Slip

Amazing, how this could have all been avoided if Elections would be held.

Elections WERE held in 2007. They were offered for later this year. The terrorists didn't leave they just added more demands. I believe that Nov 14th has been taken off the table now so that means 2011 unless Abhisit gets generous again and offers them early, OR the coalition government that represents the MAJORITY of Thai citizens crumbles before then.

stop telling misinformation - it does not represent the majority - utter, utter rubbish - it represents MP's changing sides so the people who elected them have not got the government they elected - total rubbish - Abhisit 'generous again' you are a one aren't you? he won't have a choice - it isn't over by a long shot - he has made a HUGE error

Are you including the MP's who ran with the policy that they would not enter into government with the taxinites, and then promptly changed their minds once the election was over? Seems to me that those voters eventually got what they voted for...

Who gives a shiite about the yellows they were a bunch of loosers that caused some shit years ago. This is now.

The yellows proved to that it's perfectly okay to overrun government house and take it over for 8 months and basically live there, then take over 2 international airports and hold hundreds of thousands of tourists stranded in Thailand for 10 days. They used grenades, firearms, slingshots. And they attacked police and army personnel and beat them up, even killed one of their own guards (his body was found at Don Mueang after the yellow shirts left).

That was "years ago". So what do we have today? Red shirts, you're right, who have seen that it's perfectly okay to do what the yellow shirts did and not having to go to prison. Since the yellow shirts are, 2 years later, still not in prison. Even worse, the yellow shirts are allowed to hold more demonstrations and dictate the government how to handle the red shirts.

You are correct. The yellows set the precedent. This is why the reds have been so bold. They knew they could get away with it and they have.

Mark my words when the next government is in power, the opposing side will resort to the same puerile tactics and on it will go -- all in the name of "democracy."

Agreed 100% - until there is a leader strong enough and with enough confidence and character to deal equally and justly with all those who have broken the law, regardless of position, status or wealth the vicious circle will continue. It doesn't matter who started it, what matters is having someone who can end it and at the moment I can see nobody capable of doing that. Unless they start at the very top and work down, impartially and, if necessary, ruthlessly, there is no end in sight. Da Torpedo was sentenced to 15 years for just speaking out in public; all those who have broken the law and encouraged others to do so should receive similar treatment.

I don't think that lese majeste is really seen as 'speaking your mind' here.

And yes the yellows did prove that you could get away with this sort of behaviour in 21st century Thailand. What they did was wrong, what the reds are doing now is equally wrong, but true to form substantially more violent. Thailand needs to stop relatively small groups of its citizens acting in this way or this shit will never stop. I think we agree for the first time ever Mr Leech.

No. As has been pointed out to you and your comrades hundreds of times; that didn't happen. The yellows didn't overthrow the government. The minority parties switched sides- all perfectly legitimate. Please stop with your propaganda. You ain't fooling anyone.

The yellows did put pressure on the court to condemn the Somchai governement , that was the whole idea of invading the airport, else why do it ? .

Stop the BS

Is English your first language?

How important is that?

Apologies. I was referring to the fact that Pornsaai, twisted my quoted word 'overthrow' to 'put pressure on', which is plainly not the same thing. I did think that P was a non-native speaker though, so I thought that this might be because of poor English skills rather than him spinning. Having had it confirmed that English is not his 1st language, I'm prepared to give him the benefit of the doubt.

No. As has been pointed out to you and your comrades hundreds of times; that didn't happen. The yellows didn't overthrow the government. The minority parties switched sides- all perfectly legitimate. Please stop with your propaganda. You ain't fooling anyone.

The yellows did put pressure on the court to condemn the Somchai governement , that was the whole idea of invading the airport, else why do it ? .

Stop the BS

Is English your first language?

If you fight with the army you are likely to get shot, and if you make the decision to fight an army you should not complain if you do get shot.

Dont see why thats so difficult for the reds to understand.

The 10-year old boy that got shot in the stomach was fighting the army? Give me a break. He was shot while his parents were driving in a speeding car, probably trying to get their family to safety as fast as possible. Instead, the soldiers opened fire on the car. There is no excuse. Stop looking for one.

Tragedies happen in wars. Who started this war? Thaksin and the reds. Credit where credit is due.

Oh really? I thought it happened when the yellow shirts overthrew a democratically elected government. Sorry, I must have been wrong then.

No. As has been pointed out to you and your comrades hundreds of times; that didn't happen. The yellows didn't overthrow the government. The minority parties switched sides- all perfectly legitimate. Please stop with your propaganda. You ain't fooling anyone.

Mods will axe this quite quickly.

Having only skimmed it, I don't see why. I found it a bit hard to follow, maybe because of translation, so I'm off to read it properly.

EDIT: Oh no, sorry. As a political thread in general, it's against the temporary rules of course.

His absence can only be a plus for Thailand.

I just do not see this point at all.

1) If it was Abhisit's responsibility it makes him look stupid.

2) If it was the Reds it was a desperate but effective away of regaining legitimacy

3) And if it was all for the idea of creating a coup it was a pretty smart move.

I do not see what good will come of it.

Abhisit ordered the army to clear out the encampment and restore normalcy.

There is no chance Abhisit personally ordered this. But the army knows their tactics,

and Sae Daeng MUST also know this was a probable tactic. He is a renegade army general.

And thus to the army a traitor and subject to their disipline if he attacks them.

He was also visibly the director of the group most likely to cause harm to the security forces

as they clear out the encampment, and has just been removed from the field of battle.

