Suvarnabhumi PAD Protest Continues

[PeaceBlondie]

I am serious. I personally and consistently condemn the use of violence by everybody, everywhere, always, regardless.

I don't share your enthusiasm for non-violence.

It's easy for a lot of us to sit in our quiet little houses in some peaceful corner of the world and condemn violence, but most freedom and free societies were purchased at the price of bloodshed and violence. The Americans tried doing things your way in 1941. It was a disaster. There was no way to be free from the aggressor (Japanese) without undertaking a fierce and protacted violent war costing millions of lives. Of course this is only one example of many throughout history.

.......In Thailand's case, the aggressors are PAD thugs. The weaker the government's response, the worse things are going to get. Sadly I'm starting to lose any ounce of confidence I had that the government might prevail. They just haven't learnt from history that playing too nicely doesn't always get the job done. They need to be strong, but instead they show only weakness.

I don't share your enthusiasm for violence. It's easy for us to sit in our quiet little houses and bless the boys as they go off to war. I did that, and repented of it. Americans never had to fight a single war, and could have achieved independence from England without war. They could have avoided the war of 1812, the US civil war, etc. You do not have to kill in order to live. It is not divinely righteous to slaughter. Please, spare us the histrionics of Patrick Henry; some of us took civics classes in the USA thinking we were all of the hemisphere called America.

In Thailand's case, there are several aggressors. The PAD thugs. The TRT/PPP/UDD thugs. Thankfully, so far, very few of the violent thugs have been Thais wearing Thai uniforms.

[Chang_paarp]

Do you personally know all of these con men? Do you know what is behind the scene? Do you know about their relationship with some invisible hands? Not to mention how many times Chamlong took people to death and use women and children as human shield.

To be honest with you, i think at this time the most corrupted institute in Thailand is the Court. They are very partial. The Democrat was caught with 2 million Baht for vote buying, while in this case PPP with 20K?? Read the court case.

ASTV started all the brainwashing propaganda programmes but the government cannot do anything because the court ordered temporary protection for almost 2 years now. It's ridiculous anyway. When the court orders sth that is pro PAD, the government respects it but when the court ordered them to get away, the PAD ignores it.

You really think that they did not try??? But the PAD is untouchable .. and there are a lot more people play their part in it. The problem is these kinds of things cannot be discussed in full in this country. That's why everything looks so absurd and doesnt make any sense.

Couldn't agree more. "the most corrupted institute in Thailand is the Court"

Is that because they actually rule on the law as it is written, not as the defendants would wish irrespective of cake boxes. Just because you do not agree with the result does not make them corrupt. Believe it or not there might be something in the raft of allegations and ensuing court case, some folk may have broken the law that they thought did not apply to them.

[oneeyedmunstaruler]

Probably not appropriate, but the term "Stockholm Syndrome" immediately came to mind.

I saw a picture of a farang male with a clapper, he had a smile on his face, but it was a very sardonic smile. Looked to me that he was "going native" as a laugh, and found the whole situation barbarian and ridiculous....

[Jai Dee]

Chamlong vows airport occupation to continue

Chamlong Srimuang, a co-leader of the People's Alliance for Democracy, announced Sunday morning that the PAD would not pull out from the two Bangkok airports.

He told the crowd at the Suvarnabhumi International Airport that the people would get a victor on December 2.

Source: The Nation - 30 November 2008

[dotcom]

Looks like "Peaceful Resolution" is off the table.

[tropo]

KireB... do you even read what you post? Do you realize how incredibly retarded you sound? You keep on bringing up "old ladies" like they're the ones running PAD. No one is saying Thaksin are saviours of Thailand, but let me ask you something. Has anything the PAD did make the country better? Last time I checked, Thaksin wasn't the one holding this country hostage.

KireB is in denial. It started when he became disillusioned over what his friends the PAD have done this week. Now he just buries his head in the sand so he cannot read what he posts.

[Jai Dee]

TDRI Advises Coalition Parties to Switch Sides and Appoint Temporary Govt

The Thailand Development Research Institute is demanding that the coalition parties switch sides to fix the political crisis. They also warn that if the conflict continues, the Thai economic growth next year will be less than 2%.

Dr.Chalongpob Susangkornkarn of the Thailand Development Research Institute or the TDRI suggests that the coalition parties withdraw from government, as the government is currently unable to control the situation in the country or solve its economic problems.

