Morch

Yes, you can try and discredit all available footage by citing one example, but that would be hypocritical considering your own previous comments about tarring all protestors for the actions of few etc.

It's a definitely biased source, but they are not exclusively anti-Israel, also sometimes running stories that piss various ME regimes. Anyway, the recording is from Israeli media, if I'm not mistaken.

The political apparatus side of things is easier to dismantle than people imagine. Without money and muscle, it's hard to play the political game. As for talk about Hamas being an 'idea' - I'm not exactly sure what people mean by that. What 'idea' is represented?

Oh....

How do you know if it was 'a tiny fraction'? There are social media clips all over with disturbing images, comments, chants and so on. I'm not saying all protestors were at it, but not quite what you try to sell either.

Very nice dog.

Nope. Pointing out that you are wrong, is all.

Many Thais, younger than yourself, do it on a regular basis.

Sometimes.

A bit

I think often enough it's both. I recall instances were immigration officers were baffled by new regulations, or weren't 100% sure what was required. All the more so when two different branches of Thai government are involved, making it a three-way.

I hear you, but for many of us there are families, houses, lives here. Not so easy (or even doable) to move. Maybe applies to older single guys too - can move if have to, but not that easy/smooth. It all depends how far this will go and how it will be implemented - we don't know this yet. Even if they lay out exactly how it's supposed to work, a fair chance things will be different in reality, plus so much variety with regard to people's situation...

I did not offer a conspiracy theory, though.

Yeah....so it was basically like one of them summer of love protests, then? Remember those previous comments about rose-tinted-glasses? That.

Here...let me help you guys get started all over again: what's the deal with lithium?

I think it's the transition thing that's worrisome - people who haven't done this before would not welcome more Thai bureaucracy and paperwork (all the more so when it could cost them), and what (if any) adjustments should be made. it's that uncertainty. Same thing, whenever they introduce some new immigration hassle - a vague notice, people get upset and worried, relevant officers clueless and the whole thing takes time to get in gear, then either stays or scrapped. Once ironed out, it's less of an issue, until then - depends.

In the reports I read, the 'facilitated' bit was almost uniformly associated with 'transporting the released hostages to the border pass' (or something along these lines). Didn't see that they were party to negotiations or had much influence regarding such. And yes, my view of many aid organizations operating in the Gaza Strip is not a very favorable one. I do appreciate the conditions and restrictions they work under and the realities with which they need to contend, but still. Addressed some of this in somewhat more detail and scope on a parallel topic. There's a vested interest of everyone semi-involved in the hostages thing to come out as instrumental - a fine example would be Netanyahu's recently appointed man for the job (no qualifications, no diplomatic/people skills). Same thing with Egypt and Qatar trying to upstage each other as the main mediator.

One of them whines less, though.

If I understood correctly, matters with the counter protest didn't take long to sort, with the larger protest mainly taking place after that. All them police on duty, plus cams all over London and no one saw anything? I think that when the police wants to be proactive it can.

Recently, a poster called me (in some heated rant) - 'community insulter'. I liked that one. I'm sure something was lost in translation, and the original is less entertaining.

Could have said the same about your comment. I don't make a fuss about the counter protest because it was totally expected (posted about the football angle some time ago - they guy egging some of them on is an expat here). It was a 'counter-protest' which was focused on aggro as well as politics. So no news and no other expectations, really. There were no illusions regarding what it was. But the other protest? The 'marketing' angle was (as usual) all about peace, stop the war, save the children and so on. The reality is that it's also hyper political, and often over the top. Police reaction? Again, as expected, but not in a good way.

The police had not problems making arrests on the spot on one protest - and rightly so. The police somehow needs the public help to even identify offenders on a parallel protest.

Were you trying for some sort of Hamas / Right wing thugs equivalency?

You should really try and read people's posts before tossing allegations about.

Not sure I'm following your drift - what 'opinion' would that be? The facts are that over 200 hostages are presumed to be held in the Gaza Strip. The fact is that their conditions and whereabouts are unknown. It's been about a month now.