TRT is the end near...?

[Mentors]

 

Not political comments, just facts. Since a while Godfather Sanoh Thientong running

attacks against Thaksin and TRT.

 

read about the newest rumble:

 

THE NATION

 

Belligerent Snoh hurls abuse

Published on June 16, 2005

 

An out-of-control Snoh Thien-thong hurled abuse at Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra yesterday, accusing the ruling party of plundering the country.

 

In his strongest anti-Thaksin attack so far, peppered with expletives, Snoh startled participants at a constitutional seminar held at Sukhothai Thammathirat Open University by charging that the prime minister was becoming intoxicated with power and that corruption on an unprecedented scale was consuming Thailand.

 

?Do you ?.ing think you?re the only one with the money? Do you .?ing think you own Thailand?? said the Thai Rak Thai rebel leader, referring to Thaksin?s claim that he did not care who defected from his party and that he would continue to pay the salaries of defectors until they changed parties.

 

He said that when the Chat Thai Party ruled Thailand, there was corruption ?here and there?, but that ?the present ruling party is plundering the nation?. Snoh?s most belligerent outburst yet came as Transport Minister Suriya Jung-rungreangkit, one of the ruling party?s most powerful figures, faces a political storm after the opposition yesterday filed a no-confidence motion with him as its sole target.

 

With Snoh-led Thai Rak Thai rebels threatening to embarrass him at the censure vote by possibly siding with the opposition or abstaining, Suriya?s future as transport minister and secretary-general of the ruling party has suddenly become clouded.

 

In the censure motion it filed against Suriya, the opposition accuses him of mismanagement and of having caused severe damage to Thailand?s reputation and image in the world community as a result of the CTX scandal.

 

The opposition said in its motion that Suriya condoned suspected irregularities in the deal to buy US-made CTX 9000 scanning machines for Bangkok?s Suvarnabhumi Airport.

 

Democrat Party secretary-general Suthep Thaugsuban led a group of opposition MPs from the Democrat and Chat Thai parties in submitting the motion to House Speaker Bhokin Bhalakula before noon yesterday.

 

Democrat Party leader Abhisit Vejjajiva and Chat Thai Party leader Banharn Silapa-archa jointly signed the motion, as did all 121 MPs from the two parties.

 

Suthep said yesterday that he believed the censure debate would leave Suriya in ?deep trouble?. He did not elaborate.

 

The censure debate has been scheduled for June 27, with voting on the motion scheduled for June 29.

 

Abhisit said yesterday that opposition MPs would focus on the CTX scandal during the debate, particularly on issues that have raised suspicions among the public but remain unanswered by the government.

 

The opposition leader said some 10 Democrat and Chat Thai MPs would take to the floor during the no-confidence debate.

 

Thai Rak Thai dissidents led by veteran politician Snoh have threatened to vote their conscience if the opposition has strong evidence of corruption in the airport project.

 

Snoh, who has all but severed his ties with Thaksin, claimed he would be absent from the debate, but his faction?s members said he told them to listen carefully to the opposition?s information and how Suriya responds to it.

 

?If he can?t answer the opposition?s charges clearly, we [Wang Nam Yen faction members] will find it hard to defy the public?s feelings,? said Suchart Bandasak, a faction member. Wang Nam Yen comprises dozens of MPs but some have been leaning toward the party?s mainstream.

 

Meanwhile, Thaksin yesterday appeared cautious in his support for Suriya, with whom the Thai Rak Thai leader has had far-from-steady relations.

 

?Until now, I have seen no evidence [against him]. If there?s evidence or if I know that he?s done something wrong, I will punish him,? said Thaksin.

 

Suriya yesterday suggested that corruption allegations over the airport project have kept him busy testifying before several parliamentary committees, answering questions from the press, and preparing for the censure debate, and as a result he has had little time to expedite the airport?s construction.

 

?I will see that construction is sped up after the [censure] debate,? he said.

 

The transport minister expressed confidence that he would be able to explain all questions raised by opposition MPs during the debate.