Dr.Chalongpob says that politicians must make sacrifices for the country, and it is not necessary that the party with the most votes should be in government. Withdrawing from the government would be a democratic move and a better alternative to encouraging political instability or relying on an undemocratic solution.

Kosit Panpiumrat, Director of the TDRI council, says that the leader of the country should take responsibility for the problems. However, he adds, this political crisis is a valuable lesson for the country on how to develop itself. Though a large number of people are participating in the movement, conflicts are still occurring, and therefore, studies on how to manage the system should be implemented.

Kosit believes that this conflict has already damaged Thailand's economic growth next year, which is likely to stand at only two to three percent. However, if the situation is not resolved soon, the figures for economic growth will decrease further, and exports which have been speculated to grow by five percent, will also drop.

Dr.Trairong Suwannakiri, the former Deputy Finance Minister, is advising that the government should appoint a temporary government of Thailand within one year, not to be confused with the national government. Each party should seek a prime minister who is neutral and decent.

Moreover, they should fix section 171 of the constitution which states that the PM must be a member of parliament in order to solve the current political crisis. He believes that both the People's Alliance for Democracy and the government should be able to accept this as a solution.

Source: Thailand Outlook - 30 November 2008

[Jai Dee]

PAD updates injury figure to 50

The People's Alliance for Democracy announced Sunday that a total of 50 protesters were injured in the bomb attack inside the Government House early Sunday.

Kittichai Saisa-ard, chief of PAD guards, said 47 protesters were sent to the Ramathibodi Hospital, and four of them were severely injured. He said two other protesters were sent to Phra Mongkut Hospital and another to Vajira Hospital.

Source: The Nation - 30 November 2008

[GlenOrd]

I just read a report that 50,000 Thai citizens are outside of Thailand and can't return home because there are no inbound flights. Their visas are expiring and their funds are surely not infinite either. What about them?

I know that was tongue in cheek, but a very good point Rainman we tend to think of this as just an internal matter.

Cheers, Rick

My cousin and his family was in Europe. They have to do something. The 1st leg CDG-SIN was no problem. However SQ refuse the SIN-BKK leg. Credit card already over limit, and card issuer say not more temporary increase. I have been putting money in their account, so that they can withdraw cash from ATM machine. I CANNOT KEEP TOPPING THEIR ACCOUNT, BUT I ALSO DON'T HAVE THE GUTS TO TURN THEM DOWN (just imagin if I am on the other end). Even thought they are staying in the cheapest hotel they can find in Geylang, it is not exactly cheap. And the hotel demand cash upfront every morning.

Busing back is not an option, because the youngest is 7 months old, but the problem is his 3 years old sister, which have heavy car-sick for any journey above 1 hours. (Hence useless even if they can land in Chang Mai or Phuket).

Been to the embassy, but they embassy say they can only help on most urget case only. As long as they can still withdraw cash from ATM (MY MONEY), it is not deemed urget. All they can suggest is that buses are available from Golden Mile shopping center to Hat Yai.

[animatic]

I had to go to the bathroom a few minutes ago, and my wife was watching a Thai news program. I just saw the end of it but there were a couple of foreigners stuck in the airport with yellow headbands and clappers and a man was holding up some cardboard with something on it I could not read but which was obviously supportive of the PAD.

Probably not appropriate, but the term "Stockholm Syndrome" immediately came to mind.

Great, that's all we need, foreigners getting in on it.

Very old footage.

The farhang are likely to have been talked to in a civilized manner, and are making the best of it.

Stockholm syndrome takes weeks to happen, and this is just not thet same thing.

Stockholm Syndrome victims commence in shear terror and hate,

and eventually over long periods turn. The worst response from a traveler that has been shown,

is extreme peavishness. So it seems to run the gamut of emotions.

Yeah not happy an not moving on their way, but clearly not held against their will and abused.

This of course should end ASAP and as unviolently as possible

[magisterludi]

It is impossible to have a coherent discussion about the current events in this forum or any other public space. I hope the following short article from notthenation.com will inspire some posters to stop arguing about issues when some of the main components cannot even be mentioned. At least I hope it will make a few people out there smile. Cheers

Third Hand Seen Shaking Invisible Hand

BANGKOK – Newspapers in Thailand are reporting that a third hand was spotted firmly shaking the invisible hand last night.

The high-profile meeting of hands came at an Italian restaurant on Sukhumvit during a dinner hosted by top military brass.

