State Of Emergency Announced In Bangkok

[Journalist]

Pictures like this are going around the world. As a Thai I am very sad to see this.......

Thats the biggest chopper i've ever seen.

Its almost a scimitar.

[RadioCityMike]

DAAD disperses

The Democratic Alliance Against Dictatorship dispersed its rally at Sanam Luanga at 10:40 am.

Its leaders thanked the demonstrators and announced the cease of demonstration by the group, saying the government was now in control after the state of emergency was announced.

DAAD demonstrators were handed out foods and many left Sanam Luang on buses.

The Nation

They did the job Thaksins side ask them to do, got paid and went home. Now we are left with a State of Emergency, where the Government can attack the PAD at will, shut down TV stations and so on. Wonder what will happen from here on in?

are you suggesting that the army is on the goverment's side? I thought that the army was the one who threw taksin out..

hope everyone will just resort to more peaceful ways to solve their indifferences.

After their experince with politics a couple of years ago, the army has wisely decided they have no business getting involved in politics. The country has yet to stabilize from their "bloodless" coup. The coup might be bloodless but the power struggles that follow, rarely are.

[hammered]

From the Bangkok Post:

After the clash, Sondhi Limthongkul, a PAD leader, went up the stage and said the UDDT had attacked the PAD, causing a large number of wounded. He called for people around Bangkok including Chon Buri and Nakhon Pathom to come for PAD’s help. Mr Sondhi declared a civil war had started and that the protesters must be prepared to fight with everything they had in hands.

As all can see, cooler heads prevail... NOT! Now both sides, Samak and Sondhi, are about to get what they really wnted: to fight it out on the street.

We all wait now at which side the military will weigh in.

Gen Anupong has just said the army are on the side of the people. I am not sure what that means and maybe that was his iintention

[Sao Jiang Mai]

There has been so much nonsense sprouted by both ASTV reported PAD and NBT reported government spokepserson. The 30:70 is unacceptable to most of the PAD demonstrators I have met. Many of the demands and scary rhetoric of PAD leaders and speechmakers are not aligned with the average PAD protesters. But from what I understand they are siding with the only known avenue which could possibly end a corrupt and insidous regime. I highly doubt the 30:70 will be mentioned again, or if so, only by real hardliners. You forget that PAD is not one person, it is not one voice. As numerous ministers (ok, at least two I remember) in the government coalition mentioned at the Sunday extraordinary parliamentary debate, even while they are part of the Samak coalition, their mothers and sisters are sitting with the PAD demonstrators. This is not a mindless mob, it is not one voice, it is basically a rag tag coalition of those from extremeists to the disfanchised who have had enough of the Thaksin lot.

[Jai Dee]

Thai Airways passengers drop by 10% due to political unrest

Flight Officer Apinan Sumanaseni (อภินันทน์ สุมนะเศรณี), President of Thai Airways International, reveals that passenger numbers have dropped by 10% during the last 1 to 2 days following recent bouts of unrest within Thailand.

Mr. Apinan said that passengers from most Asia-Pacific nations, including Japan, South Korea, and China have elected to avoid traveling to Thailand for the time being. The governments of Singapore, South Korea, and Australia have also issued travel warnings to their citizens to avoid visiting Thailand following Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej's (สมัคร สุนทรเวช) implementation of the Emergency Decree within the Bangkok Metropolitan area this morning.

The President of Thai Airways International admits that continous passenger decline will impact the airline's revenue. Mr. Apinan said that the airline will attempte to find measures to counter the drop in passengers, including the reduction of expenses in the flight and tourism divisions. He adds that the passenger decline comes at a bad time for Thai Airways, which has reported a loss of over 7 billion baht due to rising oil prices.

Source: Thai National News Bureau Public Relations Department - 02 September 2008

[Journalist]

....mindful that Gen. Chamlong says he wants to take away the voting rights of the 'common man' if he deems him to be under-educated! Both 'sides' in this stand-off are unsavoury !

i deeply believe and strongly support, that anyone -educated or not- who sells his voting rights to the highest bidder must be deprived of this right immediatelly. anyone who attempts or buys votes must be banned from politics for the rest of his wretched life. and anyone who promotes soap operas, gameshows, violence or weapons over democratic education is unfit for any office.

So Gen. Chamlong should try to figure out a way of educating people, rather than just disenfranchising them. (even if that education is telling people that they can still vote for who they like even after pocketing the tea money)

You can't put the genii back in the bottle. If thick people lose their vote it will be civil war.

[Jai Dee]

Singaporean, Korean governments advises citizens to avoid Thailand for the time being

The Singaporean and Korean governments have warned their citizens against traveling to Thailand during this time due to the implementation of the Emergency Decree within the nation.

Foreign news agencies report that the Singaporean Ministry of Foreign Affairs have issued travel warnings for its citizens to cancel trips to Thailand during this time for their own safety. Meanwhile the South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs has also cautioned its own citizens to avoid visiting Thailand for the time being.

The travel warnings occurred after Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej's decision to implement the Emergency Decree in the Bangkok Metropolitan area, following clashes between the People's Alliance for Democracy and the Democratic Alliance Against Dictatorship yesterday (September 1).

Source: Thai National News Bureau Public Relations Department - 02 September 2008

[RadioCityMike]

So what is really going on right now? who is in power? Where are things heading in the next couple of days? Anyone have a good idea?

