State Of Emergency Declared For Bangkok

[LawnGnome]

BBC doing an indepth discussion on the situation now.

[LevelHead]

Many are saying that if the PAD had been prosecuted then none of this would happen but do not forget the leaders have been charged & court cases are pending which we all know move notoriously slow in Thailand. Anyway that is just one of many excuses to justify the current protest. It is all about Thaksin the magalomaniac wanting his money & power back which is being obstructed bythe old elite. He knew exactly waht was going to happen which is why all his family have fled the country. I do not agree with how the PAD went about their business last year but for the Reds to shut down a summit which could have led to direct benefits for the whole country was inexcusable.

I agree that treason charges may be laid for inciting revolution & while they are at it the fugitive should be charged for crimes against humanity for all the senseless deaths during the drug war. See how he fares in The Hague.

Thaksin can now claim political asylum on a genuine basis after calling for a revolution. This has cleared the way for many countries to now give asylum (and therefore ignore extradition) to a person who called for a revolution. One of the upsides for Thaksin at the moment, if you are looking for upsides to this.

Upsides for Abhisit appear zero, he has been shamed, humiliated and now has blood on his hands. Looks very grim. Thaksin did tell them that if they tried to kick and beat and attack him too much then they too would be dragged down to the level they pushed him to.

Any reasonable person would question now why the government will not simply call elections. They would rather many people are injured and possibly die, ahead of them being reasonable and stepping down and simply calling elections.

[h90]

There's a serious standoff going on right now in front of the Century Park Hotel. I live near there and just got back from a walk over there. You've got hundreds of red shirts standing in front of the hotel, facing north, and hundreds of soldiers 50 m away facing the redshirts and they're just standing there staring each other down. A lot of foreigners at the hotel are standing out front watching the action. Bad scene indeed. I heard what I thought was a gunshot and started jogging away, but I guess it was something else though, as nobody moved. Startled the crap out of me. I'll be staying close to home for the rest of the day I believe.

scary thanks for the first hand informations.

[WAERTH]

One of the two liquid gas trucks is being moved towards the Democrat Party headquarters. According to Nation TV

Waerth

[mc2]

BBC doing an indepth discussion on the situation now.

good.

thai media is gutless and suppressing information

reds are being killed.

[h90]

Many are saying that if the PAD had been prosecuted then none of this would happen but do not forget the leaders have been charged & court cases are pending which we all know move notoriously slow in Thailand. Anyway that is just one of many excuses to justify the current protest. It is all about Thaksin the magalomaniac wanting his money & power back which is being obstructed bythe old elite. He knew exactly waht was going to happen which is why all his family have fled the country. I do not agree with how the PAD went about their business last year but for the Reds to shut down a summit which could have led to direct benefits for the whole country was inexcusable.

I agree that treason charges may be laid for inciting revolution & while they are at it the fugitive should be charged for crimes against humanity for all the senseless deaths during the drug war. See how he fares in The Hague.

Thaksin can now claim political asylum on a genuine basis after calling for a revolution. This has cleared the way for many countries to now give asylum (and therefore ignore extradition) to a person who called for a revolution. One of the upsides for Thaksin at the moment, if you are looking for upsides to this.

Upsides for Abhisit appear zero, he has been shamed, humiliated and now has blood on his hands. Looks very grim. Thaksin did tell them that if they tried to kick and beat and attack him too much then they too would be dragged down to the level they pushed him to.

Any reasonable person would question now why the government will not simply call elections. They would rather many people are injured and possibly die, ahead of them being reasonable and stepping down and simply calling elections.

Well the upside for Abhisit: Yesterday I thought he is finished, simply too weak to control the situation.

Now he is controlling it and many people admire a strong man (if that is smart or stupid is another topic). If he has blood on his hands will show the propaganda of the next days....The facts are not so important in Thailand as it seems.

[ChiangMaiFun]

For those of you who get your views of Thai politics from your wives here's a little caveat!

I tried to explain to mine why Abhisit was perfectly within his rights to refuse calls for a new election as his was a legitimate government of elected MPs. Was she interested in hearing this piece of news? Or even my explanation of the electoral processes?

