PAD Lay Siege On Government House, NBT TV Station

[kurtgruen]

The early police manoeuvres are shown over and over at different times during the march, nothing short of a Monty Python movie.

A national shame worthy of treason charges (like we saw against PAD earkier this week) for inciting and helping a group to a riot hand in hand with this dead-end government.

You took the words right out of my mouth, Tony.

How sad, that we live in a world, where things like this are still allowed to happen. I guess as humanity, we haven't come as far as we sometimes think :-(

[RadioCityMike]

The early police manoeuvres are shown over and over at different times during the march, nothing short of a Monty Python movie.

A national shame worthy of treason charges (like we saw against PAD earkier this week) for inciting and helping a group to a riot hand in hand with this dead-end government.

NBT has gone back to regular programming, the muslim hour.

I am thinking that if they sent me to stand in between those two worthless mobs with no weapon and no backup, I would have reacted equally bravely.

[Tony Clifton]

The early police manoeuvres are shown over and over at different times during the march, nothing short of a Monty Python movie.

A national shame worthy of treason charges (like we saw against PAD earkier this week) for inciting and helping a group to a riot hand in hand with this dead-end government.

NBT has gone back to regular programming, the muslim hour.

I am thinking that if they sent me to stand in between those two worthless mobs with no weapon and no backup, I would have reacted equally bravely.

The resistance DAAD encountered was equivalent to a paper wall, litterally.

A lesson for us all tonight, don't f*&^ with a Thai as more Thais will come.

Edited September 1, 2008 by Tony Clifton

[ando]

Very sad indeed.

This is the very sort of thing Sondhi had hoped to provoke.

[Tony Clifton]

Very sad indeed.

This is the very sort of thing Sondhi had hoped to provoke.

You got up just for that? Back to sleep and your state of denial.

wait until Samak makes his next move, you'll see who was hoping and provoking, and, more importantly, why.

Edited September 1, 2008 by Tony Clifton

[Thai at Heart]

The early police manoeuvres are shown over and over at different times during the march, nothing short of a Monty Python movie.

A national shame worthy of treason charges (like we saw against PAD earkier this week) for inciting and helping a group to a riot hand in hand with this dead-end government.

NBT has gone back to regular programming, the muslim hour.

I am thinking that if they sent me to stand in between those two worthless mobs with no weapon and no backup, I would have reacted equally bravely.

Especially after the way various groups made it appear perfectly acceptable to defy police requests and prevented the police from using reasonable force to do their job. Whilst people have been bemoaning the fact that in the west police tend to handle these things swiflty and forcibly, part of the reason is to prevent an opposition group having time to mobilise.

After debating, disecting and criticising the police conduct last week that caused almost no serious injury, the police have left their truncheons, tear gas and rubber bullets at home.

[RadioCityMike]

Very sad indeed.

This is the very sort of thing Sondhi had hoped to provoke.

The government needs to take control and send everyone home. I doubt they will be less popular then they already are. Nothing to lose. The injurys involved in sending everyone home will probably be less then if things continue in the direction they are going.

[Tony Clifton]

My recap :

-New chief of police installed

*-Bomb explodes next to police booth neard PAD, same pattern as before with unsolved bombings pointing to Thaksinistas.

-Immediately declares no batons, shields only

-DAAD gathers dunken yobs

-Drunken yobs are allowed to hop onto m'cycles and walk the street with weapons clearly showing in hand.

-Police line has resistance of paper wall on many occasions during march, seems intentional

-Few killed, many hurt

-Decision already scheduled for today Sep 2 regarding PPP party disolution.

-Everyone waiting for Samak's next move, Emergency Law would please him , flush out PAD, coup also good for PPP cause.

You couldn't think this sh!t up, unless you're in cahoots with the Thai police where you've selectively moved your people around.

Radiocity Mike, the government is trying to take control, they don't have it.

Edited September 1, 2008 by Tony Clifton

[Thai at Heart]

My recap :

-New chief of police installed

-Immediately declares no batons, shields only

-DAAD gathers dunken yobs

-Drunken yobs are allowed to hop onto m'cycles and walk the street with weapons clearly showing in hand.

-Police line has resistance of paper wall on many occasions during march, seems intentional

-Few killed, many hurt

-Decision already scheduled for today Sep 2 regarding PPP party disolution.

