Two Ding-A-Lings

A bell and General Preecha Iamsuphan

General Preecha Iamsuphan, a well known fascist and core member of the People's Army against Thaksin Regime, rings a bell to start Sunday's political rally in Lumpini Park, Bangkok.

You may remember Gen Preecha. He's a particularly nasty fellow. A Royal Cadet School classmate of core PAD leader Gen Chamlong Srimuang, Gen Preecha has led yellow shirts in raucous protests near the Prear Vihear site.

At the PAD's rally of nutjobs in Sanam Luang back in November 2009, he spoke to the crowd that it was time to get rid of traitors, as they all had appeared before their eyes.  “We have to quickly finish them off for the sake of our beloved King and ancestors, so that Thais stop quarrelling with one another because of these scoundrels.” - Now, he's starting a quarrel between Thais.

He also said back then that he heard a government spokesperson say on radio that Jakrapob Penkair had smuggled weapons across the northeastern Thai border to start a revolt. This was 2009 when the Dems were in power so whatever a government spokesperson said should have been completely ignored.

The retired blowhard general also said the Thai army had fought those “vulgar Cambodians” at the Aranyaprathet border, and he himself had attacked them with bombs.  He would not mind if there was another war.  If the army does not fight, he will fight with his bare hands.

It’s certainly no wonder why the government is not buying into this “People’s Army” claim that they are a peaceful group of protesters when their leaders are violent ding-a-lings.

The NSTDA Writes a Letter And I’m Calling BS

There is another “smear job” in the Bangkok Compost today about the current Thai government. This time they tried to discredit the Ministry of Science Technology.  The National Science and Technology Development Agency (NSTDA) said that science and technology development in Thailand is "going downhill" under the Pheu Thai government.

I’m calling “Bull Shit’ on this!

First of all, it is impossible for the Ministry of Science and Technology go any further downhill with regards to research when that ministry under the Abhisit led regime hit rock bottom.  The only way to go is up.  You would assume that the scientists at the NSTDA would know even the basics of gravity.

Of course there was not even a peep out of the NSTDA when the Minister of Science and Technology under the Abhisit regime, Kalaya Sophonpanich, made this statement to Thai students and scientists in London about those fraudulent GP200 bomb detectors the morons in the military got snookered with:

"Regarding people's beliefs, some kinds of beliefs are harmless. If these beliefs make people comfortable, we should just leave them alone, shouldn't we? Some people are happy to worship trees, for example. We don't need to disturb them, do we?"

Kalaya Sophonpanich, Science Hack

Not exactly a grand motivational message for students and scientists to go out and do research.

But that was then and this is now. The current government earlier announced a goal to raise spending on research from 0.25% of gross domestic product to between 1% and 2%, which I believe they have done.  But that didn’t stop the NTSDA in calling on people to wear black on Monday to protest against Pheu Thai's failure to keep its promises to improve research and innovation.

The NSTDA claimed in an open letter released  on Friday that policies imposed on different agencies under the Ministry of Science and Technology are not in line with the government's declaration.  One of these agencies which policies were imposed on was the NSTDA itself which is probably why they’re whining so much.

One of these polices the NSTDA is complaining about is that any project costing more than 2 million baht must be approved personally by the science and technology minister.  The NSTDA claims that this type of “political micro-management” makes conditions worse for researchers.

“Political micro-management”?! The government has a duty to carefully spend tax payers’ money and they have a responsibility to see that there is no waste or fraud.  

The letter from the NSTDA grumbles further that, it has been assigned to work on projects that focus on generating revenue for the organization instead of creating knowledge for further application.

This, to me, isn’t unreasonable. If the NSTDA can generate income on projects then they can spend that money on whatever research they like.

The bitching in the NTSDA letter only continued by claiming, “The usage of creativity and innovation had dropped due to limitations placed on researchers.” I can only assume that the NTSDA would prefer an “anything goes” policy when it comes to spending tax payer’s money. Do they really believe the government should hand them money with no strings attached when there is a current public environment expressly concerned with corruption and waste? 

