grandpops

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Good to see you made it through all of this, koo...

Sorry your team lost.

Another great post. Full of reason, substance, inteligent remarks and wit.

Welcome back. I heard that you resigned and was.... sit down now

saddened!! Not enough to top myself but I did actually miss you!

Something is still going on so they don't end the emergency decree yet.

Don't underestimate people's power.

Yes.

Still a need for emergency decree, this is slowed by not stopped.

Someone for your side of the color spectrum tried to kill Sondhi this AM,

rather than wait for the courts to grind along.

True Democracy Red Shirt Style!

So this could be a bellweather of 'Life with Thaksin as Dear Leader',

and Red shirts and Chalerm running the legislative.

Bellweather? Can somebody help me out please. My english is not so good. I thought it was bellwether.

I used it coloqually like a fog gong at sea.

And indicator of rocky shores to avoid.

Sailors also use this in some locales.

But yes most correctly,

and lacking my intentional irony, it is:

bell⋅weth⋅er –noun

1. a wether or other male sheep that leads the flock, usually bearing a bell.

2. a person or thing that assumes the leadership or forefront, as of a profession or industry: Paris is a bellwether of the fashion industry.

3. a person or thing that shows the existence or direction of a trend; index.

4. a person who leads a mob, mutiny, conspiracy, or the like; ringleader.

The last two being spot on.

Probably true here for both sides. Its democtatic process in its infancy and hopefully it will refine and mature over years.. decades proabaly, but I think its the beginning of the end for the racist ruling classes and their distaste for poor dark skinned people in any guise other than cleaner or driver.

What poor northern farmers must think when they watch Bankokcentric television I can only wonder. Lifestyle programs, Fashion shows, soaps, travel diarys, all viewed from inside a wooden shack with a tin roof, paid for by the daughters that had to go and slave in the city or, if they were lucky enough to be considered pretty, to sell themselves in the brothels and bars that the hi-so's own, frequent or extort money from.

A plea from the pampered tourist sectors will likely fall on deaf ears outside of vested interest. Why would two thirds of the population of the country living in poverty give a fig about some soppy falangs holiday being disrupted.

I see the biggest danger now for Abhisit is Thaksin dissapearing from the scene.

They have demonised him so much that the next mover from the Red side who is Thaksin free will be able to wipe the floor at the next elections.

Yes, the Democrats now NEED Thaksin for their survival and to deflect anger and critisism from the massive financial fall out of this last week, the PAD antics and the general world financial climate. Not to mention the possibility of them also not being compenent enough to run the country's finances. No Thaksin = no bogeyman....wooooooooooooooooooooh

Well, i have left Thailand now, that is what those red shirts did. Won't return till the political issue is resolved.

So you converted to Budhism and will be back in which future life?

Cheer up, it's never been much different and Thailand is actually a better place to live when the tourists bugger off in the low season. The thais are more relaxed and friendly (when they are not rioting that is) and the workload slackening makes everybody take time out to chill, re-build, plan and prepare for the next great influx.

Come back soon!

I did not follow what the US media put out on this latest uprising but it must have been pretty bad. My friends back there are urging me

to get the F out of here and think I am crazy for staying.

Well who would come vacation here then?

Pattaya is packed with farangs now, mostly hooligan/kee nok types for song kran. But i think after song kran tourism is gonna nosedive

bigtime!

Theres a fact you noticed.

It;s these types of tourists who are the most resiliant and most likely to throw money around that poorer thais can pick up!

Not seen one bar fly headed to the airport because of coups, violence etc. Quite the opposite, many actually come because they think it will be cheaper and less cluttered with "high end" torists droning on about the state of the beach, the weather, the taxi prices and generally walking around with a disgusted look on their faces!

The supposed High end are the first to high tail it. Sould the TAT be targetting them more?

Anyway, nice to see a few new members of the PAD tag team acting in unison. Great blogging lads and you have changed my opinion of your Master Sondhi and thats for sure.

Keep it up

Grandpops, you seem to imply above that there is some sort of co-ordinated effort, to distort the content on TV ? Do you have any actual evidence for this, or your claim that Sondhi is their Master ?

I personally would condemn any attempt by paid posters, to disrupt our forum, in this way.

It certainly was interesting, to see the views of new members who started posting over the past week, unfortunately some of the more rabid ones got themselves banned, just when they were getting going. The lesson as always is, feel free to post, but don't flame or abuse others.

Thank you so much, I do feel free to post as I see fit. Koo was insulted and demeaned on here tonight by the PAD supporters if you are keen to stamp out flaming?

