"Violence Unlikely" At Today's Red-shirt Rally

[hammered]

still, there is nothing stopping a yellow or blue shirt putting on a red shirt and provoking the police & escalating violence. .... then the media will blame it all on the red shirts

Dream on. BTW what do you paid to do this crap ?

I agree it's nonsense.Equally so is the recent post by Cayenne suggesting the Red demonstrators were paid, as if - even hypothetically accepting some were - that this was the main motivation.Then Hammered obliquely comments "small turnout" as if the government's security arrangements (quite sensible in my view given past events) had nothing to do with the numbers.But 20,000 is not an unreasonable number.Just a quick sampling which suggests we in TV often seem to be like just ants wandering around a mosaic.It would be good to focus a bit more on the wider significance of all this, and obsess less about marginal detail.For example the current silliness on the Cambodian border doesn't really undermine the Yellow political platform, however much the Thaksinistas say it does ( and I say that as someone broadly sympathetic to the Red cause).

The silliness on the Cambodian border imho shows more about factional divides within the yellow side rather than any united platform to move forward. Chamlong was quite dismissive of it. Without Thaksin to focus on the yellows are pretty diverse and have not too much to hold them together. We hear a lot about red factional divides but it is likely the yellow ones are as bad once the one cementing issue is removed. Of course if the issue returns the divides diminish.

I do agree broadly though that any use of nationalism definitley doesnt undermine a politcal platform. All sides use that as often as they can. Maybe we will see the notion of state religion resurrected again too.

20K was a small turnout according to even B Pundit. Then again why was the turnout small and why was the march to Prem's abandoned become critical questions. I doubt the size of turnout had much to do with government arrangements for security but was more due to organisers decisions linked to a bit of factional disagreement. Thai media reprted intelligence reports that this weekends red rally would be small and low key with resources being upped for a rally during the ASEAN meeting.

I would also add that this weekend there was one other big central event which would have played on how everyone manouvered

Also add in the rubber sapling case is over and that now creates the space for better government cooperation or a change within the government block. It likely though doesnt strengthen PTP at this point. This is also a time when the military will be keeping a close eye on developments.

Also today in the Nation there is a piece on the credible performance of Potjaman at the seizure case. Is there a possibility that even at this stage a deal is on the cards over an issue so close to Thaksin's heart?

All of this is occurring in a far bnigger context which must be left undiscussed.