[kamui]

Also no personal comment, but here is a report about what just happened this week in South Africa:

 

 

Zuma: Mbeki's toughest decision

By Justin Pearce

BBC News, Johannesburg

 

South African President Thabo Mbeki's decision to sack his deputy, Jacob Zuma, was one of his toughest political calls.

 

Was he to retain a popular member of his government, or to send out a firm signal against corruption?

 

In the end, it was clean government that won the day, attracting widespread praise for the president.

 

Yet in South Africa, the decision has not been universally welcomed.

 

In his address to a joint sitting of parliament, Mr Mbeki took pains to make clear his responsibilities as president in a case that is unprecedented in South Africa's 11 years of democracy.

 

Careful wording

 

He emphasised the need to respect the presumption of Mr Zuma's innocence, while recognising that the verdict in the trial of Mr Zuma's adviser, Schabir Shaik, had "raised questions of conduct that would be inconsistent with expectations that attend those who hold public office."

 

"He had to be aware of the impact that his announcement would make," political analyst Sipho Seepe said.

 

Mr Mbeki's careful wording seems to have softened the personal blow to Mr Zuma, who later told journalists: "I believe he has taken this decision not because he believes I am guilty of any crime but because of considerations relating to the constraints within which government operates."

 

The ANC and its alliance partners - the South African Communist Party (SACP) and the Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) - have been deeply divided over the question of Mr Zuma's future, Cosatu and the ANC Youth League recently coming out strongly in support of the former deputy president.

 

But the ANC's first official reaction appeared to be an attempt to close ranks.

 

"The ANC reaffirms that the deputy president and the entire leadership of the alliance accept and support the decision of the president," said an ANC statement that must have been drafted with prior knowledge of Mr Mbeki's announcement.

 

Damage control

 

The time-lag of 12 days between Mr Shaik's conviction and Mr Zuma's sacking suggests that the deputy president did not go easily or willingly.

 

At the same time, Mr Zuma's allies in the trade unions and among youth organisations have been rallying in his support, putting Mr Mbeki under immense pressure.

 

 

While we are naturally deeply saddened that a person who played such a major contribution... had to come to this point in his life and career, we fully support the president in the difficult times

Nelson Mandela

The president is thought to have spent the past few days doing what he does best: working behind the scenes to minimise the negative repercussions from his decision.

 

How successful he has been has yet to be seen.

 

One of Mr Zuma's most ardent supporters - Zwelinzima Vavi, secretary-general of the Congress of South African Trade Unions - said he was "devastated" about the decision, but his reaction was more subdued than some of his earlier remarks.

 

South African Youth Congress members in Durban demonstrated in support of Mr Zuma, and the South African Student Congress described President Mbeki's decision as "a hard stone to swallow".

 

But the ANC Youth League, Mr Zuma's most powerful constituency, had not reacted by the end of Tuesday afternoon.

 

Mr Zuma is unlikely to make a comeback in government before Mr Mbeki is due to step down in 2009.

 

But analysts say he may be able to retain support within the ANC and position himself to return to national office in the future.

 

Africa's hope

 

Mr Mbeki's decision was made more urgent by the fact that he is due to lead an African delegation to the G8 summit in the UK early in July.

 

As a representative of a continent trying hard to shake off a reputation for sleazy governance, Mr Mbeki had to move fast and to move decisively.

 

For Professor John Stremlau of the University of the Witwatersrand, Mr Mbeki's announcement "reaffirms South Africa as Africa's last great hope".

 

"This will stand very well with the international community, with business, with the G8, but it was directed at South Africans," Professor Stremlau said.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/4092282.stm

[Nervous_Dog]

The South African case was very interesting!

 

DOG

[Mentors]

also an interesting report!

 

Welcome to the no political comment thread! ::

[whosyourdaddy]

Time to invest in SHIN?? I am sure he is going to make some ratical changes in the economy to favour his companies.

[Mentors]

Post deleted by Mentors

[Mentors]

Mentors said:

again, no large political comments, just facts

 

fro the NATION, today

 

Abhisit closes gap with premier as criticism of govt?s handling of economy, South, corruption grows

 

Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra?s popularity ratings have plunged to their lowest level in several years ::and his government is facing a barrage of criticism, as opposition leader Abhisit Vejjajiva trails closely behind him, according to the findings of a survey released yesterday.

