Red-shirt Tactics

[webfact]

RED-SHIRT TACTICS

'Guerrilla war' threatened

By Agencies, The Nation

Published on April 23, 2009

Fugitive protest leader Jakrapob Penkair yesterday said the red-shirt movement to drive the Abhisit Vejjajiva government out was not spent, but rather would come back even fiercer, including adopting guerrilla tactics if necessary, to achieve its goal.

"I believe the room for unarmed and non-violent means to resolve Thailand's problem is getting smaller every day," he told BBC by phone from an undisclosed location.

Jakrapob said the struggle to bring down the present administration would continue, but the opponents would no longer rely on conventional forms of protest.

Different tactics would be used to confront the government, including possible clandestine subversion or armed attacks, he said.

"The state of emergency is a big help. It puts people underground," he said.

One of the most outspoken red-shirt leaders, Jakrapob managed to flee abroad after the Army broke up the mass protests in Bangkok last week, leaving the movement in disarray.

Five of the rally organisers have been arrested and are being held under the emergency decree, which remains in effect.

Prime Minister Abhisit told yesterday's joint parliamentary meeting that Thais should refuse to join any political movement that used force of arms.

As he has managed to have the combined house session convened to clear any controversial issues related to the crackdown, people should voice their opinion in the open instead of resorting to violent means, he said.

Deputy Prime Minister Sanan Kachornprasart said he would like to ask Jakrapob in return what he would do if he himself were attacked with weapons.

Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya came out to accuse ousted prime minister Thaksin

Shinawatra of plotting to "rub out" his enemies in an effort to return to power.

Thaksin "has resorted to some sort of assassination attempt" as a "last resort", he said in a speech to the Asia Society in New York.

Kasit said that, besides himself, the targets included Abhisit, Finance Minister Korn Chatikavanij and Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban.

"The five of us are at the moment quite well protected by security forces," Kasit said in the speech on the Asia Society's website. "Thaksin is fighting to the death."

Sondhi Limthongkul, a leader of anti-Thaksin protests who was shot and wounded by gunmen last week, is also among the former prime minister's targets, Kasit said.

Thaksin spokesman Pongthep Thepkanjana was in a meeting and not immediately available for comment, according to an aide who answered his mobile phone.

Abhisit, whose car was attacked by pro-Thaksin protesters twice this month, has maintained emergency rule in Bangkok and surrounding areas since April 12.

Police have yet to arrest any suspects for spraying Sondhi's car with more than 50 bullets.

Kasit, a former Thai ambassador to the United States and Japan, said "about 10 fully armed marines" are providing security for him and he has stayed in "two or three safe houses" in Bangkok for protection.

-- The Nation 2009-23-04

[LawnGnome]

Thanks 'ol Monkey Lips - you are making Abhisit's job a lot easier, but are going to get a lot of stupid red shirts killed or injured in the process.

[WinnieTheKhwai]

Of course the Red movement will be back, but any kind of armed struggle is just silly and stupid and counterproductive.

[webfact]

Jakrapob - which role is he playing in that BAD movie? Fidel or Che...?

Jakrapob said the struggle to bring down the present administration would continue, but the opponents would no longer rely on conventional forms of protest.

Isn't that a call for insurrection?

[LawnGnome]

Jakrapob - which role is he playing in that BAD movie? Fidel or Che...?

Jakrapob said the struggle to bring down the present administration would continue, but the opponents would no longer rely on conventional forms of protest.

Isn't that a call for insurrection?

These guys must have enough money stashed so they never plan to come home. Only thing I can imagine.

[hammered]

Of course the Red movement will be back, but any kind of armed struggle is just silly and stupid and counterproductive.

Agreed

[animatic]

Jakrapob - which role is he playing in that BAD movie? Fidel or Che...?

Jakrapob said the struggle to bring down the present administration would continue, but the opponents would no longer rely on conventional forms of protest.

Isn't that a call for insurrection?

Maybe mayber not for that line, but this one;

Different tactics would be used to confront the government, including possible clandestine subversion or armed attacks, he said.

Certainly seems to threaten actual insurrection.

