onlooker

Wait till he sees his first rape scene. Channel 3 series are better for those though.

Lyrics from "Civil War" by Guns N' Roses 1991. Pretty apt in the current circumstances but let's sincerely hope it doesn't go this way.

"What we've got here is failure to communicate.

Some men you just can't reach...

So, you get what we had here last week,

which is the way he wants it!

Well, he gets it!

N' I don't like it any more than you men." *

Look at your young men fighting

Look at your women crying

Look at your young men dying

The way they've always done before

Look at the hate we're breeding

Look at the fear we're feeding

Look at the lives we're leading

The way we've always done before

My hands are tied

The billions shift from side to side

And the wars go on with brainwashed pride

For the love of God and our human rights

And all these things are swept aside

By bloody hands time can't deny

And are washed away by your genocide

And history hides the lies of our civil wars

D'you wear a black armband

When they shot the man

Who said "Peace could last forever"

And in my first memories

They shot Kennedy

I went numb when I learned to see

So I never fell for Vietnam

We got the wall of D.C. to remind us all

That you can't trust freedom

When it's not in your hands

When everybody's fightin'

For their promised land

And

I don't need your civil war

It feeds the rich while it buries the poor

Your power hungry sellin' soldiers

In a human grocery store

Ain't that fresh

I don't need your civil war

Look at the shoes your filling

Look at the blood we're spilling

Look at the world we're killing

The way we've always done before

Look in the doubt we've wallowed

Look at the leaders we've followed

Look at the lies we've swallowed

And I don't want to hear no more

My hands are tied

For all I've seen has changed my mind

But still the wars go on as the years go by

With no love of God or human rights

'Cause all these dreams are swept aside

By bloody hands of the hypnotized

Who carry the cross of homicide

And history bears the scars of our civil wars

"We practice selective annihilation of mayors

And government officials

For example to create a vacuum

Then we fill that vacuum

As popular war advances

Peace is closer" **

I don't need your civil war

It feeds the rich while it buries the poor

Your power hungry sellin' soldiers

In a human grocery store

Ain't that fresh

And I don't need your civil war

I don't need your civil war

I don't need your civil war

Your power hungry sellin' soldiers

In a human grocery store

Ain't that fresh

I don't need your civil war

I don't need one more war

I don't need one more war

Whaz so civil 'bout war anyway

That's Deep. Should be required singing for all school kids.

I think the AOT must have a plan to fly PAD protesters to all other major airports. Shut them and Hey Presto, Top 10 for Swampy by the end of the year.

To be honest I wasn't expecting many to go for 'The corrupt warmonger who will bankrupt the nation and turn it into a republic' option as ideal PM.

Abhisit's a nice guy.you'd trust him to feed your cat if you were away for the weekend - but that's about it. Sure he speaks fluent English and the office girls in Bangkok adore him but his refusal to speak out on anything that might upset the establishment in the slightest way has marked him down as nothing more than a poster boy for Bangkok middle classes.

Sad as he could have been a good PM if he had balls.

Without PAD the PPP would have changed the constitution.

Of course they would change it and probably still will. PAD hasnt doen anything to stop them from doing this. Any sensible govt would change the constitution back to one nearer the 1997 constitution that is regarded as a landmark for Thailand.

Bear in mind the unelected junta changed the constitution themselves after in 2006/07 with gems such as giving themselves amnesty and immunity from prosecution for carrying out the coup. Are you saying that crap like this doesnt need to be removed?

ผู้สื่อข่าว - หมายความว่าถ้า 8 กับ 9 เขานำเสนอชื่อนายกฯ ที่มาจาก 6 พรรคร่วมฯ ใหม่ พันธมิตรฯ จะชุมนุมอีกครั้ง

นายสนธิ กล่าวว่า แน่นอนครับ

Reporter: Does this mean that if on 8th or 9th that suggest the name of the PM from one of the 6 coalition parties that you will protest again?

Sonthi L stated definitely.

Bearing in mind the PAD code name for taking the airport was 'Hiroshima' and they claimed to have a Plan B called' Nagasaki' which would be more devastating for the country, it should be interesting to see what this is once they have regrouped, celebrated the birthday this weekend, re-armed and got the logistics planned.

