Thai Protesters Target Bangkok's Tourist Centre

[hammered]

If anyone is interested in some photos from the rallies last night (they are pretty good.):

http://picasaweb.google.com/prainn999/32553#

Thanks for those. Im either in Chonburi or the North of Thailand so some on the ground stuff is appreciated.

[dobadoy]

If there is any truth to the rumour that the leaders : Jatuporn, Veera, Dr.Weng etc., slept in the Hyatt last night while the footsoldiers kissed the pavement - then you might understand what I am saying.

I should sorely like to know if this is true. If it is, I can't understand why they weren't arrested. having this mornings' news show them being led out of an 'elitist' (sic) hotel while the upcountry folk slept in the dirt would have shown the grass roots what everyone else already knows - that the red leaders represent the status quo (with a change of captains), not some new found utopic ideal.

I doubt this is true. Surely they would of been killed in their sleep by the hotel management?

[hammered]

saw many North and North-Easterners today in food stalls far away from the main scenes. Nobody wore red though, but they all came from the very poor category. it was an unusual sight in these places. they behaved all nicely and I'm pretty sure that these are not trouble makers of any kind, they just want their pleas heard and acted on. I don't think that they have Thaksin at heart but their own survival.

I think it's probably good to have the hard core Thakinesians exposed as well as the hard core PADards. It's time to separate those from public and the country can move on. Give the needy a fair chance.

Thaksin does nothing else than to have them bend over backwards time and again. Somebody please tell them.

Tears came to my eyes when I saw them today. Most are young any looked ill and skinny.

Nice comment

[scorecard]

Yeah, I think people object to that, here in Thailand and everywhere else too. I object to that and I'm sure you do too. That is not the aim of this partcular protest however, and even if the protest were successful in toppling this government, it is my sincere belief that the goal of achieving a fairer and more egalitarian society would be pushed FURTHER away. It is my belief, and I am a Red Shirt supporter, is that no government has ever done more or intends to do more to achieve the Red Shirts stated goals than the present one, imperfect as it is.

In their day to day lives no group of people suppresses the freedoms of the Thai peasantry more than their local chao por and the police. Interestingly, both groups are aligned with this movement that says it seeks to empower these very same people. You don't think there's a rub there?

And add to the list of controllers and manipulators the rural poor the following:

- The vast majority of the PT 'elected politicians'

- Thaksin himself.

[elcent]

just one aside that made me chuckle

tulsathit: Today's Hun Sen's "official" birthday. Hope he won't celebrate it by grabbing the microphone &yell "Go, Reds, go!!"

[scorecard]

Sae Daeng has, according to the other media source, just said that Thjaksin is now going full out to force a disolution an dhas ordered the red shirts to not stop but to just keep going until they succeed. This is going to be very interesting.

Guess we can assume the silly march is going ahead then

Did the illegal occupation of govenment house and the airport by the PAD and yellowshirts go ahead?

I guess your never going to get past the silly tit for tat discusion about red yellows did this, and the reds didn't do that discussion.

It's ben said a million times that the dems didn't allow the yellow shirt to go into the airport, the government at that time was lead by thaksin's murky clan.

Please, get into some discussion about the realities on the ground in front of you right now and at a the same time consider forty plus years of history.

[anotherpeter]

When will people stop using the coup as a reason for this government being illegitimate? Elections have been run. The reds won. There was no complaining then.

The only thing you can complain about is the fact that the smaller parties changed sides. The disbanding of the PPP made no difference since only a few MPs were banned and by-elections were held for these electorates. The PTP could still have formed government if they had continuing support of the smaller parties.

[TheOldWolf]

Sae Daeng has, according to the other media source, just said that Thjaksin is now going full out to force a disolution an dhas ordered the red shirts to not stop but to just keep going until they succeed. This is going to be very interesting.

Guess we can assume the silly march is going ahead then

Did the illegal occupation of govenment house and the airport by the PAD and yellowshirts go ahead?

I guess your never going to get past the silly tit for tat discusion about red yellows did this, and the reds didn't do that discussion.

It's ben said a million times that the dems didn't allow the yellow shirt to go into the airport, the government at that time was lead by thaksin's murky clan.

Please, get into some discussion about the realities on the ground in front of you right now and at a the same time consider forty plus years of history.

