Grey11

In response to JohnHender.

sometimes i think Thai women just deseverse Thai guys"

What a stupid comment. Thai men are like any other, some good, some bad.

I agree with John Hender. It would be difficult to find a farang on the avg. that would treat a Thai woman as bad as does a Thai man with their macho ways and their belief that a wife is simply their property. I just wonder how long you have lived in this country to think that JohnHender is wrong. I live in Thailand and I say JohnHender hit the nail on the head. The vast majority of Thai men hate Caucasians. That is the reason for this law. It is racist but so is the whole country. Thia men spend their lives lying and never think a thing about it. They absolutely cannot be trusted. When a Thai man says he will do something for you that means he has already done it. Yes, I am married to a Thai and she doesn't think any better of Thai men than I do. And "innocent" Thai girls? Give me a break.

I disagree in your comparison. It is not uncommon for Minority politicians in the west (at least in the US) to make comments that attack those with more power than them as well as accusing them of bad intentions against their people. In other words it is much more okay to slam other groups, societies or people that are stronger when it is done by those with less power.

As for Farang being a derogatory term, it is not. Although it generally used to describe white westerners it also can simply mean foreigners. Thailand is a different culture and they have no issue with calling a race or group what they are. Asian is by no means a derogatory term but it would be considered derogatory in the West for a waiter to tell the busboy to get those Asians a drink. In Thailand this it is perfectly acceptable.

While I have no doubt he made a mistake in the words he chose (if translated properly) I am very confident his words were not meant to be racist in any way shape or form. But bottom line is this is not the West and it is their country run on the way they choose good or bad and it is not our place to tell them how to do things or that they should obey political correctness that may exist in the west and we should be offended when they don't adhere to our views. They may fail but it will be their failure and they certainly have the right to pick and choose how they will use the west to further their goals. The bottom line we are guests in THEIR country and WE need to adapt to them ... not the other way around.

The word farang can and is used in a derogatory and demeaning manner and it is not correct for a politician to be referring to a group of people in that manner however I am quite sure his meaning was properly conveyed and the lack of respect intentionally meant. Suthep is an arrogant and thoroughly despicable individual from what I know of him. The point was that he intentionally, whether racist or not, sets out to disrespect foreigners and in particular Westerners to curry favour when he simply could have said international observers were not wanted tells you everything you need to know.

Thai politics since the late 90's has been built on racist, nationalist and xenophobic policy to appeal to the masses. Thaksin was the master.

Your argument that racism is ok because the Thais are ok with insulting other races is of course flawed but as usual you stretch to apologise and defend everything they do with the old we are guests chestnut and if you don't like it go home, the Thais can do what they want it's their country nonsense tacked on for good measure.

Spot on - we finally agree on something

I also agree. There is no reason to apologise for the rudeness and arrogance of Thai men or their corruption. Us hated farangs spend a lot of money in this country. The Thais like our money but not us. We have a right to speak up and though we are 'guests" we pay plenty - check the cost of a Retirment Visa - to stay here. To a Thai a promise is something they already did. Thai policies are racist, nationalist, and xenophobic. How can any sane person deny that. I live here permanently & I will not be driven out.

Can't be democratically elected if someone is there making sure it is legal and above board. They pay good money for votes

International monitors - they do not all have to be the Caucasian farangs Suthep hates so much - is a good idea to keep the Red Shirts from saying the election was rigged by the Democrat Party. Of course millions of dollars will not be passed out to the rural poor and the city slickers in Bangkok, so that will surely hurt to not spread the wealth a little. I think Suthep hates Whites and I believe that 90% of Thai men agree with him and would like for all farangs to get the Hell out of Thailand. Come for two weeks, spend your money (Thai men will cheat you out of much of it - always smiling and acting like your friend)and get the Hell out! I am a permanent resident of Phuket and I can tell you that the vast majority of Thai men hate Whites/Caucasians. Each year the Immigration laws make it more difficult for a Caucasian farang to stay in this country. Hint? Even this so-called pro-Western PM has done nothing but make it more difficult in all ways for a farang to live here. I had high hopes when he first took office but he has done absolutely nothing. And, that is a mistake. Throw some crumbs to the poor/rural Red Shirts and they will back off a bit. Thaksin promised them the world and they are willing to this day to fight and die for him as they did in Bangkok. They will return soon. Thai politicians are so stupid. Suthep is not the only great Thai savior and diplomat. He just said what he and nearly all Thais believe.

