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Friday, May 21, 2010

An Open Letter to the Red Shirts

written by Khun Somtow Sucharitkul and "quoted by permission of the author"* (pls see below)

"S.P. Somtow is an author, composer, filmmaker, and international media personality whose dazzling talents and acerbic wit have entertained and enlightened fans the world over."**

I am writing you this letter because in the past six weeks I have often been angry. I've often been disappointed, disillusioned, and frustrated. But there was only one moment in this entire agonizing sequence that moved me to tears. That was when your leader, Veera Musikaphong, surrendered to the authorities, and spoke of his dreams, his disappointments, and his enduring hopes.

As the smoke dies down, you are going to be told that you were lied to, duped, tricked, bought and betrayed; that you were tools of evil men who did not truly care about your fate; that you are terrorists, arsonists, destroyers of our culture, king-haters. It will be said that you destroyed the country's international image and obstructed its economic recovery. Worst of all, you will be told that you are all ignorant people who have misused your political voices because you didn't understand democracy.

I am afraid that in many cases, the people who say these things will be telling the truth. The instant rebirth that you wanted for our country has turned out to be more of a false dawn. Many crimes have been committed and both sides have hidden important facts from each other.

Even though these things are in many cases true, I want you to know that they have not invalidated other truths: the truths that you carried in your hearts when you set out to air your grievances in a peaceful demonstration.

The doors that should have opened for you years ago, when this country became a democracy, have opened too slowly. The education that you need to become equal participants in society has been withheld too long. The voice that you have always had has been discovered too late, and because it was so long pent up, it is been expressed destructively. And the worst destruction was not that of a few shopping malls and banks; it was the destruction you wreaked upon yourselves.

But I want you to know that when it comes to the liberation of the human spirit, history is on your side. The road towards a more perfect democracy may be difficult, but it is unstoppable. You did not lose this war. But I hope you will have learned from it. The question is not whether the war will be won, but how it will be won: through mayhem and bloodshed, or through slow, painful discussion and compromise — through evolution — the civilized way.

It may be hard for you to believe this, but many people who have been painted as your enemies share your most cherished dreams. For example, I sincerely believe that the prime minister, K. Abhisit, comes philosophically closer to those dreams than a number of your leaders. If he did not — if his mindset had been that of some of the military dictators Thailand has had in the past — the carnage of the last few days would have been unconscionable.

I also believe that many of your leaders, like K. Veera, share the hopes and dreams of those not affiliated with your movement, because they are, by and large, the hopes and dreams of all Thai people: to live in peace, not to spend your life in a mindless struggle to survive, to have the same chance as anyone else at realizing your aspirations and becoming fulfilled human beings.

It may be too soon to hope for this, because the mutual anger and distrust are still too great. If K Veera is found guilty of any crimes, justice will have to be served, just as much as if K Suthep were found to have abused his authority. But it would be a beautiful thing to see idealists like K. Veera playing a role in an Abhisit government. Such a compromise occurred in Italy decades ago, and it saved their country from a potentially disastrous internecine struggle.

You have changed Thailand for ever by discovering, and showing your fellow citizens, that you have the right to think, and to speak, and to act. I urge you to go further. Keep thinking. But think for yourselves. Don't think what you're told to think. Speak what you think, not what you are told to speak. And act with your minds as well as your hearts, and in the interests of all, even those whom you disagree with.

Not many people in Bangkok would feel grateful to you at this moment. But I do want to thank you. What you did was really important, though perhaps not for the reasons you think. And I want to explain why.

When you build a road, you will sometimes come to a mountain. To get to the other side, you may have to go around it. You may have to dig a tunnel. Or you have to blow up the mountain.

Thailand has come to that mountain. But for at least two decades, no one has been willing to go around, dig a tunnel, or blow up the mountain. Yet everyone knows we must get through. The mountain is in the way. Some past governments have stolen your money to build golden hot-air balloons so that a few individuals could get across, not caring if the rest were stranded. Others have talked and talked and talked, but the mountain is still there. Of course you are impatient.

