Traffic Chaos In Bangkok As Protesters Close Main Roads

[edwardmoulton]

TAN Network has live updates and is speaking about Abhisit's upcoming speech right now (English Program)

http://www.thailandoutlook.tv/

Anyone know what channel Abhisit is on and what time?

[rainman]

Like Rats from a sinking ship.

If I got a Baht for every time I read this today...

[midas]

What gets me is the country is facing such serious political disruption and yet when

you tune in to Thai tv to try get at least some of the latest coverage of this traffic chaos

you find they are still just showing the same absoultely brain numbing

soap opera crap

[Oberkommando]

More like 'money rules'...do you think any of the Red shirts would be there 'protesting' if they had to use their own money? I think not.

Worapol, a leader of Red Shirts Prachuabkirikhan:

Q: How much do you have to pay to come here?

A: At least 500 baht. We pay for our buses ourselves.

Mae (mother) Pramuan, Udonthani:

Q: How do you come here?

A: We collect money, 100-200 baht each. Who has more contributes more. Some come by bus, some by train.

Educate yourself here

[court]

Looking at it all from Canada I just see a criminal whipping up a group of people who won't stop unitl they get it their way. Stop & smell the somtom people. I heard the red shirts were paying people to be a part of this. Blocking streets should not be allowed. No need for cranes to lift cars out of the way get the army out with a tank, roll over them and sweep up the mess. It won't take many of those before driver's get out of the way & fast.

[kurtgruen]

TAN Network has live updates and is speaking about Abhisit's upcoming speech right now (English Program)

http://www.thailandoutlook.tv/

Anyone know what channel Abhisit is on and what time?

I would think that he will be on all regular channels again...interrupting their precious soaps ;-)

[rainman]

What gets me is the country is facing such serious political disruption and yet when

you tune in to Thai tv to try get at least some of the latest coverage of this traffic chaos

you find they are still just showing the same absoultely brain numbing

soap opera crap

Soap operas are way more important than anything else. Without soap operas on big screen TVs, none of the yellow shirts would have stayed past 6pm. And neither the red shirts.

[geovalin]

Now this might get me banned or arrested, but where can we go from here?

There's two sides who have no sign of reconciling their differences, a military unwilling to govern, the owners of big business who will support whoever ends up winning, and a divide between Bangkok and the provinces that gets clearer and clearer every day.

There's a government that has shown no real effort to quell civil unrest, a party that's been banned time and time again, a global economic downturn, and no true clarity of the situation in the international media.

All I can see is civil war or the return of absolute monarchy.

I disagree.

Yellow + Red = a tiny minority.

Thai population wants peace and sanook.

Being Thai myself, I can say that they want peace and sanook but only their particular brand of it. Close-minded politicians are elected to appeal to specific social strata who in reality only act in favor of their own interests.

The filthy rich will always support the government that will bend towards their needs, the middle class will be unclear but mostly side with the Dems. despite all of their corruption and self-serving nature, and the working class will continue to follow TRT incarnations despite of all of their corruption and self-serving nature.

Foreign media will continue to lambast whoever happens to be in power.

Even though the Yellow and Red are small minorities, they still aren't insignificant and have huge swaying power.

I'm French and when we demonstrate it's far more impressive. It's millions persons in the streets. Our police is very efficient and trained but look at the burned hotel in Strasbourg last week.

Indeed, Thai people are far more peaceful than French and red and yellow are not numerous. Of course, French police would never have allowed yellow to act like that last year but this is not my point today.

You know perfectly the reds do exist because the yellows exist and you know perfectly that the yellows exist due to a strange unfortunate chain of events that we cannot explain here.

Maybe the real problem is not with yellow or red but with the factors bringing this unfortunate chain of events.

[Scott]

When the powers-that-be ignored the PAD, it set a very dangerous precedent. If they now move on the Red Shirt's, their favoritism is going to show through and in the long run this isn't good for the country.

I support the Red Shirts. (But have no animosity for the yellow shirts). Not because of Thaksin, because I have no particular liking for him, but because the course of democracy has been perverted by the coup. Shortcuts like the coup generally don't work. In this case, it exacerbated the situation.

