State Of Emergency Decree Imposed In Bangkok

[Netfan]

Does anyone have a guess on when the govt will act? The reds have said that they will hold their biggest rally on Friday. It would make sense to me for the govt to do something before Friday. The longer they wait the worse the situation gets for them.

April 3rd. They promised to have the place cleared by midnight. I guess that was / is Thai time

[landofthefree]

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.

This one doesn't support Abhisit. It doesn't really matter because as with all Thai PMs he will be gone soon. Good riddance to him!

[ChiangMaiFun]

WRONG! It means they were accepting orders from their elected government to not be provoked into reaction. It is called discipline and is a military characteristic. If the generals were interested enough in their country's welfare to remove a nascent dictator, what makes you think they will allow it to be taken over by his rabble? Do you think they want Thaksin to take command, kiss and forget?

What ELECTED government? I remember military taking over one actually ELECTED government not so long ago...

exactly - but the yellow fellows on here won't accept this

[grandpops]

WRONG! It means they were accepting orders from their elected government to not be provoked into reaction. It is called discipline and is a military characteristic. If the generals were interested enough in their country's welfare to remove a nascent dictator, what makes you think they will allow it to be taken over by his rabble? Do you think they want Thaksin to take command, kiss and forget?

What ELECTED government? I remember military taking over one actually ELECTED government not so long ago...

But you don't remember the election that came 13 months AFTER the coup? Odd, because there was one. Look it up, it was was in all the papers.

We remember a rigged ballot where every party and individual that might be a threat to the PAD/Army Junta was removed.

Those too thick to remember that are welcome to their rose tinted view of it though.

It would be hard for another Coup now as they are still in control and at the trough from the 2006 job.

[tim73]

But you don't remember the election that came 13 months AFTER the coup? Odd, because there was one. Look it up, it was was in all the papers.

"Elections were held on 23 December 2007, after a military-appointed tribunal outlawed the Thai Rak Thai party of Thaksin Shinawatra and banned TRT executives from contesting in elections for 5 years."

Kinda nice to hold elections when you ban the opposing party....

[moresomekl]

arrest all the reds leaders now!

sorry but what a dummy quote! ....get an idea of Thai Politics first or go back to your country if you think it affects you.

Is there not something like a POLL here in Thaivisa. May be then we will learn for which party the foreigners here will vote.

I do not like the yellows nor the reds, I like freedom. But if people go on streets in masses like that it shows that there are not really happy with the government. And dont you tell me everybody of the demonstrators is paid by Taksin....thats a lot of bull when you see in which numbers they are on the streets.

Dont forget, Thailand is not a democratic country and things can change on a daily basis here.

I WANT A POLL

POLL-POT

[Jingthing]

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.

This one doesn't support Abhisit. It doesn't really matter because as with all Thai PMs he will be gone soon. Good riddance to him!

Do you understand the meaning of vast majority? Is everyone who isn't in that vast majority going to speak here? Go ahead, but no need, as I never said ALL.

[Tigs]

It is futile posting anymore on these threads. Many people have no idea of the current political status, or indeed the historical one over the last 4 years. There was NOT a military coup! Anyone who states that has no idea what they are talking about. Just because yellow shirts closed the airport does not make it ok for Reds to close the center of town. The yellows were under a different government who were spineless when action was required. I hope that Abisit will not prove the same in the days to come.

I personally do not give a rats arse which party is in power, but whoever it is needs time to set up a term of government so that they can work for the people and the country. At the moment the current guy is starting to do a good job but it has taken a while as it does with any government for people to find their feet. If we change now then we have the same old problem and in 1 year just when the government starts to work, it will all change again after the next protests! What the Reds need to learn like the rest of us who support parties all over the world that never got in to power, is that this is a constitutional, legal government with planned election dates. Do your campagnes or whatever, but democracy says that this government stays put until the due election date, like it or not. If something hard is not done the country will rapidly become ungovernable unless it splits in to two sovereign states, North Thailand and South Thailand and that would be more of a disaster than this situation could be.

