Thaksin was a Billionaire before he became PM wasn't he?miked wrote:forget the thousand million pounds that he stole from the Thai people.
Also, how did Sondhi amass his fortune?
Suvarnabhumi Closed
30 emergency medical teams prepared for police's operation to clear airports: Chalerm
Public Health Minister Chalerm Yoombamrung said he instructed the permanent secretary for Public Health to prepare 30 emergency medical teams in the aftermath of expected police's crackdown on protesters.
He said police would try to negotiate with protesters first.
"But if the negotiations fail, let's keep our fingers crossed," Chalerm said.
"I want the negotiations to be successful because I don't want to see bloodshed."
The Nation
Public Health Minister Chalerm Yoombamrung said he instructed the permanent secretary for Public Health to prepare 30 emergency medical teams in the aftermath of expected police's crackdown on protesters.
He said police would try to negotiate with protesters first.
"But if the negotiations fail, let's keep our fingers crossed," Chalerm said.
"I want the negotiations to be successful because I don't want to see bloodshed."
The Nation
airport closed
Taksin was a normal policeman at the start.
This is what the government wanted for a long time,
no farangs.
no alcohol on holidays.
There is no such thing as prostitution in Thailand.
There is no gambling.
everyone just growing rice in the fields.
lets wind the clock back a few centuries then.
This is what the government wanted for a long time,
no farangs.
no alcohol on holidays.
There is no such thing as prostitution in Thailand.
There is no gambling.
everyone just growing rice in the fields.
lets wind the clock back a few centuries then.
INTERNATIONAL HUMANITY FOUNDATION, We provide education assistance, orphanages, emergency relief, medical clinics, and farming assistance for some of the world's poorest people in Indonesia, Kenya, and Thailand. www.ihfonline.org,
Firstly, I've said countless times I'm not on either side and don't condone the violence/bombs thrown at PAD people either.super joe,
please explain how you would respond to this government.
they are trying to change the constitution without a referendum. changes that would allow banned politicians to return to politics and also Mr T. to return to Thailand, a free man. forget the two year sentence and forget the thousand million pounds that he stole from the Thai people. also forget the attempted bribe of a high court judge. what about the violence used by government supporters on the PAD. how many bombs need to be thrown at them.?? normal protests will have no effect on this government. so if your Thai and you care about your country please tell me what to do.? not the ballot box, vote buying removes that option. remember not so long ago Nelson Mandela was considered a terrorist.
miked
Don't agree with the change to constitution but don't agree either with the other sides aim to dispand democracy with 70% non-democratically elected MP's.
Don't know how to go about it, but I wouldn't go out with 6 mates and buy the longest machette I can find and drag someone off a motorbike and beat him within an inch of his life.
Problem is when you give into violence, its like dealing with terrorists, they know it works. So lets say the government resign and a.n.other lot get in, guess what the blokes in the red shirts will do, pop down the airport ........................
SJ
Close squeak, but we flew out on Tuesday
My mate and I were due to fly out on BA7311 to London on Tuesday night.
When the cab picked us up at our hotel Tuesday at 5 pm he said there were problems at the airport and was "up to you" if we still went.
We gambled and thankfully the cabbie new the back way into the airport after coming off the motorway before the blockage. It took us a while, but most of the cabs knew this way in and we were dropped off on the ground floor of the airport around 8.30 pm.
We came in on the road underneath the motorway and could see just miles of cars at a standstill above us, with people walking long distances, many with big suitcases, towards the airport terminal.
We got up to the departures floor and checked in. Our flight was already delayed an hour and at that particular time it seemed business as usual, despite the melee of people, cops and security outside the terminal.
We quickly went through immigration and into the inner sanctum, making our way to the BA/Qantas lounge.
There we decided to just take advantage of the free booze, waiting to see what happened.
It was frustrating as the BA/Qantas staff made no announcements, which resulted in loads of people continuously going up to the desk to see what the hell was going on.
Every half our either me or my mate would go downstairs to one of the smoking rooms, checking the screens on the way back. Each time more and more flights had "cancelled" next to them. Our still showed a delay but a departure time of 1.15 am.
Finally after what seemed ages they made an announcement in the BA lounge that BA 10 was cancelled and that everyone on that flight would be ferried off to a hotel.
Many of them tried to get on our flight, though this was pretty full.
We could see what was going to happen and after seeing almost every other flight cancelled we just prayed that our flight would take off as it was obvious the airport was going to completely grind to a halt.
Our flight was coming in from Sydney and the staff explained when I asked that the flight was definitely landing in BKK but that they were unsure if the replacement crew could get to the airport. That was the biggest problem as the crew flying from Sydney to BKK couldn't take us to London due to the restrictions on how many hours they could fly.
It got to 1 am and we were beginning to think we'd end up sleeping in the airport and we were planning to get back to Hua Hin!!
