Red Shirt Neighbors--what Do They Expect Out Of The Ongoing Protest?

[thailandlover]

A few of my neighbors are donning their red shirts for the latest round of demonstrations. While I haven't had a chance to talk to them yet, our schedules don't seem to coincide, is there anyone you know who plans on going to the demonstrations and have they explained to you what they expect to achieve?

[tuky]

I take it you mean neighbours.

Elections are due here in Indo, everyone I have spoken to says all parties are as bad as each other. Except the hardline Muslim party, nobody actually wants them to govern for fear of the consequences.

Thailand needs to stop this ridiculous red shirt/yellow shirt crap and just get on with it. The country has been in a mess for too many years and the time will come when all Thais need to stand together to protect what Thailand is rather than this infighting that is tearing the country apart.

Your neighbours are fueling the fire that will destroy Thailand, shame on them.

[dave111223]

I take it you mean neighbours.

Neighbors is the valid US spelling.

[sbk]

Indeed it is

Anyway, no red shirts where I live, so its unlikely to have any effect down here. But I'd be curious how many members have neighbors who are politically active? I know a few locals here on the island who are (yellow shirts, obviously) but most people just go about their lives and roll their eyes at all the foolishness.

[wasabi]

I think ole Thaksin would like nothing more than for Thailand to have a civil war. At this point both sides seem rife with corruption and political jockeying. I doubt there will be an easy solution and Thailand will develop in the next decade due to this unrest.

[londonthai]

most probably the dates and venues of demonstrarions are in the local papers. Every shopkeeper will know of them, as they affect their trade.

there is no one single issue for them, but the economic crisis, unemployement, poverty will gradually dominate them. Do expect more of them, as people becoming more and more desperate

[tuky]

I take it you mean neighbours.

Neighbors is the valid US spelling.

But only valid in the US.

[bungy007]

I take it you mean neighbours.

Neighbors is the valid US spelling.

But only valid in the US.

Just as your views are only valid when you write about Indonesia

[Jimjim]

I take it you mean neighbours.

Neighbors is the valid US spelling.

But only valid in the US.

Give it up man.

[thaihome]

most probably the dates and venues of demonstrarions are in the local papers. Every shopkeeper will know of them, as they affect their trade.

there is no one single issue for them, but the economic crisis, unemployement, poverty will gradually dominate them. Do expect more of them, as people becoming more and more desperate

Why would the demonstrations (which by the way are around the Gove Hours again) affect their trade?

The UDD demonstrations have nothing to do with the economic crisis, unemployment, or poverty. They are the Thaksin's last desperate gasp at trying to stay relevant.

TH

[popshirt]

My red shirt neighbors here in Pakchong are not necessarily ardent Thaksin supporters. Rather, they have found they can have a voice in Thai politics and what has surfaced is years of resentment against the "light-skin" Bangkok elite. Thaksin and his party let the genie out of the bottle and things will not return to what they were pre-Thaksin. One hopes that the red shirts will move on to a post-Thaksin reality and find new leadership. Surely it is there somewhere.

[aussiejosh]

Well judging from history, the best thing for extremism is economic crisis.

[Plus]

My red shirt neighbors here in Pakchong are not necessarily ardent Thaksin supporters. Rather, they have found they can have a voice in Thai politics and what has surfaced is years of resentment against the "light-skin" Bangkok elite. Thaksin and his party let the genie out of the bottle and things will not return to what they were pre-Thaksin. One hopes that the red shirts will move on to a post-Thaksin reality and find new leadership. Surely it is there somewhere.

They have Chalerm, they have Nattawut and Jatuporn, and bunch of Thaksin family members in charge of every region in Thailand. Pity they lost Samak and Newin.

That's the forefront of "red democracy for a change". If there has ever been a more misguided bunch, I can't think of it right now.

[londonthai]

most probably the dates and venues of demonstrarions are in the local papers. Every shopkeeper will know of them, as they affect their trade.

there is no one single issue for them, but the economic crisis, unemployement, poverty will gradually dominate them. Do expect more of them, as people becoming more and more desperate

Why would the demonstrations (which by the way are around the Gove Hours again) affect their trade?

The UDD demonstrations have nothing to do with the economic crisis, unemployment, or poverty. They are the Thaksin's last desperate gasp at trying to stay relevant.

those demonstrations are all over thailand, including smaller towns - the OP doesn't say where he lives, might be in Bangkok or somewhere in north east or north, where there is much more political activity.