Suthep's comments might seem a bit harsh and inappropriate (they are!), but if you ask any Thai - who isn't an ardent red shirt - how they feel about foreign election monitors, you'll probably get a similar response!

Very stupid and unprofessional for such a senior government official to voice his lack of respect, actually hate, for farangs. Those of us who have lived in Thailand for awhile permanently learn that the vast majority of Thai men not only do not respect us, but hate all farangs. They see us as someone they can lie to and rip off. Thai men do not want us in this country. The Immigration laws get tougher every year trying to throw us out. Those farangs who believe more than 10% of Thai men do not hate them, open your eyes and ears. We are the enemy.

Here we go.....Reds stole them right? gives the illegitimate government an excuse to shoot innocents again, next major protest watch the blood in the streets..... sadly.....

There are many Red Shirt terrorists in the Thai military. Certainly they work from the inside and steal weaponry. They are Rebels intet on overthrowing the government. Just like a year ago, they are marching in Bangkok, saw a mob of them marching in Chiang Mai, each week they will add a few more, just like last time. After two weeks last year I said to "nip it in the bud" before they incite violence in their attempt to put Thaksin back in power. The government tried to negotiate with people who did not want to negotitate but wanted to overthrow the government. They are planning more violence on the anniversary, thus stopping people in Bangkok from enjoying Songkran. These Red Shirts are terrorists and not "innocents." They came to make violence and they did. They are lawbreakers and have split Thailand. After burning all they could in Bangkok they went back up north and to Isan and began burning government buildings. Many foreigners left. On my recent trip to Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, and the area I saw fewer farangs than I have seen in the last 20 years in the area. Whereas, regardless of what I read of Thaivisa, I haven't seen the beaches here in Phuket more crowded in the last 10 years. There was no Red activity here and foreigners are here in huge numbers. Those women & children were paid by Thaksin forces to be there as shields for the armed Red males. They knew what they were getting into. They were hired mercenaries. "innocents?!" I think not. Weapons are being stolen by Reds within the military getting ready for the violence they intend for Bangkok to mark the first anniversary of their riots and burnings. From the drought I saw in the North, the many bus loads from the North and Northeast may not even have to be paid as much by Thaksin forces to come this year. But, you can bet, the Red Terrorists will be much better armed this time. It is sad that Abhisit is a do nothing PM. Had great hope for him at first but even what he has tried to do for Thaksin controlled northern & northeastern Thailand has been rejected and he is hated by the illiterate populace because of their Red TV and radio programs whose purpose is revolution, the overthrown of the government and to put the criminal thaksin back in office. I guess Thaksin can make friends with his Khmer Rouge murdering PM of Cambodia, Hun Sen.

Whenever people see rich Russians, they think "mafia". Whenever they see rich Chinese, do they think "mafia"?

They should. The vast majority of the Russian Mafia are the same Jews that ran the former Soviet Union. When the West said Communism failed, these Jewish Communist leaders had all the money so they just became capitalists by buying the industries. The Russians are definitely taking over Pattaya & Phuket but you can bet they didn't turn Bangkok over to the Africans. Chinese are Mafia all around the world and the Chinese totally controlled Phuket until the Ruskies started moving in with their big money. Should be interesting to see how clashes for Power play out in Phuket between the two. Will the Chinese allow the Ruskies a piece of the action in order to not take the chance of losing the whole war. Time will tell.

I disagree with both of you. I like the guy's comment that said people who think like you two - putting down any farang that wants to have fun - should move to the top of the Andes mountains where everything is pure and no bars, no decent looking women, no liquor, no tobacco, Pattaya & Phuket are not for you. The vast majority of males come to Thailand to have a good time and don't care what two old sticks in the mud think, wanting a prohibition on fun. So, maybe someone else will come along and agree with you two old fogeys who hate all White people who want to have a good time. What, the old lady won't let you out of her sight or is it that you just can't get it up?

They have violated their agreement to refrain from setting up a stage:

From Police posted on anti-government protest march route:

Gen Wichai said the UDD leaders told him at yesterday’s talks that protesters would not attack the royal institution, that no stage would be erected and that live-flame floating airbourne lanterns would not be released.

They should be arrested and/or fined.

The cops need to nip it in the bud before these terrorists get any stronger. They are testing to see if the military and police will be as weak as they were last time. The military and the police were a disgrace and it cost Thailand dearly. If there is not a law to arrest and fine them, pass one before they go on another rampage. These people will not stop until they get that scumbag Thaksin back into office & the little terrorist worm has plenty of money to pay for the violence. And, there will be violence. The terrorist Red Shirts will be back. No matter what the government gives them, it is not enough. The Reds are uneducated and illiterate and evidently have nothing to do. The PM should at least learn who is leading this newest bunch of terrorist and find some evidence on them of past crimes and jail them.

