Why Do People Want To Stop A Peaceful Rally?

[lovelomsak]

There is so much here that is confusing. If one million people wish to rally against a government and can do it peacefuly what is the problem? I feel to challenge them only helps the present government to lose votes in the future. The present government should embrace their right to assembly. Then if it goes amiss the government is as pure as snow and can certainly get support from many that at the present time are sitting on the fence undecided and probably sway many others to them.

Let me give a senario.

Say two respected women from an amphur go to rally to support their belief in free assembly. Through no fault of their own something happens never mind how it happened it happens ok. One or both women are hurt or killed. Remember these are respected women from the amphur.Would it not be possible there would be many people from that amphur that their vote come election would be affected by this?

Or a representive group from a village or amphur is stopped on their way to assemble and told to go home and forced to turn back. What would they relate to the village?

I remember an old 60's saying. Fighting for peace is like (having sexual intercourse) for virginity.

Perhaps it is too late to stop the momentum of what is going on. I just honestly hope it is peaceful not for my sake( I could die tommorrow no one would care ) but for Thailand as whole. I hope cool heads prevail.

Another thing that puzzles me. If there is a hidden agenda of aggression a million people could put up a pretty good fight dont you think? And if you are showing up to fight why assemble?

What is the real fear or does anyone really know?

(a)A fear of violence

(b0 .A fear the rest of the world will see one million people willing to go to the streets to show their displeasure with the present government.

If this post is considered a troll, politically incorrect or anything else that would appear as negative or judgemental in Thai society please remove. I have tried very hard to show my neutral position here these are simply questions taken from observations.

Edited March 11, 2010 by lovelomsak

[Jingthing]

This same group was responsible for Black Songkran. That was violent. They did it. They can't be trusted.

[Moonrakers]

Who's trying to stop it?

[quiksilva]

I don't understand your point, who is stopping people from attending the march?

The government is allowing it to go ahead.

They are however taking steps to prevent violence from breaking out and to minimise potential disruption to residents, businesses, and public services.

All seems very reasonable to me.

[wolf5370]

The problem is that a] there have been threats of violence (even as far as terrorist-like threats like blowing things up) b] last time it was not peaceful and there was much damage, threats and loss of life (and if it hadn't been for the cool response of the Army there would have been a lot more of all the above) and c] the propaganda machine would make it that the two women in your story were attacked/murdered/whatever by yellows/cops/government troops/again whatever - look at last year when the red propaganda was telling the world that the troops had opened fire and thousands were injured or dead. Even the two that were killed by thugs the red's put about that they were killed by yellows dressed as reds!

A lot of posts draw similarities between the yellows taking over the airport (continually) - however you feel about it, it was the mismanagement by the authorities and the government that allowed it to get to that stage - the present government is keen not to make the same mistake and are trying (so it would seem) to allow the gathering, but limit its options as to swelling numbers with enforced participation (like immigrant workers being forced to attend) and violence.

[britmaveric]

Reds will be fine, what I find disturbing is all the propaganda being pushed by the establishment and of course certain media outlets which is stirring up things.

[Jingthing]

Reds will be fine, what I find disturbing is all the propaganda being pushed by the establishment and of course certain media outlets which is stirring up things.

Like Black Songkran fine, or delusional fine?

[Naam]

"If one million people wish to rally against a government and can do it peacefuly what is the problem?"

PRAISE THE LORD! a prophet has spoken and predicted a "peaceful" rally

[britmaveric]

Reds will be fine, what I find disturbing is all the propaganda being pushed by the establishment and of course certain media outlets which is stirring up things.

Like Black Songkran fine, or delusional fine?

Or the violent yellows in Black Swampy days?

[PhilHarries]

If one million people wish to rally against a government and can do it peacefuly what is the problem?

Because something like 59 million don't want to rally and a sizeable proportion of those would like to go about their daily lives without impediment, and that's ignoring the almost certain outbreaks of violence/loutish behaviour.

Here's hoping for the mother of all tropical storms to spring up and dampen their fireworks.

[Moonrakers]

Reds will be fine, what I find disturbing is all the propaganda being pushed by the establishment and of course certain media outlets which is stirring up things.

Like Black Songkran fine, or delusional fine?

Or the violent yellows in Black Swampy days?

A weak and predictable tactic Brit. This is a discussion about the reds, not the yellows.

[britmaveric]

Same Same but different colour shirt!

Let's hope for a peaceful rally of epic proportions.

[SeanMoran]

Reds will be fine, what I find disturbing is all the propaganda being pushed by the establishment and of course certain media outlets which is stirring up things.

Like Black Songkran fine, or delusional fine?