I did say "economic crisis, unemployement, poverty will gradually dominate them" - as some poster here mentioned, genie is out of the bottle, people try to speak their own voices and certainly economic crisis shows, that socio-political system in thailand failed to give life security for the large part of the population. As the crises deepens for the years to come, do expect more red shirts as your neighbours

[sriracha john]

My red shirt neighbors here in Pakchong are not necessarily ardent Thaksin supporters. Rather, they have found they can have a voice in Thai politics and what has surfaced is years of resentment against the "light-skin" Bangkok elite. Thaksin and his party let the genie out of the bottle and things will not return to what they were pre-Thaksin. One hopes that the red shirts will move on to a post-Thaksin reality and find new leadership. Surely it is there somewhere.

He's been suspiciously absent from the political scene for quite some time now...

Chuwit, the post-Thaksin Red Shirt Leader...

[h90]

Indeed it is

Anyway, no red shirts where I live, so its unlikely to have any effect down here. But I'd be curious how many members have neighbors who are politically active? I know a few locals here on the island who are (yellow shirts, obviously) but most people just go about their lives and roll their eyes at all the foolishness.

well here the soi in BKK, a nice middle class soi:

The neighbour right side: don't know the opinion

opposite: PAD supporters from the south....but don't go anywhere

opposite right: lawer wo is working in other business: PAD supporter, but not let his wife go there (dangerous)

opposite left: unkown

same side left left (single left is empty) unfriendly Chinese, never speak with anyone, once he started to be extreme friendly, reason he found out that my wife is PAD supporting.

3 small mum and pop shops:

2 unknown

1 Thaksin, staff does not buy there anymore.

So a lot politics in our soi, but owner are mostly southerners and chinese

[tuky]

I take it you mean neighbours.

Neighbors is the valid US spelling.

But only valid in the US.

Give it up man.

But it sure is fun

We have an American in our office, poor bloke cops a lot of flack, and to his credit he takes it well.

[Ulysses G.]

Just wait until he has it up to here and GOES POSTAL!

[Ricardo]

I take it you mean neighbours.

Neighbors is the valid US spelling.

But only valid in the US.

Give it up man.

Trans. : Desist foul varlet !

[Denim]

A few of my neighbors are donning their red shirts for the latest round of demonstrations.

Breath a sigh of relief if thats all it is. It could be worse. They could be Man Utd or Liverpool supporters.

[ballpoint]

Indeed it is

Anyway, no red shirts where I live, so its unlikely to have any effect down here. But I'd be curious how many members have neighbors who are politically active? I know a few locals here on the island who are (yellow shirts, obviously) but most people just go about their lives and roll their eyes at all the foolishness.

well here the soi in BKK, a nice middle class soi:

The neighbour right side: don't know the opinion

opposite: PAD supporters from the south....but don't go anywhere

opposite right: lawer wo is working in other business: PAD supporter, but not let his wife go there (dangerous)

opposite left: unkown

same side left left (single left is empty) unfriendly Chinese, never speak with anyone, once he started to be extreme friendly, reason he found out that my wife is PAD supporting.

3 small mum and pop shops:

2 unknown

1 Thaksin, staff does not buy there anymore.

So a lot politics in our soi, but owner are mostly southerners and chinese

You mean to say Thaksin has been running a small shop in your soi all this time? Does he pay people to shop there?

[Koo82]

The reds need a new election and 2540 Constitution Law. New PM must come after a general election, not after knocking the winning parties then using the switching voice members in Parliament House.

Khun Thaksin knew the poor is the majority of Thais and came to them, saw how they lived, lived with them and won their votes. When he became Prime Minister, he improved their lives. At the same time, he did not follow the rule that every PM must please someone special.

He made those who earned from selling drugs or underground lottery lost their income. They started to protest. He did not give big budget to buy weapons. He cared for the poor so the rich lost their chances. Those people put their efforts together to knock him down by protests and finally by a coup 3 years ago.

They then made new Constitution Law 2550 with many details to knock the party of the poor and said a coup is legal. The old Constitution Law does not allow a coup.

When new election came, the party of the poor won. PM went down because he cooked on tv. This party still had major voice so another PM came from it. Down again. Now small parties switched their votes to 2nd biggest party and Abhisit became PM. Some sources said they were instructed by Army.

