The main difference between PAD yellow shirts and UDD red shirts is that PAD is “mob mee sen” (mob with connection) while red shirts have no such a thing.
StanG, do you have connection too ? If yes, is it the main reason why you make such eloquent and elegant comments in all web-boards ?
..any reconciliation or reform committee appointed by Abhisit would then automatically not be independent.
If Abhisit started messing with their work they’d be public outrage.
Or if there’s a government change the committees can be simply dissolved and, I suppose, you could say Anand and Prawase want Abhisit to stay longer to secure their own jobs.
All that was obvious from the start, no need to draw analogies with Thaksin.
Talking about PAD here is a red herring, pun intended. Whatever PAD has done does not absolve reds of responsibility for their own actions.
And reds went a lot further than asking for elections.
Another fascistic feature – in their vision of the country they don’t leave any space for non-reds – Democrats, yellows, elites, ammarts, Bangkokians, middle classes – red democracy is a very exclusive club relying on the strength of the red mass itself.
From wikipedia:
The term fascismo is derived from the Italian word fascio, which means “bundle” or group, and from the Latin word fasces.
The symbolism of the fasces suggested strength through unity
There are available studies describing the “illiberal democracy” characteristics. It argues that high levels of popular democratic consciousness and strong demands for participation, in the absence of legitimate democratic institutions, lead citizens to resort to non-formal political strategies, including civil disobedience, to meet their needs. Thus, despite the existence of democratic institutions, extra-parliamentary alliances, political oligarchies limit the role of political institutions so that political outcomes can be controlled, leading to the emergence of “illiberal democracy.” When social forces cannot use democratic institutions to assert their interests, they will resort to informal procedures, involving social protest.
Last week the current regime got some very bad international press with important stories in the Wall Street Journal and the Washington Post about the repression of dissent upcountry, and the continuation of the State of Emergency in Bangkok and 19 provinces. With this kind of negative PR, don’t expect tourists to even start to think about returning here anytime soon.
I agree with Ricky Ward and the Bangkok Pundit, who predicts a 20,000 vote victory for Panich. The odds are stacked against Korkaew. If the Dems were smart, they would release him from prison and allow him to campaign freely, but I agree with john francis lee that the Dems are desperate to avoid a loss of face should Korkaew even come close to winning, which he is very unlikely to do. You see, the fundamental problem is that the Democrats don’t believe in democracy.
the ammat made another mistake again! they unconsciously created another celebrity hero by arresting this guy, who kept shouting while detained inside a police van and his voice is heard all over the world via youtube. Wait and see what happens next Sunday the 25th.
…and why not? They have blocked the New Mandala website once before, and they continue to block Prachatai, Political Prisoners in Thailand, and Freedom Against Censorship Thailand! Make no mistake, this is a very repressive regime we are living in.
Could you provide some context for this youtube video, please? I am not sure I understand what precipitated the police to converge and break out the loudspeaker and show up with the paddy wagons. What is the date and what is the exact location? I understand that the man arrested was saying that he came alone and was not part of any unlawful gathering of 6 people, but my Thai is not good enough to understand why he was singled out for arrest. It is clear he lost his temper and shouted back, but he was sitting quietly up to the point he clearly felt harranged. Do we know who he is and what he has been charged with, and whether he has been released on bail?
The conference had lots of presentations but the quality level of many of them was disappointing. The chairing and time management of the panels was also poor, most presenters had to rush their papers and there was little opportunity for questions and discussion during the sessions. Fortunately most people had time to meet up with presenters and participants after the panel sessions. It was great to see four Lao women presenting on gender topics. In addition, there were a number of participants from NUOL and couple of ministries/GoL authorities. To be a success the conference needs to make the next big step – hosting it in Laos. The 4th International Lao Studies Conference will be hosted in the USA, once again. Thailand for many is a much better option due to travel constraints.
Perhaps I have been drowsing, but where have there been reports based on solid data that the hopes of john francis lee for a red victory in the by-election will be realised?
