bike gang in the process of being made into pipe and bucket bombs. The mines and ammo were later found in a UK clubhouse. Most of the LAWS rockets were recovered. They never found the two Barrats..... which is worrying.

The writeup of the case which is accedited to the old UK National Crime Squad, is in a book called Gangland 2 in a chapter on the UK biker wars I was told. Or at least the cover story that was released to the press is.

Believe me....you would be shocked to find out just how much and what goes missing on "policing actions" and excersises....and from depots. It is ALWAYS the army who initially nick it so of course this is an inside job.

This would have been done by a mate of Maj-Gen Sae Deng or whatever that traitorous lying little bully is called. How many times does this dick have to be caught making threats and in possession of illegal weapons before you see a pattern? Most of what is missing is ammo. Him and the rest of his little proto-commie red shirted peoples army nicked it to forward their shabby little civil war.

Invisible Third Hand?

Bollocks!

[PeteC]

http://www.bangkokpost.com/opinion/opin ... ulgarities

[PeteC]

Now we're getting to the root of all this. Pete

http://www.bangkokpost.com/business/eco ... ng-the-gap (Graphs)

Business » Economics

Closing the gap
Income disparity is at the root of many of Thailand's problems and long-term political development, not populist policies, may be the only cure.

* Published: 22/03/2010 at 12:00 AM
* Newspaper section: Business Bangkok Post

Leaders of the red-shirt protesters have sounded the battle cry for an all-out "class war" to force out the Abhisit Vejjajiva government and rebalance policies to close the country's yawning income gap.

It is simplistic to say that the red shirts, many of whom profess allegiance to former premier Thaksin Shinawatra, only represent the rural poor clamouring for their rights against the established, educated, urban elite.

Yet there is little question that the gap between rich and poor in Thailand is wide, and is a big contributor to the social and political stresses that have dominated the country for the past few years.

And yet it is also a fact that income distribution has improved in recent years, with steady declines registered in absolute poverty across the country.

According to a Bank of Thailand report, the top 20% of the population control more than two-thirds of the country's household assets, savings and property. That places Thailand in the middle among 140 countries, but among the worst in Asia as measured by the Gini index, an international gauge of income disparity named for the Italian demographer Corrado Gini (1884-1965).

Somchai Jitsuchon, a research director at the Thailand Development Research Institute, says income inequality has stabilised since 1989 after widening over the previous two decades.

"The reason that the disparity stopped widening is because it could not get any worse," he said. "Society has a mechanism to correct this problem through political protests."

The industrial boom in the 1990s also helped contribute to a narrowing of the income gap, he added.

Luxmon Attapich, an economist with the Asian Development Bank, said another helpful factor was the expansion of suburban areas outside of Bangkok as well as rapid industrial development along the Eastern Seaboard.

According to the National Economic and Social Development Board, per-capita gross domestic product ranked the highest of any region in the Eastern provinces, excluding Bangkok (see table).

"There need to be sustainable, job creation projects in low-income areas. This should be done along with measures to improve the quality of education and create welfare programmes for the elderly, such as health care and pension funds," Dr Luxmon said.

In education, singled out by many economists as among the most critical factors for a country's competitiveness, there continues to be a wide gap between urban and rural areas.

A World Bank study noted that participation rates in universities and colleges in Greater Bangkok were three times higher than in rural areas.

The enrollment gap between the urban and rural students widened from 15% in 2001 to 17% in 2005. Thirty percent of the Bangkok labour force hold college degrees, compared with only 7% in the Northeast and 10% in the North.

The report noted that these inequalities stem partly from the fact that most higher educational institutions are located in urban areas, providing a lower cost of access to those who live nearby.

Dr Somchai said policymakers should tackle the quality of education, extend social welfare programmes and promote research activities to help boost the economic growth.

But he noted that Thai society actually offered relatively good mobility, where people faced fewer barriers to career advancement and wealth accumulation than in other countries.

"TDRI's stance is that the poverty problem should be addressed by social welfare rather than populist policies. We should become a welfare state under a liberal framework in order to create economic growth," Dr Somchai said.

Populist policies can be traced back to the Thaksin Shinawatra government, which swept to power in 2001 by promising - and delivering - universal health care, a farm debt moratorium, village microcredit programmes, the One Tambon, One Product entrepreneurial programme and rice pledging at a high premium.

While Thaksin today is a fugitive from justice and his Thai Rak Thai party long disbanded, many of his policies have continued in some form.

The Democrat Party has over the past year moved to strengthen the role of the state, namely through free education programmes, added pension payments to the elderly, and a new debt refinancing programme for the poor.

The shift toward a more socialist agenda is seen in many ways as politically calculated, as the Democrats seek to expand their popularity beyond the southern provinces and Bangkok to the more populous North and Northeast.

The NESDB, in a 2007 report on poverty, noted that the rural financing programmes under the Thaksin government generally failed to create sustained income gains, as most of the funds were spent on consumption.

And development grants on their own cannot yield long-term improvements, as the projects initiated at the community level lacked diversity, the report said.

Narong Petprasert, a member of the National Economic and Social Advisory Council, said Thailand lacked co-operation between low-income groups and the middle class to forge a political partnership that could counter the control that established power groups exert over economic policies.

Such a dynamic in other countries has helped lead to the creation of labour parties, influencing development policies through the political arena.

[tarakandi]

I was discussing the political situation the other day with my father in law, (Thai) and I mentioned that I was considering buying property in Penang just in case things got difficult for foreigners here and much to my surprise he agreed that it was a good idea as he feels that in the next few years things could turn pretty nasty.

[buksida]

The fact that no political party has ever made any significant improvement to the education system says a lot, and the fact that the leaders and their children are all educated overseas says even more. The rich want to stay that way and it is usually at the expense of the poor, some as we've seen will throw them a few crumbs to stay in power and wealth.

Going forwards though the idea of a young, charismatic new leader for the reds that is in tune with the whole population (not just Issan) and their needs is an interesting one. If the red movement could get rid of all the criminal and corrupt political dinosaurs and leeches still grasping for power (such as Chalerm) and get away from Thaksin's venomous and vengeful grip, then they could well be a legitimate force to be reckoned with and exactly what this country needs. And that is a bit of youth and enterprise, shaking off history's repeated mistakes, and a new way forward.

It certainly won't come otherwise from the current power players and the comment above could well become reality in the not too distant future.