Amnesty for Former TRT Executives?

**Rural Surin** · 05-07-2011, 07:01 PM

Originally Posted by sabang

His Majesty reminded his loyal subjects that He himself was human, and that the Monarchy was not above criticism. Those who took it upon themselves to ignore his wisdom may well be guilty of Lese' Majestie. Beware of usurpers.

Perhaps political loyalties within the inner-circles are seeing a change quickly over time.
Hypothetically, what if things are not as they appear to be?
We tend to comment of the predictable and expected. Seems logical.
Coming attractions and actions, as they apply to the Kingdom [less the secular surface activities], might prove to be more surprising than not.

**Gerbil** · 05-07-2011, 07:08 PM

Originally Posted by Mid

Originally Posted by StrontiumDog

a party source said.

Originally Posted by StrontiumDog

EDITORIAL

Originally Posted by StrontiumDog

OPINION

no news then .

Do you also object to posts from blogs, which are almost always opinions & editorials as well, except they don't explicitly state it? Just interested.

I think we get flooded with too many regurgitated articles here, especially wire stories which appear again and again, but with a different headline from different publications.

Actually I would prefer to see *more* opinions and editorials as at least they are (generally) original pieces of work which sometimes bring a fresh perspective on things.

**Mid** · 05-07-2011, 07:14 PM

The objection is to a rumour mongering OP , this is news not issues .

A thread OP is the corner stone of the thread and we are seeing some very weak ones .

It is plainly obvious to all we are flooded with regurgitated articles .

**English Noodles** · 05-07-2011, 07:44 PM

Surely about time SD was at least suspended from posting in the news forum for a while. Just to give the place a chance to recover from his constant spamming.

**Neo** · 05-07-2011, 07:48 PM

Originally Posted by Mid

The objection is to a rumour mongering OP , this is news not issues .
A thread OP is the corner stone of the thread and we are seeing some very weak ones .
It is plainly obvious to all we are flooded with regurgitated articles .

I agree wholeheartedly.

I also feel that spamming is deliberately being used to break up constructive discussion concerning news related issues regarding the election winners.

Of course that will be vehemently denied, as I am one of the clique of paranoid conspiricy fantasists and the spammer is a sane and well balanced individual, conciencious in his only motivation, to serve the forum.

**SteveCM** · 05-07-2011, 07:49 PM

From the blog world.....

https://thaipoliticalprisoners.wordp...ea-thai-party/

July 5, 2011 · 9:35 am

A yellow shirt response to the election victory by the Puea Thai Party

What would anyone expect from yellow shirt leader – or, as the Bangkok Post prefers, “leader of the multi-colour group” – Tul Sitthisomwong has challenged Jatuporn Promphan’s right to hold a parliamentary seat, warned of street demonstrations and stormed ahead with legal attacks on likely prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra.

How could anything else have been expected? PPT posted on the likely yellow-hued response to the Puea Thai Party victory a while ago.

Tul has asked the Election Commission to check whether Jatuporn can hold his seat because he didn’t vote. PPT covered this charge previously, when we stated that EC member Sodsri Sattayaham coached the anti-Puea Thai crowd on how to disqualify Jatuporn. Not surprisingly, Tul appears to have plagiarized the helpful Sodsri. As we said then, this doesn’t change anything for Puea Thai. In fact, it seems Jatuporn could be appointed a minister without holding a seat. This is simply revenge and political bastardry.

Tul also warned that he would mobilize people from his so-called Network of Citizen Volunteers to Protect the Land to rally in front of parliament “if legislation to grant amnesty to former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra was tabled to the House of Representatives…”. PPT imagines this will be interpreted very broadly by the yellow ones.

A very busy Tul further said “he would today go to give more information to the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) on a petition against Yingluck Shinawatra, who now stands to be made prime minister, for alleged perjury in the assets seizure case involving her brother Thaksin Shinawatra.” He would then be off to the “office of the National Anti-Corruption Commission to find out whether the NACC would file a lawsuit against Ms Yingluck for alleged perjury in the same case.”