If you are going to spout off then go ahead, but please please either get your facts right or learn the history of what has happened before you do so.

[ozzieman05]

Mixed feelings. Just sent my wife to Nonthaburi but she's driving my new truck.

I would be worried to, Get the truck back ASAP mate

Emergency Decree or not, you let your wife drive your new truck!!!!????

Why not I always let my wife drive

Gives me more time to check out the tight shorts with safety

[FarangCravings]

Oh i gotta get a breath thats funny

That's OK.

I am not pro yellow. I think they are too fascistic for my taste. Their idea about a largely appointed parliament was outrageous. On the other hand, I support the yellow disgust of all things Thaksin. The Abhisit government, which I do support, is not yellow, is not PAD, PAD has its own party. Informed people know that. This isn't about red vs yellow. Red insurgent propagandists try to make it look that way, but its a big lie. It is an insult to be called a yellow when you are NOT a yellow supporter (which for the 1000th time, I am not) because people who aren't fascists do not like to be called fascists. If you are a fascist, that's another story.

I am neither yellow or red I am more like th Gremans running down NANA naked but without the Big Belly and Small (*&^%

I actually like Abhisit but he can get NO CREDABILITY until he is elected BY THE PEOPLE (not parliment) I think he could do the country good and seems like a smart guy.

Hold an election he will most likely LOSE but he is a young guy and can come back and build his following but sas it is now impossible

[featography]

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.

Another message to the good people of Thailand.

I can tell you with confidence that the vast majority of foreigners that Jingthing thinks supports your accomplished little to nothing PM in his over educated western mentality, are working with western mentality, and the opinions of some Thai and a lot of govt owned, controlled media. In reality the majority of farang have had a steady diet of propoganda and alcohol, that has created a medical condition GIGO. Garbage INPputed into 2 ears, Garbage OUTputed through 1 large mouth. Good luck to the people of Thailand in achieving a non corrupt, Democratic govt, a non dictatorial military that learns their one and only purpose to exist is to protect the sovereign state of Thailand and stay out of politics, and a population that will reap the rewards of open and unbiased education oportunities for all.

[lothda]

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

Hmm, I thought the party in power did some things that were against the law? Could that be?

[commons]

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.

Well that make 3 of us that think more of our Thai families than we do about our western superiority to tell Thai's what they must do in their own country

as it seems there's some kind of "polling" going on..., count me in... to make it 4... for starters.

[hammered]

UDD leaders announcing provincial centers they have seized or are moving towards or surrounded (not usre on translation). Quite a few it seems. Not sure if true or not

[ChiangMaiFun]

Oh i gotta get a breath thats funny

That's OK.

I am not pro yellow. I think they are too fascistic for my taste. Their idea about a largely appointed parliament was outrageous. On the other hand, I support the yellow disgust of all things Thaksin. The Abhisit government, which I do support, is not yellow, is not PAD, PAD has its own party. Informed people know that. This isn't about red vs yellow. Red insurgent propagandists try to make it look that way, but its a big lie. It is an insult to be called a yellow when you are NOT a yellow supporter (which for the 1000th time, I am not) because people who aren't fascists do not like to be called fascists. If you are a fascist, that's another story.

They call him mellow yellow...

[Jingthing]

exactly - but the yellow fellows on here won't accept this

Isn't it cute for you that yellow rhymes with fellow? You are having so much fun with that. Good for you. Of course the fact that the vast majority of anti-Thaksin people are NOT supporters of PAD/yellow is an inconvenient truth for you. So sorry about that.

Edited April 7, 2010 by Jingthing

[monkfish]

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

Did he fail to call an election or did the democrats and other parties Boy cot the election?

[Kan Win]

PM declares state of emergency in Thai capital

BANGKOK (TNA) -- Thailand's Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva on Wednesday evening declared a state of emergency in the capital and adjacent provinces to restore normalcy after nearly a month of anti-government protests spiralled out of control threatening national security.

"The state of emergency is aimed to restore order to the society and people but not aimed to crack down on innocent people, Mr Abhisit assured the public in a nationally televised address flanked by key cabinet members.

