Thaksin's Rural Red Shirts Swarm The Capital

[BigBikeBKK]

Was over at Chatujak market and there was a small group of red shirts who were basically just being ignored. The usually bustling market was very quiet today. Shops open, but not many shoppers. The shop owners I spoke to in the market were pretty upset at the Reds for hurting their businesses...

Haven't seen the latest figures on the turnout of Reds. Last one I saw estimated 100,000. I imagine it's grown a bit since then but still it's hardly the 1 million the reds had been promising. If they have such widespread rural support how come such a small turnout? My feeling is that the government need only wait them out. ((remove))

[neverdie]

They will get frustrated. They don't have the majority support or the moral authority to pull off what they are demanding. They do have fermented fish. You figure it out ...

Actually they do have the support, which party got the most votes in the last elections.

But it's based on seats dear liza, dear liza, it's based on seats dear liza.............

[BigBuddha]

The history is full of similar battles the poor masses against the rich elite....somehow Thailand, like the Krakatoa will have its course of explosion. If not this time, justice will take its course... The top will always want to be on top...but usually that is the small minority...the boiling lava is "red" hot and is usually way much more in greater masses ....it will only take time for it to burst..may God forbid that it doesn't become too bloody messy....like in the past, where the corrupt elite and its corrupt bribed judicial system are like black robed vultures tearing apart the "meat" of the poor.

[Big Guy]

The red shirts are in a bind. Without violence they will be ignored.

With violence they will be as discredited as they were as a result of the last Songkran events.

Eventually the bluster will run out.

Next step? Try to negotiate a 'victory' to justify a retreat.

I would agree, the government can wait then out - and where will that leave the reds.

Or they, meaning the paid lackies of Thaksin, can instigate real trouble leading to the bloodshed of innocent people conned into coming to Bangkok in the name of democracy when in actual fact they have been manipulated all for the benefit of one person - namely a convicted criminal named Thaksin and his paid hencemen.

Why is taksin being treated so differntly from every other thai polition, he is no more corrupt than the rest, his party didnt do any more vote buying than the oposition partys or any previous governments, the whole thing the thai people are worried about is that taksin and his supporters are not being dealt with the same as the yellow shirts , after all who was democratically elected in the first place, why weren't their leaders held and prosecuted when they closed the airport, the main concern is that government be fair and open across the board, not one set of rules for one side and another set for the other as seems to be applying at present.

By the way most thai's both red and yellow shirts think the present leader Abisit is okay the problem is that he wasn;t democratically elected.

[neverdie]

Was over at Chatujak market and there was a small group of red shirts who were basically just being ignored. The usually bustling market was very quiet today. Shops open, but not many shoppers. The shop owners I spoke to in the market were pretty upset at the Reds for hurting their businesses...

Haven't seen the latest figures on the turnout of Reds. Last one I saw estimated 100,000. I imagine it's grown a bit since then but still it's hardly the 1 million the reds had been promising. If they have such widespread rural support how come such a small turnout? My feeling is that the government need only wait them out. When they run out of sticky rice and stinky fish they'll pack up and go home. Good riddance.

Well said. This group of people need to go home and get on with their lives, the Red Politicians need to get back to business and look at the future, perhaps prepare for the next elections and Mr Thaksin should concentrate his efforts on private business, his daughters were right, Politics is not for him.

[loong]

I don't really get involved in Thai politics, but Thaksin is probably the only true politician that has been at the helm in history. He Knew to cultivate the rural poor and he did a good job of it.

Having spent most of my time in Thailand in the boonies, I do know that the rural poor love him as he is the first PM to actually do something to improve their lives.

The Thai 'Mai Bpen Rai" attitude prevents most of them from marching on Bangkok.

[scorecard]

They will get frustrated. They don't have the majority support or the moral authority to pull off what they are demanding. They do have fermented fish. You figure it out ...

Actually they do have the support, which party got the most votes in the last elections.

Suggest you rephrase that to:

- Which party bought massive numbers of votes, and

- Which party got dissolved for massive vote buying.

[gemini81]

The red shirts are in a bind. Without violence they will be ignored.

With violence they will be as discredited as they were as a result of the last Songkran events.

Eventually the bluster will run out.

Next step? Try to negotiate a 'victory' to justify a retreat.

Actually the people who are in a bind are the mean spirited and blinkered people who refuse to accept that there has a been a huge response to the red rally, and that so far thank goodness it has been peaceful and good natured.Credit too to Abhisit who has shown a cool head and humanity, as one would expect from someone who is an intelligent and equally importantly a decent human being.This poster seems disappointed there has been no violence to speak of.Perhaps he and others like him will have their wish granted, but I'm praying for a peaceful end.The reds' point has already been made.Some of the reported interviews with individual reds are truly inspiring: no doubt some are there for the handouts and I would guess even more for the fun of it all.But there's an essential seriousness coming through that the greedy and unfair domination of the country must come to an end.

but that will not put an end to "unfair" domination. look at those who run the red party. they also have no one at a local level upcountry, they'll still be handled by elite. i don't know if they are sure what they are fighting or standing for. doesn't appear they do.