I'll hazard to say that soon--real soon--you will see soldiers in the streets of Bangkok. The lurking danger in Samak's State of Emergency call is that he may very well lose control of military, which at this time appears to backing him. But once armed soldiers are in the streets and in position, it won't take but a command for a coup.

Then election, then PPP, then PAD, then coup, etc, etc. What is the point? I think that is why the army is being careful not to get sucked into politics this time.

[Jai Dee]

Bangkok Port shut down

Ports Authority of Thailand (PAT)'s labour union were on strike on Tuesday, when 360 employees took leave.

The union said the services at the main port in Bangkok would stop for 3 days.

Source: The Nation - 02 Septemeber 2008

[Thai at Heart]

A thai perspective on 70:30

Chaiyan Ratchakul, History Department, Faculty of Humanities, Chiang Mai University, talked to Prachatai about the PAD’s ‘new politics’.

What do you think about Thai politics now?

The question has been long debated as to who, in principle, should rule? Who should run the administration? A philosopher says that a ruler should be a philosopher king. Since time immemorial, there have been numerous philosophers and kings, as separate individuals, though. Both attributes are rarely found in one person. Some say rulers must come from heaven, chosen by God and ruling by divine rights, while others reject the idea. It did exist in history, and was tried at certain times. I think it has now become extinct.

Assuming that God cannot crown and cannot vote, the question remains as to who should choose the rulers. It has been an evolving system. Eligible voters used to be those who paid a certain amount of tax, or men only, or owners of a certain amount of land, etc. It has been tried until these restrictions on eligibility have been discarded, except in dictatorial regimes where the people have to select from choices provided by the state.

For lack of a better means to determine who is qualified to choose, everyone is eligible to vote, except people under 18, not exclusively those who are educated, morally decent or proficient, as there is no guarantee that these people can choose better than the others. Can the People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD) justify who is qualified to choose?

Choosing rulers is like choosing how to live. Which lifestyle is better? This is a difficult question, and ultimately one way is no better than any other in this. So everyone has to choose for him/herself. This is the meaning of Democracy which needs to be preceded by the word ‘liberal’, or Liberal Democracy. It needs the preceding adjective, not the long phrase following as it does in Thai.

Of course, this is not the making of heaven on earth, but it is widely practiced. If I say ‘universal’, it might be disliked by some people. So how should we put it? Perhaps ‘India-wise’. But India will say it follows the universal practice. If some people argue that the universal practice does not suit Thailand, as Thailand is so unique, they have to justify their claim that we don’t need to be universal, don’t need to follow the west in this regard. And they should also identify in which areas we should or should not follow the west. Is the idea of freedom of speech or freedom of assembly claimed by the PAD western? Have the legal system with the legal codes that apply to the whole country, and the judicial system with all the judges been Thai since the beginning?

What about the PAD’s 70:30 idea?

Shortly after Oct 6, 1976, it was proposed that Democracy had to take a step-by-step approach, or guided democracy, because the people were not educated. However, the proposal was recognized as a temporary measure, and further development would be needed. Does the PAD’s 70:30 proposal include a development plan? I’d like to hear how they plan to develop this. Is it until Thai people stop being stupid? Are the PAD so smart?

Nationalists, the media and Bangkok people always accuse rural people of vote-selling, being fooled by politicians, so they propose rural people and the general public get 30%. Sondhi Limthongkul says unabashedly that the Sakdina (feudalists) and the rich have to share the pie. His proposal is like taking us back to the time before the 1932 revolution. He is more Sakdina than the Sakdina themselves, because I’ve never heard such thing from the Sakdina.

Socio-politics is a subject that tries to find out who actually rules, unlike political philosophy which tries to say who should rule. We are well aware that even if people have 100% representation, their representatives would not become rulers. Some other forces, though not elected, rule the country de facto. These include the military, the judiciary, financial institutions, etc. Instead of the 70:30 proportion, a proposal should be made that these institutions be elected as well. I don’t mean it to be sarcastic, but I’d like to hear what the PAD have to say to oppose this.

In retrospect, when democracy was in its infancy after the 1932 revolution, there were restrictions in setting up the system that had to include, for example, both elected and non-elected representatives. But that was the beginning. Or according to Pridi Bhanomyong, ‘we cannot climb to the top of a tree at once’.

Before the dictatorial regime of Field Marshal Sarit Thanarat, members of parliament from the northeast were of decent quality in terms of their attitude towards the poor, better than the dignitaries. There was no vote buying and selling, which was a relatively new phenomenon in the 1990s and 2000s. But lately vote buying and selling have been in decline. Some argue that during Thaksin’s years it was not a direct vote buying, they bought votes with policies. This is an extremely broad definition of vote buying. If using policies to persuade people to vote for a political party is vote buying, then there would be no countries free from vote buying.

Most governments always spent a lot more money on Bangkok and big cities than rural areas. Is this vote buying? Candidates for Bangkok Governorship promise people that they will build this and that. Is that vote buying? Expressways, underground trains, and decent schools. Is this populism? When these are applied to rural people, Bangkok people ask, ‘Why give them money? Why don’t they learn to earn by themselves?’, attacking populism as a spending spree. I’d say populism is better than non-populism. Urban people have got used to it for so long.

Speaking like this, I’d be accused of being pro-Thaksin. Some friends who I have associated with since adolescence asked me that: ‘Are you pro-Thaksin?’ I can only respond that I’m not with those who are against Thaksin. It’s not that I cheer the underdog, but I wonder what the ‘Thaksin regime’ really means? Is it just a ploy to support another regime by using the ‘Thaksin regime’ as a decoy?