-Everyone waiting for Samak's next move, Emergency Law would please him , flush out PAD, coup also good for PPP cause.

You couldn't think this sh!t up.

It appears that there are times that it is worthwhile to listen to coppers with riot shields, batons and tear gas unused. Coz when you need them to use it, they might just not bother. The PAD was allowed to push the police around all week

[Tony Clifton]

Police closed in on Makawan earlier this week, they pushed their way in onto the pad, not the other way around. Even playing bouncy bouncy with a Red Cross worker.

[onethailand]

Samak: No emergency measures yet.

[Tony Clifton]

Giant banner of Thaksin and Pojaman's police mugshots still standing for the world to see.

[RadioCityMike]

My recap :

-New chief of police installed

*-Bomb explodes next to police booth neard PAD, same pattern as before with unsolved bombings pointing to Thaksinistas.

-Immediately declares no batons, shields only

-DAAD gathers dunken yobs

-Drunken yobs are allowed to hop onto m'cycles and walk the street with weapons clearly showing in hand.

-Police line has resistance of paper wall on many occasions during march, seems intentional

-Few killed, many hurt

-Decision already scheduled for today Sep 2 regarding PPP party disolution.

-Everyone waiting for Samak's next move, Emergency Law would please him , flush out PAD, coup also good for PPP cause.

You couldn't think this sh!t up, unless you're in cahoots with the Thai police where you've selectively moved your people around.

Radiocity Mike, the government is trying to take control, they don't have it.

Okay. I will be more clear. The government needs to authorize the police to use non-lethal force for crowd control. Anyone that resists the police should be arrested immediately. If people choose to use grandmothers, babies, or precious images as shields to resist the police, they should be arresed immediately. This should be normal police behavior. Once the police are given this order, then you can decide if they are being impartial or not. When you tell them not to use force and they don't, how can you blame them.

[davee58]

A very detailed account from the Straits Times...

Thai protesters clash

THE weeks of tension and huge gulf between the Bangkok elites and upcountry rural Thailand erupted into a pitched battle around 1am on Tuesday morning on Rajadamnoen Avenue in the heart of historic Bangkok.

Some 5,000 pro-government protestors who had been pouring into Bangkok all day, at around midnight began marching up Rajadamnoen Avenue towards Makkawan bridge.

The PAD which has been occupying Government House located just beyond the bridge, lay in wait behind barricades.

The mood in the PAD camp was serious and businesslike. All the men at the barrier wore helmets and carried baseball bats. Some had slingshots. From a distance, the sound of the pro-government crowd could be heard as they approached.

The pro-government crowd, many wearing red shirts and red headbands, marched quickly towards the Makkawan bridge and was met by a double row of police in full riot protection gear but without batons. In less than five minutes the police allowed the crowd through.

Minutes later at about 1.20am the police simply walked away and watched from a distance as the almost medieval battle erupted.

Some in the crowd, armed with two by fours and rods and slingshots, began to run towards the PAD's sparsely guarded outer perimeter. The PAD guards manning the perimeter ran and the crowd chased them, throwing aside metal barriers. The men were screaming with rage as they ran at the PAD. One car window was broken and the pro-government crowd roared.

But as the few dozen young men in the vanguard of the pro-government crowd neared the PAD just after 1am, the close ranks of the PAD suddenly roared and came running out in a full charge, plowing into the pro-government crowd who were totally outnumbered and ill equipped to defend against the charge.

Simultaneously a volley of gunfire erupted from the PAD, and at least one pro-government protestor fell immediately.

A pitched battle ensued where the two rival mobs met, with many at the rear of the pro-government crowd running helter skelter as they realised the PAD had the upper hand and heard the gunshots.

After an initial shot, more shots were heard at random intervals as the struggle surged back and forth for about two or three minutes.

The shots were clearly coming from the PAD ranks. Bullets zinged into the trees above me and another journalist from Bloomberg; we were the only foreign journalists there.

One of the bullets cut down a branch.

Later two bullet marks were found on the tree, and one bullet on the ground. At the burst of shots I shouted 'bullet' and we both ducked and ran with the crowd, which was climbing over walls and trying to break into nearby buildings to get away.

The situation calmed momentarily then.

