Thread: Thai elections 2011-Thai PM sets stage for tough election

^ Care to explain why?

Originally Posted by StrontiumDog

^ Care to explain why?

If PT does not win the majority and needs to form a coalition government with other smaller parties that want bygones be bygones, it is likely that the demands of the Redshirt to uncover the April – May crackdown will be neglected.

Let's start with this. Unless the smaller party for PT to form a coalition with is the Democrat party the May crackdown will not be swept under the carpet. There is only one person who will stop them seeking retribution. Politically it is benefical to PT to chase the Democrat party out of town with investigations into not only the crackdown but also the closeness to the judiciary etc.

^ What? Have you taken leave of your senses?

Do you have no clue as to how things work here?

Originally Posted by StrontiumDog

COUNTING OF VOTES TO END BY 9PM ON JULY 3

shouldn't be hard given the forced reduction in the number of eligible voters

https://teakdoor.com/thailand-and-asi...ml#post1757287 (Thai elections 2011-Thai PM sets stage for tough election)

Originally Posted by DroversDog

What a load of piffel....

truth hurts, doesn't it ? nutter,

Originally Posted by SteveCM

From the blog world.....


Will Pheu Thai put human rights first? | Asian Correspondent

By Siam Voices May 20, 2011

By Anek Sae-lao


I had a few exchanges with a few friends over twitter and facebook last week after learning that Pheu Thai (PT) is fielding Yingluck Shinnawatra, the sister of Thaksin Shinnawatra, as the candidate for the PM. I see such move as a clear act of nepotism. Yingluck does not have any experience that would make her a credible leader for the party apart from her background in Shinnawatras family business and being the sister of the ousted PM.

Later today, I had a discussion with a senior journalist of the Nation, who is regarded as one of a few black sheep left in the highly pro-Democrat newspaper. I would keep his name off record as our discussion was purely informal in nature. He questioned if Redshirt and its sympathizers can really think of PT as a political party that will be friendly to human rights and rule of law. I totally agree with him and have also been wondering if Redshirt members are too naïve to think that the party will be the solution to all problems.

It is quite frightening to see some Redshirt members putting themselves (or persuading themselves) into believing that if PT wins the election, the party would take an all out war against the amaat and the establishment.

I doubt that this will likely happen. Yingluck is no left wing political activist and neither is Thaksin Shinnawatra. Both of them are businesspersons. After the April  May crackdown, Thaksins positions are unstable. He shifted back and forth. In one occasion, he even supported the call for national reconciliation.

Redshirt needs to understand that Pheu Thai and the leaders in the Redshirts are two separate identities. While Redshirt leaders such as Jatuporn Promphan, Nattawut Saikua, and Weng Tojitrakarn have been listed in the party-list of the party, they constitute a small minority in the party. MPs running under the banner of PT are still largely conservative or sons and daughters of the banned Thai Rak Thai (TRT) and Peoples Power Party (PPP) politicians.

If PT does not win the majority and needs to form a coalition government with other smaller parties that want bygones be bygones, it is likely that the demands of the Redshirt to uncover the April  May crackdown will be neglected.

PT leadership has remained silence on the 150 political prisoners who have been detained since May last year or the arbitrary detention of Somyot Prueksakasemsuk, a Redshirt sympathizer and prominent trade unionist. I believe that, for PT, Somyot is dispensable and is not that important for the party.

PT has many times tried to distance itself from the Redshirt movement, especially on matter related to lese majeste charges. The party has no clear policies on what it would do with lese majeste law, Computer Crime Act, Emergency Decree, and Internal Security Act, despite reports by international human rights groups of the laws implications on the state of human rights in Thailand.

Will PT push for these laws to be amended or repealed if it wins the election? We never know as it has never said anything on the matter.

The Emergency Decree, in fact, was drafted and passed under Thaksins government. Lese majeste was also used in 2001 by Thaksin Shinnawatra to target Far Eastern Economic Reviews journalists who wrote article critical of him.

The law was also used during the term of PPP. Dr. David Streckfuss, an expert on lese majeste law, documented that in 2008 (during the administration of the PPP), there were 77 cases of lese majeste received by the lower court and 62 adjudicated by the lower court.

On human rights, what are Pheu Thai policies on that? TRT and PPP are not friends of human rights.