Thaksin regarded it as a good occasion to provide the United States with the other side of the story of what had taken place in April and May, the Thai government having already given information to the US administration and Congress.

Pretty sure the "other" side of the story needs to be told by the other side. Does Thaksin think he'll do a better job than D. Rivers?

Asked whether Thaksin would be able to attend, Thani said it was up to the US authorities to decide whether to allow him into the country.

Asked whether Thailand would seek his extradition if the former prime minister entered the country, Thani said the Office of the Attorney-General (OAG) would be responsible for making such a decision.

However, Sirisak Tiyapan, director of the OAG's International Affairs Department, said it would be for the Foreign Ministry and the Police Commission to request extradition. Unless the two agencies made such a request, the OAG has no authority to do anything, he said.

"The Foreign Ministry and the police have done nothing [in this regard] so far," he said.

This crap makes me nauseous.

Maybe just pull it together and arrest him and do your jobs.

Certainly Dan Rivers was in the pocket of Thaksin & his Red Shirt terrorists. Most one-side reporting I have ever seen. I always knew - by living in the U.S. until two years ago - that CNN was a very unreliable source of "news." But, I had believed the BBC to be a little more accurate with it reporting. But after the Red Shirts occupation of Bangkok, I now know the BBC is as bad as CNN and set out from the beginning taking the side of the violent revolutionists (Thaksinites). No reporting was more pro-Thaksin, more UDD, more PTP, more full of lies and anti-government than was the reporting of Dan Rivers. I saw the little scumbag somewhere in the Middle East on TV just the other day. As much money as Thaksin paid him I would think he could retire comfortably in his mansion in northern Thailand. CNN International and the BBC along with Dan Rivers are disgraceful!

It makes you wonder (just a little bit) if THIS might be the payoff for Victor B.

Extradition of Thaksin to Thailand from the US? It would make me proud

The U.S. and Thailand do have an extradition treaty. However, I really don't believe the present government wants Thaksin here in Thailand, even if in jail. Surely there would be a revolution to free him from prison and this time Bangkok and most of Thailand would be burned to the ground. You can bet all government buildings in northern & northeastern Thailand would be looted and burned.

As we learned when the terrorist Red Shirts occupied Bangkok for almost three months, the military is weak and cannot be trusted. There are far too many Red Shirts & other Issan peasants in the military. The police are infiltrated with Thaksinites also. As long as Thaksin lives he will spend every waking hour, every dollar (baht) trying to ruin the reputation of this country. Any other country would have done away with him a long time ago.

Very very tragic, condolences, R.I.P.

Can something good come out of that?

Only if more people realize that Thailand is an unregulated, wild country that can be dangerous for them if they don't exercise self-control beyond the level they are accustomed to in their homelands. Western countries especially are mostly "nanny-states" with government introduced safety legislation aiming at protecting their citizens. This is good for some and bad for the others, who are able to self-control at higher than average levels. Those safety nets don't exist in Thailand. There is little point in arguing to introduce them here since neither Thai public or government are ready for that. One can only take Thailand for what it is and watch out while on holidays or don't come here.

I agree 100%. One of the best posts yet. Western countries are "nanny states" and the government are much more specialists at stealing your money than is Thailand, even Cambodia or Laos. If you want rule regulating your every move, stay in the West, don't come to Thailand.

Sad, sad poor hapless soul you are.

You miss the entire reason for the news and newspapers these days.

Tell me, what do you always see when you are watching the news, something that is much more important these days to what the news is about?

What is always very prominently placed within the camera view of the person reading the news??

Product placement and advertising, that's what. The news and most of television and printed material is there just for the advertising they can sell. And let me tell you, they have tried to do the enlightening shows and for the most part they simply don't win the ratings game. Sensationalism is all the game when you want to sell advertising space, just look at the amount of tabloids available, and then take a look at the advertising.

Do you really think that the cost of a newspaper or news program covers the cost of producing it, writing the stories, delivering it to the consumer? Surely not.

So sad as it is, we will always have a diet of sensationalist views because we are happy to pick up a cheap newspaper, or watch a free news show, and we pay for it by seeing or watching the adds.

