Reuters Is Garbage, Pro-red Shirt Propaganda

[Cnxforever]

LOL, this is just priceless!!! People get their eyes on unbiased news from respected internatioinal sources like Reuters, BBC and CNN, so without the daily spin that the local English language dailies add into the mix, and then it's actually perceived as biased!!

Hint: unbiased sources were out there all along, if you stick with the likes of The Nation long enough, eventually you'll start believing the stuff they dream up..

Bravo - I couldn't agree more!!!

there is so much information out there - unbiased - and the reporters can actually research and write the truth without being threatened with imprisonment.

Instead of The Nation I read "Not The Nation" now - the information is more accurate than in most Thai news "inventions" - and it gives me a great laugh!!!

I love their piece about Thaksin and the Thai press!!

[lovelomsak]

Your point is?

The present government was not elected, elections should be held, at least then it will be a democratically elected government.

Stop this

The present government was elected. People can say otherwise all they want and it won't change that FACT.

So when was this election ? I thought it was court decided.

[paymaster]

Your point is?

The present government was not elected, elections should be held, at least then it will be a democratically elected government.

The repeated concept that the current Govt was not elected is absolute folly. At the time of the election it is true that

the democrats were in opposition. Then due to court decisions and pressure from peaceful demonstrations the governing

coalition, in which Phuea Thai were the major party, broke down. As happens in all democracies a new coalition was formed from "elected" people and parties. Hence a new and legitimate government is formed as would happen all

over the democratic world.

[lovelomsak]

Thie copy from yahoo.ca frontpage on website Is this propagnada or fact?

quote

Thailand was plagued by political upheaval in 2008 when yellow-shirted protesters who opposed Thaksin's allies in the previous government occupied the prime minister's office for three months and then blockaded Bangkok's international airport until a court ousted the government.

[anotherpeter]

Your point is?

The present government was not elected, elections should be held, at least then it will be a democratically elected government.

Stop this

The present government was elected. People can say otherwise all they want and it won't change that FACT.

So when was this election ? I thought it was court decided.

The MPs that sit in government today were all elected in the 2007 election (or subsequent by-elections). The PPP party was disbanded. PPP and Democrat (and other) MPs were banned. The PPP MPs not banned (most of them) moved to different parties. The smaller parties that had previously formed a coalition with the PPP, now formed a coalition with the Democrats. They are all elected MPs.

[Zolt]

What, you hadn't heard already? Thaksin has bought them all, Reuters, AFP, CNN, Times... they're all on his payroll, through foreign lobbyists and dummy companies, conspiring to ruin Thailand's national image and tourism revenue.

By the way he also invented AIDS and SARS from his secret laboratories in Cambodia. There's just NO END to the man's guile.

Old news.

[Ulysses G.]

Your point is?

The present government was not elected, elections should be held, at least then it will be a democratically elected government.

What's the benefit of a democracy...

[anotherpeter]

Your point is?

The present government was not elected, elections should be held, at least then it will be a democratically elected government.

What's the benefit of a democracy if a small majority of voters are stupid, uneducated and supersticious dog, rat, bat and insect eating grassroots who let themselves being indoctrinated by a charismatic idiot and listen to the wrong radiostations, you really think this kind of 'democracy' can bring positive, economic developments to a country ?

You could probably say that about any fledgling democracy. It's a learning process.

[jayjayjayjay]

A hard measure of slant is the column inches devoted to one side, and not the other. This article is very uneven. Second, the writer uses 'man on the street' statements to give voice to the side he wants to project. This was called 'catapult the propaganda' by Bush.

The article fails to mention Thaksin's conviction, corruption, etc. This is a HUGE omission.

The article does not inform about what sparked this "protest" - the seizure of Mr T's funds.

The article doesn't explain that "protesters" are getting paid to protest.

If someone thinks this is fair and balanced, you are certainly susceptible to propaganda, though likely very smart and generally have conservative leanings by now. You likely have good memory and great knowledge, but are blinded by over confidence and not open to new information.

I see articles from Thailand and see that they are unbalanced from the Yellow side. I see what propaganda has done to my beloved home country and it's dam_n sad. Look what has happened. Hate to see the same BS spread about Thailand by the same interests.