If Thaksin bought votes, then how can we explain the rejection of the 2007 draft charter by a lot of voters in the referendum? The accusation of vote selling by villagers has been cited so often to the point of becoming meaningless. I worked for the People Network for Election in Thailand in 1992 when vote buying was really huge. A particular party leader always claimed that his party didn’t buy votes, while smearing other parties for buying votes. But I preferred to believe the PNet volunteers. According to our figures, this party came in number two in vote buying, but it doesn’t mean that it was more decent. That’s because the number of candidates it fielded came second.

The 70:30 proposal just follows the prejudice, and follows the coup d’etat. With Thaksin already toppled, the coup already done, the 2007 charter already in force, they have yet to win. So electoral politics is next in line, isn’t it?

Is there something behind the idea?

When the PAD first proposed the 70:30 idea, it was just a good laugh. But it’s weird that later on there were responses. The National Government thing came back again. Some newspapers cheered. It means that this kind of idea was not just the brainchild of the PAD leaders. Perhaps this is a kind of conspiracy.

There are two assumptions for the current round of protests by the PAD. One is that the PAD initiated this scheme on their own, and has been joined by like-minded people. The other assumption is that there are masterminds behind this. The PAD leaders just lead the demonstrations, but are henchmen for much more influential and higher-up people. I’m not sure which one is true, as both are highly likely.

But one is made to think why there have been such concerted efforts among various bodies in shaking up and attacking the government like this. The PAD kicked the ball. The media cheered. Political parties joined in, and passed the ball to the courts. And the courts shot the goal. Do these groups just converge by pure chance or a miracle? Apart from the courts, these groups overlap with those who killed students on Oct 6, 1976. This is a historical continuity. They are the same interest groups. Some are even the same persons.

The idea and the protests do not just stem from the PAD. It’s a display of conflicting forces in Thai society from the past. In my view, the ‘Oct 6’ students were killed because their ideas threatened the status quo, no matter whether they could really carry out their threat. What mattered was that the rulers felt threatened. This is like the case of Thaksin who has allegedly threatened the status quo. Thaksin himself may not have thought that far. He probably just wanted to try to get votes and popularity. But when he was popular in those constituencies, he had to be got rid of, as the ‘Thaksin regime’.

Why institutionalize an individual as a regime? Is it because Thaksin threatens another regime in Thailand? Thaksin’s corruption scandals are just condiment, but corruption per se is not so big an evil that it makes a ‘regime’. ‘Thaksin regime’ has no meaning in itself, rather a counterpart to another power in the same way that the students were labeled ‘communists’. If we try to find out if the students were really ‘communists’, we might not get the answer as much as if we look to find what the counterpart to ‘communist’ is.

Since the Oct 14, 1973 uprising ushered in people’s participation in politics, Thai politics has increasingly become mass politics. In the coups on Oct 6, 1976 and Sept 19, 2006, for example, the military just added the finishing strokes, and all the arrangements had already been made by someone else. And support from the mass is important. It’s no longer a power play exclusively in Parliament or among the elite. This is indeed the ‘new politics’, involving the mass. The PAD just play along this line. For the previous coup, the head of the PAD had to use this tactic.

And this is what makes Thaksin still look threatening to his opponents. And this is what prompts the 70:30 idea, to cut the mass away from the so-called ‘Thaksin regime’. Don’t bother accusing Samak of being Thaksin’s nominee. The real nominees are those who are willing to vote for Thaksin or pro-Thaksin political groups. And these nominees are over 10 million. The PAD’s idea is to reduce these nominees by 70%. Isn’t it a little too much? Isn’t it a little bit of a jo

[k1w1]

PAD have given 100 days of peaceful protest to put an end to the problem but clearly the actions last night show they are completely prepared to defend themselves and even fight for their goals.

If someone tells you repeatedly that you are trespassing on their rights and they are not prepared to put up with it most people will get the message and find a way to resolve the problem or back down. However Samak has chosen to "Step up" which clearly shows he is prepared for confrontation. His latest moves are designed to make him more powerful but the good news is that the army doesn't really give a **** about his goals. The Police on the other hand are more than prepared to follow his orders.

He should stop posturing and step down with dignity to save face for everyone.

[Samuian]

CNN just run a lengthy report with Sondhi on the current situation in Bangkok - vdo footage shows mobsters beating policeman on the ground...

[jts-khorat]

He has repeated that he will stand with the people, and that he has no desire to take sides, and that there were no plans to call in military reinforcements.

Gen Anupong has just said the army are on the side of the people. I am not sure what that means and maybe that was his intention

onethailand's statement seems pretty clear; he is actually standing neither on Samak's side nor the PAD. The military waits until one side will seem clearly stronger and go with them (a tactic they have for days now, after Samak had unsuccessful talks with them after his trip to Hua Hin).

But this does not mean that they will not take part as soon as the going gets hot.

[bangkokrick]

Watching the live news conference from the Supreme Command, I am developing a healthy respect for Gen. Anupong. He is very calm and collected and patient, answers some tough questions, many repeated questions as well - without batting an eye.

