Red Shirts Plan Intensified Protest In Bangkok : Saturday

[Who, me ?]

If this reuters report is correct then this is the big one.

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSSGE62Q00R20100327

In which regard?

confrontation and win or lose that came from the stage speech.

Interesting in response to the win and lose rhetoric used on the red stage, Suthep came back with this is not about winners and losers.

you're right ! Next few hours will tell if the leaders do still have control....

[frodo]

One UDD propaganda site is claiming that reds are being now being attacked by yellow shirts. This site does cry wolf a lot. We'll see if this is true or not.

[hammered]

If this reuters report is correct then this is the big one.

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSSGE62Q00R20100327

In which regard?

confrontation and win or lose that came from the stage speech.

Interesting in response to the win and lose rhetoric used on the red stage, Suthep came back with this is not about winners and losers.

you're right ! Next few hours will tell if the leaders do still have control....

Bangkok Dan who Im not sure we can link to has some intersting comments on the latest strategy of the reds.

Edited to add: it will soon be time for the UDD to pull the reds back to the main stage if this follows previous rallies.

Edited March 27, 2010 by hammered

[siampolee]

It seems from the news reports that I have seen and heard that THE BRAVE RED SHIRT LEADERS have lined the FRONT RANKS of their march with WOMEN AND CHILDREN ALONG WITH MONKS (?).

Indeed it speaks volumes as to the true face of THE LIBERATORS OF THE WORKERS they sit calmy at the back out of harms way and are happily placing innocents in the front to fight a battle that they the leaders don't have the balls to fight.

Thaksin and his toadying acolytes are seen in their true self protective colours around the world.

COWARDLY CORRUPT SELF SERVING CREATURES.

The military are to be congratulated on the way the matter has been handled.

Pity Thaksin didn't employ such tactics at Tak Bai

[otherstuff1957]

And don't forget Arisaman's bullet-proof vest!

[siampolee]

Hopefully said vest is a copy and won't be effective

[frodo]

Bangkok Dan who Im not sure we can link to has some intersting comments on the latest strategy of the reds.

Edited to add: it will soon be time for the UDD to pull the reds back to the main stage if this follows previous rallies.

Yes, time for the chickens to finally come home and roost.

[ovaltina]

I didn't know that Guinness Book had a Record for "turning a vibrant and popular developing nation, into a stone-age disaster zone in the shortest time."

If there already is such a record, the Red's are on track for beating it.

Wish I'd brought my pom-poms for this great record-breaking event. Hooray, congratulations etc.

[animatic]

It seems from the news reports that I have seen and heard that THE BRAVE RED SHIRT LEADERS have lined the FRONT RANKS of their march with WOMEN AND CHILDREN ALONG WITH MONKS (?).

Indeed it speaks volumes as to the true face of THE LIBERATORS OF THE WORKERS they sit calmy at the back out of harms way and are happily placing innocents in the front to fight a battle that they the leaders don't have the balls to fight.

Thaksin and his toadying acolytes are seen in their true self protective colours around the world.

COWARDLY CORRUPT SELF SERVING CREATURES.

The military are to be congratulated on the way the matter has been handled.

Pity Thaksin didn't employ such tactics at Tak Bai

Yes, but in a 'propaganda war'

those are exactly the kinds of faces and people that

you would want injured and killed:

women children and monks...

attacked by 'vicious army thugs',

putting down a legitimate attempt

at winning Democracy' for the common people.

Put into sound bites with spin this IS the exact group you want in the front line.

And you can not SPIN it if your talking heads are injured or under arrest for insurrection....

Except most all can SEE this group moving heaven and earth to find a way

to provoke the army, and not succeeding...

Yes the army is defanging this latest Red gambit by avoiding confrontation.

All Thais can see them AVOIDING the confrontation as the Reds madly try

to chase them around the city. They couldn't get a rise from a huge army group last week,

so now try to scare a small group into making a mistake from being surrounded,

but then the small group is quickly pulled back... ooops NO TARGET.

With the side effect of any damage cause is PURELY by Reds doing it.

Meanwhile the hearts of Bangkok Somchais are getting worn down by the incessant noise and hassle.

