10,000 Police, Soldiers, Security Officials Deployed To Keep Security At Government House

[henryalleman]

Thaksin: to return Thailand if coup staged

Former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra says he will return to Thailand if a coup d'état is staged and will lead all United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD) supporters to restore true democracy to Thailand.

Thaksin said during his video-link talk at the gathering of the UDD in front of the Government House last night (March 30), asserting he would bring back the true democracy and pleading for more UDD supporters to show up in the gathering and to withstand all kinds of dictatorship.

Thaksin also affirmed that if a gunshot was heard or people injured, he would lead the people to fight for true democracy.

In addition, Thaksin challenged Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya to seize his passport back as well.

- ThaiNews / 2009-03-31

Yep, he will lead the people from his suite in some 5 star hotel.

[henryalleman]

From what I hear from the red stage now, tanks are seen near Nong Khai. They asked why not bring those tanks to Bangkok so they can drive. From the news the reds got, people may make a coup at 20:00 tonight.

This morning the person in charge at Taxi Radio Station said, he has agreed with 10,000 taxi drivers that as soon as tanks are seen in Bangkok, drivers will block all streets with their taxis, lock and leave taxis there.

Koo, with every comment you start to be more hilarious. Every one who preformed his military service will know that even 100 locked and abandoned taxis will not even stop a tank for even one second.

[henryalleman]

Don't attack Koo personally. Just let her show the real red colors in full bloom. No name calling is necessary in her case.

I gotta agree here.

I haven't agreed with Koo in a LONG time, but I understand she is sincere.

She is not a bad lady, just maybe hoodwinked might be a good word.

Several of us have watched her ideological progress with trepidation,

but I would still be happy to break bread with her. At least during less

strenuous times then this week.

She is being sold a bill of sale and thinks she will get the product marked,

I doubt that is so, but she believes and that could be worse.

I prefer a well meaning, but misgueded true believer to a pandering shill any day.

I will not only break bread with her, but even don't mind to have dinner , because I think it would be an interesting evening. I also agree that she is honest and genuine. I always admire people who defend their ideolgy and opinions, even I don't share them at all.

[edwardmoulton]

Edit: Post deleted, as no link and source is given to news story. Please provide this by PM or post again, so we can re-insert the story.

Edited April 1, 2009 by Mario2008

[edwardmoulton]

Hun Sen warns Thais to stay out

By: AFPPublished: 31/03/2009 at 09:22 PM Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen has warned Thailand that it will face resistance if its troops cross their disputed border again.

Hun Sen made the remarks Tuesday a week after Cambodian officials said about 100 Thai troops briefly entered contested territory near the ancient Preah Vihear temple where a deadly gun battle broke out last year.

"I tell you first, if you enter [Cambodian territory] again, we will fight,'' Hun Sen said at a ceremony to open a road named after him in the seaside resort of Sihanoukville.

"The troops at the border have already received the order. I am the leader of Cambodia who was elected by the will of the people, not by robbing power,'' he added, in an apparent reference to Thailand's current political instability.

Hun Sen also told his audience that Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva will visit Cambodia on April 18, but blasted Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya for allegedly insulting him.

"He insults me -- he has called me a gangster,'' he said of the foreign minister.

Kasit at his best AGAIN! Making friends and influencing people... Thailand will pay the price soon if it continues to push all the wrong buttons on the borders.

[henryalleman]

But I wonder whether you are right in understimating soft power.Even now the image of that Chinese student in Tianmen Square with his plastic bags facing down the tank resonates

The army under present leadership will not initiate a violent crackdown on demonstrators. Reds are just talking to cheer themselves. They choose to belive this farce where Thaksin is fighting for democracy, they pretend they have the majority on their side, they pretend they have as much power as PAD, they pretend the army is going to attack them and they imagine how brave they will be when it happens.

I think you are right on most of this but not all.Without going into detail I suspect many underestimate the broad national sympathy for the Reds.Clearly they don't have the elite support and unlimited funding of the PAD, nor that organisation's influence and power.They almost certainly have more Thais on their side but whether it's a majority I don't know (and neither with respect do you).I think you are right to assume the army won't intervene violently but on the other hand all it takes is one silly incident.The PAD was desperately trying to provoke some kind of assault and in the end succeded in creating a "massacre." I think that Abhisit has a cool head and will do his best to manage this situation competently.