Would you just hand money over to an NTSDA scientist such as the one pictured below?

NSTDA Scientist Buncha "Bat Shit Crazy" Thanaboonsombat

"We're concerned about the internal and external changes and challenges that affect our country, and the fact that our country attaches little importance to creating knowledge and innovation that will increase skills in the long run."

"The government only sees science and technology as a way to solve short-term problems or to create business opportunities.

"As a result, our country's skills and competitive edge are steadily declining."

They actually start to make a bit of a point here but by this time they had already lost most of their credibility. It would help if the NTSDA would have offered at least one example of research which would have increased the country’s skills and competitive edge in the long run but was dropped due to the Ministry of Science and Technology’s policies. But I doubt that they could.

And I also seriously doubt NTSDA could offer any evidence on a vile accusation they made about government funding being used on other activities besides research. Throwing around baseless accusations is shameful. We should expect better from the NTSDA.  

Speech Causes Many to Foam at the Mouth. Yes, It Was Really That Good.

Last week, Thailand’s Prime Minister, Yingluck Shinawatra gave a wonderful speech at the 7^th Ministerial Conference of the Community of Democracies in Mongolia. 

Thailand's Always Gracious PM Yingluck Shinawatra Giving Her Speech 

She brought to light how those in Thailand who oppose democracy would intimidate, jail and even kill those standing in their way of total dominance in Thailand. She also extolled the people who “fought back for their freedom” (the Red Shirts).

The speech was obviously very good because it has the democracy haters’ “fascist panties in a bunch.”

Thai Rath’s spare cartoonist and yellow shirted loser, Chai Rachawat, (real name Somchai Katanyutanan) who really hates democracy to the core, posted photos of Yingluck with the message: "Please understand that prostitutes are not bad women. Prostitutes only sell their bodies, but a bad woman has been wandering around trying to sell the country."

Yellow Shirted Loser Chai Rachawat

I posted a video of the speech on my Youtube account and some of the comments were just as atrocious. They certainly lacked the truth and graciousness of Yingluck’s speech.

Here’s an example from another ass clown named “Hacker009Jr”:

“The MOST Truth is .. This Fucking BITCH from CHINAWATRA Family's Speech(s) always be LIE and MENDACIOUS.

The FACT in Files Folders is .. Every-Persons from CHINAWATRA Family are CROOKs and Cruel-DESPOTIC-DICTATOR. Their Greedy Rapacious Swinish Voracious POLICY(s) oppress Citizen.

CHINAWATRA Family & their Gang are TREACHEROUS TRAITOROUS Politician(s).”

Another viewer, appropriately named “AsylumLunatic,” had this to say:

“heard from other ppl how she lied to the world! thanks for the vid..so now i can hear them with my own ears! shame on her!”

I’ve provided the video of this speech and the transcript below and hope that you have a chance to either listen to it or read it in order to judge for yourself.

Mr. Chairman, Excellencies, Delegates to the Conference, Ladies and Gentlemen,

I wish to begin by expressing my appreciation to His Excellency the President of Mongolia for inviting me to speak at this Conference of the Community of Democracies.

I accepted this invitation not only because I wanted to visit a country that has made many achievements regarding democracy, or to exchange ideas and views on democracy. But I am here also because democracy is so important to me, and more importantly, to the people of my beloved home, Thailand.

Democracy is not a new concept. Over the years, It has brought progress and hope to a lot of people. At the same time, many people have sacrificed their blood and lives in order to protect and build a democracy.

A government of the people, by the people and for the people does not come without a price.  Rights, liberties and the belief that all men and women are created equal have to be fought, and sadly, died for.

Why? This is because there are people in this world who do not believe in democracy. They are ready to grab power and wealth through suppression of freedom.  This means that they are willing to take advantage of other people without respecting human rights and liberties.  They use force to gain submission and abuse the power.  This happened in the past and still posed challenges for all of us in the present.

