Soi Dog

There's a fifty percent chance it was done by red shirt supporters and a fifty percent chance it was done by Suthep cronies looking to cause trouble. And a 100% chance that the truth will never be known. Cowardly all the same. But step back for a moment and consider that Suthep was the guy who ordered the army to open fire on the people in 2010 who were demanding an election. And now he is out shutting the city down to prevent an election. The only way he was able to get power was by brokering a deal with one of the most openly corrupt politicians in the country. No wonder he doesn't want an election.

irrespective of the numbers which if that which we see on the media is true there are indeed many supporters of the P.R.D.C. on the streets.

In any protest movement a leader will emerge , that leader being the vehicle but not the engine powering the movement, so to be realistic is Suthep the power behind it all?

In my view no Suthep is not the power behind the public face he projects,

Also it is not in essence a political movement but a movement that has grown out of the peoples concern for the rampant levels of corruption, manipulation of the judiciary and the attempted manipulation of the charter so as to benefit one creature, his family and others of that ilk.

These are the matters that have brought about this Bangkok shutdown and of course those in power have never met this style, nor level of resistance to their schemes before.

The times are a changing, there were comments on the Thai news media this morning by one Thai who drew a parallel to the Arab Spring scenario, somewhat dramatic, however, perhaps a little nearer the truth than we and more so Thaksin and the P.T.P.would care to realise.

The Thai people are saying in fact they have said ''enough is enough'' the sooner that the Thaksin cancer is removed from the Thai political body the sooner Thailand will recover and go forward.

So we get rid of true Shin clan and bring in a new group to swill at the trough? Where's the progress in that?

The two big questions: 1. Will the protesters succeed in shutting down Bangkok? and 2. Will we be able to notice the difference?

I still think the solution should be a UFC cage match between Suthep and Chalerm. Winner take all.

I am shocked by all this slander of our fine upstanding boys in brown. Thailand has the finest policemen money can buy.

True democracy? How exactly do you do that without elections? Sounds like Peoples' Republic democracy to me.

The situation at the polls has nothing to do with being a democrat or lying for that matter. It's about ending a decade old battle of corruption between two self serving factions. What does one say at this point? "Good luck! and may the most corrupt win!"

Amen. If I had a magic wand and was asked to try to fix this mess I would do three things.

1. Ban all the leaders of all parties from politics for life.

2. Put all the people from both sides who should be in jail in jail, including corrupt judges.

3. Search for honest people in the civil service and academia (I know they are there) to draft a real constitution and run for office and also staff the judiciary.

Short of this type of complete housecleaning I think Local Drunk has it right.

This is going to put Yingluck in the same position as Abhisit in 2010. Faced with an organised mob orchestrated by a dictator, albeit from the front not the rear this time, the question is how will she react when she knows she must avoid at all costs leaving herself open to charges like the Democrat PM.

Those January Sales must look more inviting by the minute.

From the front? Old Musso never goes anywhere near the battle grounds that he sends the cannon fodder to. Did you see him at the election registeration punch-up? Of course not, he struts about the stage at Victory Monument ranting and raving to the cameras of his own TV station protected by his bodyguard of thugs.

You could do us all a favour by not trying to make this utterly corrupt old crook appear to be some kind of Joan of Arc, rather than the desperate has-been that he is, trying to get his snout back in the trough.

Exactly. The truth is that he is not angry with corruption . He is just angry he is not getting any and wants back on the gravy train.

Well that's alight then. Glad to know that none of this trouble has anything to do with the Democrats.

What's the plan if they do get the government to step down?

Exactly. Even if you hate the redshirts you have to admit that their goal in 2010 was an election. That's the last thing Suthep wants because he knows they would lose again. He is angling for another coup, either judicial or military.

Honeymooners?!? Coals to Newcastle.

These guys don't know how to take "yes" for an answer.

The father of the science of toxicology, Paracelsus famously said "All things are poison, and nothing is without poison; only the dose permits something not to be poisonous." This was around the turn of the 16th century. 500 years later people still haven't figured this out. In all likelihood the spiritual tremors were actually the boy's body reacting to plummeting levels of electrolytes in his blood. A sad story illustrating that ignorance is not always bliss.

There are traffic rules!!?!!! Who knew?

Everyone knows that the zebra crossings are there to make pedestrians easier targets. Especially since they are mainly used by newbies who think they are to let pedestrians cross the street. The vets who dodge and weave outside the zebra crossings are way too hard to hit.

Somehow all these types of stories involve alcohol and late night or early morning hours. This does not excuse the thugs but I do wonder why visitors seem to think they can do things safely here that would not be safe in their home countries.

Wow! He's lived here a full 2.5 years and he is an expert on Bangkok street food! And here after 12 years the only thing I know for sure is that there is a lot more to know. I guess he must be some kind of genius. He is certainly an expert on the affluent narcissism that is the organic food cult. As for Singapore, the last time I had food poisoning it was from eating at a 5 star hotel restaurant in Singapore. I've never gotten sick from Bangkok street food.

In America passenger side mirrors on cars have the statement "warning, objects in mirror may be closer than they appear". These undergarments should carry the statement "warning, objects in side may be smaller than they appear".

Interesting considering that I almost never see any cats here, much less a Siamese cat. I always figured that was because there are so many ways to skin one here.