I see incidentally Abhisit has reportedly agreed to be interviewed by Hardtalk.Good for him.If true he has cojones because there is one explosive question out there that has never been asked and almost certainly will be raised by the Hardtalk interviewer.

Can you inform me when this interview will take place.

[LevelHead]

Where are all the obnoxious arrogant posters on here who were saying "it will all be over by Sunday".

Please do go back in the thread and repost there ridiculous comments.

Its about time these yellow loving loud mouthed people are put to shame, just like others in society now.

What goes around comes around, and its good to see Thaksin now start to lift the lid on the corription and scandal and "money requests". Be warned, the corruption/scandal is so ingrained that he can go on releasing littles bit of news for daily for 10 years and still have more to tell.

The "elite" must now be really scared for he can release so much more and so much juicier snippets and it will cover so many people.

[Ricardo]

Shaky Government's will swiftly call mid term elections if they are confident they can win, or improve their majority.

There's no great altruism about it.

Abhisit doesn't call an election because he ain't certain he'll still be flying First Class to Davos when the votes are counted. If he did, he'd call an election quicker than you can say' Royal Orchid gold card'

One might make much the same comment, about PM-Somchai and the recent PPP-government, perhaps he was less confident of a landslide/swing to Thaksin's party, than some posters here ?

As I said at the time, it would have been interesting, to see how the government's year of mismanagement, and Thaksin's first actual conviction, had changed voters' opinions on him.

[sriracha john]

Shaky Government's will swiftly call mid term elections if they are confident they can win, or improve their majority.

There's no great altruism about it.

Abhisit doesn't call an election because he ain't certain he'll still be flying First Class to Davos when the votes are counted. If he did, he'd call an election quicker than you can say' Royal Orchid gold card'

Where does Thaksin dissolving Parliament and having new elections despite already having an overwhelming one-party majority and which subsequently triggered all of this catastrophe fall into the above theory?

[sriracha john]

Where are all the < Flaming Snipped > posters on here who were saying "it will all be over by Sunday".

Please do go back in the thread and repost there < Flaming Snipped > comments.

Its about time these yellow loving loud mouthed people are put to shame, just like others in society now.

What goes around comes around, and its good to see Thaksin now start to lift the lid on the corription and scandal and "money requests". Be warned, the corruption/scandal is so ingrained that he can go on releasing littles bit of news for daily for 10 years and still have more to tell.

The "elite" must now be really scared for he can release so much more and so much juicier snippets and it will cover so many people.

Speaking of loud-mouthed people, have the 300,000 that Red Leader Weng boasted about ever show up?

Edited April 1, 2009 by sriracha john

[animatic]

Why not just have an Enabling Act, so that the troublesome matter of elections during difficult times can be ignored altogether? It worked for the NSDAP.

Just look though at the blue bar that is at the top of the screen when the Nation's site is downloaded.

"Thailand news, Thaksin Shinawatra live broadcast, Thaksin phone in, Thaksin video link.....:

Thaksin is still the only game in town, irrespective of how many times his pathological farang kitchen sink foes say he's a busted flush. No mention atop the Nation's site about PM Bertie Wooster's weekly international photo op' and air mile accumulator.

Well he still has entertainment value.

[Journalist]

Shaky Government's will swiftly call mid term elections if they are confident they can win, or improve their majority.

There's no great altruism about it.

Abhisit doesn't call an election because he ain't certain he'll still be flying First Class to Davos when the votes are counted. If he did, he'd call an election quicker than you can say' Royal Orchid gold card'

Where does Thaksin dissolving Parliament and having new elections despite already having an overwhelming one-party majority and which subsequently triggered all of this catastrophe fall into the above theory?

It fits perfectly. Mr T called that election because he felt it would give him a new popular mandate that would somehow make up for the political quarrels about his Shin Corp sale - that were not melting away

He thought he'd win easily and all the fuss about the Temasek sale would be cut off at the knees. He would have been able to say ' the voters put me back in office, so they obviously don't mind my business deal, why should you?'

The others - seeing his cunning trick- boycotted the election and his gambit fell apart.

Mid term elections are only ever called when a sitting PM thinks he will win. They don't do it to help out the Opposition and give them a sporting chance.

