Thai Government Hangs By A Thread

[bangkokrick]

I cannot figure out the Army's strategy. They group, shoot teargas and push the Reds back who then circle around and go back to where they were. Nobody is being arrested or held. This is pointless.

Perhaps Anupong thought the Reds would get scared and go home, but this hasn't worked. Now, either ramp it up a notch and do what it takes to pull the leaders off the street or go back to the barracks. This middle of the road stuff isn't accomplishing anything.

It is cat and mouse.

Be patient.

Actually the military probably arent trained for the role they are asked to carry out and having a few of them shot probably doesnt help, so dont hold out too much....

Red win soon it looks like

Hammered are you drunk? Normally you make some very sensible posts and I respect that, but this one is drivel.

Cheers, Rick

[lannarebirth]

Threathening and doing it for real are VERY VERY different things .

Never happen to you to threaten someone when you are angry ?

If Red shirts are shot at of course they defend themselves , its sad

but unavoidable . What do you expect ? .

Its the police hiding behind women . You are confused

This is the most despicable post I have seen from you thus far. If you are suggesting that it's acceptable for a 'pro-democracy' movement's leader to make threats of public violence in an effort to gain his objectives, regardless of whether he can then control the aftermath if his mob actually follow through with his threats, then I think you need to stop and think hard.

I'm also disgusted by your 'hiding behind women' comment. Do you think female police are different from male ones? Welcome to the 21st century, try to develop a more humanistic approach.

Dear Slip,

My TV viewing experience beame nuch better when I put the poster you are responding to on "Ignore". He doesn't really know anything and his chief goal here seems to inflame people. Unfortunately there is a flaw in the TV software that still allows those posts to be seen if someone else responds to him. Consider not doing so. Thanking you in advance.

[hammered]

I cannot figure out the Army's strategy. They group, shoot teargas and push the Reds back who then circle around and go back to where they were. Nobody is being arrested or held. This is pointless.

Perhaps Anupong thought the Reds would get scared and go home, but this hasn't worked. Now, either ramp it up a notch and do what it takes to pull the leaders off the street or go back to the barracks. This middle of the road stuff isn't accomplishing anything.

It is cat and mouse.

Be patient.

Actually the military probably arent trained for the role they are asked to carry out and having a few of them shot probably doesnt help, so dont hold out too much....

Red win soon it looks like

Hammered are you drunk? Normally you make some very sensible posts and I respect that, but this one is drivel.

Cheers, Rick

balance of probablities. reds are shooting soldiers and the soldiers are throwing tear gas canisters trying not to be violent. complete reverse of what stae versus people should be.

[jdinasia]

Threathening and doing it for real are VERY VERY different things .

Never happen to you to threaten someone when you are angry ?

If Red shirts are shot at of course they defend themselves , its sad

but unavoidable . What do you expect ? .

Its the police hiding behind women . You are confused

This is the most despicable post I have seen from you thus far. If you are suggesting that it's acceptable for a 'pro-democracy' movement's leader to make threats of public violence in an effort to gain his objectives, regardless of whether he can then control the aftermath if his mob actually follow through with his threats, then I think you need to stop and think hard.

I'm also disgusted by your 'hiding behind women' comment. Do you think female police are different from male ones? Welcome to the 21st century, try to develop a more humanistic approach.

Dear Slip,

My TV viewing experience beame nuch better when I put the poster you are responding to on "Ignore". He doesn't really know anything and his chief goal here seems to inflame people. Unfortunately there is a flaw in the TV software that still allows those posts to be seen if someone else responds to him. Consider not doing so. Thanking you in advance.

LOL .. his previous posting style sure came out today! Termad is the only recent addition to my list ...

[Insight]

I cannot figure out the Army's strategy. They group, shoot teargas and push the Reds back who then circle around and go back to where they were. Nobody is being arrested or held. This is pointless.

Perhaps Anupong thought the Reds would get scared and go home, but this hasn't worked. Now, either ramp it up a notch and do what it takes to pull the leaders off the street or go back to the barracks. This middle of the road stuff isn't accomplishing anything.

It is cat and mouse.

Be patient.

Actually the military probably arent trained for the role they are asked to carry out and having a few of them shot probably doesnt help, so dont hold out too much....

Red win soon it looks like

Hammered are you drunk? Normally you make some very sensible posts and I respect that, but this one is drivel.

Cheers, Rick

Yeah, can't say I entirely agree myself (which is unusual with hammered's posts). The army came back from near defeat last Songkran.

The difference here being the amount of people all within the one place with the possibility of causing much damage.