I really hope this can all work it's way through and the country will come out better and stronger in the end.

[h90]

More like 'money rules'...do you think any of the Red shirts would be there 'protesting' if they had to use their own money? I think not.

Worapol, a leader of Red Shirts Prachuabkirikhan:

Q: How much do you have to pay to come here?

A: At least 500 baht. We pay for our buses ourselves.

Mae (mother) Pramuan, Udonthani:

Q: How do you come here?

A: We collect money, 100-200 baht each. Who has more contributes more. Some come by bus, some by train.

Educate yourself here

:D

[robbiecia]

You can't explain the unexplainable without mentioning the unmentionable

[AjarnKim]

Probably not a good idea for me to go down to Bangkok tomorrow then.

[NCFC]

QUOTE (NCFC @ 2009-04-09 17:55:18)

Yes, and according to story in BKK Post today, the yellows hired gunmen to assassinate a privy councillor - presumably so the murder could be blamed on the reds. Very underhand trick.

could you point out for us where it says that?

I'll point it out to you if TV opens a new thread on the botched assassination attempt. However, I doubt TV will ever start a new thread that actually criticizes the yellows.

[edwardmoulton]

Looking at it all from Canada I just see a criminal whipping up a group of people who won't stop unitl they get it their way. Stop & smell the somtom people. I heard the red shirts were paying people to be a part of this. Blocking streets should not be allowed. No need for cranes to lift cars out of the way get the army out with a tank, roll over them and sweep up the mess. It won't take many of those before driver's get out of the way & fast.

Thank God (not) for the Canadian common sense.... You understand very little of this whole affair so your comment looks very naive!

[edwardmoulton]

When the powers-that-be ignored the PAD, it set a very dangerous precedent. If they now move on the Red Shirt's, their favoritism is going to show through and in the long run this isn't good for the country.

I support the Red Shirts. (But have no animosity for the yellow shirts). Not because of Thaksin, because I have no particular liking for him, but because the course of democracy has been perverted by the coup. Shortcuts like the coup generally don't work. In this case, it exacerbated the situation.

I really hope this can all work it's way through and the country will come out better and stronger in the end.

Spot on post

[jackspratt]

You can't explain the unexplainable without mentioning the unmentionable

Reference to blackbirds and baked pies deleted upon reflection.

Edited April 9, 2009 by jackspratt

[h90]

QUOTE (NCFC @ 2009-04-09 17:55:18)

Yes, and according to story in BKK Post today, the yellows hired gunmen to assassinate a privy councillor - presumably so the murder could be blamed on the reds. Very underhand trick.

could you point out for us where it says that?

I'll point it out to you if TV opens a new thread on the botched assassination attempt. However, I doubt TV will ever start a new thread that actually criticizes the yellows.

so nothing but a rumor created from an poster with 26 postings.....

no evidence and pretty unlikely.

[Chris Bussell]

democracy can only be restored by election!

Democracy can only be restored when everyone accepts the rule of law. Elections are simply a convenient way to determine the desire of the majority to implement that law. They are incidental to the process.

"Democracy is the Art of letting somebody have your way"

[rawnnie]

I just drove back home along the Sukhumvit road. From NANA to ASOKE, there is ZERO traffic.

[hardy1943]

Now this might get me banned or arrested, but where can we go from here?

There's two sides who have no sign of reconciling their differences, a military unwilling to govern, the owners of big business who will support whoever ends up winning, and a divide between Bangkok and the provinces that gets clearer and clearer every day.

There's a government that has shown no real effort to quell civil unrest, a party that's been banned time and time again, a global economic downturn, and no true clarity of the situation in the international media.

All I can see is civil war or the return of absolute monarchy.

I disagree.

Yellow + Red = a tiny minority.

Thai population wants peace and sanook.

Being Thai myself, I can say that they want peace and sanook but only their particular brand of it. Close-minded politicians are elected to appeal to specific social strata who in reality only act in favor of their own interests.