Eg: In UK last year, PM Gordon Brown nearly called a snap election. As soon as the opinion polls showed he would lose it. He reversed course, saying how he had a lot of work to do, and policies to be implemented and an election would interfere.

Edited April 1, 2009 by Journalist

[animatic]

Pretty much.

They also don't call mid terms of it will be a draw or no significant upside.

[kurtgruen]

Where are all the obnoxious arrogant posters on here who were saying "it will all be over by Sunday".

Please do go back in the thread and repost there ridiculous comments.

Its about time these yellow loving loud mouthed people are put to shame, just like others in society now.

What goes around comes around, and its good to see Thaksin now start to lift the lid on the corription and scandal and "money requests". Be warned, the corruption/scandal is so ingrained that he can go on releasing littles bit of news for daily for 10 years and still have more to tell.

The "elite" must now be really scared for he can release so much more and so much juicier snippets and it will cover so many people.

As for me (yellow loving), I only check in here once in a while, as I still consider these red demonstrations small and insignificant. They are only allowed to protest and can be stopped at any time. Thaksin is looking more and more like the idiot he is, to the public. The more he opens his mouth, the less support he will have from anyone with intelligence.

Now, he is calling for eveybody from the Provinces to come into Bangkok before Songkran and finish this. His last ditch effort, because he knows, that after Songkran, he won't be able to get as many protesters back. Meanwhile UDD leaders are already talking about doing a "mobile demonstation" after Songkran...which basically translates into We don't have enough people to overthrow the Government, so we will take our small numbers mobile and attempt to terrorize the country that way.

When they run with their tails between their legs, after Songkran, they will call it a strategic move, rather than what it is...realizing that they can't overthrow the Government in Bangkok.

To me, I would say they are a joke, but a very sick one, because while Thaksin keeps stirring up these poor people, in an attempt to get back the Billions he lost, the Country is going downhill fast. The last thing this Nation needed was a bunch of Red Protesters running around, trying to get media attention. The minute this turns violent, Thailand can kiss tourism goodbye for a long time.

Those rich and middle class tourist, whom they are trying to attract, are also tourists who scare easy. People, who want to come to luxury for their holidays, not a Banana Republic with civil unrest.

Poor people right now have everything they had under Thaksin, except that now, that Programs actually are starting to work. People can go to a hospital and actually get accepted under the 30 Baht Program. Before, under Thaksin, the program was grossly underfunded and mismanaged, which anyone can tell you, who was turned away sick from hospitals around the country back then.

Yes, Government (and also PAD) supporters are still here, but since we already won, there is no point of posting hundreds of posts, trying to sway peoples opinion, because basically, it doesn't matter now. The red side does not have enough people to overthrow the government and that's the bottom line. They do have enough people to disrupt tourism and some of the Governments operations, which will only hurt them in the end.

I still think they should have choosen brown instead of red, because RED used to stand for something good in the World ;-)

[Plus]

Mr T called that election because he felt it would give him a new popular mandate that would somehow make up for the political quarrels about his Shin Corp sale

It was not political, it was tax evading quarrels. He thought that popular mandate can override justice and he thought he could enforce this new rule on the society. PAD and Democrats refused to accept it and boycotted frivolous elections.

As for LevelHead and his abuse (what's so level about it?) - I said a coupld of times that my predictions were wrong.

Now I dare to predict that if Levelhead is reprimanded for "obnoxious arrogant posters" line he'd scream about freedom of thought, or speech, or whatever.

[kurtgruen]

Forgot to mention, when you asked "Where are the Yellow's now?" Well, as for me, I spent yesterday at the pool and in the gym, relaxing. I did my bit at Government house, fighting against a currupt PPP government. Now I can relax, because we won and the fight is over....but, like Animatic put it so well "Toxin still has entertainment value ;-), which wants me to stop into this forum once in a while, to listen to the mad ravings of Toxins Pawns.

Anyways, off to the gym again. Let's see what all these Toxin supporters will have to say after Songkran, to justify their inability to overthrow the Government by then.

