Political un-rest and rally

[PeteC]

The Australian and the Brit have been indicted but full charges are unclear at the moment. At minimum it's for violating the emergency law. The court is not fooling around this time it appears. Pete

[buksida]

Yep, here is a bit from the Post:

Two foreigners, a Briton and an Australian, have been indicted in Pathumwan District Court for violating the emergency decree while participating in the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD) anti-government protest, which ran from March 14 to May 19.

The Australian, Conor David Purcell, 30, and the Briton, Jeff Savage, 49, each face up to two years in jail if convicted.

The prosecution on Thursday brought two, separate, charges against them. They pleaded not guilty.

Since nobody showed up to seek their release on bail, they were sent to Bangkok Remand Prison.

The court is expected to schedule hearings of the cases between August and September.

These two muppets deserve to be banged up for a while, they give us all a bad rep. I wonder if any of the red shirt leaders will bail them out using the millions in their bank accounts?

[STEVE G]

Apparently the two years is just for violating the emergency decree, they could get much longer for more serious offences related to inciting arson or whatever.

[Spitfire]

F wits, both of them, throw the book at them and make an example of them for damaging Thai-visitor relations and tarnishing us all by being a bad example.

[pharvey]

"Briton Jeff Savage, 48, screamed abusive comments about Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva as he was led past reporters, calling him "a murderer" and insulting Abhisit's wife".

Well, the prat is certainly endearing himself to some.........

As buksida says, these @rseholes should be banged up for a few years in a prison deserving of their "intellect".

[sandman67]

Nattawut, the next Bobby Sands?

Red-shirt leader and terrorism suspect Nattawut Saikua may decide to contest the byelection for Bangkok Constituency 6, scheduled for July 25, Pheu Thai MP Jatuporn Promphan said on Friday.

"Following the check on Nattawut's qualifications, a petition will be lodged to seek the judicial permission to take him out of his remand cell to register for his candidacy," Jatuporn said.

He said Nattawut had a good chance for victory just like the case in Northern Ireland where Irish dissident Bobby Sands campaigned and won from his prison cell.

Nattawut's campaign would shed light on the culprits behind the torching of Central World during the unrest, he said.

Under the election law, there is no ban for a candidate to campaign under remand.

The byelection is to fill the House seat previously occupied by Democrat MP Tiva Ngernyuang who passed

so the Reds are NOT a terrorist organisation then?

O Rillly????

Seems they dont agree ....

[PeteC]

It's time to start reading again folks as things are heating up. Accusations and counter accusations. Goal to take the momentum away from the government.

Khun Anand, one of if not the most lily white players this country has ever had being accused of... "doing terrible things to the country before..." but no specifics stated either by Jutaporn or the Bangkok Post. Then, why bloody report it! Anand was the author of the 1997 Constitution which is what they want re-instituted!

The wheel is turning again, Abahsit better watch out or he'll lose his thunder and we'll start all over again. Pete

http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/politic ... opposition

http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/politic ... pm-request

http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/politic ... regulation

http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/local/1 ... -on-may-23

[buksida]

Are these guys absolutely nuts or is this a bad joke ...

The Puea Thai party may have some special reason to field Natthawuit Saikua as a candidate in Bangkok's constituency 6 by-election, but many Bangkokians view him as a vividly remembered bully and a provocateur of the recent violence in the capital.

The opposition Puea Thai party will decide this week if it will contest the July 25 by-election in Bangkok’s constituency 6 and, if so, whether it should field Natthawut Saikua, one of the three core leaders of the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship, or another candidate.

Full Story: http://www.bangkokpost.com/opinion/opin ... y-election

This is the guy that instructed the mob to burn the city ...

[STEVE G]

I suppose this bit explains it:

The rationale for Mr Natthawut’s candidacy is that it would put pressure on the court to grant bail to the red-shirt leader who has been detained since May 19 on terrorism and other criminal charges in connection with the red-shirt protest in Bangkok.

[charlesh]

The new Nero - all he needs now is a new "fiddle". Surprised he wasn't greeted with well wishers presenting roses to him at the local cop shop with all the cops smiling like hyenas in waiting.

[PeteC]

Every once in awhile something specific sneaks out in the news which drives home some of the core reasons causing the discontent in this country. The below, to me, is one of those. Here is an excerpt:

"Another issue worthy of consideration is the practice by the Commerce Ministry of controlling the prices of certain necessary commodities for the benefit of consumers in Bangkok, while people in the countryside are made to shoulder higher prices. This is a double standard -- an iniquity compounded by the fact that rural people are generally poorer than people in the capital.

It is ridiculous that rural people should have to pay more for almost every consumer product, including sugar, than people pay in comparatively wealthy Bangkok. The standard explanation -- that country people must meet the added cost of transportation is blatantly unfair.
Instead, the burden should be shifted to the better-off consumers in the city."

Full article: http://www.bangkokpost.com/opinion/opin ... sing-sugar

Pete

[richard]

AND WHERE IS THE SUGAR GROWN????????

[STEVE G]

As far as the price of sugar goes, I know that up in our Issan village they don't use refined granulated sugar very much, probably because of the cost.
In the market you can buy cone shaped chunks of raw sugar which I assume is made locally from cane.
I wouldn't be surprised if much of that missing sugar stock had been exported.

[cozza]

I have land that sugar cane growers rent.

The cane grown on it as far as I know is for ethanol, not sugar...which could be the reason it is expensive.

I would suggest to the lawmakers, considering using other fuels.

Maybe not so easy, don't know all aspects to it...

[charlesh]

Yeah the sugar spot prices have been good so I expect some speculation has entered the market. My bro in law had to wait nearly 3 days to unload his produce up country along with hundreds of trucks, trailers and received a somewhat average price. I also suspect stockpiling by sugar manufacturers. Noted to that the bins at Tesco have been empty of refined sugar on a number of occasions.
Cozza excuse me but the use of ethanol in petrol is meant to reduce demand on a limited resource ( not for BP however ha, ha). What other fuels are you talking about?
And prcsst the added cost for transport is not unfair it is a reality of life everywhere in the world. Surprised with the sugar argument though considering the location of sugar making plants are NOT in Bangkok.
Why should city dwellers subsidise those elsewhere? You could of course have a controlled price system but those free marketeers would call it communism.