Red Shirts Demo'ing Today ?

[orang37]

Sawasdee Khrup, TeeVee Friends,

The Post is reporting as of about 2:29Pm today that some 100 red shirts (Rak Chiang Mai 51 group) are demonstrating in different parts of Chiang Mai. Nation not covering this as yet.

Anyone seen anything ?

best, ~o:37;

Edited November 28, 2009 by orang37

[RoastLamb]

I saw a fairly large number of them earlier on this afternoon moving along Rachadamnoen Rd into the old city.

[dave2]

orang37.

re ..... Anyone seen anything ?

only this !

they arrived at thapae gate about 1 ish left there at about 1 30 and went down to the 3 kings monument where they were holding another rally about an hour later

enjoy .... dave2

ps ... at one point they turned around and sang a song ( not the national anthem ) looking up towards the king

[mccw]

It would not be a bad thing if they all met with a nasty accident

[Insight]

Any commies joining them this time around?

[WinnieTheKhwai]

It would not be a bad thing if they all met with a nasty accident

Indeed; all that freedom of assembly, freedom of expression stuff. Peaceful rally at a public square, not disrupting anything...

Can't have that now can we. They should meet a horrible end!

(That IS your message right? Feel free to add to it, but I think it's entertaining so far.

Edited November 28, 2009 by WinnieTheKhwai

[Jingthing]

Translation of their signs:

No Justice, Absolutely No Peace

means

We are willing to continue to commit violence to overthrow the current government, pardon Takki of all his crimes, and return all his corruption money and take back total power

Give Thailand Back Democracy

means

Give Total Power Back to Takki

Save Democracy Save Thailand

means

Let's put this in English to confuse the foreign press into believing we are actually about democracy rather than about returning Takki to total power

Edited November 28, 2009 by Jingthing

[WinnieTheKhwai]

I find it unnecessary when you intentional misspell Thaksin's name, after he has clarified that silly remark by whoever it was in government about his name.

But feel free to drag him into a topic yet again. I'm sure you know better what those protesters want than.. those protesters. NB: You may be talking to the wrong audience though, you have an opportunity to join their group to ensure that Thaksin is mentioned on ALL their banners! They're just poor uneducated peasants after all, if they got democracy they wouldn't know what to do with it.... Right?

Edited November 28, 2009 by WinnieTheKhwai

[Jingthing]

Takki or Takki Shinegra are officially recognized names of the fugitive PM allowed on this board, so don't even bother objecting to that, its a done deal. How can you trust what the fugitive says about it anyway?

(BTW, check out the Takki image on the moto lady, third pic up from the bottom.)

Edited November 28, 2009 by Jingthing

[WinnieTheKhwai]

Is it allowed? I'll take your word for it; I admit I didn't bother with that pointless topic on this in the News forum. Absolutely no news other than an alleged name, and it went to 10 pages of posts in no time. It seemed like the perfect padded room for the Thaksin-obsessed to waste some pixels & bandwidth.

[Insight]

I find it unnecessary when you intentional misspell Thaksin's name, after he has clarified that silly remark by whoever it was in government about his name.

But feel free to drag him into a topic yet again. I'm sure you know better what those protesters want than.. those protesters. NB: You may be talking to the wrong audience though, you have an opportunity to join their group to ensure that Thaksin is mentioned on ALL their banners! They're just poor uneducated peasants after all, if they got democracy they wouldn't know what to do with it.... Right?

Have you seen one of the masks being worn? I'll bet my derby beer money tomorrow it was far from only image of Thaksin during the whole rally.

[Jingthing]

Is it allowed? I'll take your word for it; I admit I didn't bother with that pointless topic on this in the News forum. Absolutely no news other than an alleged name, and it went to 10 pages of posts in no time. It seemed like the perfect padded room for the Thaksin-obsessed to waste some pixels & bandwidth.

Yes only proper names of politicians are allowed. Unless and until it is proven that Takki did not name himself Takki Shinegra in a passport, of course that is one of his proper names. A mere denial from a fugitive does not constitute as proof.

This is a forum which feeds on google searches, hits, and clicks. I can assure you that one topic is as good as another for those commercial purposes. Who are you to judge what is a waste or not anyway? People post to the topics they are interested in, no right or wrong about it.

