Is this the start of another Coup?

[clive]

Samak is a thug and a bully. He proved it again this afternoon in a cnn interview, getting angry with the reporter Dan Rivers. He colluded with Thaksin so him & his wife could escape the Thai justice system, anywhere else he would be considered an accessory. How can any reasonable country or monarchy allow someone like that to continue running a country. My guess is that the PAD are angling for a coup to give them a year to 18 months to prove that Thaksin and his cronies were corrupt and stole the money that rightfully belonged to the poor and middle class of this country, that seems the only way that they can force a change of government. As regards some earlier remarks about hurting business in this country, you better beleive it is, not only foreigners but also Thais married to faranghs and Thais living overseas are voting with their feet, the only ballot box available to them at the present time. For sure there is only one person who can end this!

[The understudy]

Hi there Y'all

I'd just recently had an interesting phone Chat with a friend of mine who works with a reknowned Travel Company. His regional Boss is shaking his Head at this Moment bwcaue of the political unrest that this happening in Thailand. He allready recieved twice to nealry triple the rates of cancelations form Tourists mainly from Australia, Japan, Korea, and USA.
In Europe right now People are plannig where they wanna go on their Winter break some prefer to escape the cold and come to Thailand. I would advise to all sides who are involved in this political mess to quckly return to to a stable state again to at least safe the Christmas travel Seasonn for the Travel and Tourism inddustry.
Saying that I have little faith that Samak can pull the carrieage out of the mud I would be very very no that's an understatement I would be ecstatic to see this old Tortoise of Thai Polititcs go for good. in his first six months of reign he has done nothing good for Thai politics as a whole just only populist measures to provied just a temporary relieve. just like an over the counter medicine with non lastic feect.

The understudy!!!

[STEVE G]

Another good summary of the recent events can be read on today's Asia Times:

http://atimes.com/atimes/Southeast_Asia/JI03Ae01.html

There is a lot more to this situation than appears to the casual observer.

The second part of this article after the heading “Hardline ties” does a good job of summing up the current situation in my opinion.
The main problem now is that if they dissolve the PPP and don’t hold an election allowing their follows to put a vote elsewhere, you will end up with a far bigger backlash than anything the PAD have done so far.
And if you do have an election you are going to be in exactly the same position in about a year’s time.

[buksida]

The BBC have just shown interviews with their correspondent Jonathan Head and both Samak and Sondhi. The difference was shocking.

Samak's primary response was "don't ask me this question, you don't know me, I forgive you for asking these questions - I won't quit."

Sondhi's response was "I realise I have not been elected to government but I'm only campaigning on behalf of our supporters for an honest administration that is not above the law".

There was also a long report on how the economy is already crumbling, worse than has been seen for many years.

[STEVE G]

The ironic thing about Sondhi is that he and his publishing group used to be ardent Thaksin supporters due to the fact that the economic revival Thaksin brought about after the Asian financial crisis helped him out of bankruptcy.
He used his connections with Thaksin to reduce the dept owed to the Krung Thai Bank by his group by 1.6 billion baht.
http://www.nationmaster.com/encyclopedi ... imthongkul

[buksida]

Yes, they used to be business partners, as noted in that article Thaksin screwed him on a deal once by selling off part of a jointly owned venture and they've been arch rivals ever since. That article also shows the extent of the mud-slinging that has been going on over the years by the pair.

Just shows you how few people are actually needed to have an impact on an entire nation.

[elem]

Guess there will be more news tomorrow am...

I saw a very interesting interview ( in English around 8.15am on NBT ) with Dr Pongsudhirak, Director at the Institute for Security and International Studies at Chulalongkorn Univ. - he was so spot on!

As for the travel industry, the damage is mostly done ( due to widespread intl. mediacoverage ), have already heard of lots of cancellations from the northern European hospitality industry for the winter season. Darn...
I hope someone gets their act together quickly!

[Spitfire]

Can't help thinking that even if there is another coup, then not sure if it will do any good anyway. It will just send everything back to square one again.

One of the main problems is that Thailand has yet to decide what it actually is. If you want to be a democracy/plutocracy/dictatorship/absolute mon*****/ constitutional mon*****/autocracy/feudal system or whatever, just decide and be that.

It is called a democracy to please the west and recieve all the goodies that come along with doing that, but they don't want to accept the 'rub'.

At the moment there is nothing but confusion and this only has a negative effect, there is much to lose for all.

Just decide what you want to be.

[caller]

Actully, if what is now happening was by design by whoever, then one effect of the current impasse is to take Thailand off the front pages of the worlds newspapers and TV equivalent.

Even on here we have heard that by and large, life in Bangers continues as normal.

Do you think it will just fizzle out?

[sargeant]

It looks to me like Samack is doing a siege arse about face
In the old days one mob sarrounded the other mob and then starved them out
In this one they have sarrounded them and are letting the food water beer and mekong in with the intention of making the backers spend more and more and then go bankrupt
odd sort of policy but sort of makes sense thaiway after all TIT

[caller]

Interesting article - by a Thai - in the Bangkok post -

http://www.bangkokpost.com/070908_News/ ... news18.php

[Spitfire]

Do you think it will just fizzle out?

It might Mr C, suppose nobodies cystal ball has that one clear, Sarge may have a point about them just having a go at riding it out.

Might be just about whether 'you know who' gives another nod or not. Not sure if said individual wants to get invovled again.

Interesting what you say about coverage elsewhere though. In a lot of places it doesn't seem like any of the locals really give a toss. Just resigned to the fact that the Bangkok lot are up to their usual tricks again. Most here where I am seem too busy trying to just survive everyday.

[STEVE G]

It will be ironic if after all the furor caused by the PAD in the last couple of weeks, Samak has to resign because of his cooking programme:http://bangkokpost.com/topstories/topst ... ?id=130496

[sargeant]

conflict of interests 80,000 baht somebody is havin a larf or trying very hard to make this country a larfing stock
whats the conflict 3 or 5 chillies in the tom yam disgraceful corruption
on a scale of the corruption that must be the most minor one i have ever heard

[migrant]

A couple interesting articles here.


http://www.economist.com/world/asia/dis ... d=12056833

http://www.economist.com/opinion/displa ... d=12070465