Reds Might Have Shot Themselves In The Foot

[OzMick]

So 100.000 republicans occupy times square NY protesting against Obama. You tell me they let them there because its a democracy. B..it they will be wacked out of the city if they don't go away. Time for Abhisit to act!

Yes this is the ironic thing. A lot of posters seem to think the Gov't should not intervene and that this would be allowed in the West. I say try this type of behavior or taking an airport in London or New York and you will first see police with tear gas and rubber bullets followed by military with real bullets. In many ways these open demonstrations illustrate just how democratic and undemocratic Thailand can be at the same time.

Beleive it or not , the law in Perth, Western Au states that any more than 4 people at a gathering, without written permission from the Commissioner of Police , is against the law and the police can take action , introduce in 1970 by then Premier called Sir Charles Court, after alot of hammering from the trade unions, which the prick hated, not that this stupid law has ever been acted on , but it's there all the same, just in case, never has been repealed. As for the whole lot of this sham protest, pull this crap on in any western city,yeah right. Thats my lot.

do you remember under joh bjelke-petersen, an application was put in for a protest march to be held at 1am in a dead-end alley, to be attended by an estimated 1 man and a dog. It was refused!!

Off topic, my favourite pol cartoon came out as joh was closing glaucoma clinics - "In the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is King."

Edited April 4, 2010 by OzMick

[kissdani]

I just saw a report that there are not many people in Ratchaprasong this morning. It sort of makes sense, as there is another aspect here of the reds shooting themselves in the foot.

Many of the reds on the street are paid to be there. I know they came through my soi asking for people to sign up for 500 baht/day last weekend

sj

[Siripon]

If I were going to attend the Red Shirt rally with the sole purpose of receiving a cash payment, I would simply show up to wherever the cash is being handed out or the wherever the checklis/id checker is making note, and then I would leave! I certainly wouldn't hang out in the blazing sun and chant and clap and yell and sweat! What, do you think someone is watching who's coming and going and noting "don't pay her" "pay him, he's been here all day" "that guy needs to stay here 2 more hours to get his cut".

The argument that these folks are out there to get a payment is not very well thought out. These folks are passionate about their cause. I wish them luck. Our family supports them.

No more coups and bullshit disqualification! (a cooking show, that's the best you can do???)

Of course a lot of the people are paid, people from upcountry, pick- up owners, motorbike owners, they're not going to stand out in the hot sun or drive around for nothing. The reds came to my home town in Ban Pai, everyone who went received free transport, food and 2,000 baht expenses.

If you try talking to reds about 'true democracy' most have no idea that democracy means checks and balances, transparency respect for the law. When I tell them Thaksin's lawyers paid 2 million baht to the court in a lunch box they have no reply. When I remind them Thaksin wielded absolute power in TRT and in the Cabinet, they have no response.

Samak had the right to be PM again after he was disqualified, and indeed he came to Parliament expecting to be reselected as PM but Thaksin betrayed him. choosing his more malleable brother-in-law Somchai. Thaksin didn't even inform Samak first, so cowardly is the man.

This is all about Thaksin wanting to regain power.

[Maestro]

Here is a short YouTube video of Sunday's red-shirt rally:

Two other videos are here:

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/Red-Shirts-D...ok-t353051.html

--

Maestro

[siampolee]

THE NATION: Our nwsroom's chking the following tweet tip: "9 Red leaders sleep@Hyatt. Proved that all is staged just to get more Thaksin cash."

If there is substance in the above report concerning ''The Hyatt'' it does indeed disprove the theory of ''Roughing it with common masses''

Wonderful to be able to have the principles one can afford is it not ?

[shawndoc]

In the main news thread, they mention "Youth Group express opposition towards Red-Shirt rally" but nowhere in the story does it mention what Youth Group it is. Anyone know? How large/politically important are they.

[Tod Daniels]

Who cares.

That is the smartest thing I've read in all of your SEVEN posts!!

The short answer, if it is in regard to your opinion(s); NO ONE!

How did you suddenly morph into a thai political pundit? Unfortunately possibly for you, your writing style is quite similar to other members who are, as we say "no longer with us". You certainly seem to throw thai words like; amataya around with little regard for the real meaning. My suggestion, study thai.

To quote a line Robert Downey Jr said when he played "5-time Academy Award winning Australian actor, Kirk Lazarus" in the greatest war movie never made; "Tropic Thunder",

"Everybody knows you never go full retard."