Just after 1 they announced the flight was boarding!!! It must have been the quickest 747 turnaround in history as by the time all of us in the lounge got to the gate it was final call.
They'd filled the plane to capacity with as many BA10 passengers as could fit in. For us, it was great, as we're both silver card holders and were already booked in Premium Economy and we got bumped up to business.
We scrambled on the plane after getting new boarding cards and off we went.
Although the crew wouldn't admit it, my bet is that it was the same crew that came from Sydney. They just wanted out of there and knowing it was probably the last chance for a few days off we went.
Looking at the screens before we boarded it looked like we were the last flight to take off, all other flights were cancelled.
So, for us, all worked out fine, but we were lucky.
I felt so sorry for the BA 10 passengers who were ferried off in a bus.
We landed back in UK only 30 mins later than scheduled after taking off more than 2 hours late. Guess the pilot really did want to get out of there!!
When the cab picked us up at our hotel Tuesday at 5 pm he said there were problems at the airport and was "up to you" if we still went.
We gambled and thankfully the cabbie new the back way into the airport after coming off the motorway before the blockage. It took us a while, but most of the cabs knew this way in and we were dropped off on the ground floor of the airport around 8.30 pm.
We came in on the road underneath the motorway and could see just miles of cars at a standstill above us, with people walking long distances, many with big suitcases, towards the airport terminal.
We got up to the departures floor and checked in. Our flight was already delayed an hour and at that particular time it seemed business as usual, despite the melee of people, cops and security outside the terminal.
We quickly went through immigration and into the inner sanctum, making our way to the BA/Qantas lounge.
There we decided to just take advantage of the free booze, waiting to see what happened.
It was frustrating as the BA/Qantas staff made no announcements, which resulted in loads of people continuously going up to the desk to see what the hell was going on.
Every half our either me or my mate would go downstairs to one of the smoking rooms, checking the screens on the way back. Each time more and more flights had "cancelled" next to them. Our still showed a delay but a departure time of 1.15 am.
Finally after what seemed ages they made an announcement in the BA lounge that BA 10 was cancelled and that everyone on that flight would be ferried off to a hotel.
Many of them tried to get on our flight, though this was pretty full.
We could see what was going to happen and after seeing almost every other flight cancelled we just prayed that our flight would take off as it was obvious the airport was going to completely grind to a halt.
Our flight was coming in from Sydney and the staff explained when I asked that the flight was definitely landing in BKK but that they were unsure if the replacement crew could get to the airport. That was the biggest problem as the crew flying from Sydney to BKK couldn't take us to London due to the restrictions on how many hours they could fly.
It got to 1 am and we were beginning to think we'd end up sleeping in the airport and we were planning to get back to Hua Hin!!
Just after 1 they announced the flight was boarding!!! It must have been the quickest 747 turnaround in history as by the time all of us in the lounge got to the gate it was final call.
They'd filled the plane to capacity with as many BA10 passengers as could fit in. For us, it was great, as we're both silver card holders and were already booked in Premium Economy and we got bumped up to business.
We scrambled on the plane after getting new boarding cards and off we went.
Although the crew wouldn't admit it, my bet is that it was the same crew that came from Sydney. They just wanted out of there and knowing it was probably the last chance for a few days off we went.
Looking at the screens before we boarded it looked like we were the last flight to take off, all other flights were cancelled.
So, for us, all worked out fine, but we were lucky.
I felt so sorry for the BA 10 passengers who were ferried off in a bus.
We landed back in UK only 30 mins later than scheduled after taking off more than 2 hours late. Guess the pilot really did want to get out of there!!
Ipswich Town FC - pride of East Anglia
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The understudy
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[quote="JW"]It looks like tonight is gonna be bad, bloodshed is almost inevitable it seems, but they must realize that what PAD is doing is pretty much terrorism - imagine if this had gone down at Heathrow.
Terrible days for Thailand.[/quote]
JW your word in Bhudd's Ears!
Tonights limited Emergency decree will be enforced and I hope it will happen with little damage to The Airport as possable! I hope The PAD supportes will be removed from premise with normalisty restored there soon!
Your' The understudy!!!
Terrible days for Thailand.[/quote]
JW your word in Bhudd's Ears!
Tonights limited Emergency decree will be enforced and I hope it will happen with little damage to The Airport as possable! I hope The PAD supportes will be removed from premise with normalisty restored there soon!
Your' The understudy!!!
It looks like tonight is gonna be bad, bloodshed is almost inevitable it seems, but they must realize that what PAD is doing is pretty much terrorism - imagine if this had gone down at Heathrow.
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one mans terrorist is another mans freedom fighter.
miked
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one mans terrorist is another mans freedom fighter.
miked
I truly sympathise with anyone that has been directly affected by what is going on, those living here and in business are definitely going to feel the repercussions of this for a long time.