Not a bit of it - Her mother had told her that Abhisit is an unelected, undemocratic monster - so he must be.

Where did mother get her views? From talking to some bloke in the village who had been to listen to a Thaksin rally.

your wife is right - he is undemocratically PM! he got in by democratically elected 'leaders' changing sides - ok for temp thing UNTIL elections but current govt. are not saying they will hold new elections - Thai people are up in arms - and so they should be - let a new election happen and everything is difused... NO ONE has voted him PM! you don't get it???

You honestly just don't get it, do you??? There has been enough posters here, who have explained how parliamentary systems work. Yet you continue to post that Abhisit came into power undemocratically. So here's a link to info on parliamentary systems.... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parliamentary_system ......do your homework before you make posts on subjects you have no knowledge in!!!

With all due respect the point I was making is that the Thai people do not feel that he is democratically elected - of course technically he is democratically elected - like Brown in UK - but neither has gone to the country to seek a mandate - that was my point which you have missed.

[mc2]

Many are saying that if the PAD had been prosecuted then none of this would happen but do not forget the leaders have been charged & court cases are pending which we all know move notoriously slow in Thailand. Anyway that is just one of many excuses to justify the current protest. It is all about Thaksin the magalomaniac wanting his money & power back which is being obstructed bythe old elite. He knew exactly waht was going to happen which is why all his family have fled the country. I do not agree with how the PAD went about their business last year but for the Reds to shut down a summit which could have led to direct benefits for the whole country was inexcusable.

I agree that treason charges may be laid for inciting revolution & while they are at it the fugitive should be charged for crimes against humanity for all the senseless deaths during the drug war. See how he fares in The Hague.

Thaksin can now claim political asylum on a genuine basis after calling for a revolution. This has cleared the way for many countries to now give asylum (and therefore ignore extradition) to a person who called for a revolution. One of the upsides for Thaksin at the moment, if you are looking for upsides to this.

Upsides for Abhisit appear zero, he has been shamed, humiliated and now has blood on his hands. Looks very grim. Thaksin did tell them that if they tried to kick and beat and attack him too much then they too would be dragged down to the level they pushed him to.

Any reasonable person would question now why the government will not simply call elections. They would rather many people are injured and possibly die, ahead of them being reasonable and stepping down and simply calling elections.

Well the upside for Abhisit: Yesterday I thought he is finished, simply too weak to control the situation.

Now he is controlling it and many people admire a strong man (if that is smart or stupid is another topic). If he has blood on his hands will show the propaganda of the next days....The facts are not so important in Thailand as it seems.

in this case I dont think force is the answer.

we will see civil disobedience mushrooming across the country.

[samgrowth]

while they are at it the fugitive should be charged for crimes against humanity for all the senseless deaths during the drug war. See how he fares in The Hague.

Don't confuse Thailand with Mexico.

[ChiangMaiFun]

Hmmm any sensible new PM elected by their Party would want a 'popular' mandate - you know - you are not stupid - the only reason current governemnt are 'in' is because the democratically elected govt. were kicked out through legal process - NOT BY ELECTION

..... but that does not make it undemocratic.

...technically no... but Thais did not vote him in either chai mai? surely the answer is let the people have there say at the ballot box not through violence?

[Plus]

3) So anyhow, he was getting very popular, and no doubt corrupt. He was also gaining more power and using it less cautiously. Then the old school elite came in, kicked him out in 2006, corruptively set up courts and laws to persecute him, so they could continue to benefit and retain the power he was threatening to take for all.

You forgot a "small matter" of hundreds of thousands of PAD demonstrating for months way before elites got anything to do with it. You forgot a small matter that millions of Thai people were genuinely pissed off with what Thaksin was doing to this country.

Anyone who knows Thai's knows they will not accept the Army using force against civilians.

This action will now lead to more people joining the reds, more protests across the country.

No sympathy for reds anymore. Perhaps you should be looking at indifference to drug war killings or 1976 massacre - when blood is shed for the "right" cause, people don't really give a fuc_k.