Let's try not to go 'full retard' here people.. ..

Any way a person spins this the reds are playing a very dangerous game. It doesn't bode well for any thai, no matter the color of the shirt they wear.

[warfie]

Did they ever have a chance in winning the election in Bangkok? Do you really thing this is being done to win over Bangkok voters?

It may be possible that their upcountry supporters may like seeing them on the news "taking over Bangkok"... the whole "sticking it to the rich Bangkokians" thing may actually be applauded in many areas of the country.

Also, since the up country folks are not being inconvenienced in anyway it is unlikely that they are "shooting themselves in the foot" with the voters who are likely to be voting for them.

Your thoughts could be valid --- but only if Bangkok was not inhabitted by MANY people from upcountry that work and live here and send money back to the provinces. So "sticking it to Bangkok" does in fact "stick it to the provinces" as well.

Several areas in BKK have swung to vote for TRT in the past. It isn't likely to happen in the future. (My partner voted TRT once.)

As for geriatrickid's post ---- The government cannot afford to wait much longer in a situation like this.

The discussions between the reds and the government wasn't a draw. The government came out looking conciliatory and caring. They offered to give up a year they are entitled to and only held back enough time to get the next budget through and see to a national referendum on the constitution. Something the Reds say they want. The government's offer to meet the reds more than half-way on the time frame for new elections certainly plays well across the country. The final and biggest benefit to the government from those talks is that they were able to speak directly to the reds on their own channel without having the tape edited first.

Oh, what would you know... you're not even IN Krung Thep!

(kidding)

[jdinasia]

Did they ever have a chance in winning the election in Bangkok? Do you really thing this is being done to win over Bangkok voters?

It may be possible that their upcountry supporters may like seeing them on the news "taking over Bangkok"... the whole "sticking it to the rich Bangkokians" thing may actually be applauded in many areas of the country.

Also, since the up country folks are not being inconvenienced in anyway it is unlikely that they are "shooting themselves in the foot" with the voters who are likely to be voting for them.

Your thoughts could be valid --- but only if Bangkok was not inhabitted by MANY people from upcountry that work and live here and send money back to the provinces. So "sticking it to Bangkok" does in fact "stick it to the provinces" as well.

Several areas in BKK have swung to vote for TRT in the past. It isn't likely to happen in the future. (My partner voted TRT once.)

As for geriatrickid's post ---- The government cannot afford to wait much longer in a situation like this.

The discussions between the reds and the government wasn't a draw. The government came out looking conciliatory and caring. They offered to give up a year they are entitled to and only held back enough time to get the next budget through and see to a national referendum on the constitution. Something the Reds say they want. The government's offer to meet the reds more than half-way on the time frame for new elections certainly plays well across the country. The final and biggest benefit to the government from those talks is that they were able to speak directly to the reds on their own channel without having the tape edited first.

Oh, what would you know... you're not even IN Krung Thep!

(kidding)

:-) True true --- I am actually in Chiang Mai, my partner is in BKK, the condo is in BKK, the car is in BKK (and my Onstar called me from the car this morning and said I was correct!)

[warfie]

And then there are the poor Farangs/Ex-pats. They are so brainwashed by the Amataya media, they think they have insight. It is like the runner in last place, who thinks he is first.

Complicitory and 47 Rai

<deleted>?????

[ovaltina]

I say try this type of behavior or taking an airport in London or New York and you will first see police with tear gas and rubber bullets followed by military with real bullets.

Oh please.

Tell that to Ian Tomlinson's (RIP) family. He died as an unarmed solo passer-by walking home from his job seling newspapers, in London, pushed to the ground by a large group riot-police with shields and batons, who singled him out & knocked him to floor & he died of internal bleeding. Because they thought he might be one of those anti-state types.

Those riot police were sent to a relatively small, peaceful sit-down protest of students & hippies & vegans etc. who were just sitting there playing banjos & surrounded by big armoured riot police who got bored and started beating the girl protesters in the head and legs with night-sticks. Like I say, in London, broad daylight, on camera.

If those small group of unarmed sit-down & sing Lentil-Power types got that response in London, what response do you think 80k of them blocking the main roads, closing shopping centres and carrying petrol bombs, & pouring Aids infected blood around, would have recieved in London ?