He has repeated that he will stand with the people, and that he has no desire to take sides, and that there were no plans to call in military reinforcements.

edit-> brilliant... asked by a Thai reporter to explain in English, he calmly apologized and said that he did not want to be misinterpreted, and asked the reporter to kindly translate his earlier remarks - then a foreign reporter asked him a question in English, and he answered - again without batting an eye. His English is actually not bad at all.

I agree that he is making a good showing and i am also impressed, but they really should not be asking him questions in English at a Thai press conference. Although his English skills seem to be quite good.

Cheers, Rick

[thaigene2]

This General on TV right now, do I understand correctly that he is saying the military will not break up the PAD demonstrations? Isn't that called mutiny?

Well, I guess it's pretty clear then (if any doubt existed) that the old feudal families have finally shown what Thailand really is - a country of slaves to the nobles. The slaves are allowed to vote, but the Government and its officers are not allowed to serve the interests of the voters - only the interests of the nobles.

Sad day for Thailand. The end of Thai innocence I reckon.

[onethailand]

This General on TV right now, do I understand correctly that he is saying the military will not break up the PAD demonstrations? Isn't that called mutiny?

What Gen. Anupong said is that they still need time to study the situation in order to do what is best for all sides. He did not say the military will not break up the demonstration.

I am still amazed - more than half an hour now and he is still as polite and calm as he was at the beginning - if he wasn't head of the military, people would likely be looking at him as a possible alternative.

(editing my own grammar LOL)

Edited September 2, 2008 by onethailand

[eastwest]

So what is really going on right now? who is in power? Where are things heading in the next couple of days? Anyone have a good idea?

I'll hazard to say that soon--real soon--you will see soldiers in the streets of Bangkok. The lurking danger in Samak's State of Emergency call is that he may very well lose control of military, which at this time appears to backing him. But once armed soldiers are in the streets and in position, it won't take but a command for a coup.

Then election, then PPP, then PAD, then coup, etc, etc. What is the point? I think that is why the army is being careful not to get sucked into politics this time.

The military is, of course, hesitant to get involved again. But they have little choice as the PM has directed them to enforce the State of Emergency.

[RadioCityMike]

A thai perspective on 70:30

Chaiyan Ratchakul, History Department, Faculty of Humanities, Chiang Mai University, talked to Prachatai about the PAD’s ‘new politics’.

What do you think about Thai politics now?

The question has been long debated as to who, in principle, should rule? Who should run the administration? A philosopher says that a ruler should be a philosopher king. Since time immemorial, there have been numerous philosophers and kings, as separate individuals, though. Both attributes are rarely found in one person. Some say rulers must come from heaven, chosen by God and ruling by divine rights, while others reject the idea. It did exist in history, and was tried at certain times. I think it has now become extinct.

Assuming that God cannot crown and cannot vote, the question remains as to who should choose the rulers. It has been an evolving system. Eligible voters used to be those who paid a certain amount of tax, or men only, or owners of a certain amount of land, etc. It has been tried until these restrictions on eligibility have been discarded, except in dictatorial regimes where the people have to select from choices provided by the state.

For lack of a better means to determine who is qualified to choose, everyone is eligible to vote, except people under 18, not exclusively those who are educated, morally decent or proficient, as there is no guarantee that these people can choose better than the others. Can the People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD) justify who is qualified to choose?

Choosing rulers is like choosing how to live. Which lifestyle is better? This is a difficult question, and ultimately one way is no better than any other in this. So everyone has to choose for him/herself. This is the meaning of Democracy which needs to be preceded by the word ‘liberal’, or Liberal Democracy. It needs the preceding adjective, not the long phrase following as it does in Thai.

Of course, this is not the making of heaven on earth, but it is widely practiced. If I say ‘universal’, it might be disliked by some people. So how should we put it? Perhaps ‘India-wise’. But India will say it follows the universal practice. If some people argue that the universal practice does not suit Thailand, as Thailand is so unique, they have to justify their claim that we don’t need to be universal, don’t need to follow the west in this regard. And they should also identify in which areas we should or should not follow the west. Is the idea of freedom of speech or freedom of assembly claimed by the PAD western? Have the legal system with the legal codes that apply to the whole country, and the judicial system with all the judges been Thai since the beginning?

What about the PAD’s 70:30 idea?

Shortly after Oct 6, 1976, it was proposed that Democracy had to take a step-by-step approach, or guided democracy, because the people were not educated. However, the proposal was recognized as a temporary measure, and further development would be needed. Does the PAD’s 70:30 proposal include a development plan? I’d like to hear how they plan to develop this. Is it until Thai people stop being stupid? Are the PAD so smart?

Nationalists, the media and Bangkok people always accuse rural people of vote-selling, being fooled by politicians, so they propose rural people and the general public get 30%. Sondhi Limthongkul says unabashedly that the Sakdina (feudalists) and the rich have to share the pie. His proposal is like taking us back to the time before the 1932 revolution. He is more Sakdina than the Sakdina themselves, because I’ve never heard such thing from the Sakdina.

Socio-politics is a subject that tries to find out who actually rules, unlike political philosophy which tries to say who should rule. We are well aware that even if people have 100% representation, their representatives would not become rulers. Some other forces, though not elected, rule the country de facto. These include the military, the judiciary, financial institutions, etc. Instead of the 70:30 proportion, a proposal should be made that these institutions be elected as well. I don’t mean it to be sarcastic, but I’d like to hear what the PAD have to say to oppose this.