Armed attacks....hmmm, nice way to win hearts and minds.

And what besides their moneied leader would make them

ANY different than the insurrection in Yala and Songkla?

Are they planning on inbreeding a new generation of fools who think

armed conflict against the common people is 'revolutionary struggle',

now that some common people in Bangkok stood up to them during their rampage?

Agencies and BBC get credit.

So our boy still has Johnathan Head's cell phone number eh.

Such non-existent critical analysis of the situation.

Maybe he can't comment because he is a fraid the calls will stop coming

and he will have to go OUT of the apartment and LOOK for facts....

[Shah Jahan]

somebody with experience please tell me your honest and professional opinion.

Do you think he has had a nose job?

[JR Texas]

somebody with experience please tell me your honest and professional opinion.

Do you think he has had a nose job?

I hope this is "talk" and not really a call to violent action.

The last thing Thailand needs is an urban vs rural civil war.

Could this really happen?

I live in a very small rural town in the middle of nowhere Thailand. All I can say from here is that people are not happy. Things have changed. No violence........just a uneasy feeling.

I can also say that rural peoples, in general, are hurting from the economic events that have taken place over the past 9 years. I don't know how much more they can take and still smile, smile, smile.

Like many of you, I have been around Thais for a long time. And, like me, you no doubt know that they hide their negative feelings/emotions. They don't like getting angry........they internalize their anger.

But, at some point the point the pot boils over..........they explode. When that happens I just walk away from them.

Is the pot about to boil over? If so, what will the military arm of the power elite do?

My guess is that, if nothing changes in terms of the visa rules and business climate, the pot will boil over within the next 24 months.

There are too many frustrated, uneducated, unemployed, underemployed young males out there with nothing to do but take their anger out on someone or something.

It only takes one charismatic figure to guide them in either a positive or negative direction.

In China, when situations like this materialize, the govt. starts some huge employment generating project (e.g., dam building). Or they increase the dial on the xenophobia meter to get the public looking the other way (those horrible Japanese).

[by the way, I like Japanese people.......no offense]

Too many Thais are being hurt; they can only take so much. Maybe Thailand needs to start building some very large dams In fact, given global warming and future water shortages, that would be a wise move.

What will the military/police/security forces do? I have no idea. But I think it is safe to say they will act in their own self-interest.

Amazing Thailand!

[robblok]

somebody with experience please tell me your honest and professional opinion.

Do you think he has had a nose job?

I hope this is "talk" and not really a call to violent action.

The last thing Thailand needs is an urban vs rural civil war.

Could this really happen?

I live in a very small rural town in the middle of nowhere Thailand. All I can say from here is that people are not happy. Things have changed. No violence........just a uneasy feeling.

I can also say that rural peoples, in general, are hurting from the economic events that have taken place over the past 9 years. I don't know how much more they can take and still smile, smile, smile.

Like many of you, I have been around Thais for a long time. And, like me, you no doubt know that they hide their negative feelings/emotions. They don't like getting angry........they internalize their anger.

But, at some point the point the pot boils over..........they explode. When that happens I just walk away from them.

Is the pot about to boil over? If so, what will the military arm of the power elite do?

My guess is that, if nothing changes in terms of the visa rules and business climate, the pot will boil over within the next 24 months.

There are too many frustrated, uneducated, unemployed, underemployed young males out there with nothing to do but take their anger out on someone or something.

It only takes one charismatic figure to guide them in either a positive or negative direction.

In China, when situations like this materialize, the govt. starts some huge employment generating project (e.g., dam building). Or they increase the dial on the xenophobia meter to get the public looking the other way (those horrible Japanese).

[by the way, I like Japanese people.......no offense]

Too many Thais are being hurt; they can only take so much. Maybe Thailand needs to start building some very large dams In fact, given global warming and future water shortages, that would be a wise move.

What will the military/police/security forces do? I have no idea. But I think it is safe to say they will act in their own self-interest.

Amazing Thailand!

Visa problems.. are you not making the farang more important then what we are most Thai could not care less.

Anyway of course ppl are not happy its a bad economy and nobody can change that it is all over the world.