This is just the beginning shots in what is planned as a war of attrition by the self-proclaimed Thaksin haters that include many in the failed Democrat Party.

A bitter Suthep Thaugsuban has complained that as “Yingluck governs under Thaksin[‘s] order[s], the Pheu Thai-led government will see a quick ending due to the lack of credibility…”. Maybe our comment above on a war of attrition is mistaken! Like so many others in the past day, he trotted out the line that “the people’s mandate given to Pheu Thai did not mean that any attempts to trample over the rule of law would be tolerated.” Expect to hear this line again and again.

More ominously, like Democrat Party Spokesman and now party list MP Buranaj Smutharaks, Suthep “reminded the incoming government that turmoil would erupt once again if the amnesty was granted to an individual like Thaksin.” PPT has no doubt that Thaksin will continue to be a lightening rod for the yellow shirt-Democrat Party public face of opposition to a Puea Thai Party-led coalition. Who said the yellow shirts were dead? The rejectionists need them again!

**SteveCM** · 05-07-2011, 07:55 PM

^

Originally Posted by TPP

More ominously, like Democrat Party Spokesman and now party list MP Buranaj Smutharaks, Suthep “reminded the incoming government that turmoil would erupt once again if the amnesty was granted to an individual like Thaksin.” PPT has no doubt that Thaksin will continue to be a lightening rod for the yellow shirt-Democrat Party public face of opposition to a Puea Thai Party-led coalition. Who said the yellow shirts were dead? The rejectionists need them again!

Prophetic words, I suspect. Back to the old routine - ineffective opposition in parliament coupled with "useful" well-orchestrated goings-on outside.

**Rural Surin** · 05-07-2011, 08:04 PM

Originally Posted by Mid

The objection is to a rumour mongering OP , this is news not issues .

A thread OP is the corner stone of the thread and we are seeing some very weak ones .

It is plainly obvious to all we are flooded with regurgitated articles .

Indeed, Mid. Of late, the redundancy of pasted articles from official sources tends to wash-out any reference to alternative opinions and commentary, which in all fairness still seeps through from those usual sorts that care to promote a different spin on events - regardless of the poster's personal politics.

Generally speaking, we do need to remove ourselves from those trained ideals that information/stimulation emulating from mainstream officialdom is the subjective model for truth. Luckily for us, there are a competent number of posters that direct a position to absorb something different from the expected and predictable.

**noelbino** · 05-07-2011, 08:33 PM

Beware the handing of reins to another expected of the same ilk.

**Gerbil** · 05-07-2011, 08:36 PM

^^ Stop talking bollocks.

**rickpattaya** · 05-07-2011, 08:38 PM

Oh, the shark, babe, has such teeth, dear
And it shows them pearly white
Just a jackknife has old TackHeath, babe
And he keeps it … ah … out of sight.

Ya know when that Tack bites, with his teeth, babe
Scarlet red billows start to spread
Fancy gloves, though, wears old TackHeath, babe
So there’s ever, ever a trace of red.

Now on the sidewalk … uuh, huh … whoo … sunny mornin’ … uuh, huh
Lies a body just oozin' life … eeek!
And someone’s sneakin' ‘round the corner
Could that someone be Tack the Knife?

A-there's a tailboat … huh, huh, huh … down by the river don’tcha know
Where a rice bag’s just a'droopin' on down
Oh, that rice is just, it's there for the weight, dear
Five'll get ya ten old Tacky’s back in town.

Now, d'ja hear ‘bout Marky Marky? He disappeared, babe
After drawin' out all his hard-earned cash
And now TackHeath spends just like a sailor
Could it be our boy's done somethin' trash?

Now … Taxi Driver … ho, ho … yeah … Yingluck Watry
Ooh … Miss Lotto winner and the old Boys in Brown
Oh, the line forms on the right, babe
Now that Tacky’s back in town.