At the end of the dinner, the mysterious invisible hand reportedly reached over the table and grasped an unidentified third hand.

We have no clue what this all means but we are reporting it anyway.

notthenation.com

It's a parody.

Jing ror?

[dtarasin]

KireB... do you even read what you post? Do you realize how incredibly retarded you sound? You keep on bringing up "old ladies" like they're the ones running PAD. No one is saying Thaksin are saviours of Thailand, but let me ask you something. Has anything the PAD did make the country better? Last time I checked, Thaksin wasn't the one holding this country hostage.

KireB is in denial. It started when he became disillusioned over what his friends the PAD have done this week. Now he just buries his head in the sand so he cannot read what he posts.

I don't think denial is the right word, though. He/she (and the majority of the PAD) seems to be so emotionally invested in this conflict that he/she has no objective other than to "win". Once you've got that much at stake, you'd be willing to rationalize anything (example: Clinton supporters during the 08 primaries).

This is why I keep saying, BOTH sides need to take a couple steps back and ask themselves what they're really fighting for.

[tropo]

I am serious. I personally and consistently condemn the use of violence by everybody, everywhere, always, regardless.

I don't share your enthusiasm for non-violence.

It's easy for a lot of us to sit in our quiet little houses in some peaceful corner of the world and condemn violence, but most freedom and free societies were purchased at the price of bloodshed and violence. The Americans tried doing things your way in 1941. It was a disaster. There was no way to be free from the aggressor (Japanese) without undertaking a fierce and protacted violent war costing millions of lives. Of course this is only one example of many throughout history.

.......In Thailand's case, the aggressors are PAD thugs. The weaker the government's response, the worse things are going to get. Sadly I'm starting to lose any ounce of confidence I had that the government might prevail. They just haven't learnt from history that playing too nicely doesn't always get the job done. They need to be strong, but instead they show only weakness.

I don't share your enthusiasm for violence. It's easy for us to sit in our quiet little houses and bless the boys as they go off to war. I did that, and repented of it. Americans never had to fight a single war, and could have achieved independence from England without war. They could have avoided the war of 1812, the US civil war, etc. You do not have to kill in order to live. It is not divinely righteous to slaughter. Please, spare us the histrionics of Patrick Henry; some of us took civics classes in the USA thinking we were all of the hemisphere called America.

In Thailand's case, there are several aggressors. The PAD thugs. The TRT/PPP/UDD thugs. Thankfully, so far, very few of the violent thugs have been Thais wearing Thai uniforms.

If you think peace can be achieved without war then you defnitely are living in a fantasy world. Aggressors need to be tackled head on. Weakness and unwillingness to take action results in nothing good and at best slavery to your aggressors.

These PAD thugs have said they will not negotiate so there will be no peaceful resolution. Violence is a certainty and you know it, yet you're in denial. They've already stated that they will not back down and prefer to die in this struggle to achieve their goal. It's pretty obvious there are only 2 choices here. Give in to the PAD thugs, or suffer a violent struggle.

[KireB]

KireB... do you even read what you post? Do you realize how incredibly retarded you sound? You keep on bringing up "old ladies" like they're the ones running PAD. No one is saying Thaksin are saviours of Thailand, but let me ask you something. Has anything the PAD did make the country better? Last time I checked, Thaksin wasn't the one holding this country hostage.

Well retardation is in the eye of the beholder so to speak.

This country is not taken hosage by a group of relatively peaceful protesters, but by a government-mafia, or cancer, that robbed the place blind and refuses to back down. A group of gangsters that bought elections, brought corruption to new levels, silenced and controled media and was ready to violently crackdown the initial PAD rallies (remember those footages of a group of hooligans attacking women and old people at Central World?).

The PAD is not a poltical entity, the PAD has become the check and balance of this corrupt society! Sad but true!

It's the government-mafia who's created this, unfortunately necessary, monster!

And call me retarded whatever you like, but the PAD is not about its leaders, its about the people who are hanging in there for already weeks. And if you watch the tv footage, yes most of them re women and old people! The only ones in this country who have the guts to stand up and do something about the shameless corruption and thievery of a group of priviliged low-lifes!

[kaotang]

KireB... do you even read what you post? Do you realize how incredibly retarded you sound? You keep on bringing up "old ladies" like they're the ones running PAD. No one is saying Thaksin are saviours of Thailand, but let me ask you something. Has anything the PAD did make the country better? Last time I checked, Thaksin wasn't the one holding this country hostage.

