Red Shirt Leaders Flee As Thai Forces Surround Hotel

[tominbkk]

Thai wife just got off the phone laughing

Mother and friend had to go to Bangkok from Udon to pick up some things

They all dressed in Red shirts and drove well above the speed limit

Police just let them drive past not stopping

Arriving back in Udon they all laugh

Police scared of Red shirts, now they rule the roads

good way to get yourself shot in the head.....careful, with behavior like that she could be laughing blood soon from extra holes in the head!

[humfurry]

BANGKOK: -- Red shirts leader Arisamun Pongruengrong who escaped arrest on Tuesday morning declared war on Abhisit government.

After arriving at Rajprasong rally site, Arisamun told the cheering crowds, "From now on our mission is to hunt down Abhisit and Suthep. Our patience is at its limit. This is a war between the government and the red shirts,'' he told the cheering crowds

The Nation

There the reds go again, declaring war on the legal government of the Kingdom of Thailand, yet again. In case there was any doubt. Peaceful non-violent red shirts indeed.

Having said that, you have to admit it looks more like a botched assassination attempt than the lawful execution of an arrest warrant.

There are also reports out there that indicate they did not have a warrant.

ph

There are warrants for their arrest. That's all the police need.

[ChiangMaiFun]

BANGKOK: -- Red shirts leader Arisamun Pongruengrong who escaped arrest on Tuesday morning declared war on Abhisit government.

After arriving at Rajprasong rally site, Arisamun told the cheering crowds, "From now on our mission is to hunt down Abhisit and Suthep. Our patience is at its limit. This is a war between the government and the red shirts,'' he told the cheering crowds

The Nation

There the reds go again, declaring war on the legal government of the Kingdom of Thailand, yet again. In case there was any doubt. Peaceful non-violent red shirts indeed.

Elections will come... it's inevitable - so why not sooner rather than later - the government (thought legal - as was Stalins and Mugabes) is undemocratic - Abhisit has admitted as much - waiting will lead to more problems - let the people SPEAK, and of course, yellows are unlikely to be elected - but this has nothing to do with this lot clinging onto power? oh no!

Sure they will, after which you'll see 100,000 yellows turning Chiang Mai into loads of Fun.

I must say you have lost me there...

[Chunky1]

SC Park is a 3 star hotel, fwiw.

[khaosarnbuddy]

Looks more like the door was open already when the shots where fired, otherwise why there would be bullet holes in the wall behind the already opened room? Strange angle to shoot up a door...

Was he hiding in the fridge?

[jcbangkok]

BANGKOK: -- Red shirts leader Arisamun Pongruengrong who escaped arrest on Tuesday morning declared war on Abhisit government.

After arriving at Rajprasong rally site, Arisamun told the cheering crowds, "From now on our mission is to hunt down Abhisit and Suthep. Our patience is at its limit. This is a war between the government and the red shirts,'' he told the cheering crowds

The Nation

There the reds go again, declaring war on the legal government of the Kingdom of Thailand, yet again. In case there was any doubt. Peaceful non-violent red shirts indeed.

Having said that, you have to admit it looks more like a botched assassination attempt than the lawful execution of an arrest warrant.

There are also reports out there that indicate they did not have a warrant.

ph

There are also reports out there that the moon landing was a hoax.

[Kaweeka]

To the guy who posted the pictures. You know who made the bullet holes and when, do you? Those pictures are MEANINGLESS.

Well, no idea who fird those bullets into the fridge, however the trajectory of the bullets shows it came from the door side. Doesn't take a ballistics expert to see that.

Anyway, this is no conclusive evidence of any kind. Hopefully that is not how the propaganda machines reach conclusions .... no ... wait .... that IS how the propaganda machines on both sides make conclusions.

[Livinginexile]

Nice!!

Power to the people!

[humfurry]

Looks more like the door was open already when the shots where fired, otherwise why there would be bullet holes in the wall behind the already opened room? Strange angle to shoot up a door...

Was he hiding in the fridge?

No, he was already down the rope and gone.

[Jerrytheyoung]

Forget about arresting them, just snipers to take them out at this time. They are bunch of terrorist that will not respect the law. And if any case they are cornered they will flee the country any ways. They care about their own interests more than the countries interests

I've talked to many Thais (women mostly who work in the Chidlom and Siam area and they feel just about the same as you do.

It seems their thinking is that the Reds are killing the economy so it's OK to kill the Reds.

That's a bit drastic in my opinion... but people here are losing their patience.

I submit the people who are losing their patience are the ones that are happy with the status quo ,, have shops and businesses etc that are loosing money ,, RIGHT ??

What you and they don't get is the fact there are millions of Thais who have lost patience about the directon their lives are going in and the lack of democracy here.

