State Of Emergency Decree Imposed In Bangkok

[ukrules]

Coz havent heard of any other democratic country IN THE WORLD where such thing have happened .

Anyway whats the point to argue now .

PS Edit : If anyone here has heard of a similar story outside Thailand please provide a link .

United Kingdom. Prime Minister Gordon Brown. A group of MP's who were already previously elected decided who the next Prime Minister was going to be based on a vote. They had enough MP's supporting him so without an election he became Prime Minister when Tony Blair Quit. It's really quite common for this to happen especially in a coalition based government, especially when there are multiple parties involved in the coalition. If one party doesn't get what it wants they can split the coalition and cause a new government to be formed.

[Jingthing]

Me, I'm 63 years old so my "future" in Thailand is somewhat limited. But my wife and 3 children are Thai, and I care about their future in this country. I don't want it determined by demagogues of any persuasion, and the reds' leaders are a clear and present danger to rational, benevolent, and progressive governance.

Thank you for that very credible testimony. Of course, I agree with your conclusion. A Thaksin red shirt dictatorship would be a disaster for Thailand and a huge step backwards. Thailand is running out of time to compete in the modern world. It really can't afford any more delays imposed by Thaksin and the insurgent red leaders.

[Thai at Heart]

Kalaya Sophonpanich

Was this the person who supposedly mentioned that maybe the PM was getting things wrong? If so, quite an important name.

[OzMick]

If brains had been available in the N and NE, the situation would have been totally different. If education in Thailand had been serious in the last decennia (and Taksin also didn't do anything about this, well planned), we would not have seen this kind of pointless protest from red shirts...

They are trying to keep them stupid so as to easily brainwash them.

Lack of education causes ignorance, which can be corrected, not stupidity. Stupidity is for life.

[HerbalEd]

agreed 100% - typical is that stupid rich kid in BKK driving his Porche into the crowd - know doubt his BKK Daddy bought it for him - such a world away from the poor farmers who really need the help - its pathetic

I somewhat agree, but .... what the better educated, more worldly Bangkok Thais don't like is that the simple semi-literate country folk are so easily manipulated by a demagogue like Thaksin who wins them over with a few baht while at the same time ripping the whole nation off for billions.

[silk]

If ISA failed, why will a state of emergency succeed?

Yeah.

I was thinking that.

The impasse continues and just gets bigger.

An election, no matter how farcical, might clear the air and allow the political re-alignments necessary to start moving on.

Like this, just seems we get deeper and deeper into the mud.

ph

Election will be no solution. It will only encourage the next loosers in the new elections to do the same and claim the dissolution of the government for calling new elections.

Fully agreed!

Thailand has a population of about 62 Mill. people. Only a minority is protesting. What does the majority want??? Should they be ignored because they do not go out on the street???

[Ricardo]

You sound like Iraq's Foreign Minister ...what was his name? He was referred to in the media as "Baghdad Bob". Claiming there weren't any Americans in Iraq during the US Invasion, while tanks were rolling into Baghdad.

Yes, he claimed live-on-TV that the Allies were still miles away, then the camera panned, to show a column of tanks moving along the riverside, just behind him !

[britmaveric]

Thailand will be fine regardless of what happens. If you have been here long enough - we all know its organized chaos.

[sealy]

The reason why Abhisit has not moved for so long , and the army wont move in my opinion , comes from much higher up.

Am sure you know what i mean . Sure there are some violent clowns in the red shirt movement leadership but the vast majority

of the red shirts protesters , the rank and file , are peaceful farmers .

indeed they are mostly farmers.

for many of them, this bangkok journey is a paid holiday of sort....except some did not expect it to be for so long and someone at one corner of the road junction was handing out free change of clothes.....i.e.red underwears and panties,,, someone said their next stop are the beaches of pattaya

[brianb1944]

RARELY DO I POST LIKE THIS...I am a "back seat" member but.....It really astounds me that all you guys get so excited over something you have absolutley no control over.

You don't have a say, you have an opinion but its worthless, do you think the Prime Minister checks out Thai Visa before he makes decsions (oh what do the farangs think I should do) Get real

You get yourselves involved in stressful confrontations with each other...and for what??? Does it make you feel superior ???

Internet Warriors is all you are.

I've seen it all before having been a member for 6 years, and have always distanced myself from political threads.