[morphem]

They will get frustrated. They don't have the majority support or the moral authority to pull off what they are demanding. They do have fermented fish. You figure it out ...

You're wrong again dude - they have majority support in the country as far as people i know - tuk tuks up here are flying red flags - I have yet to find any yellow fellows outside of BKK and this forum

Same here, even though most thais where i live (Central west thailand) were scared to go to Bangkok, I was amazed to realize nearly 100% of them are for the reds.

Edited March 14, 2010 by morphem

[Wolfie]

Good on the REDS and power to the people.

If 46,000 (according to media) or 300,000 (according to the red leaders) is the best the 'people' can come up with, looks like they are gunna loose Brit...

... You are backing the wrong horse again

[Jimi007]

They will get frustrated. They don't have the majority support or the moral authority to pull off what they are demanding. They do have fermented fish. You figure it out ...

You're wrong again dude - they have majority support in the country as far as people i know - tuk tuks up here are flying red flags - I have yet to find any yellow fellows outside of BKK and this forum

Well let's see, are you in Chang Mai? Thaksin strong hold? Come to southern Thailand and the only red shits they're wearing here are wearing them because it's Sunday! 100,000 people nationally turn up, mostly because they are paid to? What a statement of support!

[britmaveric]

^nah let them do their thing, if things are small as media says then they do not need to worry. However lot of disinformation being spouted, so who really knows?

[Stjohnm]

They will get frustrated. They don't have the majority support or the moral authority to pull off what they are demanding. They do have fermented fish. You figure it out ...

You're wrong again dude - they have majority support in the country as far as people i know - tuk tuks up here are flying red flags - I have yet to find any yellow fellows outside of BKK and this forum

Go South

[nputman]

Despite how vigorous the pro-Thaksin supporters claim no money is changing hands for the supporters, we in the capital don't have to go far to hear from people that have been offered cash to attend - the maid of my last workplace for one.

Turnout directly equates cash. Thaksin is going for it this time.

For sure, so lets hope he REALLY is going for broke this time, and that he REALLY goes broke. Hope springs eternal. However, I fear this is more like one of those zombie horror movies where you keep thinking the monster is finished, but he keeps coming alive for more ...

You mean something siimilar to this,

[favre360]

If Chuwit was prez none a this would be happening.

Try telling him you want a new govt.

[pattayabuggy]

Despite how vigorous the pro-Thaksin supporters claim no money is changing hands for the supporters, we in the capital don't have to go far to hear from people that have been offered cash to attend - the maid of my last workplace for one.

Turnout directly equates cash. Thaksin is going for it this time.

For sure, so lets hope he REALLY is going for broke this time, and that he REALLY goes broke. Hope springs eternal. However, I fear this is more like one of those zombie horror movies where you keep thinking the monster is finished, but he keeps coming alive for more ...

I love that, I laughed so much when I read it. Indeed you are correct.

[granuaile]

They will get frustrated. They don't have the majority support or the moral authority to pull off what they are demanding. They do have fermented fish. You figure it out ...

You're wrong again dude - they have majority support in the country as far as people i know - tuk tuks up here are flying red flags - I have yet to find any yellow fellows outside of BKK and this forum

By contrast I know almost no one who supports them. In fact a number of my friends actively participated in the PAD demonstrations.

[khunjamespittman]

Despite how vigorous the pro-Thaksin supporters claim no money is changing hands for the supporters, we in the capital don't have to go far to hear from people that have been offered cash to attend - the maid of my last workplace for one.

Turnout directly equates cash. Thaksin is going for it this time.

For sure, so lets hope he REALLY is going for broke this time, and that he REALLY goes broke. Hope springs eternal. However, I fear this is more like one of those zombie horror movies where you keep thinking the monster is finished, but he keeps coming alive for more ...

Name calling has never achieved an agreement. You need to swallow your ego and start thinking about all the people of Thailand the well being of Thailand.

Stop the name calling. Initate negotiations between the parties to correct the errors that occured in the past. Work jointly to establish a plan to hold the election that was required ( and is done by all existing legitimate parlimentary governments ) when the court essentially declared no confidence in the previous government but was never held.

Work with international election observeres to have an elections that is overseen and validated by the international election observers. Establish a plan to transparently resolve the problems that inevitably occur in an transparently with the assistance of neutral international advisors.

When such an election is held (hopefully within 3-4 months) it will be accepted by all legitimate governments and all the Thai voter will have spoken their will.