In many countries, democracy has taken a firm root.  And it is definitely refreshing to see another wave of democracy in modern times, from Arab Spring to the successful transition in Myanmar through the efforts of President Thein Sein, and also the changes in my own country where the people power in Thailand has brought me here today.

At the regional level, the key principles in the ASEAN Charter are the commitment to rule of law, democracy and constitutional government.  

However, we must always beware that anti-democratic forces never subside. 

Let me share my story.

In 1997, Thailand had a new constitution that was created through the participation from the people.  Because of this, we all thought a new era of democracy has finally arrived, an era without the cycle of coups d’état.

It was not to be.  An elected government which won two elections with a majority was overthrown in 2006. Thailand lost track and the people spent almost a decade to regain their democratic freedom.

Many of you here know that the government I am talking about was the one with my brother, Thaksin Shinawatra, as the rightfully elected Prime Minister.

Many who don’t know me say that why complain?  It is a normal process that governments come and go. And if I and my family were the only ones suffering, I might just let it be.

But it was not.  Thailand suffered a setback and lost international credibility. Rule of law in the country was destroyed. Projects and programs started by my brother’s government that came from the people’s wishes were removed. The people felt their rights and liberties were wrongly taken away.

Thai means free, and the people of Thailand fought back for their freedom. In May 2010, a crackdown on the protestors, the Red Shirts Movement, led to 91 deaths in the heart of the commercial district of Bangkok.

Many innocent people were shot dead by snipers, and the movement crushed with the leaders jailed or fled abroad.  Even today, many political victims remain in jail.

However, the people pushed on, and finally the government then had to call for an election, which they thought could be manipulated. In the end, the will of people cannot be denied. I was elected with an absolute majority.

But the story is not over. It is clear that elements of anti-democratic regime still exist. The new constitution, drafted under the coup leaders led government, put in mechanisms to restrict democracy.

A good example of this is that half of the Thai Senate is elected, but the other half is appointed by a small group of people. In addition, the so called independent agencies have abused the power that should belong to the people, for the benefit of the few rather than to the Thai society at large.

This is the challenge of Thai democracy.  I would like to see reconciliation and democracy gaining strength. This can only be achieved through strengthening of the rule of law and due process. Only then will every person from all walks of life can feel confident that they will be treated fairly. I announced this as part of the government policy at Parliament before I fully assumed my duties as Prime Minister.

Moreover, democracy will also promote political stability, providing an environment for investments, creating more jobs and income. And most importantly, I believe political freedom addresses long term social disparities by opening economic opportunities that would lead to reducing the income gap between the rich and the poor.

That is why it is so important to strengthen the grassroots. We can achieve this through education reforms. Education creates opportunities through knowledge, and democratic culture built into the ways of life of the people.

Only then will the people have the knowledge to be able to make informed choices and defend their beliefs from those wishing to suppress them. That is why Thailand supported Mongolia’s timely UNGA resolution on education for democracy.

Also important is closing gaps between rich and poor. Everyone should be given opportunities and no one should be left behind.  This will allow the people to become an active stakeholder in building the country’s economy and democracy.

That is why my Government initiated policies to provide the people with the opportunities to make their own living and contribute to the development of our society. Some of these include creating the Women Development Fund, supporting local products and SMEs as well as help raising income for the farmers.

And I believe you need effective and innovative leadership. Effective in implementing rule of law fairly. Innovative in finding creative peaceful solutions to address the problems of the people.

You need leadership not only on the part of governments but also on the part of the opposition and all stakeholders. All must respect the rule of law and contribute to democracy.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Another important lesson we have learnt was that international friends matter.  Pressure from countries who value democracy kept democratic forces in Thailand alive. Sanctions and non-recognition are essential mechanisms to stop anti-democratic regimes.