But ask me about a good plumber in CM and I will galdly tell you

Me, I watch it on the tele and read the posted pages which don't allow comments, because YOUR comments are irrelevant, beacuse YOU can't change anything.......there is naff all I can do about it either, though I have my OPINION..which is worthless too...I suggest some of you guys chill out and except ..your opinion is worth jack shit here.

Goodnight

We will wake up...to what we wake up too

But if you wanna carry on feel free.....you'll find me in the football forum

absolutely true. thats all people do and bicker away.

What a wonderfully succinct summation of the situation, cheers, may need a plumber if Electrician doesnt fix hot water.

[lothda]

Alright . They voted themselves in power thai style with a little help from the courts .

Its perfectly legal .... in Thailand .

Coz havent heard of any other democratic country IN THE WORLD where such thing have happened .

Anyway whats the point to argue now .

PS Edit : If anyone here has heard of a similar story outside Thailand please provide a link .

Germany 1982 http://motherearthtravel.com/history/germany/history-20.htm No new general election, but a new coalition formed. A normal democratic process.

Edited April 7, 2010 by lothda

[Wolfie]

Thailand will be fine regardless of what happens. If you have been here long enough - we all know its organized chaos.

Stop saying things i agree with Brit, you are making me worried!

[traderjm]

One poster has challenged the TRANSLATION of this item. This is critical. If the red shirt leaders have REALLY declared war on the government of the Kingdom of Thailand, that is huge. If they didn't and there is something lost in translation, that is very important to know.

This is all I could find on it.

By Jason Szep and Kitiphong Thaicharoen

BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thailand declared a state of emergency in the capital on Wednesday after protesters stormed the grounds of parliament, forcing government ministers to flee by helicopter and raising pressure for snap elections.

The red-shirted supporters of ousted premier Thaksin Shinawatra retreated from parliament but tens of thousands remain in Bangkok's main shopping district, refusing orders to leave until Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva dissolves parliament.

The "red shirts" responded to the decree with defiance, exhorting followers in rural provinces to mass at city halls.

"We will declare war," Arisman Pongruangrong, a "red shirt" leader, told supporters. "No more negotiations."

The state of emergency bans public gatherings of more than five people and gives the army broad powers to control crowds. But Abhisit said the government would not use force.

"The government's goal is to help the situation return to a normal way of life, to maintain the sanctity of the law," he said in a televised statement hours after a siege on parliament.

The scene outside parliament was among the most chaotic and confrontational since the sporadic protests began on March 12.

http://uk.reuters.com/article/idUKTRE63604Y20100407

[marquis22]

Let me break it down for the Americans out there. The Red shirts are like hill billies from the Ozarks and Appalachians. Poor, not well educated and a bit marginalized by the rest of the country. They idolize a corrupt billionaire named Bernie Madoff, they thinks he's the cat's ass. Bernie is in jail for his misdeeds but sees these rubes as his ticket to freedom and the restoration of his ill gotten fortune. He tries to enlist the help of a million of these fine folks, but through bribery and angry rhetoric he only manages to get 50,000 to participate in his scheme. He has them march on Washington, he even puts gas in their pickups so they can make the journey. They occupy the streets of the nation's capitol. They piss on the sidewalks and make a nuisance of themselves. They loiter and block intersections and hang out at the Lincoln memorial. They hope by doing this that Obama will not only pardon Bernie, but that he'll declare him the new President. Sounds insane doesn't it? What about the other 300 million or so citizens? Shouldn't they get a say? No, all that matters is that Bernie Madoff gets rich and powerful once more. And when he does his protesters can go back to moonshining and marrying their cousins.

And that in a nutshell is what it is like to live in Thailand these days.

I am an Aussie, can you explain all that in aussie lingo ?? I am from Moe (

[ozzieman05]

"That logic is awesome. I will try to keep it short, so ..basically no red shirt offered her a job because most of the red shirts are not in a position to offer jobs. They're employed rather than employers. And the "well to do people" offered her a job, sure. But how much? I see people working in 7-Eleven all month for what...6,000 or 7,000 Baht? Sure you can claim that they don't need more or that they can live from it. But there's a difference between able to live from it and the ability to do better."

You are a real Brain thinker

There are Chinese in Australia that are working way under the minimum wage and alot of Australian making money out of them

But Australia has not gone mad and taken over the streets in a protest making it hard for other Australians to go about their daily life

Don't try an put all the blame on Thai people we are the same all over the world

If you do not like the Thai way then as she says

Get Out

This is her country

and she like many other had to work her way up the ladder to get better money

She now owns to good money making companies, but had to start at the bottom

The wife says I bet they are really happy just to have a job and getting 6-7,000 baht

when the wife first started work she was happy to get 5,000

But she smiled all day

[connel707]

It's about time! Totally justified for all the world to see.