To be fair I am neither red nor yellow, I'm just a disabled person who goes to Thailand for health reasons, and my first thoughts when I saw the yellow airport thing was ' if that was in London they would get dragged out by their ears in < 2 minutes."

[geriatrickid]

So 100.000 republicans occupy times square NY protesting against Obama. You tell me they let them there because its a democracy. B..it they will be wacked out of the city if they don't go away. Time for Abhisit to act!

Yes this is the ironic thing. A lot of posters seem to think the Gov't should not intervene and that this would be allowed in the West. I say try this type of behavior or taking an airport in London or New York and you will first see police with tear gas and rubber bullets followed by military with real bullets. In many ways these open demonstrations illustrate just how democratic and undemocratic Thailand can be at the same time.

Be fair. The protests here are not comparable to those in the west. Here's why;

1. Westerners are lazy. They would give up on a protest after a couple hours because the footie match was on the telly, or the weather was too harsh.

2. The violence at a western protest of this size would start within minutes with the usual anarchists and spoilt brats vandalizing and looting within minutes. The Vancouver Olympics, any G-8 or G-20 summit are examples of this.

3. Western protests are characterized by the need for instant gratification, so they tend to move quickly. A boring speech or two and then on to the rally and dispersal.If folks at a rally are lucky they get to hear some washed up singer strum his or her guitar and recite a cnned speech.

4. Western rallies tend to include a sizeable contingent of the seriously screwed up. Groups like 9-11 conspiracy pushers, Lyndon Larouche nutters, angry women that don't shave their legs, etc. The Red rallies tend to attract an homogeneous group of people (Just as the Yellow shirt rallies did.) In plain language, a rally in Thailand is really about the subject unlike in the west, where you get clowns, real &lt;deleted&gt; clowns that show up. Classic example was the last G-20 protest in Germany where clowns were protesting, and they were serious.

5. Western authorities if confronted with a red protest of this nature would most likely follow the same strategy of non violence. Look at the past response to some of the rallies in London, Canada, USA etc. where the authorities are lambasted when they intervene. They are called faciast etc. and the intervention always results in property loss. The standard response is to contain and to calm people when there is no imminent threat. At the red rallies there is inconvenience, trespass, intrusion but no imminent threat.

If the Reds wanted to make a point they could set inner city bangkok on fire very quickly and cause billions of baht in destruction. They haven't so far and that is because the Red leadership have behaved responsibly, the Abhisit government has acted intelligently and the Thai people are not looking for violence despite what the experts in here are saying. Let PM Abhisit's team do its job.

[LuckyLew]

To use a take on a Sir Winston Churchill quote

"Every time a red shirt speaks, he decreases the sum total of human nature"

[mca]

I say try this type of behavior or taking an airport in London or New York and you will first see police with tear gas and rubber bullets followed by military with real bullets.

Oh please.

Tell that to Ian Tomlinson's (RIP) family. He died as an unarmed solo passer-by walking home from his job seling newspapers, in London, pushed to the ground by a large group riot-police with shields and batons, who singled him out & knocked him to floor & he died of internal bleeding. Because they thought he might be one of those anti-state types.

Those riot police were sent to a relatively small, peaceful sit-down protest of students & hippies & vegans etc. who were just sitting there playing banjos & surrounded by big armoured riot police who got bored and started beating the girl protesters in the head and legs with night-sticks. Like I say, in London, broad daylight, on camera.

If those small group of unarmed sit-down & sing Lentil-Power types got that response in London, what response do you think 80k of them blocking the main roads, closing shopping centres and carrying petrol bombs, & pouring Aids infected blood around, would have recieved in London ?

As tragic as the death of Ian Tomlinson was (and I in no way condone the police action-despicable) it's a mighty loooooooong stretch of the imagination to go from over zealous police officers sticking the boot in where a man sadly died to soldiers with loaded weapons being deployed on the streets of London shooting down protesters.

Edited April 4, 2010 by mca

[eurasianthai]

To use a take on a Sir Winston Churchill quote

"Every time a red shirt speaks, he decreases the sum total of human nature"

Well, I'm talking every day to red shirts, yellow shirts (turned pink recently) and no colour shirts and I fully agree with Churchill.

Politically, Thai people have a long way to go.

But red shirts only, are you joking?

