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hazz

He does look rather like a TSB bank manager doesn't he

as for what he's saying... sounds like taksin fits the bill. he is only paying with left wing politics as a way to get power, he doesn't really believe in any of it at all; and he will continue to be a disruptive influence on the country until he gets what he believes he's entitled too

Bobcock

Shhhhhhh....... It had been pointed out we should not really be talking about old square head in a thread about old square head....... I was just doing as I was told until you spoiled it....

Mid

60,000 red shirts likely to meet Thaksin
29/03/2012

About 50,000 red shirts from the Northeast will meet former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra in Vientiane during the Songkran festival next month.

Red shirt leader Nisit Sinthuphrai said about 50,000 Thaksin supporters are expected to leave for Laos to meet him there as he pays a brief visit to Laos and Cambodia during the festival.

The red shirts would gather at the stadium of the Nong Khai provincial administrative organisation on April 11 and leave for Vientiane the next morning.

Their travels will be broadcast live on the pro-Thaksin Asia Update television station.

Mr Nisit said red shirt co-leader Jatuporn Prompan would make arrangements for another group of red shirts to meet Thaksin in Siem Reap of Cambodia.

Theppanom Namlee, a red shirt leader in Surin province, said red shirts from Yasothon, Buri Ram, Roi Et and Surin provinces would pass the Chong Jom border pass in Kap Choeng district of Surin on April 13 and head for Thaksin's whereabouts.

Mr Theppanom said some 10,000 red shirts are expected to join the trip to meet Thaksin who will be in Siem Reap on April 14 and 15.

Mr Theppanom said MPs of the Pheu Thai Party should travel along.

Thaksin made a phone call to a meeting of his northeastern red shirt supporters last Saturday.

Thaksin, who has been living in Dubai in self-imposed exile since 2008, invited his supporters to meet him either in Siem Reap or in Vientiane during the Songkran festival. He will be in Vientiane on April 12 and 13.

Kwanchai Praipana, the red shirt's leader in Udon Thani province, said he would lead about 1,000 red shirt followers from Udon Thani to meet Thaksin at Phetchampa Hotel in Vientiane on April 12.

Red shirts plan to organise a ceremony to pray for Thaksin's well-being and smooth return to Thailand.

Thaksin's supporters from Udon Thani will return to their home province on the same day.

Mr Kwanchai said he would organise an event on April 7 at which red shirts would launch a drug campaign with police.

He expects Thaksin to phone in to greet his supporters on that day.

bangkokpost.com

__________________
"Keeping quiet while monks and other peaceful protesters are murdered and jailed is not evidence of constructive engagement." - Arvind Ganesan, Human Rights Watch.

"I think...I think it's in my basement. Let me go upstairs and check" - M.C. Escher

Mr Lick

All on the same bus presumably

sabang

I rather think that is an exaggeration actually.

longway

You just dont get it do you?

I have already made clear on a number of occasions why I think vote buying is a major problem. If vote-buying and the insidious practices required to keep it in place are no longer a factor then the choices for the voters will be radically different than they are now. Vote buying means criminals are in and competing for political office. To even get into political office you need you have to break the law, or be willing to associate with those who will do it for you.

Gerbil

Wouldn't like to be in the queue at the border checkpoint on that day

noelbino

Fckuing lemmings.

hazz

This gives me that day jar view feeling of history being about to repeat itself, one has to wonder just how many thai's they are going to kill and how many families are going to be ruined this time round

Butterfly

I am confused, I thought the reds had nothing to do with Thaksin, so why are they worshiping him like a semi-god ?

hazz

^Schrödinger's cat

They simultaneously worship him and have nothing to do with him; until someone asks a question at which point the wave function collapses into the most appropriate answer given the circumstances.

Butterfly

^ yes, DrB is an authority on that MO

mao say dung

You should have visited the Rajprasong encampment back in the day... would have lifted your confusion, even if only momentarily.

sabang

Loads, most, red shirts are Thaksin fans. I daresay the results of the last two elections speak for themselves. Others however are luke warm, and for others it really isn't to do with Thaksin at all, apart from the fact he was illegally ousted contra to the popular mandate.

__________________
probes Aliens

Butterfly

fuck, are you sure ? this is fucking incredible,

I did, and it was like that: Lovely and peaceful Issaan peasants surrounded by petty criminals from Bangkok slums posing as security. It was a scene to be seen for sure.

I am surprised it ended so peacefully actually, I was expecting some major damage. Oh wait !!!

Mid

Red shirts plan 'Thaksin tour'
30/03/2012

Red Tour 999 will take you on a three-day road trip to Siem Reap, Cambodia, staying at a four-star hotel for 6,500 baht each _ but there's a catch.



An ad on the Facebook page of a red shirt invites people to join an April 13-15 tour to Cambodia where they can visit Angkor Wat and meet ousted premier Thaksin Shinawatra.

"You should be a red shirt," said the tour organiser who goes by the name of Ton7777.

"We have to be concerned about the safety of [former] prime minister Thaksin [Shinawatra]."