An international forum like Community of Democracies helps sustain democracy, seeking to promote and protect democracy through dialogue and cooperation.  More importantly, if any country took the wrong turn against the principle of democracy, all of us here need to unite to pressure for change and return freedom o the people.

I will always support the Community of Democracies and the work of the Governing Council.  I also welcome the President’s Asian Partnership Initiative for Democracy and will explore how to extend our cooperation with it.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I would like to end my statement by declaring that, I hope that the sufferings of my family, the families of the political victims, and the families of the 91people, who lost their lives in defending democracy during the bloodshed in May 2010, will be the last.

Let us continue to support democracy so that the rights and liberties of all human beings will be protected for future generations to come!

Thank you.

Thai Royals Give Me the Willies

Recently, Princess Ubonratana Rajakanya the eldest child of Thailand’s King Bhumibol Adulyadej and Queen Consort Sirikit showed an interesting but a bit creepy new look in her instagram feed.

I’m not sure that this new “Willy Wonka” look quite works for her but evidently the 2005 movie “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” starring Johnny Depp made a profound influence on the Princess.

Of course, Princess Ubonratana isn’t the only member of the royal family to be influenced by a character named “Willy” in a famous movie with a “bluish” twist. 

Thailand's Jack in the Box Court

The nine justices who sit on Thailand’s Constitution Court form a unique elite. They are not elected and they are not held directly accountable for their actions and when the Court strikes down actions by elected officials, it overrules the majority.

This doesn’t sound too democratic, does it? Of course not, courts aren’t supposed to be democratic.

But they are supposed to champion the fundamental rules of democratic fairness and be a beacon of hope for marginalized citizens.  This is where Thailand’s Constitution Court fails miserably. Instead, they have been the guardians of the old elite privilege. Constitution Court President, Wasan Soipisuth, has openly admitted this.

When advocates for popular democratic values of inclusion, equality, and fairness start to make progress, elitist judges like Wasan step in to promptly quash them.  Be it disqualifying candidates, dissolving political parties, or stopping legislation, the elite judges are a hindrance to democratic progress, civil rights and liberties.

The Constitution Court is like a Jack in the Box. You start to hear music for awhile then it abruptly stops and a clown pops out.

C'mon and sing along.  Everyone knows the popular "Jack in the Box" song...

All around the Parliament,

Something is about to get done.

And after them in double haste,

Pop! goes the Wasan.

Civil rights and liberties,

Someone put the brakes on.

That’s the way the money goes,

Pop! goes the Wasan.

Yes, Wasan Soipisuth is a Weasel. 

Prem the Flimflam Man

On Sunday, Privy Council president Prem Tinsulanonda gave the opening speech at an international seminar held to mark the Office of the Ombudsman’s 13th anniversary yesterday.  Of course, who better to open the inauspicious anniversary (13) of an inauspicious group (Ombudsman) then one of the most inauspicious humans on earth. 

But even calling Prem human is somewhat questionable. Does anyone else remember Exeter, the leader of the aliens from the planet Metaluna in the 1955 movie “This Island Earth”?

I’m just kidding. Prem is probably not extraterrestrial but he actually may be Thailand’s biggest flimflam man.  

Prem definitely comes with an agenda. Without the King, Prem would be insignificant.  And the more the King is revered, the more significant Prem is.  So he is going to glorify the King whenever and wherever the opportunity presents itself – even if it means fudging the truth.

For instance one item in particular the Bangkok Post reported was Prem said in his speech that “Thais are blessed because His Majesty the King has dedicated himself to fighting poverty.”

Really? Whose poverty has the King dedicated himself to fighting? His own?

A Forbes article reports that King Bhumibol Adulyadej is worth over $30 billion dollars, making him, by far, the richest monarch on the planet (Earth, not Metaluna).

One depressing aspect of Thai politics is the susceptibility to charlatans which is partly why an Office of the Ombudsman is needed in the first place.  And when someone speaks glowingly of Thailand’s King, they are hailed as a great person. And nobody checks the facts.