Edited April 4, 2010 by eurasianthai

[tatt]

What is so sad is that the Reds could have walked away as winners after the talks with the PM. They not only should have gained credibility through these talks but also should have gone back home knowing they got the PM to agree to hold elections a year early as well as dissolving the house. Instead they now look like a bunch of crazed idiots whose leader is leading them to a slaughter.

Had they gone home and moved to intelligent rhetoric, they would be sitting so strong right now in the hearts and minds of the Thai people.

You're dead right, John. Just goes to show their leaders shoudn't be running the show.

They had already won a victory but the pride of Jatumporn, Veera and The Weng wasted all that time, sweat and effort of the people they claim to represent.

It's not 'pride' coz they have none, it's 'greed'.

[Curfew]

All this warm and thoughtful feedback to Curfew's post #31....in light of this response, certainly worth another read.

This from my friend Animatic

Perception Management Professionals at work in this thread.

Watch your steps because the effluent is flowing deep and wide.

Thank you Animatic for warning us. We sure would not want anyone to lead us astray.

Alternative opinions are downright dangerous to the health of 'group think' and it is comforting to see Animatic watching for purity of thought.

A "professional".....thank you for that Animatic. Your high regard for my POV is appreciated.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

And then from tod-daniels:

if it is in regard to your opinion(s); NO ONE! ...........(response to a quote from Curfew which said in part "who cares')

How did you suddenly morph into a thai political pundit?

So you don't care for my opinions tod-daniels?......you know how to hurt someones feelings, you do.

I dare say some who are not in a 'group think' mentality may rather enjoy Curfew's alternative POV.

"A Thai political pundit", ............Well thank you TD.

I knew my opinions were informed and independent, but to be called a "Political Pundit' is truly an honour.

Edited April 4, 2010 by Curfew

[Grey11]

I just saw a report that there are not many people in Ratchaprasong this morning. It sort of makes sense, as there is another aspect here of the reds shooting themselves in the foot.

Many of the reds on the street are paid to be there. I know they came through my soi asking for people to sign up for 500 baht/day last weekend, although nobody here admits to signing up. Once things reach a certain point, such as being arrested and facing a year in prison, the recruits that are paid by the reds will begin to wonder whether all this is really worth 500-1000 baht/day. Suddenly, it all becomes much less of a party and some easy money.

Just curious, bubba, since you have been here a long time, what is this issue about the demonstrators being paid? A lot of others in these forums have ranted about them being paid. Wouldn't you think that if money is their motivation, the PM would be smart enough to just pay them to go home and expose their lack of allegiance?

It's a good thing that most of the Red Shirts are being paid because as they have managed to kill some 50% of tourism to Bangkok, Pattaya, Chiang Mai, & Phuket, there daughters working in the hotels, restaurants, & bars will less money to send home to their families in Isaan. So, yes, these ignorant people have shot themselves in the both feet so many times one cannot even count it. The PM and the government have to spend the money on cleaning up the filth these neanderthals have littered all of Bangkok with - I doubt there is anything left to pay them. And, yes, most of these people will take money from anybody. But, their blind love for the fugitive convict Thaksin drives them blindly on.

[WhisperingJack]

What is so sad is that the Reds could have walked away as winners after the talks with the PM. They not only should have gained credibility through these talks but also should have gone back home knowing they got the PM to agree to hold elections a year early as well as dissolving the house. Instead they now look like a bunch of crazed idiots whose leader is leading them to a slaughter.

Had they gone home and moved to intelligent rhetoric, they would be sitting so strong right now in the hearts and minds of the Thai people.

You are spot on. During the talks I thought what progress the "red shirts" had made by getting Abi to sit down and hold discussions with them.

When he comprised and offered to hold new elections 12 months early I viewed this as a great victory for the "red shirts".

Now I am dumb founded that the "red shirt" leaders did not accept his offer (without discussing with the rank and file members).

The "red shirt" leaders have "wenged" the rank and file members!!!!

[jdinasia]

What is so sad is that the Reds could have walked away as winners after the talks with the PM. They not only should have gained credibility through these talks but also should have gone back home knowing they got the PM to agree to hold elections a year early as well as dissolving the house. Instead they now look like a bunch of crazed idiots whose leader is leading them to a slaughter.

Had they gone home and moved to intelligent rhetoric, they would be sitting so strong right now in the hearts and minds of the Thai people.