During the Songkran holidays, April 13-15, the tour will take you to cultural heritage sites such as Angkor Wat and Angkor Thom, but the highlight will be on April 14, when tour participants will get a chance to meet the ousted premier and perform a rod nam dam hua ceremony, in which Songkran celebrants show respect to their elders by pouring holy water over their hands.

Ton7777 says he does not mean to bar non-red shirts from participating in the tour, but he is concerned about two issues _ the safety of Thaksin and also the fun factor of the tour itself.

"If you are a yellow shirt, what fun will you have? How will you get along with everyone? It will be uncomfortable for you and everyone else," he said.

So far, two callers interested in his tour are on his list of suspects.

The first question he always asks before making a reservation is: "Are you a red shirt?"

If the caller says yes, but is unable to name which red shirt group he belongs to, then Ton7777 knows something is fishy.

"If it is someone who is open and doesn't hate Thaksin, it should be fine," he said of interested vacationers, but he also cautioned that he has not yet decided on how strict the policy will be.

There are two purposes for the Red Tour, according to Ton7777.

The first is for people who love and admire Thaksin to meet him in person and offer him their respect at the auspicious Songkran ceremony. A pilgrimage, if you will.

The second is to gain knowledge in preparation for the Asean Economic Community in 2015.

Ton7777 said the tour will educate them about the upcoming single economic community, focusing on issues such as the labour movement, vocational opportunities and the importance of learning English.

Ton7777 revealed he is an engineer with a multinational company. He has a master's degree and is working on his doctorate.

"I wasn't involved in politics before," he said. Like many others, he decided to don a red shirt after the 2006 coup.

On Saturday, during a phone-in to a red shirt rally in Surin, Thaksin invited supporters to meet him in Vientiane on April 12 and 13 and in Siem Reap on April 14 and 15.

Thus far, the red shirt "We Love Udon" and "We Love Isan" groups are also organising trips to meet the former prime minister. It is estimated that up to 10,000 supporters from Udon Thani alone will travel to the two neighbouring countries this Songkran holiday.

bangkokpost.com

StrontiumDog

Thai-ASEAN News Network - Poll: Most Oppose Amnesty for Thaksin

Poll: Most Oppose Amnesty for Thaksin

UPDATE : 5 April 2012

According to a recent opinion poll conducted by the National Institute of Development Administration, 64 percent of those polled oppose amnesty for ousted Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, but instead want him to return to Thailand to fight his cases.

The National Institute of Development Administration has announced the results of its recent opinion poll conducted on the issue of national reconciliation and political situation.

According to the results, 48.6 percent of the respondents believe that the country will fall back into another political confrontation if former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra is granted amnesty.

At the same time, only 20.09 percent see that the amnesty will improve the situation while 18.12 percent do not think that it would bring any change.

When asked what Thaksin should do, 64 percent urge the ex-premier to return to Thailand to fight his charges while 16.3 percent do not think that he should return at all.

Only 8.39 percent of the respondents see that he should come back once he is granted amnesty.

About plans for national reconciliation, 45.41 percent are unsure if the King Prajadhipok's Institute's report should be incorporated into the plans while 28.64 percent see that it should be included.

Meanwhile, 25.95 percent reject the report, saying the reconciliation effort depends solely on the government.

On their concerns about the current political climate, 61.08 percent are worried about possible protests from various groups and 25.34 percent do not want another coup.

The poll was conducted among 1,246 people randomly selected from all parts of the country.

__________________
"Slavery is the daughter of darkness; an ignorant people is the blind instrument of its own destruction; ambition and intrigue take advantage of the credulity and inexperience of men who have no political, economic or civil knowledge. They mistake pure illusion for reality, license for freedom, treason for patriotism, vengeance for justice."-Simón Bolívar

Gerbil

Does that mean 74.66% want one?


Interesting.....

sabang

It's a bent Poll, and everyone knows that- including those that agree with it.
Push polling has been taken to an utterly laughable nadir in this country.
If they are so confident of the results of this Poll, then fine- absolutely no problem for T to return and run for Prime Minister again. no chance.
You said so yourselves, I mean Polls can not possibly lie, can they?

Tom Sawyer

This guy and his pals (inc Samak) set loose the dogs who raped and killed anyone who didn't agree that the sakdina ("Soon" "siri") and their complaint chink bureaucrats should rule Thailand for themselves and fuck the poor farmers. Wanna bet his grandkids are right now working their way up through the ranks of thai hi-so society bureaucracy (or at UCLA, Harvard etc)? And we all know where the money came from to study abroad don't we?

__________________
My mind is not for rent to any God or Government, There's no hope for your discontent - the changes are permanent!

StrontiumDog

Abhisit in '2-for-1' offer - The Nation

Abhisit in '2-for-1' offer

The Nation April 7, 2012 1:00 am


If Thaksin is not given amnesty, ex-PM and deputy would accept same fate

Opposition leader Abhisit Vejjajiva has offered to disqualify himself and his former deputy prime minister Suthep Thaugsuban from any future amnesty if the same measure applies to ex-PM Thaksin Shinawatra, while other people involved in the political conflict are set free.