Or the violent yellows in Black Swampy days?

A weak and predictable tactic Brit. This is a discussion about the reds, not the yellows.

Wrong.

[kurtgruen]

You want to know why, watch how peacefully Red Shirts have assembled in the past....

http://www.tannetwork.tv/tan/ViewVideo.aspx?DataID=1025314

[thaicbr]

You want to know why, watch how peacefully Red Shirts have assembled in the past....

http://www.tannetwork.tv/tan/ViewVideo.aspx?DataID=1025314

That is all well and good. But do not forget that Tan Network is part of Sondthi's ASTV. So yellow shirt. Hence every shot is of carnage and does not show the party that most red shirts attend.

Ps I do not like either outfit. I feel that normal Thai people are being manipulated by the rich and famous (infamous)

[473geo]

Those that are doing Ok.......don't require or wish for change........some will actively protect their own interests.........all under the guise of making sure any representations are (stifled and muted) peaceful of course.....happens all over the world...........

On the other hand wherever there are gatherings of large numbers of people there is potential for dangerous and illegal actions, and that must be managed for the general good.

[hammered]

Whne you have a a protest there is always a balance between protecting the rights of the protestors and protecting the rights of those who happen to live where the protest will be held.

As the group involved have previously been violent and some of their leaders have made public threats of violence the government are pressured to make sure protection is provided for the locals while also allowing the demo to go on.

[asiawatcher]

I remember when there were strikes in my country and the Premier made a point of saying "you have the right to protest... no issue". After the first day and interruption to businesses and some scuffles he made a second statement at 0900 the following morning. "Okay you have had your protest now go back to work. I will not have 600 people hold a state and its 3M people to ransom. If you do not go back to work I will print all your names and addresses in this evening edition of the news papers." They were all back at work by 4:00pm.

Maybe that is a bit extreme but it worked and right now you have people being incited to riot (and violence of any nature will destroy their cause anyway) but those urging the demonstrations are hiding behind the use of the word 'democracy' and are doing this all for self serving interests. It will do no good for Thailand for yet another year. Let the economic fallout begin.

Takky - you have lost - you can't come home, the press has not been telling the Thai people about the 136Bn you had confiscated in UK apart from the 76Bn here so I can't understand why Cambodia would like you as a financial advisor. You would be the worst example of funds mismanagement and ignorance of law (having read your thesis) I have ever seen. And from what I understand, from some reliable sources, you may well come to Cambodia but down the track, true to form, Hun Sen is likely to do a sweetheart deal with Thailand in exchange for you so you can run, but you can't hide - your days are numbered!

Edited March 13, 2010 by asiawatcher

[kurtgruen]

MCOT: Red Shirt protesters from Northern and Northern provinces break through Angthong checkpoint, lost patience cueing for police search

MCOT: UDD opening main stage at 3pm, will demand dissolution of parliament; if government does not act it will block all road in Bangkok: Weng

Well, I think there goes your peaceful rally. Running checkpoints, threatening to block all roads in Bangkok. If they don't start the violence themselves, they are sure asking for it. "Hit me, beat me, make me look like the victim"

[jdinasia]

Reds will be fine, what I find disturbing is all the propaganda being pushed by the establishment and of course certain media outlets which is stirring up things.

Like Black Songkran fine, or delusional fine?

Or the violent yellows in Black Swampy days?

Different government And yes the peaceful yellows (but only by comparison to the reds)! But this thread isn't about the yellows

[pooket]

I think the person that started this thread lives in a dream world (or maybe a bottle of whiskey).

These protestors are being paid to be there, just like they were paid to vote for Taksin. This isn't about freedom of speech, it's about PAYING people to disrupt a whole country because of what happened to one man's assets. Thai professionals I've talked to in Bangkok don't care about yellow shirt's or red shirt's rights. They "just want the country to move forward". They're sick of all this nonsense. They see their country getting its butt kicked economically by Vietnam and the Philippines, and they're probably embarassed.

This weekend is all about MONEY. That's it, nothing else, MONEY!

[Jingthing]

I think the person that started this thread lives in a dream world (or maybe a bottle of whiskey).

These protestors are being paid to be there, just like they were paid to vote for Taksin. This isn't about freedom of speech, it's about PAYING people to disrupt a whole country because of what happened to one man's assets. Thai professionals I've talked to in Bangkok don't care about yellow shirt's or red shirt's rights. They "just want the country to move forward". They're sick of all this nonsense. They see their country getting its butt kicked economically by Vietnam and the Philippines, and they're probably embarassed.

This weekend is all about MONEY. That's it, nothing else, MONEY!