Whats more important ,, keeping luxury shopping centers open for tourists and spoiled rich bangkok elites to make a profit ,,, or the overall direction of the whole country and the desires of millions of people who by the way represent the majority.

I say ,,, let the shops stay closed ,,, this is the only weapon the reds have while Abish__it's weapon is the tank and live bullets

May I just remind all of you, that TOURISM, is the #1 industry in Thailand... responsible for more jobs than any other sector of the economy.

Killing Tourism is like Killing the Golden Goose.....

Up2U

CS

Tourism is certainly an important job provider, but Thailand is now an industrial Country, more income from automotive, electrics/electronics Industries Tourism weights now around 7% or 8% only.

[hpl]

BANGKOK: -- Red shirts leader Arisamun Pongruengrong who escaped arrest on Tuesday morning declared war on Abhisit government.

After arriving at Rajprasong rally site, Arisamun told the cheering crowds, "From now on our mission is to hunt down Abhisit and Suthep. Our patience is at its limit. This is a war between the government and the red shirts,'' he told the cheering crowds

The Nation

There the reds go again, declaring war on the legal government of the Kingdom of Thailand, yet again. In case there was any doubt. Peaceful non-violent red shirts indeed.

Is it time now for Arisaman's plan to unleash his 1,000,000 bottles of gasoline and "burn Bangkok to the ground"?

[johncitizen]

Forget the hotel. The real question is how many millions of dollars have the red leaders ALREADY been paid by puppet master Thaksin and how many more millions will they win if they manage to pull off their violent revolution, change the structure of the Thai government, pardon Thaksin, get back the legally seized money from the corrupt criminal Thaksin, etc. This isn't about hotel rooms, its about the big prize, power and money, and of course nothing to do with freedom and democracy. Remember Thaksin was a very bad PM who had a horrible record of corruption, press repression, bully behavior, mass murders of Thais, and admitted himself he didn't care about democracy.

Yes, forget the assassination attempt.

Forget that the Thai government authorised the use of live rounds in a crackdown that killed 24 and wounded over 800 people.

Forget that the nations media has been completely taken over by military censors, and that hundreds of internet sites are shut down daily.

Forget the Reds that went missing after last Songkran and were never seen again. Forget the towing of asylum seekers back out to sea in disabled boats.

Forget the corruption scandals, the links between the nations biggest businesses and government, the shady military procurements.

Forget that every one of those troops who participated the Tai Bak massacres and the drug killings have not only been not investigated, but they have been promoted.

Forget the hypocrisy of a government that came to power by a more violent version of the Reds current tactics.

Forget the coups and the overridden elections...

...Let's talk more about Thaksin! Because everyone knows that's what the protests are REALLY about.

I say too much of Thai history has been forgotten. And I hold fasicst-apologists like you personally responsible for this.

[RickBradford]

Anybody who thinks that things are likely to get better for the Thai people if fellows like Arisman and Jatuporn manage to bludgeon their way into power has their a*se so far out of the window it could be mistaken for a weather balloon....

[jcbangkok]

Looks more like the door was open already when the shots where fired, otherwise why there would be bullet holes in the wall behind the already opened room? Strange angle to shoot up a door...

Was he hiding in the fridge?

Nothing strange here if the shots came from inside the room as the door was opened.

[OzMick]

The "Democratic revolution of the oppressed masses" propaganda is the front for the world and the dupes who believe it. It is nothing but crap. What oppression? What downtrodden masses? What Democracy? Yes the people of isan are less financially successful, some of them, than some of the people of BKK. Why? Because they work in a labour intensive low profit margin industry. But they are not slaves; any time they want they can pack up and move, try their luck somewhere else.

If every voter for PTP is now a UDD supporter, and I very much doubt it, they represent 40% of the population. I have just returned from the NE, and didn't see 1 red flag, and far less red shirts than you would normally expect as a clothing choice. Even 40%, if you are dissatisfied with the election results, gives you the right to wait until the next election, already coming a year early.

But the class war, oppressed masses, financial inequality are all smoke and mirrors. THIS IS ABOUT THAKSIN. Friends and gf's family swore to me that every household that contributed to the UDD fund would be paid B100,000 when T is re-instated. Pressure was applied to contribute, so they did. now they wait the payout. IT'S ABOUT MONEY.

A few thoughts about encouraging the mass of protesters to move out:

Make life less comfortable than it is now by sleep deprivation. fly a helicopter over drop a tear gas canister, or CS, or even a few buckets of ammonia. Keep coming back at random intervals, another drop every 3rd or 4th pass. Fire big bang skyrockets every 5 mins or so, light the place up if possible, spray water if possible, whatever you can think of.

