My Opinion Of The Protests!

[rhino533]

I've lived in Thailand 10 years now and have never seen anything like this. Today I was watching the news and seeing a Red Shirt <deleted> stomping on the head of one of the PM security people, it made me angry and feel sick. Do these people know what the hel_l they are doing to there country? Do they know what they are actually fighting for? They actually looked like they wanted to kill. I feel sorry for most normal thai people who just want to live a normal life. These uneducated red shirts are embarressing Thais and Thailand. I can't wait till the army kicks some a*s. Sends all these red shirts running and puts there leaders in prison including the biggest idiot/crook of them all "TAKSIN". They should put his family in jail too, they are just as big of idiots/crooks. The gov. needs to show some force and clear this up quickly before it really does unfixable Damage to this country. I would actually like to hear from a red shirt and know what going through there head. Well this is my opinion. Whats yours?

[Sabum]

The red shirts ARE the normal Thais and the rest of Thailand. Have you noticed an abundance of compassion, common sense and forethought throughout Thailand? Me neither, so don't know why you are blaming one particular group at the moment, they do this kind of thing over and over regardless of their current affiliation. This month its the red shirts, next month it will be the orange shirts, then after that the green shirts.

Not defending Thaksin or the red shirts, just don't think they are any worse than any other group. The yellows didn't give any thought to the damage they were doing, they murdered people (body found at the airport of "suspected" spy), it's just the way it is here.

[rhino533]

The red shirts ARE the normal Thais and the rest of Thailand. Have you noticed an abundance of compassion, common sense and forethought throughout Thailand? Me neither, so don't know why you are blaming one particular group at the moment, they do this kind of thing over and over regardless of their current affiliation. This month its the red shirts, next month it will be the orange shirts, then after that the green shirts.

Not defending Thaksin or the red shirts, just don't think they are any worse than any other group. The yellows didn't give any thought to the damage they were doing, they murdered people (body found at the airport of "suspected" spy), it's just the way it is here.

I agree, I just feel fed up with all this S**T. Red, blue yellow, it dosen't matter much to me. They have all done there share to hurt this country. I just feel Taksin and the red group are doing more damage then any other. It seems the red group dosen't have a clue why they are really doing this and are brain washed by taksin who is a criminal. Yellow had more of a cause then the reds. Not sticking up for the yellow. Blue group I have no idea what they stand fopr really.

[ukrules]

I'm in England at the moment and I just saw a clip on the Sky News channel, it sounds like the same clip as this one. There were guys stamping on someone on the floor and at least one who was trying to get through the mob who was holding a slab of concrete about 1.5x1 foot and 4 or 5 inches thick, it was obvious he was attempting to use it on the guy who was being beaten on the ground.

Also the British Ambassador said that British people might want to reconsider their travel plans if they are going to Bangkok, I can't remember exactly what he said but it didn't sound encouraging.

Edited April 12, 2009 by ukrules

[wasabi]

I've been posting this in a few places. Still looking for an answer. What exactly is the Red Shirts beef? Are they mad because whatever policies Thaksin instituted which apparently benefited them have been rescinded? If so were Thaksin's policies actually good for them or merely tossing them a bone so he could eat a steak? I'd really like to better understand why they want Thaksin back so badly?

Also it's interesting that both the red and yellow who apparently hate each other proudly waved the Thai flag as they commandeered their respective locations claiming they were defending the real Thailand.

Edited April 12, 2009 by wasabi

[rhino533]

I've been posting this in a few places. Still looking for an answer. What exactly is the Red Shirts beef? Are they mad because whatever policies Thaksin instituted which apparently benefited them have been rescinded? If so were Thaksin's policies actually good for them or merely tossing them a bone so he could eat a steak? I'd really like to better understand why they want Thaksin back so badly?

I would love to know the same thing!!

Edited April 12, 2009 by rhino533

[davethailand]

Its a ****ing disgrace! Thats all I can say really.

Cash is king I suppose.

[TonySoprano]

A better qusetion is, did the PAD realize what they were doing.

I punch you in the face and steal your wallet. Then you run at me and I say to you "What are you doing kind sir? Are you trying to attack me? Why will you not be a gentlemen with me?".

Perhaps if the Army stopped the PAD, the red shirts would not be following in their foot steps.