Boo Hoo

[bacchanal]

Source: Reuters, by Jason Szep

foreign reporting, from the large, reputable agencies, usually is not biased and it's refreshing to have some different opinions from the different perspectives.

- they have access to information

Yes, must be lots of access to key Thai insiders.... in Boston.

An amusing find:

Reuters

Journalist Profile

Jason Szep

Bureau Chief, Boston

[bacchanal]

I for one, would love to see how many yellow shirt supporters would gather in somewhere like Chiang Mai,for instance, if this was the case. And who would pay them to go there. Suspect the numbers would be insignificantly small, in the hundreds, not thousands.

I think you're right. The thuggish red shirts in Chiang Mai have certainly demonstrated a proven record of intolence and intimidation with a propensity to violence. That's something be proud of, I suppose, if that sort of thing is what appeals to you.

[WeeGB]

Yet another multiple post deleted - sorry again folks!!!

Edited March 15, 2010 by WeeGB

[WeeGB]

Another multiple post deleted. Think my computers on the blink - aologies to one and all.

Edited March 15, 2010 by WeeGB

[cdnvic]

Stop the bickering now. Three posts deleted in the name of peace.

[CWMcMurray]

The current government is technically a democratically elected government, but if looked at fairly, it does seem that the courts were packed with anti-taksin members by the Army after the coup. It is also felt by many that the courts would have continued to disbar/disband and kick out governments/politicians until the Democrats came into power.

In the end it is very likely that the other co-alition members could see the same and many may have switched their allegiance accordingly in order to make sure that they were on the winning side at the end, otherwise they may have been the next who where thrown out of their jobs at the next inevitable court case.

After all, if a PM can be thrown out of office for being on a cooking show, no one is safe...

So in this case while technically they were brought into power through a democratic process, many believe that they did not follow the "spirit" of democracy.

I think that the view above is what is felt by many in the foreign press and it is why they do tend to sympethize with the Reds.

I also think that this has gone well passed the issue of Taksin in the minds of many of the protesters and in order to move forward the present government will need to realize that it is less about Taksin and more about voters who feel that they have been marginalized.

The forst step is to realize that the Red protesters are not just backward/uneducated and stupid.... they are real people with real concerns . If the present government can convince them that they are interested in helping the rural poor, they could likely gain the support of many of the same people who are currently protesting.

[scorecard]

The current government is technically a democratically elected government, but if looked at fairly, it does seem that the courts were packed with anti-taksin members by the Army after the coup. It is also felt by many that the courts would have continued to disbar/disband and kick out governments/politicians until the Democrats came into power.

In the end it is very likely that the other co-alition members could see the same and many may have switched their allegiance accordingly in order to make sure that they were on the winning side at the end, otherwise they may have been the next who where thrown out of their jobs at the next inevitable court case.

After all, if a PM can be thrown out of office for being on a cooking show, no one is safe...

So in this case while technically they were brought into power through a democratic process, many believe that they did not follow the "spirit" of democracy.

I think that the view above is what is felt by many in the foreign press and it is why they do tend to sympethize with the Reds.

I also think that this has gone well passed the issue of Taksin in the minds of many of the protesters and in order to move forward the present government will need to realize that it is less about Taksin and more about voters who feel that they have been marginalized.

The forst step is to realize that the Red protesters are not just backward/uneducated and stupid.... they are real people with real concerns . If the present government can convince them that they are interested in helping the rural poor, they could likely gain the support of many of the same people who are currently protesting.

In regard to your last two paragraphs I see a different perspective.

I would agree that many Thais see that change is urgently needed, and one valid example is a much better spread of wealth for all Thais, plus a society where a much larger percentage of the whole poulation has access to better education and better / broader opportunities, and equal and fair justice for all Thais regardless of personal background. I don't see any argument on this point.

And how can that be achieved? Two forces:

- A new brand of politician and I see Abhisit and Korn as the leaders of this movement.

- All Thais standing up to the poo yai (including large numbers of them in the rural areas) and demanding change, not voting for the old style politicians (read thugs and leeches), stop selling their votes, and stop being manipulated. However to gain any ground this needs to be organized, to be a credible and rational group.

- I cannot ever agree that the red shirts are that force. Never. They have absolutely no credibility whatever as a force for defined social change or for better democracy. In fact in many ways they are just the opposite.