KireB is in denial. It started when he became disillusioned over what his friends the PAD have done this week. Now he just buries his head in the sand so he cannot read what he posts.

I don't think denial is the right word, though. He/she (and the majority of the PAD) seems to be so emotionally invested in this conflict that he/she has no objective other than to "win". Once you've got that much at stake, you'd be willing to rationalize anything (example: Clinton supporters during the 08 primaries).

This is why I keep saying, BOTH sides need to take a couple steps back and ask themselves what they're really fighting for.

Well, it's very obvious - POWER !!!

[tropo]

And if you watch the tv footage, yes most of them re women and old people! The only ones in this country who have the guts to stand up and do something about the shameless corruption and thievery of a group of priviliged low-lifes!

So if what you say is true, that most of the PAD "protesters" are women and old people, we know what they meant when they said they would use human shields if the police try to disperse them.

That's a great endorsement for your beloved PAD. A mob who can do no wrong as far as you are concerned.

[animatic]

I am serious. I personally and consistently condemn the use of violence by everybody, everywhere, always, regardless.

I don't share your enthusiasm for non-violence.

It's easy for a lot of us to sit in our quiet little houses in some peaceful corner of the world and condemn violence, but most freedom and free societies were purchased at the price of bloodshed and violence. The Americans tried doing things your way in 1941. It was a disaster. There was no way to be free from the aggressor (Japanese) without undertaking a fierce and protacted violent war costing millions of lives. Of course this is only one example of many throughout history.

.......In Thailand's case, the aggressors are PAD thugs. The weaker the government's response, the worse things are going to get.

Sadly I'm starting to lose any ounce of confidence I had that the government might prevail.

They just haven't learnt from history that playing too nicely doesn't always get the job done.

They need to be strong, but instead they show only weakness.

I don't share your enthusiasm for violence. It's easy for us to sit in our quiet little houses and bless the boys as they go off to war. I did that, and repented of it. Americans never had to fight a single war, and could have achieved independence from England without war. They could have avoided the war of 1812, the US civil war, etc. You do not have to kill in order to live.

It is not divinely righteous to slaughter.

Please, spare us the histrionics of Patrick Henry;

some of us took civics classes in the USA thinking we were all of the hemisphere called America.

In Thailand's case, there are several aggressors. The PAD thugs. The TRT/PPP/UDD thugs.

Thankfully, so far, very few of the violent thugs have been Thais wearing Thai uniforms.

I took a civics class 35 years a young John Kerry came for a 5 minute talk, and stayed for 3 ho hours.

Among many other things he said, in essense:

People MUST stand up for the right to change their governments positions,

or it will run rough shod across the rights of the minority.

This during the time of Viet Nam war when he came back as a hero and decided to help END the war.

He made Nixons' enemies list, but Nixon was the won deposed and Kerry almost took his chair 30 years later.

We may well look back on this era as a watershed in Thailand's awareness and growth,

as painful as it is to watch first hand now.

Some have said this won't be forgotten for ten years... wrong, this will not be forgotten.

Like it or not PAD is an agent for change, and so is Thaksin.

The question is which will or would be causing the longest term damage.

I can feel the flames building already...

[Guest Reimar]

Explosion occurs at Don Mueang Airport

A bomb exploded near a bunker made of tyres at the Don Mueang Airport early Sunday.

The explosion occurred at 3:55 am at the main entrance to the passenger terminal.

Before the explosion occurred, about 7 gunshots were heard from the direction of a warehouse deeper inside the airport compound.

No one was injured in the explosion.

The Nation

[paperback]

The PAD is not a poltical entity, the PAD has become the check and balance of this corrupt society! Sad but true! It's the government-mafia who's created this, unfortunately necessary, monster!

Not true and therefore not sad. The true sadness is that this corrupt society does not have any checks and balances at all. And yes, PAD is a monster.

... the PAD is not about its leaders, its about the people who are hanging in there for already weeks. And if you watch the tv footage, yes most of them re women and old people! The only ones in this country who have the guts to stand up and do something about the shameless corruption and thievery of a group of priviliged low-lifes!

You may feel like it and maybe even some of the PAD troops may have this self-image. It's a delusion. The PAD is all about its leaders, the apparent ones as well as the unmentionable ones. The people out on the streets or in the airport are no more than useful idiots and disposable pawns of the reactionary powers who control them.

