A lesson in history

Postbag

Published: 16 Jul 2012 at 00.00
Newspaper section: News

Re: ''Two field marshals and a billionaire'', (BP, July 15). Voranai Vanijaka has risen to his very highest, and in so doing has provided an overview of Thai history for everybody in the world who would understand what is happening in Thailand.

It's very important to note that although the failed counter-coup of 1933 is often called ''royalist'', the King at the time was not actually involved.

Indeed, even from his exile in England, King Prajadhipok was encouraging the ''reformers'' to be more democratic. For example, the King felt strongly that Thai MPs should be elected, not appointed, and that there should be more, not less, judicial restraints placed upon executive power.

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bern1005
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Discussion 10 : 17 Jul 2012 at 13.1610
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Many people wonder if PT will abide by the court verdict. The evidence so far, suggests that PT will obey the letter of the court's judgements while making as much noise as possible complaining about the "undemocratic" CC (perhaps via the UDD).

It would be nice if the opponents of the government would use the same good sense that the court verdict illustrates and not try to just equal or surpass PT in unproductive noise that fails to disrupt anything except the lives of the people of Thailand.

Exposing and opposing the excesses of the government are a key part of the responsibilities of the opposition, is it too much to ask that this can be done with some real intelligence?
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howell
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Discussion 9 : 16 Jul 2012 at 21.439
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@soltair. 100 % agree. I read at the time that the agriculture Minister warned the Government but was told 'Save it for the farmers'. Criminal is the word, unbelievably criminal. The agriculture Minister is being held responsible but he only did what his Thaksin/PTP boss told him.

One day the truth will out.
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soltair
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Discussion 8 : 16 Jul 2012 at 13.548
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SONGDEJ PRADITSMANONT, Thank you for this information, I said it all along, The third harvest and the promised B 15,000= per tonne made the powers that be gamble (and lost BIG time) in order to get the farmers votes come election time. It is basically very criminal, almost a thousand people died and billions of Baht damage was the result of this unethical mindset. There must be an investigation, surely after a high ranking official admitted guild. On the side, most insurance companies refused pay out as they mis-called it a natural disaster.
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lungstib
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Discussion 7 : 16 Jul 2012 at 13.007
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Red shirts, yellow shirts, PAD, UDD, PT, CC, etc, are all messing our heads. Go watch a rainbow, better for your mental health.
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dao
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Discussion 6 : 16 Jul 2012 at 12.186
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Its funny that PT has the power and yet all they do with it is try to bring back the fugitive .They could have helped the poor help themselves through job training programs .They could have tackled the reforming of education and teacher retraining .They could have planted millions of trees to absorb some of the water that rushes down the hillsides and is wasted as it goes out to sea .They could have built a new train system that reached all over Thailand to replace to outdated rolling museum we have now .But no they wasted a year trying to bring a back a fugitive .
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soltair
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Discussion 5 : 16 Jul 2012 at 08.395
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SONGDEJ PRADITSMANONT, Thank you for this information, I said it all along, The third harvest and the promised B 15,000= per tonne made the powers that be gamble (and lost BIG time) in order to get the farmers votes come election time. It is basically very criminal, almost a thousand people died and billions of Baht damage was the result of this unethical mindset. There must be and investigation, surely after a high ranking official admitted guild. On the side, most insurance companies refused pay out as they mis-called it a natural disaster.
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whatajoke
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Discussion 4 : 16 Jul 2012 at 07.334
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Ronald, the PAD's behaviour relative the UDD, Puea Thai MPs, certain 'Nitirat' lawyers and others has been exemplary. No threats against the court, no sudden protest at the outcome, no inflammatory speeches. But this crisis is far from over, the ruling is unclear, the motives of this govt are devious, the process is not transparent, and the PAD are reserving their right to further protest if they feel a charter re-write will become a whitewash. They haven't started protesting yet, they are adopting a wait and see approach. I think it's good that the country knows in advance that ramming through self-serving changes backed by 'the 55'% will not be quietly accepted. Yes, the PAD are just as big trouble makers as the UDD, but like the UDD they do have some justification in their thinking, and they are able to cause some serious chaos if not accommodated.
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kena
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Discussion 3 : 16 Jul 2012 at 07.313
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Mr. Visconti sounds like a Red Shirt / PT / Thaksin supporter. Like his buddies in those groups, he's a supporter of Thai jurists when it's convenient for him and his alliances. Yet, when jurists vote against his political leanings, he will probably protest that they're not being fair, and join his buddies in wanting to ban the CC.
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robingrant
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Discussion 2 : 16 Jul 2012 at 07.052
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Richard Bowler's comment that a third reading of the Constitution Amendment Bill would probably have led to PT's dissolution is just plain wrong. As reported in today's Bangkok Post, a spokesman for the Constitutional Court has confirmed that they only suggested that a prior referendum be held, and that a third reading of the Bill in Parliament could go ahead.

Interesting developments lie ahead
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browser
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Discussion 1 : 16 Jul 2012 at 06.121
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Ronald Visconti's letter asks a legitimate question, but it is directed at the wrong party. The question is - will Pheu Thai accept the decision of the court, or only the part of it that they agree with ? It seems clear what the spirit of the ruling is - public input and transparency. The court deliberately did not overstep their bounds by mandating such suggestions - but strongly recommended them. By dismissing the suggestions of the court, Pheu Thai will demonstrate that they have learned nothing during the last two months, and any conflict sparked will be a conscious gamble on their part.
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A lesson in history | Bangkok Post: opinion