Good evening,

A rhetorical question: how can one tell when a judicial agency is preparing to make a decision wants to make a decision which appears to fly in the face of the evidence? Answer: it passes it off to another court, allegedly. Well, here is a story of the Election Commission preparing to pass the paperwork for the Democrat Party dissolution case to the Constitution Court, which will at the very least delay the decision. The Democrat Party is accused of receiving a 258 million baht donation (in excess of the 10 million permitted) in 2005 (which will indicate the urgency with which the EC has been working on this) as well as other offences which, had it happened to certain other parties, would have led to them being dissolved and all executives banned years ago, or so at least I have heard people say.

Speaking of interesting judicial methodologies, up to one million pro-democracy demonstrators will protest in advance of the February 26^th decision, at least according to Khun Jatuporn Promphan – well, we will see. The military will be out in force anyway.

There is some good news as it looks like S Suthep may be (finally) kicked out of his job: there is evidence for this because he has denied it and, as experience shows, the wise person believes pretty much the opposite of whatever the disgraced former Minister of the Interior says. There are other stories of rifts within the coalition parties of the Abhisit regime as people fall out over what might euphemistically be termed the redistribution of resources. Let us see.

I can not quite exclusively announce: Southiseng, Nittana and John Walsh, "Management of Employee Development: A Case Study of the Telecommunications Sector in Thailand," pp.92-112, Humanities and Social Sciences (2009), Vol.26, No.2, available at: http://www.huso.kku.ac.th/thai/hsJournal/journal/26-2.pdf.

Back tomorrow.

Sir Francis Drake, Trevor Francis, ummmm, your boys are going to take a hell of a beating.

Good evening,

The pro-democracry red shirts are now rallying outside the courts and the office of attorney general (they were setting up along Ratchada Road when I went by this morning – looked like they were establishing a solid base with plenty of stalls, a mobile toilet and load speakers vans, among other resources). The Abhisit regime has responded by announcing a heavy build up of security forces on the streets throughout the Kingdom wherever pro-democracy sentiment is believed to be strong (or, in other words, where people support the opposition) – as many as 35,000 extra police and troops could be on the streets in the run-up to the February 26^th verdict which, it is increasingly widely rumoured, will announce that all of former PM Thaksin Shinawatra’s assets will be seized by the judges. If, as seems likely, this is what the Secret Hand has decided to do, it is possible that there will be vociferous protests and the Abhisit regime has been seeding the media with the idea that it is the demonstrators who will resort to violence.

It is being reported that only some 10% of registered foreign workers have applied for an extension of their licenses, which are due to expire at the end of the month. There are about 1,400,000 workers involved, the majority of whom are Cambodian (1,200,000) with another 100,000 Lao and Burmese workers (obviously, undocumented workers are not included in this). Presumably, many employers (they have to fill in the paperwork) are hanging on a bit before deciding whether they want to continue with the scheme.

The Thai government is to provide 303,000 of the very finest US dollars to finance a 9 km rail link between the capital of Laos, Vientiane, and the Thai network across the border. It is planned that the link will be finished by 2011 – Laos currently has no working railways at all (there is a small track at a Mekong waterfall built by the French but that does not really count).

Back tomorrow.

Told you we would beat the Doncs. Now follow it up with an eight goal slaughtering of the vile Plymouthians tomorrow and all will be well with the world.

Good evening,

Another day and another totally peaceful and calm rally by the pro-democracy demonstrators outside an army base – the 4^th Cavalry Regiment in Bankgok. Other rallies were scheduled. This has not stopped certain individuals spreading more lies about the likelihood of the there being red-shirt violence (presumably to build up the idea that there will need to be a crackdown by the jackboots in the run up to the 26^th of February verdict, although obviously that will be decided entirely according to careful examination of the law). Another obvious lie: here is what little Abhisit has been up to today.  

