Warning against disrupting Olympic torch relay in Bangkok

[Thai at Heart]

The Olympic Torch Relay - How much has this cost, in terms of:

• human resources
  
• airline travel (fuel and the associated pollution)
  
• extra security
  

What a complete and utter waste of time and money . . . .

I bet the main sponsors are thinking that right now. Hasn't brought them much good publicity so far has it.

[younghusband]

BEFORE it got snatched faster than a 1,000 baht note at a .... *fill in your own analogy*

The Olympic Torch is carried by actor Christopher Benjakul during its run in Bangkok, Thailand, Saturday, April 19, 2008.

Associated Press

As if 'snatching' the Olympic Torch is an act of a hero... especially if one knows that:

"...the relay stage has been publicly endorsed by the revered royal family."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7355913.stm

I think it's disgusting and disrespectful.

LaoPo

I don't think there was any incident involving Chris Benjakul.What are you talking about?

The British Olympic sector was endorsed by Princess Anne.If you told her this implied there should be no pro-Tibet demonstrations, she would quite rightly tell you to "naff off".Don't try and conflate two quite separate aspects.

Some of us find different aspects of yesterday's proceedings disgusting, particularly the arrogance and insults of the rather badly behaved group waving Chinese flags (why didn't the police arrest these disruptive "foreign" elements) and jeering at the much smaller and very well behaved pro-Tibet group who were peaceful and co-operative with police, the latter incidentally doing a very good job.

Having said that I think the event went off well, with sensible "Thai style" control by the authorities.

[farangmal]

Worse things in this world could happen to you than being "Black Listed" from Thailand. There is nothing so special about Thailand.

Pretty women and good beer can be found all over asia. This ain't the only show in town.

Prettier Women and better beer can be found in Cambo, P.I. Jakarta just to name a few.

Scared to say too much on here my posts keep being deleted and I'm just telling the truth.

I hope the torch passed peacefully!

//Edit: Deleted off-topic comment about women and beer in neighbouring countries. - Maestro

[LaoPo]

I don't think there was any incident involving Chris Benjakul. What are you talking about?

Snatching the torch.

LaoPo

[jstumbo]

I don't think there was any incident involving Chris Benjakul. What are you talking about?

Snatching the torch.

LaoPo

After he was finished. Someone stole it from him.

[MustaphaMond]

US State Dept warning....

Following reports that foreign activists intend to join the activities, local officials have threatened to deport foreign activists who participate in protests. ......

Where that piece of Dis-Information come from ?

[sriracha john]

BEFORE it got snatched faster than a 1,000 baht note at a .... *fill in your own analogy*

The Olympic Torch is carried by actor Christopher Benjakul during its run in Bangkok, Thailand, Saturday, April 19, 2008.

Associated Press

Yeah! He got it back...

Stolen torch of Christopher Benjakul is returned

An Olympic torch that was snatched from a runner on Saturday is found left in front of the National Olympic Office on Monday.

Somebody grabbed the torch from the hand of Christopher Benjakul, a runner, after he passed the flames to next runner during the torch relay run on Saturday.

The torch was found on Monday in front of the National Olympic Office on Monday.

- The Nation

[Payboy]

Stolen torch of Christopher Benjakul is returned

wow....must be the honest taxi driver that we keep hearing about now and then...

[Tony Clifton]

Who can spot a locally made replica first?

[onethailand]

Christopher gets his torch back

Report that the Olympic torch of a runner, Christopher Benjakul, was snatched on Saturday took a strange twist on Monday after Thai National Olympic committee finally broke their silence three days after the initial report.

Maj Gen Jaruk Areeratchakaran, the committee secretary general, said in a press conference on Monday that nobody grabbed the torch from Christopher. He said it was the officials from the Thai Olympic Committee that took the torch. The torch was placed in the Committee's vehicle for safe keeping.

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2008/04/21...al_30071218.php

What a load of <deleted>. Take something from someone for safekeeping, and don't tell him for three days?

[onethailand]

LMAO... good one. I remember that too...

[Johpa]

Who can spot a locally made replica first?

Or perhaps the torch returned will be found to be a replica and the actual torch will turn up in the social pages of the Hong Kong (or more likely Macau these days) press carried by a buffonted visiting Khun Ying. Perhaps China will then fall into the footsteps of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and declare the Kingdom of Thailand to become persona, or should it be nation non grata.

[MengWan]

All those events, and the comments made, show clearly that the Olympic Games are nothing but a nationalistic event.

This is not about "sports" anymore, it is just a sort of huge happening which exacerbates "patriotism" nationalism and the like !

Calls for boycott, now calls for "counter-boycott" (Carrefour !), where are the "sportsmen" ????