[hammered]

This long weekend will be a tense one. Thaksin and the reds are going for it. Anything could happen, and it will only take one small incident getting out of proportion or one misstep by either side for calamity to reign. Right now you have a massive regional rdivide amongst the poltically active. The majority may be silent and out of it, but if they remain silent and out of it the minorites can still have a right old bust up with lots of death. There are enough politcally active on both sides fot this to go off big time through either intention or accident - Newin made one telling ciomment of if the UDD leaders lose control it could take days to clean up implying that there are still some rules to the game but they could easily be swept away.

The stakes are huge. Thaksin and his money is a very big obne but the fight for power in the future is bigger and the shall we say ultimate business prize that will enable the holder of it to maintain an almost Suharto or Lee style lock on Thai politcs and business for decades still remains central once this skirmish is over.

If elections were held now God knows who would win but it would be a very nasty campaign and a precedent has recently been set where an MP elect was red carded when people connected to an opponent handed out largesse with her name on it. That creates the conditions to get every MP red carded. Elections would just delay the next round unless everyone agrees on the ground rules and they dopnt and wont. Thaksin is going for a popualr uprising possibly supported by his military allies to overthrow and break all opponents. His opponents are going to try and see his red shirts off or hope they just dont have the numbers. Hiowever with the eventual stakes mentioned above attracting more than a few feudal politcos it is a risky strategy. National reconcilliation is now the least likely thing to happen.

[LevelHead]

Where are all the obnoxious arrogant posters on here who were saying "it will all be over by Sunday".

Please do go back in the thread and repost there ridiculous comments.

Its about time these yellow loving loud mouthed people are put to shame, just like others in society now.

What goes around comes around, and its good to see Thaksin now start to lift the lid on the corription and scandal and "money requests". Be warned, the corruption/scandal is so ingrained that he can go on releasing littles bit of news for daily for 10 years and still have more to tell.

The "elite" must now be really scared for he can release so much more and so much juicier snippets and it will cover so many people.

As for me (yellow loving), I only check in here once in a while, as I still consider these red demonstrations small and insignificant. They are only allowed to protest and can be stopped at any time. Thaksin is looking more and more like the idiot he is, to the public. The more he opens his mouth, the less support he will have from anyone with intelligence.

Now, he is calling for eveybody from the Provinces to come into Bangkok before Songkran and finish this. His last ditch effort, because he knows, that after Songkran, he won't be able to get as many protesters back. Meanwhile UDD leaders are already talking about doing a "mobile demonstation" after Songkran...which basically translates into We don't have enough people to overthrow the Government, so we will take our small numbers mobile and attempt to terrorize the country that way.

When they run with their tails between their legs, after Songkran, they will call it a strategic move, rather than what it is...realizing that they can't overthrow the Government in Bangkok.

To me, I would say they are a joke, but a very sick one, because while Thaksin keeps stirring up these poor people, in an attempt to get back the Billions he lost, the Country is going downhill fast. The last thing this Nation needed was a bunch of Red Protesters running around, trying to get media attention. The minute this turns violent, Thailand can kiss tourism goodbye for a long time.

Those rich and middle class tourist, whom they are trying to attract, are also tourists who scare easy. People, who want to come to luxury for their holidays, not a Banana Republic with civil unrest.

Poor people right now have everything they had under Thaksin, except that now, that Programs actually are starting to work. People can go to a hospital and actually get accepted under the 30 Baht Program. Before, under Thaksin, the program was grossly underfunded and mismanaged, which anyone can tell you, who was turned away sick from hospitals around the country back then.

Yes, Government (and also PAD) supporters are still here, but since we already won, there is no point of posting hundreds of posts, trying to sway peoples opinion, because basically, it doesn't matter now. The red side does not have enough people to overthrow the government and that's the bottom line. They do have enough people to disrupt tourism and some of the Governments operations, which will only hurt them in the end.

I still think they should have choosen brown instead of red, because RED used to stand for something good in the World ;-)

LOL

The YELLOW's never won anything.

They acheived nothing, apart from losing Thailand billions in tourism money by shutting the airports.

The courts dissolved the PPP.

Or are you saying the Yellow's control the courts and military, or vice versa ???????????????

LOL

[sriracha john]

Real democracy? Thaksin doesn't know what he's talking about

THAKSIN Shinawatra was right about one thing - Thailand needs change. Unfortunately, the rest of his rabble-rousing broadcast to his red-shirted supporters over the past few days failed to address the country's real problem: Democracy, the one thing he now so desires, is always treated like a prostitute.

