20,000 Monks Tipped To Join Red-shirt Rally On March 12

[SeanMoran]

Thank you.

Therefore we are both correct.

However, the figures you quote were reletively short lived, as it is now up around it's normal 28-30 range and has been for the past few months.

Regarding "quoting", I think you might have been refering to my "editing" your posts. That is because, there were more posts attached to yours, than is allowed. So, I had to delete some of the earlier content - apologies

Therefore, it is clear that with the drastic devaluation of the baht to fall into line with the gluttony of Wall Street, the economy has failed far more than it has improved.

[RegularReader]

The idea of a pro democracy movement led by un-democratic Thaksin just doesn't add up.

Well, let's be honest here for a second. Thaksin was democratically elected as the Prime Minister of Thailand. He was then ousted by a military coup. The same military regime that currently backs the Democrats. Now, the Thai people have never directly elected the Democrats. Let's see when (or better said, if) the next election comes, what the Thai people will choose. The Democrats? Or another pro-Thaksin government? And don't even start about vote-buying, because pro-Thaksin parties, as well as Democrats and ship-jumping Newin were all convicted of vote-buying.

Did Thaksin illegally take money for himself while he served as PM? Sure. As did Bush, Blair and pretty much every other head of state. It's how politics works. Everyone that can't see this is either an idiot or living in denial. That's the truth.

Here we go again...

The truth is, Thaksin was not even Prime Minister when the coup happened. He had in fact even handed over his "Caretaker PM" role.

For someone who has been contributing to this site since 2004, surely you know that ?

[thaimythai]

i think one of the reasons why these monks are joining is that I'm sure i heard somewhere that the top monks have been stopped leaving the country, not 100% sure but maybe this could have something to do with it maybe there pissed of with the government to

[animatic]

Those saffron robbed people (I dont wish to call them Monks.. they have lost the plot!) are just parasites on the community. Hitler had these guys .. he called them the SS... not much difference.

Are you actually comparing buddhist monks to Hitler's SS?

yes, they both are about the same thing... brainwashing!

Well that certainly was my laugh of the day.

If you had said Brown Shirts, or Hitler Youth,

we MIGHT have just thought you were a troll,

but SS, now THAT is a hoot.

There just isn't an emoticon that fits this scenario...

[Squigy]

i think one of the reasons why these monks are joining is that I'm sure i heard somewhere that the top monks have been stopped leaving the country, not 100% sure but maybe this could have something to do with it maybe there pissed of with the government to

Why should they be heading out of the country? Are they all of to Dubai? Or is this just a big rumour...? They could not organise a piss up in a brewery lets face it.

[rainman]

Here we go again...

The truth is, Thaksin was not even Prime Minister when the coup happened. He had in fact even handed over his "Caretaker PM" role.

For someone who has been contributing to this site since 2004, surely you know that ?

You can twist the truth, but you can't hide it.

[animatic]

i think one of the reasons why these monks are joining is that I'm sure i heard somewhere that the top monks have been stopped leaving the country, not 100% sure but maybe this could have something to do with it maybe there pissed of with the government to

Were they going to Dubai by any chance?

Since when do real monks fly out of the country?

Heading off to subversive monk seminars on fund raising maybe?

[Squigy]

i think one of the reasons why these monks are joining is that I'm sure i heard somewhere that the top monks have been stopped leaving the country, not 100% sure but maybe this could have something to do with it maybe there pissed of with the government to

Were they going to Dubai by any chance?

Since when do real monks fly out of the country?

Heading off to subversive monk seminars on fund raising maybe?

A bit late on the post .. I think I beat you to the punch! Cheers have a glass of red for me and all the red shirts!

[RegularReader]

Thank you.

Therefore we are both correct.

However, the figures you quote were reletively short lived, as it is now up around it's normal 28-30 range and has been for the past few months.

Regarding "quoting", I think you might have been refering to my "editing" your posts. That is because, there were more posts attached to yours, than is allowed. So, I had to delete some of the earlier content - apologies

Therefore, it is clear that with the drastic devaluation of the baht to fall into line with the gluttony of Wall Street, the economy has failed far more than it has improved.

Sorry, I don't follow your logic.

The figures you quote are for Q1 '09 - when the world economy was in a bad way. Australia by comparison was doing well under the circumstances.

After Q1 the Bhat improved reasonable quickly back to more or less the range it is in now. It has also tende to be reasonably stable against many other countries. And at present it appears to be keeping up with many other currencies against the Euro and the UK Pound.

So where has it "failed far more than it has improved" ?

A final word, as this thread is about the relevance of monks at next week's Red Rally, perhaps this is not the place to be discussing currency fluctuations ?