Excellent. I have a degree in Journalism and advertising pays 80% of the cost of printing a newspaper or magazine. Through the years newspapers especially have printed - along with photos (more expensive than print naturally) - of feel good (happy) stories of people overcoming adversity, doing great deeds for the community, etc. The vast majority of people have little interest in these kinds of stories. They prefer the excitement of the reporting on robberies, rapes, murders, etc. The photos are more exciting and eye-catching. The paper doesn't sell, there's no advertising. There is no advertising, there is no paper. So newspapers are in the business of selling what people want to read - what gets their attention - and those tend to be the most morbid of events. There is room for "feel good" stories but they are mostly fill-ins. Employees need to be paid and advertising pays their salaries. And, if a reporter writes a derogatory story on an advertiser - the paper will lose that account. Of course that will not get by the Editor so the corruption inside one of the advertisers businesses cannot be investigated. That is what happens in every country in the world. The advertisers actually own the (successful) media outlets. Pay of the police, pay off the politicians, and do as you like if you are a corporation. Who will expose or punish you?

It is entirely correct to report them as tourists are involved & this is a farang forum. Yes, they should be banned - if Hua Hin can do it, so can Phuket & Pattaya. It's just like giving the car keys to a person who has no idea how to drive a car with predictable results. Not only are jet skis a danger to the users, they are a danger to swimmers, snorkelers, windsurfers & small sail boat sailors.

This is NOT sensational & is is negative because 2 people died. A bit of sympathy instead of a rant would be more appropriate. My sympathy goes to the families of the victims

Motorbikes are much more dangerous than jet skis. Hundreds more die riding motorbikes, many farangs for the first time. Should motorbikes be banned? Where does banning things some people don't like or feel to dangerous stop? Too many rules. Too much government control. Many farangs do not like jet ski operators. But, renting jet skis creates jobs. Thailand, like every other sinking country in this world - other than India & Communist China - needs jobs. Want more crime? Take jobs away from people in Thailand or anywhere else. How will they survive? A good idea is that all the farangs who want jet skis banned can buy food for the families of the jet ski operators they fire when they help the government ban the industry.

Ugly & useless things. Can't they be banned?

When any person die in any way there are always those that want "it" banned. Jet skis? What are the odds of dying? one in 10,000. If a person wants to take a risk doing something that may get them injured or killed such as riding motorcycles - how many farangs come to Thailand for and rent a motorbike for the first time in their lives - should they be banned? People die riding motorbikes.

Should automobiles be banned? Many people are injured or killed driving or riding in them? How much freedom do we take away? When does the bureaucracy, the government start when banning everything? Chip, chip, chipping away until all we can do is walk and a set time could be put into law for that. People are told that motorbikes & jet skis are dangerous if not properly operated. Freedom to choose is what Thailand is all about, not strict rules on everything you can say and do as in the West which becomes more dictatorial every day - no smoking, no drinking, cameras watching the people, police everywhere, etc. I left that behind and love my extra freedoms in Thailand. Too bad about the accident but those things happen in life and certainly should not be banned. Those who do not like jet skis,, that think they are too dangerous, don't rent or buy one. But, leave everybody else alone to live their lives with choices. Unless someone bothers you personally, it is none of your business.

It's a little bit like loosing an elephant in you back yard

With all due respect to you good sir, Its a LOT like loosing an elephant in your back yard.

Try "losing" instead of "loosing."

The Thai Government should be brought to court for the way they failed to prepare for the rains and the deaths of Thai people. But instead the prime minister keeps smiling.

The Thai way.

The floods throughout Asia are not the fault of the PM. You must be a Redshirt. You people never give up. Thailand will never have such an education, pro-Western PM and is lucky to have one who likes Whites/Caucasians, unlike Thaksin who hated Caucasians and Westerners.

Oh aren't we all jumping on the righteous indignation bandwagon about the bad FARANG who was drunk and speeding and killed people?

It is most certainly deplorable and I do not defend his actions whatsoever, but come on!

If this was an accident with a drunk and speeding Thai smashing his car into another Thai and killing him/her, it would not even register in the news. And it happens every day.

<deleted>! Its a tragedy but not news.

Exactly. I have been to several parties where government officials here in Phuket have gotten so drunk on whiskey that other drunks helped sit them in the seats of their cars behind the steering wheel so that they could drive home. Anybody that thinks farangs are the drunks in Thailand either doesn't get out of the house are is blind or fooling themselves. Just last week I watched two of the drunkest Thai men I have ever seen helped behind the steering wheels of their Mercedes to drive home @ 2 a.m. Six of them drank two fifths of Johnnie Walker & a few beers. I know they lived because I saw one at the golf course and the other at the driving range within three days. Gambling and getting drunk every night is not just for poor Thais drinking Hong Thong but the rich Thai men drinking Johnnie Walker.