An injured man was carried away to the rear of the crowd, blood pouring from his leg.

Ambulances appeared with sirens howling and raced to the site of the riot taking some of the injured to hospitals.

At least 5 ambulances took away the injured, estimated by some sources at between 25 and 35. More ambulances were standing by.

The street strewn with rubble from the battle.

The pro government crowd appeared stunned at being shot at by the PAD. 'We brought sticks and knives to a gunfight,' one man said. Several women sat on the sidewalk with their heads in their hands.

The PAD has advanced several metres and now massed in the street in a show of strength, facing down the pro-government crowd.

A man on top of a truck in the pro-government crowd screamed into a microphone urging the men not to back off. 'More of us are coming,' he screamed.

He also shouted 'No one is above the law' referring to the arrest warrants issued against the five PAD leaders and four other key PAD people - who have all been avoiding arrest by staying inside their crowd of 10,000 odd in Government House.

At 1.30am a second wave of a few dozen pro-government supporters armed with two by fours and swords and other assorted weapons appeared.

This time, the police intervened, forming a line across the road between the two warring sides. Police officers shouted at the crowds to stand down.

A volatile calm followed as the ambulances arrived and ferried away the wounded. The pro-government crowd screamed over the police at the PAD.

'Tomorrow we will bring many more people,' one pro-government protestor said.

The crowd had come from all over the north east and northern provinces, strongholds of the ruling People Power Party (PPP).

'I hate the PAD,' one man shouted. Another yelled 'We love Thaksin.'

A middle aged woman said 'Today we are going to kill Suriyasai Katasila.'

Another man, 56 year old Chaoalit Sainaamkiew, told The Straits Times 'The PAD want to force the army to come out. Us Thais don't want to fight, but they want to force out a prime minister who had been elected by us.'

Another man who asked not to be named, said 'The legal process hasn't worked. The supposed negotiations in parliament didn't work. So there's nothing else to do but this. When the legal system and civilised debate fails, we have to go back to being barbarians. It is sad to see this happening in Thailand.'

'They (the pro government protestors) feel this has been going on long enough, the PAD is holding the country to ransom. There will be a bloodbath if this carries on, not today but within two or three days. We are expecting 40,000 people.'

He said it was possible the pro government protestors were 'set up' because their intention had been to establish tents and a picket line up close to the PAD line, and had been told the police would be there to separate the two. But there were no police, leaving the pro-government men open to the PAD's murderous charge.

'This has been going on for years. The issue is the ruling elites won't let Thai people share the wealth of the country.'

At around 2.45am over 100 soldiers arrived with riot control gear and no weapons. An army source confirmed on the phone that the army was not on alert, but four companies of riot control soldiers had been sent out. The men in camouflage fatigues and holding riot shields fell in to support the police at around 2.45am.

Big trucks then started appearing, carrying tent poles and canvas and stacked with cases of drinking water for the pro-government crowd.

By 3.30am the chance of another clash appeared to have diminished, but the mood remained dangerously volatile. One pro-government protestor was seen pinning a print out in Thai on a tree which read 'We have taken back Rajadamnoen.'

Last Tuesday the PAD - a coalition of royalists with significant backing from the capital's royalist-military-bureaucratic elite, and from wealthy business families, invaded a government TV station, shut down three airports in the south disrupting over 15,000 travellers for two days, and overran and occupied Government House.

The PAD is demanding that prime minister Samak Sundaravej and his Cabinet who they say are corrupt puppets of former premier Thaksin Shinawatra, resign.

Mr Samak has refused to do so, insisting that as an elected prime minister he will not cave in to a minority.

But the situation has been locked in a deepening stalemate, which broke last night in the mayhem on Rajadamnoen.

http://www.straitstimes.com/Breaking%2BNew...ory_274356.html

Edited September 1, 2008 by davee58

[jumnien]

Selfishness, self-centeredness, that is the root of the troubles. If the PAD continues to terrorize the country, strife will continue. Nothing is accomplished by PAD or DAAD trying to violently take over an elected government.

[Tony Clifton]

Selfishness, self-centeredness, that is the root of the troubles. If the PAD continues to terrorize the country, strife will continue. Nothing is accomplished by PAD or DAAD trying to violently take over an elected government.