Air Asia from Utapao to KL

http://www.airasia.com/site/th/en/page.jsp...e=rescueflights

The Asian Human Rights Commision is a front for Thaksin??

They have always been sympathetic to his cause, front or not.

Define' sympathetic' for example if I called you "A human rights abuser of the worst kind" would this be considered 'sympathetic'? :

From Thaksin's Wikipedia page:

Human Rights Watch described Thaksin as "a human rights abuser of the worst kind", alleging that he participated in media suppression and presided over a violent campaign against drugs.

I heard if folks are for Peace, love & harmony, they should wear tight white T shirts.

I'm all for it.

Saw loads of paunchy middle aged guys wearing the exact same thing in Pattaya the other day. Maybe there are there for a love in?

Problem is you can't talk about the peoplr behind it on this forum or in Thai newspapers. Although plenty of western papers are commenting on it

Greg Lange, owner of Sunrise Tacos, a Bangkok chain of Mexican-food restaurants, says his biggest problem is getting avocadoes. His recipe requires avocadoes from New Zealand or Australia, and his normal supplier is unable to source them. "I'm just praying by next week it will end," he said.

Now that's real suffering. I am sure that millions of Thais shares Greg's pain - but their life still goes on.

I think Marshbags must be related to the new chief of police. Group hug and everything will work out fine and dandy.

In any other country in the world either the army or police would have used violence to prevent people, many armed with makeshift weapons taking over the country's main airport. Why is it wrong to expect the Thai authorities to have the balls to do the same?

240,000 stranded tourists, all of whom can claim 2,000 Baht/day from the govt = 480 million baht in compensation per day if everyone claims

Source: http://www.thailandoutlook.tv/

BREAKING NEWS: Chamlong Says PAD Supporters Not to Stay Overnight at Government House

UPDATE : 1 December 2008

People's Alliance for Democracy leader Chamlong Srimuang has announced that no PAD supporters will be allowed to stay overnight at Government House for safety reasons.

The protesters who wish to spend the night they will be transported to Suvarnabhumi Airport or Don Muang Airport. No one will be allowed to spend the night at the Government House. They will still be permitted to attend the rally and listen to the speakers and various programs on the stage at the government seat during the day.

Shhh . . . don't tell the police. However, I'm guessing the BiB will go up to the front gate, ring the bell, try the handle, find it locked and then go home as there's obviously no way to enter the grounds of Parliament House when no-one is home.

(Edited to add source)

I've got a couple of sites that make enough money to live on here. Just go ahead and do it. Money is paid into overseas accounts or credited direct to my credit card. Thai authorities have bigger fish to fry than someone running a one man website. No Wp but a 12 month Multi entry Non imm B visa - fine for me until I hit 50 and then just get a retirement visa.

They must be close to dropping origami birds on them

As a last resort, paper cuts can sting.

All this is happening because of one man. I have never fully understood the extreme hatred against Thaksin. Was Thaksin really so bad that it is worth the risk setting back the nation for decades to block his return?

I have compiled a list of achievements and policies during his term, and tried my best to reamin balanced. The first points are mainly positive, and the latter ones negative. Feel free to comment! My intent is only gain a better understanding of the situation.

1. Economic Facts and Statistics

The GDP grew from THB 4.9 trillion at the end of 2001 to THB 7.1 trillion at the end of 2006

Thailand repaid its debts to the International Monetary Fund 2 years ahead of schedule.

Public sector debt fell from 57% of GDP in January 2001 to 41% in September 2006

Foreign exchange reserves doubled from US$30 billion in 2001 to US$64 billion in 2006

The economy in the Northeast, rose 40 per cent while nation-wide poverty fell from 21.3 per cent to 11.3 per cent.

2. Introduced subsidized universal health care and low-cost universal access to anti-retroviral HIV medication (ARVs).

This policy is criticized as being populist. MedicAid was introduced in America (1965) when its economy was on a similar level as Thailand. Seems to me like a fair and sensible policy.

3. Introduced low-interest agricultural loans to villages

This policy was also criticized as being populist. However, Muhammad Yunus from Bangladesh received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2006 for giving this kind of microloans to poor people in 2006.

It is also accused by some as vote-buying. If this is vote-buying, then everything is vote-buying. There is no policy that will not benefit some group in the society more than another.