I guess that's for the moderators to decide ?

[animatic]

Here we go again...

The truth is, Thaksin was not even Prime Minister when the coup happened. He had in fact even handed over his "Caretaker PM" role.

For someone who has been contributing to this site since 2004, surely you know that ?

You can twist the truth, but you can't hide it.

He was no longer elected Prime Minister. he DID give that away; Hubris no other word for it.

He was also over the legal time limit for Caretaker Prime Minister, a definite gray area,

but there was no provision for what to do if that happened, so he remained in the chair.

But he was also over reaching in that chair as if he had an actual elected mandate.

Going to NY to speak at the UN was not in his prerogative as a caretaker.

And several other actions were not those of someone 'appointed' to just managing

day to day functions till the election. And bear in mind he was APPOINTED by HRM

as Caretaker when he went to announce that he had dissolved the legislature.

Not elected when removed.

[meelousee]

deputy prime minister Suthep Thaugsuban said, “monks should not take part in the planned mass anti-government rally next weekend as it is not their affair”.

I find this statement odd.

Are the monks not Thai? Are they not a part of the citizens daily lives, and assume leadership roles in their social lives?

[rainman]

Here's an interesting read:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2006_Thailand...p_d%27%C3%A9tat

Anyone reading the full article to the finish will have a better understanding of the current situation in Thailand.

[RegularReader]

Here we go again...

The truth is, Thaksin was not even Prime Minister when the coup happened. He had in fact even handed over his "Caretaker PM" role.

For someone who has been contributing to this site since 2004, surely you know that ?

You can twist the truth, but you can't hide it.

He was no longer elected Prime Minister. he DID give that away; Hubris no other word for it.

He was also over the legal time limit for Caretaker Prime Minister, a definite gray area,

but there was no provision for what to do if that happened, so he remained in the chair.

But he was also over reaching in that chair as if he had an actual elected mandate.

Going to NY to speak at the UN was not in his prerogative as a caretaker.

And several other actions were not those of someone 'appointed' to just managing

day to day functions till the election. And bear in mind he was APPOINTED by HRM

as Caretaker when he went to announce that he had dissolved the legislature.

Not elected when removed.

As Animatic just explained the "truth" what you say is correct...you can't hide it.

[rainman]

And another, somewhat related, article:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sonthi_Boonya...n#Personal_life

General (Ret.) Sonthi Boonyaratglin is former Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Thai Army and former head of the Council for National Security, the military junta that ruled the kingdom ... On 19 September 2006, he became the de facto head of government of Thailand after overthrowing the elected government in a coup d'état.

Sonthi has two concurrent wives. He registered to marry his first wife, Sukanya, when he was a lieutenant and registered to a second wife, Piyada, when he was a captain. He currently lives with both women. Bigamy is illegal in Thailand, and is punishable with a jail term. However, Interior Minister Aree Wongsaraya defended Sonthi, claiming that it was a personal matter. He boasted that he himself had six wives.

Like I said, somewhat related ..but mainly just an amusing example of Thailand's double standards.

Edited March 6, 2010 by rainman

[animatic]

deputy prime minister Suthep Thaugsuban said, “monks should not take part in the planned mass anti-government rally next weekend as it is not their affair”.

I find this statement odd.

Are the monks not Thai? Are they not a part of the citizens daily lives, and assume leadership roles in their social lives?

Monks by their very nature are 'supposed' to have withdrawn from daily secular affairs

and the ways of the world to contemplate the Buddhas teachings and raise their enlightenment.

By participating in this secular, of this world, political rally, they in essence breaking their basic vows.

If their vows are pure, then it IS none of their affair.

Edited March 6, 2010 by animatic

[mogoso]

this doesn't sound like it's for real, since when do monks assist in disruptive behavior related to politics? I would think they would be completely detached from that kind of thing.

In Vietnam they burned themselves up in protest of the government, monks are people with opinions. This could also be a way to keep the demo peaceful both by the demonstrators and by the government.

[Squigy]

Here we go again...

The truth is, Thaksin was not even Prime Minister when the coup happened. He had in fact even handed over his "Caretaker PM" role.

For someone who has been contributing to this site since 2004, surely you know that ?

You can twist the truth, but you can't hide it.

He was no longer elected Prime Minister. he DID give that away; Hubris no other word for it.

He was also over the legal time limit for Caretaker Prime Minister, a definite gray area,

but there was no provision for what to do if that happened, so he remained in the chair.

But he was also over reaching in that chair as if he had an actual elected mandate.

Going to NY to speak at the UN was not in his prerogative as a caretaker.

