Queen for a Day

Earlier this week the democratically elected Prime Minister of Thailand, Yingluck Shinawatra, was on an official visit to the United Kingdom where she was given an audience with Queen Elizabeth. 

“It was a great honor to be granted such an audience by the Queen of England,” the PM said. Speaking on behalf of all Thais, she congratulated Queen Elizabeth on her Diamond Jubilee, marking 60 years on the throne.

This must make the former PM, Abhisit Vejjajiva, very jealous.  Abhisit, who was not democratically elected as PM but rather was installed into that office by the Thai military, visited the UK during his term but wasn’t granted a royal audience.  And he’s even a British citizen!

I doubt the Queen grants too many audiences to heads of government who murder their own people protesting wanting elections.

Abhisit must not be feeling too happy nowadays. The International Criminal Court Prosecutor, Fatou Bensouda, was in Bangkok recently talking to the Foreign Minister about the possibility of the ICC looking into the 2010 massacre of innocent civilians by the Abhisit regime.

He was also found recently to have evaded the mandatory Thai military draft and was stripped of his fake rank.

Perhaps, Abhisit could go over to Prem Tinsulanonda’s house where they could dress up and play “meet the Queen”. 

A Fascist Dinosaur Herds Yellow Cattle

The Royal Turf Club of Thailand is a horse racing stadium. But on Sunday, October 27th, there wasn’t an equine event scheduled.  Instead it was more of a bovine event led by a group of fascists calling for yet another coup in Thailand.

Although protests like this are nauseating to me, I do believe in free speech.  I have always felt that even the most repugnant ideas should receive the same freedom of expression as more accepted ones.  And freedom of speech should be less a "free marketplace" of ideas than it is a playground.  And the best way to dispense with unpopular ideas is to let them roam free, so they can have their asses kicked up and down the jungle gym by the cool ideas.

And healthy democracies usually handle these types of protests.  Unfortunately, democracy hasn’t been healthy in Thailand since the last coup six years ago.  That one didn’t work out too well, I’m not sure why these bozos think a new one would.

The rally was organized by the newest fascist group in Thailand called Pitak Siam, or Protecting Siam, led by retired General and fruitcake Boonlert Kaewprasit.

And true to the old saying, “fascists of a feather flock together (and I'd like to tell Boonlert to get the flock out of here).” There were many other anti-democracy groups represented. A New Mandala article stated that several second generation People’s Alliance for Democracy leaders, members of the Group of 40 Senators, General Pathompong Kesornsuk, Dr. Tul, and several groups allied with the Siam Sammakhi network, such as Boworn Yasinthorn, leader of the “Network of Monarchy Protection Volunteers” were in attendance. Santi Asoke’s Dhamma Army even organized the food (vegetarian pa thang ko shaped like swastikas).

And guess who also attended? None other than Prasong Soonsiri, organizer of the last coup.

He seems to pop up at all kinds of fascist events.  If we go back a few years, we can see him with Sondhi Limthongkul in 2009 when they launched their so-called political party.

Who knows what other fascist events we may find Prasong at if we looked hard enough?

Oh dear.  Let’s go way, way, way, back and see if we find him.

Just as I suspected! One dinosaur unfortunately survived extinction – Tyrannosaurus Sux.

Mythical Men in Black

On September 17th 2012 the TRCT (Truth for Reconciliation Commission of Thailand) released their final report about the 2010 pro-democracy protests in Bangkok which resulted in the military crackdown and the deaths of 92 people, mostly unarmed civilians.

The TRCT was implemented on July 17th 2010 by the illegitimate government of then Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, who also ordered the military to kill the protesters.  Thus, the impartiality of the Commission immediately comes into question.  The members of the group were selected by Dr. Kanit Na Nakorn, the chairman of the Commission, who was asked by the government to form the TRCT.

Also, former Attorney General Dr. Kanit Na Nakorn’s ties to the Democrats are far too obvious to serve as an “independent” investigator into Abhisit’s and Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban’s role in the massacre.  