Under TRT, three massacres took place under Thaksins watch: Krue Se Mosque massacre on April 2004, which killed 108 people; Tak Bai massacre in October 2004, which killed 85 people; and the war on drugs which around 2,300 people were killed in the span of three months. At least 20 human rights defenders, including a prominent human rights lawyer Somchai Neelaphaijit, were assassinated under Thaksins premiership.

All these questions are critical for Redshirt to raise to PT. If PT is to run the country after the election and will neglect these issues, we might be seeing the split between PT and the Redshirt (and progressive elements within the Redshirt).

Anek Sae-lao, a Thai national of Sino-Khmer descent, is a researcher, activist, and translator. You can follow him on Twitter [at]aneksaelao

Any thoughts on the article from other members? Is it fair to provide such accurate detail on Thaksin's HR record or is it just boring?

Originally Posted by DroversDog

Originally Posted by StrontiumDog

^ Care to explain why?

If PT does not win the majority and needs to form a coalition government with other smaller parties that want bygones be bygones, it is likely that the demands of the Redshirt to uncover the April  May crackdown will be neglected.

Let's start with this. Unless the smaller party for PT to form a coalition with is the Democrat party the May crackdown will not be swept under the carpet. There is only one person who will stop them seeking retribution. Politically it is benefical to PT to chase the Democrat party out of town with investigations into not only the crackdown but also the closeness to the judiciary etc.

In other words if PT get into power there is no point investigating, because they have what they want.

Will the red shirts accept being used in this way?

Judging by our red supporters here, it seems they are happy to forget the killings and talk of class struggle. The main thing is for PT to gain power.

http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/poli...im-at-big-boys

Matubhum takes aim at big boys

Gen Sonthi hopes to mine the treasure troves of swing voters and southern Muslims - Can the return to its ranks of a regional heavyweight really help the Democrats in Udon Thani? - With Seh Daeng's daughter in its ranks, Pheu Thai will gain Khatiyatham loyalists' support

• Published: 21/05/2011 at 12:00 AM
• Newspaper section: News

Gen Sonthi Boonyaratkalin is staging another revolt, this time democratically, against the country's two main parties.


Sonthi: Confident before battle

The architect of the Sept 19, 2006, coup is unfazed by predictions that his Matubhum Party will emerge from the July 3 general election as among the 10 worst performing parties.

But remarks by critics that his party is the underdog in what will likely be a bitterly contested election does not perturb the former army chief.

Gen Sonthi has set his mind on exploiting the treasure trove of the election: swing voters who are disenchanted by the Democrat Party's lackadaisical approach to national matters, but who are also apprehensive about Pheu Thai Party returning to power and politically resurrecting its de facto leader Thaksin Shinawatra from exile abroad.

Gen Sonthi knows he is an ally to neither party.

Unsurprisingly, he does not see eye to eye with Thaksin Shinawatra, the man he ousted from power in the 2006 coup. And the Democrats are Matubhum's election arch-rivals in the southernmost border provinces.

Gen Sonthi, a Muslim, has every intention of tapping into the predominantly Muslim border provinces while the Democrats are prepared to fend off competitors with everything they have.

A Matubhum source claimed the Democrats were shaken to the core after its prime canvassers in the far southern borders of Yala, Narathiwat and Pattani defected to Gen Sonthi's upstart party.

Matubhum election strategists have voiced confidence that the party will garner at least 10 of the 12 seats at stake in the three provinces. The party also estimates it will win an equal number of seats in the party list system, targeting mainly Muslim voters nationwide.

The source said if the party raked in just one-third of the overall six million Muslim voters, its party list goal would easily be realised.

However, news of Gen Sonthi resorting to a peaceful means to floor the Democrat titan has been met with mockery by some of the critics.

They acknowledged that while the odds were not impossible to beat, expectations that Matubhum will win 20 seats in the election are a pipe dream.

Many top brass who have welcomed Gen Sonthi's entry into politics cannot help but look back at their predecessors in the armed forces who have taken up a political career after retirement.

They noted that while senior officers were well-received by the general public in the early stage of their political careers, only a few stayed on as most discovered the road to success in politics was bumpy and they eventually bowed out.

For those who organised a military coup and later contested an election, the image of a strongman who trampled on democracy is hard to shrug off.

Gen Sonthi has said he launched the coup to preserve the country, and this time he has chosen to do it again the democratic way.

If the medium and small parties can win more than 100 of the 500 seats between them, their negotiating power with the main parties will grow immensely.