He has lost all credibility, even among most of his former true believers.

He says it is a lie. OK.

Next ...

Well, I hope Thaksin is lying that his health is good. Until he disappears from the face of the earth thee will be no peace in Thailand. This scumbag maggot will not stop trying to turn Thai against Thai and try to keep tourists out of Thailand. Thaksin wants to ruin the Thai economy. He is a terrorist and I hope that someday he rots in prison. If not, I hope he leaves this world in some other way, but suffers greatly while leaving us. Too bad there are so many millions still supporting him in northern and northeastern Thailand. These peasants will always live in the last century.

Why does it put Thailand in a difficult postion???????? Most of everything here has followed the USA way - and yes i dont care if you nobheads disagree it HAS.

Appart from driving on the side of the road - UK

Who is putting more pressure on the GOVT. the Russians or the US at the moment the Russians - thats why he is still here - good for the FBI or CIA or whoever that is her to escort him out - FREE HOLIDAY

Maybe the Simon Wiesenthal Center & the FBI believes him to be a German camp guard from WWII and needs to be tried for crimes against humanity. He had several plastic surgeries & could have also been the son of a German soldier from WWII. The Simon Wiesenthal Center knows how to hunt those Germans down anywhere in the world. He fled to Russia, became a Communist & only the FBI & the Simon Wiesenthal Center knew that he was really a German.

I wonder if in some odd way this curfew is a form of retaliation toward the Isaan population who in the main would b viewed as Red Shirts. When you think about it in an X-Files type conspiracy way, being all Isaan are poor, and most of the ladies working bar jobs at night come from Isaan, who are the main losers in this curfew? See what i mean?

That's what I was thinking.... helps turn the (BKK) people even more aginst the reds.

If the rift between the two areas grows much more, this may become a BKK- vs. 'The North' battle in the near future. I really hope not.

It doesn't have to be. Isaan needs Bangkok much more than Bkk needs Isaan. Cut Isaan lose and let them form their own landlocked country. Their crops are subsidised from Bkk. If they are their own country there will be no more government handouts. They cannot sell their crops to Laos or Cambodia because they are competitors. They will have to sell their products to Bkk, which has the seaports. This needs to be talked about because the Reds totally control Isaan and totally control the minds of the uneducated masses who are willing to die for Thaksin. They will attack Bkk again and again. Put soldiers on the border & check each person coming to Bkk from the country of Isaan. They aren't worth the trouble.

Not found all murdered bodies to steal ??

Oh sorry, too many yellow shirted farangs here...

Be happy, kids, it is NOT over..

We know it is not over. You seem to take joy in that. Until Thaksin Shinawatra somehow, someway, disappears, the Reds will keep coming. Those Reds taking government paid buses back to the north & northeast said it is not over. That they will be back and fight to the death. That's exactly what Thaksin wants to hear. Have other die for him. The terrorist Red Shirt leaders that are arrested are just the tip of the iceberg. With all the hate speech and anti-government propaganda beemed into the homes of these uneducated followers (sheep) by Thaksin's Red Shirt (UDD) television, radio, etc. the hatred for all of Bangkok and the present government will only intensify. Not one word was said by these protesters against the "elites" mentioned the thousands of poor who lost their job in Bkk because of their protesting. These old, illiterate women that the Reds used as a shield, did not have to pull the trigger of an AK47, throw a Molotov Cocktail, fired a grenade, they were a part of the violence by their very presence. The military needs to be on guard & the police force in Bkk needs to be revamped (all of the rank of sergeant or above must be fired - it was evident that they were working for Thaksin and his terrorist Reds) and be prepared for these Red Terrorists. Like you said Botho, "it is NOT over." We shall see how many are willing to die for Thaksin and the crooks who are quite wealthy in Isaan while the peasants work their land and make them quite wealthy. I say Government get ready and meet force with force this time. And, no, I am not a Yellow Shirt, I would have jailed everyone of the leaders who protested at the airport as I would have jailed the Reds that attacked the ASEAN meeting in Pattaya and the Reds that burned the buses one year ago at Songkran. Riot and go to prison. Engage in violence and face the guns of the military.