[animatic]

It is impossible to have a coherent discussion about the current events in this forum or any other public space. I hope the following short article from notthenation.com will inspire some posters to stop arguing about issues when some of the main components cannot even be mentioned. At least I hope it will make a few people out there smile. Cheers

Third Hand Seen Shaking Invisible Hand

BANGKOK – Newspapers in Thailand are reporting that a third hand was spotted firmly shaking the invisible hand last night.

The high-profile meeting of hands came at an Italian restaurant on Sukhumvit during a dinner hosted by top military brass.

At the end of the dinner, the mysterious invisible hand reportedly reached over the table and grasped an unidentified third hand.

We have no clue what this all means but we are reporting it anyway.

notthenation.com

It's a parody.

Jing ror?

One not as subtle as the Glass Bead Game of course.

[henryalleman]

It would not be anything new to someone that would support terrorism. I will never be able to convince Al Qaida that 911 is justifiyed. And I will never convince you that seiging the airport is justifiyed. Radicals have their aggenda and the civilized world has to deal with them with force.

Pretty easy for you to make an accusation like that hiding behind the anonymity of the Internet. Sadly I think you may be that shallow to actually believe what you just spewed... You sound more like a radical extremist considering it is your view or no view. I am not a radical; I am not a terrorist and certainly do not support. I am actually a US Citizen and would bleed on my flag to keep it red. Would you?

There is only one Joe I know here in Surin and it is me. Hardly anonymous. I am shallow and a radical by believing in law and order?? I am a US citizen also. Most people I know in the USA that would bleed on the flag would not support taking over airports and breaking the law. As a supporter of PAD and taking over airports how far do you think you and your PAD buddies would have got in taking over an airport in the USA? You would have been bleeding but not on a flag.

The Flemish national broadcast company send an TV crew and reporter to Suva. I front the airport theyve been stopped bu unarmed guards of PAD. They guide them with courtesy inside the airport. What we saw was a few thousand of people singing and clap the hands. Yes they realy look like terrible terrorists.

They asked a man why they do like this, and did he not realise that they hurt the Thai economy imensly, and its it worth it. He answered; If you look to next week or next year its not worth it; But you look to the the next 20 or 30 year it is worth it, because in the next 30 years we will have honnest politicians, no corrupted elections, and our economy will benefit from it. So yes we will suffer temporary but in the long run we will benefit from what is happening now.

They also visited the military airport where they set up temporay check in counters.

http://www.deredactie.be/cm/de.redactie

commercial TV station

http://www.vtm.be/nieuws/index_bekijkonline.htm

this an unbias report from a small country with only 6.5 million people, but they send a crew their, and keep us informed. Sorry its in Dutch language but I know there a few dozen Dutch speaking members on TV. So maybe they like to kept informed in there own language

[Xangsamhua]

These PAD thugs have said they will not negotiate so there will be no peaceful resolution. Violence is a certainty and you know it, yet you're in denial. They've already stated that they will not back down and prefer to die in this struggle to achieve their goal. It's pretty obvious there are only 2 choices here. Give in to the PAD thugs, or suffer a violent struggle.

Tropo, before you overheat too much and do yourself some damage, step back a second and ask yourself if the grenades hurled into the PAD assembly at Government House early this morning were hurled by "PAD thugs". If you draw up a score sheet of acts of thuggish violence committed by either side, who's the winner by a country mile? Violent actions and violent speech are the first resort of the ignorant and the last resort of those under attack. We know the DAAD and other anti-PAD forces like violence. It's a reflection of their view of how the world should be run.

[animatic]

I am serious. I personally and consistently condemn the use of violence by everybody, everywhere, always, regardless.

I don't share your enthusiasm for non-violence.

It's easy for a lot of us to sit in our quiet little houses in some peaceful corner of the world and condemn violence, but most freedom and free societies were purchased at the price of bloodshed and violence. The Americans tried doing things your way in 1941. It was a disaster. There was no way to be free from the aggressor (Japanese) without undertaking a fierce and protacted violent war costing millions of lives. Of course this is only one example of many throughout history.

.......In Thailand's case, the aggressors are PAD thugs. The weaker the government's response, the worse things are going to get. Sadly I'm starting to lose any ounce of confidence I had that the government might prevail. They just haven't learnt from history that playing too nicely doesn't always get the job done. They need to be strong, but instead they show only weakness.

