Barney Frank and the Thai regime

[Up2U]

Retired Congressman, Democrat, Barney Frank, married his gay lover in 2012. Here he shares his view of the the Thai military coup:


http://www.pressherald.com/2014/05/31/b ... ai-regime/ (http://www.pressherald.com/2014/05/31/barney-frank-its-time-to-stand-up-to-thai-regime/)

[cottmann]

Retired Congressman, Democrat, Barney Frank, married his gay lover in 2012. Here he shares his view of the the Thai military coup:


http://www.pressherald.com/2014/05/31/b ... ai-regime/ (http://www.pressherald.com/2014/05/31/barney-frank-its-time-to-stand-up-to-thai-regime/)

In the article, Frank states: " his sister Yingluck Shinawatra took over as party leader and won an equally decisive victory in another fair election.:

To put that in context, her party won some 53% of seats in the Thai Parliament with 44.3% of the valid votes cast. So does it represent the majority of Thais, as Franks and other seem to believe?

[Up2U]

Retired Congressman, Democrat, Barney Frank, married his gay lover in 2012. Here he shares his view of the the Thai military coup:


http://www.pressherald.com/2014/05/31/b ... ai-regime/ (http://www.pressherald.com/2014/05/31/barney-frank-its-time-to-stand-up-to-thai-regime/)

In the article, Frank states: " his sister Yingluck Shinawatra took over as party leader and won an equally decisive victory in another fair election.:

To put that in context, her party won some 53% of seats in the Thai Parliament with 44.3% of the valid votes cast. So does it represent the majority of Thais, as Franks and other seem to believe?

In the context of Thai election history, it was decisive some called it a landslide(Reuters). Remember there were 40 political parties on the ballot and PTP was able to form a government without partners although other parties did join the coalition.

[Oliver]

Bearing in mind the efforts of thugs to stop people (presumably buffaloes) casting their votes, it was a landslide.
If it hadn't been, there wouldn't have been a coup. The Suthep mob and their tame generals only took over because there was no way they could win in a fair election.

[fedssocr]

Looks like Barney copied and pasted from a press release by Thaksin's PR firm in that it ignores his overt corruption.

[cottmann]

If Reuters called the result a "landslide," then they used an unusual definition of the term in politics. A rough but widely accepted definition of a landslide election is when the winning candidate beats his opponent or opponents by at least 15 percentage points in a popular vote count. PTP got 44.3% (48.41% proportionally, under the Thai electoral system), and the Democrats got 32.3% (35.15% proportionally), so not a 15 percentage points difference in either case. Another definition is "An overwhelming majority of votes for a political party or candidate." As noted, more than 50% of votes cast went to parties other than PTP.

PTP may have won the most seats - that I do not deny - but my original post was that the number of voters who voted for PTP, even if there were 40 of so parties on the ballot papers, was not a majority of Thais, so I find it difficult to accept claims that the party does represent the majority.

[Oliver]

I'm no admirer of The Economist- much too right-wing for my tastes-but I can recommend this article which, correctly, emphasises the "royal" aspects of the coup.
Of course, any Thai daring to mention such unmentionables would very quickly find him/herself in the Bangkok Hilton.

http://www.economist.com/blogs/banyan/2 ... itary-coup (http://www.economist.com/blogs/banyan/2014/06/thailands-military-coup)

[Up2U]

I'm no admirer of The Economist- much too right-wing for my tastes-but I can recommend this article which, correctly, emphasises the "royal" aspects of the coup.
Of course, any Thai daring to mention such unmentionables would very quickly find him/herself in the Bangkok Hilton.

http://www.economist.com/blogs/banyan/2 ... itary-coup (http://www.economist.com/blogs/banyan/2014/06/thailands-military-coup)

That was an interesting read.

[Up2U]

Looks like Barney copied and pasted from a press release by Thaksin's PR firm in that it ignores his overt corruption.

Yes, Thaksin was corrupt but what Thai politician isn't. Nonpartisan analysis I have read shows the people who removed him and Yingluck from power (Abhisit, Suthep, etc.) were just as corrupt and more so if you can believe the corruption index of the World Bank. Then we have a military junta that itself is corrupt.

http://assassinationthaksin.wordpress.c ... ment-says/ (http://assassinationthaksin.wordpress.com/2013/03/26/thaksin-corruption-what-transparency-international-says-vs-what-elite-thai-establishment-says/)

http://mobile.reuters.com/article/idUST ... 8?irpc=932 (http://mobile.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE68R0RZ20100928?irpc=932)

[Up2U]

If Reuters called the result a "landslide," then they used an unusual definition of the term in politics. A rough but widely accepted definition of a landslide election is when the winning candidate beats his opponent or opponents by at least 15 percentage points in a popular vote count. PTP got 44.3% (48.41% proportionally, under the Thai electoral system), and the Democrats got 32.3% (35.15% proportionally), so not a 15 percentage points difference in either case. Another definition is "An overwhelming majority of votes for a political party or candidate." As noted, more than 50% of votes cast went to parties other than PTP.