You are spot on. During the talks I thought what progress the "red shirts" had made by getting Abi to sit down and hold discussions with them.

When he comprised and offered to hold new elections 12 months early I viewed this as a great victory for the "red shirts".

Now I am dumb founded that the "red shirt" leaders did not accept his offer (without discussing with the rank and file members).

The "red shirt" leaders have "wenged" the rank and file members!!!!

The only logical answer to "Why?" is that Thaksin said No.

[Chalky]

So 100.000 republicans occupy times square NY protesting against Obama. You tell me they let them there because its a democracy. B..it they will be wacked out of the city if they don't go away. Time for Abhisit to act!

Yes this is the ironic thing. A lot of posters seem to think the Gov't should not intervene and that this would be allowed in the West. I say try this type of behavior or taking an airport in London or New York and you will first see police with tear gas and rubber bullets followed by military with real bullets. In many ways these open demonstrations illustrate just how democratic and undemocratic Thailand can be at the same time.

Be fair. The protests here are not comparable to those in the west. Here's why;

1. Westerners are lazy. They would give up on a protest after a couple hours because the footie match was on the telly, or the weather was too harsh.

2. The violence at a western protest of this size would start within minutes with the usual anarchists and spoilt brats vandalizing and looting within minutes. The Vancouver Olympics, any G-8 or G-20 summit are examples of this.

3. Western protests are characterized by the need for instant gratification, so they tend to move quickly. A boring speech or two and then on to the rally and dispersal.If folks at a rally are lucky they get to hear some washed up singer strum his or her guitar and recite a cnned speech.

4. Western rallies tend to include a sizeable contingent of the seriously screwed up. Groups like 9-11 conspiracy pushers, Lyndon Larouche nutters, angry women that don't shave their legs, etc. The Red rallies tend to attract an homogeneous group of people (Just as the Yellow shirt rallies did.) In plain language, a rally in Thailand is really about the subject unlike in the west, where you get clowns, real &lt;deleted&gt; clowns that show up. Classic example was the last G-20 protest in Germany where clowns were protesting, and they were serious.

5. Western authorities if confronted with a red protest of this nature would most likely follow the same strategy of non violence. Look at the past response to some of the rallies in London, Canada, USA etc. where the authorities are lambasted when they intervene. They are called faciast etc. and the intervention always results in property loss. The standard response is to contain and to calm people when there is no imminent threat. At the red rallies there is inconvenience, trespass, intrusion but no imminent threat.

If the Reds wanted to make a point they could set inner city bangkok on fire very quickly and cause billions of baht in destruction. They haven't so far and that is because the Red leadership have behaved responsibly, the Abhisit government has acted intelligently and the Thai people are not looking for violence despite what the experts in here are saying. Let PM Abhisit's team do its job.

GK,

I know this a serious subject and there are many valid/sincere/whatever opinions/rhetoric but your comment brings this to exactly the right level for me.

"angry women that don't shave their legs" - PRICELESS!

I PROMISE that I will read what you post more carefully in the future!

Thanks (sincerely)

[bubba]

What is so sad is that the Reds could have walked away as winners after the talks with the PM. They not only should have gained credibility through these talks but also should have gone back home knowing they got the PM to agree to hold elections a year early as well as dissolving the house. Instead they now look like a bunch of crazed idiots whose leader is leading them to a slaughter.

Had they gone home and moved to intelligent rhetoric, they would be sitting so strong right now in the hearts and minds of the Thai people.

You are spot on. During the talks I thought what progress the "red shirts" had made by getting Abi to sit down and hold discussions with them.

When he comprised and offered to hold new elections 12 months early I viewed this as a great victory for the "red shirts".

Now I am dumb founded that the "red shirt" leaders did not accept his offer (without discussing with the rank and file members).

The "red shirt" leaders have "wenged" the rank and file members!!!!

And you are spot on as well, Jack. Although, are we really dumbfounded that the three red shirt leaders at the discussion didn't take Abhisit's compromise back for discussion with the rank and file and a consensus on how to reply? That would have been a democratic move, wouldn't it. If you were watching live, you no doubt saw Abhisit make the offer and then Jatuporn received an SMS on his mobile. After looking at the SMS, Jatuporn promptly said "no deal". Dissolve the house in two weeks...full stop.