Besides, no deaths were reported, the army "rules"!

Of course it's not over yet and we will see if the army has guts to finish what they started, or if Thaksin has guts to honor his promise and lead the troops himself. My bet is that whoever promised him safe passage had certain conditions attached to it, like a coup. Current red mob, pathetic really, from efficiency point of view, is a losing proposition instead.

By pathetic and non-efficient I mean that reds completely miscalculated public sentiment and went in with all their chips, got barricaded in a small area with no means of taking over state power whatsoever with the rest of the country cheering the troops on.

What kind of revolution is that?

>>>

This is what happens when you believe your own lies.

[prakhonchai nick]

Any reasonable person would question now why the government will not simply call elections. They would rather many people are injured and possibly die, ahead of them being reasonable and stepping down and simply calling elections.

It is doubtful at the present time that if fresh elections were called, neither sides followers (PAD and red shirts) would respect the result, and there would be yet more demonstrations.

Either the current government must flex its muscles (rightly or wrongly) and put down this chaos, or the military must take over the country. And if that happened, it would likely require 2/3 years minimum before responsible elections could be called.

[cat5]

Reporters move away from rally site at Government House following threats by protesters

Reporters covering the demonstration at Government House moved away after red-shirted leaders threatened to harm them for unbiased reports.

The red-shirted leaders said reporters were biased against the protesters so the leaders would not guarantee the safety of the newsmen.

The reporters moved away at 8:54 am.

Earlier, reporters at the Royal Plaza moved to Parliament at 7:30 am after protesters said they would not guaranteed the newsmen's safety.

The Nation

http://nationmultimedia.com/breakingnews/3...-at-Government-

>>>

Despite obvious Englsh mistakes, here's another glimpse of what to come if this "democratic" revolution succeeds - the media are frist against the wall, an we are all for re-education camps,

The Nation is well known for being highly biased towards big business and the Yellow Shirts. I honestly don't know how much of this you can believe. As I have just posted on a different thread, I was there taking photos and video last night. Although I was frisked on entry, I was warmly welcomed and encouraged to take photos wherever I went. I explained that I was not a reporter, but would send anything newsworthy to the foreign press or post to the Internet. ** For the record, I was NOT wearing red. **

[tomo22]

For those of you who get your views of Thai politics from your wives here's a little caveat!

I tried to explain to mine why Abhisit was perfectly within his rights to refuse calls for a new election as his was a legitimate government of elected MPs. Was she interested in hearing this piece of news? Or even my explanation of the electoral processes?

Not a bit of it - Her mother had told her that Abhisit is an unelected, undemocratic monster - so he must be.

Where did mother get her views? From talking to some bloke in the village who had been to listen to a Thaksin rally.

your wife is right - he is undemocratically PM! he got in by democratically elected 'leaders' changing sides - ok for temp thing UNTIL elections but current govt. are not saying they will hold new elections - Thai people are up in arms - and so they should be - let a new election happen and everything is difused... NO ONE has voted him PM! you don't get it???

You honestly just don't get it, do you??? There has been enough posters here, who have explained how parliamentary systems work. Yet you continue to post that Abhisit came into power undemocratically. So here's a link to info on parliamentary systems.... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parliamentary_system ......do your homework before you make posts on subjects you have no knowledge in!!!

With all due respect the point I was making is that the Thai people do not feel that he is democratically elected - of course technically he is democratically elected - like Brown in UK - but neither has gone to the country to seek a mandate - that was my point which you have missed.

So the previouse goverment went to the country for mandate. Please.

The previouse government was made up by a coalition uf political partys some of wich said during the elections they would not form a government with the PPP.

Please explain that part of democracy.

[sabaijai]

Posts containing unsubstantiated rumors have been deleted. This is a news thread for posts of news articles and views about the news, not rumors. All posts which claim to have 'inside' knowledge but which provide no source for that knowledge will be deleted.

[cat5]

Any reasonable person would question now why the government will not simply call elections. They would rather many people are injured and possibly die, ahead of them being reasonable and stepping down and simply calling elections.