Since most army would feel he was the mastermind behind their leaders death

on April 10th, this would be using his tactics against him.

He was the least of legitimate Red Shirts, folk hero or not.

You can try and look at it like civilians, but this it is not.

This is two sides in a military battle, regardless if they were once on the same side.

Will the other Red Leaders take the hint or go full David Koresh / Branch Davidiens

and take their followers to hel_l, remains to be seen. To a rational mind this SHOULD be,

a good indication of a lost cause and end game... but not all seem rational at present.

I think Veera saw this coming, but no one listened or not enough would listen.

You can kick a dog sometimes and it does nothing, but one time too many and it bites back.

Animatic, I prefer to look from the other view. Training a dog is a long hard process- if you get it wrong, the wee bugger may bite you. But you must pick up your game and try again. If they get too bad and you CANNOT control them and they are a danger to other people, then where I come form, we destroy them. RIP Sae Daeng.

Vera is a different kettle of fish all together.

This PM will go down in history as a TRAITOR to the Thai people.

No. He won't.

Low Caibre bullets to the head/chest. Could be an outside force. Perhaps Japanese...

Lol, Japan is the only country in the world that doesn't have a formal army. They wouldn't know which end of a sniper rifle to hold.

No, this is a good old thai job. Probably the army guys had enough of being used for target practice by Khattiya's guys in black. Also a very direct payback from someone high up, after snipers deliberately targetted certain high ranking officers on April 10.

Well, saying good riddance would be crass, but he certainly was one of the most controversial elements among the red shirt leaders.

Still here, plodding along though the 13 pages....

I don't think "Good riddance" is that crass, if you stop to think about April 10th.

Really and truly too darn bad that it had to come to this. But if a message was to be sent to Thaksin, this was a good one. The guy was a disgrace to the institution of the military in all forms and especially to the country he was to serve. Most likely Seh Dang will now be seen as a hero for the cause of the reds. Whoever did it should have taken more people out to blur the obvious, that he was assassinated.

Clear everyone out of the areas now. Don't stop. Put Thailand back on track now.

I haven't read to the end of the thread yet, but thank you for that crystalising word. The man was indeed a disgrace, to the military, to his vows, to the people of Thailand, to his job, to a higher institution and to himself. Maybe he was just unlucky that there was no guerilla war going on his career. (His murderous behaviour in the south not-withstanding). I hope that the average citizen of this country can see his crimes even if they are red. Surely this violent fool cannot be made a martyr?

When the reds get rid of more of these idiots, the majority may start to listen to them. (Mind you, idiot 1 is still hanging in there).

Shaaat AAP!

Avvocato- I don't think you will be covered in any way at all.

^^ ROFL. It's more like a cricket score:

The govt: 357

Red thugs with no mandate: 0

น่ารักดี

[EDIT: Naa Raak Dii in Roman script- sorry]

Seems fair play to me- Sentences seem a bit light tbh.

Hmm 20k @ 500 B a day= 40 days...

Nobody knows ,they have changed colours remember,also people staying because there ID cards have been confiscated is a myth if they want to leave they can!

The worst course of action is to try and use force now it wil not end with that and continue all over the city and country,this supposed government keeps making one bad decision after another the only way forward was to go to the country and see where that takes Thailand,i am not saying it is the answer but it will stop the bloodshed that is about to flow now.

NTD- How do you know that? Have you been talking to people at the site? Have you seen a credible report?

I have seen the suggestions that people's ID cards have been retained. It seems to me it's plausible. Do you have concrete information otherwise? (Genuine question).

LMAO! It sounds like a lucky escape to me.

Several times a day seems a bit much for the national anthem.

Get the shots. It's easy and painless and cheap. My missus got told off by her doctor for waiting 12 hours before she went to hospital for the shots. There was once, one person who survived rabies wasn't there? There was a documentary on ABC I think.

Standard English should be spoken in every English classroom by all teachers, Thai or farang or Filipina. Regional dialects not spoken. A native speaking Australian professor of English mistook my Midwestern American English as British.

Is that the Queen's English, as we call it, old chap?

In every country the 'powers that be' make these decisions. Like Thailand's government, they are (hopefully) legally in power. Yes, when governments believe that their citizens have crossed a line, they will take action against them. I'm not sure that the revolution you're predicting is quite ready to fly. The millions of Thais who want to tell anyone to go will have an opportunity at the next election like the civilised people that they are. (I believe it might be early due to the adroit handling of Phi Abhisit).

I'm puzzled by your response.The "powers that be" aren't normally considered to be represented by just the government in Thailand, or anywhere else for that matter.Free speech is considered a right in democracies and cannot be given or taken away by a government, even accepting your doubtful definition.I didn't predict a revolution, simply pointed out that old style Thai deference is collapsing.And as for the election you comically believe will bring Abhisit a second term....bring it on.

Sorry if I was unclear. I'm talking about situations like hate-speech, or sedition or such like. The 'powers that be', i.e the government enact the laws to provide the boundaries of what is acceptable in free speech. If people break these laws they are arrested by the police and tried by the courts (all of which are ultimately under the control of the government). I'm not talking about free speech suddenly being restricted, but the response when existing laws are broken.

BTW I don't believe that Abhisit will necessarily get a second term. It's a possibility though.

I think Hextac was making a political point about his perception of the current administration's abuse of free speech.

I really think, stop taking this medication. OK so in a couple of years you may start to lose your hair again- so what?

Baldness is much more manly than boobs, if that's what you're worried about.

^^ Good luck dude...

^^ But really, who would want to live in Penang?

/