Nice to know this woman is happy that poor people in Bangkok (many of whom actually come from the same kind of background as her) have lost their jobs thanks to all the burning she is happy about. Seems nobody is picking up on all the poor that are suffering because of the red arson and violence. There is a big irony in that albeit a sad one. Bnagkok is not full; of only rich people and it is the poor who are suffering most from the attacks through lost work.

She, like many in the north & in Isaan, don't have the brains to even realise the thousands of people as poor as herself that her comrades put out of jobs - most were probably from Isaan. The brainwashing of these poor, ignorant people, is complete. They only want to go to Bangkok and do the same thing again. Thailand needs to allow Isaan to become its own country. They have little if any to contribute to Thailand. They never have, and never will. They only have their hands out asking the government to give them something for nothing. In all my visites to Isaan over the past 30 years mostly what I have seen is drinking & gambling by the Thai men. On Friday & Sat. night they are able to spend a full week's salary, leaving their family without. And, I guess they can blame that on the "elites" in Bangkok for shipping cigarettes, cheap Thai whiskey and the lotto to Isaan.

they

A great use for Lily Allen's song. You just have to put up with the beginning bit, then it gets better. They should play this on every big-screen TV in Bangkok, after the curfew has been lifted.

Fantastic! I'm going to put in Facebook right now.

God how I despise Thaksin and all his sheeple terrorists. The only way to stop continuous war is to let Isaan form its own country. That is the only way to keep them from coming back to Bangkok. And, they will be back with more firepower in the near future. They were allowed to engage in terrorist acts at night and sing & dance all day. Reading the many stories about these "terrorists" in the Bkk Post yesterday & today not a one of them that the government sent back north on the bus has any apologies. In fact, almost everyone of them said they would be back. Let's cut Isaan loose. Without government subsidies on their crops, they will have to export it to Bangkok at even lower prices. Laos & Cambodia are rice growers so they can't sell it there. The Red Shirt TV stations & radio stations are still spewing forth hate all over the north & northeast in the form of propaganda & it will only get stronger now. Uneducated sheeple are just putty in the hands of a sociopath like Thaksin.

Police will be knocking on his door anyime this week!! And most likely his name is all over exit points in the country and he also might be on an overstayed Visa LOL

I would like to see him spend at least one year in a Thai prison and then deported back to England.

I love to try the drugs that Abhisit is on. It must be great stuff. The only thing Abhisit is capable of is reading prepared statements made by his boss Suthep. During the crisis we have not sen him one time on TV answering reporters questions. Too difficult, too dangerous. He and Suthep are Ernie and Bert of Sesame street.

Thailand has never had a more intelligent PM in its history and probably never will. Men with his education usually go into private business where they can quickly become millionaires. It is good for Thailand to have a man as PM who has never been a member of the Thai military, therefore did not come up through a system of corruption. One of the reasons we watched the police stand by as the Reds expanded their barricades each day, was b/c the police have always been some of the most corrupt in the world and PM Abhisit has been trying to clean up corruption in the police department. That is why when videos and Television pictures of the Reds & their supporters burning all government buildings in Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Konkaen, Udon Thani (thaksin strongholds), etc. we saw the police officers just standing and watching and some were actually doing something - directing traffic, to keep some moving while the mobs continued to throw fire bombs at the already burning buildings. Until the police forces are cleaned up in Thailand the country can never have real law & order. I suppose you would like to see another policeman (like Thaksin) or a military general as PM. That has been the problem with Thailand's government in the past and it will continue if we do not have civilian PM. In Bangkok it was easy to see that the police department was still loyal to Thaksin.

Four of the five Maoist Tactics used to overthrow government's were successful or at least partially successful. Only the fifth, "win over the army" failed. Two of the UDD (Red Shirt) leaders are former members of the Communist Party of Thailand - Weng Tochirakan & Seksan Prasertkun - and were trained to use the Maoist tactics.

They are: (1). Divide your enemies; (2). Form a united front; (3) Use provocative violence; (4) Secure loyalty of people inside the ruling regime, and (5) win over the army. These are tactics that Thaksin knows well. They were used by such butches as Stalin, Mao, Pol Pot, Hitler, Lenin, Castro, Kim Il Sung, and many more of the world's foremost killers.

Propaganda should be blunt, simple, and repeated incessantly to be effective. We had hours of fiery revolutionary speeches from the stage from the Red leaders every evening for two months. Many of the peasant protestors were easily manipulated and many, if not most were brainwashed by these charlatan Red leaders. Always remember, red is the color of Communism and at least two of the Red leaders were members of the Thai Communist Party.