So has Thailand’s King “dedicated” himself to fighting his subjects’ poverty as Prem stated? And how is that “fight” going?

One way to address that last question, is to look at the professional measure of a country's income distribution inequality called its "GINI Coefficient".  Basically, the GINI Coefficient describes an income distribution for the entire population. A value of 0 indicates that the income is divided equally among the citizens, while a value of 100 means total inequality.

Thailand's Gini Coefficient in 2009 (the last reported value) was at 40.02 according to the World Bank.  Other ASEAN countries have the following Gini Coefficients: Malaysia 46.21 (2009); Philippines 42.98 (2009); Laos 36.74 (2008); Vietnam 37.57 (2008); Cambodia 37.25 (2008); Indonesia 36.76 (2009); and Singapore 42.48 (1998).

The graph of Thailand’s Gini Coefficients over time shows that fighting poverty has only been mildly effective at best with little improvement to show and certainly no startling differences between the other ASEAN countries GINI Coefficients (where the Thai King hasn’t “dedicated” himself to fighting poverty).

So why have so many in Thailand, especially in the news media, been taken in by Prem’s flimflam? It’s not just inability or willingness to do the research, although that’s part of it.  There’s also deference to power — make no mistake about it, Royalism is a powerful political force, so one mustn’t point out that its heroes have no clothes.

But they don’t. Prem is just a fraud who makes no useful contribution to the debate over Thailand’s future.

Thai Politics in Black Robes

Courts are supposed to independently and dispassionately apply the law, without being influenced by the preferences and demands of politics…but not in Thailand.

All this "stuff" about the Constitution from the Thai courts is merely a charade in Thailand and Constitutional law is nothing more than just politics in black robes. The Constitution Court justices just vote their own political preferences. They have delivered rulings that have dissolved political parties, banned hundreds of politicians and brought down two democratically elected pro-Thaksin governments. 

The impartiality of judges, who are often accused of serving the interests of the anti-Thaksin establishment, is often questioned. But any questions have now been put to rest as the Constitution Court President, Wasan Soipisuth, openly admitted to such in a seminar on the court’s role in maintaining the balance in Thai politics (organized by the court itself, of course).

Wasan confessed that the rulings to disqualify former Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej and to dissolve political parties were, in his word, "careless" and that the court procedures relied too much on individual judges’ personal opinions, and failed to clearly establish what the facts were before making the decision.

He referred to the court's resolution to dissolve the People Power, Chart Thai and Matchima Thipataya parties: “If various groups had not staged so many rallies at the time, the decision might have been different.”  “If the country at that time had been peaceful, the government and the opposition could have joined hands, the country could have moved forward, and I believe most of the judges would have decided not to dissolve the parties," he said. "But the country at that time was chaotic and the Constitution Court had to use its judgment to maintain law and order," he said.

Of course when Wasan says “use its judgment,” he actually means “abuse its power.”  In 2010, there was even more chaos but when the ruling Democrat Party’s dissolution case came up, the court went out of its way to dismiss it due to a technicality.  

He also said that the ruling to dissolve the Palang Prachachon and Chart Thai Pattana parties was also "necessary in order to avoid political chaos".  I suppose it didn’t matter if they were guilty or not.

The favorite law book of Wasan and his cohorts on the bench must be Lewis Carroll’s “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.”  Sentence first, verdict afterwards (we’ll actually debate the case later if we have time). This would confirm the notion that the Constitution Court is a backwards court.

In an effort to try to paint himself and fellow judges as knights in shining armor protecting the kingdom from the evils of Shinawatra, self back patter Wasan went on to say that “the Constitution Court has historically sought solutions for the country in times of political gridlock.” Never mind that these court “solutions” actually did more harm than good and instead of moving Thailand “forward” as he suggests, the court put the country in “full reverse”.