Edited November 28, 2009 by Jingthing

[Jingthing]

Have you seen one of the masks being worn? I'll bet my derby beer money tomorrow it was far from only image of Thaksin during the whole rally.

Yes the reds are Takkinistas. If they don't want that, they should change their colors. Edited November 28, 2009 by Jingthing

[WinnieTheKhwai]

If they don't want that, they should change their colors.

I'm sure they're fascinated by your opinion.

Edited November 28, 2009 by WinnieTheKhwai

[Jingthing]

Winnie, I hate to break it you, but the reds are closely associated with Takki. Denying that is just ridiculous.

Edited November 28, 2009 by Jingthing

[WinnieTheKhwai]

I think I've touched on this topic at length with you already; I'm not going to do it again, though the short version for anyone else is that I don't think the Red side agree on many things amongst themselves other than that they don't like the country being run by an aristocratic/military elite (as per the sign in one of the pictures). It's a coalition of convenience, where many (most) really only want Thaksin back and not much else. I've asked Red friends about this and they take the opportunistic view, that a unified opposition will be more effective. That's too bad, IMHO.

Edited November 28, 2009 by WinnieTheKhwai

[Jingthing]

Yes I think they are making a huge fatal political mistake continuing to associate with disgraced Takki. Their movement and support has been severely damaged because of that. If they wanted to make a real change, they would create a new real people power movement on the lines of what happened in the Philippines, and completely divorce themselves from the albatross. Also, no more violent street actions a la Black Songkran and no ping pong bombs. Also blocking a sitting PM from visiting a major Thai city with murder threats, even though they oppose him, is sickening and radically anti-democratic, and not something a REAL ethical people power movement would need to do.

Edited November 28, 2009 by Jingthing

[PeaceBlondie]

Yes I think they are making a huge fatal political mistake continuing to associate with disgraced Takki. Their movement and support has been severely damaged because of that. If they wanted to make a real change, they would create a new real people power movement on the lines of what happened in the Philippines, and completely divorce themselves from the albatross. Also, no more violent street actions a la Black Songkran and no ping pong bombs. Also blocking a sitting PM from visiting a major Thai city with murder threats, even though they oppose him, is sickening and radically anti-democratic, and not something a REAL ethical people power movement would need to do.

As edited by JingThing - an excellent post, in my humble opinion as a pacifist supporter of countless modern, non-violent, successful people power movements.

[Gonzo the Face]

I think I've touched on this topic at length with you already; I'm not going to do it again, though the short version for anyone else is that I don't think the Red side agree on many things amongst themselves other than that they don't like the country being run by an aristocratic/military elite (as per the sign in one of the pictures). It's a coalition of convenience, where many (most) really only want Thaksin back and not much else. I've asked Red friends about this and they take the opportunistic view, that a unified opposition will be more effective. That's too bad, IMHO.

Wnnie, in reading through your posts, I seem to get the impression that in your avatar, your Kwai is the wrong color....

Wouldn't you be better served changing its color to some other. Wouldn't want readers to think you are siding with the enemy.

There are some kwai that are almost the color of dark red.

[thaimiller]

Translation of their signs:

No Justice, Absolutely No Peace

means

We are willing to continue to commit violence to overthrow the current government, pardon Takki of all his crimes, and return all his corruption money and take back total power

Give Thailand Back Democracy

means

Give Total Power Back to Takki

Save Democracy Save Thailand

means

Let's put this in English to confuse the foreign press into believing we are actually about democracy rather than about returning Takki to total power

Didn't the yellow party invade an Airport around this time last year just to get their point across, I think standing in Tae pei gate is alot more safe for the run of the mill people, than doing that.

[Ulysses G.]

No one would pay any attention to the Reds without Thaksin. They are mostly poor people who want a fair shake from the forces who control the country and are as common as dirt in this region and have been ignored forever.

A very popular former Prime Minister who supports their struggle is a Godsend to them, whatever his liabilities and whatever some foreigners think. He is handsome, rich, good on TV, a one man marketing miracle and probably the only chance they have for any real change.

[Loaded]

None of this will end until there's been a bloody conclusion imo. Thaksin will win or die but won't give up. He has always firmly placed his personal selfish goals ahead of his country. From robbing the country blind when he was pm to provoking violence through his red-shirt supporters. Soon a big change will come to Thailand and Thaksin is waiting to pounce.