I don't share your enthusiasm for violence. It's easy for us to sit in our quiet little houses and bless the boys as they go off to war. I did that, and repented of it. Americans never had to fight a single war, and could have achieved independence from England without war. They could have avoided the war of 1812, the US civil war, etc. You do not have to kill in order to live. It is not divinely righteous to slaughter. Please, spare us the histrionics of Patrick Henry; some of us took civics classes in the USA thinking we were all of the hemisphere called America.

In Thailand's case, there are several aggressors. The PAD thugs. The TRT/PPP/UDD thugs. Thankfully, so far, very few of the violent thugs have been Thais wearing Thai uniforms.

If you think peace can be achieved without war then you defnitely are living in a fantasy world. Aggressors need to be tackled head on. Weakness and unwillingness to take action results in nothing good and at best slavery to your aggressors.

These PAD thugs have said they will not negotiate so there will be no peaceful resolution. Violence is a certainty and you know it, yet you're in denial. They've already stated that they will not back down and prefer to die in this struggle to achieve their goal. It's pretty obvious there are only 2 choices here. Give in to the PAD thugs, or suffer a violent struggle.

Well Somchai makes Lloyd George look like Rambo now.

[permanent_disorder]

How about the very frist PAD meeting at Thammasat when reds were flashing their genitals and throwing bags of piss and shit at passing PAD vehicles, the tactic they repeated on several other occasions?

"Models of restraint"....

nah, you forget that using shit bags that is a well known practise by the PAD.

you can read it here in The Nation:

"Police apparently briefed up its forces at the bridge while the PAD leaders announced to the demonstrators to get prepared for resisting a possible crackdown.

A PAD leader advised protesters to arm themselves with bags of human excrement and urine to fight off police."

http://nationmultimedia.com/2008/05/31/pol...cs_30074456.php

a small window view what is almost talked and announced daily there on the PAD stage. literally & figuratively. disgusting, isn't it.

[cmsally]

The Flemish national broadcast company send an TV crew and reporter to Suva. I front the airport theyve been stopped bu unarmed guards of PAD. They guide them with courtesy inside the airport. What we saw was a few thousand of people singing and clap the hands. Yes they realy look like terrible terrorists.

They asked a man why they do like this, and did he not realise that they hurt the Thai economy imensly, and its it worth it. He answered; If you look to next week or next year its not worth it; But you look to the the next 20 or 30 year it is worth it, because in the next 30 years we will have honnest politicians, no corrupted elections, and our economy will benefit from it. So yes we will suffer temporary but in the long run we will benefit from what is happening now.

They also visited the military airport where they set up temporay check in counters.

http://www.deredactie.be/cm/de.redactie

commercial TV station

http://www.vtm.be/nieuws/index_bekijkonline.htm

this an unbias report from a small country with only 6.5 million people, but they send a crew their, and keep us informed. Sorry its in Dutch language but I know there a few dozen Dutch speaking members on TV. So maybe they like to kept informed in there own language

One slight problem being the average person & businessman cannot wait 20-30yrs! Half of the PAD protestors will probably have died of old age by then.

[animatic]

These PAD thugs have said they will not negotiate so there will be no peaceful resolution. Violence is a certainty and you know it, yet you're in denial. They've already stated that they will not back down and prefer to die in this struggle to achieve their goal. It's pretty obvious there are only 2 choices here. Give in to the PAD thugs, or suffer a violent struggle.

Tropo, before you overheat too much and do yourself some damage, step back a second and ask yourself if the grenades hurled into the PAD assembly at Government House early this morning were hurled by "PAD thugs".

If you draw up a score sheet of acts of thuggish violence committed by either side, who's the winner by a country mile?

Violent actions and violent speech are the first resort of the ignorant and the last resort of those under attack.

We know the DAAD and other anti-PAD forces like violence. It's a reflection of their view of how the world should be run.

Ditto.

[PeaceBlondie]

In Thailand's case, there are several aggressors. The PAD thugs. The TRT/PPP/UDD thugs. Thankfully, so far, very few of the violent thugs have been Thais wearing Thai uniforms.

If you think peace can be achieved without war then you definitely are living in a fantasy world. Aggressors need to be tackled head on. Weakness and unwillingness to take action results in nothing good and at best slavery to your aggressors.

These PAD thugs have said they will not negotiate so there will be no peaceful resolution. Violence is a certainty and you know it, yet you're in denial. They've already stated that they will not back down and prefer to die in this struggle to achieve their goal. It's pretty obvious there are only 2 choices here. Give in to the PAD thugs, or suffer a violent struggle.