[scorecard]

Just wondering whether this clown is back in cahoots with taxsin.

A few years back Jakrabob was taxsins darling and taxsins yes man.

Then jakrabob got himself into big trouble with his English language comments at the Thai. Foreign Press Club about the establishment. Now he's up on charges for lese majeste.

Taxsin instantly dropped jakrabob like a hot potato.

Would jakrabob have the funds, alone, to set up his new nasty enterprise, outside of Thailand?

If yes, but perhaps not from Taxsin, then from whom?

(By the way, did you see that the UAE has told taxsin to stop doing call-ins / video speeches from the UAE and also has agreed to arrest taxsin.)

[Ricardo]

Of course the Red movement will be back, but any kind of armed struggle is just silly and stupid and counterproductive.

[i hope this is "talk" and not really a call to violent action.

The last thing Thailand needs is an urban vs rural civil war.

Agreed, they were making their point through relatively-peaceful protest, except for the inevitable few hot-heads like 'Rak Chiang Mai 51', the PAD had all gone home months ago, and then they threw it all away.

The fiasco with the ASEAN-meeting in Pattaya, the molotov-cocktails against Army-HQ, the threats to blow-up gas-tankers in Bangkok, the killing and beating of local-residents there, this was all a very clear escalation of the situation, which they could not win. Bad leadership ever to allow this to happen.

Did Thaksin view it as a last-ditch attempt to recoup his money, before the next stage of court proceedings, or were perhaps some of the Red-Shirt leaders over-promising him about their ability to cause violence on-the-streets, to get him to send more money for them to skim ? Who knows ?

It certainly did nothing to advance democracy, or the interests of the poor, in Thailand. It might so easily have turned into a bloodbath, and some might suspect, this was actually what Thaksin or his local-representatives wanted ?

It is now time to return to peaceful methods of protest, and to look to PTP in Parliament, to get their act together and represent these people properly. Also for other political parties to show themselves to care more about the poor.

Calls for further violence, or an underground war, are rabble-rousing of the worst kind, and Jakrapob should forget his dreams of being some sort of revolutionary hero. It is very clearly not in Thailand's best interests.

[kurtgruen]

The majority of the population will not get involved, because they see nothing changing, no matter what crook gets into power. The poor will still be poor and got nothing to look forward to, aside from a few handouts and a few hundred baht for their votes, at election time.

As we are moving away further and further from democracy, I think a military crackdown will eventually happen, if the Red guys keep pushing.

Either way, regardless of what the Red-Pro-Thaskin side will do, it will not be good for the Thai economy or stability of Thailand.

Calling an election right now, would make things even worse.

Who knows, what the outcome will be, but one thing is for sure. All this is hurting Thailand and at a time, when no country can afford to get hurt economically, any more, than they are already.

As time goes on, more people will call for government action, which in turn will turn Thailand into even more of a police state, than it already is.

Sad, very sad

[LawnGnome]

Just wondering whether this clown is back in cahoots with taxsin.

A few years back Jakrabob was taxsins darling and taxsins yes man.

Then jakrabob got himself into big trouble with his English language comments at the Thai. Foreign Press Club about the establishment. Now he's up on charges for lese majeste.

Taxsin instantly dropped jakrabob like a hot potato.

Would jakrabob have the funds, alone, to set up his new nasty enterprise, outside of Thailand?

If yes, but perhaps not from Taxsin, then from whom?

(By the way, did you see that the UAE has told taxsin to stop doing call-ins / video speeches from the UAE and also has agreed to arrest taxsin.)

Perhaps you missed the part where 'ol monkey lips is a leader of the red shirts, and continues to be a spokesman for Thaksin's interests.

[mhatami]

Just wondering whether this clown is back in cahoots with taxsin.

A few years back Jakrabob was taxsins darling and taxsins yes man.

Then jakrabob got himself into big trouble with his English language comments at the Thai. Foreign Press Club about the establishment. Now he's up on charges for lese majeste.

Taxsin instantly dropped jakrabob like a hot potato.