You didn't blow down the mountain, but the tragic events that have unfolded have convinced everyone that it is time to move on. Your people — and the soldiers, too — did not suffer and die in vain. Though we seem to be in darkness and chaos, a fuller democracy is closer today than it has been at any time during the Thaksin administration and all its successors. There will come a time when people will realize that you opened their eyes, that you all contributed to this major turning point in Thailand's history. In time, the rest of the nation will understand it, and come to acknowledge it, and even embrace it. For in embracing those we thought our enemies, we really embrace ourselves.

From:

http://www.somtow.org/2010/05/open-letter-to-red-shirts.html

* "quoted by permission of the author"

http://www.somtow.org/2010/05/permission-to-quote.html Saturday, May 22, 2010

** WHO is Khun Somtow Sucharitkul ?

** http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/s/somtow-sucharitkul/ His books, Anthologies, Short stories and Awards

** http://www.somtow.com/bio.html/ Biopraphy

Her Majesty Queen Sirikit & Khun Somtow Sucharitkul - 4 December 2005

From:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S._P._Somtow

LaoPo

Could not agree with this more! Brilliant article.

Holy moly. looks like we have our very own Al-Quaeda. What's next, training camps? Suicide bombers? Truly scary.

Well, looks like this is the photo of their prison cell:

Looks an awful lot like the crowded cells at the other Thai prisons:

Minus the privilege of no iron bars and ocean view, swimming pool and room service, of course.

I'm actually happy they're getting good accommodation. The last thing I want to read is another Amnesty International article about how the brutal, oppressive government is torturing and harming these innocent freedom fighters with harsh jail conditions.

It seems that they also collected Credit/ATM Cards.

NNA NEWS Facebook Album

It really seems to confirm that the whole ID thing was used make it difficult for some of the demonstrators to go home

The Bangkok Bank ATM card you see here can't be considered as an ID, they are all labeled "Best Valued Member"

I feel sad for Thailand, whatever the side, it is dirty tricks against dirty tricks.

We have to also keep in mind that this is most likely just the result of a last ditch effort to destroy evidence. How many more cards like these have been confiscated and destroyed over the course of the last 2 months? My guess is in the tens of thousands.

I wonder when that will occur and what the ramifications will be.

According to Arisman on this video, his list of targets for burning are:

Siriraj Hospital, All Muslim Mosques, Government House, Important Ministries, Airports, Rajavithi Road, Bridges, Bank of Thailand, Commercial Banks, Military Barracks, Court of Justice, and NGO's

will all be destroyed....

"Not one of these will remain standing."

Here is the longer version.

Description:

pageonejournalist — March 14, 2010 — Starts with a comment that Abhisit and Prem are intimate and ends by saying that Suthep's list of sensitive targets will be wiped off the face of Thailand if Redshirts are injured by government.

And yes, that list includes Siriraj Hospital, among other things.

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So now there are three different videos of Arisman clearly inciting arson to a large crowd. The other two are:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F2vRhaHRzuo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4M9XiJoWSSs

Arisman is a facist

Anyone got these with an English translation?

This is probably far from over as the core of the problem was not resolved. The only thing that happened was the gov cleared the reds out of Bangkok in what was the most violent clash in Thailand's history, yet not a single issue the reds were there for was addressed.

The only hope there is, will be if the reds wake up and see the movement as the sham it is. They are only pawns in a game of power hungry men. Having said that, Thaksin did more for Issan than anyone ever has so it will be very difficult to convince any of them otherwise.

Without even digging you see statements like, "7 years imprisonment for anyone caught burning a tire." While the yellows closed the airport and nothing happened to them. This is the very fuel that may start the fire again.

It's not so black and white. That Thaksin has done more for them is an unfair sentiment as well. He was PM for 5 years, and it's not his programs that people love him for, it's his cash handouts that many are addicted and dependent on. Abhisit has not at all been ignoring the rural parts of the country, but at the same time, he came to power during a global economic crisis and a local political crisis. He has not even been given a chance despite ALREADY having made efforts to change things upcountry. If he were given a full term he could have easily managed some good, long term changes that would bring many of the proper solutions on track.

