Transcript of the above video:

As the title of this video suggests, we are discussing “is the Media being disingenuous about Thai politics?” I want to preface this video by saying I am not talking about Thai Politics per se, I'm talking about the coverage of Thai Politics. I am going to point out one outlet here and that outlet might think I am picking on them, I am not, but it's the most acute that I have seen and look, also all these other International outlets, I kind of like sticking with a few key news services that are kind of my go-tos. So if anything, the one I am pointing out which right here is Bangkok Post, bangkokpost.com, if anything it should be taken as a compliment because I read Bangkok Post all the time and it is at the end of the day really the English language newspaper of record for Bangkok. I think that's a fair statement; there are other outlets the Nation for example, but since ever I have been here I always just kind of went to the Bangkok Post to look for the news. There are a ton of other media outlets that are saying similar things about what has happened and what is happening with regard to Thai Politics, so I am not singling them out, I am just trying to single out the phenomenon here, okay? This is what I am talking about. 

So thought of making this video after reading a recent article from Bangkok Post, bangkokpost.com, the article is titled:  MFP ensures protection for cannabis growers, sellers. And under writer, it says Post reporters and Reuters, so okay it's not just Bangkok Post - the Press generally, the media if you will, again not quite in my opinion putting out the information in a fully elucidated manner, quoting directly: "Re-listing cannabis as a narcotic is a policy of the MFP which," this was a key one that just kind of made me, it was kind of like a little tingle in my ear, "which secured the most House seats in the May 14 general election." Now that is true, they secured the most House seats of one Party. They were the Party that got the most seats, that does not mean they got a majority of seats. They got the most seats of any single party and that is worth pointing out. Now again, nothing that is said here is untrue, I'm not saying that, I'm not saying that. What I am saying is what they got is the most seats for one Party. Now I factored it up, I think they got 151 seats out of 500 so that's about 30% of the total lower chamber. A huge number by the way and not particularly expected but again they got the most seats of a single party, they didn't get the most seats of all the parties. There is another 70% of the seats that are in other parties’ control. Quoting further: "The re-listing is also outlined in the Memorandum of Understanding that Move Forward signed with its seven coalition allies. The drive to decriminalize Cannabis," now that is another one. They have constantly been saying de-criminalized. I really don't like that term, I have never liked that term as a lawyer because decriminalization just means that law enforcement isn't doing their job, they are not criminalizing people for breaking the law. That is not what's happening here. With the removal of Cannabis from the narcotics list last year, Cannabis was legal. In the way that the Thai Legal System works - again what we would call Positive Law in the Common Law vernacular, what I call the doctrine of codification or what I understand to be the doctrine of codification in the Civil Law vernacular, you have to affirmatively make something illegal for it to be illegal. By pulling it off the list and therefore no longer having it on a list of things that are illegal, it is therefore legal. So again 'decriminalize', not really the right word in my opinion. Quoting again: "The drive to decriminalize Cannabis was led by the Bhumjaithai Party which is now in opposition." Okay again presumptively perhaps, but we don't know. We are still waiting for Parliament to convene and when Parliament convenes, we are going to see what kind of coalition is created and what that coalition ultimately looks like. We are not there yet, we are under a caretaker Government following an election, as we discussed in the video that came out right after the election, that's what is going on, sort of a holding pattern if you will. Yes, I think one could say maybe Bhumjaithai is presumptively the opposition by the way things look in the moment, but to say that they are the opposition at this point it is not factually correct, per se. Quoting further: "But the prospect of a reversal by the new Government is sowing panic in an industry that is projected to be worth up to 2 billion over the next few years."

So again, this is an odd situation by any stretch of the imagination and I don't know what is going to happen, I don't think anybody does. Clearly, the Move Forward Party, they have garnered a substantial number of seats, it seems highly logical to presume at this time that that is probably going to be the Government that comes in or at least that's the Government or the Party that is going to head the next governing coalition but it hasn't happened yet. Again, I am not saying this to cause a lot of consternation or anything but at a time like this, specificity regarding the words used to describe what is going on is important because not only do folks inside the country, I mean who sits around and like parses over these things other than a nerd like me, not many people. So again, when words are thrown around cavalierly, it can cause people to not understand what the precise posture of the situation is and that is what I am concerned about because confusion can cause discord and there is no reason for it at this time, there's no reason for it period, in my opinion. I think that there is some sort of solution in the mix here. I am hoping it is a solution that everyone can live with quite frankly but again and not to just point out the Post, I have seen it in other outlets and things but long story short, again with certain aspects of this, more specificity would be better.