Would jakrabob have the funds, alone, to set up his new nasty enterprise, outside of Thailand?

If yes, but perhaps not from Taxsin, then from whom?

(By the way, did you see that the UAE has told taxsin to stop doing call-ins / video speeches from the UAE and also has agreed to arrest taxsin.)

Perhaps you missed the part where 'ol monkey lips is a leader of the red shirts, and continues to be a spokesman for Thaksin's interests.

This is so stupid. It is so easy to be a leader outside Thailand using big words. Just like Thaksin , Jakrapob is unable to come back to Thailand easily and of course his money will now be frozen.

When will these people learn, it is not easy to fight government especially when resort to threats and violence.

[kurtgruen]

I think it's time for everyone to take a step back...hang up their red or yellow shirts in a closet somewhere and refuse to take up arms or do anything illegal.

After all, there are only a few real "Trouble Makers". Let them fight it out amonst themselves.

Civil War doesn't benefit anyone at this point. Esspecially, when only greedy leaders will emerge in the end (no matter who thinks they won)

Time to stop the rhetoric and get this nation back on track. New elections will come soon enough, for everyone to show their approval, or disapproval, with their vote.

[bertlamar]

A few years back Jakrabob was taxsins darling and taxsins yes man.

Then jakrabob got himself into big trouble with his English language comments at the Thai. Foreign Press Club about the establishment. Now he's up on charges for lese majeste.

Taxsin instantly dropped jakrabob like a hot potato.

Would jakrabob have the funds, alone, to set up his new nasty enterprise, outside of Thailand?

If yes, but perhaps not from Taxsin, then from whom?

Oh, he is definitely still involved; he was previously TRT's spokesperson; he oversaw the shakeup of NBT and the rebranding for that with plenty of meddling to help the shows and people he liked while getting rid of those he didn't.

There were rumours that he was in a relationship with Thaksin's son which is why there were charges laid on him; it is openly known he is gay, but whether the relationship with Oak is true or not, impossible really to know. Certainly he has previously openly admitted to receiving cash from Thaksin in the past to be part of the red shirt movement, given he has no possible way to work in Thailand now and his credibility to ever work in the media in Thailand again is totally shot, supporting his hero is the only option left.

And yes, he has certainly done some sort of plastic surgery; at a guess he gets botox shots, possibly has had his nose slightly reshaped and possibly he gets some work done on his lips.

Quite obvious close up.

[Tony Clifton]

Just wondering whether this clown is back in cahoots with taxsin.

A few years back Jakrabob was taxsins darling and taxsins yes man.

Then jakrabob got himself into big trouble with his English language comments at the Thai. Foreign Press Club about the establishment. Now he's up on charges for lese majeste.

Taxsin instantly dropped jakrabob like a hot potato.

Would jakrabob have the funds, alone, to set up his new nasty enterprise, outside of Thailand?

If yes, but perhaps not from Taxsin, then from whom?

(By the way, did you see that the UAE has told taxsin to stop doing call-ins / video speeches from the UAE and also has agreed to arrest taxsin.)

Thaksin never dropped Jakaprob, all theatre. He is his most dedicated zombie, still serving his traitor of a god on the run abroad.

Edited April 23, 2009 by Tony Clifton

[Plus]

I think it's time for everyone to take a step back...hang up their red or yellow shirts in a closet somewhere and refuse to take up arms or do anything illegal.

After all, there are only a few real "Trouble Makers". Let them fight it out amonst themselves.

Civil War doesn't benefit anyone at this point. Esspecially, when only greedy leaders will emerge in the end (no matter who thinks they won)

Time to stop the rhetoric and get this nation back on track. New elections will come soon enough, for everyone to show their approval, or disapproval, with their vote.

Hmm, sounds reasonable, but you forget that the recent uprising was manipulated not for its own sake but to advance hidden agendas.

Ok, Thaksin have lost, but there are plenty of others stepping in and capitalising on it - look at amnesty and const amendments push.

People have been slugging off with each other on the streets, now they are exhausted, now it's the time for politicians to make their moves, no one has any energy to oppose them.