Giving each village a million baht is not going to do jack shit to solve any real problems these people face. The dilemma is, though, that humans are much more keen on instant gratification than they are future gratification. Besides, what was done with the millions of baht given to villages? Built new schools? Infrastructure? Road improvement? Nope. Pick up trucks, mobile phones, booze and gambling. NICE. This country's problems are far from solvable by just 'letting the reds vote and win'. Someone needs to forcibly inject the northern part of the country with education, jobs and long term reforms because they don't even want that themselves.

My 2 cents.

It's easier to demonize Thaksin than address the serious divisions in this country that led to the crisis.

Many of the divisions in this country that led to the crisis were exacerbated by the demon Thaksin.

And blamed on Abhisit, no less. Pure hypocrisy.

I know one "Red" who will not be returning to the Udon Thani in a hurry. The wife of Khanchai Prypana, Arphorn Sarakam, who was stopped by Police, at Wat Pathum-wanaram. Hubby is already in custody at Phetchaburi. Anyway, wifey was in the Merc 500 SEL, heading out of town. Guess what the Police found? Diamonds! (did you ever wonder what happened to the merchandise at Central World, it wasn't all Italian brand name clothes that went up in smoke). But wait there is more - they found a stash of weapons.

So what is this about, the "new money" leading the poor, against the "old money"? Very tacky.

Have you got the source for that?

Not doubting you -- just not read it anywhere else.

My wife found it on this website:

http://www.manager.co.th/Crime/ViewNews.as...D=9530000070316

It's in Thai. So unless you're fluent, you will need to get your partner to translate.

Well, she does not look pleased. Edit - Can anyone translate what the two guys re-enacting the crime were guilty of? Bomb making?

All credit to PM Abhisit,he has brought some semblance of peace to Thailand

His refusal to call elections and his decision to bring troops into central Bangkok to confront peaceful demonstrators caused the many needless deaths and pushed Thailand into a crisis, one from which it may never recover.

We cannot blame him alone though, we must look to his deputy Suthep for his part in this and to those shadowy characters manipulating events behind the scenes.

Do you live in Bangkok?

If you truly believe this then you simply have not looked hard enough at the evidence. Just moments ago a video was posted from 4 days ago, where a foreigner who sided with the red shirts claimed that he would burn Central World to the ground. 4 days beforehand. I will agree with you that these incidents of arson were well planned, but that the red shirts are responsible there is more than enough evidence of. They are the ones seen throwing rubber tires and gas canisters into the flames. They are the ones seen cheering while others run in fear.

What evidence? Forensic evidence? I understand your point, yet I feel that I have grown well beyond the point where I believe what I see through a camera lens. I still truly believe that all is not what it seems. People running and people dancing can be doctored up in a movie clip to seem any way one might want it to seem.

That the red shirts are responsible is, again, a view that I refuse to believe in. Participants? Yes! But does anyone truly know each and every individual involved in each and every incident, and what their personal intentions and beliefs are? I doubt it. Grouping together sound bites and movie clips and adding emotion with snazzy sounding music is the type of cr@p that Focksnooze uses on the minds of the degenerate.

I think that reporting needs to be examined for the choice of words that are used to describe an incident; much less one that is truly worth bringing to our attention. To be objective was the way I was taught that reporting should be. Too often I ask myself what prompted the reporter to use a definitive word instead of a more objective word. Too often it becomes clear to me that the IQ of today's younger generation is being dumbed-down to the lowest common denominator and it is demonstrated by their inability to reason and infer. One almost wonders if these wannabe reporters and camera people are shooting for the Pulitzer Prize with each story that they choose to bring to your and my attention.

The news today is like Chinese food. You can fill you stomach/mind with loads and loads of it, but in 15 minutes you will be hungry again and want more. But then that sort of stuff is for people who do not like meat and potatoes. Just my view is all'.

