heybruce

You think that Thaksin has the power to purge the internet of pictures of a protest that drew international press attention? Get real.

"More than 85 were killed, including more than 80 civilians according to the Erawan EMS Center.[3] Two foreigners and two paramedics were killed.[4] More than 2,000 were injured, an undisclosed number of arrests occurred, and 51 protesters remained missing as of 8 June." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2010_Thai_military_crackdown More than 80 civilians killed, most by the army. Fewer than five soldiers.

No, Suthep organized the 2013/2014 protests to overthrow an elected government and prevent an election to elect another. However when his protest was dying of apathy the army stepped in and overthrew the government for him.

And Britain had a defensive alliance with France when Germany invaded. Yet you think Churchill should not have gotten involved.

Still no link. Are you aware that Mariupol is surrounded and difficult to supply?

Why no link to that BBC report?

You think nations should not get into defensive alliances? Russia has shown what happens to nations outside of defensive alliances.

You disagree that surrender would lead to more wars of aggression started by Putin? Why is that? Do you think Putin is at heart a peace loving man who respects the borders of Russia's neighbors?

Why wasn't there an investigation into these blackshirts? How many people where prosecuted and punished for killing the people in Watt Patham Wanaram? Why didn't the army also crackdown on the 2013/14 protests against an elected government in which government buildings were seized and an election prevented? Why does the army only stage bloody crackdowns on protesters calling for elections, not on protesters preventing elections and attempting to overthrow elected governments?

My questions were to indicate how ridiculous your post was. I think most people understood that. Immediate surrender, as some suggest, would stop the current war but reward Russia for its illegal invasion and lead to more wars. Supplying Ukraine with the weapons and other support necessary to make the war unbearably expensive for Russia is the long-term solution.

I did. It was pointless and had nothing to do with my reply questioning your chess and OTT reporting comments.

A lot of things could be said. Since a proper, unbiased investigation was never conducted and never will be, it will remain talk and nothing more.

Sacrificing a large portion of its conventional forces in a failed move to take Kyiv was a chess move? Objecting to the bombings of hospitals, schools, and a railway station packed with civilians fleeing the war is OTT emotion?

I thought the protest was because the people wanted an elected PM, not one chosen by backroom negotiations. Of course calls for an election had to be ignored, because the people had shown that they couldn't be trusted to elect a government the elites and military approved of.

I wish that were true. Building terminals to pump LNG from tankers and convert the liquid into a form that can be distributed through pipes to where it is needed is a major construction project. Major construction projects take years even after all regulations have been met and permits acquired. Can you cite an example of anything as massive as an LNG facility being built in months as opposed to years? The existing distribution system in place across much of Europe was built to accommodate gas coming from Russia, not LNG facilities on Europe's Atlantic coast or from yet to be built facilities on the Baltic or Mediterranean Sea. I hope events prove me wrong, but I don't think they will.

You really should make an effort to become better informed before you post. I should have pointed that out when you made it clear you were unaware of the risks Zelensky was taking by remaining in Kyiv with his family when Russia was attempting to encircle and capture the city. Where do you get your news from? Where could Europe get liquefied natural gas and petroleum? There are fellow NATO members Canada and the US, along with Mid-East and north Africa countries. Oil can also be purchased from Mexico and some countries in South America along with Nigeria. I believe Australia is getting into the LNG business as well. Having a diverse choice of suppliers is the best energy security any country can ask for.

Unfortunately it takes years to build the facilities for receiving and processing liquefied natural gas. However once built Europe will never again be dependent upon Russia for energy supplies. That means Putin will have destroyed Russia's greatest economic and military lever on Europe. Russia will become more of a second rate power hopelessly dependent on China. I'm sure China loves this.

Kyiv was expected to fall within days, if not hours, of Russia's invasion. If captured Zelensky and his family would have been prisoners of Russia and executed if Putin found that convenient. Zelensky refused a US offer for safe evacuation. "Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has turned down an offer from the United States of evacuation from the capital city Kyiv, the Ukraine embassy in Britain said Saturday on Twitter. "The fight is here; I need ammunition, not a ride," Zelensky told the US, according to the embassy." https://www.cnn.com/2022/02/26/europe/ukraine-zelensky-evacuation-intl/index.html

Oligarchs in Russia play by Putin's rules or else... If Putin tells them to pay massive amounts of "tax", they will.

An opinion supported by Putin's invasion of Ukraine. Your opinion is that Putin will push no further if he wins in Ukraine. I know of no experts who share that opinion.

Putin wants to recreate the Soviet Union. That means capturing former USSR countries such as Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, which are all NATO members. Do you think Russia will want to invade NATO members with nuclear weapons?

If he had easily succeeded in Ukraine he would have kept going until he forced NATO to directly confront Russia.

How many countries in addition to Ukraine do you think should surrender when threatened by Putin?

"it's easy to be a strong man far away from the fighting" That describes Putin, not Zelensky.

China's environmental record, on air pollution, greenhouse gas emissions, over-fishing of seas, etc. don't indicate a well thought-out long game.