And several other actions were not those of someone 'appointed' to just managing

day to day functions till the election. And bear in mind he was APPOINTED by HRM

as Caretaker when he went to announce that he had dissolved the legislature.

Not elected when removed.

Well said!

[animatic]

And another, somewhat related, article:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sonthi_Boonya...n#Personal_life

General (Ret.) Sonthi Boonyaratglin is former Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Thai Army and former head of the Council for National Security, the military junta that ruled the kingdom ... On 19 September 2006, he became the de facto head of government of Thailand after overthrowing the elected government in a coup d'état.

Sonthi has two concurrent wives. He registered to marry his first wife, Sukanya, when he was a lieutenant and registered to a second wife, Piyada, when he was a captain. He currently lives with both women. Bigamy is illegal in Thailand, and is punishable with a jail term. However, Interior Minister Aree Wongsaraya defended Sonthi, claiming that it was a personal matter. He boasted that he himself had six wives.

Like I said, somewhat related ..but mainly just an amusing example of Thailand's double standards.

Other than the fact Wikipedia is notoriously inaccurate.

This speaks more to Thailand making an attempt at allowing some Muslim autonomy.

Under Islam both these men are allowed 6 wives, if they can afford them.

But even a VERY hi so non-Muslim Thai would not meet legal approval marrying the Mia noi these days.

[Jingthing]

The monks were tipped? How much?

[mythBuster]

The threat of monks joining has scared Suthep quite a bit. The mouthpiece of the junta, the Nation reported this yesterday already in one of their breaking news SMS's. I can understand why it scares him, it makes a comparison between Burma and Thailand obvious. The comparison goes of course much further than that. In both country the almighty army is de facto in charge, in both countries there is tremendous inequality and in both countries people can be jailed for simply making a comment towards the people in power.

In the end the solution should be incredibly simple. Just new elections and elections that will be under no threat of the judiciary like they were in the past. Every 3 year old will be able to explain that elections are not fair when you can dismiss a prime minister and after that the party on a bogus charge, while you refuse to make a ruling on a mega amount that the Democrat party received from a crooked businessman who is refusing to pay his strategic NPL's back.

It is sad that History is never taught very well in Thailand, if history lessons were honest and students were allowed to think for themselves the elite would have knows that their situation is a terrible one, which might end in violence and the elite will have to let go, if lucky unharmed.

Europe, Latin America and also other Asian countries have plenty of examples for Thai teachers, but than again the fact that schools attract foreigners who would not have stood a chance to lecture in their own country because they lack skills might be a sign on the wall.

[Squigy]

deputy prime minister Suthep Thaugsuban said, "monks should not take part in the planned mass anti-government rally next weekend as it is not their affair".

I find this statement odd.

Are the monks not Thai? Are they not a part of the citizens daily lives, and assume leadership roles in their social lives?

Ha ha! LOL and all that. maybe in 100 years or so they will have a philosophy based on the writings of Thaksin.. and would have all the so called "monks" today being replaced by the followers of Thaksin.

[ballpoint]

From that Wikipedia article:

"Ousted Thai premier Thaksin Shinawatra called for new snap elections in his homeland and confirmed he is bowing out of politics, urging "national reconciliation" after the coup in Bangkok. In a statement issued in London, Thaksin said he will devote himself to development and possibly charity work".

Thanks for the further reminder of Thaksin's lying ways.

You reds can't even post a piece of supposed propaganda for your own side without putting your foot in it.

[rainman]

Other than the fact Wikipedia is notoriously inaccurate.

This speaks more to Thailand making an attempt at allowing some Muslim autonomy.

Under Islam both these men are allowed 6 wives, if they can afford them.

But even a VERY hi so non-Muslim Thai would not meet legal approval marrying the Mia noi these days.

Bigamy laws in Thailand apply to everyone. Muslim or Buddhist or Jehova's Witness. It's a law. It's also an example as to how the law suddenly doesn't seem to apply anymore when you're the head of state of Thailand. The coup general accusing Thaksin of disobeying the law, while at the same time doing something that is also against the law and also punishable by a jail term.

It's called double standards.

Edited March 6, 2010 by rainman

[jonclark]

The only possible reasons the UDD can want the monks to join in is

a) symbolic amongst the local population

more importantly (imho) if the rally turns ugly and soldiers turn on monks / demonstrators, the UDD will use it to draw a parallel with the response of Burmese soldiers in the demos there year or so ago to the international media. Remember the international condemnation that followed that short uprising? Hence the UDD would portray itself is similar in some way to the pro democracy movement in Burma. Which enjoys widespread international support for its peaceful and just struggle against a military government.

Taksin has just has his butt spanked in terms of his international standing and wants to do likewise to the current government.

The best thing that the UDD could hope for is for soldiers to fire on monks.