The prime minister stated that the state of emergency is necessary as the demonstration has escalated into violations of law that severely affected society and the economy, and undermined international confidence in Thailand.

Despite the enforcement of the Internal Security Act, the protesters continued to act in defiance of the law and stormed into the Parliament on Wednesday.

Mr Abhisit said the state of emergency will allow the authorities to arrest the protest leaders and to ensure that measures will be taken effectively to prevent any untoward incident including sabotage.

The state of emergency takes effect immediately in and around Bangkok and some districts of other provinces comprising Samut Prakan, Nonthaburi, Pathum Thani, Nakhon Pathom and Ayutthaya.

The prime minister also announced the establishment of a centre to handle the emergency situation under direct command of Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban. He also asked the general public to cooperate with authorities by not taking part in the UDD-led mass rally.

The state of emergency has been announced hours after the anti-government protesters led by the 'Red Shirt' United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD) briefly stormed Parliament on Wednesday forcing some cabinet members and lawmakers to scale walls to flee and a Black Hawk helicopter evacuated Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban and other key political figures out of the compound.

Tens of thousands of protesters, many of whom are loyal to ousted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, have been rallying for nearly a month since March 12 to pressure the prime minister to dissolve the House within 15 days. However, the premier rejected their demand. Two rounds of negotiations ended in failure.

The protesters have besieged the capital’s commercial and prime shopping district at Ratchaprasong for five consecutive days forcing high-end department stores in the areas to close and paralysing most traffic in one of the capital's normally busiest districts.

Meanwhile, the Red Shirt leaders rejected the state of emergency and announced a plan to mobilise their supporters to hold what they claim will be their biggest rally on Friday with the intention of toppling the government.

Security have been stepped up around the protest sites with more red guards deployed at key points.

Nuttawut Saikua, one of the key leaders said the protesters will stay put both at its main rally sites at Phan Fa bridge and at Ratchaprasong intersection.

"The Red Shirts will fight in all forms and it will be the biggest one this Friday," said Mr Nuttawut, calling for the people nationwide to join demonstrations at their provincial halls. (TNA)

-- TNA 2010-04-07

[newsfooter][/newsfooter]

Edit the above for easy reading.

Now back to the topic in hand..............

and a Black Hawk helicopter evacuated Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban and other key political figures out of the compound.

Did not know we had them in Thailand Must have been left here from the Cobra Gold thing held in Feb this year.

[maydagirl]

OK. i need to go to sampeng (chinatown) tomorrow. is it safe? dont really wanna end up stuck somewhere. anybody know if i should or not?

Thanks in advance

[sealy]

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...

as a farang to another,i support neither thaksin or abhibisit..

...in your quotient , does this mean farangs who do not support abhibisit has the ""highest"" "savvy of intelligence"?

[Sunderland]

Does anyone have a guess on when the govt will act? The reds have said that they will hold their biggest rally on Friday. It would make sense to me for the govt to do something before Friday. The longer they wait the worse the situation gets for them.

Is that the 'Battle of Battles', 'End Game', 'Final Battle' or 'War of Wars'???

Should we anticipate 10 million or 100 million people coming to Bangkok?

[britmaveric]

exactly - but the yellow fellows on here won't accept this

Isn't it cute for you that yellow rhymes with fellow? You are having so much fun with that. Good for you. Of course the fact that the vast majority of anti-Thaksin people are NOT supporters of PAD/yellow is an inconvenient truth for you. So sorry about that.

[Sunderland]

OK. i need to go to sampeng (chinatown) tomorrow. is it safe? dont really wanna end up stuck somewhere. anybody know if i should or not?

Thanks in advance

No stay at home. Where do you live? Hmmmmm ... might be a problem there. Hide under the table.

[hammered]

Apparently no reds at Udon town hall as claimed

[SiriusBlack1]

But you don't remember the election that came 13 months AFTER the coup? Odd, because there was one. Look it up, it was was in all the papers.