Thailand's international reputation has been hurt by such incidents as finding conflict of interest in a PM having a TV cooking show and disenfranchising a large part of the Thai voting population by throwing the will spoken by the Thai voters with their votes and an elected govrnment. Thailand needs to quickly start to repair its reputationby correcting its errors and working together as a unified goverment for the good of Thailand.

Please start with a little good will and faith and stop the name calling. You may feel powerful by calling nameless people disrepectful names but you are also doing tremendous damage to Thailand name in the community of soverign nations.

Don't be part of the problem! Be part of a new solution!

Regards,

[AugustineB]

I have just left Thailand after six months. I have to say I found the fact that you cannot even speak your mind freely on an internet forum quite an eye opener - remeniscent of Stalins Russia. Of course none of you ex pats can get involved - but I am glad I left. Good luck to all of you who have commitments in Thailand - I hope it works out.

[givenall]

The red shirts are in a bind. Without violence they will be ignored.

With violence they will be as discredited as they were as a result of the last Songkran events.

Eventually the bluster will run out.

Next step? Try to negotiate a 'victory' to justify a retreat.

Just go home no shame in realizing how stupid all these actions are. After all I will show some intelligent

[LuckyLew]

The red shirts are in a bind. Without violence they will be ignored.

With violence they will be as discredited as they were as a result of the last Songkran events.

Eventually the bluster will run out.

Next step? Try to negotiate a 'victory' to justify a retreat.

I would agree, the government can wait then out - and where will that leave the reds.

Or they, meaning the paid lackies of Thaksin, can instigate real trouble leading to the bloodshed of innocent people conned into coming to Bangkok in the name of democracy when in actual fact they have been manipulated all for the benefit of one person - namely a convicted criminal named Thaksin and his paid hencemen.

Why is taksin being treated so differntly from every other thai polition, he is no more corrupt than the rest, his party didnt do any more vote buying than the oposition partys or any previous governments, the whole thing the thai people are worried about is that taksin and his supporters are not being dealt with the same as the yellow shirts , after all who was democratically elected in the first place, why weren't their leaders held and prosecuted when they closed the airport, the main concern is that government be fair and open across the board, not one set of rules for one side and another set for the other as seems to be applying at present.

By the way most thai's both red and yellow shirts think the present leader Abisit is okay the problem is that he wasn;t democratically elected.

Why?

Big Difference

He got caught

He got tried

and he got convicted

next

[pianoman]

They will get frustrated. They don't have the majority support or the moral authority to pull off what they are demanding. They do have fermented fish. You figure it out ...

Actually they do have the support, which party got the most votes in the last elections.

Suggest you rephrase that to:

- Which party bought massive numbers of votes, and

- Which party got dissolved for massive vote buying.

Living in Isaan for the past 8+ years, I can assure you that the "vote buying" happens in every election, but more important, by all parties running.... The villagers just happily take the "baht" from all sides and then vote for whom they actually support anyway...

Pianoman

[yabaaaa]

Red shirts to move through Bangkok Monday AM

BANGKOK: -- Key anti-government red-shirt leader and Puea Thai politician, Jatuporn Promphan, has told a press conference back stage of the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD) rally on Rajdamnoen Avenue that the red-shirts will take their protest on the road Monday morning.

Mr. Jatuporn said the red-shirt movement had demonstrated its ability to mobilize a large number of people, demonstrating there was a large level of dissatisfaction with the current government of Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva.

Though red-shirt leader Veera Musikapong earlier today (March 14) gave the government 24-hours to dissolve parliament and call fresh elections, Mr. Jatuporn said protesters would lay siege to the 11th infantry regiment in Bangkhen district where Mr. Abhisit has set up a “war room” to monitor the protest rally prior to the deadline expiring.

“We will be out the front of Mr. Abhisit’s hiding place by midday unless he agrees to dissolve the parliament and hold elections. We will start moving from here (the Rajdamnoen Avenue rallying area) starting at 9am and by midday will have the [military] base surrounded”, he said.

The comments by Mr. Jatuporn follow speculation the Government will today declare a state of emergency in Bangkok, on top of enacting the Internal Security Act (ISA) last week.

The declaration of a state of emergency will enable the military to take total charge of security in the capital, whereas the ISA only permits the military to assist the police if required.

Earlier today Royal Thai Army spokesman Col Sansern Kaewkamnerd said an additional 20 companies of troops had been sent to protect the 11th Infantry Regiment in Bangkhen district against any invasion by red-shirts.

The 11th infantry regiment is located close to 2006 coup maker and former national army chief Sonthi Boonyaratgalin’s residence.

-- thaivisa.com 2010-03-14

[newsfooter][/newsfooter]

Bangkok Red-shirt rally - Live updates Sunday:

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/Bangkok-Red-...da-t347258.html

I was pleased to see they had enough sticky rice and som tam without this there will be no revolution.