PTP may have won the most seats - that I do not deny - but my original post was that the number of voters who voted for PTP, even if there were 40 of so parties on the ballot papers, was not a majority of Thais, so I find it difficult to accept claims that the party does represent the majority.

Your definition of landslide is applicable to a two party system like in America, think of Reagan vs Mondale, Clinton vs Dole. In a parliamentary election where there are multiple parties and coalitions and alliances the definition is not the same. The Tony Blair victories in 1997 and 2001 were acknowledged "landslides" even though he never beat his opponent with a majority popular vote (43% and 41%)and had less than the magic 15%(13%). If Yingluck went one on one with Abhisit, with her coalition and alliances, it would have been even more of an embarrassment to the Democrats than it already was.

[Oliver]

I'm not sure whether Thailand today is the setting for a comic opera or of a re-run of Latin-American banana republics of the 1960s.

The Bangkok Post (a guilty conscience perhaps for its efforts in destroying democracy?) bravely reports that a number of Bangkok residents have been arrested for the three-finger salute. Britons may well prefer a two-finger salute to this bunch of clowns.

And I see that the DMC Channel (watched by millions of devout Buddhists) has been taken off air. For heaven's sake , why? I'd have thought that its rather conservative social values would protect it from the Generals.
While this behaviour is to be condemned, part of me is delighted. It is an act that has alienated many Thais, not necessarily those involved in politics. It is mean and counter-productive. If I were to become a dictator tomorrow, one body of opinion I'd avoid antagonising would be that of devout Buddhists.
Let's hope it contributes to the demise of this regime.

[lego]

I'm not sure whether Thailand today is the setting for a comic opera or of a re-run of Latin-American banana republics of the 1960s.
It's neither the one nor the other. Like it or loathe it, that's contemporary Thailand. Now the decision whether you can live with that or not is all yours.

[Up2U]

DMC is available over the Internet, they also have their own satellite channel. My cable provider has removed all religious programming, one has to wonder what they (the junta) fear.

[Up2U]

Looks like Barney copied and pasted from a press release by Thaksin's PR firm in that it ignores his overt corruption.

Yes, Thaksin was corrupt but what Thai politician isn't. Nonpartisan analysis I have read shows the people who removed him and Yingluck from power (Abhisit, Suthep, etc.) were just as corrupt and more so if you can believe the corruption index of the World Bank. Then we have a military junta that itself is corrupt.

http://assassinationthaksin.wordpress.c ... ment-says/ (http://assassinationthaksin.wordpress.com/2013/03/26/thaksin-corruption-what-transparency-international-says-vs-what-elite-thai-establishment-says/)

http://mobile.reuters.com/article/idUST ... 8?irpc=932 (http://mobile.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE68R0RZ20100928?irpc=932)

And adding to that thought (military corruption):

http://en.khaosod.co.th/detail.php?newsid=1402311525

[Oliver]

An interesting report.The stranglehold that the jutna exerts over the media means that Thais must rely on the internet for information that has not been whitewashed.
And yes, DMC is still available on the internet. But most Thais, particularly in "rebel" territory, cannot afford access and rely on TV.
There is a pattern here; the junta's targets are the poor. The more affluent can be trusted but not the masses.

[Up2U]

The "catch me if you can" activist could get up to 14 years prison sentence:

http://mobile.reuters.com/article/idUSK ... 2?irpc=932 (http://mobile.reuters.com/article/idUSKBN0EN0V620140612?irpc=932)

[Oliver]

Who'd have thought that, one day,Thailand and Egypt would have so much in common?

Who'd have thought that, one day,Thailand and Egypt would have so much in common?Thailand and Syria here we come.