The only information I have of relevance is a report from a shop keeper in Soi Ngam Du Plee, that in municipal elections, following the crack down, Democrat candidates did exceptionally well.
In say the UK such a municipal result would have the pundits saying the same would happen at the national level.
Yes I understand the definition of book value and you are right at the definition but I’m not interpret anything here, I simply stat that between the book value that ERAWAN fund paid and book value that FIDF paid, the book value that ERAWAN paid is more accurate in representing the land value. Moreover, like the definition said “the value is based on the original cost of the asset less any depreciation, amortization or impairment costs made against the asset” the 2 billions piad is the cost of shoring up the ERAWAN fund and should not be considered as value in the book.
Whether the court is corrupt or not is open for interpretation, IMO I dont think they do, I think they are well aware of book value, fair value and so on. However I agreed that the court is heavily politicized like the article said. Thaksin was charge under conflict of interest not acquire the land at “heavy discount”. The legal term is that whether there’s actually wrong doing? so the core of the case is whether FIDF is an organization under the Thai government authority.
There are 2 technicalities here that show that the court is bias and politicized, first the buyer Khunying Podjaman was found “not guilty” of any wrong doing and the seller or the FIDF under the BOT also found “not guilty”. If the court found the seller and buyer not guilty of any wrong doing then, in technical, there’s no wrong doing in regard of the purchase of the land. How did a third party, Thaksin, be found guilty base of that analogy is totally puzzling. Second point is that the FIDF was never classify as state own agency but rather an independent organization according the the pre 2007 Supreme Court decision. Therefore, after the junta reclassify and FIDF in 2007 and charge Thaksin on the event occur in 2003, that’s a pretty obvious that’s another technicality on retrospect. The court might not know the different between book value or market value, but there’s not excuse for the court not the know the “rule of law”.
The logic you use here {#33} would of course mean that any reconciliation or reform committee appointed by Abhisit would then automatically not be independent.
The root cause of the troubles is the refusal of the traditional political class, the military and the royal court, which Mr. Abhisit’s government represents,Repression will never solve current problem ,if Mr. Abhisit really wants national reconciliation , the steps he must take are clear: End the state of emergency, release the red shirt leaders ,negotiate leading to elections and to accept the results of democratic elections.With a commitment by all sides to allow the winners to rule within the boundaries of a reformed constitution.
I hope that the people troop in to the polls, all dressed in red in honor of Phra Arthit next Sunday and vote, vote, vote Korkaew into parliament.
I hope he wins by 20,000 votes. Certainly by enough to preclude the foreseen “emergency” counting techniques that The Regime will certainly attempt, desperate as it is to hang on to power at all costs.
And when they are trounced at the polls, I hope they finally get it through their heads that there is simply no future in bailing the ocean with a tea cup, that they must attend to the needs of the electorate if they want to hold power in a democracy.
I fear, however, that they will simply do away with even the memory of democracy in Thailand, that there will be no more elections after they are beaten in Bangkok 6… until… until what, exactly, is hard to say… but I am sure the genie cannot be put back in the bottle at this particular point in time.
The book value is an accounting number and it is not up for interpretation. As defined by wikipedia “the value is based on the original cost of the asset less any depreciation, amortization or impairment costs made against the asset”. If you pay 2 billion Bt for an asset, that is the book value. It doesn’t matter if it is only worth 200 Bt.
I’m beginning to understand that it is actually a possibility that the judges were not corrupt, but simply did not understand the difference between terms like book value, appraisal value, market value and fair value.
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Reconciliation, Thai style
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=4477301&id=559139396
Ok taking away a guy for screaming in broad day like might be a bit funny and degrading, but taking away the sign??? that a whole new level.
Big questions for Thailand
The main difference between PAD yellow shirts and UDD red shirts is that PAD is “mob mee sen” (mob with connection) while red shirts have no such a thing.
StanG, do you have connection too ? If yes, is it the main reason why you make such eloquent and elegant comments in all web-boards ?
Thai Institutions: Judiciary
..any reconciliation or reform committee appointed by Abhisit would then automatically not be independent.
