Remember the huge kerfuffle that greeted the ousting of then Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra when the Constitutional Court ruled that she had violated the charter when she transferred of National Security Council chief Thawil Pliensri on coming to office in 2011? The anti-democrats screamed about this for a considerable time and the biased court agreed with them in yet another of its politicized edicts.
While it is true that the current military junta tore up the previous military junta’s constitution when it seized power (except the bits on the monarchy, for the junta worries that the king may die at any time and they’ll then have a legal mess on succession) and that few laws apply to it, the double standards now practised are breathtaking.
The Nation states that “[s]everal key officials have been moved to inactive posts as part of the ruling National Council for Peace and Order’s rotation of high-ranking figures.” That is massive understatement. The military dictatorship have sidelined and transferred perhaps hundreds, in government and in state enterprises.
In a pretty garbled report, we think it lists these government positions: Defence Ministry permanent secretary, the attorney-general, the director-general of the Department of Special Investigation, PM’s Office permanent secretary, permanent secretary for Information and Communications Technology, former secretary-general of the Southern Border Provincial Administrative Centre, former House of Representatives secretary-general, Commerce Ministry permanent secretary, Energy Ministry permanent secretary, Finance Ministry permanent secretary, Customs Department director-general, Office of Fiscal Policy director, Defence Ministry deputy permanent secretary, permanent secretary Culture Ministry, Higher Education Commission Office secretary-general, and Basic Education Commission Office secretary-general. There were plenty of other replacements for those replacing these officials.
No complaints from the anti-democrats for this is their plan, as adopted by the military dictatorship, for rooting out the hated “Thaksin regime.” The doubles standards are enormous, but then no one should expect moral high ground or good governance from the fascist junta and its supporters. They can do what they please because that is how the elite operates. No rules for them and draconian laws and biased courts for their opponents.
Political Prisoners in Thailand 
[…] we noted in a recent post, double standards are normal operating procedure for the tin pot dictators. Media reports continue to emphasize […]
[…] Yingluck was sacked by the hopelessly biased Constitutional Court for just one transfer of an offici…. […]
[…] Yes, you read it right, AMNESTY! PPT does recall that there was considerable disdain for the last effort to grant an amnesty, leading to large demonstrations that resulted in the anti-democratic movement and the opportunity for them and then the military to overthrow yet another government. Where are the complaints now? Back then, public pressure forced the Yingluck Shinawatra government to immediately withdraw its poorly conceived amnesty bill. Now, when a military junta wants an amnesty, there is not a peep from Bangkok’s anti-democratic middle class. Their bleating about amnesty turns out to be just one more example of enormous double standards. […]