Aah … I said Taxi Driver … whoa … Yingluck Watry
Look out to Miss Lotto winner and the old Boys in Brown
Yes, that line forms on the right, babe
Now that Tacky’s back in town …

Look out … old Tacky is back!!

trisailer · 05-07-2011, 08:55 PM

I guess this is what we call a sore loser. He might not like the result but none the less it is the result. As for corruption, we were back in the village for voting day and the only ones handing out money for votes was the democrats. The reds didn't have to pay. What the yellows fail to understand is that they had their chance and they blew it. If the would have accomplished one ounce of real work towards solving the countries problems they might have had a shot.

**rickpattaya** · 05-07-2011, 09:00 PM

I don't give a rats arse anyway, so long as tacky get his 46 billion back. I mean fairs fair.

**crippen** · 05-07-2011, 09:02 PM

Originally Posted by rickpattaya

I don't give a rats arse anyway, so long as tacky get his 46 billion back. I mean fairs fair.

That should buy a lot of votes next time round.

**Bettyboo** · 05-07-2011, 09:38 PM

Is it the last 5 elections that have had the same result? Including the 2 or is it the 3 biggest wins in Thai political history?

But, some expats/sexpats still seem to think they know better...

**StrontiumDog** · 05-07-2011, 09:50 PM

Well, if you want to talk about the wonders of democracy, I will remind you that George W Bush got voted in twice....and then there's Margaret Thatcher.....

All you have to do is fool enough of the people, enough of the time...

**StrontiumDog** · 05-07-2011, 09:51 PM

Yingluck Shinawatra must distance herself from her brother | Thitinan Pongsudhirak | Comment is free | guardian.co.uk

Yingluck Shinawatra must distance herself from her brother

Thailand's new leader will only achieve progress if Thaksin Shinawatra stays away and she reaches out to his opponents

Thitinan Pongsudhirak

guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 5 July 2011 15.10 BST

Yingluck Shinawatra –Thaksin Shinawatra's sister – has been elected as Thailand's first female prime minister. Photograph: Apichart Weerawong/AP

As Yingluck Shinawatra has been catapulted to elected office from nowhere, Thailand faces the predicament of having to progress from its wrenching political morass that dates to the military coup in September 2006. At the centre of this will be if or how Yingluck can grow into her own person as Thailand's first female prime minister, beyond the long shadow of her deposed and exiled brother, Thaksin Shinawatra, and reach out to his opponents as a bridge-builder to mend Thailand's deep wounds of protracted conflict and turmoil.

In less than two months since she threw her hat into the ring as Thaksin's proclaimed "clone" and electoral leader of Pheu Thai party, Yingluck has surprised many from near and far. She is a novice but not naive, and ran a deft campaign. With astute handlers and well-orchestrated campaign trails, she was always on script and connected with voters from the downtrodden countryside and urban poor who formed the core of her brother's loyal fan base.

To be sure, Yingluck provides a brilliant package for her older brother in her youth, gender, appearance, relative novelty and evidently palpable political acumen. She brought freshness to the Pheu Thai scene that reinforced structural advantages from Thaksin's previous resounding electoral successes in 2001, 2005, 2006 and 2007. Most important, she quietly hailed from the Shinawatra family business with little political baggage for Thaksin's opponents to exploit.

What is imperative for Yingluck now is distance between her and her polarising brother. Thaksin's divisive rule engendered millions of loyal and resilient supporters but their collective voice is not as powerful as that of many adversaries he accumulated while in power during 2001-2006. His opponents and enemies tried time and again to depose him but to no avail. The forces unleashed during the Thaksin years have proved unstoppable. He catered for neglected swaths of the vast majority of the electorate with his pro-poor, populist programmes. Over the past decade, these previously marginalised voices have discovered that they can have a stake in the way they are governed, and have accrued a sense of upward mobility and rising expectations in Thailand's steep and stifling hierarchical order that became entrenched during the cold war.

But Thaksin's downsides were his conflicts of interest, human rights violations and two corruption convictions that have kept him abroad since 2008. Thaksin will now be tempted to view the recent election results and Pheu Thai's triumph as all about him and his legacy.

Yingluck will have to persuade her brother to stay away and keep at bay indefinitely any amnesty that could bring him home. With their vehement distrust of Thaksin, his opponents are not easily mollified. Yingluck will have to reach out with assurances in a demonstrable spirit of compromise on a mutual understanding and agreement that Thailand has suffered enough.