A message to the good people of Thailand.

I can tell you with confidence the vast majority of foreigners support your honorable PM Abhisit in his valiant effort to fight anarchic red shirt's illegal attempt at revolution and the rule of a violent mob. Good luck to and best hopes for a PEACEFUL resolution.

And how would you know"the vast majority" of foreigners support Abbisit? And with confidence? Have you personally polled all foreigners living in thailand? What a dumb post that is

No , he is right...any person with the slightest savvy of intelligence supports Ahbisits government...

[hardy1943]

It's about time! Totally justified for all the world to see.

A message to the good people of Thailand.

I can tell you with confidence the vast majority of foreigners support your honorable PM Abhisit in his valiant effort to fight anarchic red shirt's illegal attempt at revolution and the rule of a violent mob. Good luck to and best hopes for a PEACEFUL resolution.

No chance of that, way past that point now...

Had to happen with Songkran on the way, if they don't do something before then it will be chaos on the streets - government already under huge pressure to act.

The taking over of the Airport made Thailand as the biggest joke in the world.Still have relatives and friend that will not visit me because of that. They are scared to get stuck here and loose their jobs at home.

[silk]

Wednesday , April 7 , 2010

And now, the end is near

Posted by Thanong , Reader : 200 , 16:40:30

Print

April 7, 2010

Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva can only sing Frank Sinatra's My Way alone. But nobody would like to sing it with him. Here the famous song goes: "And now, the end is here. And so I face the final curtain."

He is now very pale. There is chaos all over the Security Command Centre. Abhisit can sense how solitude he is.

The coalition partners are speaking behind his back that within the next 24 hours, Abhisit will be gone

If he goes, he gioes in peace, which the last PM did not

[sealy]

agreed 100% - typical is that stupid rich kid in BKK driving his Porche into the crowd - know doubt his BKK Daddy bought it for him - such a world away from the poor farmers who really need the help - its pathetic

reported by the media his father is the deputy commerce minister..........

[moresomekl]

your are sure reading the wrong papers --- i cant recall ever reading that the present govt was duly elected -- they are there with the help of the army following a coup - u forget that part - and then the court banned all member of the present govt because they were taksins boys --- so if u are going to qoute facts - make sure the ones u quote are correct - and not pro yellow - sure sounds like it me and =- and the vast majority ahaaa

And if you wanna talk facts, no PM was ever elected by the people, MP's are elected by the people and then the MP's choose who will be the PM by parliamentary vote.

And just for your information, the coup ousted a caretaker PM who failed to call an election within the allotted time. They gave power back to the people and called a General Election about a year later, where PPP managed to cobble together a coalition government after failing to get a suitable majority to take power themselves. The Courts found the PPP leaders guilty of vote buying and banned them from politics, after which PTP was formed, but the Democrat party managed to get a big enough coalition together to take the government.

So maybe its you who are reading the wrong papers and need to check up on your facts

Wolfie, I'm sorry but I can't ake it anymore. Anyone who knows parlimentary HS (thats's highschool civics) understands how PM's are chosen. You just don't seem to understand that a duly elected government was thrown out (analogous to a Parliment voting no confidence of a sitting PM) which require disolving Parliment and holding a national referendum. Somehow it appears that to you stating the obvious is helpful.

Please tell me of any other case than a coup where a duly elected sitting goverment is removed.

Exactly . Agree 100%.

A court dissolves an entire party , the one in power mind you .

(Well it could have been the army arresting all the MPs same philosophy)

Then the opposition can take over , no general election .

Surrealist

[traderjm]

"That logic is awesome. I will try to keep it short, so ..basically no red shirt offered her a job because most of the red shirts are not in a position to offer jobs. They're employed rather than employers. And the "well to do people" offered her a job, sure. But how much? I see people working in 7-Eleven all month for what...6,000 or 7,000 Baht? Sure you can claim that they don't need more or that they can live from it. But there's a difference between able to live from it and the ability to do better."

