Hobby, do you not see the problem with people intentionally releasing false information? If a brokerage firm does that, they'd be sued to death and have their license revoked. It's not some mild case of shoplifting, there are billions at stake.

It's one thing if the market moves on rumors of, say, tsunami hitting Eastern Seaboard, it's quite another to create such rumor and then quickly cash in on the panic.

"foolishness of having one person being so integral to the fortunes of a whole country" - like it or not, but the situation exists, and the main reason for this is that no other leader or institution comes even close to having such moral authority.

Not counting Thaksin, the country is pretty much united and there will be no major shift after succession. The "ammart" system works as the guarantor of stability, much more so than parliament or senate.