And nothing will be achieved by this government which has done close to nothing unless it served Thaksin and is still hanging on desperately, just one more reason to dissolve the PPP. An endless loop this shameless mafia syndicate of TRT-PPP feels so comfortable in.

Edited September 1, 2008 by Tony Clifton

[frodo]

What horrible news to wake up to.

A few people wrote about this be setup and I believe this is the case as well. A co-worker mentioned to me yesterday that he had seen about 8-10 ambulances and about 4-5 paddy wagons heading into Bangkok between 7:30-8:00AM. Another poster on the forum reported he had seen something similar yesterday afternoon as well. That was a lot of emergency personal moving into Bangkok yesterday at various times and the reason is clearer now.

[OJAS]

One aspect of Thaksin selling Man City to deep pocket Dubai is

he has suddenly freed up a BIG PILE O MONEY

to fight for his bigger pile down here.

That makes this all even scarier.

It is understandable that this is the conclusion by many, but I wonder. If the majority of my money was frozen in a country, I wouldn't be so quick as to risk what I had left by sending it into the same country, especially since everyone was looking for it so they could take this as well. Given that Thaksin et. al. have expensive tastes and his trusted nominee has not yet delivered, it would be a very big gamble.

The Taksin's have VERY expensive tastes...this is just some spending money for them to get through the tough times. Also, I'm not from England, but I was wondering if there would be some pressure from the "powers that be" over there for him to get the heck out of the beloved institution of football. (English members please enlighten me and share your thoughts) I could be wrong, but in the US, I don't think that people who jump bail are allowed to own professional sports teams.

Sorry if other compatriots of mine have already answered your point, Pooket, but the English Premier League were seriously minded a week or so ago to ask Thaksin to take their "fit and proper test" to see if he can own Man City. Now seeing as the English Premier League are an even bigger joke than the current Thai government IMHO, I was initially minded to take this "threat" with a pinch of salt. But maybe the English Premier League, in fact, have more balls than I have, hitherto, given them credit for, and Thaksin jumped before he was pushed. Either that or, as you suggested, he needed the dosh to fund his caviar lifestyle. In any event, were I a Man City fan, I would probably be feeling extremely p***ed off right now that the ownership of my club had passed from a Thai wideboy to (it would not surprise me in the least) some UAE ones - rather like jumping from the frying pan into the fire IMHO (apologies for this off-topic digression).

[frodo]

Bangkok Post has reported that the man shot and killed was a PAD supporter and not a DADD supporter.

Army called out after death at Govt House clash

The dead man was shot in the chest and beaten around the head, reporters at the scene said. Friends said he was a PAD supporters from Nakhon Ratchasima, who had only arrived in Bangkok on Tuesday with a busload of friends, to support the demonstrations aimed at forcing the government to resign.

source: http://www.bangkokpost.com/breaking_news/b...s.php?id=130253

[jumnien]

Selfishness, self-centeredness, that is the root of the troubles. If the PAD continues to terrorize the country, strife will continue. Nothing is accomplished by PAD or DAAD trying to violently take over an elected government.

And nothing will be achieved by this government which has done close to nothing unless it served Thaksin and is still hanging on desperately, just one more reason to dissolve the PPP. An endless loop this shameless mafia syndicate of TRT-PPP feels so comfortable in.

While no fan of this government, I do understand they have been terrorized by the PAD from day 1 in an attempt by the PAD to make an relatively ineffective government completely ineffective. The PAD has largely succeeded in this, do they want a gold medal or something? Clearly, shameless mafia syndicates exist on both sides of this fight. The only difference is that the military supports one of these.

[RadioCityMike]

What horrible news to wake up to.

A few people wrote about this be setup and I believe this is the case as well. A co-worker mentioned to me yesterday that he had seen about 8-10 ambulances and about 4-5 paddy wagons heading into Bangkok between 7:30-8:00AM. Another poster on the forum reported he had seen something similar yesterday afternoon as well. That was a lot of emergency personal moving into Bangkok yesterday at various times and the reason is clearer now.

If there are a few hundred unarmed police officers under orders not to use force, and they have mobs numbering in the 1000's on each side of them with sticks, rocks, sling shots and possibly guns, and they get out of the way - it is not a setup.