Meanwhile, in preparation for the visit of Hun Sen to the border region, including the Preah Vihear temple, representatives of the Thai and Cambodian armies have met with a view, it is to be hoped, of working out ways of not shooting at each other for the duration and, preferably, into the future as well. It can easily be imagined that there are certain sets of people who would like to use this event to cause more trouble. We will see and hope that it all passes off peaceably.

More human rights abuses under the dirty Abhisit regime: 161 Karen people are being forced back across the border into Burma where they can expect to be persecuted by the state authorities. The forcible repatriation took place despite the protests of dozens of domestic and international human rights organizations.

My most recent article is published at Webupon and it is entitled ‘Things I Learned by Googling Myself for a Year.”

Back on Monday – I’m teaching here all day tomorrow but probably will not have chance to contribute anything.

The Doncs away – three points absolutely nailed on after our run of one lucky win in a run against one of the worst teams ever seen.

Good afternoon,

Today’s splash concerns school kids becoming sick after being persuaded by older kids to neck a lot of cough drops – on the basis that they would make their skin whiter and help them to relax. More than 80 students have been taken to hospital after suffering from ‘drug intoxication symptoms’ – this story comes after a couple of days (in the Bangkok Post anyway) of front page leads about huge influxes of drugs (methamphetamines mostly) and how we are all going to hell in a handbasket. Will we get another War on Drugs? Irrespective of human rights and so forth, such a policy is always popular among the majority of voters.

The other day I wrote that all charges against the North Korean gun smugglers were to be dropped, following what was then being posted in the media. This turns out to have been premature but there is still doubt about whether charges will in fact be brought forward. Apparently, PAD supporter and flap-mouthed buffoon Kasit Piromya is reported as calling for charges to be dropped for some bizarre reason of his own, no doubt. As things stand, it is going to be up to the Office of the Attorney General to decide how to proceed, if at all, unless someone makes an official request, in which case things might or might not be different, it all depends, you see. Depends on what? Ah, well, that whereof we cannot speak, we must pass over in silence.

After details of the useless GT200 bomb detector equipment brought at almost literally incredible expense by the army, attention focuses on other forms of military purchasing, including the 350 million baby (plus plus, no doubt) “Sky Dragon” – the airship that is supposed to be used in the southern border provinces to give people the message that Big Jackboots is, quite literally, looking at you. It is said that the Dragon cannot fly (or at least has something of a headache and is pining for whatever it is dragons pine for). There are other issues that might be explored – let us hope that the media continues with its unwonted bravery in exploring these issues for the long term.

Back tomorrow.

Mysticism or drunkenness? I’ll drink to that.

Good evening,

Well, the charter change proposals have been filed: 102 MPs have submitted the proposed legislation changes to two sections of the Junta’s Charter: 94 to change from multi-person constituencies to single member constituencies (it seems they feel this overly benefits larger parties with more resources – if there are other reasons, I am not sure what they are) and 190, which makes the government obtain parliamentary support before any international agreement is permitted (and which is just impossible for a modern, sophisticated nation state up with which to have to put, so to speak). Let us see what, if anything, transpires.

Investigations into the usefulness or not of the GT200 bomb detection device has begun – it will be interested to see how this plays out – it seems to be pretty well established internationally that the device is just a stick with a button and a piece of laminated paper and sold at a cost that would make one think someone’s having a laugh. The army, which claims it has been using these things successfully, is going to have to get out of the (not very fierce) questioning as to what they have been playing at and how much was that, again, you spent on these things? I anticipate the usual Thai first step: the committee will meet for a mind-numbingly long length of time (during most of which nothing will happen) before releasing a temporizing report, in the hope that it will all just go away somewhere.

The Stock Exchange of Thailand is up 1.96% on news that I plan to pay my credit card bill this evening. No? But we have been told repeatedly that falls in the stock exchange recently have been because of ‘political instability’ (which is media talk for ‘blame the commies’) and since nothing has changed …

I have had four new reviews published at Bookideas and they are these: The Age of Shakespeare by Frank Kermode, First as Tragedy, then as Farce by Slavoj Zizek, China and Capitalism: A History of Business Enterprise in Modern China by David Faure and The Gates of Anubis by Tim Powers.