If Abhisit started messing with their work they’d be public outrage.
Or if there’s a government change the committees can be simply dissolved and, I suppose, you could say Anand and Prawase want Abhisit to stay longer to secure their own jobs.
All that was obvious from the start, no need to draw analogies with Thaksin.
Big questions for Thailand
Talking about PAD here is a red herring, pun intended. Whatever PAD has done does not absolve reds of responsibility for their own actions.
And reds went a lot further than asking for elections.
Another fascistic feature – in their vision of the country they don’t leave any space for non-reds – Democrats, yellows, elites, ammarts, Bangkokians, middle classes – red democracy is a very exclusive club relying on the strength of the red mass itself.
From wikipedia:
The term fascismo is derived from the Italian word fascio, which means “bundle” or group, and from the Latin word fasces.
The symbolism of the fasces suggested strength through unity
Freedom of expression in Thailand
There are available studies describing the “illiberal democracy” characteristics. It argues that high levels of popular democratic consciousness and strong demands for participation, in the absence of legitimate democratic institutions, lead citizens to resort to non-formal political strategies, including civil disobedience, to meet their needs. Thus, despite the existence of democratic institutions, extra-parliamentary alliances, political oligarchies limit the role of political institutions so that political outcomes can be controlled, leading to the emergence of “illiberal democracy.” When social forces cannot use democratic institutions to assert their interests, they will resort to informal procedures, involving social protest.
Freedom of expression in Thailand
Last week the current regime got some very bad international press with important stories in the Wall Street Journal and the Washington Post about the repression of dissent upcountry, and the continuation of the State of Emergency in Bangkok and 19 provinces. With this kind of negative PR, don’t expect tourists to even start to think about returning here anytime soon.
Outrageous restrictions on free campaigning
I agree with Ricky Ward and the Bangkok Pundit, who predicts a 20,000 vote victory for Panich. The odds are stacked against Korkaew. If the Dems were smart, they would release him from prison and allow him to campaign freely, but I agree with john francis lee that the Dems are desperate to avoid a loss of face should Korkaew even come close to winning, which he is very unlikely to do. You see, the fundamental problem is that the Democrats don’t believe in democracy.
Reconciliation, Thai style
the ammat made another mistake again! they unconsciously created another celebrity hero by arresting this guy, who kept shouting while detained inside a police van and his voice is heard all over the world via youtube. Wait and see what happens next Sunday the 25th.
Interruption to normal New Mandala service
…and why not? They have blocked the New Mandala website once before, and they continue to block Prachatai, Political Prisoners in Thailand, and Freedom Against Censorship Thailand! Make no mistake, this is a very repressive regime we are living in.
Reconciliation, Thai style
Could you provide some context for this youtube video, please? I am not sure I understand what precipitated the police to converge and break out the loudspeaker and show up with the paddy wagons. What is the date and what is the exact location? I understand that the man arrested was saying that he came alone and was not part of any unlawful gathering of 6 people, but my Thai is not good enough to understand why he was singled out for arrest. It is clear he lost his temper and shouted back, but he was sitting quietly up to the point he clearly felt harranged. Do we know who he is and what he has been charged with, and whether he has been released on bail?
Lao Studies on the move
The conference had lots of presentations but the quality level of many of them was disappointing. The chairing and time management of the panels was also poor, most presenters had to rush their papers and there was little opportunity for questions and discussion during the sessions. Fortunately most people had time to meet up with presenters and participants after the panel sessions. It was great to see four Lao women presenting on gender topics. In addition, there were a number of participants from NUOL and couple of ministries/GoL authorities. To be a success the conference needs to make the next big step – hosting it in Laos. The 4th International Lao Studies Conference will be hosted in the USA, once again. Thailand for many is a much better option due to travel constraints.
Reconciliation, Thai style
My god… Nathee got arrested for speaking three polite sentences. He said, “Don’t violate my rights to speak,” “There were people died in this area.”
Immediately, six under-covered police men arrested him.
Is Thailand a NAZI country?
