It looked as if the protest numbers were back up to full strength again last night at Asoke, after several days of low attendance, with protestors visible as far as the eye could see looking northwards from the BTS bridge. On the ground Chinese looking protestors seemed to be mingling happily with protestors of Siamese origin and swarthy Southerners along with Isaan people selling snacks and souvenirs.
My dear Vichai – Gotee has been mentioned countless times on Democrat Party stages over the past 1 1/2 years, and even more so on PDRC stages. Newspapers have reported about his exploits, such as the clash at the Crime Suppression Division last year. Most recent was the clash in Phatum Thani, which was reported about in all papers and TV stations. I am trying my best to inform, but i cannot force people to pay attention to facts regarding topics they seem to care about so much about.
Your accusation of the torture story being “fishy” is quite disingenuous. The bruises and wounds on the man’s body, as seen in the photo, are consistent with what he said (including the burn marks), and i hope you do not imply that the man has done that to himself in order to be photographed by me.
On a personal note – i am appalled by your quite obvious lack of compassion.
Your comments ignore that they are however rallying against the Shinawatra clan’s autocratic and hubristic majoritarianism which spurns minority rights and human rights, as well as democratic checks and balances.
Thank you dr.Nick for writing a true and fair story. In Thailand it seems precarious to a normal democracy lover let alone a true fighter like Gotee. Les majes law is the tool for the tyrant to shut up Thais,still they wrote the graffiti after 2010 massacre that’Here ordered to kill,Har ordered to shoot. Won’t be long before all the democracy loving Thais screamout simultaneously the name(s)of the owner(s)of the hidden hands.
“Years ago, the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party daily profiled Kong Le in a (partly) sympathetic article. But the conclusion was that KL was a front for the US and its Thai mercenary allies in Laos whose primary achievement was to prolong the war.”
As opposed to the Pathet Lao who set up a regime, which in brutality and brainwashing, makes the Tatmadaw look tame.
It seems, Mr Thomas, you have at least as many identities, if not more, than Kong Le.
Given your previous comments, I wouldn’t be at all surprised if you believed anything the LPRP said, who actually prolonged the War, not Kong Le, and not the U.S. and I wonder, given your views, why are you in Vermont (or is it the Southwest) ?
I much appreciate this article by Andrew Walker (and also the following, often well-informed comments – it’s such a contrast with ThaiVisa!) I had come to similar conclusions about the relative success of the Thaksin period, based on bits of previously-available material including the Wiki entry on Thaksin. But this report from AW is way ahead of what I had read before.
As a follow-on, perhaps AW or someone else would write an explanation of the rice pledging scheme: all I have seen so far is fairly simplistic. The scheme, from what I can discern, doesn’t sound good; but is it all bad?
Just one other point: someone above commented about the ethnic differences between Isaan/Lanna and the rest of Thailand. I think it’s worth noting that in some accounts of the north published around the late 19th century, the people of Chiang Mai and surroundings are referred to as “Lao”.
Thaksin paid him to take the brusing, right? Or is it some Thaksin-controlled conspiracy by the International press that just doesn’t seem to get the Thai anti-democracy movement?
Oh, come off it Ian, are you afraid the Mossad in Bangkok will go after him ? Your politics is what engendered your decision for ascribing anonymity, when it is clearly unnecessary.
It is question of your advocacy, and not Thailand’s. Burmese refugees in Thailand aren’t advised to take on pseudonyms, and they have more reason to fear the long reach of the Tatmadaw, than you erstwhile friend.
There is nothing delicate. Palestinians roam
about Malaysia and Indonesia, among mostly fellow co-religionists, unscathed and can do pretty much what they please, as they can in Thailand.
The torture story is credible and torture to make victims say what the torturer wants seems pretty much the norm. If you want to see what the Japs, using educated torturers, were doing in Siam take a look at the film “The Railway Man” about the Burma slave railway.
Thanks truly, U Aung Moe for that explicit and succinct explanation.
That is indeed seemingly genuine belief among the military circles and also now fully subscribed by majority government employees and of course “mainstream” politicians as single most agreed upon policy regarding this wretched group of human beings.
So there it is busy bodies. Somering to work on all spelled out. Analyse andcritique or defend it like a baby.
” … I believe the SoE was enacted as a means to better deal with the almost daily gun and grenade attacks …” – johninbkk
Dejavu! SoE was enacted in May2010 because of ” .. almost daily gun and grenade attacks ..” from the Red/Black Shirts camps vs. Bangkok. This Jan2014, SoE is again enacted to better deal with ” .. almost daily gun and grenade attacks ..” still coming from the Red/Black Shirts camps vs. the ‘Uproot’ protesters.
Thaksinomics signature program, during puppet Yingluck’s rule, is the Rice Pledging/Subsidy Scheme … which is a $21 billion boondoggle.
