Huge Political Rally In Buriram

[mellow1]

Went to pick up my son at school early,because it being exam time I was told they would get out early.Close to 2 o'clock I headed for school.I noticed a large number of pick ups and other vehicles crammed full of people.You might say this is nothing new in Thailand,but the large number of these vehicles was.I made it to school,and of course the game plan had changed,so I waited till about 3:30.My son wanted to stop and pick up a new PS2 game in town,so we did.Coming out of town and heading back home we started encountering an infinite number of these vehicles, all loaded with people.This continued for several kilometers.Off the road there were now thousands of people walking and all heading to a large field,where there were people as far as the eyes could see.My son and I were stunned at this extremely large number of people.We have never seen anything like this around here.There must have been several 10s of thousands of people.It didn,t stop there.Once we got through the eye of this hurricane of people it started on the incoming lane for several Kilo.Instead of the road allowing a lane for each traffic direction,the road was now transformed into having 3 lanes 2 converging towards Buriram,and part of one lane and the shoulder outgoing.All the while there where also what can only be described as thousands of people walking towards this rally.Although there is a military base very close by I did not see one soldier.My wife said its the old TRT group having this political rally.

Does anyone know whats going on?

[John K]

You may try this, but I am not sure.

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/index.php?s=...t&p=1556704

If it is, one guess who paid for the transportation.

Edited September 25, 2007 by John K

[Pushit]

Went to pick up my son at school early,because it being exam time I was told they would get out early.Close to 2 o'clock I headed for school.I noticed a large number of pick ups and other vehicles crammed full of people.You might say this is nothing new in Thailand,but the large number of these vehicles was.I made it to school,and of course the game plan had changed,so I waited till about 3:30.My son wanted to stop and pick up a new PS2 game in town,so we did.Coming out of town and heading back home we started encountering an infinite number of these vehicles, all loaded with people.This continued for several kilometers.Off the road there were now thousands of people walking and all heading to a large field,where there were people as far as the eyes could see.My son and I were stunned at this extremely large number of people.We have never seen anything like this around here.There must have been several 10s of thousands of people.It didn,t stop there.Once we got through the eye of this hurricane of people it started on the incoming lane for several Kilo.Instead of the road allowing a lane for each traffic direction,the road was now transformed into having 3 lanes 2 converging towards Buriram,and part of one lane and the shoulder outgoing.All the while there where also what can only be described as thousands of people walking towards this rally.Although there is a military base very close by I did not see one soldier.My wife said its the old TRT group having this political rally.

Does anyone know whats going on?

That is Thaksins' money at work, that many people don't turn up for free!!

[Mid]

Martial law , Buriram ??

[mbkudu]

that many people don't turn up for free!!

In Burma they do.

[Pushit]

that many people don't turn up for free!!

In Burma they do.

I stand corrected I should have posted "That many Thai people don't turn up for free" Mea Culpa.

[mellow1]

There is no way, in which I can give a true, and real number, as to how many people I saw.But I grew up in Chicago,and saw many events in Grand park.This was a very,very large crowd.I wonder if the media will play this down.Yes, Buriram is still under martial law,I think.There is a military base about 5 or so kilometers from there,but no sign of a single soldier.There were police helping direct traffic,but none seemed to be pushing their weight around.Glad to get out of there.Wouldn't want to be there if things got unfriendly.

[Sanpatong]

LOL, and the junta apologists keep blaming Thaksin..

Unbelievable.

And you not find it strange that nothing appears in Thai press.. Or TV.. Freedom? Sorry, that was last year.

Maybe when the blood runs down the street you will believe.

Sleep tight.

[Siripon]

LOL, and the junta apologists keep blaming Thaksin..

Unbelievable.

And you not find it strange that nothing appears in Thai press.. Or TV.. Freedom? Sorry, that was last year.

Maybe when the blood runs down the street you will believe.

Sleep tight.

I'm Thai and I read the Thai press and watch Thai TV everyday. I can assure you the activities of the great socialists such as Samak and Newin are reported daily- for instance Samak's trip to Khorat was on the news tonight.

Unlike Thaksin, the junta don't censor the papers with threats of ads withdrawn from government agencies or remove TV moderators opposed to their policies as Thaksin did.

[stumonster]

for instance Samak's trip to Khorat was on the news tonight.

which is where all the people would be going for the free party - the showed people arranging thousands of plastic chairs for it last night

[samran]

LOL, and the junta apologists keep blaming Thaksin..