The pro-government people attacking the heavily fortified and armed compound was also not a setup. That was just stupid.

I feel bad that this is going on and hope it ends peacefully soon.

[KireB]

Selfishness, self-centeredness, that is the root of the troubles. If the PAD continues to terrorize the country, strife will continue. Nothing is accomplished by PAD or DAAD trying to violently take over an elected government.

And nothing will be achieved by this government which has done close to nothing unless it served Thaksin and is still hanging on desperately, just one more reason to dissolve the PPP. An endless loop this shameless mafia syndicate of TRT-PPP feels so comfortable in.

While no fan of this government, I do understand they have been terrorized by the PAD from day 1 in an attempt by the PAD to make an relatively ineffective government completely ineffective. The PAD has largely succeeded in this, do they want a gold medal or something? Clearly, shameless mafia syndicates exist on both sides of this fight. The only difference is that the military supports one of these.

Your ignorance is stunning. PAD was attacked last night by an angry mob of thugs and you stilll continue to blame PAD.

[Tony Clifton]

What horrible news to wake up to.

A few people wrote about this be setup and I believe this is the case as well. A co-worker mentioned to me yesterday that he had seen about 8-10 ambulances and about 4-5 paddy wagons heading into Bangkok between 7:30-8:00AM. Another poster on the forum reported he had seen something similar yesterday afternoon as well. That was a lot of emergency personal moving into Bangkok yesterday at various times and the reason is clearer now.

If there are a few hundred unarmed police officers under orders not to use force, and they have mobs numbering in the 1000's on each side of them with sticks, rocks, sling shots and possibly guns, and they get out of the way - it is not a setup.

The pro-government people attacking the heavily fortified and armed compound was also not a setup. That was just stupid.

I feel bad that this is going on and hope it ends peacefully soon.

Sorry man but the police Chief's order of batons only makes absolutely no sense when two opposing sides are so close together while DAAD gathered strenght and openly threatened to attack PAD. Given DAAD's violent history, one could also say the poliche CHief is a total idiot if not in a setup.

Look at the footage where DAAD stands in fron t of the first police lines, 1 man deep with shields only? It is also FALSE that the first riot police lines were in full gear as the article above mentions, look again, a cop without weapon and only a shield and a visored helmet is NOT full gear.

Edited September 1, 2008 by Tony Clifton

[davee58]

And the problem behind all of this, still seems to be Thaksin.

More precisely, the way that Thaksins policies have divided the people of Thailand.

The present Thai government, whether they are good, or bad, will always be haunted by his memory, the country is still split into two factions.

Tony, you say:

-DAAD gathers dunken yobs

-Drunken yobs are allowed to hop onto m'cycles and walk the street with weapons clearly showing in hand.

Come on, they are fighting for what they believe in, a very unpleasant situation. I am certain that if you were in their circumstances you would welcome a stiff drink, or are you teetotal? Bet they smoked a few cigs as well.

They are not the "drunken yobs" that you claim, they believe in what they are doing.

I do not want to take sides in this argument, I prefer to stand back and observe. However:

The situation has been triggered by the (illegal) actions of PAD, a group who seem bent on seizing power at all costs. Forget the old gran, and the kids, they should never have been there anyway, it's not a picnic. Seemingly if an election was held tomorrow, the same people would hold power.

Don't forget people are dying for this, things are totally off track in Thailand at the moment.

A very bad situation with no easy resolution, how can the split between the sides be fixed? If either side wins, the other loses.

[jumnien]

Selfishness, self-centeredness, that is the root of the troubles. If the PAD continues to terrorize the country, strife will continue. Nothing is accomplished by PAD or DAAD trying to violently take over an elected government.

And nothing will be achieved by this government which has done close to nothing unless it served Thaksin and is still hanging on desperately, just one more reason to dissolve the PPP. An endless loop this shameless mafia syndicate of TRT-PPP feels so comfortable in.

While no fan of this government, I do understand they have been terrorized by the PAD from day 1 in an attempt by the PAD to make an relatively ineffective government completely ineffective. The PAD has largely succeeded in this, do they want a gold medal or something? Clearly, shameless mafia syndicates exist on both sides of this fight. The only difference is that the military supports one of these.