Peace usually can be achieved without violence. War-loving is the worst fantasy world of all. Almost one third of all humans now live in more-or-less free nations that achieved their independence since 1945, without war. I know that sometimes violence is certain because for many people, violence is the only language they speak, and they are in denial.

Here in Thailand now, it is not obvious that there are only two choices. There may yet be a Thai, Buddhist, nonviolent, third way. But if the PAD thugs wish to live by the sword, they die by the sword.

[hammered]

TDRI Advises Coalition Parties to Switch Sides and Appoint Temporary Govt

The Thailand Development Research Institute is demanding that the coalition parties switch sides to fix the political crisis. They also warn that if the conflict continues, the Thai economic growth next year will be less than 2%.

Dr.Chalongpob Susangkornkarn of the Thailand Development Research Institute or the TDRI suggests that the coalition parties withdraw from government, as the government is currently unable to control the situation in the country or solve its economic problems.

Dr.Chalongpob says that politicians must make sacrifices for the country, and it is not necessary that the party with the most votes should be in government. Withdrawing from the government would be a democratic move and a better alternative to encouraging political instability or relying on an undemocratic solution.

Kosit Panpiumrat, Director of the TDRI council, says that the leader of the country should take responsibility for the problems. However, he adds, this political crisis is a valuable lesson for the country on how to develop itself. Though a large number of people are participating in the movement, conflicts are still occurring, and therefore, studies on how to manage the system should be implemented.

Kosit believes that this conflict has already damaged Thailand's economic growth next year, which is likely to stand at only two to three percent. However, if the situation is not resolved soon, the figures for economic growth will decrease further, and exports which have been speculated to grow by five percent, will also drop.

Dr.Trairong Suwannakiri, the former Deputy Finance Minister, is advising that the government should appoint a temporary government of Thailand within one year, not to be confused with the national government. Each party should seek a prime minister who is neutral and decent.

Moreover, they should fix section 171 of the constitution which states that the PM must be a member of parliament in order to solve the current political crisis. He believes that both the People's Alliance for Democracy and the government should be able to accept this as a solution.

Source: Thailand Outlook - 30 November 2008

Looks like they join the call of the Thai Chamber of Commerce.

This could be a democratic way out. If and it reamins a big if the coalitonj partners change side then PPP will no longer have a majority. If and it is a big if they then push through a constitutional change to appoint a technocrat PM then we could have a non-partisan technocrat government with the leceted parliament acting as the up or down body on legislation. It would all have been done through the democratic procedure. It would however, wreck Thaksin's plans, so I should imagine that right now coaliton ally MPs are a very valuable comodity and could demand something nice in return.

Of course if this opportunity arises after the court hears the final arguements and before they announce the verdicts on the three parties there would maybe be some other pressure. If the court immediately disolved the PPP but announced the other two parties fate would be announced later things could become very interesting.

Anyway there will be a solution soon. When business starts saying th economy is going to be totally retarded things will move quickly. That the business community is blaming the government speaks volumes on its chances of surviving.

[tropo]

Like it or not PAD is an agent for change, and so is Thaksin.

At best they are going to be a catalyst for another military coup. Add that to over a dozen since 1932 and you should realise that Thailand doesn't need change, but stability. They need to work with what they've got instead of constantly changing.

Here's an analogy: Would you buy a new car everytime the one you had suffered a mechanical problem? Most people would repair rather than replace.

If the PAD get what they want now, then Thailand will be only one "peaceful protest" away from a change of government anytime a "peaceful" group are not happy with the results. I suppose that's a change from the usual method of overthrowing government via military coups.

[chrislarsson]

It is impossible to have a coherent discussion about the current events in this forum or any other public space. I hope the following short article from notthenation.com will inspire some posters to stop arguing about issues when some of the main components cannot even be mentioned. At least I hope it will make a few people out there smile. Cheers

Third Hand Seen Shaking Invisible Hand

BANGKOK – Newspapers in Thailand are reporting that a third hand was spotted firmly shaking the invisible hand last night.

The high-profile meeting of hands came at an Italian restaurant on Sukhumvit during a dinner hosted by top military brass.

At the end of the dinner, the mysterious invisible hand reportedly reached over the table and grasped an unidentified third hand.

We have no clue what this all means but we are reporting it anyway.

notthenation.com

It's a parody.

Jing ror?

Reality or parody! Could something as big as this happen without endorsement from an invisible hand?