sigmoid wrote:

a lot of unhappy expats now in Thailand regarding this issue

Well, it should be obvious by now that, other than trying to keep up appearances and prevent the economy from completely collapsing, everything the junta is doing, has been doing and will be doing is focused on one thing and one thing only, which is basically to prepare for "war".

The internet is a very BIG problem in terms of information coming in and communications between the leaders and members of various factions.

The junta will continue to seek total control of all media and communications, so that it can effectively stage manage the big upcoming event. Until that time, Thailand will remain in suspension with less and less focus on drafting the constitution, talking about elections, paying lip service to human rights, etc.

There is only one thing happening in Thailand now and that is the jockeying for position by the multiple factions who want to influence the outcome of the Big Event.

There may be a lot of unhappy expats in Thailand now, but they will be a lot more soon, especially those who have been in denial and have not made plans to exit the country, if necessary.

" There may be a lot of unhappy expats in Thailand now, but they will be a lot more soon, especially those who have been in denial and have not made plans to exit the country"

fully agree. Particularly those who have bought expensive homes and who remain incredibly bullish regarding the Thai property market and seem to fail to understand the ramifications of this issue without even mentioning global economic factors. this is certainly not a time for foreigners to be entrenched in Thailand thinking its home from home.enjoy it while you can but don't be under any illusion that it can offer permanency.
Right now the scenario in Thailand reminds me very much of the words of Neil McCauley played by Robert De Niro in the brilliant movie " Heat "

“Don't let yourself get attached to anything you are not willing to walk out on in 30 seconds flat if you feel the heat around the corner.”

phuketrichard wrote:to much info to impart here; make of this what u wish
Running away BEFORE the army seized control last year to Hamphire
His forced divorce from his wife
his plane being impounded in Germany

This is will give u some idea even thou written awhile ago;

Meanwhile, Thaksin has a plan for the day the King dies, counting on the ascension of the Crown Prince to the throne. The Crown Prince is as reviled among the Thai people as the King, Rama IX, is beloved.
The Thai dread their next King. They call him “Sia O,” a gangster name. Thaksin tried to suborn the Crown Prince by paying off his gambling debts,

read here; http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2 ... ssion.html

Read "A Kingdom in Crisis" ( https://kat.cr/a-kingdom-in-crisis-andr ... 38283.html ) by Andrew MacGregor Marshall

All i can say is, after 30 years living here, nothing would surprise me

what about a scenario that when the big event occurs those in power fail to make it public immediately ( maybe for months ) because it didn't suit them to do so? I mean how would anybody know otherwise?

what about a scenario that when the big event occurs those in power fail to make it public immediately ( maybe for months ) because it didn't suit them to do so? I mean how would anybody know otherwise?

Well, it's certainly possible and there may be rumors to that effect, but the main point is that the longer they postpone the inevitable, the worst the situation will become. So, not sure what the advantage of doing that would be.

Yes, we all know that the Crown Prince is hardly popular but he is respected by some Thais (maybe a minority) and is the official Heir Apparent. He already fulfills many of the ceremonial functions of the King.

Yes, technically speaking, Princess Siridhorn could succeed to the throne. According to wikipedia: "Her title in Thai is the female equivalent of the title held by her brother, Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn. The Thai constitution was altered in 1974 to allow for female succession, thus making her eligible for the throne."

The prudent thing would be to go ahead and make some kind of decision, so that the country can move forward as a modern nation and focus on something other than the outdated monarchy. Of course, politics is always emotional and rarely logical and there is a fortune to gain or lose. They've had decades though to work this out, so it's about time to bite the bullet and bring order out of chaos (ordo ab chao).

Username Taken wrote:^^ How does the military government view him? (The prince, that is).

as a potential puppet?

OP thinks war is the object. Against who? other than the majority? oh, and the idea of democracy.

@PR Good reading. Thx for the links.

Royalist faction 1 vs Royalist faction 2

Army vs Police

Reds vs Yellows

Elites vs Peasants

North vs South

Buddhists vs Muslims

Thai vs Farang

Thai vs Farangs?

the Farangs have no standing in anything that goes on here and each year there presence ( beside "real" tourists) is less and less desired.

Exactly.

So, if a state of anarchy breaks out, do you think farangs and their property will be safe from harm?

How many farangs were shot in '92?