Calib

"Thai protesters defy state of emergency"

Did anyone expect anything different?

"Leaders of the tens of thousands of supporters of ousted former premier Thaksin Shinawatra"

The domestic media ongoing attempt to diminish this Democracy movement to being an exclusive Thaksin thing never abates.

"I want to warn those who want to crack down on democracy protesters"

But they are Thaksin followers.....I am confused?

"several senior government figures to be airlifted to safety".

The Red Shirts are speaking loudly about weapons being found in the Parliament and Suthep's car.......

"Tourist chiefs and business leaders have urged the demonstrators to end their action"

They are from the Amataya. I wouldn't expect anything else.

"......forcibly entering government buildings is not an appropriate means of protest."

Number one, who cares what the US Govt. says. Their double-standard in the way they treated the Honduras coup from the Thailand coup makes their pronouncement meaningless.

"The Red Shirts say the government is illegitimate because it came to power with army backing through a parliamentary vote"

Right.....so lets get off this self-serving nine-month pedestal and get serious.

"The mainly poor and rural followers of Thaksin"

Where do the thousands of Bangkokians who support the Reds, and all the monks fit into this demographic description. Or is this narrow demographic description designed to be discreditting. You be the judge.

A poll such as this will also be an interesting comment on the population of this webboard.

One side will call for the annihilation of the Red Shirts, the other for a house dissolution

Will be an interesting result.

Well there were some whining that Jingthing's reference to a POLL was wrong and biased.

Here's their chance to VOTE ONCE, and we can see what TVF people think of the situation.

So far lets just say, it appears 'Statistically significant'.

Imagine if all the red shirts who are causing all the problems got up and did what I and many of my friends have done how much money would be flowing back to Udon

Wake up my brothers and sisters of Udon you are being used, this is not about our people, this is about a select few who are using you for their own financial gain.Protesting, violence, is not the way to a better Udon

Nice try Ozzieman

Your attempts at authorship are to be admired, but misrepresenting fiction as being non-fiction is not.

Give our intelligence some credit.

"Prior to disbanding the House, it is necessary to prepare the groundwork so that the next election results will be acceptable to the majority of people, Anand said"

And that groundwork can be laid within three months. Where there is a will, there is a way. But the will is lacking for entirely self-serving reasons.

"Meanwhile, NHRC secretary-general Chuchai Suphawong said the road map to resolve the conflict as advised by former premier Chavalit had four points"

If incorporated within solutions, these four points have merit.

"......it might be construed as a double standard because other satellite television stations of certain political leanings are still allowed to operate"

IT MIGHT BE CONSTRUED.........There is no "MIGHT" about it, but just add it to the litany of double-standards. When you have so many, what does one more matter. And you wonder why the Red Shirts are up in arms?....Wonder no more!

"The timing for dissolution of Parliament is not important if |all sides are sincere to find a solution, he said, adding that |he deems it necessary to complete the charter rewrite before going |to the polls, otherwise the voting outcome might not be acceptable to all sides."

Yeah, it is very important. When one side is adhering to a self-serving timeline to buy time..........At this particular time, TIMING IS EVERYTHING

Imagine if all the red shirts who are causing all the problems got up and did what I and many of my friends have done how much money would be flowing back to Udon

Wake up my brothers and sisters of Udon you are being used, this is not about our people, this is about a select few who are using you for their own financial gain.

Protesting, violence, is not the way to a better Udon

Ozzieman, I respect your attempt at authorship, but its' fabrication and fictionality is very obvious

Nice try!

"The red shirts have crossed the line, that is clear"

Have they? The Govt. sitting on its' arrogant and unreasoble nine-month pedestal, and the Red Shirts have crossed the line....I dont think so!

"Confrontation can never solve this kind of problem"

That is correct. This genie is out of the bottle. No amount of Amataya wielding of its' power that is institution based, and not people based, will solve this problem. The days of Amataya being able to exert its' will irrespective of an electoral reality are over. There is a better way to protect their interests than trying to bulldoze the elctoral majority. They should cut their losses while they can.

".....the government has been badly provoked, as any neutral eye can see"

The arrogant adherence to a ridiculous nine-month house dissolution timeline is the provocation. Any neutral eye can see that.

"....growing frustration among a large section of Bangkokians seemed to give the government extra motivation to get tougher"

At least there is some recognition here about the limited so-called frustration by Bangkokians. The frustration by both the minority Amataya and majority Democracy advocates is definitely an issue. Using coercion to satisfy the minority is a losing gambit.

"....the government had tried its best to end the crisis peacefully"

'O yeah.......arrogant and inflexible adherence to a self-serving nine-month timeline is '..trying its' best"

"...peace is the absolute thing his premiership requires"

This is correct. But he is hamstrung by others, who prevent him from doing what is necessary to acquire this peace.