Cheap Baht

America triumphs yet again, with its vulgar and clumsy ineptness at diplomacy and dialogue.


US cuts off millions in military aid to Thailand,
WASHINGTON - The United States cut off millions of dollars in military assistance to its ally Thailand on Thursday, in response to the military coup that ousted civilian prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, the State Department said.
The Nation

Should the Thai's be worried,I hardly think so. The only reason Thailand is (was) an ally of the United states was because the United states needed Thailand as a spring board for it's war machine to dump hundreds and thousands of tons of deadly and horrifyingly painful liquid chemical weapons onto the innocent peoples of Vietnam during the Vietnam war. Good riddance I say. Their presence as a force in Thailand is unwelcome.


Official US military trips to Thailand have been suspended and all temporary defence duties in Thailand frozen, according to Stars and Stripes, a daily newspaper published for the US military.

US military personnel in Thailand on temporary orders have been recalled, it said.

Reason enough to run cheering through the streets.

The King was totally behind the American military involvement in Thailand during Vietnam and after. But of course he made that clear by meditating quietly, he didn't actually SAY anything. Uh uh.

I am disapointed also that the US is implying that they favored Thaksin the murderous thieving power mad dictator over hope for something better, but Thailand had got to get its act together and stop relying on coups to solve its problems. But this time, no good choice ...

It seems the US is putting on a big act of favoring anything that remotely has the label of democracy even if the reality is total crap.

... was a major source of funding for Thai generals to feather their own nests during the Vietnam War

Besides, a moderate Muslim leader in Thailand would be very welcome and constructive? I am sure even better than heading the UN, not so dharling?

[bucknaway]

Lets see what happens after the election.

We've got a long wait.

[Brad the Impala]

Well until they are looking for R & R for thousands of their sailors who have been cooped up on their ships for months! Then they will be happy to disgorge the boats of their engorged young men.

I have heard that a certain Thanpuying has the dates of of all the dockings.

Well until they are looking for R & R for thousands of their sailors who have been cooped up on their ships for months! Then they will be happy to disgorge the boats of their engorged young men.

I have heard that a certain Thanpuying has the dates of of all the dockings.

Oh dear looks like gangrene will set in before they can shoot their load a crap. Never mind Pearl can swim out to meet them all, no need for them to dock. She is a surprisingly good swimmer when she catches the scent.

[Aunty]

Well until they are looking for R & R for thousands of their sailors who have been cooped up on their ships for months! Then they will be happy to disgorge the boats of their engorged young men.

I have heard that a certain Thanpuying has the dates of of all the dockings.


And the photos to match.

.... no wonder the US has put Thailand on a "no go" place to go to for them. It really is unbelievable - whilst it was a coup by the military, there would have been a coup by Thaksin on the Wednesday anyway, I know the yanks want to promote democracy, but is this the way to do it. The sad thing about it is that the US and their policies, whether they like it or not, represent their people!!!!

there would have been a coup by Thaksin on the Wednesday anyway

Based on what evidence? Reports in the junta-controlled media?

whilst it was a coup by the military, there would have been a coup by Thaksin on the Wednesday anywayWe have only the publicists of the military coup leaders as evidence for that assertion

The sad thing about it is that the US and their policies, whether they like it or not, represent their people!!!!
Thats a fair statement.
We don't like it.
We are going to CHANGE it.
We are slow. No coups or votes of no confidence in the US.
Stay tuned.

there would have been a coup by Thaksin on the Wednesday anyway

Based on what evidence? Reports in the junta-controlled media?

Basically, the days are gone in my book, where you give " certain people / organisations " the benefit of the doubt, they are not going to admit for certain or for whatever reason - in this instance, I believe there was an element of truth in that story - one has to read between the lines - its called "intuition"

Lets not forget this is BUSHs Doing. He and Thaksin are birds of a feather. So let's not generalize against all us poor americans. Believe me, a vast majority of us wish we could get rid of Bush they same way the King got rid of Thaksin..

Lets not forget this is BUSHs Doing. He and Thaksin are birds of a feather. So let's not generalize against all us poor americans. Believe me, a vast majority of us wish we could get rid of Bush they same way the King got rid of Thaksin..You Americans live in a democracy and can, almost as predictably as that the sun will rise tomorrow, vote on a President every four years. The Thais don't have that right

Lets not forget this is BUSHs Doing. He and Thaksin are birds of a feather. So let's not generalize against all us poor americans. Believe me, a vast majority of us wish we could get rid of Bush they same way the King got rid of Thaksin..
I would love to see Bush gone, but it is not correct that most Americans would support a coup in the US, if such a thing was possible.

You Americans live in a democracy and can, almost as predictably as that the sun will rise tomorrow, vote on a President every four years. The Thais don't have that right

Four years is a long time. But it is certainly a wise precaution to make a finite term of office compulsory in Thailand no matter what democracy stands for in America,and this should not include re-election. Democracy in America is certainly not the wrold standard, they don't even have proportional representation never mind a proper vote, who finances presidential runners? Hmm, there are a few key problems with the way Americas democracy is run, they certainly cannot hold themselves up as this shiny beacon of all that is good, even if they mistakenly believe it is god given. Who are they trying to kid beyond their own borders, because there are very few takers, you would have thought they realized this by now.

Has anyone for a moment considered what Thaksin was actually doing? Had he been prime minister in any western democracy (save perhaps America itself) he would have been out on his ear a long time ago, democracy or not. You can't go around shooting everyone in sundry in some kind of cleansing frenzy! His rather gung ho rule of death was hardly what the Thais wanted in a democracy. Now was it? What had happened suddenly to fair trials and rule of law? As thousands upon thousands of people were gunned down in his anti-drugs campaign?
Thaksin was very busy trying to dig himself in for the long haul, it was now or never to get that country onto a clean slate, with as little disruption as possible. I believe they have achieved that.
Thaksins handling of the problems in the South were equally alarming, the nameless faceless insurgents in the South, the country didn't even know who they were dealing with, how was dialogue ever going to be possible, and what of unity in the country, now and in the future? Thailand was surely roller coasting into mayhem, with a despot at the helm. It is only with a huge sigh of relief that Thaksin was unable to scheme his way into taking full control of the military. The danger of him even possibly winning an election again, were just to great. The man was a lunatic, and should face more than just corruption charges, what about mass murder?

By the way has any one considered what would have happened if a devastating bomb went off in Bangkok or even Phuket? It would have been the end of the Thai economy for a very very long time. Unfortunately Americas administrations rather simplistic view of the world has clouded this coup issue for Americans (as usual) but if Americans can't make the distinction, most nations have stopped listening to them anyway, and many more Thai allies are more than happy to do it. What ever you think about the King of Thailand, he is not nearly as alone as some would have you believe, and not nearly alone as Bush and America are today.

What ever you think about the King of Thailand, he is not nearly as alone as some would have you believeIndeed. His public support for repressive regimes such as SLORC in Burma is matched by the Grand Ayatollah and his ilk who "moderate" other gay Thailand "discussion" Forums
US policy on Burma was wrong; and that the US are the neo-imperialists; the Soviets were the imperialists. Aung San Suu Kyi was really a foreigner, and she should go back to her country, England. He first said that Burma was a democracy, but then stopped and said that rather, Burma was on the road to democracy, and if there were UN sanctions, it will be Thailand that would be hurt by sanctions because the Thais could not control their borders.
http://www.atimes.com/se-asia/AI18Ae01.html

Other references can be found at http://www.asiasentinel.com/index.php?o ... &Itemid=34 (http://www.asiasentinel.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=155&Itemid=34)