You hope that new elections would settle the arguments - yes, arguments between people, hopefully, but the real enemy is not reds or yellows - the enemy is politicians abusing their power, and they are the only winners in this otherwise self-annihilating red-yellow war.

Also, the real goal of elections is to choose a competent government, the best possible, and it ain't going to happen if elections are used only as another weapon in a fight between people themselves.

We have a crisis on our hands, remember, it's not really a good time to forget about governance and try to score cheap points against each other instead.

[Samuian]

Just wondering whether this clown is back in cahoots with taxsin.

A few years back Jakrabob was taxsins darling and taxsins yes man.

Then jakrabob got himself into big trouble with his English language comments at the Thai. Foreign Press Club about the establishment. Now he's up on charges for lese majeste.

Taxsin instantly dropped jakrabob like a hot potato.

Would jakrabob have the funds, alone, to set up his new nasty enterprise, outside of Thailand?

If yes, but perhaps not from Taxsin, then from whom?

(By the way, did you see that the UAE has told taxsin to stop doing call-ins / video speeches from the UAE and also has agreed to arrest taxsin.)

Thaksin never dropped Jakaprob, all theatre. He is his most dedicated zombie, still serving his traitor of a god on the run abroad.

I suspect that this might be the case with another of his darlings too!

what if Newin is a trojan horse, ready if needed and BANG gone is the

government lead by the Dems ! ?

No street protests needed, now it only seems not to be the time,

elections could easily turn the 'wrong way"...

And maybe, maybe the trojan horse has got a taste for power too?

[webfact]

Jaturporn distancing from Jakrapob's idea for armed struggle

Red-shirt co-leaders remain firm on the principle of peaceful struggle and are not supporting another co-leader Jakrapob Penkair's idea for effecting change through armed fighting.

"The idea of guerilla warfare came solely from Jakrapob alone and none of the red-shirt leaders agree with him," he said.

Jatuporn insisted that co-leaders, like himself, Veera Musigapong and Natthawut Saikua, were in complete agreement to bring about change via peaceful means.

The Nation 2009/04/23

[dragonfly94]

Of course the Red movement will be back, but any kind of armed struggle is just silly and stupid and counterproductive.

Oh I dunno it worked in 1776 and many times since then

[Tony Clifton]

Jaturporn distancing from Jakrapob's idea for armed struggle

Red-shirt co-leaders remain firm on the principle of peaceful struggle and are not supporting another co-leader Jakrapob Penkair's idea for effecting change through armed fighting.

"The idea of guerilla warfare came solely from Jakrapob alone and none of the red-shirt leaders agree with him," he said.

Jatuporn insisted that co-leaders, like himself, Veera Musigapong and Natthawut Saikua, were in complete agreement to bring about change via peaceful means.

The Nation 2009/04/23

That fat red-eyed rat Jatuporn would shout for armed struggle in an instant were he abroad or in hiding.

What did he smoke?

[Gonzo the Face]

Of course the Red movement will be back, but any kind of armed struggle is just silly and stupid and counterproductive.

Oh I dunno it worked in 1776 and many times since then

Come to think of it, back in those days, the guys in red lost......... [redshirts seasonally adjusted for colder weather]

in that case , bring it on ! ! !

[samgrowth]

Then jakrabob got himself into big trouble with his English language comments at the Thai. Foreign Press Club about the establishment. Now he's up on charges for lese majeste.

Thaksin was trying to become president via Jakrabob.

[Gonzo the Face]

On the Thai TV a few minutes, more reporting from the Red Shirt Mob about the huge numbers of followers killed by the army...... the army collected the bodies and disposed of them , so they would never be found....

And then , I suppose the blood sucking interplanetary, inter galactic aliens came down and licked up all the blood and gore from the streets....and as a way of thank you, they instantly repaired all the surrounding rifle fire damage to all the buildings and cars etc....... conveniently erased all the camera photos and erased the memory from all individuals [like the Men in Black did] except the ones with red shirts.

All this from those who want to lead the country tomorrow..... Jeezz even those with no education have more brain power than to believe all this crapola

These nuts should be locked up, not for rioting, but for being in a state of lunacy and being a danger to themselves and society...... See what too much Pla Lah and durian will do to the brain.