So it would be premature to write the Matubhum Party off at this point in time. After all, no party is too small when it comes to making up the numbers in a government coalition.


Chaiyos: Six-time winner

Chaiyos looms large in Isan

Chaiyos Jiramethakorn's decision to return to the Democrat Party fold could turn the tide for the party in Udon Thani in the July 3 election.

Party bigwigs welcomed Mr Chaiyos back with open arms and his return marks the comeback of a politician who could break Pheu Thai's dominance in Udon Thani, the northeastern red shirt capital.

Mr Chaiyos has been re-elected MP five times in Udon Thani since he first won office under the Democrat banner in 1988.

In the previous general election in 2007, veteran politician Phinij Jarusombat successfully wooed him to contest the poll on the Puea Pandin Party ticket. He won in that election as well.

He could have defected to Pheu Thai this time, but his ties to the Democrats apparently were still very much intact.

He said he had refused to follow Mr Phinij and join the recently founded Chart Pattana Puea Pandin Party or to be part of the Bhumjaithai Party, a major coalition member.

The simple reason for his return to the Democrat Party is that he wants nothing more than to boost their showing in the next poll.

However, the party's decision to field Mr Chaiyos in Udon Thai has been met with disapproval by local campaign planners. They maintain that Udon Thani, being a key stronghold of the red shirts and the Pheu Thai Party, will be a tough nut to crack even for a seasoned politician like Mr Chaiyos.

But Mr Chaiyos has promised to be on the top of his game in the election to help snare at least one MP seat for the Democrats in the Northeast where it has fared poorly in prior polls.

A source in the party said many members of the party were delighted to welcome Mr Chaiyos back into their ranks. Chuan Leekpai, chairman of the Democrats' advisory board, thanked Mr Chaiyos for returning to the party and told him not to be intimidated by the red shirt movement in Udon Thani.

Mr Chuan said Mr Chaiyos had the full support of the party.

Mr Chaiyos is close to Mr Chuan, party secretary-general Suthep Thaugsuban and deputy party leader Niphon Prompan.

The source said in the beginning, Mr Chaiyos wanted to bring with him several potential Puea Pandin defectors. But talks about where the Democrats would ''accommodate'' them in the next poll could not be settled. Eventually, only Norapol Tanmontree, a former MP for Chiang Mai, followed Mr Chaiyos.

In Udon Thani, the Democrats will be represented in the July 3 election by Chokesamarn Seelawong, former deputy transport minister, in Constituency 8 and Chairat Soda in Constituency 6.

Mr Chaiyos will stand in Constituency 4 against Pheu Thai's Kajit Chainikom whom the red shirts widely support.

The Democrat source said Mr Chaiyos came out ahead of Mr Kajit in a recent local opinion poll. But Mr Chaiyos insisted he would not underestimate his rival.

Mr Chaiyos has been entrusted by the Democrats to be a core candidate supervising other party candidates in Udon Thani and the upper northeastern provinces of Nong Khai, Nong Bua Lam Phu and Loei.


Khattiya: Sowing seeds for political career

Khattiya jumps ship to Pheu Thai

Khattiya Sawatdiphol has left the party her father founded and joined the Pheu Thai Party to contest the July 3 general election.

Ms Khattiya, 30, was nominated as the 42nd party-list candidate for the Pheu Thai after resigning as leader of the Khatiyatham Party.

If she intends to keep her party afloat, she needs to appoint her successor. Any party that fails to participate in two consecutive general elections will be disbanded by the Election Commission.

But, she admits the party is not yet ready for political undertakings.

''Also, Pheu Thai cares for me and offers a role in the party to prepare myself for a political career,'' said Ms Khattiya, who previously declared she would run Khatiyatham in honour of her father, Maj Gen Khattiya Sawatdiphol.

Known as Seh Daeng, he was shot dead by a sniper on May 13 last year near Sala Daeng BTS station.

The renegade soldier recruited guards and devised security protection for the red shirt protesters last year.

With Ms Khattiya's defection to Pheu Thai, the party will enjoy the added support of Khatiyatham loyalists.

''All red shirt supporters should focus on helping Pheu Thai win the election and help solve the bread and butter problems first,'' said Ms Khattiya.

As Ms Khattiya makes her debut, Pheu Thai is reportedly facing a rift over the number of red shirt core leaders on its party list.

Red shirt leader Korkaew Pikulthong, 46, conceded that a compromise had to be reached between Pheu Thai and its red shirt ally, the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD).