Of course, since the PM is so cozy with the PAD, I guess that is the answer.

In the information age, you cant get away with this type of shit. It will spill over as it has done. Wait, a high ranking PAD member becomes your foriegn minister, and you are surprised at this reaction?

For shame, fine sir.

I've lived in Thailand 10 years now and have never seen anything like this. Today I was watching the news and seeing a Red Shirt <deleted> stomping on the head of one of the PM security people, it made me angry and feel sick. Do these people know what the hel_l they are doing to there country? Do they know what they are actually fighting for? They actually looked like they wanted to kill. I feel sorry for most normal thai people who just want to live a normal life. These uneducated red shirts are embarressing Thais and Thailand. I can't wait till the army kicks some a*s. Sends all these red shirts running and puts there leaders in prison including the biggest idiot/crook of them all "TAKSIN". They should put his family in jail too, they are just as big of idiots/crooks. The gov. needs to show some force and clear this up quickly before it really does unfixable Damage to this country. I would actually like to hear from a red shirt and know what going through there head. Well this is my opinion. Whats yours?

[dbrenn]

I've been posting this in a few places. Still looking for an answer. What exactly is the Red Shirts beef?

Love Thaksin or hate him, he was a democratically elected civilian Prime Minister. That's the Red Shirt's beef - The Thai majority elected a guy who was later thrown out by a minority on the pretext of corruption. Show me a Thai political party that is not corrupt

Unfortunately for Thailand, this whole Red vs Yellow dispute has become a serious and potentially explosive class struggle. The demographics of the protesters suggest poor northern and Isan country folk in red vs the elite, Bangkokians and southern elements in yellow.

It is difficult to see where all this will lead to - if the Reds win and bring Thaksin back again, the Yellows will close down the airport, then there will be a military or judicial coup, and so on ...

Edited April 13, 2009 by dbrenn

[Ricardo]

I must admit that seeing on TV pictures of that fat monk, hitting what he thought was the PM's car, clashed very much with the normal image one has of somebody who wears orange. Very disturbing. Hopefully his superiors will also have seen it.

[esprit]

I've lived in Thailand 10 years now and have never seen anything like this. Today I was watching the news and seeing a Red Shirt <deleted> stomping on the head of one of the PM security people, it made me angry and feel sick. Do these people know what the hel_l they are doing to there country? Do they know what they are actually fighting for? They actually looked like they wanted to kill. I feel sorry for most normal thai people who just want to live a normal life. These uneducated red shirts are embarressing Thais and Thailand. I can't wait till the army kicks some a*s. Sends all these red shirts running and puts there leaders in prison including the biggest idiot/crook of them all "TAKSIN". They should put his family in jail too, they are just as big of idiots/crooks. The gov. needs to show some force and clear this up quickly before it really does unfixable Damage to this country. I would actually like to hear from a red shirt and know what going through there head. Well this is my opinion. Whats yours?

Unfortunately until this rabid crowd of red shirted excrement see their beloved leader Toxin hanging by his ankles from a lamp post, surrounded by his beloved corrupt family and ex-wife it will not stop.

[bdenner]

The powers that be at the time should have 'nipped this in the bud' on day one when yellow took over the parliament grounds. Could anyone imagine that and the subsequent sorts of behaviour being tolerated in any 1st world or even 2nd world country for that matter.

As for the current prime minister. He will be wiping egg of his face for years after the ASEAN debacle. Never seen so much lax security in modern times. Talk about loss of face Som Nom Nah.

[khaojao]

I've been posting this in a few places. Still looking for an answer. What exactly is the Red Shirts beef?

Ignorance and Greed.

And yes, that monk is an absolute disgrace!! Made my stomach churn to watch him act worse than a layperson with any sense of shame.

[duchovny]

The main reason this keeps happening is that Thailand lacks real leadership, especially from the one we're not allowed to mention.

Another reason is the lack of intelligence and foresight from the Thai people. Most humans can look ahead to the future and understand that their actions have ramifications, not so most SE Asians. Any of us who've lived here longer than 5 minutes know this. They think as soon as this is over the rest of the world will forget about it and come back in droves. Not so. People are still weary/pissed off about what happened in December. After a poor so called high season, get ready for an absolutely nothing low season, actually, it will be a "no" season.