Unbelievable.

And you not find it strange that nothing appears in Thai press.. Or TV.. Freedom? Sorry, that was last year.

Maybe when the blood runs down the street you will believe.

Sleep tight.

I'm Thai and I read the Thai press and watch Thai TV everyday. I can assure you the activities of the great socialists such as Samak and Newin are reported daily- for instance Samak's trip to Khorat was on the news tonight.

Unlike Thaksin, the junta don't censor the papers with threats of ads withdrawn from government agencies or remove TV moderators opposed to their policies as Thaksin did.

Oh Siriporn, you are in danger of becoming what is called on TV a "thailand aplogist"!! Some others may call you a member of the "rose coloured glasses brigade". Thai press and TV for most here runs to the extent of the "Nation, BKK Post". You might even be called a "Thaksin basher". While I put my hand up to the last one, I'll let other people think what they want about the first two, while I live and work here, invest in a few select Thai companies and bring up my family.

I too have noticed that since the coup that the media has freed up, to unlike anything we saw after the first year of Dear Leader mark one. But to say these things is taboo you see, as it doesn't fit in with some peoples ideas that occasionally a democratically elected person can turn out to be a tyrant and that a non-elected group of people may turn out to be decent people. Admitedly it doesn't happen too often, but I sometimes wonder who have the blinkers on.

[ColPyat]

Unlike Thaksin, the junta don't censor the papers with threats of ads withdrawn from government agencies or remove TV moderators opposed to their policies as Thaksin did.

No, they just station soldiers into TV stations and have them censor every news item.

[ColPyat]

I too have noticed that since the coup that the media has freed up,

Of course the media is now more free to accuse Thaksin of real (and imagined) transgressions. Unfortunately though many important events have never made it into the media due to censorship.

[samran]

I too have noticed that since the coup that the media has freed up,

Of course the media is now more free to accuse Thaksin of real (and imagined) transgressions. Unfortunately though many important events have never made it into the media due to censorship.

true, we have a long way to go back to the days where the Thai press was renowned as the only press in SE Asia that was pretty much free. It would no doubt be a combination of hesitency by journalists after 4 odd years of being beaten about, plus the junta looking over peoples shoulders.

[ColPyat]

true, we have a long way to go back to the days where the Thai press was renowned as the only press in SE Asia that was pretty much free. It would no doubt be a combination of hesitency by journalists after 4 odd years of being beaten about, plus the junta looking over peoples shoulders.

Sometimes i do wonder how free the media was even in those days. A particular Thai media problem has always been self censorship, maybe in order to preempt censorship and similar trouble.

[samran]

true, we have a long way to go back to the days where the Thai press was renowned as the only press in SE Asia that was pretty much free. It would no doubt be a combination of hesitency by journalists after 4 odd years of being beaten about, plus the junta looking over peoples shoulders.

Sometimes i do wonder how free the media was even in those days. A particular Thai media problem has always been self censorship, maybe in order to preempt censorship and similar trouble.

I think the media self censors itself for a number of reasons. For instance in Australia, you will very rarely hear about polticians private lives and those of their families. It is basically an unwritten rule. Recently comments which would have caused a poltical upheval in Australia 2 years ago came to light after it was exposed that a bunch of senior reporters all kept the story to themselves.

Now in Thailand, the stories that are hidden are sometimes alot more serious.

At the end of the day self censorship comes down to one word: Access. You tell the stories selectively, you get insider knowledge. It is a dangerous game here as well opeing up your mouth lest decides to do something about it.

[Plus]

Huge rallies like this led by maniacal chovinists is a sign of trouble ahead.

Samak has experience in mobilising crowds for lynching.

[sriracha john]

The Source of the Rally

[ColPyat]

I think the media self censors itself for a number of reasons. For instance in Australia, you will very rarely hear about polticians private lives and those of their families. It is basically an unwritten rule. Recently comments which would have caused a poltical upheval in Australia 2 years ago came to light after it was exposed that a bunch of senior reporters all kept the story to themselves.

Now in Thailand, the stories that are hidden are sometimes alot more serious.

At the end of the day self censorship comes down to one word: Access. You tell the stories selectively, you get insider knowledge. It is a dangerous game here as well opeing up your mouth lest decides to do something about it.

I am also from a place in Europe where the privacy of politicians is respected (as long as it does not endanger national security). This, i believe, is not self censorship, but good manners.