Yes, there was an election, but how did THAT ruling candidate get there? I'll tell you. The key point is that *comment withheld after consulting forum rules*

[IMA_FARANG]

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.

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

While I agree with some of what you say I hope you still have enough sense to admit that not all Issan Reds are uneducated country bumbkins, urinating in the street, and such. I think you will find, if you bother to look, that many of the Issan farmers have quite a lot of common sense. Do you think it's so easy to run a farm in Issan, where you face problems of no water, no credit, poor soil, and low prices for your harvest...because everyone else is harvesting the same thing at the same time. If you do, I'm afraid you're wrong. A lot of those "ignorant farmers" have a pretty good idea of how to make the most of the system that constantly takes advantage of them....because money makes power, and those with money control the poor for their own benefit ( I mean to benefit those with money, of course).

I remember the story of one village head man. He put an advertisement into a Thai newspaper offering to sell his and his villagers votes to anyone who would get a health clinic into his village. A lot of people criticised him, said he was a fool to sell the village votes like that, Didn't he understand Democracy? He replied in the newspaper to their criticisims...he said, yes he understood Democracy. But he had been trying to get just one single Thai politician interested so he could get that health clinic in his village, Every one of them promised they would do it when elected...but once they were elected they forgot their promises. So now he had found a building to use as the health clinic. That's why he was selling his villagers votes...with the money he got for the votes he was going to hire a nurse or doctor to run the health clinic. Because the politicians hadn't done it for years...he was doing it himself...with the politicians money. Don't you think that village head man had a pretty good idea of the way Democracy actually worked in the real world...not as a pie-in-the-sky dream, but a real hard business arrangement?

I'm not disagreeing wsith what you say about Thaksin...but if you're poor with nothing to lose...even if you know you're going to get nothing, change is more important that "security and continuity". The status quo is worth nothing to you if you are on the bottom anyhow, and you know you're going to stay there as long as things don't change.

So please, not all Issan farmers are ignorant, no-culture, country bumpkins. One of the sharpest man I knew in the USAF was a "hillbilly redneck" who never owned a pair of shoes until he went into the USAF. But, my god, he could fix a radio that he had never seen or worked on before.

Edited April 7, 2010 by IMA_FARANG

[moskito]

Some people support the reds for what they WISH the reds were, not what they ACTUALLY are. Anyone who seriously thinks that the reds and THAKSIN are not tied at the hip is basically just deluding themselves. I don't doubt your good intentions though. Idealism is nice, warm, and fuzzy. Good for you to have those pleasant feelings. However, I am sure you aren't accepting the truth (today, yesterday, or tomorrow).

absolutely true Jingthing. Its not a music request programme and the reds have no other wish as the yellows, Filling their pockets with as much money as possible.

But least I see more people which look THAI in the red mob and much more Thai-CHINESE in the yellow mob......the country is ruled by Chinese and allways will (?)

[featography]

so, when's the baht gonna start falling???

Don't be so selfish. Lives are on the line now. This is no joke. Thank Thaksin for this mess. He was willing to destroy his own country for his money and power greed.

Get a reality check dude. This isn't about Thaksin anymore. The movement has grown larger than him, and it is HE that rides on the coat tails of the Red Brigade, not what the majority choose to hang onto, Reds riding on Thacksins coattail.

[Jerrytheyoung]

Does anyone have a guess on when the govt will act? The reds have said that they will hold their biggest rally on Friday. It would make sense to me for the govt to do something before Friday. The longer they wait the worse the situation gets for them.

April 3rd. They promised to have the place cleared by midnight. I guess that was / is Thai time

yes it is in TRT units 1 TRT unit = 1.01 MRT unit (Thai Rubber Time & Malaysian Rubber Time)

[lannarebirth]

"

Edit the above for easy reading.

Now back to the topic in hand..............

and a Black Hawk helicopter evacuated Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban and other key political figures out of the compound.

Did not know we had them in Thailand Must have been left here from the Cobra Gold thing held in Feb this year.

I think a couple are on order in the latest budget. Maybe its a demo.

Edited April 7, 2010 by lannarebirth