In retrospect, when democracy was in its infancy after the 1932 revolution, there were restrictions in setting up the system that had to include, for example, both elected and non-elected representatives. But that was the beginning. Or according to Pridi Bhanomyong, ‘we cannot climb to the top of a tree at once’.

Before the dictatorial regime of Field Marshal Sarit Thanarat, members of parliament from the northeast were of decent quality in terms of their attitude towards the poor, better than the dignitaries. There was no vote buying and selling, which was a relatively new phenomenon in the 1990s and 2000s. But lately vote buying and selling have been in decline. Some argue that during Thaksin’s years it was not a direct vote buying, they bought votes with policies. This is an extremely broad definition of vote buying. If using policies to persuade people to vote for a political party is vote buying, then there would be no countries free from vote buying.

Most governments always spent a lot more money on Bangkok and big cities than rural areas. Is this vote buying? Candidates for Bangkok Governorship promise people that they will build this and that. Is that vote buying? Expressways, underground trains, and decent schools. Is this populism? When these are applied to rural people, Bangkok people ask, ‘Why give them money? Why don’t they learn to earn by themselves?’, attacking populism as a spending spree. I’d say populism is better than non-populism. Urban people have got used to it for so long.

Speaking like this, I’d be accused of being pro-Thaksin. Some friends who I have associated with since adolescence asked me that: ‘Are you pro-Thaksin?’ I can only respond that I’m not with those who are against Thaksin. It’s not that I cheer the underdog, but I wonder what the ‘Thaksin regime’ really means? Is it just a ploy to support another regime by using the ‘Thaksin regime’ as a decoy?

If Thaksin bought votes, then how can we explain the rejection of the 2007 draft charter by a lot of voters in the referendum? The accusation of vote selling by villagers has been cited so often to the point of becoming meaningless. I worked for the People Network for Election in Thailand in 1992 when vote buying was really huge. A particular party leader always claimed that his party didn’t buy votes, while smearing other parties for buying votes. But I preferred to believe the PNet volunteers. According to our figures, this party came in number two in vote buying, but it doesn’t mean that it was more decent. That’s because the number of candidates it fielded came second.

The 70:30 proposal just follows the prejudice, and follows the coup d’etat. With Thaksin already toppled, the coup already done, the 2007 charter already in force, they have yet to win. So electoral politics is next in line, isn’t it?

Is there something behind the idea?

When the PAD first proposed the 70:30 idea, it was just a good laugh. But it’s weird that later on there were responses. The National Government thing came back again. Some newspapers cheered. It means that this kind of idea was not just the brainchild of the PAD leaders. Perhaps this is a kind of conspiracy.

There are two assumptions for the current round of protests by the PAD. One is that the PAD initiated this scheme on their own, and has been joined by like-minded people. The other assumption is that there are masterminds behind this. The PAD leaders just lead the demonstrations, but are henchmen for much more influential and higher-up people. I’m not sure which one is true, as both are highly likely.

But one is made to think why there have been such concerted efforts among various bodies in shaking up and attacking the government like this. The PAD kicked the ball. The media cheered. Political parties joined in, and passed the ball to the courts. And the courts shot the goal. Do these groups just converge by pure chance or a miracle? Apart from the courts, these groups overlap with those who killed students on Oct 6, 1976. This is a historical continuity. They are the same interest groups. Some are even the same persons.

The idea and the protests do not just stem from the PAD. It’s a display of conflicting forces in Thai society from the past. In my view, the ‘Oct 6’ students were killed because their ideas threatened the status quo, no matter whether they could really carry out their threat. What mattered was that the rulers felt threatened. This is like the case of Thaksin who has allegedly threatened the status quo. Thaksin himself may not have thought that far. He probably just wanted to try to get votes and popularity. But when he was popular in those constituencies, he had to be got rid of, as the ‘Thaksin regime’.

Why institutionalize an individual as a regime? Is it because Thaksin threatens another regime in Thailand? Thaksin’s corruption scandals are just condiment, but corruption per se is not so big an evil that it makes a ‘regime’. ‘Thaksin regime’ has no meaning in itself, rather a counterpart to another power in the same way that the students were labeled ‘communists’. If we try to find out if the students were really ‘communists’, we might not get the answer as much as if we look to find what the counterpart to ‘communist’ is.

Since the Oct 14, 1973 uprising ushered in people’s participation in politics, Thai politics has increasingly become mass politics. In the coups on Oct 6, 1976 and Sept 19, 2006, for example, the military just added the finishing strokes, and all the arrangements had already been made by someone else. And support from the mass is important. It’s no longer a power play exclusively in Parliament or among the elite. This is indeed the ‘new politics’, involving the mass. The PAD just play along this line. For the previous coup, the head of the PAD had to use this tactic.

And this is what makes Thaksin still look threatening to his opponents. And this is what prompts the 70:30 idea, to cut the mass away from the so-called ‘Thaksin regime’. Don’t bother accusing Samak of being Thaksin’s nominee. The real nominees are those who are willing to vote for Thaksin or pro-Thaksin political groups. And these nominees are over 10 million. The PAD’s idea is to reduce these nominees by 70%. Isn’t it a little too much? Isn’t it a little bit of a jo

Nice. Thank you.

[Payboy]

Pictures like this are going around the world. As a Thai I am very sad to see this.......

Thats the biggest chopper i've ever seen.

Its almost a scimitar.

it only looks big because of the small guy holding it...

[baboon]

Singaporean, Korean governments advises citizens to avoid Thailand for the time being

The Singaporean and Korean governments have warned their citizens against traveling to Thailand during this time due to the implementation of the Emergency Decree within the nation.