[Gonzo the Face]

Ya just hafta love human nature...

Some people never change from the time they are very young til the time they pass on.

Remember certain of the youngsters you probably played with as a kid, that did something wrong and when the parents said not to do that, the pat answer was " well Susie did it or Johnny did it" ....... and then the parents would say something to the effect, "well if Susie jumps off a cliff are you going to do it too"....

Well boys and girls, beleive it or not, some of the kids never grow up.....

They still say things like "well the yellow shirts did this or that" implying that its all right for the red shirts to do something similar....

Well the red shirts were at the cause of a few deaths in their Bkk Demos, of violent threats as in moving tanker trucks into the crowds and threatening to blow them up, or in CM dragging an old man out of his car and beating him to death.....

so does this mean the yellows should do likewise???

I suggest stepping back for the emotional fronts and getting your balance in place.

How many deaths did the yellows cause?

How many deaths did the reds cause?

Same with injuries, etc

There is a right & there is a wrong...... and different people see it differently..... much the same as the "well Susie did it " kids when they were young..... some people learn to think for themselves, some are forever lemmings....

OMHO

Edited November 29, 2009 by Gonzo the Face

[Ulysses G.]

None of this will end until there's been a bloody conclusion imo. Thaksin will win or die but won't give up. He has always firmly placed his personal selfish goals ahead of his country. From robbing the country blind when he was pm to provoking violence through his red-shirt supporters. Soon a big change will come to Thailand and Thaksin is waiting to pounce.

I certainly hope that you are wrong.

When I pointed out that Nelson Mandela had been a terrorist at one time, a lot of people wanted to deny it, but it is a historical fact. I admire him for being so forgiving of other in his later years, but he certainly was no saint as a young man.

I do not see Thaksin as being any less capable of changing for the better and up till now the Reds have mostly stayed under control and mostly kept the violence to a minimum.

Despite all the warnings about Thaksin, he seems to want a peaceful solution and I don't see how he cannot feel grateful to his supporters and want the best for them. Maybe he has learned a lesson or two in the last few years.

Anyway, lets hope that both sides do what is right before it is too late.

[tigerbeer]

maybe they just supporting Man United game tonight.

[slapout]

A real eye opener to the Red thinking and public briefings are very upfront on their television channel. One of their proposals is that the internet info from outside Thailand, Thai newspapers, radio, etc are controlled and edited by the present government. It is possible that Thaksin will/would follow in Mandelas's footsteps, probable, does not seem to be the chosen path, at present. Maybe if he served a few years in confinement to think about his and his cohorts, past actions and their effect on the Thai treasury, he would come out a reformed (to the good) man.

[Loaded]

None of this will end until there's been a bloody conclusion imo. Thaksin will win or die but won't give up. He has always firmly placed his personal selfish goals ahead of his country. From robbing the country blind when he was pm to provoking violence through his red-shirt supporters. Soon a big change will come to Thailand and Thaksin is waiting to pounce.

I certainly hope that you are wrong.

When I pointed out that Nelson Mandela had been a terrorist at one time, a lot of people wanted to deny it, but it is a historical fact. I admire him for being so forgiving of other in his later years, but he certainly was no saint as a young man.

I do not see Thaksin as being any less capable of changing for the better and up till now the Reds have mostly stayed under control and mostly kept the violence to a minimum.

Despite all the warnings about Thaksin, he seems to want a peaceful solution and I don't see how he cannot feel grateful to his supporters and want the best for them. Maybe he has learned a lesson or two in the last few years.

Anyway, lets hope that both sides do what is right before it is too late.

Thaksin didn't accept the hints from he whose hints must be accepted and as a consequence he has received the full wrath of this country's ruling elite. Control the army and you control Thailand. Thai pms always seemingly had this power but there was an 'understanding' between the pm and the real power about this. Thaksin's brother-in-law catapulting through the ranks to be just one step from supreme commander of the Thai armed forces, I feel, was the straw that broke the camel's back. It was a direct threat to the real power in Thailand. I believe the authority to appoint the supreme commander of armed forces is now with the privy council. A change made just before the military junta 'returned' power to civilians. When there's talk about the constitution I believe this is the area that is being fought over. I personally have sympathy for Thaksin on this point as he was elected by clear majority's to be the pm.