You are a real Brain thinker

There are Chinese in Australia that are working way under the minimum wage and alot of Australian making money out of them

But Australia has not gone mad and taken over the streets in a protest making it hard for other Australians to go about their daily life

Don't try an put all the blame on Thai people we are the same all over the world

If you do not like the Thai way then as she says

Get Out

This is her country

and she like many other had to work her way up the ladder to get better money

She now owns to good money making companies, but had to start at the bottom

The wife says I bet they are really happy just to have a job and getting 6-7,000 baht

when the wife first started work she was happy to get 5,000

But she smiled all day

He will never understand what you are saying some people just want to save everyone no matter whether they can be saved, want to be saved or are worth saving.. and the REDS fall into all three categories... like I've said previously if Thaksin pulled every baht of his support and the REDS still hung around for another three weeks another month and did it all on their own dime and the kindness of other Thai's NOT looking to come back and have their criminal charges over turned they would have a lot more support likely an actual majority not just the made up majority in their collective heads

[connel707]

It's about time! Totally justified for all the world to see.

A message to the good people of Thailand.

I can tell you with confidence the vast majority of foreigners support your honorable PM Abhisit in his valiant effort to fight anarchic red shirt's illegal attempt at revolution and the rule of a violent mob. Good luck to and best hopes for a PEACEFUL resolution.

so now u have taken up speaking for the vast majority of farang - well sunshine count me out of your vast majority - would u like to qoute what percentage u claim is the vast majority --- sounds like another yellow shirt supporter - illegal - what part is illegial - the illegal government in place or the reds who just claim equal justice and recognition -

Australians were never counted in in the first place... look at their government..and Australia is certainly a Police State... Pass another Chang..

[Pakboong]

It's about time! Totally justified for all the world to see.

A message to the good people of Thailand.

I can tell you with confidence the vast majority of foreigners support your honorable PM Abhisit in his valiant effort to fight anarchic red shirt's illegal attempt at revolution and the rule of a violent mob. Good luck to and best hopes for a PEACEFUL resolution.

What do you consider "the vast Majority of foreigners" ? I guess you think people sould not have a say in how their country is run. Why don't you go back to ................ what ever country you are from.

Based on MANY polls over many months here, the hub of foreigner in Thailand communication, there have been CONSISTENT results of about 2/3 being opposed to the red shirt revolutionaries, and 1/3 being in favor of the insurgents. Insurgent is the correct word. They have declared WAR.

Be careful what you wish for, sometimes these things get out of hand.

http://www.wintersonnenwende.com/scriptori...es/jdecwar.html

Edited April 7, 2010 by Pakboong

[Jingthing]

"We will declare war," Arisman Pongruangrong, a "red shirt" leader, told supporters. "No more negotiations."

Thank you. Very interesting. If the translation is correct, We WILL declare war is a tad softer than We declare war. Will, when? Conditional on something? Leaving a little wiggle room? We need some Thais who are fluent in English to explain this if they have the Thai source. Otherwise, still rather muddy.

Edited April 7, 2010 by Jingthing

[Throatwobbler]

Also FACT red's have declared on their TV channel another 10000 reds are coming to bangkok tonight, with another 50000 coming before the weekend.

If true, they need to be stopped on the roads and turned back.

As long as the red shirts are Thais, I think they have a right to move around in their own country to wherever they want.

They have every right to move around wherever they like... but they have no right to stop others doing the same, and this is what has been happening. Remember, it was the Red-shirts who started this 'protest', and the Government has every right, indeed every obligation, to enable everybody (including Red-shirts) to go about their business freely. (I repeat what I have said before that the Yellow-shirts should have received as harsh treatment as I would advocate for the reds... but it was a Government sympathetic with the Red-shirts which took no action!)

To quote Britmaverick

Bit too late for that I am afraid - you either do it from the very beginning or not at all.

So when does it stop. What happens if after the next elections you get the purple shirts. Are they allowed to paralyze the country because first the yellow then the reds could. Then you get the beige shirts, then the polka dot shirts. Is any group with a grievance allowed to paralyze the country. Yes it should have stopped with the yellow but it didn't.

It has to stop somewhere though.

[ozzydom]

Having spent 2000-2009 working either directly or indirectly as a consultant for 4 ministries, in I can't remember how many governments and through 2 coups, my opinion is that - excluding the periods when Khun Anand was Prime Minister - Abhisit's government has been the most socially progressive and effective in addressing ministerial corruption.

I know a great deal about inner workings of Thaksin's various programs for Issan, less so the North. EVERY program had a spin.