The filthy rich will always support the government that will bend towards their needs, the middle class will be unclear but mostly side with the Dems. despite all of their corruption and self-serving nature, and the working class will continue to follow TRT incarnations despite of all of their corruption and self-serving nature.

Foreign media will continue to lambast whoever happens to be in power.

Even though the Yellow and Red are small minorities, they still aren't insignificant and have huge swaying power.

I'm French and when we demonstrate it's far more impressive. It's millions persons in the streets. Our police is very efficient and trained but look at the burned hotel in Strasbourg last week.

Indeed, Thai people are far more peaceful than French and red and yellow are not numerous. Of course, French police would never have allowed yellow to act like that last year but this is not my point today.

You know perfectly the reds do exist because the yellows exist and you know perfectly that the yellows exist due to a strange unfortunate chain of events that we cannot explain here.

Maybe the real problem is not with yellow or red but with the factors bringing this unfortunate chain of events.

Well said, thank you

[kurtgruen]

Abhisit just started speaking on Television

TAN translation to English right now, too

http://www.thailandoutlook.tv/

Edited April 9, 2009 by kurtgruen

[jingjingna]

Abhisit is on the news now.

[rainman]

Abhisit just called it "against the law" for protesters to call for a government to step down. Didn't the yellow shirts call for the previous government to step down, too?

[on-on]

could we not keep the thread going with transport updates in the bangkok forum

this is just going to descend into a red/yellow shirt argument which is going to be torture to sift through for useful information

My thoughts exactly. I understand it's a discussion forum and that the same people want to yell the same political arguments at each other another 15,000,000,000 times, but for those of us interested in the actual news pertaining to events in Bangkok going on it would be nice to have a thread for that.

[thailandbluegrass]

I cannt believe all you pathetic expats. I am also an expat here for only 8 years but since the first day I decided to live here I was 100% aware of the unstability and still chose to stay. You all sit here complaining about this political downfall along with the countries economy declining etc with your beer Hieneken, watching your 42" TV and probably climbing out of your private pool UNAWARE that these poor Thai's are only trying to get a stable government and set the economy strait once and for all. They are not concerned with their next payckeck but maybe for thier grand childrens well being. Countries do not change over night. You chose to live here and if you don't like it I'm sure the Airport is still open and there are several planes heading back to your countries so GET ON ONE. I am also a Business man here and would rather see the ousted PM back in. At least he has money where as the new cannot even afford a pint of milk. I have lost alot over these past months but am still here NOT complaining. These poor taxi drivers are doing what they think is right for their children NOT FOR US. I wonder what some of these Yankees would do if President Bush tried to get back in and the taxi drivers tried to stop it. Would you support them????? Sit back, open another beer and let the Thai's sort it out and if you can't handle the traffic jams and cannot get to your wifes village then GET ON THE NEXT PLANE OUT!!!!!

[Wolfie]

My thoughts exactly. I understand it's a discussion forum and that the same people want to yell the same political arguments at each other another 15,000,000,000 times, but for those of us interested in the actual news pertaining to events in Bangkok going on it would be nice to have a thread for that.

I've already asked the Moderators for a locked news only thread, seems they dont want that - so we will just have to wade through 100 'opinions' to find one peice of news - oh well, its fun sometimes

[h90]

Abhisit just called it "against the law" for protesters to call for a government to step down. Didn't the yellow shirts call for the previous government to step down, too?

I didn't hear that.....but might be wrong

[kurtgruen]

PM Abhisit just announced tomorrow as another public holiday YEAHHHHHHHHH :-)

Will use Channel 11 for Government info

[rainman]

If I heard right, Abhisit has just declared tomorrow (Friday) a holiday? Is this to encourage more red shirts to come to the protests?

[PoorSucker]

No need for problems. the yellow shirts have made the life of people impossible for many any months. Till now the red's seem to be far more civilised than the yellow boys and girls. Abhisit must feel this like a deja vous.

Wow "civilized ", you don't really count how many murders the reds have committed.

Like the one in Chiang Mai, " your son is democrat Mp so you must die"