Foreign news agencies report that the Singaporean Ministry of Foreign Affairs have issued travel warnings for its citizens to cancel trips to Thailand during this time for their own safety. Meanwhile the South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs has also cautioned its own citizens to avoid visiting Thailand for the time being.

The travel warnings occurred after Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej's decision to implement the Emergency Decree in the Bangkok Metropolitan area, following clashes between the People's Alliance for Democracy and the Democratic Alliance Against Dictatorship yesterday (September 1).

Source: Thai National News Bureau Public Relations Department - 02 September 2008

Why? It is just "dangerous" in a couple of districts of Bangkok. I bet most tourists if they avoided the TV would never be aware of any bother, and would have a great time!

[nickh]

Thai Baht, Stocks Slump as Samak Declares Emergency

Gold hits one-week low as speculators ditch holdings

Sept. 2 (Bloomberg) --

Thailand's baht fell to the lowest level in more than a year and stocks dropped to a 19-month low after Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej declared a state of emergency. Investors sought the safety of government bonds.The currency extended last month's 2.1 percent decline after clashes in Bangkok between thousands of pro- and anti-government protesters left one dead and 43 injured.

The People's Alliance for Democracy, a group seeking Samak's resignation, has occupied Government House, where the prime minister's office is located, since Aug. 26.``This is not helping the Thai baht,'' said Thomas Harr, a senior currency strategist at Standard Chartered Plc in Singapore. ``We are short the Thai baht. We expect the central bank to limit the volatility today in this type of event. Dissolution of the Thai parliament is the most likely scenario.''Protests in the Southeast Asian nation that escalated in the past week have raised concerns that parliament may be dissolved, paralyzing government policies for boosting economic growth.

Finance Minister Surapong Suebwonglee said last week growth may ease to 5.5 percent in the second half of the year because of a slowdown in exports. The economy grew 5.7 percent in the first half, a state agency said Aug. 25.The benchmark SET Index fell 1.8 percent to 662.77 as of 11:28 a.m. local time, headed for its lowest close since Feb. 1, 2007.

The baht fell 0.4 percent to 34.45 against the dollar in Bangkok, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.`Negative Action'The central bank has `intervened' to support the baht, Deputy Governor Atchana Waiquamdee said in Bangkok today. ``We took care of the currency this morning because it fell a lot,'' she said. ``We need to curb the volatility.''The events of the ``past two weeks have raised the probability of a negative action on the sovereign credit ratings,'' of Thailand,

Standard & Poor's credit analyst Kim Eng Tan said in report today. The debt is rated BBB+, the eighth highest investment rating, with a stable outlook.``Economic growth could fall markedly as domestic demand weakens further,'' S&P said. ``Inbound tourism and foreign direct investment would also decline. Even as revenue is expected to fall in this scenario, pressures for spending will increase.

''Moody's Investors Service yesterday retained its stable outlook on Thailand's Baa1 credit ranking, indicating the ratings company is disinclined to change it.Overseas investors sold $3.1 billion more Thai stocks than they bought this year, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.`Continued Standoff'``There will be some sell-off,'' said Kenneth Ng, chief executive officer of Bangkok-based NTAsset (Thailand) Co., which has about $121 million of assets under management.

``There will be a continued standoff.''Thailand's ruling People Power Party should be dissolved for vote-buying in December's elections, the Election Commission said after studying a July 8 conviction of a senior party member, state-controlled NBT television Channel reported.A 10-hour emergency parliamentary session on Aug. 31 failed to resolve the political standoff, with Samak dismissing calls from the opposition for a House dissolution because he said it would fail to ``protect democracy.

''``We can't let the protests go on,'' Samak said at a press briefing at military headquarters in the Thai capital today. ``I am acting to defuse the problem.''Political InstabilityBank of Thailand Deputy Governor Atchana Waiquamdee said last week that political instability has overtaken inflation as the biggest threat to the economy.The baht may fall to 35 by the month-end, Harr said. The currency slumped to 34.49 today, the weakest since Aug. 23, 2007.

The benchmark 10-year government bonds advanced today for a seventh day, pushing yields to a six-month low, as investors sought the relative safety of government debt. The yield on the 5.125 percent note due March 2018 declined 7.5 basis points to 4.3 percent, the lowest since March 7, according to prices from TMB Bank Pcl in Bangkok. A basis point is 0.01 percentage point.``People are buying bonds as a safe haven,'' said Norrabodee Ongsakorn, a bond trader at TMB Bank.

``In times of crisis, there is flight to safety. People don't expect the benchmark rates to go up, and that is also pushing yields lower.''The inflation rate fell to 6.4 percent in August from 9.2 percent the previous month. Policy makers raised the one-day bond repurchase rate to 3.75 percent on Aug. 27.Economic Fundamentals``The state of emergency is negative for the currency,'' said Sebastien Barbe, a strategist in Hong Kong at Calyon, the investment banking unit of Credit Agricole SA.

``The economic fundamentals aren't supportive of the currency. You have a slowing economy, slowing domestic demand and real interest rates are now negative.'' The baht may fall to 35.80 by the end of the year, Barbe said.``It's short-run negative,'' said Tim Condon, chief Asia economist at ING Groep NV in Singapore. ``It's more political noise and investors tend to react badly to political noise. If this doesn't settle down quickly, then we could see the currency drift lower over the next week or two to 35.