[bwalker1973]

Despite how vigorous the pro-Thaksin supporters claim no money is changing hands for the supporters, we in the capital don't have to go far to hear from people that have been offered cash to attend - the maid of my last workplace for one.

Turnout directly equates cash. Thaksin is going for it this time.

I know quite a few thai's that have left pattaya, and they have informed that they collected 2000 baht for attending, and will get 2000 baht a day till it is over.

So someone must be funding this movement. Since somebody wired 1 billion baht from europe a few weeks ago, they do have plenty of coin. The Anti Money Police are investigating this hugh transfer already.

[beano2274]

Just need to keep them in certain areas, and stop the resupply of food and water, when they have no food and drink they will go home.

There seems to be a lot of Police around the Bangkok Bank, I wonder if any of those so called Red Leaders actually have Bank accounts with that specific Bank.

[ChiangMaiFun]

I don't really get involved in Thai politics, but Thaksin is probably the only true politician that has been at the helm in history. He Knew to cultivate the rural poor and he did a good job of it.

Having spent most of my time in Thailand in the boonies, I do know that the rural poor love him as he is the first PM to actually do something to improve their lives.

The Thai 'Mai Bpen Rai" attitude prevents most of them from marching on Bangkok.

This is TRUE... the silent majority is huge - so we get 300/500 in Krung Thep - then multiply that by 10

if no fear... hold an election... but they will not... doh why?

[Ulysses G.]

The red shirts are in a bind. Without violence they will be ignored.

With violence they will be discredited

Kudos, this is the ultimate truth.

[ChiangMaiFun]

They will get frustrated. They don't have the majority support or the moral authority to pull off what they are demanding. They do have fermented fish. You figure it out ...

You're wrong again dude - they have majority support in the country as far as people i know - tuk tuks up here are flying red flags - I have yet to find any yellow fellows outside of BKK and this forum

Well let's see, are you in Chang Mai? Thaksin strong hold? Come to southern Thailand and the only red shits they're wearing here are wearing them because it's Sunday! 100,000 people nationally turn up, mostly because they are paid to? What a statement of support!

Hmmm well sorry I live in Thailand's second largest City! South? isnt that where the Mussie Wussie bombs are?

[scorecard]

The red shirts are in a bind. Without violence they will be ignored.

With violence they will be as discredited as they were as a result of the last Songkran events.

Eventually the bluster will run out.

Next step? Try to negotiate a 'victory' to justify a retreat.

Actually the people who are in a bind are the mean spirited and blinkered people who refuse to accept that there has a been a huge response to the red rally, and that so far thank goodness it has been peaceful and good natured.Credit too to Abhisit who has shown a cool head and humanity, as one would expect from someone who is an intelligent and equally importantly a decent human being.This poster seems disappointed there has been no violence to speak of.Perhaps he and others like him will have their wish granted, but I'm praying for a peaceful end.The reds' point has already been made.Some of the reported interviews with individual reds are truly inspiring: no doubt some are there for the handouts and I would guess even more for the fun of it all.But there's an essential seriousness coming through that the greedy and unfair domination of the country must come to an end.

but that will not put an end to "unfair" domination. look at those who run the red party. they also have no one at a local level upcountry, they'll still be handled by elite. i don't know if they are sure what they are fighting or standing for. doesn't appear they do.

"Domination" By who? The people who have most dominated the rural people, for several decades, is their own local 'elected' parliamentarians and their local vilage chiefs, who have manipulated (and intimidated) the poor for their own selfish ends and have got very rich in the process.

Take a trip upcountry and see the massive luxurious homes bigger than palaces owned by Esan parliamentarians, numerous expensive cars in the driveway, masses of staff (read servants - treated as servants by their own local now unusually rich bosses). The same people who for decades have done nothing to ensure better / more local infrastrucute, diversification, and done nothing in terms of better education, etc etc.

"Handled by the elite". I suggest you reread the paragraph just above.

Edited March 14, 2010 by scorecard

[neverdie]

I don't really get involved in Thai politics, but Thaksin is probably the only true politician that has been at the helm in history. He Knew to cultivate the rural poor and he did a good job of it.

Having spent most of my time in Thailand in the boonies, I do know that the rural poor love him as he is the first PM to actually do something to improve their lives.

The Thai 'Mai Bpen Rai" attitude prevents most of them from marching on Bangkok.

This is TRUE... the silent majority is huge - so we get 300/500 in Krung Thep - then multiply that by 10

if no fear... hold an election... but they will not... doh why?

Thats politics, they can pick and chose when they hold the next election, it will come in due course, in the mean time, it would seem the reds need to get in touch with what thai people really want.....as they all do.