Well, it seems they have already caught over 100 of them red handed

The evidence I speak of is of course, Youtube videos. I'm not condemning anyone, but I seriously hope that all is done by the government to make this city fully functional and safe again. Is that not what all of us want, after all? I certainly agree with you that media is being filmed to sensationalize and to fit a specific market segment. I was, quite honestly, shocked by the extremely biased reporting shown by BBC or CNN. I never once considered myself part of any faction, I merely found myself sympathetic to people and their blights. When I see someone on youtube talking about how he's going to 'burn the fuc_ker down' it makes my blood boil and my emotions flare. I apologize if my comments caused anyone harm, but this guy doesn't even live in Bangkok. Those of us who do have to rebuild our homes and lives while people like him and the others go upcountry and get a hero's welcome in their nice, intact little neighborhoods.

I think best thing to do now is to take a deep breath and stay focused on how to proceed. Let the police and special investigations unit do their jobs and find out what happened. Let all the evidence be gathered and officially presented. At this point all we have is shaky phone camera footage and I do believe that much of it can be taken out of context.

After having the opportunity to sleep on this and having a cool head again, I do pity this man a little. Watching this video initially made me feel extreme anger towards him, and while his involvement is with the red shirts is obvious, there is zero evidence to point him to any kind of arson. I just wonder why he felt so compelled about joining their ranks and being so excited about the destruction of this beautiful city.

'We do not negotiate with terrorists'.

Sort out your own ranks and members first, then come back peacefully and democratically. Burning everything down if you don't get everything exactly how you planned it is not a fair, democratic way to go about running your political party.

To do it right he need to continue to refer to his road map that is not dead and still going forward.

But he needs to add to the map complete investigation of what exactly cause of riot and make sure follow the money and include terrorisms act by everyone including the people who funded , incited, and ordered all these destructions

Yes, sorry, I feel I should clarify what I meant. I think the UDD has become too messy internally to still be a valid political option for Thailand. I absolutely believe the needs of the people upcountry who are concerned should be addressed, now more than ever, and that reconciliation in that regard must occur. But the UDD must be dismantled for their blatant terrorism and militantness. I never thought myself that the party would go that far.

How shocking, he doesn't live in Bangkok.

'We do not negotiate with terrorists'.

Sort out your own ranks and members first, then come back peacefully and democratically. Burning everything down if you don't get everything exactly how you planned it is not a fair, democratic way to go about running your political party.

Makes me almost sick to read these 'human rights' experts sitting around in London talk about the 'unfair treatment' of the reds. Are we supposed to just sit there and watch them continue to bomb, loot and set fire to the city? What's wrong with them?!

Look, Tokay. I'm not sure if you live in Bangkok or not, but these riots and the anarchists within worry me greatly, especially since they have set so much of the city on fire recently. If some guy says 'We're going to burn CW down' and then a few days later it gets burned down, it makes me feel extremely uneasy that he is still at large. I don't know what he's planning to do next. I don't know if he's just all talk or if he took part in the actual arson and looting. I realize that there were plenty of videos of red shirt leaders claiming they were going to set the city on fire, but I don't think many people took those threats seriously. I wish they had. Additionally, he is now the poster boy farang for all the Thais to vent their anger on. This is another way this affects us (I'm saying us because I assume that you are a foreigner).

I'm not quite sure why you are defending this guy so strongly.

I'm not defending him, I'm posting logic and common sense. We are not in communist China (yet) yet many in this thread want to punish him as if we are.

Yes, he said something stupid. Yes, he is a moron. Yes, MAYBE he should be QUESTIONED about what he said and why he was there. However, everyone already knew the reds were going to burn it down. This was THE WORD in the red camps. When the main camp fell, Central and Paragon was going to burn. He does not have information that was privileged. I knew it was going to burn a week ago. Everyone was talking about it. He just repeated what everyone else was already saying.

So he says something dumb and now people think he single handedly burned down Central and should spend 20 years in prison. I give falangs a lot of credit, but not that much.

How about we get ALL the facts and THEN work it out. That is why I'm posting here. Many of you are on a witch hunt. If everyone was jailed for 20 years for saying something stupid, we'd all be rotting behind bars right now. Lets see if video surfaces of the falang burning anything down or throwing a single stone. Then if he is guilty, hang his ass. Until then, all we have is a dumb falang saying something stupid that everyone else already knew was going to happen.