[webfact]

Related topic:

Thai troops retreat in face of 80,000 protesters

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/Thai-Troops-...-P-t350934.html

[siampolee]

The tactics being employed by the authorities are indeed superb at this moment in time. Indeed my hope is that such tactics are adhered to when the Red Shirt brigade cannon fodder have occupied all the areas targeted then the Red Shirt leadership (?) have to act as men not paper tigers or men of straw.

What a hollow victory it will be when there is nothing to hold onto and Somcahi and Porntip in the street start to get annoyed because they as innocent people are being severely affected by the protest. that is the time that the boys in red will face their biggest battle and they will find that that battle is going to be an un-winnable battle.

People Power will come to the forefront not Thaksin Power, getting to the top is easy, staying there is indeed another matter, alienate the common man and woman and the cause is lost.

A divided house is easily entered.

[ovaltina]

I really don't understand how you can continue to discuss a political situation in an environment where many important issues are censored. This discussion is beginning to sound like a scratched record stuck on the "Thakin's a bad man" track.

Get yourselves into one of the free speech arenas where the red shirt supporters have much heavier artillery.

How long do you think my 'free speech', and my life, would last if I stood in a group of the hardline Red's and pointed out that Thaksin stole $2+ billion from their country & is certainly a criminal, and a self-obsessed primadonna. Even as a statement of fact, I doubt I would go home afterwards.

What Thaksin isn't or is, scratched record or otherwise, is irrelevant.The question today is ; will Thailand be a more equal, & internationally prosperous land, after a major violent upheaval & the resulting chaos & collapse of law & order. Because one thing you can be sure of, during the actual toppling of the current government, the chaos provides one big opportunity for crooks of any/no colour to plunder whatever money remains in the coffers.

Will bombs, injuries & fatalities and an increase in mistrust & division between neighbours, lead to a better or worse society? I think not. Reds marching off home, having been greeted in a friendly manner for the last two weeks & made their point, to resume grassroots projects at home & waiting for the current Govt. plans for democratic redistribution to proceed slowly, is a better idea imo.

[bangon04]

Hmm, yesterday they had a mass head shaving. And today, according to the news updates:

BANGKOK: -- Red-shirts to use monks to lead procession to force soldiers to return to barracks at 5-6 key locations;incl Nang Leng race track, Wat Kae Nang Leng, Wat Bovornniwet, Wat Tri Tossathep, Wat Makut, Wat Sommanat Viharn, Panich Phra Nakhon University and Dusit Zoo.

I wonder how many orange robes were bought recently?

The motorcycle taxi drivers are getting confused with monks??

[bangon04]

Thaksin on sacrifice, not his:

Sour Grapes: Thaksin calls for turmoil

Asia one news

Thailand's ousted prime minister, Thaksin Shinawatra, now living in exile to avoid a jail sentence for corruption, regularly encourages the red-shirted protesters in Bangkok via video-link. On Thursday he even raised the prospect of a campaign of civil disobedience if Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva continues to refuse demands to dissolve parliament.

"I pledge [sic] all of you to come out in force and fight peacefully. If they won't listen to us, then we will begin civil disobedience as [indian independence hero] Gandhi did to win against Britain…. If it is necessary we will have to do this. It's time for you to make sacrifices - don't be afraid," he said.

Interesting use of language - "WE will have to do this. It's time for YOU to make sacrifices"

Surely we all remember Ghandhi sipping iced coffee and eating cake in Monaco during the struggle for Indian independence.....

[mazeltov]

if a banned party party executive was also a MP he left an empty seat in the parliament.

empty seats of a constituency vote MP got refilled with by-elections.

'proportional vote seats' not. 10 or 11 seats (of the total 80 proportional seats) are now empty. Somchai Wongsawat, for example, had such party list seat. so currently the parliament has only 469/470 members instead of the original 480.

According to the Thai Parliament Website, there are currently 475 MPs.

or that implies that the thai parliament website isn't up to date. and/or not that accurate.

check the list in english and in thai:

http://mp.parliament.go.th/biographical/fr...onList_Eng.aspx

http://mp.parliament.go.th/biographical/fr...PersonList.aspx

how sure you are with your 475? is it just fresh google information or knowledge?

i have only a weak memory.

The Thai version of the list has 475 names, each with a party affiliation. It's dated 1 July, 2551, which I think was after the most recent by-election.

