Thai Forces Fire Warning Shots In Standoff With Red Shirts

[jdinasia]

I understand that the moderators need to be cautious during this time of unrest and sympathize with the difficulties they face doing a thankless job. Since we're no longer permitted to post and discuss news clippings in the General Forum, I thought I'd bring a story to your attention here. Abhisit told the BBC on Tuesday why he won't call for a new election.

Thailand crisis: Red-shirt protesters and troops clash

On Tuesday Mr Abhisit told the BBC that while he wanted a political solution to the crisis, immediate elections were not the answer.

"There is a clear threat that if we hold elections too soon, with the mood running as high in terms of divisions and in terms of tension, elections would turn violent and they would solve nothing and we could be back into this vicious cycle of demonstrations."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/8648109.stm

He's probably right about that. So what's taking him so long to (re)start this political solution?? Never mind which side (or no side) you support, Abhisit is failing miserably as a leader. (or even as the establishment's spokesperson).

Tell us Winnie -------- how could YOU do better? Abhisit has been patient and tolerant and maintained some semblance of normalcy. The reds escalate in the hopes of creating enough blood on the streets to force a change of governent. The reds have failed so far and Abhisit has maintained his cool .... I hope that they continue to play it as cool as they have.

[pomozki]

I have no axe to grind for either side but I wonder: is there any chance of Thaksin (and his wife?) doing the prison time they were sentenced to? Whether there are new elections or not soon, unless people believe their convictions were politically motivated - and even Thais I know concede they probably were guilty of wrongdoing - they shouldn't be allowed to simple return home and get off Scot-free should they? what do people think?

[deadsnoopy]

The dead soldier is a war casualty, simply as that. Without the red insurgency, he would be alive. Period.

He could be a casualty of a civil war, but not an actual war.

[FarangCravings]

I'm a little sick of hearing the redshirts this and the redshirts that. This is democracy in motion. If a ruling party refuses to openly compromise then the outcome can be violent. People here are passionate about their country. I admire them for that. They are willing to give their life for what they believe in. You whiners that think your opinion matters are just adding to the problem. The Thai people have a leader they believe is illegitimate and they are acting as such.

Many years ago our countries did the same thing the Thai are doing now. GIVE THEM SOME SLACK!!! Your opinion as a farang means nothing but your trivial rhetoric may create discontent that isn't needed. We are bystanders. Pay some respect and allow the process to come to it's conclusion. It is coming soon. I believe we will have a better country that we are visiting than the one that exists now.

Good Post Mate

your Spot on

[humfurry]

I understand that the moderators need to be cautious during this time of unrest and sympathize with the difficulties they face doing a thankless job. Since we're no longer permitted to post and discuss news clippings in the General Forum, I thought I'd bring a story to your attention here. Abhisit told the BBC on Tuesday why he won't call for a new election.

Thailand crisis: Red-shirt protesters and troops clash

On Tuesday Mr Abhisit told the BBC that while he wanted a political solution to the crisis, immediate elections were not the answer.

"There is a clear threat that if we hold elections too soon, with the mood running as high in terms of divisions and in terms of tension, elections would turn violent and they would solve nothing and we could be back into this vicious cycle of demonstrations."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/8648109.stm

He's probably right about that. So what's taking him so long to (re)start this political solution?? Never mind which side (or no side) you support, Abhisit is failing miserably as a leader. (or even as the establishment's spokesperson).

Tell us Winnie -------- how could YOU do better? Abhisit has been patient and tolerant and maintained some semblance of normalcy. The reds escalate in the hopes of creating enough blood on the streets to force a change of governent. The reds have failed so far and Abhisit has maintained his cool .... I hope that they continue to play it as cool as they have.

JD that's a fact that is simply lost on the Red supporters.

[markokang]

Has anyone noticed that the soldiers were wearing pink ribbons around their neck today?

The colors are to signify what platoon they belong to. There are many many colors I have seen so far, Blue, yellow, red, pink and green, possibly more. I asked the soldiers and that's what they told me (The only thing in the translation Im not sure about is "platoon")

Edited April 28, 2010 by markokang

[zorm999]

Has anyone noticed that the soldiers were wearing pink ribbons around their neck today?

All the army on Silom have been wearing pink scarfs since they arrived last Monday.

Nice touch I reckon

[deadsnoopy]

I wonder, what does Abhisit exactly mean when he says that he'll step down if "things turn bad" or if there are further problems in the country?

[yeikloen]

Agree

I'm a little sick of hearing the redshirts this and the redshirts that. This is democracy in motion. If a ruling party refuses to openly compromise then the outcome can be violent. People here are passionate about their country. I admire them for that. They are willing to give their life for what they believe in. You whiners that think your opinion matters are just adding to the problem. The Thai people have a leader they believe is illegitimate and they are acting as such.

Many years ago our countries did the same thing the Thai are doing now. GIVE THEM SOME SLACK!!! Your opinion as a farang means nothing but your trivial rhetoric may create discontent that isn't needed. We are bystanders. Pay some respect and allow the process to come to it's conclusion. It is coming soon. I believe we will have a better country that we are visiting than the one that exists now.

[jdinasia]

No matter who killed the solider in the end any violence from here on out in my opinion is RED. The government has bent over backwards to avoid conflict.

If the red shirts keep trying to block roads and reek havoc on citizens, they have to know the potential for violence, and cannot act innocent.

They could easily go home and start to prepare for elections in less than a year.

If the government remains passive for too long, innocent citizens become at risk.

They learnt form the yellow Shirts when they took over the airports if you hold out long enough you will win only diff is the military last time refised to confront the yellows but if they had it would of been the exact same as whats happening now

you easily forget

Not even close to being an accurate portrayal .....