In order for Thailand to be a democracy, the judiciary, i.e. the Constitution Court, needs to be independent and non-political. If not then what is good for the people and for Thailand will continue to be ignored in favor of judgments that favor a particular political party or viewpoint.

Fanaticism, Ignorance And Two Laws

Last Wednesday, lèse majesté bunco artist Tul Sitthisomwong led about 100 ultra-royalists to Thai PBS headquarters in order to call for the resignation of that organization’s executives.  

Tul and the rest of the knuckleheads who attended were upset at that station’s week-long special of its interview and  discussion program "Tob Jote Prathet Thai" (“Answering Thailand’s Issues”).  The last two episodes of the five part series were debates between Thammasat University Professor Somsak Jeamteerasakul and royalist nut job Sulak Sivaraksa, focusing on the draconian lése majesté law.

This proves that fanaticism and ignorance is forever busy, and continuously needs feeding in Thailand. Now, the police are even investigating the possibility that a criminal offence was committed. Evidently debating the controversial lése majesté law is a violation of the lése majesté law to some ultra-royalists.

But that’s the problem with a poorly defined and wicked law like lése majesté.  It’s upholders can initially make it a crime to threaten the monarchy, then the next day they can make it a crime to even discuss the law itself.  Pretty soon, they’ll be banning even more books, newspapers, websites, radio stations and television stations. And with banners flying and with drums beating they’ll be marching Thailand backwards into the dark ages.

The ultra-royalists clearly desire to incite fear, causing everyone to become afraid to even talk about anything remotely concerning the monarchy. It’s becoming quite clear that Thailand can’t have both free speech and a monarchy.

If any law was broken in the debates then it would be Godwin’s Law. In the final debate, Sulak did bring up Hitler. And whoever is the first to play the "Hitler card" has lost the argument as well as any trace of respect, as having to resort to bring up the most infamous mass-murdering dictator in history generally means that person has run out of better arguments. Thus, once such a comparison was made, the debate should have immediately ended with Sulak automatically losing the debate.

There are some things stupid arguments can't solve. 
For everything else, there's the Hitler Card. 

If only Tul and his ilk would be as fervent supporters of Godwin’s Law as they are with the lése majesté law.

U.S. State Department Makes a Statement Regarding Somyot - Finally

In my previous post I discussed the inaction of the U.S. Embassy in Thailand towards the unjust treatment of Somyot Prueksakasemsuk. Somyot was the editor of a now defunct Thai magazine who was recently convicted of lese majeste and sentenced to 10 years imprisonment.

While the U.S. Embassy has still been inactive there has been a statement regarding Somyot by the U.S. State Department in Washington.

In their daily debriefing/press conference at the White House on January 30th, as a response to a question by a reporter the State Department finally made a statement.

"We are deeply concerned by the criminal court's decision to sentence Mr. Prueksakasemsuk ... to ten years imprisonment for violating Article 112 of the criminal code and for an additional year for a sentence that was previously suspended. Obviously, no one should be jailed for peacefully expressing their views. We regularly urge Thai authorities on a regular basis, both privately and publicly, to ensure that expression is not criminalized and freedom of expression is protected in accordance with Thailand's international obligations."

It's kind of weak but better than nothing at all. I'm wondering when the U.S. government will stop being "concerned" and start being "aggressively agitated" when it comes to Thailand's inhumanity towards others as a result of lese majeste. 

And kudos to the reporter for inquiring about Somyot in the first place. It is interesting to me that he first asked the question two days prior to this and the State Department had no response.  Maybe next time the State Department's response will come quicker and won't be buried in the back of their "debriefing playbook."

The Treatment of Somyot Prueksakasemsuk and Hypocrisy by the U.S. Embassy

The Bangkok Criminal Court sentenced news editor and political activist Somyot Prueksakasemsuk to 10 years in prison last Wednesday (January 23rd) for two articles the court ruled had “insulted” the Thai monarch. Somyot didn't actually write the articles, he just published them.  And they didn't appear in articles of fact, but in two fiction stories. Oh, and they didn't even actually mention King Bhumibol Adulyadej by name. One of the pieces published in the now-defunct magazine centered around a murderous ghost that the court determined was a stand-in for the King, in a tale that "conveyed connection to historical events."