[SpoliaOpima]

.... always claiming the Red movement is not a real democratic movement.

I think these two youtube vids demonstrate clearly what most of the Red support is about.

I witnessed the same tactics over the weekend in Bangkok (Saphan Khwai) and in Ayuthaya.

[CWMcMurray]

I would agree that many Thais see that change is urgently needed, and one valid example is a much better spread of wealth for all Thais, plus a society where a much larger percentage of the whole poulation has access to better education and better / broader opportunities, and equal and fair justice for all Thais regardless of personal background. I don't see any argument on this point.

And how can that be achieved? Two forces:

- A new brand of politician and I see Abhisit and Korn as the leaders of this movement.

- All Thais standing up to the poo yai (including large numbers of them in the rural areas) and demanding change, not voting for the old style politicians (read thugs and leeches), stop selling their votes, and stop being manipulated. However to gain any ground this needs to be organized, to be a credible and rational group.

I completely agree with your points above and I hope that you are correct asbout Abhisit and Korn.

[Ulysses G.]

.... always claiming the Red movement is not a real democratic movement.

I think these two youtube vids demonstrate clearly what most of the Red support is about.

You forgot to show the yellows doing the exact same thing.

[SpoliaOpima]

Irrelevant, UG. Just because another party is doing something wrong doesn't mean it's alright. I'm not in favor of the PAD buying demonstrators either (if true, haven't seen any comparable evidence),

[anotherpeter]

Your point is?

The present government was not elected, elections should be held, at least then it will be a democratically elected government.

Stop this

The present government was elected. People can say otherwise all they want and it won't change that FACT.

So when was this election ? I thought it was court decided.

lovelomsak ... you're always asking that same question ... even after you are given the answers so many times.

look here http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/Abhisit-Legi...in-t347392.html That should give you an answer to your question so you don't need to keep asking it.

If there is something incorrect, point us to the correct information.

[Ulysses G.]

Irrelevant, UG. Just because another party is doing something wrong doesn't mean it's alright.

How about EVERY other party?

[britmaveric]

Funny how when the yellows were doing it you didnt hear a peep from the same people that are fervently denouncing the same behaviour of the reds.

[anotherpeter]

Funny how when the yellows were doing it you didnt hear a peep from the same people that are fervently denouncing the same behaviour of the reds.

Sorry ... I wasn't posting then.

Were there any people posting saying the Yellows were correct in what they were doing?

[ivowatson]

.... always claiming the Red movement is not a real democratic movement.

I think these two youtube vids demonstrate clearly what most of the Red support is about.

You forgot to show the yellows doing the exact same thing.

Show it yourself! It's your claim.

[Ulysses G.]

Many of the same people that are bashing the reds now, justified what the yellows were doing and denied that they were violent despite the VDOs on YouTube. Some folks are very selective with their "facts".

Edited March 15, 2010 by Ulysses G.

[citizen33]

Talk about an 'inside the laager' mentality! Yes. yes, of course, Reuters, the Economist. the London Times, the Straits Times and most of the mainstream press are hopelessly biased. Almost all educated opinion in the West is the same. Clearly if one doesn't live in Phuket, Pattaya or off the Sukhumvit Road one has little chance of understanding the truth. It would be very interesting to study the social demographics of the core TV constituency - I'd guess it prefers Fox News to the BBC.

[ivowatson]

Many of the same people that are bashing the reds now, justified what the yellows were doing and denied that they were violent despite the VDOs on YouTube. Some folks are very selective with their "facts".

So, what do you mean. You're hopeless with YouTube? Doesn't matter, So am I. Just give the link.

Edited March 15, 2010 by ivowatson

[Ulysses G.]

Clearly if one doesn't live in Phuket, Pattaya or off the Sukhumvit Road one has little chance of understanding the truth.

Don't forget soi Nana!

[lannarebirth]

Yes. yes, of course, Reuters, the Economist. the London Times, the Straits Times and most of the mainstream press are hopelessly biased.

I think that's right. Most all give a corporatist, globalist slant and were very strong advocates of Thaksin when he first burst on the scene. Whether they haven't really checked back since, or support the spin that furthers their own globalist agendas is anyone's guess.