Back tomorrow.

It’s little more than a flimsy pretext, isn’t it?

Good evening,

The red-shirted pro-democracy UDD movement has been rallying outside the Ministry of Defence to keep up pressure on the military, which may or may not be planning another military coup – army chief General Anupong ‘the army will remain neutral between the democratically-elected government and a violent, heavily-armed fascist mob’ Paojinda has provoked more speculation by taking a lengthy golfing holiday at tax payers’ expense important fact-finding and diplomatic mission to the USA – thereby, so some believe, leaving the stage clear for whoever is next in line to don the executive jackboots to start the next cycle of misery and oppression. The usual suspects have been denying there will be a coup but we have heard this cant before.*

Leaders of the five junior coalition partners are to submit their bid for changes for the current junta’s charter (forced through under conditions of martial law) tomorrow. It remains to be seen whether they will gain support from either the Democrats (military-installed) or Puea Thai (for whom people vote in large numbers but prevented from taking office by a shadowy but somehow strangely obvious combination of forces) and, if not, whether they will trigger some no confidence type motion which could bring down the current administration.

The Cabinet has ordered tests to be conducted on the obviously rubbish controversial GT200 bomb detection devices which were bought by the army in such large numbers and at such enormous cost but which have been shown to be little better than nominating what is a bomb and what is not completely at random.  

Back tomorrow at some stage.

They sat there until that whole bottle was gone.

* I’m Alan Partridge and on that bombshell …

Good evening,

We still wait to see if there will be another military coup – the pro-democracy demonstrators are doing their bit by planning to rally outside the Ministry of Defence on Tuesday and, throughout the country, outside many army bases (there are a lot of them). Readers might recall that the 2006 coup was (disgracefully) supported by many NGOs, academics (both Thai and foreigners) and other people who should know better – let us hope we do not have to find out whether they have changed their tune now that the right already occupies government.

Meanwhile, Seh Daeng (umm, Mr Red, I suppose), also known as Army Specialist Major General Khattiya Sawasdipol has reported to a police station – he is accused of possessing ‘war weapons’ (you can always tell which side the accused is on because suddenly items become ‘war weapons’ as if other weapons were for some other purpose) and possibly involvement in the grenade attack on General Anupong Paojinda the other day – he denies all charges and alleges that he is being framed with respect to the ‘war weapons’ allegedly found in his home.

Also meanwhile, bags of ‘excrement’ have been lobbed into the garden of super-rich military-installed PM Abhisit Vejjajiva. The bags of ‘excrement’ do not appear to have hurt anyone. It has also been announced that the nine judges who are due to announce their verdict in the assets seizure case on February 26^th are to be given added security – it is not clear whether this is in response to genuine fears for their security or whether it is an attempt to prepare the way for the verdict by characterizing the pro-democracy movement as crazed, violent Thaksin puppets – it would not be the first such step, if this were the case.

Back tomorrow, assuming the martial music holds off on the radio.

1-0. Three points have no smell.

Good afternoon,

Welcome back to the wild and whacky world of the Thai legal system: despite being found piloting an aeroplane containing 35 tonnes of weapons from North Korea secretly, thereby breaking a variety of different laws, prosecutors have decided to drop all charges against the five men concerned. The men themselves have denied all charges and responsibility but a certain measure of evidence seems to be against them – prosecutors have given no reason why they should suddenly take this course of action which appears on the face of it to be, well, let us not be too controversial and say it is ‘unexpected’ and readers can make up their own minds what is going on.

Meanwhile, if there was any doubt that the expensive GT200 ‘bomb detector’ dowsing sticks were pretty useless, then this has been conclusively dispelled by Deputy Prime Minister Suthep ‘Einstein-Newton-Hawking’ Thaugsuban, who has announced that are working very effectively in the South. Even Army Chief Anupong ‘No Coup’ Paojinda has been reduced to conceding that if the devices are found not to work terribly well, then he will revisit the decision to use them and not buy any more, so there.