Those that are blaming only one side are very misinformed, it is the system that is at fault, the system that has allowed this to happen in the first place. In any country where one man is allowed to become so powerful that he thinks he is above the law there will be problems, there are plenty of examples, I don't need to list them. Sadly protests and violence are the results, the solution (as said before here) is for that individual to face the music he has created.
Those that are blaming only one side are very misinformed, it is the system that is at fault, the system that has allowed this to happen in the first place. In any country where one man is allowed to become so powerful that he thinks he is above the law there will be problems, there are plenty of examples, I don't need to list them. Sadly protests and violence are the results, the solution (as said before here) is for that individual to face the music he has created.
Who is the happier man, he who has braved the storm of life and lived or he who has stayed securely on shore and merely existed? - Hunter S Thompson
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margaretcarnes
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Suvarnabhumi Closed
Redzone - it may have looked like a peacefull protest on some TV screens, but yesterday morning Beeb World clearly showed footage (several times repeated) of a guy firing a handgun outside Swampy.
IMO the fact that a state of emergency is now declared - therefore troops ready to mobilise - does not bode well at all. Its true that many Thais are predicting an end to the PADS demo in about 2 days time. How can they be so sure? Somethings afoot that us Farangs don't fully understand and I, like others, fear a lot of bloodshed at Swampy.
However, a country cannot allow itself to be crippled by this type of action, however peacefull it might appear. While I tend to side with the PAD (TRT didn't do a lot for farangs did it?) something has to be done and quickly.
Can't help wondering though what would have happened if Britain had gone through the (ok lengthy) extradition process, and given the PAD what they wanted ie Mr T on a plate, rather than withdraw his visa. Maybe farangs are now paying the price. Lets hope the PAD don't pay with their lives.
IMO the fact that a state of emergency is now declared - therefore troops ready to mobilise - does not bode well at all. Its true that many Thais are predicting an end to the PADS demo in about 2 days time. How can they be so sure? Somethings afoot that us Farangs don't fully understand and I, like others, fear a lot of bloodshed at Swampy.
However, a country cannot allow itself to be crippled by this type of action, however peacefull it might appear. While I tend to side with the PAD (TRT didn't do a lot for farangs did it?) something has to be done and quickly.
Can't help wondering though what would have happened if Britain had gone through the (ok lengthy) extradition process, and given the PAD what they wanted ie Mr T on a plate, rather than withdraw his visa. Maybe farangs are now paying the price. Lets hope the PAD don't pay with their lives.
A sprout is for life - not just for Christmas.
Re: Suvarnabhumi Closed
Since you bought up the topic of farangs can you imagine what Thaksin will do to UK passport holders going for visa extensions in Thailand if the government wins this and he comes back?margaretcarnes wrote: Can't help wondering though what would have happened if Britain had gone through the (ok lengthy) extradition process, and given the PAD what they wanted ie Mr T on a plate, rather than withdraw his visa. Maybe farangs are now paying the price. Lets hope the PAD don't pay with their lives.
Roll on the tanks and get it over with, two more years of military rule would be better that two more minutes of Thaksin or his cronies. That will get rid of the PAD - which is priority number one at the moment.
Who is the happier man, he who has braved the storm of life and lived or he who has stayed securely on shore and merely existed? - Hunter S Thompson
PM was on TVan hour or so ago:
SJ
Liked this part: Amid rumors of a military coup, a government spokesman instructed troops to "stay in their barracks."So that's all you have to do to avoid a coup then. Simple.Report:
BANGKOK — Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat declared a state of emergency at Bangkok’s two commercial airports on Thursday and instructed the police and some military units to deal with protesters occupying the facilities.
The order, announced in a nationally televised address, came after a cabinet meeting in the northern city of Chiang Mai, a location apparently chosen to avoid confrontations with protesters, who in Bangkok are occupying the prime minister’s offices as well as the airports.
"It is necessary for me to announce an emergency decree in some areas," Mr. Somchai said. "There is no intention to harm anyone."
He assigned police, air force and naval units to "take care" of the situation. It was unclear whether this meant they are charged with clearing protestors out of the facilities.
Amid rumors of a military coup, a government spokesman instructed troops to "stay in their barracks."
The closure of Bangkok’s second airport early Thursday severed the last remaining commercial air links to the Thai capital. Until Wednesday, airlines were operating domestic flights out of Don Muang airport, Bangkok’s oldest airfield.
Protesters have vowed to keep the airports shut until the government steps down.
Government supporters who have formed a type of auxiliary, known as the red shirts, said they were growing impatient with the protesters. Weera Musikapong, one of the leaders of the group said in a news conference that the "best way out" of the crisis was to follow the law. "But if the government does not act today or tomorrow the red shirt group and the people must come out and do something."
Protesters have clashed with pro-government forces on several occasions in recent months, leaving at least two people dead and dozens injured.
SJ