Your ignorance is stunning. PAD was attacked last night by an angry mob of thugs and you stilll continue to blame PAD.

I do not blame individual members of the PAD. Many are extremely naive folks believing they are doing right and just enjoying the food and music supplied by the evil leaders. They have broken the law and invaded the seat of an elected government and it is no wonder the Thai citizens are no longer standing by waiting.

[davee58]

I wonder what Bernard Trink would say about this mess.

[sriracha john]

I got to watch Thai TV for half an hour this evening - haven't seen any golf clubs or violence. There were shots of people in black t-shirts arrested this morning, but I'd rather concur with Sondhi - they don't look like PAD supporters, more like thugs who were beating up people at Central World two years ago almost to the day.

Hopefully tomorrow's papers sort it out, for now it looks like early morning raid on NBT wasn't PAD's work at all.

"bump" of the below..

In Pad's history the leaders have ALWAYS talked down violence and such.

These people talk and disrupt traffic, and not much more than be a BIG thorn

in the current government's side. They have no history of violence,

only being the victims of violence against them.

Just because stupid people are doing stupid things doesn't mean dark forces are at work nor is there any evidence to support your wild conspiracy theory. IMHO.

Arrested today was Nitirat Sapsomboon....

(let google take it from there)

time for another bump

Bump....

PAD orders NBT to relay ASTV broadcast

The Nation

People's Alliance for Democracy Sondhi Limthongkul on Tuesday announced at the main rally site that the PAD had gained a complete control of the NBT station following a raid.

Sondhi ordered the state-run station to relay the broadcast of his ASTV, a satallite television station.

Inspite of the raid, the NBT management was trying to continue broadcasting by mobile units but this was disrupted at periodic intervals.

Do you know the timelines of Nitirat Sapsomboon's arrest at NBT and the appearance of PAD at the NBT???

That will help you understand....

[Tony Clifton]

And the problem behind all of this, still seems to be Thaksin.

More precisely, the way that Thaksins policies have divided the people of Thailand.

The present Thai government, whether they are good, or bad, will always be haunted by his memory, the country is still split into two factions.

Tony, you say:

-DAAD gathers dunken yobs

-Drunken yobs are allowed to hop onto m'cycles and walk the street with weapons clearly showing in hand.

Come on, they are fighting for what they believe in, a very unpleasant situation. I am certain that if you were in their circumstances you would welcome a stiff drink, or are you teetotal? Bet they smoked a few cigs as well.

They are not the "drunken yobs" that you claim, they believe in what they are doing.

I do not want to take sides in this argument, I prefer to stand back and observe. However:

The situation has been triggered by the (illegal) actions of PAD, a group who seem bent on seizing power at all costs. Forget the old gran, and the kids, they should never have been there anyway, it's not a picnic. Seemingly if an election was held tomorrow, the same people would hold power.

Don't forget people are dying for this, things are totally off track in Thailand at the moment.

A very bad situation with no easy resolution, how can the split between the sides be fixed? If either side wins, the other loses.

PAD forbids alcohol at it's sites exactly because of what you saw the DAAD doing, all 7 feet tall walking with sticks and metal pipes. Journalists and cameramen have confirmed the DAAD thugs reeked of booze. look at the footage! Have a look at the policeman with the black jacket as well. Drun-ken hi-red thugs.

Edited September 1, 2008 by Tony Clifton

[JoeInSurin]

Exactly what this dead-end govt. wants, the emergency law or the army to step in and cry coup! Coup! Coup!

I think it was mentioned on PAD stage that the DAAD mob was given alcohool and 500 baht at SAnam Luang, 2 women hurt only, I could be wrong, wife snoring heavily.

Looking at he police with shields only, I just can't believe there isn't a collaboration there with DAAD and the govt.

The truck drivers that got them there got 800 Baht plus gas

I think DAAD news coming from the PAD stage is about as reliable as news about the US Democrats coming from FOX news. The bus drivers that took the PAD to Bangkok did it for free??

[Tony Clifton]

Police Chief giving one minute press conference to show they are in control even though the army came to the rescue. . 6 more cops standing behind him for a collective loss of face, make it easier on the Chief.

DAAD still out on the streets screaming, looks like they just lit a fire betwen houses, NBT cut away instantly....

Edited September 1, 2008 by Tony Clifton