Widespread Calls For Red Shirts Protests To Be Peaceful

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PEACE

Widespread calls for protests to be peaceful

By The Nation

From foreign embassies to social media to spartan signs in communities, calls for peace echoed yesterday ahead of Friday's major rally of the red shirts.

BANGKOK: -- Civic groups led the appeal for a peaceful demonstration and transparent crowd control by the authorities, to prevent violence during the upcoming anti-government gathering in Bangkok.

Mahidol University's Research Centre for Peace-Building (RCPB), the Campaign for Media Reform, the Youth for Studies of Peaceful Means and networks of Buddhists, families and the disabled issued a joint statement calling for the demonstrations to be peaceful.

RCPB director Gothom Arya led representatives of the groups in a press conference at the Thai Christian Centre. He said peaceful and unarmed demonstration was guaranteed by the Constitution but that the rights of the public must also be respected.

A campaigner for non-violence, Gothom said the groups called for protesters and authorities alike to value human lives above anything else and that the general public should convey the message that it is against violence.

He urged citizens to send this message to media organisations or display banners with messages promoting peaceful activities.

Gothom said representatives of the civic groups would meet with leaders of the Democratic Alliance against Dictatorship (DAAD), which is organising the rally, and Suthep Thaugsuban, deputy PM in charge of security affairs, to seek assurances that neither side would resort to violence or use force.

Meanwhile, Thammasat University lecturer Prinya Thewanarumitkul said the Stop Hurting Thailand group, including media organisations and business associations, would issue a statement on how to cope with crowd violence today at the Thai Journalist Association.

British Ambassador Quinton Quayle yesterday expressed concern about the red-shirt demonstration and urged all parties to exercise utmost restraint and not use violence against each other, since that would damage Thailand as a whole.

"As a Briton who has learned the Thai language and loves Thailand, I am very worried about the situation and would like to see a demonstration that is peaceful as well as a compromise to end the conflict," Quayle told reporters as he met Pheu Thai Party leader Yongyuth Wichaidit.

Residents of Bangkok's Nang Lerng and Din Daeng areas still shudder at recalling the street violence of the previous mass red-shirt rally last April and pleaded for no violence this weekend.

Last April 13, extremist members of the DAAD lit fires, set up road blocks and commandeered gas-tanker lorries, disrupting the lives of many, especially around the Nang Lerng community and the tenement estate in Din Daeng district. The result was two people were killed, many were wounded and everyone was scared.

In a related development, a woman linked to the Santi Asoke group of Buddhists yesterday began a lone walk from Chiang Mai to Bangkok in a campaign against political violence.

Fah-ngai Kham-asoke, 63, a former magazine publisher, said even though she was born in Bangkok, she had lived in Chiang Mai for the past 27 years.

"I feel like a Chiang Mai native now. I love Chiang Mai, and I love Chiang Mai people," she said.

She said she believed there were many Chiang Mai residents who made up a silent majority but were not brave enough to oppose fellow residents resorting to political violence.

"As a cancer survivor, I want to spend my remaining time making merit by persuading people to stop causing violence and committing bad deeds," she said.

Meanwhile, a peace campaign is flourishing on social media as Thai users express their frustration over possible violence starting on Friday.

Concerned freelance graphic designer Visarute Angkatavanich wanted to do something about the situation, so on Monday night he designed a graphic of a blooming flower centred with a heart shape featuring colours of the Thai flag on a black background.

The graphic comes with a caption "Khon Thai Mai Chai Kwam Roonrang" (Thais don't resort to violence).

He then posted his logo on popular pantip.com allowing everyone to share his work on social media websites.

"Feel free to use it as you wish and help create a 'March Miracle' by letting our voice be heard that we don't want violence," he wrote on the website.

Many hours later, his graphic appeared on Facebook as people gave their support and echoed him. Many Facebook users have changed their Avatar to his graphic.

He is not alone, as another Facebook user Lantom Bythese has posted a graphic with white wording on a black background opposing violence.

"Disagree with the rally that hurts Thailand, Thais and our father."

She tells people on Facebook to spread and tag the graphic to campaign against violence.

Tweeple started earlier by putting the tag #welovethai and #peace. Many celebrities joined the campaign by tweeting words to promote peace. Actress Sinjai Hongthai yesterday tweeted: #peace to express her concern.

-- The Nation 2010-03-10

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[SomTumTiger]

Everyone wants peace - except Thaksin and is wack-job, money hungry followers. When a dog bites you, he is usually put down.

Thaksin Theme Song.

"Power and the money, money and the power

Minute after minute, hour after hour

Everybody's runnin, but half of them ain't lookin

It's goin on in the kitchen, but I dont know what's cookin

They say I got ta learn, but nobody's here to teach me

If they cant understand it, how can they reach me?

I guess they can't -- I guess they won't

I guess they frontin; that's why I know my life is outta luck, fool"

[animatic]

Nice try from the reasonable corners of Thai society,

but the reddened mind set is to ignore all that is not red leaning,

because all else is coming from the Elites to mess with them.

Mind control applied to those who joined for some slightly off topic reason,

but still on site, so reeled in, like a fish, and then indoctrinated, hooked on the 'party line'.

All those Red Learning Centers in the provices are not set up,

just to teach maths and how to set up and run a SME.

[brahmburgers]

Thaksin and the Reds have gained a lot of notice with their antics, and that's what they want. They want to be on the front pages of newspapers as much as possible, they want to be reckoned with - even if it's requests from dignitaries to not be their usual rowdy, two-faced selves.

[givenall]

I guess they will now return the 6000 guns and bomb that was stole

[Wolfie]

I have had cause to remove some offensive posts. If i have to do this again on this thread, i will issue suspensions.

Kind Regards,

Wolfie

[grumpyoldman]

Everyone wants peace - except Thaksin and is wack-job, money hungry followers.

And we can all thank Thaksin for the current environment.

Thanks for the Songkran riots, thanks for the bombs, thanks for the upcoming mayhem.

You're a real tribute to your country pal.

[PeaceBlondie]

Buddhism's pacifism is often ignored by Buddhist leaders and followers. Remind them what Buddha taught.

[Jingthing]

Everyone wants peace - except Thaksin and is wack-job, money hungry followers.

And we can all thank Thaksin for the current environment.

Thanks for the Songkran riots, thanks for the bombs, thanks for the upcoming mayhem.

You're a real tribute to your country pal.

Indeed. One man. One man who doesn't even live here holding an entire nation back from moving forward. For whatever good he may have done when he was PM, all that good has been completely wiped out, many times over. He is a villain indeed. Demonizing Thaksin? If the shoe fits!

Edited March 10, 2010 by Jingthing

[Sao Jiang Mai]

All of us at work are waiting to exhale...so much tension over this coming weekend and most of the people I have talked to in Chiang Mai are simply embarrassed at the red connection now. Let's hope it all fizzles out harmlessly and we can go about restructuring our nation without threat of voilence using tools of law, education, vote, transparency and compassion.