"We just want real democracy. Is that too much to ask?" he said over the weekend. Truth is, if Thaksin had understood what "real democracy" meant, he and Thailand would not have been in this situation in the first place. And, contrary to what most people believe, democracy is relatively easy to attain; the difficult part is how not to lose it.

Thaksin must have thought that after his landslide election victory in 2001, he had fully repaid democracy with his anti-drug war, the Bt30 healthcare scheme for all, the village fund and debt moratorium for farmers, and other programmes. However, he must have also believed that what he had done gave him the right to screw the system. I'm popular with the poor so it's all right to pull the plug on checks and balances. And since I introduced an unprecedented welfare scheme, it's okay to cheat on taxes.

Of course, Thailand's 1997 charter was one of the best, and democracy was apparently flourishing after its enactment. In fact, everything was so rosy during Thaksin's early days that it afforded him the luxury to declare "Democracy is not my goal." Confronted with growing inquiries about the way he got things done at the expense of democratic principles, he did not hesitate to compare democracy to a Rolls-Royce, which can be useless in certain circumstances.

He might have been right back then. A Rolls-Royce is not for everyone; it's for perfectionists, because one screw loose and the vehicle can go off the road. In other words, while a dictator can pump money into rural areas and get away with a dozen extra-judicial killings and press intimidation, democracy doesn't allow that kind of compensation.

Democracy is a delicate lady who requires high maintenance. An arrogant Thaksin took her for granted and abused her to the point where she was susceptible to the will of the wolves. Now, an angry, desperate Thaksin wants to go back to the woman he scorned. He even vows to fight to the death to repossess her.

He is simply using her again, and smartly so. I'm not doing this for me; I'm doing this for us. Look what they've done to you, those elites and military opportunists. I'll make you whole again, and if that means I'll have to die, then so be it.

The real motives are 76 Billion Baht in frozen assets and a jail sentence he wants overturned. Thaksin is not helping democracy; he wants democracy to help him. The best part is, if he succeeds, democracy will owe him a big debt of gratitude.

Thailand needs change, Thaksin insists. The country, he claims, must strive for a stronger democracy, like the one that gave the people cheap health care, low-interest loans and a successful anti-drug campaign. We used to be great together. Don't tell me you don't miss me.

That's Thailand's real problem: democracy is never really understood and it's always taken for granted, even when there is nothing left to take for granted anymore. Thaksin, in his darkest hours, still can't see what went wrong in his relationship with this seemingly simple ideology. He is courting democracy again with the promise that things will return to the same old way before the royalists and generals took her away.

In fact, democracy is always strong, but she is cursed by an endless line of wimpy suitors. Her only problem is that she's too accommodating and sometimes she gives people more chances than they deserve. She was gracious enough to ignore the "Democracy is not my goal" slur and endured other abuses. But would she take the ultimate insult and welcome back with open arms someone who until now still didn't know her essence?

Real democracy isn't something that is too much to ask. To the likes of Thaksin, real democracy is simply something that will be too much to take.

Did he understand what he was asking for? Real democracy would eliminate people like him first before she takes care of the other meddlesome parties.

She would have rejected him at the first "Hello", and today he might have been nothing but a convicted fraudster instead of a self-romanticised fighter standing for something whose values he never understands.

- The Nation / 2009-04-01

[sriracha john]

The blame game

Fugitive former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra was at his wit's end. In spite of four days and three nights of a massive rally by red-shirt protesters, Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva decided to go to London for the G-20 Summit.

Meanwhile, Thaksin's attempt to instigate violence by blaming Privy Council Chief General Prem Tinsulanonda for all the bad things that have happened to him didn't seem to bear fruit. Prem said he was not interested in what Thaksin said.

Thaksin's camp is in desperate need of attention. Yesterday, his lieutenants Natthawut Saikua and Jatuporn Promphan stooped so low as to show a picture of Prem in costume when he was in a stage play while still in school. Although the move was intended to instigate a confrontational atmosphere among Prem's supporters, the move from Thailand's version of "Dumb and Dumber" (readers feel free to figure either Natthawut or Jatuporn as the dumber one) was in bad taste.