Exactly. And what ONE MAN is holding Thailand back from moving forward? Thaksin, of course. Is he worth it? Apparently there is still a noisy, violent minority that believes so (or are willing to be paid to seem like they believe so). How can this one greedy, corrupt, anti-democratic convicted fugitive be stopped from crippling an entire country?

[473geo]

I think the person that started this thread lives in a dream world (or maybe a bottle of whiskey).

These protestors are being paid to be there, just like they were paid to vote for Taksin. This isn't about freedom of speech, it's about PAYING people to disrupt a whole country because of what happened to one man's assets. Thai professionals I've talked to in Bangkok don't care about yellow shirt's or red shirt's rights. They "just want the country to move forward". They're sick of all this nonsense. They see their country getting its butt kicked economically by Vietnam and the Philippines, and they're probably embarassed.

This weekend is all about MONEY. That's it, nothing else, MONEY!

Exactly. And what ONE MAN is holding Thailand back from moving forward? Thaksin, of course. Is he worth it? Apparently there is still a noisy, violent minority that believes so (or are willing to be paid to seem like they believe so). How can this one greedy, corrupt, anti-democratic convicted fugitive be stopped from crippling an entire country?

Politics is about money.............unless you are naive enough to accept that donors to political parties have absolutely nothing to gain by doing so.....

[gregb]

Why do those airport security personnel try to stop those peaceful hijackers from getting on the plane?

This is about security. The Reds, a confirmed violent faction through previous demonstrations, have made their intentions known to assemble. If the government fails to take actions to assure the safety of its citizens, it is being intentionally negligent and will naturally be accused of malfeasance. The Reds can gripe and moan all they want, just like people gripe and moan going through security at the airport.

But in the end, those checks are there as a best effort attempt to assure the safety of all passengers. And yes, that means you have to arrive at an airport 3 hours early and can't take your time bombs and guns in your carry on luggage.

The government is not trying to stop a peaceful rally. In fact, they are doing everything they can to assure a peaceful rally takes place. They are also trying to assure the rights of the citizens of Thailand, and doing their best to thwart the selfish attempts of a red mob and Thaksin in general from instigating harm to the Thai people. The Reds should stop complaining and simply accept it was their own previously abhorrent actions which have given rise to the security protocols currently being implemented.

This is not an over reaction. The government is showing remarkable restraint in my opinion. In fact, I think they are being entirely too lenient given what is at stake. The title of this thread is disingenuous at best.

[Cayenne]

No one is stopping 1 million people from rallying here (I seriously doubt they can get even half that much anyway). But, like all rallies they must also respect the rights of people who live here as well, such as not blocking traffic, not setting LPG trucks on fire, etc. Is this a little too much to ask?

[frodo]

No one is stopping 1 million people from rallying here (I seriously doubt they can get even half that much anyway). But, like all rallies they must also respect the rights of people who live here as well, such as not blocking traffic, not setting LPG trucks on fire, etc. Is this a little too much to ask?

Not at all. Actually, there was an article in the media yesterday that stated the government would even help provide free transportation to those that wished to protest from nearby provinces. The government has gone out of their way to accommodate the protesters, and all they ask in return is for it to be peaceful and nonviolent. Nothing wrong with that whatsoever, and I applaud Abhisit for the way he is handling this delicate time. I see this as a new style of governing that Thailand has not seen.

Unfortunately, the leaders of UDD/DADD still want the old style politics and are willing to go to any length to achieve this. Threats, intimidation, money, payoffs, etc. While I respect the right to protest, I personally do not respect any of the leaders or what they really stand for. All of them have made it very clear their intentions, while some have gone as far as advocating violence.

One side being very accommodating, yet firm against lawlessness. Another side making threats and advocating violence if they don't get their way.

Time will tell.

[greasergirl]

the best is to wait some days, it seems a long way to democracy ....................

[Travel2003]

I dont think anyone wants to stop the rally.

The PM has stated numerous of times that they can do this.

One problem however, is how to handle such big masses.

Most countries in the world have rules and regulations regarding demonstrations/rallys.

The demonstration/rally can go on as long as it does not affect society in such a way that it is a potential danger to other people, property, and infrastructure.

Personally, I can just imagine how much this rally has (and will) damaged the economy in BKK already, by forcing small and bigger shops (and malls) to close.

I doubt the staff in the various shops will get paid when they are off.

Smaller ships might be closed for good, and staff lose their jobs.

The roads are crowded and the traffic flow went to an almost stop, most likely resulting in delayed deliveries by the various trucks on the roads.

At least the drivers get some rest, and the workers cleaning up all the shit will get some extra overtime.