Agree 100%

[jdinasia]

When will people stop using the coup as a reason for this government being illegitimate? Elections have been run. The reds won. There was no complaining then.

The only thing you can complain about is the fact that the smaller parties changed sides. The disbanding of the PPP made no difference since only a few MPs were banned and by-elections were held for these electorates. The PTP could still have formed government if they had continuing support of the smaller parties.

Likewise the PPP could have dissolved parliament even the day before they were disbanded. They didn't.

[OzMick]

Does your reading of Thai history suggest that the courts, police/military are in fact or have ever been independent? That they are not expected to fullfil their historic obligations to those who gant them such authority (and priviledge) that they enjoy?

Hi Blaze. That could be said of any democracy, that there would at least be a little gratitude. Of course, the military demonstrated complete independence from the legislative branch by nipping the process in the bud.

[Trebelone]

Nat Jantakat, a 38-year-old lychee farmer from the north, for one vowed to keep up the fight, making light of the 37 degrees Celsius (99 Fahrenheit) temperature.

"I've been here since the first day and I'll be here until we achieve democracy."

Spoken like a true patriot. Democracy is ending the present government, sending Thailand in a downward spiral and bringing back the man on the run to restore his ill gotten gain. What a buffalo.

who are you to call some one a buffalo,go back to where ever you came from and i hope the government in power there are in power and have been elected by the people and not by the army...unfortunately in my own country the UK, the army havent moved against the Labour government,who have managed to run the country into the ground with so much debt and illegal immigration, even if Thaskin were corrupt point out to me where there is no corruption in Thailand,perhaps you might like to start with the Thai Police and work from there.

[jfchandler]

There's still quite a party going on out in Ratchaprasong....

Here's another link for live video coverage of the Red Shirts there....

http://www.redshirttv.com/channel-peoplech_udd.html

Just hope everyone has a place to sit down... when the music stops....

[moresomekl]

The remark of that thai journalist that said in substance " we have had enough of following , we want to decide for ourselves" epitomize the real malaise in the thai society today . Until now the thai people have been told in a very paternalistic tone " obey your elected representatives and dont make noise " . Well that does not work any longer it would seem . Led by intellectuals and academics i believe many thais start to ask themselves if they are really participating in the political life of their country , while the majority is so disgusted that they dont really care . Instead most feel taken for granted by a parliament whose only object is not the welfare of the people that elected them but the preservation of personal privileges by a super class of MPs . Make no mistake deep down in the "Ritcher scale of paternalism" Thaksin was probably the worse not the best , which puts him in direct collision with the thai intelligentsia . His only spark of "genius" was that to realise that to maintain his grip on power he needed the support of the poor people and today they are grateful to him . His paternalist tendancies were worse or at the very least equal then most PM's , just more dangerous .

I dont know what would consist a smooth transition to a more representative form of governement for all thais , though i gave some ideas in other threads (like PM elected by the people , separate election for parliament and so on ) but i tend to believe that it has to be a specificly thai recipe in which the good side of different systems are mixed , while the contitutional monarchy to which most thais are attached is preserved , perhaps even enhanced .

As for the immediate future I believe that the Abhisit administation represent currently the best choice for the next 9 months . Calling immediate election in my views would be catastrophic as the likely scenario would be

- PT coming to power (sorry but Bangkok is not the majority of voters)

- Crash of the Thai stock exchange , withdrawal by many investors (the red color is not really very popular among them lol)

- Calling back of Thaksin to "save" the thai economy

- The rest plays as a movie that we have seen before

Thank you

Edited April 4, 2010 by moresomekl

[jfchandler]

This live video site's kind of cool also...as it give you up to 6 different, simultaneous video feeds all on your screen at the same time...

http://www.sanamluang.tv/

[hammered]

Interesting that Hun Sen is now hedging his bets. Before he seemed sure he had backed the right horse now not so. It sure would be interesting to know the behind the scene machinations

[SpoliaOpima]

"Our patience is running out, but because of our patriotism we must adhere to non-violence," said Red Shirts leader Jatuporn Prompan.