In the early 1990s, there was a land scandal in Phuket known as  Sor Por Kor 4-01. Basically, a land reform program by the Democrats (administered by the Deputy Agricultural Minister Suthep Thaugsuban) was turned into free giveaway to rich Democrat party members.  Kanit's brother-in-law was one of the party faithful who allegedly received the land illegally. But Kanit made the “controversial” decision, over some strenuous objections from ex-judges and legal scholars, that there was not enough evidence of criminal intent to prosecute rich families for taking land meant for poor people.

A similar result occurred when the military junta from the 2006 coup picked Kanit to investigate who in authority could be held responsible for the killings in the infamous drug war.  Kanit concluded that there was not enough evidence to prosecute anyone.

So if there was a list of who could effectively whitewash the Democrats and the military then Kanit was at the top of it.  He certainly had the tools and the talent and the credentials.

 

This time, however, there was plenty of evidence in the 2010 massacre so Kanit and the TRCT had to manufacture a scapegoat.  Enter the mythical “Men in Black.” Not a group of lost Johnny Cash impersonators but according to Kanit and the TRCT, armed militants in the red shirt camp.

Of course, Kanit and the TRCT could present no evidence that they actually existed because they didn’t exist.  But that didn’t stop the imaginative speculation by Kanit and the TRCT. 

I just wonder where Kanit could have gotten this bizarre, lunatic inspired notion of armed men in black. 

Never mind, all becomes clear.

Just one more thing… How can anyone believe a fact finding commission headed by someone who resembles the nearsighted Mr. Magoo?

What Men in Black?

The Final Report by the Truth in Reconciliation Commission of Thailand (TRCT) offers neither truth nor reconciliation.

There is no substantive proof given that there were any armed militants or “men in black” among the red shirt democracy protesters. Yet, the report goes out of its way to turn blame away from the military and government authorities to these mysterious figures.

To the TRCT and others, even the possible existence of “men in black” legitimizes the mass killing of innocent and peaceful protesters by the Thai military which, incidentally, has a very long and well documented record of slaughtering unarmed civilians.  

The TRCT report stated that the army used a whopping 117,923 bullets in their 2010 massacre.  And make no mistake about it, it was THEIR massacre.  They caused it starting back in 2006 when they decided that the people’s choice of government wasn’t acceptable to them.  

But evidently none of these 117,923 bullets struck any men in black.  Not one.  However, nurses, reporters, and children weren’t so lucky.  Over 80 unarmed civilians were killed and thousands wounded.  

And for what reason?  To sustain the position of an unelected, unpopular and undemocratic government for a few more months. 

Thailand’s Constitutional Court Is Not a Court of Justice

The urban/traditional Thai elitists' favorite weapon of choice against democracy in recent years is not the army, but the judiciary. The Constitutional Court has dissolved (completely banned) two consecutive parties of government - Thai Rak Thai and the People's Power Party. Each time, this shatters and fragments the representatives of the electorate.  Not only are the political parties outlawed, but many of their representatives are banned from running for political office for extended periods.

This past June, Thailand’s Constitutional Court threatened a judicial coup “hat trick” although this time they had to resort to decisions that went way beyond the limitations restricting their jurisdiction under the Constitution.

By once again meddling in the political arena which should be reserved to the elected representatives of the people, the unelected Constitutional Court judges proved that they are not a court of justice but a political force. They may think they are righteous and are advancing the best interests of the kingdom but they do not have the authority to override the decisions of the majority of people who vote.

And by exercising their political will from their courtroom they are guilty of misconduct and demonstrate a lack of judicial ethics and impartiality.

The president of the Constitutional Court is Wasan Soypisudh.

Wasan Soypisudh

His appearance and the way he runs the Constitutional Court may remind Americans who grew up in the late 1960’s and early 1970’s of "Bingo" in the children’s variety show, “The Banana Splits Adventure Hour.”

As much as the Constitutional Court hates videos, here’s one which puts their organization into a new light and explains why they are nothing but a joke and deserve no respect.