“The whole country, the rice industry has suffered a lot. The quantity of exports declined about 35 percent (and) revenue declined by 25 percent” in the program’s first year, said Vichai Sriprasert, CEO of Riceland International, one of Thailand’s biggest rice exporters.
“We used to be the rice champion of the world in (terms of) rice exports,” Vichai told CNBC. “With the program, we lost our championship. We became the third (biggest exporter). Revenue went down, quantity went down.”
Vichai believes the program has been badly managed, estimating at least a third of the $24 billion in total funding was lost through stealing and corruption and only about a third actually reached farmers. He wants the program to be completely eradicated, saying it has distorted the rice market.
“It’s a huge problem,” Vichai said, noting the government has around 20 million tons of rice stockpiled, equivalent to around two years of the country’s “best exports,” with another 10 million tons from the current yearly crop on the way.
Would be nice if the NCCC could convict PM Yingluck for ‘criminal negligence’ while overseeing (‘never attended a Rice Policy committee while Chairwoman, this PM Yingluck), yes?
My wife has been hearing about Gotee for a couple of months, and saw the story of what happened to him on either Spring News or Voice TV< as well as the assault on his people by a Buddhist monk's followers, who should be defrocked, by the way, for his activities of the last tree months. Why don't you keep your bile and hate over on ASTV where it belongs? And don't bother trying to drag me into a fight, I will not respond to your drivel.
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The shutdown: In honor of NN
It looked as if the protest numbers were back up to full strength again last night at Asoke, after several days of low attendance, with protestors visible as far as the eye could see looking northwards from the BTS bridge. On the ground Chinese looking protestors seemed to be mingling happily with protestors of Siamese origin and swarthy Southerners along with Isaan people selling snacks and souvenirs.
Bangkok’s last Red Shirt fortress
Denial ain’t just a river in Egypt, Khun Vichai
Interview with a Palestinian refugee in Thailand
Why do I get the feeling that next we’re going to learn that this is a “composite” Palestinian refugee?
Bangkok’s last Red Shirt fortress
My dear Vichai – Gotee has been mentioned countless times on Democrat Party stages over the past 1 1/2 years, and even more so on PDRC stages. Newspapers have reported about his exploits, such as the clash at the Crime Suppression Division last year. Most recent was the clash in Phatum Thani, which was reported about in all papers and TV stations. I am trying my best to inform, but i cannot force people to pay attention to facts regarding topics they seem to care about so much about.
As to the alleged shooter i have photographed, police had to let him go as there was not enough evidence. That does happen. Ei incumbit probatio qui dicit, non qui negat…
On the other hand, police arrested the killers of Thanasit: http://www.khaosod.co.th/en/view_newsonline.php?newsid=TVRNNE56YzRORE0wTUE9PQ==&subcatid=
Your accusation of the torture story being “fishy” is quite disingenuous. The bruises and wounds on the man’s body, as seen in the photo, are consistent with what he said (including the burn marks), and i hope you do not imply that the man has done that to himself in order to be photographed by me.
On a personal note – i am appalled by your quite obvious lack of compassion.
Middle class rage threatens democracy
Your comments ignore that they are however rallying against the Shinawatra clan’s autocratic and hubristic majoritarianism which spurns minority rights and human rights, as well as democratic checks and balances.
Bangkok’s last Red Shirt fortress
How many Gotees are there leading the Red Shirts? And I can see Gotee has a lot of believers, very rabid believers at New Mandala. Wow.
Torture of a garbage collector eh? Wonderful wonderful red red world of Thailand . . .
Bangkok’s last Red Shirt fortress
Thank you dr.Nick for writing a true and fair story. In Thailand it seems precarious to a normal democracy lover let alone a true fighter like Gotee. Les majes law is the tool for the tyrant to shut up Thais,still they wrote the graffiti after 2010 massacre that’Here ordered to kill,Har ordered to shoot. Won’t be long before all the democracy loving Thais screamout simultaneously the name(s)of the owner(s)of the hidden hands.
The colonel from Savannakhet
“Years ago, the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party daily profiled Kong Le in a (partly) sympathetic article. But the conclusion was that KL was a front for the US and its Thai mercenary allies in Laos whose primary achievement was to prolong the war.”
As opposed to the Pathet Lao who set up a regime, which in brutality and brainwashing, makes the Tatmadaw look tame.
It seems, Mr Thomas, you have at least as many identities, if not more, than Kong Le.
Given your previous comments, I wouldn’t be at all surprised if you believed anything the LPRP said, who actually prolonged the War, not Kong Le, and not the U.S. and I wonder, given your views, why are you in Vermont (or is it the Southwest) ?
How bad is Thaksinomics?