I think the popular view on this is that if an election were called, the current government would be ousted and the reds would be back in charge. That would explain the unwillingness to call an election.

[Old Man River]

in this case I dont think force is the answer.

we will see civil disobedience mushrooming across the country.

Yesterday evening, Thaksin called for force calling for more people to join the revolution. He also said if the military started shooting, he would come back to Thailand to support his people. People are now waiting for Thaksin to honor his promise and come back to support his people.

Thaksin, where are you???

[fullservice]

It doesn't matter if he has blood on his hands or not. What do Thai people expect? That everything can be solved with negotiation? That's not the case with the red shirts who crossed the line. They get what they deserve and would get in other countries as well (but maybe with rubber bullets instead of live rounds).

[spidercat]

There's a serious standoff going on right now in front of the Century Park Hotel. I live near there and just got back from a walk over there. You've got hundreds of red shirts standing in front of the hotel, facing north, and hundreds of soldiers 50 m away facing the redshirts and they're just standing there staring each other down. A lot of foreigners at the hotel are standing out front watching the action. Bad scene indeed. I heard what I thought was a gunshot and started jogging away, but I guess it was something else though, as nobody moved. Startled the crap out of me. I'll be staying close to home for the rest of the day I believe.

scary thanks for the first hand informations.

Yes, scary indeed. Keep a low profile FreedomDude. I hope it don't turn nasty.

[wxpwzrd]

Posts containing unsubstantiated rumors have been deleted. This is a news thread for posts of news articles and views about the news, not rumors. All posts which claim to have 'inside' knowledge but which provide no source for that knowledge will be deleted.

Wow you must have been busy. I am surprised there are still over 40 pages left.

[BlueSmurf]

Posts containing unsubstantiated rumors have been deleted. This is a news thread for posts of news articles and views about the news, not rumors. All posts which claim to have 'inside' knowledge but which provide no source for that knowledge will be deleted.

Wow you must have been busy. I am surprised there are still over 40 pages left.

Thank goodness for that BYE BYE Level Head

[ChiangMaiFun]

[With all due respect the point I was making is that the Thai people do not feel that he is democratically elected - of course technically he is democratically elected - like Brown in UK - but neither has gone to the country to seek a mandate - that was my point which you have missed.

So the previouse goverment went to the country for mandate. Please.

The previouse government was made up by a coalition uf political partys some of wich said during the elections they would not form a government with the PPP.

Please explain that part of democracy.

I agree... but two wrongs don't make a right

[Old Man River]

Below are updates from TAN Network:

13/04/09

04.17: Dispersal of red-shirt protesters at Din Daeng intersection began

08.30: Pheu Thai Payap Panket, former Sing Buri MP, called on red-shirt protesters to surround and possibly torch King Power duty free in Rangnam

08.39: Red-shirts closed traffic at Sri Ayutthaya intersection near Foreign Affairs ministry. Buses used to block entries. Tires were set on fire causing heavy fumes and lack of visibility in the area

9.15: Police requested members of the press to leave Democrats headquarters after red-shirt protesters have threatened to torch the compound

9.30: Red-shirts took back control of Din Daeng intersection, LPG tanker blocks entrance/exit

10.05: Police and military call for back-up, fearing red-shirts protesters may use LPG gas tanker to torch Democrats headquarters

[eldar1]

And in the domain of lies and propaganda you are our master, Plus .

Whether you like it or not , a revolution is unfolding in front of our eyes .

Please don't confuse revolution with insurrection, we have the latter here in thailand not the former

[FreedomDude]

The Nation recently posted a story that the Red Shirts have surrounded King Power on Soi Ragnam. I immediately walked over there after reading that since I am only about 500m away! I saw a lot of people standing around looking at the King Power Office but no red shirts. King Power has been surrounded by about 100 security guards for the past few days.

Bring on other firsthand accounts! We'd all be interested and it's nice to have a break from all the political analysis.

[Old Man River]

And in the domain of lies and propaganda you are our master, Plus .

Whether you like it or not , a revolution is unfolding in front of our eyes .