I may be wrong, but I would generally trust the Thai page over the English page.

MP list in Thai

that is 1 july 2008 a time where Samak was still in office. (and it is the date for the start of the visitor counter)

anyway, thanks for your try to help out. unfortunately a lot of these state official websites aren't well updated or administrated and you always have to double check.

[frodo]

Just read Thaksin's phone in. The bottom line is that this protest is not about democracy, it's all about Thaksin and his ill gotten money. What a shame that people continue to be fooled by this pseudo-democracy movement.

"Red shirt brothers, don't negotiate for me (for my money) tomorrow. Let it be purely about Thailand." Thaksin

[Sunderland]

Well they all sound like they are off to "Ra sip-et" tomorrow ... so gonna be fun and games on Phaholyothin Road tomorrow morning.

Have a feeling the 'end game' is coming soon. Tomorrow will be a big day. Massive success or massive failure for the red shirts depending on strategy (if any) adopted by both sides.

Expecting the red shirts to "surround" the base a little bit longer than last time.

Isn't Mark off on his travels on Monday?

I suppose he can just jump in his helicopter again if he doesn't feel like talking to the 'peasants' causing a disturbance on his doorstep.

[yoshiwara]

Well they all sound like they are off to "Ra sip-et" tomorrow ... so gonna be fun and games on Phaholyothin Road tomorrow morning.

Have a feeling the 'end game' is coming soon. Tomorrow will be a big day. Massive success or massive failure for the red shirts depending on strategy (if any) adopted by both sides.

Expecting the red shirts to "surround" the base a little bit longer than last time.

Isn't Mark off on his travels on Monday?

I suppose he can just jump in his helicopter again if he doesn't feel like talking to the 'peasants' causing a disturbance on his doorstep.

The reds are a bit like Sunderland Football Club.

Always living in a fantasy land of hopeful glory.

And never achieving it.

More of the same tomorrow.

[way2muchcoffee]

Just read Thaksin's phone in. The bottom line is that this protest is not about democracy, it's all about Thaksin and his ill gotten money. What a shame that people continue to be fooled by this pseudo-democracy movement.

"Red shirt brothers, don't negotiate for me (for my money) tomorrow. Let it be purely about Thailand." Thaksin

Yes. I read that too. I thought it was a brilliant speech. It distanced the red movement from Thaksin's personal circumstances. It struck all the right chords. It was clearly well-planned and rehearsed. This chess game is becoming interesting.

Of course it is all much more than a chess game. The country of Thailand is facing major challenges socially and politically. It will be fascinating to watch how this all plays out. I really do hope the best for Thailand and the Thai people. We expats sometimes like to complain about our Thai hosts. But in the end we chose to be here. We are choosing to be here every day. Despite all the affronts to our sense and sensibilities we love it here, or most of us do anyway.

What is happening is cause for great concern. As expats we do have a stake in what happens here. We have wives, children, homes, careers, businesses. We are willingly entangled. The family I married into is from Issan. I accept them and they accept me. They are my family. They are also poor. They work hard and earn very little. Who can look around and not see the obvious suffering of the majority of the Thai people? The economic and social inequities are staggering. The injustice is overwhelming. The poorer classes have a right to feel abused and humiliated and angry. It is only natural for them to demand improvements. They haven't had the benefit of an industrial age or labor unions, not in any real sense. Their collective experience is that Thaksin helped and empowered them. He gave them dignity and pride in a society that robs them of it daily. This is especially true of the people of Issan. They love him simply and unconditionally. And most of their friends, family, and neighbors from the village feel the same way.

And now Thaksin is calling for a class war. He is, in his speech today, appearing to sacrifice his own interests for the interest of them, the poor and downtrodden. This is a powerful gesture and it will resonate strongly in the hearts of many Thai people. But it's frightening to me. Not because I don't sympathize with the cause of the large majority of the redshirts, but because I believe they are being misled. I fear what they will do while under Thaksin's spell, and I fear what they will do when the curtain is finally pulled back and they see the truth of what Thaksin and the redshirt leaders represent.