Now, Thaksin seems to have no other choice except to go all out. Sources revealed that Thaksin is planning to phone in to the G-20 meeting to show who's the real leader of Thailand.

In fact, Thaksin has been trying to connect with an international audience all along. Look at the background to his recent phone-in: an English sign saying that "Thailand Needs Change", which is translated into Thai as, "I want my frozen assets back."

- The Nation / 2009-04-01

[sriracha john]

Yes, why is it that a Thai giving a speech in Thai to Thais in Thailand has "Thailand Needs Change" in English...

Ousted Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra gives a live address via teleconference to supporters during a rally outside the Government House in Bangkok March 30, 2009.

REUTERS

[Steve2UK]

"Thaksin's call for red-shirt uprising finds receptive ears

By Sopon Onkgara

The Nation

Published on March 31, 2009

THAKSIN Shinawatra's periodic phone-ins seem to have profoundly negative effects on the stability of the Democrat-led coalition. They began with tirades, then disclosures of internecine events relating to coup plots over two years ago. Whether the issues have become credible or otherwise, some people think the fugitive has gone too far.

What can the government do as a counter-measure? So far, nobody seems to care much about the phone-ins and video links Thaksin uses to rouse his supporters all over the country, begging for them to rise against the Abhisit Cabinet.

The Democrats have been traditionally regarded as very crafty in the blame game and smear campaigns. It is not so this time around. They have become politicians displaying gentlemanly conduct, standing on the high moral ground, shrugging off the guerrilla tactics used by their chief adversary in self-imposed exile.

Thaksin's verbal salvos have hurt a lot of people in high places. He must have been trained well by his international media consultants, possibly the Baker Botts firm. Whatever he says, it will be enough to create "reasonable doubt" about his enemies. Obviously, his accusations stick.

Now that red-shirted supporters of Thaksin have begun to gather in many provinces to demand dissolution of the House of Representatives or the resignation of the Democrat-led coalition, the venom of the fugitive's hard-charging tirades poses a political threat. It started in many provinces in the North yesterday, and surely will spread to the Northeast and other regions like wildfire.

Who is to blame? The Democrats have got themselves in deep trouble after underestimating the real potential of Thaksin, and his huge war chest, to stir up dissent.

The Democrats have been too slow in responding to Thaksin's challenge, failing to use the state-owned media as a retaliatory measure, especially against his disinformation and propaganda campaigns.

Thaksin must be beaming over his success in creating a new political crisis for the Abhisit Cabinet. Had he known that his wild charges against the government would be so powerful, he would have made them long ago.

Now that the Democrats feel the heat and are sweating, it is almost too late for their crisis response. By being complacent and allowing Thaksin's supporters to hold key positions, especially in the Public Relations Department, the police and other agencies, the Democrats have found the rude awakening with the rise of "red power" is their own fault.

The Democrats have been cocky and overconfident since they gained power. Now, after 100 days in office, with their position seemingly impregnable, they have found that their real status is quite vulnerable. Thaksin will instigate his rural supporters to provoke the government into using force to quell their dissent, if not their rebellion.

Abhisit leaves today for the G-20 summit meeting in London. While he expects to gain a higher profile on the international stage, he will be deeply perturbed by the ongoing crisis back home. He will face questions about the unsettled political situation. Doubts over his government's stability could even crop up.

The immediate problem is how to do something that will shut Thaksin up, for good if possible. That might also be too late. His supporters would be even angrier, now that they have become addicted to the fugitive's moaning about unfair treatment and the call for insurrection.

The protest rally in front of Government House also takes deeper root. The heat from the scorching sun has failed to drive them away. The rally thins during the day, but swells during the night, with several thousand people gathering to hear more verbal attacks against people in high places. Never before has the Privy Council, especially the president, judges and other respected figures, been lambasted by such crude words in public. Thaksin's cronies and goons have been doing so nightly.

The public, especially the business sector, needs urgent reassurance from the government that the crisis is not getting out of hand. Intervention by the armed forces would be gleefully welcomed by Thaksin's cronies and supporters. It would allow them to rise in full force and Thaksin could either form a government in exile or ask for international assistance.

The Democrats have got their backs to the wall. They will need more than crafty skills and scheming to get out of trouble. Thaksin has lit his fire of revolution. As a man with nothing to lose, he has burned his bridges while his adversaries feel the heat.