Somyot has been held since April 30, 2011 in the eastern province of Sa Kaeo, just 2 days after he participated in the launch of a campaign to collect 10,000 signatures to remove the lese majeste article from the Thai criminal code.  He was later reproached for refusing to reveal the identity of the author of the two articles, written under the pen-name of Jitra Polachan.

The court denied Somyot bail on twelve different occasions during his 20 month pretrial detention. He was also paraded around Thailand (four different provinces) in shackles. This wasn’t just meant to punish Somyot for his views but was what amounted to a demonstration for all to see how the courts could humiliate someone who doesn’t "toe the line" when it comes to their version of what to think.

Somyot in Chains - A lesson by the Thai Courts that this could happen to you.

The Thai justice system’s treatment of Somyot clearly illustrates the erosion of due process and the dilution of even the most basic of human rights.  Since the royalist courts have taken it upon themselves to be the defender of the monarchy, they have savagely used the lese majeste law; not to uphold justice, as the lese majeste law has nothing to do with justice. Instead they use the lese majeste law to exercise control, authority and power in the interests of oppression and personal gain.

But not all the disgraceful action was committed by the Thai courts.  Even though a representative of the U.S. Embassy in Bangkok attended the trial on January 23rd, there was no resulting public condemnation of Somyot’s conviction and sentencing. No comment at all.

Of course, the U.S. embassy had a perfect opportunity to speak out. After all, January 21st was Martin Luther King Jr. Day and President Obama’s Inauguration.

So, leading up to and the verdict on January 23rd, the U.S. Embassy was posting various quotes by Dr. King on their facebook page.

And on January 21, the U.S. Embassy posted this part of Obama’s inaugural speech:

All of these quotes are very inspirational. But it appears like the U.S. Embassy wasn’t too inspired by them because on January 22nd, when closing arguments by Somyot’s lawyers were being held, this was posted on the U.S. Embassy’s facebook page:

Yes, a posting of a picture of a monkey with an explanation of what the phrase "monkey see, monkey do" means. Well, at least the folks at the U.S. embassy know what that phrase means. Judging from the fact that there were no explanations of the Martin Luther King, Jr. quotes nor the Obama quote, should we infer that they have don't have a clue about their meanings? 

And on January 23rd, when Somyot’s sentence and conviction was handed down, the only posting on the U.S. Embassy’s facebook page was some pathetic fluff article about Obama surprising White House visitors.

As Americans, we should expect more from our Ambassador, Kristie Kenney.  

What about the facebook postings? "...with the voices we lift in defense of our most ancient values and enduring ideals." - What voices? 

Personally, I’m at a loss as to why Ambassador Kenney did not speak out.  Was it because she supports the royalist movement in Thailand? Or is it because she is scared that royalist will protest against her and she’ll lose popularity – something she apparently craves?

From this picture of her, the answer is still elusive.  It could go either way.

Ambassor Kenney sporting a big yellow streak down her back

Of course, we can expect the “quiet diplomacy” spiel.  But “quiet diplomacy” has yielded scant results if any when it comes to protecting people from Thailand’s draconian lese majeste law.  So I expect that “quiet diplomacy” actually means "no diplomacy at all" and the American public is being lied to by representatives of the State Department, which wouldn’t be the first time.  By the way, just what really did cause that September 11 attack in Benghazi?  

My 2012 Nicknames for Thailand's Opposition Party

As we get into the new year, I'm thinking (and hoping) the blog might attract some new readers.  Folks who haven't been here the past couple of years and don't know that posts filled with nothing but silly insults are par for the course.

In fact, I'd like to think those posts are my strong point.

