To much applause....
"Thai army ruler named prime minister" Associated Press August 22, 2014
BANGKOK — Three months after overthrowing an elected government, Thailand’s junta leader is stepping out of his army uniform to take up the post of prime minister in a move critics say will prolong his rule and bolster the military’s grip on power.
Overthrown like in Ukraine?
Thailand’s legislature voted overwhelmingly Thursday to name General Prayuth Chan-ocha to the new job. There was little doubt over the outcome since Prayuth was the only candidate and the assembly — hand-picked by the junta — is dominated by active-duty and retired officers.
The 60-year-old leader is due to retire from the army next month and until then will hold both positions.
Thursday’s appointment appears aimed at keeping him at the helm as the military implements sweeping political reforms critics say are designed to purge the ousted ruling party’s influence and benefit an elite minority that has failed to win national elections for more than a decade.
Okay, I've seen enough. The purged people are the NWO, Wall Street stooges that the people were sick of, the same masses of people that are an elite minority. This agenda-pushing, ax-grinding crap is such garbage.
Prayuth has effectively served as de facto prime minister since staging the May 22 coup. For several years before that, he held the position of army chief, a post many regard as one of the country’s most powerful. Thailand’s military has a history of intervening in politics and has seized power 12 times since the end of the absolute monarchy in 1932.
‘‘He could have refused the job, but what would be the point?’’ said Pavin Chachavalpongpun, a Thai professor of Southeast Asian studies at Japan’s Kyoto University.
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"Thai junta leader assumes prime minister post" Associated Press August 26, 2014
BANGKOK — Thailand’s junta leader, who seized power in a military coup three months ago, officially assumed his new post as prime minister on Monday following an endorsement from the country’s monarch.
Well, you can't argue with the king, right?
During a ceremony in Bangkok, General Prayuth Chan-ocha accepted a written royal command issued by King Bhumibol Adulyadej certifying his appointment as the country’s 29th prime minister.
Bhumibol, who is 86 and in poor health, was not present at the ceremony.
Thailand’s junta-appointed legislature voted overwhelmingly last week to name the 60-year-old army chief to the new post. He was the only candidate. Prayuth is due to retire from the military next month and will hold both jobs until he does so.
On May 22, Prayuth oversaw a coup in which the military toppled Thailand’s elected civilian government.
Yeah, so? US did it in Ukraine and it's great.
Analysts say his new post cements the military’s control of government.
In my country the military's control has been fossilized.
The prime minister decision was the latest in a series of moves by the junta to consolidate power on its own terms. In July, the military adopted a temporary 48-article constitution and appointed the legislature.
Prayuth, who is expected to name his Cabinet next month, has said elections could be held in 2015. Prayuth has said the army had to stage the coup to end half a year of political deadlock between protesters and the government and to stop sporadic protest-related violence that had killed dozens of people. While stability has been restored, it has come at a steep price: Thailand’s democratic institutions have been dismantled, and the country’s authoritarian rulers have crushed dissent.
They listened to dissent and not the elite and did what was good for the country. The one-sided sh** tells you those protests were not approved agenda-pushing controlled opposition.
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"Twist in ex-Thai leaders’ murder case" New York Times August 29, 2014
BANGKOK — A criminal court in Bangkok on Thursday dismissed a murder case against a former prime minister and his deputy, a contentious decision likely to rekindle political animosity in military-ruled Thailand.
Oh, now THAT DOES IT!
You ready to INVADE THAILAND, Americans?!!
Abhisit Vejjajiva, the former prime minister, and Suthep Thaugsuban, the former deputy prime minister, are accused of premeditated and attempted murder for ordering the military to clear central Bangkok of antigovernment protesters four years ago, an operation that left dozens of people dead and thousands injured, including protesters, journalists, and bystanders.
Our leaders should have been tried in the wake of Occupy!
The Criminal Court of Thailand previously ruled that some of the protesters were killed by bullets coming from the direction of troops.
Or agent provocateurs that supported the unnamed(?) famous family of Thailand.
But the court Thursday ruled that it did not have jurisdiction to judge Abhisit and Suthep, who gave the orders for soldiers to use live ammunition. The judges ruled that it was the jurisdiction of another court, a division of the Supreme Court that deals with political officeholders.
The decision was disputed even from within the court itself. The Thai media reported that the decision was accompanied by a separate “note of disagreement” by Thongchai Senamontri, the president of the Criminal Court, who said the court had the authority to rule on the case.
The court’s decision transfers the prosecution into the hands of the National Anticorruption Commission, an institution that has no experience with murder trials.
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Judge the Thailand coverage for yourself to see if the Globe has done them justice since the "junta" took over.