 

Results of the latest survey by Assumption University?s Abac Poll Research Centre were released yesterday amid mounting discontent with the government?s performance in dealing with economic and corruption problems.

 

Respected figures such as social critic Prawase Wasi and former prime minister Prem Tinsulanonda have, over the past week, strongly condemned what they perceive as worsening nepotism and corruption in the administration.

In the latest survey, it was found that 45.9 per cent of the respondents favoured Thaksin, compared to 38.8 per cent for Abhisit.

This is a big decline for the prime minister, who received a 77.5 per cent approval rating in the previous Abac Poll in February, at the time of the Thai Rak Thai Party?s landslide election victory.

 

The majority of those surveyed said that they were not convinced that the government would be able to solve the current economic and corruption problems.

More than 40 per cent of the respondents said they ?had no confidence? that the government would be able to solve the economic problems, compared to almost 14 per cent who believed it could. In terms of the corruption problems, over 47 per cent said they did not believe in the government?s ability to deal with corruption, compared to less than 15 per cent who did.

Of those surveyed 18.5 per cent called for a change of government while 75.1 per cent of the respondents said they were happy for the government to remain in power.

The survey was conducted on 4,634 people in 25 provinces in all regions of the country between June 20 and July 9.

The popularity of the ruling party remained relatively high in all regions, except in the South, which is the stronghold of the opposition Democrat Party. In total, 45 per cent of the respondents favoured the TRT, compared to 37 per cent for the Democrats. The rest said they had no comment on the issue.

 

Noppadon Kannikar, the director of the university?s research centre, yesterday said that the survey was not aimed at discrediting the government. He was responding to a defensive stance taken by government figures recently in response to public opinion polls that pointed to growing discontent over corruption problems in the wake of the airport scanner scandal.

?We have good intentions towards the government. It could use the findings to strengthen its stability and restore public confidence,? he said.

Meanwhile, respected public figures yesterday threw their support behind Prem?s remarks against the incumbent administration.

 

Prem on Saturday accused the government of using ?a double standard?: one for ?family and friends? and another for the rest of the country. He also warned the government that it must curb the rampant corruption or face being removed from office before its term ends. The elder statesman was speaking at a seminar held at the National Institute of Development Administration.

 

Paiboon Wattanasiritham, the chairman of the Community Organisations Development Institute, said the remarks should remind those in power that corruption is so widespread that the country needs urgent and serious efforts to solve the problem. ?All parties, especially those in politics, should be ethical when carrying out their work,? he added.

 

Senior academic Sem Primpuangkaew said the government should embrace ethics in solving the corruption problem. ?Among them are honesty and justice,? he said.

He also said that the government would never be able to bring peace to the deep South if it did not learn how to be patient and yielding.

 

Without identifying anyone by name, social critic Sulak Sivaraksa added that the head of the government should not protect a corrupt minister, ?The basic qualifications for the government are ethical standards,? he said.

 

Meanwhile, PM?s Office Minister and Thai Rak Thai executive member Suranand Vejjajiva said the incumbent administration respected Prem?s remarks. ?In fact, we think like him on many issues,? he said.

 

Suranand said the government was now trying to put more good people in politics , effectively eradicating space for the bad ones in the process.

?But things can?t be changed overnight and we would like to ask for your support. We share the same goal. We want clean politics and transparency,? he said.

[Bkkbound04]

I suspect that most people have spent the 200 baht that they recieved for their vote, even in Ubon it does'nt buy much ::

 

JP

[jxxxl]

When I started reading about the supposed [doesn't seem to be much polling data to support it] loss of approval for Taksin, I wondered how he could get such an overwhelming mandate in the last election and lose approval in just a few months. But, the vote buying explains a lot.

 

I can't understand how people can sell something so precious as their vote for a few hundred baht.

[Mentors]

I can't understand how people can sell something so precious as their vote for a few hundred baht.

 

 

you are right, but just ask the Isarn people about why...