4. Introduced the "One District, One Scholarship" program which provided one student from a low-income family in each district with a scholarship to study overseas.

But apart from that what did Thaksin ever do to help the country?

DEMS are dissolved because of vote buying... whistling.gif

Main grounds for dissolving the Dems would be that Abhisit has proved himself to be totally spineless.

Govt wont resign

PAD wont leave airport

Police wont intervien for fear of injuring protesters, leading to army to move in.

Army wont make the first move - doesnt want to start a coup.

Only one way out - the courts declare PPP illegal. Govt dissolved. Army then take control of security & give PAD ultimatum to leave airport, PAD do so and go home. New govt installed by army to run country until elections can take place. That has Democrats running the show with smaller parties. (Notice how quiet Dems have been so far.)

In the meantime all PPP politicians banned. Sondhi & co plead guilty to traffic violations or something similar and so cant be accused of getting off scot free.

In 12 months there are new elections, the army, PAD, Dems screw it all up again and a ne version of PPP/TRT takes power. And as for Sondhi . . .he'll be back.

Chamlong said from now on, PAD volunteer guards will monitor the movement of the police and military officers who are taking care of security for the PAD rally sites to make sure they are doing their duty

Be interesting to know what their duty actually was. Even more interesting to know who was giving the orders.

Sondhi's finnances realte to the PAD in that when the PAD started he basically said that he was behind it and using his business empire to bankroll demos 2 years ago.

From Wikipedia:

By 1996, he had over US$600 million in assets. His business faced a meltdown following the Asian Financial Crisis of 1997, forcing him into bankruptcy and sparking investigations into irregular inter-company transactions. Immediately after the crisis, Sondhi furiously attacked the Democrat-led government over its management of the economic recovery. With the election of Thaksin Shinawatra as Prime Minister in 2001, several of Sondhi's associates became leaders in the new government. His banker, Viroj Nualkhair, became president of state-owned Krung Thai Bank and gave more than a billion baht in "debt forgiveness" to Sondhi, allowing him to emerge from bankruptcy. Sondhi became a vocal supporter of Thaksin, calling him "the best prime minister our country has ever had.

Christian Sicence Minitor Nov 26 2008 : Bleaker still is the financial picture of its propaganda network, Manager Media Group. After ducking a civil court hearing with creditors this month, its assets may be eligible for seizure.

The firm has more than $133 million in debt – a fortune in Thai business terms. Its "news" channel, which runs nonstop footage of protests, posts frequent banner ads requesting donations.

The PAD has protesters to feed, satellite trucks to maintain, technicians, bodyguards, and others to pay. According to Sondhi, occupying the compound costs roughly 1 million Thai baht ($28,400) a day.

Sondhi's in debt big time - to the tune of around 10 billion baht. So whoever is bankrolling the PAD must have large enough coffers to cover his debts if he gets rid of the PPP on their behalf.

THAILAND: Media Group Fails to Meet Debt Restructuring Plan

Posted: 2008-11-20

Thailand's Manager Media Group Plc (MGR) today allowed creditors to seize its assets, including equipment and Manager newspaper titles, after failing to meet the requirements of its court-supervised business rehabilitation plan, reports Woranuj Maneerungsee of 'Bangkok Post'.

The newspapers will be reborn under the ASTV Manager identity with 'Manager Daily' being named ASTV Manager Daily. The Group's two other publications, 'Manager Weekly' and 'Manager Monthly', will also add the same ASTV prefix to their names.

The Manager Group began its debt restructuring in 1999. The group's debts totalled more than 10 billion baht (284,104,000 U.S. dollars) across more than a dozen companies. MGR alone has debts of about 3.9 billion baht (111,263,600 dollars).

A member of the editorial staff at 'Manager Daily' denied the newspaper operation was dying. He said all newspapers would come under the new brand similar to the group's ASTV satellite TV.

"We have been told that no one will be laid off. More than 200 employes will resign from MGR and then apply to work for Asia Satellite TV or ASTV," he added.

Even a trained monkey can be taught to use a spanner.

Yep, the Japanese even taught the Brits how to make good cars and they're working on training up the Yanks, but they're a bit slow on the uptake.

What is really needed when an airport is taken over is a guy like John McClane. None of this namby pamby gas stuff. Just one guy. Simple.