Were these three red shirt leaders at the discussions elected by the proletariat? Did these three people even consult with any of the proletariat before firmly stating in no uncertain terms "no deal" to Abhisit? The only consultation I saw was a single SMS that Jatuporn took...from "somebody".

----------

And if you exploiters attempt to offer resistance to our proletarian revolution we shall ruthlessly suppress you; we shall deprive you of all rights; more than that, we shall not give you any bread, for in our proletarian republic the exploiters will have no rights, they will be deprived of fire and water, for we are socialists in real earnest.

Vladimir Lenin

[CLOD]

Abisit was educated and lived in a proper democracy.

He knows the moral and ethical high ground is with the red shirts on this.

He knows he is just a military junta installed puppet, and undemocratic.

He knows the reds have a valid justified point, and that he is hiding behind the militaries guns.

But what can he do?, as one of those guns is behind him .

He always had aspirations, but he never thought it would be like this.

[jdinasia]

Abisit was educated and lived in a proper democracy.

He knows the moral and ethical high ground is with the red shirts on this.

He knows he is just a military junta installed puppet, and undemocratic.

He knows the reds have a valid justified point, and that he is hiding behind the militaries guns.

But what can he do?, as one of those guns is behind him .

He always had aspirations, but he never thought it would be like this.

Abhisit was educated in 2 democracies.

He knows that he was voted in by the parliament and that there is not a military Junta, though there was a military installed government prior to the 2007 elections.

He knows that there is no justification for trying to return Thaksin to Thailand as anything other than a prisoner.

Unlike some previous governments that abused the people (see Oct 7th) and thus lost the ability to govern; abhisit still maintains it.

I am sure, like everyone, he has had aspirations and I agree he didn't think it would be like this. Who would have thought that trying to save a country from a despot like Thaksin would have been part of their life when they were growing up?

[Merangue]

I say try this type of behavior or taking an airport in London or New York and you will first see police with tear gas and rubber bullets followed by military with real bullets.

Oh please.

Tell that to Ian Tomlinson's (RIP) family. He died as an unarmed solo passer-by walking home from his job seling newspapers, in London, pushed to the ground by a large group riot-police with shields and batons, who singled him out & knocked him to floor & he died of internal bleeding. Because they thought he might be one of those anti-state types.

Those riot police were sent to a relatively small, peaceful sit-down protest of students & hippies & vegans etc. who were just sitting there playing banjos & surrounded by big armoured riot police who got bored and started beating the girl protesters in the head and legs with night-sticks. Like I say, in London, broad daylight, on camera.

If those small group of unarmed sit-down & sing Lentil-Power types got that response in London, what response do you think 80k of them blocking the main roads, closing shopping centres and carrying petrol bombs, & pouring Aids infected blood around, would have recieved in London ?

As tragic as the death of Ian Tomlinson was (and I in no way condone the police action-despicable) it's a mighty loooooooong stretch of the imagination to go from over zealous police officers sticking the boot in where a man sadly died to soldiers with loaded weapons being deployed on the streets of London shooting down protesters.

For information and in support of mca

Rubber bullets have not been fired in the UK since the 1970s.

Even the use of Plactic bullets which are much safer is extremely rare.

Not during the Toxteth Riots. Not during the mass anti war rallies. Not during the many protests and riots in the last 30+ years.

So what makes you think they would use Live ammo in a similar situation to what is happening in Bangkok?

Utter nonsense. You make even The Nation look rational and unbiased.

Edited April 4, 2010 by Merangue

[Sunderland]

Nice picture which will confuse a few people. Some will say it's even a set-up. However, I am sure he's not the only white collar worker who is behind the reds.

Who really knows the support for either side of the political spectrum? Thais can be pretty fickle and not the most demonstrative of people, which is why you will never get huge numbers some people seem to expect on the streets. The number on the streets at present is actually pretty large bearing in mind the heat. Sure, some will be getting paid, but I'd challenge many people commenting from the comfort of their home to go and be a paid demonstrator for a day at 300-1,000 baht.

http://picasaweb.google.com/prainn999/3255...826330493948418

[ratcatcher]

Abisit was educated and lived in a proper democracy.

He knows the moral and ethical high ground is with the red shirts on this.

He knows he is just a military junta installed puppet, and undemocratic.

He knows the reds have a valid justified point, and that he is hiding behind the militaries guns.

But what can he do?, as one of those guns is behind him .