Here's 1,000,000 baht for your village... Thaksin is giving it to you. Of course, the pho-yai baan would never think of taking a sanctioned commission on the disbursements. Of course, the subsequent house-by-house visits by various agents of mobile telephone services, automobile and motorcycle dealerships - not to mention the loan sharks - was merely a coincidence. Of course, the default rate on what was represented as "loans" is astronomical. Loan, what loan? Thaksin gave us this money.

Here's a paved road right through your village. And by the way, you won't have dust blowing into you house every time something passes. Of course, the paved road stops 500 meters on each side of the village, so going anywhere in a reasonable amount of time and in relative comfort is still impossible. Sorry that it doesn't give you better access to markets or schools, but after all, Thaksin gave you a paved road, didn't he? You didn't have to pay for it, did you? Of course, your road will need regular repair from a highly qualified local contractor, say every 6 months or so, and between repairs - well, even if there usually are 10 or 15 one meter wide holes 20 cm. deep between repairs - there is less dust then before, isn't there?

Me, I'm 63 years old so my "future" in Thailand is somewhat limited. But my wife and 3 children are Thai, and I care about their future in this country. I don't want it determined by demagogues of any persuasion, and the reds' leaders are a clear and present danger to rational, benevolent, and progressive governance.

You forgot to mention that the local Pho-Yai Baan is also the highly qualified contractor as well .

[SICA]

It's about time! Totally justified for all the world to see.

A message to the good people of Thailand.

I can tell you with confidence the vast majority of foreigners support your honorable PM Abhisit in his valiant effort to fight anarchic red shirt's illegal attempt at revolution and the rule of a violent mob. Good luck to and best hopes for a PEACEFUL resolution.

No chance of that, way past that point now...

Had to happen with Songkran on the way, if they don't do something before then it will be chaos on the streets - government already under huge pressure to act.

The taking over of the Airport made Thailand as the biggest joke in the world.Still have relatives and friend that will not visit me because of that. They are scared to get stuck here and loose their jobs at home.

unbelievable..... PMSL!

[FarangCravings]

Thaksin Shinawatra has no interest in anything other than recouping his stolen money

I agree with you the current goverment stole his money and he wants it back, cant argue with the guy

[HerbalEd]

My Thai wife is really hot under the collar and says

Then go home and stop working

It is the reds that declared war, the Government have been way to calm for way to long

Thailand belongs to Thais not the west

Nobody is making the red shirts stay

but we are poor Thais and we have bills to pay, so let us live our lives with freedom

She also says she came to Bkk to make money to send home to her family

Not one poor Red Shirt offered her a job

It is the so call well off in Thailand that hire the people from the North

and it the well to do people in Bkk that allows her to send money home to her family

So all you Farang please go to the back seats

you can have your thoughts but this is about our country and if you don't like it

GET OUT

That logic is awesome. I will try to keep it short, so ..basically no red shirt offered her a job because most of the red shirts are not in a position to offer jobs. They're employed rather than employers. And the "well to do people" offered her a job, sure. But how much? I see people working in 7-Eleven all month for what...6,000 or 7,000 Baht? Sure you can claim that they don't need more or that they can live from it. But there's a difference between able to live from it and the ability to do better.

You can bet that that kind of logic is repeated several million times in the heads of most of the population. Not the same sentiments, not the same argument, not the same view, but the same inability to analyse a situation with clarity and acuity. That's a large part of why Thai politics is always a damned mess

And how much were they making while Thaksis was in power? Again ... I'm not anti-red nor anti-yellow, but I am anti-Thaksis and pro Thailand. And I'm not going back to USA, because I love Thailand and her people too much.

[steven100]

It's about time! Totally justified for all the world to see.

A message to the good people of Thailand.

I can tell you with confidence the vast majority of foreigners support your honorable PM Abhisit in his valiant effort to fight anarchic red shirt's illegal attempt at revolution and the rule of a violent mob. Good luck to and best hopes for a PEACEFUL resolution.

And how would you know"the vast majority" of foreigners support Abbisit? And with confidence? Have you personally polled all foreigners living in thailand? What a dumb post that is

No , he is right...any person with the slightest savvy of intelligence supports Ahbisits government...

It is illegal to block roads , smash parlimentary gates !! , cause shops to close !!

These red shirt chiefs are criminals !! arrest them and water cannon the rest !!

enough is enough ! get rid of these protests ... Thailand has sufferred severe embassasment and needs to act now.

If there is anyone on this forum that agrees with the red shirt action then you have lost the plot as well ...

What next ... throw more blood around ? !!