Please don't confuse revolution with insurrection, we have the latter here in thailand not the former

Despite what Thaksin calls this, I absolutely agree with you. Right now, the mob have an LPG tanker and are threatening to use it to blow up the Democratic headquarters.

[h90]

Hmmm any sensible new PM elected by their Party would want a 'popular' mandate - you know - you are not stupid - the only reason current governemnt are 'in' is because the democratically elected govt. were kicked out through legal process - NOT BY ELECTION

..... but that does not make it undemocratic.

...technically no... but Thais did not vote him in either chai mai? surely the answer is let the people have there say at the ballot box not through violence?

Thais didn't vote Samak or Somchai in as well.

Democrats and TRT 2nd Edition had almost the same amount of votes and most of the coalition partner told before that they would not work together with TRT 2nd Edition.

So Samak and Somchai or Abhisit are not much different in this.

[Plus]

Reporters move away from rally site at Government House following threats by protesters

Reporters covering the demonstration at Government House moved away after red-shirted leaders threatened to harm them for unbiased reports.

The red-shirted leaders said reporters were biased against the protesters so the leaders would not guarantee the safety of the newsmen.

The reporters moved away at 8:54 am.

Earlier, reporters at the Royal Plaza moved to Parliament at 7:30 am after protesters said they would not guaranteed the newsmen's safety.

The Nation

http://nationmultimedia.com/breakingnews/3...-at-Government-

>>>

Despite obvious Englsh mistakes, here's another glimpse of what to come if this "democratic" revolution succeeds - the media are frist against the wall, an we are all for re-education camps,

The Nation is well known for being highly biased towards big business and the Yellow Shirts. I honestly don't know how much of this you can believe. As I have just posted on a different thread, I was there taking photos and video last night. Although I was frisked on entry, I was warmly welcomed and encouraged to take photos wherever I went. I explained that I was not a reporter, but would send anything newsworthy to the foreign press or post to the Internet. ** For the record, I was NOT wearing red. **

I have absolutely no reason to doubt that reds have told some reporters to get lost for being biased against them. I have no reason to belive that Nation made that story up.

Reds probably have a long list, starting with Manager and all the way down to Bangkok Post and the Nation. According to reds, the whole country is on elite payroll. It doesn't occure to them that they should respect the views of the whole country, but, being red revolutionaries, what do you expect from them but purges of everything non-red. We are about to do a great Thai leap, get strapped.

Edited April 13, 2009 by Plus

[FreedomDude]

Below are updates from TAN Network:

13/04/09

04.17: Dispersal of red-shirt protesters at Din Daeng intersection began

08.30: Pheu Thai Payap Panket, former Sing Buri MP, called on red-shirt protesters to surround and possibly torch King Power duty free in Rangnam

08.39: Red-shirts closed traffic at Sri Ayutthaya intersection near Foreign Affairs ministry. Buses used to block entries. Tires were set on fire causing heavy fumes and lack of visibility in the area

9.15: Police requested members of the press to leave Democrats headquarters after red-shirt protesters have threatened to torch the compound

9.30: Red-shirts took back control of Din Daeng intersection, LPG tanker blocks entrance/exit

10.05: Police and military call for back-up, fearing red-shirts protesters may use LPG gas tanker to torch Democrats headquarters

Can somebody tell me what exactly an LPG gas tanker is? I did see some type of white and blue tanker truck, full of what, I don't know, parked right by the King Power offices. It was well inside the barricades seperating the compound from Soi Ragnam. Everyone seemed to be standing around staring at it.

Edited April 13, 2009 by FreedomDude

[Old Man River]

The Nation recently posted a story that the Red Shirts have surrounded King Power on Soi Ragnam. I immediately walked over there after reading that since I am only about 500m away! I saw a lot of people standing around looking at the King Power Office but no red shirts. King Power has been surrounded by about 100 security guards for the past few days.

Bring on other firsthand accounts! We'd all be interested and it's nice to have a break from all the political analysis.

Go to the link below for live updates:

http://www.tannetwork.tv/