I've said it before, but I would sincerly hate to own a business in Thailand. I advised people long ago to sell up and move on only to be ridiculed. Those people who ridiculed me probably wished they heeded my advice. It's very depressing to sit at your business day after day with no customers while your rent and other overheads are still ticking over. Get ready for an increase in Farang suicides.

I moved to Cambodia and set up shop a few years ago, much to my relief as it's been and will continue to be a success. The only downside is a lot of our customers have to come through BKK, but that is changing rapidly with most people now aware of the Thai stupidity and booking flights through other hubs, such as KL, Singapore etc.

Don't kid yourself that this will end here. This will be on/off for years to come. Only the diehard whoremongers will come, and even they will discover new places nearby sooner or later.

RIP Thai business.

[dbrenn]

Unfortunately until this rabid crowd of red shirted excrement see their beloved leader Toxin hanging by his ankles from a lamp post, surrounded by his beloved corrupt family and ex-wife it will not stop.

And the present government is not corrupt? Is any Thai government clean?

I mean, if you have any real information to share as to what made Thaksin more or less corrupt than the rest of them, please enlighten us. After all, aren't people like Newin part of the current government ... Not corrupt eh??

I don't like Thaksin - he reminds me of Silvio Burlusconi, but to single him and his lot out as being corrupt is just plain silly.

[dbrenn]

The main reason this keeps happening is that Thailand lacks real leadership...

Another reason is the lack of intelligence and foresight from the Thai people...

I've said it before, but I would sincerly hate to own a business in Thailand...

I moved to Cambodia and set up shop a few years ago....

Only the diehard whoremongers will come, and even they will discover new places nearby sooner or later....

RIP Thai business....

And of course there are no 'diehard whoremongers' in Cambodia . Are you sure that you've been there?

You obviously hate Thailand, which is your problem, not Thailand's. What interests me is why you post on Thai Visa? If you really hated Thailand as much as you claim, you wouldn't be hypocritical by logging on to a Thai forum and posting messages, right?

[boredbyitall]

This is a clash between those who have and those who have not, or rural v city, and these two groups are clearly ethnically identifiable.

Both economic and political power lies in the hands of Thailand’s smaller ethnic population.

The means by which Thailand’s ruling classes hold on to power are well known, union leaders shot dead, social critics silenced by draconian laws.

The poverty many Thai’s live in is openly displayed, pawn shops being the Bank of the poor.

If I wear to see large numbers of my nations women forced to work in the worlds oldest profession, marrying foreign men to escape poverty I would be infuriated.

Thai’s are constrained in their behavior by a culture and educational system that primarily teaches them not to question the status quo.

The built up resentment at their underclass status would inevitably boil over.

The violence Thais are capable of inflicting against each other is a good indication of what really lies behind that smile.

[dominique355]

Is there really a big difference between the Reds and the Yellows? I don't think so. Both are relatively uneducated people who are or have been stirred up by immensely powerful and rich people who have exploited the very same people they now ask to go to the street to defend their masters.

And there are always people who just love the "action" and shout and scream and hit on anything in their way. I call them the professional mob. I would not be surprised to see the same people in a red shirt who a few months ago were wearing a yellow shirt and followed the "action" then.

Unfortunately the governments have not been able to impose law and order and prefer a policy of non-confrontation, which in fact, only encourages the mob to go back on the street and spread terror. They don't risk anything.

Somchai's government preferred inaction and Abhisit is now harvesting this policy. These street protesters, no matter what color, do not understand a voice of reason. They only understand a firm hand putting them behind bars.

Sadly enough, they all put "Democracy" on their flags without having a clue what democracy is.

Sadly enough they all brand the Thai flag but shame and ridicule the very country they claim to love.

And let me add one more observation to those who post remarks such as "Thailand: love it or leave it". I love Thailand. That's why I choose to live here. I love Thailand out of my free will, not because I happen to be born here. And it saddens me immensely to see what happens now.

[Ulysses G.]

'dbrenn' date='2009-04-13 08:08:15' post='2660694']

I moved to Cambodia and set up shop a few years ago....

I remember all of the foreign business owners bailing out from Cambodia around 1997 - most never returned. We are MUCH better off in Thailand and anybody who thinks otherwise is not to be listened to!

Edited April 13, 2009 by Ulysses G.