If he were smart and cares for his land of birth, Thaksin would allow his sister complete latitude to govern and seek peace with his enemies. If his enemies were concerned for the future of the Thai people, they would allow Yingluck to rule and make concessions and accommodation that are necessary for Thailand to move on into the 21st century.

**DroversDog** · 05-07-2011, 10:03 PM

Originally Posted by StrontiumDog

From rhetoric to reality

While Puea Thai's win was popularly portrayed as a landslide, Yingluck's coalition government is expected to be weak and potentially short-lived.

How does Crispin explain that a party that has 265/500 seats + 4 other parties could possibly be expect to be weak and short-lived? PT didn't eithen have to denigrate itself to include the murky BJT party. Maybe he should look at the fact that the democrats only got 159 seats out of 500.

**DroversDog** · 05-07-2011, 10:11 PM

Originally Posted by SteveCM

Tul Sitthisomwong has challenged Jatuporn Promphan’s right to hold a parliamentary seat, warned of street demonstrations and stormed ahead with legal attacks on likely prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra.

Haven't most of the old Granny's the yellow shirts wheeled out last time already been sent to a fiery end and been reborn as chickens and soi dogs in Issan by now!

**Butterfly** · 05-07-2011, 10:12 PM

Originally Posted by StrontiumDog

Well, if you want to talk about the wonders of democracy, I will remind you that George W Bush got voted in twice....and then there's Margaret Thatcher.....

All you have to do is fool enough of the people, enough of the time...

and let's not forget Hitler, Berlusconi, Putin etc... etc...

a long list indeed of nutters being elected by the kind people

**StrontiumDog** · 05-07-2011, 10:16 PM

Originally Posted by DroversDog

Originally Posted by StrontiumDog

From rhetoric to reality

While Puea Thai's win was popularly portrayed as a landslide, Yingluck's coalition government is expected to be weak and potentially short-lived.

How does Crispin explain that a party that has 265/500 seats + 4 other parties could possibly be expect to be weak and short-lived? PT didn't eithen have to denigrate itself to include the murky BJT party. Maybe he should look at the fact that the democrats only got 159 seats out of 500.

Yes, agree with your point. I think he is guilty of speculation.

I guess he thinks that either Thaksin will return, which may or may not lead to problems, or he is suggesting that the Yingluck government will be so mired in dealing with the many factions and issues it has to juggle that it may end up imploding.

Or then there's the possibility of external, non-elected interference such as the military.

Rather vague and non-committal of him and thus my above reply. But he does do that...he produces interesting pieces certainly but I think they must be read with the understanding that he is wrong as often as he is right.

**StrontiumDog** · 05-07-2011, 11:10 PM

Thaksin's return divides Thailand after vote | Reuters

Thaksin's return divides Thailand after vote

By Martin Petty
BANGKOK | Tue Jul 5, 2011 8:50am EDT

(Reuters) - The image circulating widely in Thailand's social media Tuesday had a blunt message: "Welcome home big swindler Thaksin Shinawatra."

The image of a billboard next to a highway summed up the anger felt by many Thais about the prospect of the fugitive former prime minister returning after Sunday's landslide election victory by the party he controls from self-imposed exile.

The billboard was first erected in 2008, with a message welcoming Thaksin home after he was toppled in a coup, but it had now been doctored with the words "big swindler" inserted and circulated on the Internet.

The original message and the doctored version illustrate how split Thailand is on Thaksin, a 61-year-old telecoms billionaire adored as a populist hero by millions of rural poor but loathed as a corrupt, crony capitalist by urban middle classes, powerful generals and conservative elites.

He was convicted in absentia on graft charges in 2008 and refuses to serve a two-year jail term, insisting the verdict was politically motivated by his powerful enemies.

But his sister, Yingluck Shinawatra, is on the cusp of becoming Thailand's first woman prime minister, following her Puea Thai Party's win Sunday, and her brother's return has suddenly become Thailand's hottest and most contentious topic.