New redshirt slogan "DUMB DOWN WITH DURIAN"

[kurtgruen]

The longer I live in Thailand, the better Cuba is starting to look ;-)

[Gonzo the Face]

The longer I live in Thailand, the better Cuba is starting to look ;-)

Hey Havana is not a bad place.......for those of us who are older,,,,,, like living in a antique auto museum, and seeing all the same type of cars we used to make out in the back seats...... great for memories

Just a quick question

Which JA [same letters that start off jackass] is it that won't call his mother.????

JAkrabob

or

JAturporn

Edited April 23, 2009 by Gonzo the Face

[HagenvonTronje]

what if Newin is a trojan horse, ready if needed and BANG gone is the

government lead by the Dems ! ?

No street protests needed, now it only seems not to be the time,

elections could easily turn the 'wrong way"...

And maybe, maybe the trojan horse has got a taste for power too?

what if newin had done the BANG! allready? maybe even more than once.

and he is in Power since more than a decade. and as the tip on the scale more powerful than others.

that is the funny thing of coalition governments. a simplified model. election results  party A: 47% of votes; party B 47%; Party C 6%.  Party A and B can not work together - to different, but for both is it possible option to build a coalition with Party C and also for Party C is the no problem to go with A or B. so the coalition talks start. the political power and influence of party C will be much more bigger than only the 6% of the votes. if something goes wrong and the people demand a change, Yes, party C can do -just switch the sides.

albeit not with his own party but the newin team was al the time a separate faction of his own in the TRT.  and wasn't there welcome 100% also. controversial, a bitter pill to swallow. and the years before TRT, newin was in the 'winning team' of different coaltions.  for a small party or faction like party C from the model above is it much more easy to survive crisis. the big partner have to take the blame. minor partners jump on the new train.

i don't think newin is a trojan horse send by thaksin. that relationship is broke and over. the blue shirt tactic was to force the crackdown on the reds and give abhisit a reason for doing it. guess newin had underestimated the power of the red and maybe got scared.

a "taste for power" - that means overthrow the democrats with the help of a 'third power'? i doubt that. the chidchob family has the reign in buriram. in bangkok he survived all the time as a wing man and doesn't have enough support to be at the pole or top position. the pole position is also to risky. you could lose all. his bet at the moment is a stable abhisit cabinet, the only train he can ride. and so he has still the option for a new lookout after the next election (better later than too early). newin found his luck in the electoral system and parlamentarism in a flawed version. he knows the value of his voice and is open for a trade, a deal. that how he make profit and is also in power. i don't think he has ambitions to be the leader and the ruler, the man in charge.

don't make the mistake to think of newin as TRT or thaksins man,  he isn't. newin is a special own kind of the smelly things you can find in politics. and to bring down abhisit isn't newins intention. right now he is abhisits man and he brings a certain odour to the abhisit government, a odour that is also disliked by people who think thaksin was/is fishy. in different views newin is disliked as a former part of a bad thing (TRT) or as a traitor to a good thing (TRT) and there is also a good, bad, traitor image from his time before TRT. but he still has his fan base, but that didn't grow with abhisit as new friend, abhisit got his +30 votes to became PM. not sure if the dems collect plus points for the ballot box decision of the people for the next election in the future. this way abhisit can come to fall, because of newin, but this was the choice of abhisit and not newins task as trojan horse.

one thing is for sure, newin will be not so interested to make abhisit too strong , a heavy weight, newin would become useless, not more needed as the tip on he scale and could be dumped because of his smell. 

[Oberkommando]

Of course the Red movement will be back, but any kind of armed struggle is just silly and stupid and counterproductive.

Counterproductive to the aims of those who seek to stall democratic progress in Thailand.

A violent struggle will be the eventual consequence of military interference in 21st Century Thai politics.

Cause and effect.

The last thing Thailand needs is an urban vs rural civil war.

I agree. The other Civil War raging in the South of the country doesn't seem to be any closer to a conclusion either.