Mr Korkaew was ranked 54th in the party-list candidacy and was rather happy with his placement.

''We [the UDD] should not feel discouraged or disheartened. The red shirt leaders have to find common ground,'' he said.

''Party executives have to take into account relationship with other movers and shakers in the party such as financiers, the veteran electioneers, academics and the various factions in the party.''

It was reported that some Pheu Thai politicians initially tried to block outspoken red shirt core leaders from contesting the election.

They feared statements concerning the monarchy could result in a legal backlash for the party.

Key UDD members on Pheu Thai's party list include Jatuporn Prompan, Natthawut Saikua, Weng Tojirakarn, Rapiphan Pongruangrong (wife of fugitive UDD co-leader Arisman Pongruangrong), Wiputhalaeng Pattanaphumthai, Jarupan Kuldilok (daughter of a former Central Investigation Bureau commissioner), Shinawat Haboonpad and Petchawat Wattanapongsirikul, who leads the Rak Chiang Mai 51 group.

Bangkok Post : Pheu Thai amnesty debate call hits snags

Pheu Thai amnesty debate call hits snags

• Published: 21/05/2011 at 12:00 AM
• Newspaper section: News

The Democrat Party has accepted the challenge thrown down by Pheu Thai's Chalerm Yubamrung for debate on the opposition's amnesty proposal _ but Mr Chalerm is unhappy with the man it has put forward.

Democrat spokesman Buranaj Smutharaks said yesterday the party's deputy secretary-general Chamni Sakdiset would face Mr Chalerm on the debate floor.

"Mr Chamni accepts so the public will really understand the amnesty that is proposed by Pheu Thai," Dr Buranaj said.

Mr Chalerm on Thursday challenged Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva to debate the amnesty proposal. However, yesterday he insisted he would not debate with Mr Chamni.

"Mr Chamni's background is in political science, but the amnesty issue is about law. So I do not think he is the right person to debate with me," said Mr Chalerm, who has a doctorate in law from Ramkhamhaeng University.

He said he wanted to debate only with Mr Abhisit, who is known as his main rival in parliamentary debates.

Meanwhile, the People's Network for Elections in Thailand and the Sripatum University's Policy Watch Centre (PWC) yesterday offered to organise a two-day policy debate on June 23-24 for selected parties. Somchai Srisutthiyakorn, the PWC director, insisted the debate would be fair and transparent.

His organisation will send letters inviting as yet unnamed prime ministerial candidates from six parties to join the debate and each will be asked to accept before June 17.

Mr Somchai said if the parties agree to the invitation, the PWC would send them the same five questions one week before the forum so that they would have time to prepare themselves.

Each party would be given five minutes to answer each question during the debate, he added.

Bangkok Post : PM scoffs at Pheu Thai reconciliation pledge

PM scoffs at Pheu Thai reconciliation pledge

Red-shirt stacked list spells turmoil, he says

• Published: 21/05/2011 at 12:00 AM
• Newspaper section: News

Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva has poured scorn on Pheu Thai's reconciliation policy after seeing dozens of red shirts being named party list candidates.


Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva greets residents during a visit to Kanchanaburi’s Tha Muang district where he helped campaign for Democrat Party candidates contesting the July 3 election in five constituencies. The Democrat leader promised to guarantee farmers’ incomes and improve their standard of living. APICHART JINAKUL

Speaking to voters during a campaign stop in Tambon Nong Khao of Tha Muang district in Kanchanaburi, he said he doubted that a reconciliation team which comprised core red shirt members could achieve its goal.

He was responding to Pheu Thai's No.1 party list candidate, Yingluck Shinawatra, who said on Thursday that the party was promoting national reconciliation as its main policy. About 20 red shirt United Front for Democracy Against Dictatorship (UDD) leaders and core members are listed in the top 50 spots of Pheu Thai's 125 list candidates.

Among red shirts who are named party list candidates are Jatuporn Prompan, Natthawut Saikua, Weng Tojirakarn, and Wiphuthalaeng Pattanaphumthai.

Arisman Pongruangruang, the hard-line red shirt leader who has fled abroad to escape terrorism charges, has asked his wife to stand.

"I don't know Khun Yingluck personally. She may want to create reconciliation, but when I see the party list candidates, I am afraid of her reconciliation team," said Mr Abhisit.

"With Jatuporn, Natthawut, Weng and Wiphuthalaeng, do you think a team like this can achieve reconciliation?" he said.