[mccw]

It would not be a bad thing if they all met with a nasty accident

Indeed; all that freedom of assembly, freedom of expression stuff. Peaceful rally at a public square, not disrupting anything...

Can't have that now can we. They should meet a horrible end!

(That IS your message right? Feel free to add to it, but I think it's entertaining so far.

As its already been pointed out they are not a peaceful bunch. Beating old mans to death, throwing piss and chilly powder over people, amasssing an arsenle of bombs and guns with the aim of assinating the prime minister, could go on and on but i think you know it anyway. Just because it passed off peacefully this time doesn't change what they are- anti democratic, hired thugs with the aim of overthrowing the government. Takki's death would probably mean these peoples accident wouldn't be nessassary, niether would make me sad. I might be heard to say something like,,, "see how thier karma come back to them".

[mccw]

None of this will end until there's been a bloody conclusion imo. Thaksin will win or die but won't give up. He has always firmly placed his personal selfish goals ahead of his country. From robbing the country blind when he was pm to provoking violence through his red-shirt supporters. Soon a big change will come to Thailand and Thaksin is waiting to pounce.

I certainly hope that you are wrong.

When I pointed out that Nelson Mandela had been a terrorist at one time, a lot of people wanted to deny it, but it is a historical fact. I admire him for being so forgiving of other in his later years, but he certainly was no saint as a young man.

I do not see Thaksin as being any less capable of changing for the better and up till now the Reds have mostly stayed under control and mostly kept the violence to a minimum.

Despite all the warnings about Thaksin, he seems to want a peaceful solution and I don't see how he cannot feel grateful to his supporters and want the best for them. Maybe he has learned a lesson or two in the last few years.

Anyway, lets hope that both sides do what is right before it is too late.

Thaksin didn't accept the hints from he whose hints must be accepted and as a consequence he has received the full wrath of this country's ruling elite. Control the army and you control Thailand. Thai pms always seemingly had this power but there was an 'understanding' between the pm and the real power about this. Thaksin's brother-in-law catapulting through the ranks to be just one step from supreme commander of the Thai armed forces, I feel, was the straw that broke the camel's back. It was a direct threat to the real power in Thailand. I believe the authority to appoint the supreme commander of armed forces is now with the privy council. A change made just before the military junta 'returned' power to civilians. When there's talk about the constitution I believe this is the area that is being fought over. I personally have sympathy for Thaksin on this point as he was elected by clear majority's to be the pm.

Having the head of the armed forces separate from politicians is surely a good thing. Thousands of deaths from Takki control of the police, imajine the carnage if he controlled the armed forces.

The single party republic of Takkiland, everythings for sale and if you dissagree we'll execute you, no trail needed. The peseants would have outlived their usefulness and be subjected to whatever injustices were needed to ammass the greatleaders personal money mountain.

[WinnieTheKhwai]

I think I've touched on this topic at length with you already; I'm not going to do it again, though the short version for anyone else is that I don't think the Red side agree on many things amongst themselves other than that they don't like the country being run by an aristocratic/military elite (as per the sign in one of the pictures). It's a coalition of convenience, where many (most) really only want Thaksin back and not much else. I've asked Red friends about this and they take the opportunistic view, that a unified opposition will be more effective. That's too bad, IMHO.

Wnnie, in reading through your posts, I seem to get the impression that in your avatar, your Kwai is the wrong color....

Wouldn't you be better served changing its color to some other. Wouldn't want readers to think you are siding with the enemy.

There are some kwai that are almost the color of dark red.

I tried that before, but went back to the original one. For these reasons:

- There are some definitely odd-ball elements in the larger Red movement, and I don't want to associate with them.

- It looked ridiculous.

Attached for reference:

Other than that, I think Loaded summed it up VERY well. That's my opinion too. If Thailand is ever to progess from a 'managed' democracy featuring weak self-serving politicians who campaign not on issues but on the merit of being top dog in their regional mafia clan, then this situation needs to change. I'm not convinced everyone in the Red movement has that goal firmly in mind.

Edited November 29, 2009 by WinnieTheKhwai