There are hundreds of cars and pickups belonging to the protesters parked close-by. Easy to pick by the plates. Tow them away, do defect/rego checks, impose a B1000/day impound fee.

Put a bounty on red leadership. They are wanted criminals, and easily worth B1,000,000 each. See how loyal the sheep are when there's real money up for grabs.

[FreedomDude]

Forget about arresting them, just snipers to take them out at this time. They are bunch of terrorist that will not respect the law. And if any case they are cornered they will flee the country any ways. They care about their own interests more than the countries interests

I've talked to many Thais (women mostly who work in the Chidlom and Siam area and they feel just about the same as you do.

It seems their thinking is that the Reds are killing the economy so it's OK to kill the Reds.

That's a bit drastic in my opinion... but people here are losing their patience.

I submit the people who are losing their patience are the ones that are happy with the status quo ,, have shops and businesses etc that are loosing money ,, RIGHT ??

What you and they don't get is the fact there are millions of Thais who have lost patience about the directon their lives are going in and the lack of democracy here.

Whats more important ,, keeping luxury shopping centers open for tourists and spoiled rich bangkok elites to make a profit ,,, or the overall direction of the whole country and the desires of millions of people who by the way represent the majority.

I say ,,, let the shops stay closed ,,, this is the only weapon the reds have while Abish__it's weapon is the tank and live bullets

May I just remind all of you, that TOURISM, is the #1 industry in Thailand... responsible for more jobs than any other sector of the economy.

Killing Tourism is like Killing the Golden Goose.....

Up2U

CS

False.

Tourism is 4th as a percentage of GDP (6%)behind

Automobiles and Automotive parts (11%), Financial Services (9%), Electric appliances and components (8%).

Edited April 16, 2010 by FreedomDude

[johncitizen]

If the governments actions are all above board, if they have nothing to hide, and if the country is behind them, let there be free and fair internationally monitored elections "so the red shirts can be well and truly put in their place."

This Is Burma.

Edited April 16, 2010 by johncitizen

[hpl]

If terrorists are hiding among civilians (I count terrorists as people who carry grenade launchers and ak47s and use them) how do you take them out without harming civilians? It's a tough call.

The latest news has Red Shirt guards opened fire at the police as the leaders resisted arrest.

They are certainly getting a lot of practice in.

Oh really, where can I see that news?

English language paper we can't quote verbatim or link

[FreedomDude]

SC Park is a 3 star hotel, fwiw.

Yeah, it continues to amaze how the pro-govt people continue to grapple on and trumpet over and over whatever sliver of irrelevant babble they can come up with to support their cause.

Oh my gosh, they're leaders are staying at a 3 star hotel! Well....that destroys ther relevancy of anything their group stands for!! Give me a break.

[ChiangMaiFun]

Forget the hotel. The real question is how many millions of dollars have the red leaders ALREADY been paid by puppet master Thaksin and how many more millions will they win if they manage to pull off their violent revolution, change the structure of the Thai government, pardon Thaksin, get back the legally seized money from the corrupt criminal Thaksin, etc. This isn't about hotel rooms, its about the big prize, power and money, and of course nothing to do with freedom and democracy. Remember Thaksin was a very bad PM who had a horrible record of corruption, press repression, bully behavior, mass murders of Thais, and admitted himself he didn't care about democracy.

Yes, forget the assassination attempt.

Forget that the Thai government authorised the use of live rounds in a crackdown that killed 24 and wounded over 800 people.

Forget that the nations media has been completely taken over by military censors, and that hundreds of internet sites are shut down daily.

Forget the Reds that went missing after last Songkran and were never seen again. Forget the towing of asylum seekers back out to sea in disabled boats.

Forget the corruption scandals, the links between the nations biggest businesses and government, the shady military procurements.

Forget that every one of those troops who participated the Tai Bak massacres and the drug killings have not only been not investigated, but they have been promoted.

Forget the hypocrisy of a government that came to power by a more violent version of the Reds current tactics.

Forget the coups and the overridden elections...

...Let's talk more about Thaksin! Because everyone knows that's what the protests are REALLY about.

I say too much of Thai history has been forgotten. And I hold fasicst-apologists like you personally responsible for this.

Exactly... forget democracy, forget the poor, forget elections - let's let the rich bourgeoisie from BKK have it all

bit like that pathetic rich kid who drove his Porsche into the reds – Daddy bought it for him - no doubt Daddy is a yellow and taught him these ‘country folk should get no vote because they are stupid’

This will never end until elections are held (endless record - sorry I know) but you will see.

[Jingthing]

If the governments actions are all above board, if they have nothing to hide, and if the country is behind them, let there be free and fair internationally monitored elections "so the red shirts can be well and truly put in their place."

This Is Burma.