But then again I could be wrong. Perhaps this movement will lead to something more than what it's leaders originally intended or envisioned. Perhaps something has been awakened in the obscenely large group of politically, economically, and socially marginalized people here, and it cannot be put back to sleep. Many millions of people are glued to red TV and red community radio stations almost 24/7. I saw a redshirt caravan today. The people participating were jubilant. One can only hope that the momentum of these demonstrations builds and leads to positive changes for the people, whichever political party controls the government. And most importantly, one can hope that as the various social classes in Thailand thrash it all out, not too much harm will come to not too many people. Because I know that the jubilance I saw today is the outward expression of an inner rage, and that rage can be dangerous.

Edited March 27, 2010 by way2muchcoffee

[SurinLA]

You wrote:

"But then again I could be wrong."

Yes I believe you are wrong. I grew up in a poor farmer in Surin province. We still farm rice. I believe the RED suppoters are misled and being lied to. I don't blame them for coming to the protest. I don't believe they "LOVE" Taksin unconditionaly. They love "MONEY".

I never believed in his(Taksin) policies and agendas since the beginning. The problem with ESAN people is that they don't have a source to back up what they hear. They tend to listen and believe in the rumors. Gossip is a part of their life.

You wrote: "They work hard and earn very little. Who can look around and not see the obvious suffering of the majority of the Thai people? The economic and social inequities are staggering. The injustice is overwhelming. The poorer classes have a right to feel abused and humiliated and angry. It is only natural for them to demand improvements. They haven't had the benefit of an industrial age or labor unions, not in any real sense."

IT's true, but everybody works hard, not just "They". Thailand is a developing country. It is impossible to make believe that the government will make everyone have equal living conditions. You have to know that living expense in the countryside is much lower than in the city. My family lives on $2 dollars/day. We live comfortably and happilly. We cannot blame others for the succeses in their lives. I believe every concerns and problems they have should start at the local government and their MP. How many of the MP from the provinces, specially from the THAI FOR THAI party are really working for their constituencies? These people are the benefitiaries of THAKSIN wealth. They are now sore losers because they are in an "opposition" party. They have no more money to put in their pockets( corruption). It is them who started all of this RED movement and lies and problems.

In my village, I have seen that the rural people have been recieving so many benefits from current government in the last year or so. They low the social security fund to people who reach 60, instead of 65. Haddicap people now eligible for govetment fund. Local govetment (O-BO-TO) seems to work better and getting into helping sove the problem in the community more. Farmers recieve some subsidy from the governement. All the villages in my county now have all concrete pavement streets. The government has spread a lot of powers and resposibility to local and county govt. They seem to be doing very well. Unlike during Taksin, the villagers tended to pile up debt and debt and debt, never ending.

We all forget that during the TAKSIN administration, you would not be able to sit here typing and making any political comments and posted them on the internet. Everything is filtered and censored. Your freedom of speech and freedom of expression are only in your heads. There would not be any "equal" treatment and "equal" opportunity under his rules. He and his party's agendas and policies are "Communist" like agendas. I cannot wait for him to be arrested and dissapears. Then, Thailand will be in peace.

From the NATION today, it reports that

"THE NATION: Today's first time that Thaksin invariably compares himself to Bin Laden."

Is that a joke? Time for the government to issue an arrest warrants to all the RED leaders and Taksin. They are a Nation Security risk and the terrorists.

[ding]

This may apply;

"According to Professor Altemeyer, right-wing authoritarians are cognitively rigid, aggressive, and intolerant. They are characterized by steadfast conformity to group norms, submission to higher status individuals, and aggression toward out-groups and unconventional group members.

The right wing authoritarian personality has less to do with a political view than it does with a psychological personality structure."

http://home.cc.umanitoba.ca/~altemey/

Free to read online book, open source

Bob Altemeyer's - The Authoritarians.

Edited March 27, 2010 by ding

[Cayenne]

Thaksin now compares himself to Bin Laden. By logic, this would mean all his followers the Red Shirts are terrorists

Edited March 27, 2010 by Cayenne

[VegasVic]

Well they all sound like they are off to "Ra sip-et" tomorrow ... so gonna be fun and games on Phaholyothin Road tomorrow morning.

Have a feeling the 'end game' is coming soon. Tomorrow will be a big day. Massive success or massive failure for the red shirts depending on strategy (if any) adopted by both sides.