[Up2U]

Colonel Werachon, "This is detention?"


http://mobile.bloomberg.com/news/2014-0 ... -coup.html (http://mobile.bloomberg.com/news/2014-06-12/thai-military-junta-says-the-putsch-should-not-be-called-a-coup.html)

[Up2U]

An excellent short essay by David Streckfuss, good historical summary of Thai politics and for coup to be on the right side of history:

http://asia.nikkei.com/Politics-Economy ... Streckfuss (http://asia.nikkei.com/Politics-Economy/Policy-Politics/Thailand-s-polite-coup-should-put-itself-on-right-side-of-history-David-Streckfuss)

An excellent short essay by David Streckfuss, good historical summary of Thai politics and for coup to be on the right side of history:

http://asia.nikkei.com/Politics-Economy ... Streckfuss (http://asia.nikkei.com/Politics-Economy/Policy-Politics/Thailand-s-polite-coup-should-put-itself-on-right-side-of-history-David-Streckfuss)I couldn't see any reference to the obvious point that Prayuth plans to be the 16th Earl of Warwick (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kingmaker) de nos jours.

[cottmann]

An excellent short essay by David Streckfuss, good historical summary of Thai politics and for coup to be on the right side of history:

http://asia.nikkei.com/Politics-Economy ... Streckfuss (http://asia.nikkei.com/Politics-Economy/Policy-Politics/Thailand-s-polite-coup-should-put-itself-on-right-side-of-history-David-Streckfuss)

Sreckfuus explains the Buddhist underpinning of the Thai coup culture as:

This pattern [of a coup d'etat and self-issued amnesty and constitution] seems inexplicable unless we look at the practise as ritual purificationтАФa public act certified by Thai Theravada Buddhism that recognizes a sacrifice (staging a coup), acknowledges a necessary murder (the killing of a constitution), and rewards giving (a new constitution, a new political order).

Source: David Streckfuss, "Truth on Trial in Thailand: Defamation, Treason and L├иse-majest├й," London: Routledge, 2011. page 122.

[Up2U]

Today much of the religious programming has been restored. I see the DMC channel and other Buddhist stations, however I do not see the Islamic stations.

[Up2U]

Here is open letter from an American businessman living in Thailand who believes the media misrepresented the coup and doesn't understand the reasons.

http://www.tatnews.org/open-letter-mino ... -heinecke/ (http://www.tatnews.org/open-letter-minor-groups-bill-heinecke/)

and here is a reply from David Streckfuss:

http://asiapacific.anu.edu.au/newmandal ... at-it-too/ (http://asiapacific.anu.edu.au/newmandala/2014/06/16/mr-heinecke-cannot-have-his-coup-and-eat-it-too/)

[roguebear]

Thanks for the point counter point articles Up2U. Streckfuss' points were much better presented than his previous writings and the comments following his response to Heineke were very interesting.

[Up2U]

I hope everyone is happy under the coup because it's going to be here for a long time and forget anything resembling an elected government:

http://www.asiasentinel.com/politics/th ... k-and-awe/ (http://www.asiasentinel.com/politics/thai-coup-shock-and-awe/)

[Oliver]

The generals may be clowns but they know that any free and fair election will result in their opponents being returned to power. And Suthep and his military chums would quickly find themselves charged with treason.
The best we can hope for is an internal coup from within by middle-ranking officers committed to democracy and the emancipation of all Thais, not just the Bangkok elite. Democrats and socialists like Hugo Chavez, for example. Of course, there was Colonel "Daeng". But he was assassinated by the same people who organised the coup.

[Up2U]

A TIME magazine report:

http://time.com/2892755/thailand-coup-j ... -vanished/ (http://time.com/2892755/thailand-coup-junta-activist-udd-kritsuda-khunasen-vanished/)

Any further news on how certain Thais are enjoying their vacation in England?

[Up2U]

This report was long awaited and the results were not unexpected.

http://www.theguardian.com/global-devel ... CMP=twt_gu (http://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2014/jun/20/thailand-qatar-downgraded-human-trafficking-report?CMP=twt_gu)

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/nationa ... 36790.html (http://www.nationmultimedia.com/national/Thailand-Malaysia-Venezuela-among-worst-human-traf-30236790.html)

In 2006 the Thai "establishment" complained that Thaksin was replacing the heads of Thai state owned enterprises with his cronies. Shock! Horror! They then organised a coup that threw him out. I see online that the generals are now replacing the heads of Thai state owned enterprises with their cronies. That's all right then.

[Up2U]

A must read. Don't forget the embedded links.

http://www.indopacificreview.com/elepha ... wMpR0.dpbs (http://www.indopacificreview.com/elephant-room-thailands-royal-succession-coup/#sthash.Rtlc4zjF.eKAwMpR0.dpbs)

[fountainhall]

Thanks Up2U for all these links.