I watched this country nose dive in the 90's and finally pick it self up this century and start behaving like a country going forward.

We had major construction, and the beginnings of a health service, both of which The democrats tried to block.

IMHO which I am entitled to, Thaksin shook this country to its roots and people started believing that if could achieve greater things. Which ever side you may take now, there is no hope at all of this country achieving anything whatsoever in the next decade.

The Genie is out of the bottle and with the information highway, the poorer people of this country can read about how wealthy people are in Bangkok. They can also see on television every night the difference in the standard of living and housing in Bangkok over where they live. Impossible that this can be stamped out or glossed over.

You are either a democracy or miilitary state and I know where the worlds press are placing thailand these days.

Just a quick question to all PAD supporters.

Were three airports blockaded last year and hundreds of thousands of people inconvenienced, tons of airfreithg left to rot or not?

Was Government house blockaded or not?

Please if it didn't happen tell me and perhaps we can move on. If it did happen, it is relevant to todays mess and not going to go away.

Thaksin just popped up on Thai TV with a new passport by the look of it so you will have to dream on for a while yet about him having to participate in a show trial under this Army leadership.

Enjoy the PAD celebrations in Phuket. At least the thousands of owners of empty hotels, guest houses, restaurants and bars know where to go and thank them this weekend.

I'd fly down there for the weekend, but if Thaksins sister farts, they will undoutedly block the airport again. Heard the army are laying on trucks for them to get up there if needs be.

Airport, airport, airport.

That's all the Thaksinistas can hide behind. "The Airport Blockade™".

There wasn't even a WINDOW broken at the airport. Nobody broke as much as a FINGERNAIL. And if someone is to be prosecuted for "The Airport Blockade™" then it's the airport workers who peacefully handed it over without such action being demanded from the yellows.

Get your facts straight.

Of course, if money is more important than lives, keep going with condemning the yellows for "The Airport Blockade™".

Regards

Thanh

Pardon us for parting your yellow mist. The Airport and Gov house blockade did happen and were supported by the Army and the Democrats.

Sorry if you missed it but it was the highlight on every news outlet in the world over a two month period.

Inconvenient but true.

Brainwashing of PAD tag team.. No no no. All it took was a quick rinse by the looks of things on here.

CNN have just posted an online survey asking "Has the recent unrest in Thailand made you re-consider traveling there on holiday?"

Amazingly (or not amazingly?), 68% of the respondents answered 'yes'

CNN Main Page and Poll

next week I will move up to Thailand, but the moving company told me that about 6 families in my home town who asked a quote said they reconsider their plans for moving to Thailand. Those were all pensioners who are many years married with a Thai spouse.

This is on top of a drop in Tourism. If you know that the average spending of an expat pensioners family is at least 1 million Baht per year, this could mean a multi billions Baht loss for the Thai economy if only 5000 families change their plan.

Thank you Khun Thaksin and your red brigade.

Least you can come if you want. Had this been 8 months ago you may have wanted to come but found a bunch of sheep blocking the airport and killing the holiday season dead.

The rural poor will not feel any of this loss as the wealth in this country is pocketed by the elites of Bangkok. Perhaps some of them my be getting a taste of the poverty they have subjected the rest of the country to for centuries.

Oh dear, all those lilly white translucent bangkok nose job ladies having to go without servants and skin whitener. Oh dear oh my, perhaps the UN will get involved in their plight.

Koo, my comment was posted in another forum thread already but I trust it also should be here.

To call on new elections during the current global economic crisis would be the wrong solution! We see then a caretaker Government which can not handle but only sit unable to make decisions or install laws. In the best case scenario a fully function Government, election included will take at least 4-5 month to have it running. This can't be allowed. Solve the crisis first. Thailand needs a leader now and the current PM can do that - Yes, he can!!!

Do the Thai people want Chalerm to lead this country? Live with the fact that your hero turned into a zero... and will never return. You know, he is clever...

/edit typing error

So elections are a bad thing... hmm Caretaker Governemt cannot handle situations. hmm Can''t be allowed. Thats more like the spirit.

Thailand does indeed need a leader more than at any time. what it has is a twitching, stammering shipwreck of a boy with the army dictating through his ear piece constantly.

Anyway, nice to see a few new members of the PAD tag team acting in unison. Great blogging lads and you have changed my opinion of your Master Sondhi and thats for sure.