Expecting the red shirts to "surround" the base a little bit longer than last time.

Isn't Mark off on his travels on Monday?

I suppose he can just jump in his helicopter again if he doesn't feel like talking to the 'peasants' causing a disturbance on his doorstep.

The reds are a bit like Sunderland Football Club.

Always living in a fantasy land of hopeful glory.

And never achieving it.

More of the same tomorrow.

It's not tomorrow that you should be concerned about, it's the day after tomorrow and the day after that, and the day after that This is not a one time shot this is a popular movement the will eventually prevail

[SurinLA]

It's not tomorrow that you should be concerned about, it's the day after tomorrow and the day after that, and the day after that This is not a one time shot this is a popular movement the will eventually prevail

What "Popular? Movement? It will end soon after Taksin runs out of money.

[ovaltina]

Thaksin now compares himself to Bin Laden. By logic, this would mean all his followers the Red Shirts are terrorists

They should get a cave together.

They'd probably get on really well, after all they are both clinically insane and would both have been sent to the Fun House years ago if they weren't so rich. A poor man who goes mad is a psychopath, a rich man who goes mad is an eccentric.

I still prefer Bin Laden because he looks like Father Christmas.

[bubba]

I suppose this is a foregone fact, but now I know for sure that one of the ways the reds are doing this is by canvassing Bangkok neighbourhoods and offering to pay for people to come out for the rally that will occur today (Sunday). As independently told to me by both a gardener and guard at my building, a red shirt agent went through our soi last evening offering 500 baht for people to join today. The agent was taking names and mobile numbers and said that they would be in touch with instructions. I don't know if the 500 baht was paid on the spot, because both the guard and gardener declined the offer. The gardener told me that he told the red agent to get lost because he is tired of them!

[bubba]

Thaksin now compares himself to Bin Laden. By logic, this would mean all his followers the Red Shirts are terrorists

I saw that here too. But does anyone have a link to a transcript where Thaksin actually said that? I can't find one.

[Publicus]

Troops are leaving Nang Lerng and various Temples in Bangkok - and the Red Shirt rank and file believe they have won a victory.

However I am sure Thaksin and the Red Shirt leaders are absolutely furious at once again being so easily out-manoevered by the Government - what they desperately need is violent confrontation to trigger a Military crakdown and possibly a Coup, and however hard they try to provoke that violence the Government refiuses to be drawn.

Also of course, having left these various Natonal treasures in the hands of the Red Shirts, their Leaders are now responsible for protecting them against the thuggish tendencies of some of their followers.

The Government strategists are certainly in a different League to Arisman and Co.!

Patrick

edit : typo

Every time the government executes a smart move consistent with its well conceived and thought out strategy to handle the Redshirts the Reds declare a victory. Many more of these kinds of Red 'victories' and they'll be thoroughly dismantled.

[SurinLA]

Thaksin now compares himself to Bin Laden. By logic, this would mean all his followers the Red Shirts are terrorists

I saw that here too. But does anyone have a link to a transcript where Thaksin actually said that? I can't find one.

He really SAID that on his VIDEO link ( Skype) last night from one of the hotel room somewhere. He was pround to give an order through the VIEDO from anywhere in the world, just like OSAMA BIN LADEN.

You may check in out on www.REDSHIRTSTV.com or ASTV website and The Nationmultimedia

This is a major prove to arrest this guy and his RED leaders for terrorists.

[bubba]

Thaksin now compares himself to Bin Laden. By logic, this would mean all his followers the Red Shirts are terrorists

I saw that here too. But does anyone have a link to a transcript where Thaksin actually said that? I can't find one.

He really SAID that on his VIDEO link ( Skype) last night from one of the hotel room somewhere. He was pround to give an order through the VIEDO from anywhere in the world, just like OSAMA BIN LADEN.

You may check in out on www.REDSHIRTSTV.com or ASTV website and The Nationmultimedia

This is a major prove to arrest this guy and his RED leaders for terrorists.

redshirtstv.com is just a placeholder page. Nice try, but where is the real link?

Yes, if Thaksin truly did compare himself to Bin Laden, that would be a dramatic and incriminating statement. But inventing the quote and passing it around on the internet would also be some very provocative propoganda.

Can anyone provide a real link of the audio to prove the statement?