''The cost of protecting Thailand's government bonds from default rose to the highest in eight weeks. Five-year credit- default swaps on the government's external debt traded one basis point higher at 146 and were quoted earlier at 151, according to a Bloomberg survey of three dealers.The price, which rises as perceptions of credit quality deteriorate, is equivalent to $146,000 annually to protect $10 million of the nation's bonds.

Credit-default swaps are used to protect against or speculate on default. They pay the buyer face value in exchange for the underlying securities if a borrower fails to adhere to its debt agreements.Thailand reported its second current-account deficit in four months for July. The shortfall was $555 million, a central bank official said Aug. 29, compared with a $722 million surplus in June.

Gold struck a one-week low today, as speculators ditched some holdings following a sharp drop in oil prices and a rally in the US dollar, which reduced bullion's appeal as an alternative investment.A state of emergency in Thailand, Asia's fourth-largest gold investor, had yet to spur safe-haven buying but dealers saw purchases at lower levels from jewellers in other parts of Asia. Platinum dropped 3 per cent to a one-week low on demand concerns.

Gold fell to $814.20/815.20 an ounce from $817.15/818.75 an ounce late in London. New York markets were closed yesterday for the Labour Day holiday."The movements in oil prices and the US dollar have both conspired against gold," said David Moore, an analyst at Commonwealth Bank of Australia in Sydney.Oil fell further today after slumping more than $4 a day ago on speculation that a surprisingly weak Hurricane Gustav likely spared key Gulf oil infrastructure.The dollar index climbed 0.8 per cent to 77.75 after hitting an eight-month high of 77.823.

Gold has lost more than 20 per cent in value since spiking to all-time high of $1,030.80 in March, mainly driven by profit taking, oil's falls from record highs and a rebounding dollar."There's a bit of buying on the physical side because the price is below $820 but the situation in Thailand has no impact. Oil is still the main factor," said a dealer in Hong Kong.Thai prime minister Samak Sundaravej declared a state of emergency in Bangkok and gave the army control of public order after a man died in overnight clashes between pro- and anti-government protesters.

Spot platinum dropped to $1,395.50/1,415.50 an ounce from $1,439.00/1,451.00 late in London on concerns about demand for autocatalysts due to poor car sales and a slowing US economy. Prices were below record high of $2,290 hit in March.Car sales in Japan, excluding 660cc minivehicles, tumbled 14.9 per cent in August year-on-year to 193,902 vehicles. Sales for August fell short of 200,000 vehicles for the first time in 37 years.Autocatalysts, used to clean exhaust fumes, account for more than 50 per cent of global platinum demand.The benchmark platinum contract on the Tokyo Commodity Exchange,

August 2009 fell 176 yen per gram to 4,809 yen. New York gold futures lost $16.30 an ounce to $818.90.Spot palladium fell to $288.00/296.00 an ounce from $297.00/305.00 an ounce. Silver edged down to $13.35/13.41 an ounce from $13.40/13.46 an ounce late in London.

[Thai at Heart]

I won't copy and paste it all.

Obviously 70:30 has been discussed at length by the leaders of the PAD quite extensively.

“New Politics” and the PAD challenge

By Suriyasai Katasila

Source: Manager Online, 25 June 2008

http://www.prachatai.com/english/printversion.php?id=692

But I do love this little titbit from the article:

"Although this raising of the level might sound too advanced or beyond the understanding of the general public, it needs to be discussed and proposed. We must be brave and light a spark before everything is too late, or else, if we can compare the country to a fish, we will leave only the bones for the next generation. "

[Jai Dee]

Ministry of Public Health affirms adequate medical care for demonstrators

Minister of Public Health Chawarat Chanweerakul (ชวรัตน์ ชาญวีรกูล) revealed that the ministry has prepared medical teams comprised of personnel from various hospitals in Bangkok and surrounding provinces. The teams will work alongside rescue teams and volunteer organizations to aid in the medical care of citizens currently participating in rallies.

The medical personnel are working with the Erawan Medical Center in Bangkok and the Ministry of Public Health as instructed them to administer their best care to all those in need. Interim Director of the Narenthorn Center Surachate Satitniramai (สุรเชษฐ์ สถิตนิรามัย) has been chosen to be the liaison between the medical teams and the ministry.

Reports stated that some 43 people were injured in clashes between demonstrating groups last night with one fatality. Almost all have been sent for care in local hospitals.

Source: Thai National News Bureau Public Relations Department - 02 September 2008

[Journalist]

Not sure that the General should be acclaimed as a possible new leader of the country !

When it comes to managing the economy, & making sure the dustbins are collected, .....soldiers are about as useful at governing as "CEO-style" leaders.

Countries don't run like either regiments or corporations.

[Jai Dee]

TAT and Foreign Affairs Ministry to explain political situation to foreign tourists

The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will clarify the ongoing political situation to foreign tourists.

TAT Governor Phornsiri Manoharn (พรศิริ มโนหาญ) discloses that TAT is closely monitoring the situation following the government’s declaration of a state of emergency in Bangkok. She says TAT has requested the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for information which will be used to explain the situation to foreign tourists.

Mrs Phornsiri affirms TAT will stick to its previous marketing plans despite a slow down in tourism.

Source: Thai National News Bureau Public Relations Department - 02 September 2008

[old wanderer]

Watching the live news conference from the Supreme Command, I am developing a healthy respect for Gen. Anupong. He is very calm and collected and patient, answers some tough questions, many repeated questions as well - without batting an eye.