[blackman]

'dbrenn' date='2009-04-13 08:08:15' post='2660694']

I moved to Cambodia and set up shop a few years ago....

I remember all of the foreign business owners bailing out from Cambodia around 1997 - most never returned. We are MUCH better off in Thailand and anybody who thinks otherwise is not to be listened to!

'anybody who thinks otherwise is not to be listened to!'

is that an order or a request?

[duchovny]

'dbrenn' date='2009-04-13 08:08:15' post='2660694']

I moved to Cambodia and set up shop a few years ago....

I remember all of the foreign business owners bailing out from Cambodia around 1997 - most never returned. We are MUCH better off in Thailand and anybody who thinks otherwise is not to be listened to!

Ummm, 1997 was 12 years ago, things have changed.

I'm sure your Thai business is doing just great and is looking on the up and up.

[Ulysses G.]

Sorry, but Cambodia is much less stable than Thailand in the long run - probably even at this moment!

[rhino533]

Is there really a big difference between the Reds and the Yellows? I don't think so. Both are relatively uneducated people who are or have been stirred up by immensely powerful and rich people who have exploited the very same people they now ask to go to the street to defend their masters.

And there are always people who just love the "action" and shout and scream and hit on anything in their way. I call them the professional mob. I would not be surprised to see the same people in a red shirt who a few months ago were wearing a yellow shirt and followed the "action" then.

Unfortunately the governments have not been able to impose law and order and prefer a policy of non-confrontation, which in fact, only encourages the mob to go back on the street and spread terror. They don't risk anything.

Somchai's government preferred inaction and Abhisit is now harvesting this policy. These street protesters, no matter what color, do not understand a voice of reason. They only understand a firm hand putting them behind bars.

Sadly enough, they all put "Democracy" on their flags without having a clue what democracy is.

Sadly enough they all brand the Thai flag but shame and ridicule the very country they claim to love.

And let me add one more observation to those who post remarks such as "Thailand: love it or leave it". I love Thailand. That's why I choose to live here. I love Thailand out of my free will, not because I happen to be born here. And it saddens me immensely to see what happens now.

I agree with this 100%.

*can someone delete the other 2 exact same messages below. I didn't mean to send them. Thanks!*

Edited April 13, 2009 by LivinginKata
Duplicates deleted

[Thanai]

Jeeze, this country has become a huge joke, on both sides. Don't get me wrong -- I love Thailand, which is why I lived there earlier in the decade, and why I have returned time and again. But I just can't believe that this mob (or the one before it) can be left unchecked the way it has. Attacking the PM's car?? Beating the PM's secretary? Forcing the cancellation of a multi-national summit? Please. They proclaim to be fighting for "democracy" but are nothing more than a mob seeking to have their own way. And Thaksin calling for a "revoultion"??? He's a traitor.

It's time for another coup. [deleted]

[johna]

They thought Taksin was the problem, but now they are beginning to see its the working class

[geriatrickid]

And yes, that monk is an absolute disgrace!! Made my stomach churn to watch him act worse than a layperson with any sense of shame.

Really? Do you have the same reaction when monks sell amulets and trinkets or use the "merit" process to exploit the fears of the poor and uneducated? The voilent outburst while inexcusable and deplorable is basically consistent with the daily conduct of many monks, who are monks in name only.

[favre360]

I've been posting this in a few places. Still looking for an answer. What exactly is the Red Shirts beef? Are they mad because whatever policies Thaksin instituted which apparently benefited them have been rescinded? If so were Thaksin's policies actually good for them or merely tossing them a bone so he could eat a steak? I'd really like to better understand why they want Thaksin back so badly?

I would love to know the same thing!!

The red shirts dont really have beef they're paid by Thaksin to come into Bangkok and protest. If your a poor Thai dude and getting paid 500-1000B a day to stand around and be angry your gonna do your job and do it well! This whole thing has gone way to far and I could somewhat sympathize with the yellows cause the last prime minister was Thaksins son-in-law and an obvious puppet. Now Thaksin is calling for revolution in a somewhat misguided effort to save face i assume. I say he should've been assassinated long ago when he first gathered the reds. Now the reds are raiding conferences filled with important international officials, perfect excuse to crack some skulls and I say go for it, the world will understand, the protestors are not gathering peacefully anymore and that calls for action

[BigSnake]

They should stop the bullshit go home and enjoy Songkran