It's going to be a long battle and still way to early to call it IMHO. One development that could be considered positive (if there is such a thing amongst all this !#@) is the lack of "watermelon soldiers" so far (ignoring yesterday's disaster).

[bangkokrick]

To hammered. I cant reply for some reason.

I don't agree. no one expected the Army to take these measures today. looking at the posts this morning everybody was saying that the forces were weak. later in the day they were proved wrong. The Forces mad good ground today and showed the Reds that they are committed to the Government. The Army does have the expertise to deal with this situation. After all they were trained by the Americans

Cheers, Rick

[Throatwobbler]

Just saw on Thai tv, footage from about 2 minutes ago scenes from near the democracy monument. It looks very violent. Reds throwing all sorts of things at the army/police. They responding with tear gas and it looks like rubber bullets.

Very far from the non violence the reds promised. I remember when they said if the army came to remove them they would all sit down in protest and let the army take them out one by one. I think they would have won a lot more friends if they could have stuck to that non-violence idea.

[saintofsilence]

ASTV. At kok wua. Redshirts set off a bomb based on a gas tank. Lots injured. Many soldiers shot.

Another sure sign of terrorism lock the lot of these red bastards away "

[nadavbkk]

ASTV. At kok wua. Redshirts set off a bomb based on a gas tank. Lots injured. Many soldiers shot.

i stay now in khaosan rd, Gun Shooting and m 16 , bad very bad

[moresomekl]

For anyone that still assumes this is about democracy and not Thaksin, they need to answer one question honestly:

If the court judgement ruled in favour of Thaksin and let him keep his billions, would any protests we've seen over the past month be happening?

Its politic fiction , how to know

But yes protest would had happened the same way , i think . They left him with half of his fortune which he could loose now . Its not only about money , it is about power , even as a power broker , far more exciting then money . Toss it a zest of revenge probably

[Scott]

Please check the forum rules before posting links to newspapers. One post was deleted for this, unfortunately it was rather informative.

Thanks.

[Oberkommando]

My argument to your comment is that the process of a democracy in Thailand started years ago.

18 military coups since 1932 notwithstanding?

[bangkokrick]

Just saw on Thai tv, footage from about 2 minutes ago scenes from near the democracy monument. It looks very violent. Reds throwing all sorts of things at the army/police. They responding with tear gas and it looks like rubber bullets.

Very far from the non violence the reds promised. I remember when they said if the army came to remove them they would all sit down in protest and let the army take them out one by one. I think they would have won a lot more friends if they could have stuck to that non-violence idea.

Yes it looks bad down at the democracy monument. Lets hope that sense prevails throughout the night, but I doubt it.

Cheers, Rick

[nadavbkk]

ASTV. At kok wua. Redshirts set off a bomb based on a gas tank. Lots injured. Many soldiers shot.

i stay now in khaosan rd, Gun Shooting and m 16 , bad very bad

its was bom there,

[Insight]

As OMR stated before, it looks like the army are going to have the raise the bar a few notches. Sad, and very concerning TBH

[4223rhodes]

Abhisit should be resigning very soon! Even the images on the military and govt TV stations are very favorable to the Red cause.

[brahmburgers]

I think the protest will end soon - in a day or two. Ok, maybe wishful thinking, but look at it this way:

Yesterday the authorities wimped out. Last night Abhisit gave a no-nonsense speech to his top brass.

Today the authorities were effective, though am not sure whether they held the ground they took. The security forces could have done better, but they did a whole lot better than the previous day (though that, in itself, is not saying much, as the previous day was lamentable).

I am still hoping for national unity and New Politics, which would be people politics, a collective of experts, diligent and wise men, civic activist and academics leading the country as a unit and not the poster boy, politic star, gifted speaker or astute salesman kind of politician.

Do such people exist in Thailand?

[commons]

some recent tweets:

smartbrain: ASTV police hit by volley of m79 m16 and molotovs. Scores injured.

bangkokpundit: Ch 3 reports that 50 security officials have been injured including one seriously

smartbrain: ASTV... lots of gunfire at kokwua. Says definitely from reds. Police are unarmed and only with teargas launchers

bangkokpundit: At Kow wua intersection, near Khao San, there is a clash between reds and army. Tear gas being fired, lots of things being thrown

tulsathit: Translating @KANG_NT: Gunshots being heard all the time at Kok Wua, reporters say.

tulsathit: Both sides firing at each other at Kok Wua intersection, reporters say. It's a commotion.

smartbrain: tt @satittrang Protesters fired M67 at army; over 20 injured now.

smartbrain: ASTV. At kok wua. Redshirts set off a bomb based on a gas tank. Lots injured. Many soldiers shot.