What's the rush? Worth starting a civil war to speed up elections that were already going to happen on schedule? BTW, Thailand doesn't do international monitoring, its a xenophobia thing shared by all Thai politicos, you must know that. Also at this point, now that the red insurgents have started a civil war, peaceful elections right now are completely impossible. Edited April 16, 2010 by Jingthing

[ozzieman05]

Thai wife just got off the phone laughing

Mother and friend had to go to Bangkok from Udon to pick up some things

They all dressed in Red shirts and drove well above the speed limit

Police just let them drive past not stopping

Arriving back in Udon they all laugh

Police scared of Red shirts, now they rule the roads

That is the kind of stupidity that leads to 100's of deaths every

year on Thai roads ... "ya'll might be a redneck ............."

Sorry, should that be 1000's of deaths?

N argument from me

I agree so no need to preach to the converted

But you miss the point

The Police unable to do anything

has taken away all respect for law and order

And if we desolve parliment now, at what cost

Chaos in Thailand

Just a lawless state

what can I do I am farang

and this is there country

[philw]

Forget the hotel. The real question is how many millions of dollars have the red leaders ALREADY been paid by puppet master Thaksin and how many more millions will they win if they manage to pull off their violent revolution, change the structure of the Thai government, pardon Thaksin, get back the legally seized money from the corrupt criminal Thaksin, etc. This isn't about hotel rooms, its about the big prize, power and money, and of course nothing to do with freedom and democracy. Remember Thaksin was a very bad PM who had a horrible record of corruption, press repression, bully behavior, mass murders of Thais, and admitted himself he didn't care about democracy.

Yes, forget the assassination attempt.

Forget that the Thai government authorised the use of live rounds in a crackdown that killed 24 and wounded over 800 people.

Forget that the nations media has been completely taken over by military censors, and that hundreds of internet sites are shut down daily.

Forget the Reds that went missing after last Songkran and were never seen again. Forget the towing of asylum seekers back out to sea in disabled boats.

Forget the corruption scandals, the links between the nations biggest businesses and government, the shady military procurements.

Forget that every one of those troops who participated the Tai Bak massacres and the drug killings have not only been not investigated, but they have been promoted.

Forget the hypocrisy of a government that came to power by a more violent version of the Reds current tactics.

Forget the coups and the overridden elections...

...Let's talk more about Thaksin! Because everyone knows that's what the protests are REALLY about.

I say too much of Thai history has been forgotten. And I hold fasicst-apologists like you personally responsible for this.

All very good points and all too easily ignored by the Thaksin obsessed who will wet their pants if he ever has direct influence here again.....................

The real problem is and always has been the Army and the the utter disdain shown to the rural poor of this country.

I'm surprised this is all happening now, many people think it should have started in the 1980's.

ph

[enginerevision]

good on them.

trying to arrest political leaders just a few hours after offering the next round of political talks, was a bad move from the government. Who is going to take them seriously?

ps great publicity for the hotel, they would be on every tv news around the world - advertising worth tens of millions $

Another intelligent alien

Exactly

[kraxlhuber]

-- The Nation 2010-04-16

[newsfooter][/newsfooter]

should have slung the rope around his neck (sooner or later it will happening anyway),

"Kraxi the sarcastic lip at it again"!

[hpl]

.... and further more he should have put a girdle on first...... to hide his fat a$$ and stomach

[CrossBones]

They are trying to bring and end to the class system. The class system has little to do with the government, since most people do not work in government and work in private industry. Gordon brown can not bring an end to class system in the uk by changing the government. The class system is deeply en-grained into the society subconsciously.

[whiterussian]

Sure they will, after which you'll see 100,000 yellows turning Chiang Mai into loads of Fun.

Haha!!! Herein lies the problem. Same as London versus Manchester,Liverpool or Glasgow.. no contest. Londoners are soft.

This is a bangkok youth:

This is Chiang Mai youth

Edited April 16, 2010 by whiterussian

[khaosarnbuddy]

No, he was already down the rope and gone.

When he was hanging on the rope it was already on TV! There where no cops on the balcony in either of the floors. There where no cops downstairs in the lobby either. The operation was started in dawn, suthep announcement 10 o'clock, him beeing helped climbing down after 11, not a single cop in sight.

???

[kraxlhuber]

good on them.

trying to arrest political leaders just a few hours after offering the next round of political talks, was a bad move from the government. Who is going to take them seriously?

ps great publicity for the hotel, they would be on every tv news around the world - advertising worth tens of millions $

Another intelligent alien

Exactly

Arrafat, RIP, was a terrorist leader,then a national party leader,now he is dead.

RIP

The handkerchief round the Thai terrorists head remind me of Robbespiere hordes then.

Did you notice the wet spot between his legs,he pissed himself.