Last week the Bangkok Post reported some other insults on the current Thai government, the prime minister and some cabinet ministers by the Government House reporters.  It is a tradition for these reporters at the end of the year to give invented names to describe their subjects’ characters and flaws.  

So in an effort to promote political fairness, I have come up with some nicknames for the main opposition party and their MPs and friends.

Disclaimers:  I don't know any of these people personally, so if any of my chosen nicknames are their actual nicknames, it's purely coincidental.  Also, I am unsure of exact name pronunciations, so if I botched any in an attempt at humor, mea culpa.

That's another thing you newbies need to know about this blog:  Botching things in the name of humor is my other strong point.

I have dubbed the Democratic Party the "Biggest Loser" Party. No surprise there. They haven’t won a national election in over 20 years. They even lost big in the government’s no-confidence vote held in late November.  Their arch nemesis, Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, easily won her no-confidence vote in the lower house 308 – 159. The other three ministers in Yingluck’s cabinet also had no problem winning their no-confidence votes.

And if you’re looking for reasons why the Democrat Party loses all the time, all you need to do is look at their roster.

Democrat Party MP “Nasty Nat” Bantadtan, son of Democrat party-list MP and executive Banyat Bantadtan.  You may remember him.  He was caught watching porn on his iPhone while Parliament was in session and was blamed for accidentally causing the image of a woman in a provocative pose to be flashed across the giant monitors in the Parliament.  In typical Democrat Party style, he tried to weasel out of it with some pathetic excuse but nobody with any brain power at all believed him.

Sorry - I had to pixelate some of this photo to maintain this site's decency

Democrat Party MP Boonyod “Swastika Joe” Sukthinthai. On May 2nd during another session in Parliament, he goose stepped up to the front speaker’s podium, gave the Nazi salute and screamed “Heil Hitler” at the top of his lungs. 

Democrat Party MP Thani “the Bangkok Strangler” Thaugsuban. The Democrats often speak about the importance of “rule of law” but rarely practice it. On May 31, 2012, the Democrat MPs went crazy ass bonkers in Parliament again and MP Thani Thaugsuban went for the throat – the throat of political rival, Pheu Thai MP Jirayu Huangsap.

Democrat MP Thani Thaugsuban trying to choke the life out of PT MP Jirayu Huangsap

It is interesting to note that in this wider image we happen to see none other than “Swastika Joe” in the gray suit (upper left hand corner) attempting to get into the action. 

“Goose-steppers of a feather flock together” and it’s time to tell the Democrat Party to get the ‘flock’ out of Parliament.

I don’t see fellow Democrat MP “Nasty Nat” in the picture. He must be in the back of the room “attending to his caucus” – if you know what I mean.

Democrat Party MP Suthep “Murder Defendent” Thaugsuban.  Homicidal maniacs evidently run in the Thaugsuban family.  Thani gets his thrills with the “hands on approach” of strangling his victims. His brother and former Deputy PM, Suthep prefers ordering the army to do his killing for him.  As a result of his murderous rampage in the 2010 pro-democracy protests, murder and attempted murder charges against Suthep were officially filed last month.

Democrat Party MP Abhisit “Prime Suspect” Vejjajiva.  Abhisit was a Prime Minister.  Now he’s a Prime Suspect in the same atrocities that his former Deputy PM Suthep has been charged with. Abhisit has been charged as well.

Abhisit and Suthep - looking guilty as charged.

Special Bonus Nickname:

Channel 7 Reporter Somjit “Abhisit’s Lap Dog” Nawakruasunthorn.  Although not a Democrat Party MP, Somjit does work hard for her master, Abhisit Vejjajiva. When she’s not writing propaganda books promoting Abhisit and other Democrat MPs, she’s using her job as a television news reporter to harass his political opponents (see here and here).

Abhisit has been trying to train her for years now. This 2009 video clip shows Abhisit training Somjit to obey orders and walk on two legs.  You can clearly see she is having difficulties.

Thailand needs more democracy and less Democrats. We should all look forward to 2013.