Therefore, i am only slightly amused by the recent video here that was leaked and is talk of the town.

I am not amused though when certain business relationships and other very important events are self censored/censored out of history/faked completely. Everybody has to be accountable.

But yes - it is a very dangerous game indeed to open one's mouth. But more and more people do so.

[domreknaw]

Huge rallies like this led by maniacal chovinists is a sign of trouble ahead.

Samak has experience in mobilising crowds for lynching.

Death is beter solution for some in asia. I think this same in Burma

[sriracha john]

The results of the rally....

30,000 People Walk Out on Samak speech

10 minutes was all that most people could stomach... :D

[geriatrickid]

oh dear, when I saw the thread, I thought it was people going to an Ikea store opening.

[sriracha john]

It was an even more attractive incentive than a 20%-off sale during an Ikea grand opening...

XXXX baht to only have to listen to Samak for 10 minutes....

as it's...

rather obvious that when people go to all the trouble as described in the OP to attend a rally and then split after just 10 minutes...

[Ricardo]

The som-tam lady says, this was actually a meeting of the new Buriram Branch, of the Manchester-City Supporters' Club. Except that, being Thais, the attendees were clever enough to get paid to come to the meeting, rather than forking-out some £15-£20 of their hard-earned dosh, as English-supporters would need to do, to attend a game.

And the mass-exodus is explained by the failure-to-show of the two teams, or team-owner, who was practising for not-showing-up at various court engagements.

But seriously, for the Tahksinistas to claim that this demonstrates how repressed they are, when a large meeting is organised with virtually no police or army presence, is silly. Can't they welcome the demonstration, that things are getting back to more like normal, as a good thing ?

At least the poor people got some money in their pockets, courtesy of the 'People's PM', which is always good, for them at least.

[esbobes]

for instance Samak's trip to Khorat was on the news tonight.

which is where all the people would be going for the free party - the showed people arranging thousands of plastic chairs for it last night

No Political Rally just a big wedding of Thai and Farang I heard the sin sot was 8 billion baht.

[scorecard]

Hi Samran,

You said in a recent post "I can assure you the activities of the great socialists such as Samak and Newin are reported daily- for instance Samak's trip to Khorat was on the news tonight."

I'm wondering why you called Samak and Newin 'socialists'.

Would you please share your thoughts on this.

Regards

[Siripon]

Hi Samran,

You said in a recent post "I can assure you the activities of the great socialists such as Samak and Newin are reported daily- for instance Samak's trip to Khorat was on the news tonight."

I'm wondering why you called Samak and Newin 'socialists'.

Would you please share your thoughts on this.

Regards

I think you're confusing posters, I said those words and I was being sarcastic as I'm disgusted to see former leftists such as Mor Liap, ie Surapong,Thaksin's main man, team up with someone like Samak, a notorious right winger and interior minister after the massacre of students at Thammasart in 1976, the only man to have actually banned every newspaper in Thailand.

Newin himself has been involved in several scandals, I had to laugh when he described how he had been forced to strip by the CNS, it can't have been a pretty sight for those brave officers to endure.

The crowd probably got bored with Samak as he can't speak Khmer unlike Newin, or Issan like every local MP. That will be Kraisak's weakpoint for the Democrats in my view but then again Chavalit 'wao Issan Bor Pen' and he still got elected!

[CarlBkk]

Samak, Chavalit and Chalerm. Three names that should never again be associated with power and politics, but are.

Chalerm's classic: "if you accept my sons (into politics) then you will see what a great job we'll do for the people" or something like that. Does he NEVER learn?!

[torrenova]

My missus' brother was recruited by Toxin's mob from Non Suwan in Buriram to go to Bangkok and "protest". Something like a few hundred baht a day, beer and whisky as well as food and rough sleeping arrangements.

[scorecard]

Dear Siripon, and Dear Samran,

My apologies for my error about who wrote about Samak and Newin.

Siripon,

I echo your sentiments exactly about both of them. But I would go even further and describe both of them as: ignorant, powerfull, ruthless, greddy, and dangerous.

We all know vote buying will still feature very strongly in the upcoming elections and it frightens me that both of these charcters could end up in positions of power.

Chavalit Van recently wrote about Samak in letters to the editor, to the effect '...Samak is the poster child for everything that's wrong with Thai politics...'. Well written.

Regards