Strange, I could have sworn just yesterday I watched a video on You Tube where Jatuporn told everyone to come down to Bangkok from Nakhon Nowhere with empty 1 liter bottles that the reds would fill with gasoline for free and if a single drop of thai blood was spilled he’d burn the place down (paraphrased).

If that's what he said, it's time to send a tactical squad in and arrest Jatuporn immediately.

Edited April 4, 2010 by SpoliaOpima

[MellowYellow]

Hmmmm are they reading my posts? .. I did say, give the crowd a lawful order to disperse ... then repeat it and repeat it again. Then do what has to be done.

Then do what has to be done?

Are you advocating Police use violence to disperse a peaceful anti-government protest?

I am stating that the protest is NOT peaceful. I certainly didn't say use 'violence' but since the reds publicly stated that they are willing to use violence AND that they had a "guerilla" force just yesterday then it certainly isn't out of line to use water cannon and other non-lethal crowd dispersal techniques. After all you wouldn't want them to participate in double standards would you? (I do want them to participate in double standards -- in that I do not want them to use outdated military ordinance from China similar to what was used on Oct 7th.

So, in short: yes , do what has to be done to remove the crowd. This obviously now includes jailing them all.

Water cannons are violent. Are they not?

Please provide links proving the violence of this demonstration.

[SpoliaOpima]

Is being followed up very soon by announcements to the protesters via loudspeakers, after which tomorrow (perhaps after midnight) the regulations will be "enforced," and anyone still in breach are subject to 1 year jail terms.

How the hel_l to they propose to round up 100 000 people?

Don't know, but 25,000 - 30,000 will be a lot easier. Especially since thats all there is. 100,000

The red leaders shouting on the stage at Rajprasong all day today claim they number 500,000. I'd say more like 15,000.

[elcent]

Weng said 400,000 people at Rajprasong now.

4 minutes ago via TweetDeck

Is he on narcotics. I've been working in event organizing with exact control due ticket sales and other means, so I can say the approx. number of crowd if someone shows pictures (+ - 5%).

[elcent]

Water cannons are violent. Are they not?

Please provide links proving the violence of this demonstration.

It's Sonkran time, so what?

[mca]

self deleted

Edited April 4, 2010 by mca

[moresomekl]

Hmmmm are they reading my posts? .. I did say, give the crowd a lawful order to disperse ... then repeat it and repeat it again. Then do what has to be done.

Then do what has to be done?

Are you advocating Police use violence to disperse a peaceful anti-government protest?

I am stating that the protest is NOT peaceful. I certainly didn't say use 'violence' but since the reds publicly stated that they are willing to use violence AND that they had a "guerilla" force just yesterday then it certainly isn't out of line to use water cannon and other non-lethal crowd dispersal techniques. After all you wouldn't want them to participate in double standards would you? (I do want them to participate in double standards -- in that I do not want them to use outdated military ordinance from China similar to what was used on Oct 7th.

So, in short: yes , do what has to be done to remove the crowd. This obviously now includes jailing them all.

Water cannons are violent. Are they not?

Please provide links proving the violence of this demonstration.

What the red leaders say is just provocation and is not really important

Its what the protesters DO that is important .

If they start to break the law by blocking vital intersections then i really see no choice but for

the governement to use "soft" methods of crowd dispersal

like sound waves , water cannon and tear gas . And probably arrest of the leaders until things

cool down

If they dont what do you think will happen ? Very simple , the army will step in and use live ammos .

Does anyone want that ?

Edited April 4, 2010 by moresomekl

[OzMick]

saw many North and North-Easterners today in food stalls far away from the main scenes. Nobody wore red though, but they all came from the very poor category. it was an unusual sight in these places. they behaved all nicely and I'm pretty sure that these are not trouble makers of any kind, they just want their pleas heard and acted on. I don't think that they have Thaksin at heart but their own survival.

I think it's probably good to have the hard core Thakinesians exposed as well as the hard core PADards. It's time to separate those from public and the country can move on. Give the needy a fair chance.

Thaksin does nothing else than to have them bend over backwards time and again. Somebody please tell them.

Tears came to my eyes when I saw them today. Most are young any looked ill and skinny.

Nice comment

I'd send you both pictures of my gf's mother from Si Song Kram, but I left my wide angle lens at home. Every woman here over 40 looks decidedly porky, bloody heartbreaking!

