Bangkok: Assailants Fired M-79 Grenades At Sala Daeng Skytrain Station

[Deeral]

The ramifications of violence by the army in Thailand will in all probability be unacceptable.

If they engage in violence they may well make Thailand an international pariah

Edited May 7, 2010 by Deeral

[shawndoc]

"Between 10 and 20 people have been arrested each day for carrying weapons," he added.

Really interested to know just what sort of weapons these guys have. Are they talking guns and explosives, or pocket knives and sling shots?

[otherstuff1957]

The maximum range of the M79 is 400m. The effective range is 350m. The point target range is 150m. It's about 350-400 meters from the statue in Lumpini Park to the skytrain station. It's about 250-300 meters from Chula Hosp. to the skytrain station. (I don't know where the grenades hit the station, so those figures aren't very exact.)

Now here's an interesting pic:

Quite frankly, given that they would have to use position 2 or 3 at those ranges, I'm surprised that they were able to hit anything!

Hit right down the Patpong end. Go up the stairs and have a look. From there to Chula Hospital is much much more than 400 meters. There are also buildings in the way.

Me

The Patpong end? That would make it about 320 meters from Chula or 400 meters from the Rama VI statue in Lumpini. It's technically possible to hit the skytrain from either location, but would take very accurate shooting. As for intervening buildings, at that range the shots would be in a ballistic trajectory, so they could curve over any obstacles.

[brahmburgers]

The ramifications of violence by the army in Thailand will in all probability be unacceptable. If they engage in violence they may well make Thailand an international pariah.

"make Thailand an international pariah" ....are you projecting how Thailand might look in the eyes of outsiders? We farang here on T.Visa are often told how Thais can take care of their own problems, and they don't care what other think. Well, both those assumptions are wrong. As for the big problem affecting/infecting downtown Bkk, Thais cannot fix it. In spite of several very reasonable offers of compromise from the PM, the Reds continue to make things problematic.

The option of security forces forcefully evicting the protesters is still possible. As of this moment, the Reds have not officially agreed to the roadmap, so the PM can not preclude the option of using force, and nationwide elections can go ahead on December 2011 (according to the Constitution) - if there's no firm acceptance by Reds of the road map.

If the protesters are forcibly evicted, then that will entail violence to some degree. Just as getting a cavity filled at the Dentist, there may be some pain and destruction (drilling into a tooth) involved with bettering the situation (of a painful cavity). If the Reds want to play hardball, with their vacillating and threats, then they should be prepared to suffer some bruises, if security forces get called to duty.

Military operations often involve 'violence'. That's part of what soldiers are trained for. If your country was attacked, you'd want those same soldiers to do all they could to protect you and your interests - and that might include violent acts. They're not going to be affective protecting you with chopsticks and sockfulls of 5 baht coins.

[way2muchcoffee]

The ramifications of violence by the army in Thailand will in all probability be unacceptable. If they engage in violence they may well make Thailand an international pariah.

"make Thailand an international pariah" ....are you projecting how Thailand might look in the eyes of outsiders? We farang here on T.Visa are often told how Thais can take care of their own problems, and they don't care what other think. Well, both those assumptions are wrong. As for the big problem affecting/infecting downtown Bkk, Thais cannot fix it. In spite of several very reasonable offers of compromise from the PM, the Reds continue to make things problematic.

The option of security forces forcefully evicting the protesters is still possible. As of this moment, the Reds have not officially agreed to the roadmap, so the PM can not preclude the option of using force, and nationwide elections can go ahead on December 2011 (according to the Constitution) - if there's no firm acceptance by Reds of the road map.

If the protesters are forcibly evicted, then that will entail violence to some degree. Just as getting a cavity filled at the Dentist, there may be some pain and destruction (drilling into a tooth) involved with bettering the situation (of a painful cavity). If the Reds want to play hardball, with their vacillating and threats, then they should be prepared to suffer some bruises, if security forces get called to duty.

Military operations often involve 'violence'. That's part of what soldiers are trained for. If your country was attacked, you'd want those same soldiers to do all they could to protect you and your interests - and that might include violent acts. They're not going to be affective protecting you with chopsticks and sockfulls of 5 baht coins.

And now they are stalling, accusing Abhisit of being duplicitous, and calling for backups from up-country to join the demonstrations. The backups evidently are preparing to break through any police/military roadblock that may be in their way using tractor trailers. Nice plan guys.

The red shirts have no legitimacy and are now working to sabotage the reconciliation effort. I therefore support an immediate dispersal using the least amount of force necessary to get the job done. Arrest the leaders and and charge them to the fullest extent of the law.

Edited May 7, 2010 by way2muchcoffee

[Deeral]

Force may be regarded as an option but as I suggested the results would quite probably be much more disastrous than just letting 'em sit there.

Edited May 7, 2010 by Deeral

[way2muchcoffee]

Force may be regarded as an option but as I suggested the results would quite probably be much more disastrous than just letting 'em sit there.

You may be right. It's really hard to say. Arguments can be made either way, especially when considering the short, medium, and long-term consequences of any specific action.