I can agree with that. But as I said earlier, some of us slept through gunfire and the sound of explosions. Nerves are rattles, emotions are flaring and we still don't know exactly where this situation is heading. I'm actually more afraid that this guy is going to get street justice at the hand of angry Thais rather than a fair trial at the hands of the law.

No one is defending this guy, bro. All we're seeing is a small bunch of homies venting their frustration coz it's curfew time and they can't go out and burn any more tires.

Losers defending losers.

Could also be that emotions are flaring due to the entire city having been in flames. This hasn't exactly been an average week.

what about that? same guy in 2 vids

There's goes another idiot that deserves to be get more attention from the authorities...

Of course, because he is actually doing something. Let the Thais find this punk and do whatever it is they will do to him because HE BROKE THE LAW. He didn't say he was going to throw something at the sign, he actually did it. There is a HUGE difference.

Look, Tokay. I'm not sure if you live in Bangkok or not, but these riots and the anarchists within worry me greatly, especially since they have set so much of the city on fire recently. If some guy says 'We're going to burn CW down' and then a few days later it gets burned down, it makes me feel extremely uneasy that he is still at large. I don't know what he's planning to do next. I don't know if he's just all talk or if he took part in the actual arson and looting. I realize that there were plenty of videos of red shirt leaders claiming they were going to set the city on fire, but I don't think many people took those threats seriously. I wish they had. Additionally, he is now the poster boy farang for all the Thais to vent their anger on. This is another way this affects us (I'm saying us because I assume that you are a foreigner).

I'm not quite sure why you are defending this guy so strongly.

It sounds like you have a problem with capitalism. I can't say I agree with your point of view.

I do when there is such disparity between rich and poor as is in Thailand.

And I guess the rural poor do too, because that is precisely one of the reasons there is much discontent at the moment.

People work in bathrooms all over the world, Ober. Someone has to do it, whether you're assigned that job in a communist state or whether you take it up voluntarily in a capitalist country. I will agree that there is a problem with forced prostitution in this country, but that is not even close to being in the same league to the situation you have a problem with. I also don't think it justifies the vandalism, arson and destruction of people's livelihoods. Some people, like yourself, work their way up legitimately, even in Thailand, from toilet scrubber to store owner. I just think your viewpoint is too dismissive of the innocent people who are affected by this.

"rammed down their throats" ??? You make it sound like it was torture. It was a job, and one that is now no longer available.

If you were cleaning toilets for less than 200thb per day while people spend obscene amounts of money on non-essential branded junk while looking down their nose at you would that not be torture?

Speaking from a personal point of view, it was for me when I worked a menial job at 16 years old after leaving school. Fortunately I can empathise with the plight of the down-trodden worker bees even though I will never have to work again for the rest of my life.

I must admit I am surprised they are not dancing a jig on the ashes of Central World.

It sounds like you have a problem with capitalism. I can't say I agree with your point of view.

LOL So the tosser said he was going to burn down Central World... so what? Unless you can prove he did it, you got crap.

As far as I see it, any lunatic who has the balls to be with the reds through this crap until the bitter end is just as much one of them as he is one of us. Let him do what he wants and let the Thais deal with him in their own way.

Don't be wanke_rs and call the tip line on him. You don't call them on the Thais, so don't call them now.

Excuse me, but...what? This guy had knowledge about a terrorist attack on the country. I think it's pretty important that the police round him up for the safety of myself and my loved ones who live here in Bangkok. I'm sure he knows more.

As posted earlier, the CRES tip line is 02-511-1515. If you want to let them know about this guy this is the number to call.

02-511-1515 is the CRES tip line.

Suppose it implies there was a plan. Bit silly for him to advertise himself - though he spoke with such eloquence I'm sure the authorities will be too impressed to make an example of the foreign terrorist.

To be honest, I would think that it's quite likely that he's high on yabaa.

I wouldn't be surprised if the international media was leaning towards the red side in this conflict, considering the ridiculous number of reporters that have been injured and killed. Remember the Japanese reporter, where the army refused to release the report if he was killed by the red shirts or by the army. I wonder why the army would refuse to release the report if it was the red shirts that killed him. Or the guy that was shot several times by the army after he identified himself as a reporter.

Haha what?