Are we headed for a new crisis of unknown proportions? We will certainly know before Songkran day. It will not be fun this year."

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/worldhotne...-receptive-ears

[MyphuketLife]

As has been said, now, in the middle of a global financial crisis, is not the time to be dissolving governments and holding elections.

Why not? The US had one a couple of months ago.

Yes getting rid of the problem and installing the solution.

Thailand's already done that part.

thanks for the laugh... a good way to start the day seeing jokes like this posted!

I agree they got rid of the problem(before the PAD rallies), but did it the wrong way and introduced far bigger problems...

Edited April 1, 2009 by MyphuketLife

[sriracha john]

Thaksin sets rally deadline

Anti-government forces will end their rally outside Government House before Songkran, a Puea Thai Party member says.

The source, a member of Puea Thai Party's strategy team, said former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra wanted the rally to succeed in its aim to oust the Abhisit administration before Songkran, the Thai new year, begins on April 13.

Thaksin has called for protesters to pour in from every province to join the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship protest in Bangkok.

Continued here:

http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/politics/1...-rally-deadline

[Journalist]

Yes, why is it that a Thai giving a speech in Thai to Thais in Thailand has "Thailand Needs Change" in English...

Ousted Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra gives a live address via teleconference to supporters during a rally outside the Government House in Bangkok March 30, 2009.

REUTERS

English signs omnipresent in Thailand. You'd think such a proud country would insist on signeage being all in its own script. Tokyo doesn't feel it has to have so many signs with our familiar lettering.

Imagine if New York signs were all in Arabic or Sanskrit.

[hammered]

"Thaksin's call for red-shirt uprising finds receptive ears

By Sopon Onkgara

The Nation

Published on March 31, 2009

THAKSIN Shinawatra's periodic phone-ins seem to have profoundly negative effects on the stability of the Democrat-led coalition. They began with tirades, then disclosures of internecine events relating to coup plots over two years ago. Whether the issues have become credible or otherwise, some people think the fugitive has gone too far.

What can the government do as a counter-measure? So far, nobody seems to care much about the phone-ins and video links Thaksin uses to rouse his supporters all over the country, begging for them to rise against the Abhisit Cabinet.

The Democrats have been traditionally regarded as very crafty in the blame game and smear campaigns. It is not so this time around. They have become politicians displaying gentlemanly conduct, standing on the high moral ground, shrugging off the guerrilla tactics used by their chief adversary in self-imposed exile.

Thaksin's verbal salvos have hurt a lot of people in high places. He must have been trained well by his international media consultants, possibly the Baker Botts firm. Whatever he says, it will be enough to create "reasonable doubt" about his enemies. Obviously, his accusations stick.

Now that red-shirted supporters of Thaksin have begun to gather in many provinces to demand dissolution of the House of Representatives or the resignation of the Democrat-led coalition, the venom of the fugitive's hard-charging tirades poses a political threat. It started in many provinces in the North yesterday, and surely will spread to the Northeast and other regions like wildfire.

Who is to blame? The Democrats have got themselves in deep trouble after underestimating the real potential of Thaksin, and his huge war chest, to stir up dissent.

The Democrats have been too slow in responding to Thaksin's challenge, failing to use the state-owned media as a retaliatory measure, especially against his disinformation and propaganda campaigns.

Thaksin must be beaming over his success in creating a new political crisis for the Abhisit Cabinet. Had he known that his wild charges against the government would be so powerful, he would have made them long ago.

Now that the Democrats feel the heat and are sweating, it is almost too late for their crisis response. By being complacent and allowing Thaksin's supporters to hold key positions, especially in the Public Relations Department, the police and other agencies, the Democrats have found the rude awakening with the rise of "red power" is their own fault.

The Democrats have been cocky and overconfident since they gained power. Now, after 100 days in office, with their position seemingly impregnable, they have found that their real status is quite vulnerable. Thaksin will instigate his rural supporters to provoke the government into using force to quell their dissent, if not their rebellion.

Abhisit leaves today for the G-20 summit meeting in London. While he expects to gain a higher profile on the international stage, he will be deeply perturbed by the ongoing crisis back home. He will face questions about the unsettled political situation. Doubts over his government's stability could even crop up.