Keep it up

It doesn't take much effort for those in the shadows behind the red shirts to create images of men in uniform throwing bodies into trucks. In fact I'm rather surprised such images haven't been fed to the likes of Al Jazeera. Maybe they have but the media org's saw through them a little too easily. Even if they did make the bodies disappear, supposing they could in the middle of all that mayhem, there'd still be the walking wounded to tell their tales. Of course they've still ot time to produce "widows" who waved their husbands goodbye last Friday never to see them again.

So what exactly is wrong with Al Jazeera? They've got some of the best and most balanced international news out there. My wife and I were very happy with the quality of their reporting on the situation in Thailand.

Thats the rub. They are balanced.... Its the lot in power that are out of kilter.

It looks like a coup, kick out three pms who beat abhisit change constitution

It smells like a coup, Army on streets, calling shots. (look who is behind the hysteria that provoked this thread.

Army budget doubled this year, they start two battles with Cambodian troups which gov is unaware of.

Its just possible therefore that it is a coup and some of you havn't woken up and smelled it yet... you will, you will!

Trust Aj Jazeera on this one, they have more reporting depth than any of the Thai lot. Note ASTV is still pumping out its bilge day and night and the PAD are partying in Phuket this weekend.

Fair and balanced? Not thai powers of the moment.

Sigh. Don't you have kids on your lawn to yell at?

No, They are all away playing at star trek, calling each other childish names and saying they live in such places as The Moon, Jupiter, oh and Cybertron. Kids eh!

All major outlets are supporting this coup by stealth and noting the lack of response during the PAD rally by the Army. Other than, that is, to ensure the Police didn't break up their seige of government house. A recent post of yours seeks to gloss over these key points by calling them Tired.. They are facts, not arguments and will not ever be tired.

Perhaps the sentences of the Red leaders should be around 5 percent of those of The PAD leaders taking into account the length of their seige of Gov House.

It doesn't take much effort for those in the shadows behind the red shirts to create images of men in uniform throwing bodies into trucks. In fact I'm rather surprised such images haven't been fed to the likes of Al Jazeera. Maybe they have but the media org's saw through them a little too easily. Even if they did make the bodies disappear, supposing they could in the middle of all that mayhem, there'd still be the walking wounded to tell their tales. Of course they've still ot time to produce "widows" who waved their husbands goodbye last Friday never to see them again.

So what exactly is wrong with Al Jazeera? They've got some of the best and most balanced international news out there. My wife and I were very happy with the quality of their reporting on the situation in Thailand.

Thats the rub. They are balanced.... Its the lot in power that are out of kilter.

It looks like a coup, kick out three pms who beat abhisit change constitution

It smells like a coup, Army on streets, calling shots. (look who is behind the hysteria that provoked this thread.

Army budget doubled this year, they start two battles with Cambodian troups which gov is unaware of.

Its just possible therefore that it is a coup and some of you havn't woken up and smelled it yet... you will, you will!

Trust Aj Jazeera on this one, they have more reporting depth than any of the Thai lot. Note ASTV is still pumping out its bilge day and night and the PAD are partying in Phuket this weekend.

Fair and balanced? Not thai powers of the moment.

Just read this on the British Embassy Travel advice site

The Lao/Thai border crossing in Nong Chai is closed and there are reports of road blocks in Chiang Mai and Lampang in northern Thailand. Red-shirt leaders have threatened major protests in 50 cities throughout Thailand in the next few days.

I have a feeling once BKK mob is squashed, the rest will just fold

This is not a BKK mob, it's the rest of the country north of Bangkok.

The problem for many in BKK and the expat community is that they only see poor people in the context of working in bars, steet food stalls, cleaning up their room etc. etc.

Most have probably never seen how little they earn, what their homes and lives are like or how angry they can get when a minority (yes BKK is big, but it is still less than 10 percent of the population of Thailand) keep calling them stupid and ignorant and depriving them of the right to vote.

Yea, I am starting to think they are worse than Yellow.

Glad you come around?

What triggered your change? Was it when they brooke into international meeting? Was it when they threatened to blow up a huge LPG tank in residential area and fought with people living there? Was it when they fought with local all across the city and finally shot someone, or ever three people? Was it when the declared a revolution, refused to follow countyr's laws and started a hunt for country's leaders?

Or maybe it was the molotov cocktail thrown into the Education Ministry today with people inside. There are just so many acts of terrorism to choose from.

Non on a par with staging a coup, rigging elections, election courts and ousting elected PM's(3). nor banning anybody that may have a chance of defeating their man (boy as it turned out) for the job.

I hope Thaksin never comes back, but this lot have to go and election results must be allowed to stand, even if poor people have voted them in.

