Specialist Posted February 6, 2014 Report Share Posted February 6, 2014 This should be interesting, since the Civil Court has yet to rule on whether the state of emergency is even legal. Since the police haven't done much of anything so far, are they really willing to start now? What if the court declares it illegal? The Civil Court may or may not have ruled. However, the Constitution Court just DISMISSED a challenge of the emergency decree. While that may not be definitive, it is certainly suggestive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Specialist Posted February 6, 2014 Report Share Posted February 6, 2014 Republic and Monarchy are generally different, and I'm sure you are not suggesting that! I most certainly am not. Read what I wrote a bit more carefully. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Specialist Posted February 6, 2014 Report Share Posted February 6, 2014 And yet another Quotable Quote from Mr Akanat: "Asked about the losses suffered by small businesses, Akanat Promphan, PDRC spokesman, said some sacrifices are required for the country's benefit." Ya gotta love the guy. He's telegraphing every punch. Who gets to decide who gets to make the sacrifices? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flashermac Posted February 6, 2014 Author Report Share Posted February 6, 2014 The Civil Court may or may not have ruled. However, the Constitution Court just DISMISSEDa challenge of the emergency decree. While that may not be definitive, it is certainly suggestive. The court dismissed a challenge on the basis that the state of emergency benefited the caretaker government in the election, which was dismissed for lack of evidence. That is quite different from ruling on the legality of the declaration itself. Critics maintain the caretaker government has no authority to declare a state of emergency - period. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cavanami Posted February 6, 2014 Report Share Posted February 6, 2014 It would seem that the caretaker government would be able to do whatever was in the best interests of the country. If there was masses of bleeding people in the streets, that would mean the caretaker government should be able to declare a state on emergency...just common sense. *** If *** there are legal restrictions, then the Army must step in to stop the blood letting meaning a coupe and the end of the caretaker government. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flashermac Posted February 6, 2014 Author Report Share Posted February 6, 2014 Since when has common sense had anything to do with Thailand? Quite simply, the Constitution does not give any powers to a caretaker government except those necessary to conduct the normal day to day business of running the country. It is a glaring omission, but it was obviously never foreseen. Still, the authority is lacking. BTW, Thaksin when "overthrown" was also the head of a caretaker government, the previous election having been ruled invalid because of corruption and assorted irregularities. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BelgianBoy Posted February 6, 2014 Report Share Posted February 6, 2014 .......the normal day to day business of running the country....... you misspelled something.......should read : .......the normal day to day business of ruining the country....... voila, corrected. BB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YimSiam Posted February 6, 2014 Report Share Posted February 6, 2014 Had a good view of the crowd at the Asoke intersection last night, and while I couldn't understand the words of the speeches - and was distracted from the protests, as I was at the time sharing the corner short-time room at the Asoke hotel with two old friends from a Cowboy bar, and we had a lot of ground to cover in only a couple hours - we did enjoy the classic rock they played for a while. I've been to three of these sites so far - as far as popular demonstrations go, these are absolutely not truly popular demonstrations by any measure, they are mysteriously organized skeleton events whose pomp far exceeds any real support or substance. I would guess that the majority of attendees during quiet times are paid, or otherwise 'facilitated' through incentives. At Asoke and on Silom especially, the main draw is a street fair - consumer event, not protest. There were good views both from the bedroom window, as well as from the shower. Quite convenient to get an elevated yet still intimate view, and to any at the PDRC event who might have been offended when we forgot to pull the shower window blind closed for a while: my apologies, I was a little drunk and not at my best... Will show more enthusiasm next time. Getting to my point: nothing in Thailand is as it seems, one learns slowly (in this regard, see the recent discussions of the ladyboy issue...) Popular protests seen around the world turn out to be empty, cynical ploys meant only to destabilize and demonize the current government, which it can't beat through the ballot box. Courts are not final adjudicators of law and fact, but simply measures of the current power environment (who has how much weight at any given moment), or blunt instruments of power-holders. The Constitution is less a traditional basic law establishing the structures of government and rights of citizens than it is simply a near-random backdrop against which a continuing readjustment of a complex web of interests takes place - providing not so much any substance of government, as just the fora and terminology to be used in resolving conflicts. The old-school elites used to just have to struggle amongst themselves for better position, with communists and wild tigers minor irritants at the periphery. They kept structure and principle light in governance, and hit the restart button whenever things got sticky - no real lasting laws, just an authority above the fray. Now they've got Thaksin, who threatens to upend this whole old-boys club, ultimately threatening to takeover much of the referee role for their infighting (current referee finally vulnerable after an amazing number of years...) The referee role - however ill-defined or symbolic it may appear - can't be allowed to be at risk, and the business of government let fall directly into the hands of the people, because... uh, well... because... that's been the framework that helped shepherd into existence a collection of interests held by a limited number of persons, and those people don't want their interests put to risk, opened to competition, or otherwise subjected to the will of the people. So they have to fight him off, but it is proving more difficult than expected. Normal coup didn't work, and allowing the people to choose by democratic vote is out of the question - they know how little they have to offer: colored shirts is no longer enough. So they go for faux-popular mass action on a sensitive issue (corruption) while hinting at bigger issues (rich people's money being directed towards poor people). They know the army will stand by, regardless of the ease with which the blockades could be removed and order restored. They know that Thais have virtually no political awareness, so the speeches just need to entertain and pander to urban sensibilities (the ones bused in will sit until the next meal, no need to pander to them...) International media loves a popular demonstration, and this one has proved no exception - despite it being fundamentally non-popular, anti-democratic, and incoherent in both its ideas and its rhetoric. The taxi drivers abide. The police are impotent. With the protests revealed each day more poorly attended, it looks like the elites may just have to find another way to get this gov't out, since the protests are quiet and it seems the police can't be provoked no matter what happens. Pheu Thai can't just be dissolved, it seems. Besides, been there, done that. But wait... what if one of her policies was made to fail? Not just the usual 'nothing really happened, where did the money go' failure - but massive! International level! And if the impact of that failure could be felt by the farmers who most support Pheu Thai? Brilliant. Gentleman, Bankers of Thailand's major government banks and lenders, it is time for Operation Rice. From today, by every means necessary (but especially by cynically expressing your concerning about legality and corruption) prevent the government from accessing the cash it needs for the operation of the rice program. Let's see how this works - and get us some farmers down to protest, too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waerth Posted February 6, 2014 Report Share Posted February 6, 2014 For someone whom said he was a) drunk and b ) said he cannot understand the speeches you are making a lot of bold statements Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BelgianBoy Posted February 6, 2014 Report Share Posted February 6, 2014 For someone whom said he was a) drunk and b ) said he cannot understand the speeches you are making a lot of bold statements keep on writing YimSiam, I like the way you have with words as for the ST hotel at the corner of Asoke and SoiCowboy, you mention "couple hours" but I was under the assumption ST is only in the vicinity of one hour....correct me please. BB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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