A five-party coalition is taking shape and economists are predicting near-term stability for Thailand, but they warn any move by Puea Thai to whitewash Thaksin and seek his return could be political suicide at this stage.

"It's not necessary to risk the stability and popularity of this new government," said Charl Kengchon, a Bangkok-based economist with Kasikorn Research Center.

"We don't know what Puea Thai's plan is for Thaksin, but they seem to be aware of the importance of stability and will prioritize other things in the short term like rolling out economic measures and fulfilling their (campaign) promises."

But Puea Thai's rural-based "red shirt" supporters, who were involved in deadly clashes with the army in Bangkok in 2010, see the election result as opening the door to their "savior" Thaksin, who they believe will again help them improve their lives.

Thaksin has been in self-imposed exile in Dubai for three years and has said he would like to be home by December to attend his daughter's wedding and for the king's birthday.

NO AMNESTY POLICY

Thaksin would be arrested and jailed if he returned without an amnesty. Puea Thai says its policy of reconciliation may include a general amnesty, but insists a Thaksin-specific amnesty has never been its policy.

But it cannot escape the issue and all sides of Thailand's political divide seem convinced it will be pursued.

Yingluck has been evasive on the subject, sticking to the party line that reconciliation and economic problems were its priority and the amnesty debate was for independent panels to decide. Thaksin said Monday he had no plans to return and was happy playing golf in Dubai.

Tuesday's Bangkok Post quoted an unidentified Puea Thai Party source as saying the amnesty would be sought when it could guarantee a bill had enough support to be approved by parliament. It could take as long as two years, but was "worth the wait," the source was quoted as saying.

But not everyone will agree.

"Thaksin was too corrupt. We can't let him come back. I support a female prime minister, but not her," said Natchapon Akararojit, a student at Bangkok's Chulalongkorn University.

Thaksin's enemies are almost certain to try to thwart an amnesty. If the issue gains traction, it could spark protests by the "yellow shirt" movement that held mass rallies undermining two pro-Thaksin governments in 2006 and 2008.

Moves are already afoot by another anti-Thaksin group to keep the powerful Shinawatra family out of politics.

Its leader, Tul Suttisomwong, has filed a complaint with the Department of Special Investigation accusing Yingluck of committing perjury in testimony she gave as part of an assets concealment case involving her brother three years ago.

Tul has admitted his motivation is to prevent Yingluck whitewashing Thaksin of his conviction.

"I'd like to make clear that I personally have no objection to any other Puea Thai leader assuming the premiership," Tul told Reuters. That view is echoed by many Thais, who view Yingluck as nothing more than a proxy.

**DroversDog** · 05-07-2011, 11:56 PM

Originally Posted by StrontiumDog

The image of a billboard next to a highway summed up the anger felt by many Thais about the prospect of the fugitive former prime minister returning after Sunday's landslide election victory by the party he controls from self-imposed exile.

It would be a wise move for TS to stay in Dubai for a while yet.
The writer may not have been following Thailand very well as the so called 'many Thais' statement tries to paint a picture that most Thais hate Thaksin.
The Thai press and democrat party try to paint this picture through their spin doctors, though the election proves that the number is more of a very vocal minority who sadly are possibly his only friends in facebook so he thinks they are many.....

**English Noodles** · 06-07-2011, 12:53 AM

Originally Posted by DroversDog

The writer may not have been following Thailand very well as the so called 'many Thais' statement tries to paint a picture that most Thais hate Thaksin.

I know Martin very very well, and trust me, he has been here for quite a long time and is very very understanding of the region, not just Thailand but SE Asia as a whole.

**LooseBowels** · 06-07-2011, 02:57 AM

I like how all this propoganda bullshit still circulates about the mastermind Khun Taksin.
Everone knows the real criminals (murderers) are the used dem puppet leaders and their patrons.

Mr T is small fry compared to that lot of mafia

First things first

Thread: Amnesty for Former TRT Executives?

Thread Tools

Display

Thread Information

Users Browsing this Thread

Posting Permissions