Outrageous restrictions on free campaigning
Perhaps I have been drowsing, but where have there been reports based on solid data that the hopes of john francis lee for a red victory in the by-election will be realised?
The only information I have of relevance is a report from a shop keeper in Soi Ngam Du Plee, that in municipal elections, following the crack down, Democrat candidates did exceptionally well.
In say the UK such a municipal result would have the pundits saying the same would happen at the national level.
Reconciliation, Thai style
Well, Thailand is closer to fascism now than democracy anyway.
Thai Institutions: Judiciary
Christoffer Larsson – 46
Yes I understand the definition of book value and you are right at the definition but I’m not interpret anything here, I simply stat that between the book value that ERAWAN fund paid and book value that FIDF paid, the book value that ERAWAN paid is more accurate in representing the land value. Moreover, like the definition said “the value is based on the original cost of the asset less any depreciation, amortization or impairment costs made against the asset” the 2 billions piad is the cost of shoring up the ERAWAN fund and should not be considered as value in the book.
Whether the court is corrupt or not is open for interpretation, IMO I dont think they do, I think they are well aware of book value, fair value and so on. However I agreed that the court is heavily politicized like the article said. Thaksin was charge under conflict of interest not acquire the land at “heavy discount”. The legal term is that whether there’s actually wrong doing? so the core of the case is whether FIDF is an organization under the Thai government authority.
There are 2 technicalities here that show that the court is bias and politicized, first the buyer Khunying Podjaman was found “not guilty” of any wrong doing and the seller or the FIDF under the BOT also found “not guilty”. If the court found the seller and buyer not guilty of any wrong doing then, in technical, there’s no wrong doing in regard of the purchase of the land. How did a third party, Thaksin, be found guilty base of that analogy is totally puzzling. Second point is that the FIDF was never classify as state own agency but rather an independent organization according the the pre 2007 Supreme Court decision. Therefore, after the junta reclassify and FIDF in 2007 and charge Thaksin on the event occur in 2003, that’s a pretty obvious that’s another technicality on retrospect. The court might not know the different between book value or market value, but there’s not excuse for the court not the know the “rule of law”.
Thai Institutions: Judiciary
StanG re comment 33
The logic you use here {#33} would of course mean that any reconciliation or reform committee appointed by Abhisit would then automatically not be independent.
Reconciliation, Thai style
The root cause of the troubles is the refusal of the traditional political class, the military and the royal court, which Mr. Abhisit’s government represents,Repression will never solve current problem ,if Mr. Abhisit really wants national reconciliation , the steps he must take are clear: End the state of emergency, release the red shirt leaders ,negotiate leading to elections and to accept the results of democratic elections.With a commitment by all sides to allow the winners to rule within the boundaries of a reformed constitution.
Outrageous restrictions on free campaigning
I hope that the people troop in to the polls, all dressed in red in honor of Phra Arthit next Sunday and vote, vote, vote Korkaew into parliament.
I hope he wins by 20,000 votes. Certainly by enough to preclude the foreseen “emergency” counting techniques that The Regime will certainly attempt, desperate as it is to hang on to power at all costs.
And when they are trounced at the polls, I hope they finally get it through their heads that there is simply no future in bailing the ocean with a tea cup, that they must attend to the needs of the electorate if they want to hold power in a democracy.
I fear, however, that they will simply do away with even the memory of democracy in Thailand, that there will be no more elections after they are beaten in Bangkok 6… until… until what, exactly, is hard to say… but I am sure the genie cannot be put back in the bottle at this particular point in time.
Thai Institutions: Judiciary
Tarrin – 45
The book value is an accounting number and it is not up for interpretation. As defined by wikipedia “the value is based on the original cost of the asset less any depreciation, amortization or impairment costs made against the asset”. If you pay 2 billion Bt for an asset, that is the book value. It doesn’t matter if it is only worth 200 Bt.
I’m beginning to understand that it is actually a possibility that the judges were not corrupt, but simply did not understand the difference between terms like book value, appraisal value, market value and fair value.
Interruption to normal New Mandala service
Some of members will scream out saying Thai government has blocked the website. …