This is getting so out of hand, it almost feels like a war. These people have to be stopped before someone is seriously injured or killed.

What if you have to seriously injure them or kill them to stop them?

Given events of the past 2 years no one can claim the army HQ is not a legitimate target. Buses are a different matter of course.

Spot on post.

The Army started this, prolonged it, meddled with constitutions and elections, lost the election despite the meddling, put the PAD upto overthrowing that government, turfed a PM out for cooking on TV and stood on the sidelines only to ensure the police did not disperse the PAD when Somchai proved more resiliant than he looked.

Then, they set up a militia, provoke a response and turn out in force at the slightest sign that their masters grip on Thailand may be weakend.

Yes, definately a legitimate target of anger. But I do know that many support the reds and there will be plenty going on behind the scenes. Most of the conscripts are poor and could soon turn if there is a strong enough figure at the top. The Police have publically critisised the Army for going in heavy handed this morning.

At least they are isolating themselves now and showing that they, PAD, Abhisit, Newin and his blueshirts, are the problem that Thailand must resolve before it can move on.

Red Leader Jackracrap is on BBC now. - Claims that the reds are completely innocent and peaceful. They have done nothing to provoke the government. BBC anchor pressed him on stopping his group's aggressive behavior, but he denied they had done anything provocative. He is well and truly insane...

Fair and Balanced!

Did they say anything about a Govenment henchman recruiting a militia and dressing them in blue shirts....

He is on because the main channals have already given Abhisit and his cronies the chance to prove to the world that they are a self interest group of pupets put in place to defend the status quo of the Bangkok so called elite. Most want to see more of what is driving a normally placid people to the streets of Bangkok.

Perhaps that doesn't fit in with the point you are making though.

Airports still open if you don't like the country and its people. Remember, there are a lot more rural poor than Bangkok Middle Class.

Regular tv channels don't show the real situation at Din Deang this morning.

But you have the inside story, because you're in the thick of it, with your laptop and wifi.

There are no regular channels in Thailand.

All the serious world media seem to be taking the same line. Most mention:

Abhisit came in illegally.

Paid a known criminal to support him in parliament. (mentioned "Notorious Mobster!)

Same criminal organised a blue shirted militia that seemed to provoke the red shirts.

Army acting quicker than against PAD - shows who is in control and that we had a coup last year.

Double standard of him using these tactics (through PAD) to get into power.

Desperate rearguard action of failed aging power clique. Bet a lot of adult nappies are taking a soiling now!

ASTV on the other hand appear to be looking over their sholders and packing their bags.

Protesters drive truck with gas cylinders into compound of Din Daeng flats

Residents of Din Daeng flats were terrified when protesters drove a truck fuelled by NGV gas into the compound.

The truck uses several NGV cylinders and the protesters shouted that the flat residents should leave immediately, prompting speculation that the protesters would explode the gas tanks.

The Nation

These people are beyond reason at this point. Its time to stop them. Using whatever means necessary.

Another classis non news item from the Nation.

Firstly they paint a picture that it is a truck full of gas cylinders ie one of those delivery trucks. That out of the way its so speculative that even they use the word "speculation".

People are always carping on about Thaksin being corrupt, but from what I understand the only thing they nailed him on was a 'conflict of interest', hardly corruption and something that would not get anyone a prison sentence in most modern democratic states. He helped his mrs buy a bit of land, big deal so would I if I were PM. Thaksin was the first PM to even notice the rural poor-that's why they love him and why others hate him, nothing to do with 'corruption, just about the long time power mongers getting their snouts shoved out of the trough at long last. I'd certainly buy Thaksin a drink any day.

When is this horrendous lie ever gone a stop. The ignorance of some people is realy unbelievable.

I don't care that he stole billions by corruption, but what I can never forgive him, is that he cheated the poor and ignorant with his so called free loans. Those loans created lost of farms, land, houses and deep misery.Most of this so called free loans came back in his pocket by the companies he controls. In my eyes an despicable man.

And now the poor and ignorant still see him as their saviour because they hope, once he back in power he will give them again new so called free loans or cancel their present loans. If you know Isan as I do, you do know that's what they are hoping for. This is the real drama of rural Thailand.

Again I hate that despicable man for those crimes he commit against the poor and ignorants.

That PAD in a nutshell. High handed, self righteous, insulting, superior, blinkered to their own mistakes.

Love the double standards.