The Pheu Thai Party’s candidate for prime minister, Yingluck Shinawatra, is hugged by vendors at a fresh market in Bang Kapi while campaigning yesterday.

Mr Abhisit said if Pheu Thai won the election, the country would plunge into political crisis as it planned to grant an amnesty to its de facto leader and former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra.

Mr Abhisit said that every time the issue of amnesty was floated, troubles followed. He said he did not dissolve the House and call an election just so the country would return to political turmoil. The July 3 election would be a two-horse race between the Democrat and Pheu Thai parties, he said.

Mr Abhisit called on voters to consider two factors when voting _ the practicality of policy platforms and how soon they can be implemented.

"Ours can be implemented immediately," he said.

While the Democrat Party pledged an income guarantee for farmers, Pheu Thai would cancel it and reintroduce mortgage schemes, he said.

Mr Abhisit also campaigned at Wat Rai Khing school in Sam Phran district of Nakhon Pathom.

During his campaign stop, a 44-year-old woman identified as Manachaya Sureepong broke through security and approached Mr Abhisit.

She shouted: "If you want to seek votes from us, give us an apology first."

She said her relatives were among red shirt victims of the government's crackdown in the Ratchaprasong area on May 19 last year.

Those who were injured had yet to receive any help from his government, she said.

Mr Abhisit insisted the government had not shirked its duty of caring for people, but told her that many of the red shirts had broken the law.

Originally Posted by StrontiumDog

Gen Sonthi Boonyaratkalin is staging another revolt, this time democratically,

Quote from Buksida, Post #683 above:

Judging by our red supporters here, it seems they are happy to forget the killings and talk of class struggle. The main thing is for PT to gain power

I respectfully disagree Buksida.

The deaths of many members of the Democracy Movement a year ago is as fresh in their minds today as the day it happened. These were preventable deaths, authorized and executed by those who held little regard for these people. For example, suggesting that people ran into bullets, and that Red Shirts shot their own people. Ridiculous stuff like that is not forgotten.

The PT-Democracy Movement are obligated by their supporters, to hold those responsible accountable. They have no choice.

To have an appreciation beyond an uninvolved intellectual exercise by many on a board such as this, one just needs to see the video's which have been deep-sixed by the State Media, but get wide and persistent exposure at all Red Shirt rallies.

An image that stands out in my mind, was seeing soldiers walking through a tent with some elderly village women sitting on the floor. They put the boots to those women. This is one of many egregious examples, never mind the temple killings.

With those images refreshed to all Red Shirts to this day, an accounting for those responsible, and who authorized it, will occur, one way or another. But I dont know how that will be happen.

Other Bangkok Post updates, most of which has already been posted about I think....

Democrats offer 'app' for campaign

21/05/2011 : The Democrats are taking the internet to voters, urging people to download their "app" for updates of the party's election activities.

Police launch plan to protect candidates

21/05/2011 : The Royal Thai Police has launched what it calls the "Election Protection Plan" to provide security for poll candidates.

Yingluck can stand in election, EC says

21/05/2011 : Yingluck Shinawatra, Pheu Thai's top party-list candidate, has the right to stand in the July 3 general election as long as she has not been convicted of a criminal offence or sentenced to imprisonment, Election Commission chairman Apichart Sukhagganond says.

Originally Posted by Calgary

Quote from Buksida, Post #683 above:

Judging by our red supporters here, it seems they are happy to forget the killings and talk of class struggle. The main thing is for PT to gain power

I respectfully disagree Buksida.

The deaths of many members of the Democracy Movement a year ago is as fresh in their minds today as the day it happened. These were preventable deaths, authorized and executed by those who held little regard for these people. For example, suggesting that people ran into bullets, and that Red Shirts shot their own people. Ridiculous stuff like that is not forgotten.

The PT-Democracy Movement are obligated by their supporters, to hold those responsible accountable. They have no choice.

To have an appreciation beyond an uninvolved intellectual exercise by many on a board such as this, one just needs to see the video's which have been deep-sixed by the State Media, but get wide and persistent exposure at all Red Shirt rallies.

An image that stands out in my mind, was seeing soldiers walking through a tent with some elderly village women sitting on the floor. They put the boots to those women. This is one of many egregious examples, never mind the temple killings.

With those images refreshed to all Red Shirts to this day, an accounting for those responsible, and who authorized it, will occur, one way or another. But I dont know how that will be happen.