I much appreciate this article by Andrew Walker (and also the following, often well-informed comments – it’s such a contrast with ThaiVisa!) I had come to similar conclusions about the relative success of the Thaksin period, based on bits of previously-available material including the Wiki entry on Thaksin. But this report from AW is way ahead of what I had read before.
As a follow-on, perhaps AW or someone else would write an explanation of the rice pledging scheme: all I have seen so far is fairly simplistic. The scheme, from what I can discern, doesn’t sound good; but is it all bad?
Just one other point: someone above commented about the ethnic differences between Isaan/Lanna and the rest of Thailand. I think it’s worth noting that in some accounts of the north published around the late 19th century, the people of Chiang Mai and surroundings are referred to as “Lao”.
Middle class rage threatens democracy
A strawman argument. Nobody is railing against “hedonism”. And it’s not who they vote for, it’s how they want to disenfranchise others.
Bangkok’s last Red Shirt fortress
Thaksin paid him to take the brusing, right? Or is it some Thaksin-controlled conspiracy by the International press that just doesn’t seem to get the Thai anti-democracy movement?
Interview with a Palestinian refugee in Thailand
Oh, come off it Ian, are you afraid the Mossad in Bangkok will go after him ? Your politics is what engendered your decision for ascribing anonymity, when it is clearly unnecessary.
It is question of your advocacy, and not Thailand’s. Burmese refugees in Thailand aren’t advised to take on pseudonyms, and they have more reason to fear the long reach of the Tatmadaw, than you erstwhile friend.
There is nothing delicate. Palestinians roam
about Malaysia and Indonesia, among mostly fellow co-religionists, unscathed and can do pretty much what they please, as they can in Thailand.
Bangkok’s last Red Shirt fortress
perhaps even just PDRC is fishy – and their core supporters just mafia violence loving gangster – paid by Suthep paid…
Bangkok’s last Red Shirt fortress
The torture story is credible and torture to make victims say what the torturer wants seems pretty much the norm. If you want to see what the Japs, using educated torturers, were doing in Siam take a look at the film “The Railway Man” about the Burma slave railway.
Sleeping dogs
Thanks truly, U Aung Moe for that explicit and succinct explanation.
That is indeed seemingly genuine belief among the military circles and also now fully subscribed by majority government employees and of course “mainstream” politicians as single most agreed upon policy regarding this wretched group of human beings.
So there it is busy bodies. Somering to work on all spelled out. Analyse andcritique or defend it like a baby.
The shutdown: In honor of NN
” … I believe the SoE was enacted as a means to better deal with the almost daily gun and grenade attacks …” – johninbkk
Dejavu! SoE was enacted in May2010 because of ” .. almost daily gun and grenade attacks ..” from the Red/Black Shirts camps vs. Bangkok. This Jan2014, SoE is again enacted to better deal with ” .. almost daily gun and grenade attacks ..” still coming from the Red/Black Shirts camps vs. the ‘Uproot’ protesters.
How bad is Thaksinomics?
Thaksinomics signature program, during puppet Yingluck’s rule, is the Rice Pledging/Subsidy Scheme … which is a $21 billion boondoggle.
“The whole country, the rice industry has suffered a lot. The quantity of exports declined about 35 percent (and) revenue declined by 25 percent” in the program’s first year, said Vichai Sriprasert, CEO of Riceland International, one of Thailand’s biggest rice exporters.
“We used to be the rice champion of the world in (terms of) rice exports,” Vichai told CNBC. “With the program, we lost our championship. We became the third (biggest exporter). Revenue went down, quantity went down.”
http://www.cnbc.com/id/101360692
Vichai believes the program has been badly managed, estimating at least a third of the $24 billion in total funding was lost through stealing and corruption and only about a third actually reached farmers. He wants the program to be completely eradicated, saying it has distorted the rice market.
“It’s a huge problem,” Vichai said, noting the government has around 20 million tons of rice stockpiled, equivalent to around two years of the country’s “best exports,” with another 10 million tons from the current yearly crop on the way.
Would be nice if the NCCC could convict PM Yingluck for ‘criminal negligence’ while overseeing (‘never attended a Rice Policy committee while Chairwoman, this PM Yingluck), yes?
Middle class rage threatens democracy
…and Thaksin and Samak and Chalerm etc.
Middle class rage threatens democracy
Fact Check: The Court has extended his deadline to February 6.
Bangkok’s last Red Shirt fortress
My wife has been hearing about Gotee for a couple of months, and saw the story of what happened to him on either Spring News or Voice TV< as well as the assault on his people by a Buddhist monk's followers, who should be defrocked, by the way, for his activities of the last tree months. Why don't you keep your bile and hate over on ASTV where it belongs? And don't bother trying to drag me into a fight, I will not respond to your drivel.