He has repeated that he will stand with the people, and that he has no desire to take sides, and that there were no plans to call in military reinforcements.

edit-> brilliant... asked by a Thai reporter to explain in English, he calmly apologized and said that he did not want to be misinterpreted, and asked the reporter to kindly translate his earlier remarks - then a foreign reporter asked him a question in English, and he answered - again without batting an eye. His English is actually not bad at all.

I agree that he is making a good showing and i am also impressed, but they really should not be asking him questions in English at a Thai press conference. Although his English skills seem to be quite good.

Cheers, Rick

I'm impressed.....any "good" soldier know that only legal orders must be obeyed.

Just to have someone in power order you to go and shoot some of those people and make them disappear, is not a legal order.

To consider the order, put in in context with the current situation seems to be the right approach.

I disagree very much that taking ASTV off the air is the correct thing to do.

Some of this Samak order is way overboard....but then it was he who got the students massacred in 76 and refused to apologize because of what he saw the USA do.

[Boater]

Some videos just been released, please NOTE THIS VIDEOS ARE QUITE DISTURBING and SHOW VIOLENCE ...

another link with added images

http://www.youtube.com/swf/l.swf?video_id=...;fs=1&hl=en

Edited September 2, 2008 by Boater

[Soontorn]

Phuket PAD assembling at Provincial Hall

PHUKET CITY: People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) protesters began gathering at Phuket Provincial Hall (Sala Klaang) at 8 am this morning, their numbers increasing all morning to reach about 500 by 11:30 am.

The protesters, taking cover from the sun under six tents, plan to board five tour buses to Bangkok to join fellow PAD protesters in the capital. The coaches are expected to depart this afternoon. The Phuket PAD travel plans come despite Bangkok being declared under a state of emergency following a clash between pro- and anti-government supporters there early this morning, at about 1:30 am.

Under the emergency decree, which applied only to the capital, gatherings of more than five people are prohibited.

Some 200 PAD protesters at Phuket International Airport have also been asked by the local PAD leaders to come and join the group at Provincial Hall, where they plan to present Governor Niran Kalyanamit or one of his deputies with an official letter explaining why Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej must resign.

Also at Sala Klaang this morning, Phuket Governor Niran Kalayanamit held his weekly security meeting with Phuket Provincial Police Commander Apirak Hongtong and other officials. However, by noon there was still no report that the Governor had met with the PAD protesters.

Employees of state enterprises and teachers are also joining the protest.

[tig28]

Is there any clarification on who would "appoint" the 70% of the Members of Parliament that would be "appointed" under the PAD plan?

They kinda lost my sympathy when they proposed doing away with democracy. Definitely a wish for minority rule.

kenk3z

I am not an English subject, but it would appear that the Government in England does this very thing.

You have the House of Lords....that are inherited, or appointed

Then you have the Commons that are elected by the citizens....

America founded democracy but limited the vote to land owning males...

as the voting block was widened, it slowly has become the have-nots reaching into the pockets of those that have some money.

So democracy can be defined as PAD is doing it, there is nothing sacrosanct about 1 vote for every person.

The above post "PPP won majority of the votes"....well so did Magumbee in Zimbabwe...(if you believe in corrupt elections).

this would be a really great post if it were accurate! where do they get these ideas?

[tomo22]

There has been so much nonsense sprouted by both ASTV reported PAD and NBT reported government spokepserson. The 30:70 is unacceptable to most of the PAD demonstrators I have met. Many of the demands and scary rhetoric of PAD leaders and speechmakers are not aligned with the average PAD protesters. But from what I understand they are siding with the only known avenue which could possibly end a corrupt and insidous regime. I highly doubt the 30:70 will be mentioned again, or if so, only by real hardliners. You forget that PAD is not one person, it is not one voice. As numerous ministers (ok, at least two I remember) in the government coalition mentioned at the Sunday extraordinary parliamentary debate, even while they are part of the Samak coalition, their mothers and sisters are sitting with the PAD demonstrators. This is not a mindless mob, it is not one voice, it is basically a rag tag coalition of those from extremeists to the disfanchised who have had enough of the Thaksin lot.

Exactly the PPP are so dishonest, they know they should step down anyway.

Let Thailand live the Land of Smiles.

I understand that people want to an elected government to rule.

Vote buying do you want videos I have.

I keep out of the political situation as much as possible.

Look at the UK. (How can you be interested in the people if you want Millions, Sorry? Thailand Billions in your own bank.

Unelected Democ sorry what is that word I am looking for? Turn into Dic what is that word after they are elected.

UK went to war why. Did the people agree with it no? Then it has been all been proven as lies the reasons.

Somehow I do not know how I just want to see Thailand go back to being the Land of Smiles.

Time after time this happens.

Change the size of the seats like they did in the UK and if you want Blah, Blah, Blah to get in make sure it encompasses there strong hold.

Education is without doubt a major problem in Thailand and therefore 500 Baht to someone in a small farming village who earns 19000 Baht a year to walk Cows will change their vote.

Education is what. IQ is what. If I have a good Education and HIGH??? IQ Does that make me better than the man who is walking Cows NO.

But if the Man walking Cows is not capable of making a judgment for the good of Thailand Do you take away his Vote??

Question, Question, Question I don’t have the answer but democracy this way will never work.