He clearly was trying to emphasise that the government's push for reconciliation was ultimately aimed at whitewashing Thaksin's wrongdoings.

Abhisit was responding to a challenge from Pheu Thai MP and red-shirt leader Jatuporn Prompan that two representatives from each side - Abhisit and Suthep from the Democrat Party, and Jatuporn and Pheu Thai MP and red-shirt leader Natthawut Saikua - should be exempted from any amnesty in the future.

"Let's do it this way. I offer two in exchange for one. Do not grant amnesty to me and Suthep, as well as Thaksin. I like this better," Abhisit said during the House of Representatives debate on reconciliation proposals on Thursday night.

The lower house debated whether to accept the proposals from the ad hoc House committee on national reconciliation and to forward them to the Cabinet for further action.

Abhisit, who served as prime minister in the previous government, and his then-deputy Suthep have been accused by the red shirts of "ordering the massacre of protesters" in the political unrest and riots in early 2010.

More than 90 people were killed during more than two months of street protests and occupations in Bangkok by the pro-Thaksin red shirts between March and May 2010. Among those killed were soldiers, police, protesters, passers-by, local residents and foreign journalists.

During the debate, Abhisit said rule of law should be upheld and that by offering general amnesty to everyone - as proposed by the House panel and backed by the government MPs - more conflict would be created.

"Don't try to involve Parliament to solve the problem of people who do not sincerely want to reconcile," Abhisit said. "Don't create a condition for new conflict. That's not a way to reconciliation. If there is sincerity for reconciliation, we the opposition will fully support the move."

Earlier in the debate, Jatuporn remarked that Abhisit once said he would not reconcile with "the terrorists" - people who wreaked havoc in Bangkok in 2010. Jatuporn, led the red-shirt protest, told the House meeting that his side also would not reconcile with "the murderers", referring to Abhisit and Suthep.

Abhisit responded by cautioning that "the terrorists" and "the murderers" would end up being in the same group of people. He was referring to reports that heavily armed men mingled among the red-shirt protesters.

Pheu Thai Party leader Yongyuth Wichaidit yesterday described Abhisit's challenge as "just rhetoric that cannot be put into action". "In law, general amnesty must be applied to everyone and nobody should be excluded," said Yongyuth, who is also deputy prime minister and interior minister.

Figures close to Thaksin could not be reached yesterday for comments about the matter.

After two days of debate in the lower house, 307 MPs early yesterday voted to support the reconciliation proposals and to forward them to the Cabinet for further action. There were two abstentions. The opposition Democrat MPs refused to vote in protest at what they described as a rush to have the measures passed as soon as possible.

Chief opposition whip Jurin Laksanavisit said the government missed a chance to avoid negative consequences of the rush by ignoring a suggestion from King Prajadhipok's Institute that broader debate of reconciliation was needed to prevent a new round of conflict.

StrontiumDog

It is certainly telling that after 9 months plus in power, what other society changing legislation has Pheu Thai enacted?

All their efforts seem to surround amnesty, charter change or reconciliation. So much time spent on what? A massive fraud, which is ultimately going to solve nothing. The divisions and inequality in society will still be there.

What are they doing to solve the problems with.... poverty, human rights, women's rights, inequality, corruption, rape laws, child abuse laws, human trafficking, gun crime, domestic violence, education, the environment, malpractice and compensation, the southern insurgency, consumer rights and protection, censorship, enforcement of laws and on and on and on and on....Oh, things are discussed, things are rumoured/suggested but where is the parliamentary time being devoted to things that will actually bring long-term positive changes for this country?

So much parliamentary time and so many people have been involved in this so called 'reconciliation' process and the amnesty associated with it. A non-stop frenzy of activity. It is offensive that they are doing so. While the country grinds on and the lot of the normal people of Thailand doesn't improve.

And for what....

All for one man, who doesn't have the integrity to face the accusations made against him.

As time goes by and nothing real comes from Pheu Thai, the con just seems to be more and more obvious. So obvious in fact, that even some of the rather ignorant here must be questioning their blind faith....well, I hope so.

sabang

I think you are forgetting the minimum wage rise. And the tablet PC's.
Charter change however is a necessity- plain fact is, Thailand is not currently a legally constituted nation because the legal Constitution was thrown out on the back of an illegal military Coup.
The fact that a certain segment of society and their media mouthpieces will say it is only about Thaksin is a given. The fact that the slanted media has therefore become irrelevant to a majority of Thai is a direct result of this.
Personally, I would like to see PT doing more to establish an impartial, strong and independent Judiciary, and removing the Military from the political process. But we all know the risks involved in doing this.
I don't really have a problem with this 'same old, same old' criticism aimed at PT, as long as it is acknowledged that in one, critical respect they are not the same- because they were voted in by the People, with a crushing majority to boot.

mao say dung

And what didn't the previous government do?

And who didn't they do it for?

sabang

What did the previous government do?
Apart from giving free rein to corruption, absolutely nothing that I am aware of.