Home roost come chickens to. Anagram time

Who's Toxin? May as well get rid of Abhishit.

maybe you are not aware that at least Abhisit is legitimate as he came second in the elections and the winning party has been disbanded due to electoral fraud..... also i chalenge anyone here to show us of any closet skeleton, fraud, malfeasance or corruption directly liked to Abhisit at the contrary of the notorious bad deeds of the TRT, PPP, MAFIA that was in place before.....

the only mistake of the present government is to have let sondhi and chamlong free. have they prosecuted and jailed them , they could now act against the UDD mongoloids ruining the country.

But he didn't did he. Not only did he not have them arrested, one of them is in his cabinet! It's like saying that The Moors Murders's only mistake was killing all those children and we should overlook it.

He also chose to take the line of PAD that those against them were too stupid to vote and wanted to make Thailand a Rebublic. Both of which are un true.

Don't pity him. He should have bided his time and either got in through the front door without the aid of Newin and the Army backers.

Ladies and Gentleman,

The Reds have indirectly PHYSICALLY ASSAULTED the Prime Minister. There is no defense for that. There is no explaining that away.

If he wasn't physically assaulted,

Just remember the Cooking show PM and you will see there is no sympathy for Abhisit at all, outside of ASTV and a few of his backers.

On the nation there are several news about the protesters blocking the streets with cars, buses motorbikes.

Any army guy here??

When the army has tanks, no mater how old they are, this shouldn't be a big issue or?

I saw a few pictures of tanks going over cars and it didn't look very difficult so what is the issue on that???

Right solution but 6 months late.

They should have rolled on the airport last year.

You will recall that the PAD claimed legitimate protest rights bestowed on them after the coup. Rights that were supposed to enable them (PAD) to bring down a TRT Government if it got into power.

They used this "right" and got rid of two PM's and installed their own guy.

However, with massive lack of foresight, they left the right to protest in place and can hardly whinge now when it is being used by the reds.

The entire world saw what happened last year and have better memories than ASTV viewers.

ASTV: redshirt mob refuse to let wounded out of Interior Ministry (the guy who had his head smashed with a paving stone)

At Last. a news source we can rely on!

My Wife is telling me they have given the police 3 Hrs to give him back That was at 11 Am

If he is not released the UDD with 500 supporters will go for him

Apparantly he has been taken to Don Maung

This is what she has heard on Rimping Radio.

good idea, take him to Don Muang

put him in a cage on a military transport on the runway surrounded by police and army

let it be known to the red faction where he is

let all the reds into the airport to protest and attempt his release.

once they are all inside, declare martial law within the precincts of don Mueng, let the plane take off to a small island somewhere a long long way away and then arrest everyone in the airport for trespass and interfering with police business

strip them of weapons and mobile phones and lock them all up in an aircraft hangar

provide beds, food and water, toilets etc

process them, get all their ID's ands addresses then fine them all 10,000 baht, to be paid before release from the grounds of Don Mueng and use it for any reparations caused by the reds recent activity.

if theres any shortfall use Thaksins seized funds to make it good.

make it clear that any more damage caused by the reds will come out of Thaksins money and any repeat offenders will be going to jail

treat them fairly and civily but treat them like the criminals they are and behave like you learned some lessons from the last time this happened. (even if you haven't)

That would work fine

Other than it would clearly demostrate to the tiny percentage of people too blind or stupid to see that:

1. He was taken to Don Muang as the army base is there and they were behind two recent coups.

2. The army were backing the PAD and allowed them to over run the base last year.

3. The powers treat the poor majority in a different way to their elitist PAD minority.

4. Thaksin was right all along that the Army were behind his ousting in 2006.

5. Thailand is using the same route as Burma.

6. Most Falangs who think Thaksin was the problem, know nothing about Thailand.

They said on the red main stage at Government House now that 2 reds in Pattaya were shot by gun and are sent to hospital.

Some reds have entered Royal Cliff Beach Resort.

They ask the reds to block all local Municipal Houses in provinces and call the reds in Bangkok to gather at Government House.

As Abhisit government allows attack to unarmed reds, the reds announce Abhisit government is their enemy.

Just watched on TV 7 a different story... throwing stones and obviously Molotov cocktails means "unarmed"????

I think most are aware that the reds are desperate, and desperate people do stupid things, which is what we are seeing today. Unbelievable that the police can't handle this.

Unbelievable is that many on the PAD side have yet to realise they are reaping the first part of what they supported the PAD in sewing.

The PAD action was mearly a rear guard action from a failing desperate self interest group clinging to power having failed to gain it in rigged elections. This is the real thing.

The numbers have always been with the rural poor and Bangkok has always overthrown their representatives, insulted them as being stupid and ignorant to vote and being disloyal to the crown.