*

no comment

[way2muchcoffee]

Here is a weird one. It seems the reds Buddha image has broken in two, Being taken by some as a bad tiding. Wonder how many people believe in that kind of stuff

Far too many. Particularly country Thais.

It's an omen for sure, and is the kind to give a sense of foreboding in the average up country Somchai.

Why else did Thaksin go to such lengths to do all those rituals and have others do them for him when he wasn't here?

Because most of his chosen demographic is profoundly superstitious.

This is the kind of omen that loses wars.

Whether that will be true this time.....

It may be an omen, but not necessarily for the redshirts. I suspect this is an omen of ill tidings to come for Thailand.

Note: As a physicist I don't put much stock into omens...

[commons]

tweets

smartbrain: ASTV reporter just hit by m79 landed nearby... says will call back as he cannot hear anything now.

[bangkokrick]

Abhisit should be resigning very soon! Even the images on the military and govt TV stations are very favorable to the Red cause.

You will have to put a thicker lead in your pencil if you want to draw the posters on TV mate. Complete troll.

Cheers, Rick

[saintofsilence]

Abhisit should be resigning very soon! Even the images on the military and govt TV stations are very favorable to the Red cause.

What are you smoking he will come out a winner today , so you think setting off bombs and threatening to derail the BTS is giving the reds a winning edge ? go back to sleep.

[Insight]

Reds look like they're in full blown self-destruct mode now, judging by reports/Twitter users. Unlikely soldiers will continue to be unarmed from now on.

[TheOldWolf]

some recent tweets:

smartbrain: ASTV police hit by volley of m79 m16 and molotovs. Scores injured.

bangkokpundit: Ch 3 reports that 50 security officials have been injured including one seriously

smartbrain: ASTV... lots of gunfire at kokwua. Says definitely from reds. Police are unarmed and only with teargas launchers

bangkokpundit: At Kow wua intersection, near Khao San, there is a clash between reds and army. Tear gas being fired, lots of things being thrown

tulsathit: Translating @KANG_NT: Gunshots being heard all the time at Kok Wua, reporters say.

tulsathit: Both sides firing at each other at Kok Wua intersection, reporters say. It's a commotion.

smartbrain: tt @satittrang Protesters fired M67 at army; over 20 injured now.

smartbrain: ASTV. At kok wua. Redshirts set off a bomb based on a gas tank. Lots injured. Many soldiers shot.

*

no comment

Very sad news! Red thais try to kill other thiais

[4223rhodes]

Abhisit looks very weak indeed propped up by the army and sleeping literally in their bed. When he reads the script given to him by the army on the army TV station later tonight or in the morning it will go in one ear and out the other of most Thais.

[moresomekl]

As OMR stated before, it looks like the army are going to have the raise the bar a few notches. Sad, and very concerning TBH

Anyting could happen now . Even a mutiny by some of the soldiers or/and police . That would be real uggly . Its time for a governement of national unity to take over or a council of the 4 ex PMs , calm things down , and negociate with the red shirts . Else Thailand will loose .

[yoshiwara]

some recent tweets:

smartbrain: ASTV police hit by volley of m79 m16 and molotovs. Scores injured.

bangkokpundit: Ch 3 reports that 50 security officials have been injured including one seriously

smartbrain: ASTV... lots of gunfire at kokwua. Says definitely from reds. Police are unarmed and only with teargas launchers

bangkokpundit: At Kow wua intersection, near Khao San, there is a clash between reds and army. Tear gas being fired, lots of things being thrown

tulsathit: Translating @KANG_NT: Gunshots being heard all the time at Kok Wua, reporters say.

tulsathit: Both sides firing at each other at Kok Wua intersection, reporters say. It's a commotion.

smartbrain: tt @satittrang Protesters fired M67 at army; over 20 injured now.

smartbrain: ASTV. At kok wua. Redshirts set off a bomb based on a gas tank. Lots injured. Many soldiers shot.

*

no comment

Very sad news! Red thais try to kill other thiais

Where are the Thaksin apologists now boasting about the reds essential peacefulness?

The leopard has not changed its spots.

They were always gong to kick off their violence.

Right on song.

Thaksin is playing for keeps.

He wants power.

Now.

Not democracy.

[Netfan]

So Thaksin and his minions have got their war. Hope they are happy. Sad sad day (night) for Thailand.

[SomTumTiger]

Goodbye Reds. Nice knowing you.

[bangkokrick]

Abhisit looks very weak indeed propped up by the army and sleeping literally in their bed. When he reads the script given to him by the army on the army TV station later tonight or in the morning it will go in one ear and out the other of most Thais.

Dream on! That is exactly what most members are doing to you right now. In one ear and out of the other.

Rick