Well I certainly hope you are right.

However, it is clear the Dem's aren't in any hurry to determine who was responsible. So we know what they are likely to do should they win. More fudging and avoiding I would imagine.

So, how do you think Thaksin/Yingluck will facilitate such an investigation? If they come to power. Or do you agree with the blog piece SteveCM posted, which was written by a red shirt supporter, that Thaksin is likely to fudge and avoid just as much?

Originally Posted by Mid

Originally Posted by StrontiumDog

Gen Sonthi Boonyaratkalin is staging another revolt, this time democratically,

Yeah, it made me laugh/cringe/vomit too.

the point is nobody wants the truth, and certainly not the red shirts

all they want is shift the blame on someone else,

they share a huge responsibilities in the killing of the 90 "terrorists", and as long as they won't concede to that, there will be no reconciliation and sadly no truth on really what happened. Won't be the first time here, and won't be the last.

A paid revolution is simply a sophisticated coup, not a legitimate people revolution

Originally Posted by StrontiumDog

Originally Posted by Calgary

Quote from Buksida, Post #683 above:

Judging by our red supporters here, it seems they are happy to forget the killings and talk of class struggle. The main thing is for PT to gain power

I respectfully disagree Buksida.

The deaths of many members of the Democracy Movement a year ago is as fresh in their minds today as the day it happened. These were preventable deaths, authorized and executed by those who held little regard for these people. For example, suggesting that people ran into bullets, and that Red Shirts shot their own people. Ridiculous stuff like that is not forgotten.

The PT-Democracy Movement are obligated by their supporters, to hold those responsible accountable. They have no choice.

To have an appreciation beyond an uninvolved intellectual exercise by many on a board such as this, one just needs to see the video's which have been deep-sixed by the State Media, but get wide and persistent exposure at all Red Shirt rallies.

An image that stands out in my mind, was seeing soldiers walking through a tent with some elderly village women sitting on the floor. They put the boots to those women. This is one of many egregious examples, never mind the temple killings.

With those images refreshed to all Red Shirts to this day, an accounting for those responsible, and who authorized it, will occur, one way or another. But I dont know how that will be happen.

Well I certainly hope you are right.

However, it is clear the Dem's aren't in any hurry to determine who was responsible. So we know what they are likely to do should they win. More fudging and avoiding I would imagine.

So, how do you think Thaksin/Yingluck will facilitate such an investigation? If they come to power. Or do you agree with the blog piece SteveCM posted, which was written by a red shirt supporter, that Thaksin is likely to fudge and avoid just as much?

How, when, who?........I dunno. Most likely via the judicial process somehow.

But the rank and file will hold the "feet to the fire" of those who have the ability to bring things to an account if election results allow. That is why this election is of great concern to those who may become vulnerable afterward.

During the campaign, all sides will fudge and obfuscate, including those with the Democrcay Movement. Revengefull commentary is not helpful when appealing for votes.

^ Okay, but that doesn't answer the question Calgary.

Do you think Thaksin/Yingluck will order an investigation and criminal proceedings against what would be their own military and police, about the red shirt deaths?

Originally Posted by StrontiumDog

Do you think Thaksin/Yingluck will order an investigation and criminal proceedings against what would be their own military and police, about the red shirt deaths?

That's hilarious. Surely you are joking here.

Their military? The one that illegally ousted Thaksin in the first place? You do remember, do you?

But no they probably won't prosecute them because if nothing else this would cause a new military takeover.

Originally Posted by SteveCM

From Twitter today:


ThaiElection11 ThaiElection2011

Tennis star Paradorn is confirmed disqualified as MP candidate for failing to vote in BKK councilor and district councilor in 2008. (1)

Paradorn is just party member of Chart Pattana Puea Pandin and helps election campaign this time. (end)

12 minutes ago

This is the type of Tweet that is worth posting - real news. Not the one-line propaganda shite from Tusltwit and TAN

Originally Posted by StrontiumDog

Do you think Thaksin/Yingluck will order an investigation and criminal proceedings against what would be their own military and police, about the red shirt deaths?

Not on your nellie. I can't remember any incidences of Thai generals ever being punished, or held legally accountable. They might just hang a few grunts out to dry, that would be the extent of it. The deal has probably already been done between PT & the brass.

PT is promising free credit cards?

Are these for everyone or just constituencies that vote for PT?

What is so good about a free card anyway?