[elcent]

Convicted ex-Thai PM Thaksin Shinawatra will not be invited to Cambodia during the red shirts' protest to prevent him from using the country as a base to criticise Abhisit government, Cambodia's PM Hun Sen said Sunday.

As long as the red shirts hold mass rally in Thailand, Thaksin, an economic adviser to Hun Sen and the Khmer government, will not invited as guest of Cambodia.

Thai Deputy PM Suthep Thaugsuban said Hun Sen conveyed the message during their meeting on the sideline of mekong Summit in Hua Hin.

Hun Sen's message surprised many. It is because Hun Sen had angered Thai government by appointing Thaksin as economic adviser and the appointment led to the downgrading of the mutual ties.

Hun Sen himself had criticised Abhisit government, saying that his government is not willing to deal with Abhisit government. He even challenged Abhisit to dissolve the House and hold a snap election.

-- The Nation 04/04/2010

[newsfooter][/newsfooter]

this must be a slap in the face for Thaksin

[elcent]

saw many North and North-Easterners today in food stalls far away from the main scenes. Nobody wore red though, but they all came from the very poor category. it was an unusual sight in these places. they behaved all nicely and I'm pretty sure that these are not trouble makers of any kind, they just want their pleas heard and acted on. I don't think that they have Thaksin at heart but their own survival.

I think it's probably good to have the hard core Thakinesians exposed as well as the hard core PADards. It's time to separate those from public and the country can move on. Give the needy a fair chance.

Thaksin does nothing else than to have them bend over backwards time and again. Somebody please tell them.

Tears came to my eyes when I saw them today. Most are young any looked ill and skinny.

Nice comment

I'd send you both pictures of my gf's mother from Si Song Kram, but I left my wide angle lens at home. Every woman here over 40 looks decidedly porky, bloody heartbreaking!

I've been living with the poorest of the poor, you tell me.

[elcent]

mental care is highly suggested for the red shirt leaders

don 't believe me? Ask for the respective UNI record, that should clear that up.

[Netfan]

Convicted ex-Thai PM Thaksin Shinawatra will not be invited to Cambodia during the red shirts' protest to prevent him from using the country as a base to criticise Abhisit government, Cambodia's PM Hun Sen said Sunday.

As long as the red shirts hold mass rally in Thailand, Thaksin, an economic adviser to Hun Sen and the Khmer government, will not invited as guest of Cambodia.

Thai Deputy PM Suthep Thaugsuban said Hun Sen conveyed the message during their meeting on the sideline of mekong Summit in Hua Hin.

Hun Sen's message surprised many. It is because Hun Sen had angered Thai government by appointing Thaksin as economic adviser and the appointment led to the downgrading of the mutual ties.

Hun Sen himself had criticised Abhisit government, saying that his government is not willing to deal with Abhisit government. He even challenged Abhisit to dissolve the House and hold a snap election.

-- The Nation 04/04/2010

[newsfooter][/newsfooter]

this must be a slap in the face for Thaksin

Interesting that it is Suthep doing the talking with Hun Sen and not the bungling Kasit. Good sign.

Edited April 4, 2010 by Netfan

[moresomekl]

saw many North and North-Easterners today in food stalls far away from the main scenes. Nobody wore red though, but they all came from the very poor category. it was an unusual sight in these places. they behaved all nicely and I'm pretty sure that these are not trouble makers of any kind, they just want their pleas heard and acted on. I don't think that they have Thaksin at heart but their own survival.

I think it's probably good to have the hard core Thakinesians exposed as well as the hard core PADards. It's time to separate those from public and the country can move on. Give the needy a fair chance.

Thaksin does nothing else than to have them bend over backwards time and again. Somebody please tell them.

Tears came to my eyes when I saw them today. Most are young and looked ill and skinny.

Yes agree and yes it is very sad . Hope that some thai intellectuals talk to them

[elcent]

Interesting that it is Suthep doing the talking with Hun Sen and not the bungling Kasit. Good sign.

Two drama queens together, - happy ending -

Kasit is on a red flag

[Gregory Morozov]

I wonder - maybe the government should use a carrot instead of the stick?

2000-3000 baht Songkran gift + free bus going home

The total budget should be comparable with what the shopping malls claim to lose daily now...