The immediate problem is how to do something that will shut Thaksin up, for good if possible. That might also be too late. His supporters would be even angrier, now that they have become addicted to the fugitive's moaning about unfair treatment and the call for insurrection.

The protest rally in front of Government House also takes deeper root. The heat from the scorching sun has failed to drive them away. The rally thins during the day, but swells during the night, with several thousand people gathering to hear more verbal attacks against people in high places. Never before has the Privy Council, especially the president, judges and other respected figures, been lambasted by such crude words in public. Thaksin's cronies and goons have been doing so nightly.

The public, especially the business sector, needs urgent reassurance from the government that the crisis is not getting out of hand. Intervention by the armed forces would be gleefully welcomed by Thaksin's cronies and supporters. It would allow them to rise in full force and Thaksin could either form a government in exile or ask for international assistance.

The Democrats have got their backs to the wall. They will need more than crafty skills and scheming to get out of trouble. Thaksin has lit his fire of revolution. As a man with nothing to lose, he has burned his bridges while his adversaries feel the heat.

Are we headed for a new crisis of unknown proportions? We will certainly know before Songkran day. It will not be fun this year."

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/worldhotne...-receptive-ears

Be interesting to see how red supporters react to this piece. Usually they label anything by Sopon as the writings of a mad man not worth reading

More seriously Sopon pens what is no doubt a more extreme yellow take on things. He could be overblowing it or he may not be. We will see.

[sriracha john]

Yes, why is it that a Thai giving a speech in Thai to Thais in Thailand has "Thailand Needs Change" in English...

Ousted Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra gives a live address via teleconference to supporters during a rally outside the Government House in Bangkok March 30, 2009.

REUTERS

English signs omnipresent in Thailand. You'd think such a proud country would insist on signeage being all in its own script. Tokyo doesn't feel it has to have so many signs with our familiar lettering.

Imagine if New York signs were all in Arabic or Sanskrit.

So you're not sure why, ok. Thanks.

Oddly curious that for such an all-important speech on such a national issue.... that he includes an English appeal to the CNN, BBC, Fox, Al Jazeera network crowds (who still confuse Thailand and Taiwan for all they care).

[Plus]

Yesterday Thaksin threw his cards open - an all out war to oust aristocracy. I haven't met anyone today yet who seems to care or understand what exactly is he asking them to do. It's just seem incomprehensible and unbelievable.

Silence from his opponents is suspicious, everytime they go quiet like this something is about to happen and they are plotting away. The coup has been ruled out, Kasit said he's not going to withdraw Thaksin's passport (surely thinking that passport means citizenship), appearing on live TV with heavy faces like last TV coup is not going to work, but that's the most likely scenario if they want to do anything public.

[h90]

Yesterday Thaksin threw his cards open - an all out war to oust aristocracy. I haven't met anyone today yet who seems to care or understand what exactly is he asking them to do. It's just seem incomprehensible and unbelievable.

Silence from his opponents is suspicious, everytime they go quiet like this something is about to happen and they are plotting away. The coup has been ruled out, Kasit said he's not going to withdraw Thaksin's passport (surely thinking that passport means citizenship), appearing on live TV with heavy faces like last TV coup is not going to work, but that's the most likely scenario if they want to do anything public.

Silence can also mean, that they don't know what to do at the moment

[hammered]

Yesterday Thaksin threw his cards open - an all out war to oust aristocracy. I haven't met anyone today yet who seems to care or understand what exactly is he asking them to do. It's just seem incomprehensible and unbelievable.

Silence from his opponents is suspicious, everytime they go quiet like this something is about to happen and they are plotting away. The coup has been ruled out, Kasit said he's not going to withdraw Thaksin's passport (surely thinking that passport means citizenship), appearing on live TV with heavy faces like last TV coup is not going to work, but that's the most likely scenario if they want to do anything public.

Silence can also mean, that they don't know what to do at the moment

The government dont really have a lot of options of things to do that wont worsen their position or play into the PR hands of Thaksin. It is a bit like a coupel of boxers. Say the government are ahead on points but stuck in a corner taking a flurry of blows. If they open up to take a swing they are more likely to recieve a knock out blow so they take their chances in staying on the ropes and hoping to cover up until the bell goes (Songkhran comes)