[ballpoint]

Every 3 year old will be able to explain that elections are not fair when you can dismiss a prime minister and after that the party on a bogus charge...

Another blatant lie brought to you by mythmaker.

[SeanMoran]

Thank you.

Therefore we are both correct.

However, the figures you quote were reletively short lived, as it is now up around it's normal 28-30 range and has been for the past few months.

Regarding "quoting", I think you might have been refering to my "editing" your posts. That is because, there were more posts attached to yours, than is allowed. So, I had to delete some of the earlier content - apologies

Therefore, it is clear that with the drastic devaluation of the baht to fall into line with the gluttony of Wall Street, the economy has failed far more than it has improved.

Sorry, I don't follow your logic.

The figures you quote are for Q1 '09 - when the world economy was in a bad way. Australia by comparison was doing well under the circumstances.

After Q1 the Bhat improved reasonable quickly back to more or less the range it is in now. It has also tende to be reasonably stable against many other countries. And at present it appears to be keeping up with many other currencies against the Euro and the UK Pound.

So where has it "failed far more than it has improved" ?

A final word, as this thread is about the relevance of monks at next week's Red Rally, perhaps this is not the place to be discussing currency fluctuations ?

I guess that's for the moderators to decide ?

So perhaps you might ask whoever wrote that initial comment about the improvement in the economy to rescind their erroneous statement amd we can leave economics out of this.

[thaimythai]

i think one of the reasons why these monks are joining is that I'm sure i heard somewhere that the top monks have been stopped leaving the country, not 100% sure but maybe this could have something to do with it maybe there pissed of with the government to

Were they going to Dubai by any chance?

Since when do real monks fly out of the country?

Heading off to subversive monk seminars on fund raising maybe?

lol sorry bit late on the post but just pissed my pants and had to change them, i think youll find alot of monks leave the country to teach in many temples around the world maybe even dubai.

[animatic]

Other than the fact Wikipedia is notoriously inaccurate.

This speaks more to Thailand making an attempt at allowing some Muslim autonomy.

Under Islam both these men are allowed 6 wives, if they can afford them.

But even a VERY hi so non-Muslim Thai would not meet legal approval marrying the Mia noi these days.

Bigamy laws in Thailand apply to everyone. Muslim or Buddhist or Jehova's Witness. It's a law. It's also an example as to how the law suddenly doesn't seem to apply anymore when you're the head of state of Thailand. The coup general accusing Thaksin of disobeying the law, while at the same time doing something that is also against the law and also punishable by a jail term.

It's called double standards.

The deciding word is REGISTERED.

Is he registered at the Amphur with the government, or just at the religious authorities in his region.

If the former he broke a law,

if the latter none at all, he's just living with two women.

Which is either great or hel_l on earth depending.

It's not like he is the only Musilim with multiple wives in Thailand is it?

It's not like all those others are hi so and run the country?

Mia nois are suddenly not uncommon here for those that can afford them?

It's the legal registration that makes it a legal issue. Not the 3rd body in the household.

I have 2 and often 3 women living with me, gonna have me arrested

for being a arrogant Hi So polygamist?

By the way that's the Mormons, not the Jehovahs Witness that are polygamous.

[elcent]

There's a lot of power-struggle within the monk-hood as well. It is theme number one while sharing their meal with the poor. Not somewhere within approx 17000 Buddhist temples but in Bangkok. You can watch and listen to the discussion by simply going there.

Another thing I'd suggest to the mods.

Can you create a thread please where people can discuss of how to behave if things get awry?

Remember, there may be thousands of people coming from far away and with everything they have finacially and when they get scattered what to do?

I'd suggest to watch out for scattered red shirts, especially families with children. Help them discretely with foods and chilling drinks, take them to the next grocery store. Don't discuss politics. After all, we're all humans.

[Sabre]

The numbers being thrown out for this upcoming wannabe national disruption is a small % of the total population of Thailand and the monk participation when compared to total is even less. Come, bleed or blister comes to mind as far as the red shirt innuendo/threats recently, and the answer will be apparent over the next few days.

guess its better not to underestimate the influence of the monks. Every THAI except maybe, the chinese-thai population is in one way or another connectet to the monks!

anyway, there are not many farangs which understand Thailand and its politcs, neither do I. There are things going on here WE NEVER understand 100%

I will not even place any bet that Abhisit is primeminister in a couple of month, there was a government change while another former pm was out

of town, who my fellow members saw that coming before?

It's actually not all that complicated, but it absolutely requires an understanding of certain issues that we don't talk about. Nothing is certain in this world, but Abhisit remaining in power for at least the next couple of months is a pretty safe bet.