Pro-democracy supporters have begun a demonstration outside the army headquarters on Rajadamnern Nok Road which is so far said to be peaceful and free of provocateur blue shirts or double agents – but stay away in any case. The protestors are demonstrating against a possible further military coup (it’s going to be on or about February 26^th, if it does happen is what I have heard), against the previous 2006 coup and the ripping up of the People’s Constitution and, I suppose, the decades of violence and abuse meted out to the Thai people by the establishment with the army as its major tool for ensuring compliance.

Back on Monday.

It’s Barnsley. Only Barnsley – fail to win and it must be McDermott out irrevocably, no saving throw, nothing.

Good evening,

The jackboots have been rallying the troops in a manoeuvre taken to be a show of support for the Democrats (their mouthpieces) and a warning to the (ex-)coalition parties that if they join Puea Thai (successor to People’s Power Party, which was itself successor to Thai Rak Thai) then there will be tanks and blood on the streets once more. It is starting to look like this will all end in tears – pro-democracy supporters continue to rally outside the Chiang Mai police station; they will also rally in front of army HQ on Friday (tomorrow, then, presumably) to determine the army’s intentions concerning the prospective coup. Beware of interventions by agents provocateurs.

Another Privy Councillor has been accused of encroachment: General Pichitr Kullavanijaya,* for it is he, is accused of building a house in a public swamp and attached land – well, no one ever accused the jackboots of being Albert Einsteins.

Trifecta: the jackboots are now denying criticism that they bought the (obviously useless) GT2000 bomb detectors (and certainly it was nothing to do with brown envelopes passed under the table) and say that they are not that bad, really, if you hold them up to the light …

Today I have been occupied in part by:

Ty, Makararavy, John Walsh and Pacapol Anurit, “An Empirical Assessment of Relationship between National Culture and Learning Capability in Cambodia,” paper presented at the International Colloquium on Business and Management, Bangkok (January 26^th-28^th, 2010).

The paper by Myat Su Yin (and self) won the award for best paper in the student section (she is the student, not I).

I might also mention that a new article has been published at Socyberty: Kings and Queens of England: Brutus. Also, click this. Go on, you know you want to really.

Back tomorrow on what should be a more regular schedule.

We are going to be relegated; nothing can possibly change this debilitating realization. 

* funny how their parents always give them the first name, ‘General.’

Good evening,

Military leaders and their lackeys have again been denying that they are planning [yet another, wholly disastrous] military coup this or probably next month. Not everyone is convinced, with the pro-democracy UDD red-shirt movement planning to rally on or outside army bases until they receive assurances or clarifications concerning what is happening. It is doubtful that any new coup could be described as ‘bloodless,’ based on what people are saying – but that is only rumour and anecdote. Perhaps everything will be fine …

The judges strike again. When it comes to predicting what will happen in the near future, actions (I suggest) speak louder than words (see above).

Meanwhile, as suggested yesterday, coalition partners are using their leverage over the split in determining whether or not to amend the jackboots constitution to threaten the cockroach Democrat party. There is likely to be a fair amount of this, I suspect, before anything actually happens, if it ever does. Based on the two stories above, they had better get a move on if they want this to make a difference.

Today I have been largely occupied with:

Anantarangsi, Sittichai and John Walsh, “Economic Impact of Street Vending in Bangkok and Kunming: A Comparative Study,” paper presented at International Colloquium on Business and Management, Bangkok (January 26^th-28^th, 2010).

Walsh, John, “The Rise and Fall of the East Asian Economic Model in Thailand,” paper presented at International Colloquium on Business and Management, Bangkok (January 26^th-28^th, 2010).

Southiseng, Nittana and John Walsh, “Human Resource Management in the Telecommunications Sector of Laos,” paper presented at International Colloquium on Business and Management, Bangkok (January 26^th-28^th, 2010).

There is one more to go tomorrow morning and then it should be back to business more or less as normal.

Back, therefore, it is to be hoped, tomorrow.

Three bloody nil? McDermott out, now!