He always had aspirations, but he never thought it would be like this.

He knows that Thaksin is holding the gun to his puppets-Jatuporn, Nattawut & Weng.

He knows that Thaksin is becoming more desperate as the days tick by.

He knows that under another Thaksin led government the country will fail.

[gemini81]

Many of the reds on the street are paid to be there. I know they came through my soi asking for people to sign up for 500 baht/day last weekend, although nobody here admits to signing up. Once things reach a certain point, such as being arrested and facing a year in prison, the recruits that are paid by the reds will begin to wonder whether all this is really worth 500-1000 baht/day. Suddenly, it all becomes much less of a party and some easy money.

Just curious, bubba, since you have been here a long time, what is this issue about the demonstrators being paid? A lot of others in these forums have ranted about them being paid. Wouldn't you think that if money is their motivation, the PM would be smart enough to just pay them to go home and expose their lack of allegiance?

[/quot

It's a good thing that most of the Red Shirts are being paid because as they have managed to kill some 50% of tourism to Bangkok, Pattaya, Chiang Mai, & Phuket, there daughters working in the hotels, restaurants, & bars will less money to send home to their families in Isaan. So, yes, these ignorant people have shot themselves in the both feet so many times one cannot even count it. The PM and the government have to spend the money on cleaning up the filth these neanderthals have littered all of Bangkok with - I doubt there is anything left to pay them. And, yes, most of these people will take money from anybody. But, their blind love for the fugitive convict Thaksin drives them blindly on.

More ironic are all of the "stop corruption" signs here and there, when their hero is one of the biggest crooks ever.

I'm not sure if these country bumpkins even know what they're standing for, seems by observation, they cruise around like this is just some holiday.

Edited April 4, 2010 by gemini81

[animatic]

Abisit was educated and lived in a proper democracy.

He knows the moral and ethical high ground is with the red shirts on this.

He knows he is just a military junta installed puppet, and undemocratic.

He knows the reds have a valid justified point, and that he is hiding behind the militaries guns.

But what can he do?, as one of those guns is behind him .

He always had aspirations, but he never thought it would be like this.

He knows that Thaksin is holding the gun to his puppets-Jatuporn, Nattawut & Weng.

He knows that Thaksin is becoming more desperate as the days tick by.

He knows that under another Thaksin led government the country will fail.

He's got his checkbook and he intends to use it!

Cept many are coming to realize ultimately;

Thaksin is writing checks his can never make good on.

[yoshiwara]

"Reds might have shot themselves in the foot"......A wishful headline if I ever saw one.

I notice all the cluck-clucks and pretend political affronts to this Red Shirt democracy Movement Siam Square action.

"This is too much" is the supposed balanced opinions of reasonable people.

Who cares.

Those who pretend to be affronted by this action are the enemies of this democracy Movement anyway. They would be affronted by seeing a single Red Shirt at Disneyland.

Especially annoying are those those who pretend to be neutral but than launch into an anti-Red Shirt tirade, spouting all the regular arrogant PAD/Amataya line of reasoning

And then there are the poor Farangs/Ex-pats. They are so brainwashed by the Amataya media, they think they have insight. It is like the runner in last place, who thinks he is first.

In any event, the Amataya govt. and their moneyed friends who are losing money at Siam Square, now need to show their true colors. They cannot afford to wait for Songkran to disperse the Red Shirt protesters for them.

Those who matter to this Democracy Movement are saying, "About time".

And remember folks, they are the vast electoral majority. The huge, huge number of protesters in BKK now, are merely representative of the vastly greater numbers in the country. No amount of bogus downplaying in the Amataya media of their significance by fabricating low turn-out numbers changes that.

Reds might have shot themselves in the foot. ....

.....As if they are able to do anything else.

Apart from our Thaksin apologist's careful exclusion of his master's name, his indifference for the workers losing money in Silom Square and other parts of Bangkok exposes his contempt for the urban working class and any others for that matter who are not considered electoral assets.

It would appear that after several weeks of campaigning ostensibly under the banner of 'class war' the reds have now graduated to trying to shut down shopping centres.

What a bunch of clowns.

Maybe we can name this revolution the Tesco Road to Socialism.

The red desperation to avoid an election at the end of 2010 or in 2011 shows their fear at the loss of potential electoral support.

Which isn't surprising when you consistently shoot yourselves in the foot.