The reds don't accept because Abhisit is not in the biggest party. Abhisit gave big budget for those who helped him to become PM and borrows money from other countries. The censure debate this month showed that this party is not as clean as they make people to believe so. The longer they stay, the worse Thailand will be.

The reds don't accept the double standard when their party is down any time and those cases concerned with Democrat Party is kept in files for years. Yellows blocked Government House for 3 months and airports for a week and are still out there. Some have top chairs in Abhisit's Government. Reds were caught and charged promptly for throwing eggs and stones when protesting. Many things were done not according to laws even the laws they wrote themselves.

They tried to punish the man the reds love. One case is: Khun Thaksin's wife bought a land. Court decided no corruption. Land is still hers. He must go to jail for 2 years. As ridiculous as Khun Samak was down because of his cooking shows.

Other countries don't arrest Khun Thaksin to send to Thailand. They don't have a one court system like in Thailand after the coup.

What the reds fight with is those behind Abhisit. The reds are not only the poor but all who love true democracy.

[rixalex]

The reds don't accept because Abhisit is not in the biggest party.

How come they could accept Samak then?

[londonthai]

well here the soi in BKK, a nice middle class soi ... but owner are mostly southerners and chinese

my family is thai-chinese bangkokians and the surrounding provinces (property/small business owners, policemen, army officers) an are all pinkish.

don't talk politics with neighbours as it's inapproapriate and not my business, but all people I casually talk to (taxi drivers, massage therapist and others from the services sector) are all pinkish/red. It's them, who do start discussion on politics and they don't know my political views, just they feel a need to talk.

[The Snark]

Let me see if I got all this straight.

We have a debate over the spelling of the word neighbor, (common spelling) neighbour, exclusively British spelling. (From the Germanic Neah, near, and gebur, house dweller)

Add to this we have various discussions of politicians whom very few if anyone knows first hand, let alone what said politicians and their private motivations really are.

Then we have the red shirts which, in case you haven't noticed, are extremely similar to the proletariat of Russia's little shindig fame.

Well, there are red shirts and there are red shirts. Some are paid. These come in two flavors: the motivators, the players who have received behind the scene instructions, and those along for the ride.

Then we have the red shirts who, generally speaking, are a tad fed up with doing 98% of the manual and menial labor in the county and getting paid about 5% of the money that sloshes around Bangkok like river water. Many of these folks are a bit more fed up now that their farms their families worked for generations are now owned by the BKK folks and leased back t o the farmers.

What do the red shirts expect? Not much. Thaksin was one bright spot of their horizon. They had a small shot at getting the things stacked a little bit more in their favor. Can't blame them for being a bit blind to his corruption. 150 years plus of the elite standing on the rice farmers has got them a tad pissed off. But do they have any real hopes for the red shirt army accomplishing anything? From the rice farmers and itinerant laborers I've chatted with in the various communities, angst and apathy is setting in again. It's hopeless. The protests will fizzle out as the proletariat has to get back to the fields, leaving most of the red shirt army the paid for rabble rousers. Back to the yadong every evening and wistfully hoping something will change someday.

Edited March 29, 2009 by The Snark

[kikoman]

I live in red shirt country, that backed Thaksin programs for the poor, dear to their heart is the medical care program enacted by the Thaksin government.

Thaksin was wise in a political sense, he knew if he supported the poor, who are a majority of the Thai electorate. He would have a solid political base, and he was right in that sense.

The Democratic party is foolish not to act on the needs of Thailand's poor. The poor care not that Thaksin broke Thai political laws and his criminal actions. They cared about what he did for them, be it a deep care for the poor or a political ploy to cement his power base.

I do not discuss political views with my neighbors, I get most of my info from my wife, But Thaksin made an error in aligning himself with Cambodia, which will cost him his pink support.

Look all over the political elections worldwide and the people/poor power candidates are on the move.

Cheers:

[Jingthing]

The neighbors want Thaksin back and they want to topple the current government. Then magically things will get better for them, or so they think.

[bkkjames]

can't we merge this with one of the 40 topics in the newsclipping section dedicated to this zzzzzzzzz

[londonthai]

this topic was bumped up from march 2009, nothing to do with the coming planned protests.

as to democats and them acting on behalf of disposessed - it would be against their ideology of continuing status quo. They want rich to stay rich and not share wealth with the poor.

secondly, they are only pawns in a larger play - such policies would be against class interests of their financial and political backers.