Slip

Then why doesn't the government get it translated and offer it to the international media?

Also the view of the highly respected Washington Post which calls for early dissolution

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/conte...0041404391.html

But that's a journal in the pay of Thaksin I hear you say.But look the article is clearly anti-Thaksin, a "bad prime minister".It doesn't compute.Whur whur blur blur.

Washington Post isn't a publication i read and i don't know what their background is in terms of reputation or agenda, but there were some glarringly obvious mistruths in there, as well as some over-simplifications that bordered on child-like.

Here's an example of both:

Mr. Thaksin, who now lives in exile, was a bad prime minister from 2001 to 2006.

It's a mistruth to say that Mr. Thaksin lives in exile and whilst i don't dispute that he was indeed a bad prime minister, it strikes me as being a slightly peculiar turn of phrase to be using with an educated readership.

Here's another mistruth:

After a military coup removed the populist leader in 2006, his supporters easily won the election that was eventually held in December 2007.

Not only did his supporters not win easily, they in fact didn't win at all, otherwise why form a coalition?

And as far as the following statement goes:

That leaves the government of Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva with few options other than what he and his coalition should have embraced in the first place: free elections.

it's all very well simply saying that the government should have embraced free elections, but is the writer not aware that free elections are virtually impossible at the best of times here, and right now you'd have a snowball in h*lls chance of organising one that wasn't fraught with vote-buying, intimidation and most likely violence. Not saying that that should be used as an indefinite excuse for not having elections - obviously there have to be elections at some point no matter what - but don't pretend that organising elections with the aim for them to be free is an easy or simple matter, because it certainly is not. The complexities that are involved and that are exasperated at the moment mean that other alternatives need to be considered as well.

I hadn't read the article in the link so I went back to check it. I would have agreed with Jayboy that the Washington Post is a 'highly respected' publication.... Until I read that appalling article.

<snipped for brevity>

As far as the word "terrorist" goes, it was initially used to describe the several teams of shooters in black balaclavas who sniped at (it would appear) both sides. Somehow, the term has grown from those teams who Sae Dang said were his "Ronin" warriors, to encompass all Red Shirts. Seems to me that was never the intention, but somehow those who speak for the Red Shirts feel that they have all been painted with the same broad brush. I can't imagine any argument saying "all Red Shirts are terrorists," no more than I can imagine a proper argument that "all Issan people are uneducated" and so on. Absolutes in speech are very dangerous, especially in these trying times.

This for some reason made me think of the Vietnam war and how the general populace was caught between the communists and the government sympathisers. And the thing is similarly, the black shirted paramilitaries are hiding in the red crowd. Maybe it's an Asian thing. The difference is that the protestors can easily return home.

People keep drawing comparisons to Western countries. In the UK I think 99% of the protestors would have gone home long, long ago. Many in disgust at their own leaders.

Seeing through the mist of tear gas

Giles Ji Ungpakorn

Machine guns and tanks are not brought on to the streets to cook noodles, show off to tourists or repair the roads.

TV, are you sure Gile is allowed to post here?

Don't you remember why he is not in Thailand?

However I really love Giles writing. Especially the red m... sorry cannot mention here.

Nice to see free speach been promoted by the yellows on here.

Same happend to Jonathan Head. PAD don't like him, LM charges off he goes.

Is the CRES a sort of modern day SS one wonders. They are summoning all and sundry to appear before it, and all and sundry are ignoring it.

Meanwhile the Army base has conscripted a mob of PAD human shields.

So spontaneous, so spontaneous.

Thailand is another set of murderous assaults on demonstrators away from basket case status.

Don't think you'll find Chantorn so much of a yellow Pops. Try to keep up old chap.

It's not so hard to get to Vietnam. Why not scope one out and enjoy a nice holiday?

^^ What does that have to do with a spotter highlighting the targets for the shooters?

By the way, in Thailand this month on the 23 is the King Rama 5 day (Chulalongkorn Day). It s a national public holiday.

I am sitting with a Thai teacher and she says you are wrong about dates of Chulalongkorn Day. This year it is 23 October...and Monday 25 will be the Public Holiday.

'~'

Check the date of the OP GerryAsia

i love it how people scoff about only 100,000 people turning up for the intial protest. compare that with a miserly 1000 people today at victory monument. Also compare it to the numbers that turned out in protest against the loathed health care bill in US. approx 1-10k depending on fox (10k) less if u don't listen to the nazis!!

Obviously they had to 'big it up' for calls of 1 million people but 100,000 is a lot if u think that allegedly 50% of americans hate the health care bill. thailand has approx 60 million and usa 300 million. work out the proportions if u care to do so but even with people being paid to attend it still shows the majority of thais by a distance support the reds! i think that 10,000 out of 30,000,000 is less than 100,000 out of 60,000,000.

enough said i think!!

So if 100,000 people came out to support the current government, do you think the reds would go home?

I think that way, madness lies.

Wow! Respect for the sudden Hua Hin love. I've been going there as long as I've been here. So 9 years or so. In my opinion it's becoming more like places like Pattaya or Phuket as time goes on. Now the criminal property scum bags have got involved it's even worse. At the same time it's becoming kind of 'gentrified'- there weren't all those glittzy opticians years back.

Having said that, on my first visit a Canadian expat had his fingers and head smashed with bricks, by a gang of young lads. He started to pursue it, but gave up in the end and left. Hiding to nowhere I think he decided.

You are kidding yourself. The red's position is completely inflexible. They won't negotiate ANYTHING.

The position of Jatuporn/Thaksin, Nattawut and Arisman are completely inflexible. Addressing the aspirations and being seen to understand the aspirations of majority of the red shirt protesters is a different thing.

That's very true. The grass roots reds need to throw off their manipulators. Including Friend Thaksin. Then the government of the day should sit and listen to the problems of Thailand's poor, and put in place some policies to improve equality. Hang on, isn't that what Mark has been quietly doing all this time?

I think you need to get some upper body armor Slaps.

Darn those Icelanders- getting their own back for all that acid rain we sent 'em.

From "Bangkok Red-Shirt Rally - Live Thursday, THURSDAY APRIL 15"

The redshirt leader then presented Manop to members of the media, saying that the redshirt guard had seized weapons from soldiers and was taking them over to display on the Phan Fa stage - not the Khok Wua intersection or the Satri Witthaya School intersection as alleged.

If Manop had nothing to hide, why did he cover his face with that kind of mask in 35 degree heat when he went about with a rifle in his hands?

However, if Manop had something to hide (which no doubt he did), why did he make SUCH a piss poor job of covering it?

^ +1.

But it's JUST SO MUCH FUN!

I copied page after page of dot to dot writing helpers and sat and spent hours practising writing the letters. It's kind of cool to do too, as it's a simple, and repetitive task that you have to concentrate on.

Surely as an English speaker you should be able to roll your Rs anyway. Did your mam never make you do 'round the rugged rocks the rotten rascal ran'?

But as posters have said L or R really doesn't matter. Although I think that rolling your Rs is (in central areas) generally considered more 'posh' or 'chaat' at least. Take Ratchaburi, where I live. It can be said as Ratchaburi, with both Rs beautifully rolled, or Ratburi with a kind of half roll (Would it be called a glottal stop)? or Latlee with very flat Ls.

Good to see you're learning Thai, but as someone with nearly 10 years experience in teaching myself, I recommend you get a teacher. Mind you, I guess you could be a good student- mine was lousy

^^Who did he kill?

Thailand has many heroes. Google is not always your friend.

"Outside the box" refers to being able to partake in any activity other than mundanely serving the customer.

As I mentioned before those who are focused on mundanely serving the customer can be found at McD around the corner, where job description and role is neatly packaged and served up along with their awful food. One of the charms of Thailand is that things are often a bit chaotic and not as you expect them, hence never boring.

For a lot of people that seems to be a problem, that was why McD's and its ilk were invented, some bright spark recognised some humans need for repetition and conformity.

Do you want extra insurrection on that?

It would be interesting to know how many Farangs on here have been brainwashed by their Thai wives and girlfriends to support the reds .

Because if you tell a red supporter something is black and it is black he will still argue and say its white.

LMAO! If the paid cheerleaders for Mr T. on this board are anything to go by, they'll say it's Yellow. There are apparently only 2 colours you see.

Ahh ok i have tube inside the tire. Can you get tubless? tires on a Novou Mx? I seen that they have wheels with no I I I I I (i do not know what they called) they say they are not that easy to get a puncture.

In that case why not simply carry a spare innertube (cost about 80 Baht), a small bicycle pump (cost about 300 Baht for a decent one, my mountain bike uses the same valve type) and a couple of tyre levers and spanners to take the wheel off? While you are at it, buy a pressure gauge (about 200 Baht) and you can keep the tyres pumped up to the correct pressure, possibly the most important thing to do.

I no longer bother to have innertubes repaired.

You can blow up a motorbike tyre with a bicycle pump?

When I was a kid I could hardly pump up my bike tyres with one. Then they made them smaller. Great for water fights tho'. (Sorry OT).

^^An aggressive mob, backed up by murderous agent provocateurs, is hardly democratic by any definition.

You should maybe say 'revolution at its finest'

D*mn it webfact! Another day off?

Thanks for your tireless work. Enjoy your hol(s)