8 days at the airport ... AOT closed the airport ... PAD had been grenaded almost nightly (inclusing at the airport!) ---- Then there are the Reds ... weeks disrupting downtown BKK. Violence and calls for more violence from the leaders etc etc ....

get real

[Brewsta]

The 'Empire'Strikes Back'? Rubber to Real ordnance ain't such a big step now - IMO.

Stay Safe One & All.

regards, Brewsta

[Brewsta]

The 'Empire'Strikes Back'? Rubber to Real ordnance ain't such a big step now - IMO.

Stay Safe One & All.

regards, Brewsta

[FarangCravings]

I have no axe to grind for either side but I wonder: is there any chance of Thaksin (and his wife?) doing the prison time they were sentenced to? Whether there are new elections or not soon, unless people believe their convictions were politically motivated - and even Thais I know concede they probably were guilty of wrongdoing - they shouldn't be allowed to simple return home and get off Scot-free should they? what do people think?

It was a witch hunt in the first place I bet all those that put that case togheter if be known would all be guilty of some sort of corruption within there goverment position.

its a 2 faced joke and all part of this problem

If you do a crime then pay for it with time but it has to be the same for all and unfortunately its only for thaksin

[timekeeper]

The dead soldier is a war casualty, simply as that. Without the red insurgency, he would be alive. Period.

you remember that old chestnut that circulates in farang circles

a car accident is always the farangs fault, if we weren't here, it would not have happened

same deal here, if the reds weren't there, it would not have happened......

[FarangCravings]

I have no axe to grind for either side but I wonder: is there any chance of Thaksin (and his wife?) doing the prison time they were sentenced to? Whether there are new elections or not soon, unless people believe their convictions were politically motivated - and even Thais I know concede they probably were guilty of wrongdoing - they shouldn't be allowed to simple return home and get off Scot-free should they? what do people think?

It was a witch hunt in the first place I bet all those that put that case togheter if be known would all be guilty of some sort of corruption within there goverment position.

its a 2 faced joke and all part of this problem

If you do a crime then pay for it with time but it has to be the same for all and unfortunately its only for thaksin

[FarangCravings]

The dead soldier is a war casualty, simply as that. Without the red insurgency, he would be alive. Period.

you remember that old chestnut that circulates in farang circles

a car accident is always the farangs fault, if we weren't here, it would not have happened

same deal here, if the reds weren't there, it would not have happened......

you been here too long mate if you think thats right

[dom samui]

Agree

I'm a little sick of hearing the redshirts this and the redshirts that. This is democracy in motion. If a ruling party refuses to openly compromise then the outcome can be violent. People here are passionate about their country. I admire them for that. They are willing to give their life for what they believe in. You whiners that think your opinion matters are just adding to the problem. The Thai people have a leader they believe is illegitimate and they are acting as such.

Many years ago our countries did the same thing the Thai are doing now. GIVE THEM SOME SLACK!!! Your opinion as a farang means nothing but your trivial rhetoric may create discontent that isn't needed. We are bystanders. Pay some respect and allow the process to come to it's conclusion. It is coming soon. I believe we will have a better country that we are visiting than the one that exists now.

Agree too. Too much passion isn't so needed.

[viking75]

I have no axe to grind for either side but I wonder: is there any chance of Thaksin (and his wife?) doing the prison time they were sentenced to? Whether there are new elections or not soon, unless people believe their convictions were politically motivated - and even Thais I know concede they probably were guilty of wrongdoing - they shouldn't be allowed to simple return home and get off Scot-free should they? what do people think?

It was a witch hunt in the first place I bet all those that put that case togheter if be known would all be guilty of some sort of corruption within there goverment position.

its a 2 faced joke and all part of this problem

If you do a crime then pay for it with time but it has to be the same for all and unfortunately its only for thaksin

we like 2 speed of thai justice. very fast for poor farmer yestaday and very slow for pad at airport

[dobadoy]

I'm a little sick of hearing the redshirts this and the redshirts that. This is democracy in motion. If a ruling party refuses to openly compromise then the outcome can be violent. People here are passionate about their country. I admire them for that. They are willing to give their life for what they believe in. You whiners that think your opinion matters are just adding to the problem. The Thai people have a leader they believe is illegitimate and they are acting as such.

Many years ago our countries did the same thing the Thai are doing now. GIVE THEM SOME SLACK!!! Your opinion as a farang means nothing but your trivial rhetoric may create discontent that isn't needed. We are bystanders. Pay some respect and allow the process to come to it's conclusion. It is coming soon. I believe we will have a better country that we are visiting than the one that exists now.

Gandhi established the groundrules for successfully beating armed, oppressive regimes with non-violent peaceful protest. What the Reds are doing may be right, it may be wrong, but whatever it is it is most definitely NOT a peaceful protest, nor was it ever intended to be.

[ianf]

This was of course i new none provokated attack by the army. Freindly red shirts just come wakjing up the street and suddenly the army opened fire at them. Of course they didn´t try to brake threw the barracdes. The innocent red shirts!!!

This was of course (i new none??????) provoked attack by the army. Friendly red shirts just came walking up the street and suddenly the army opened fire at them. Of course they didn't try to break through the barricades. The innocent red shirts!!

Have I translated this correctly?

It was what i think the reds on here will say, so it was some kind of ironi

Not so unbelievable, there are a few posters around who need to go to school. In this case I simply did not understand the first part of the post.

[Neurath]

I'm a little sick of hearing the redshirts this and the redshirts that. This is democracy in motion. If a ruling party refuses to openly compromise then the outcome can be violent. People here are passionate about their country. I admire them for that. They are willing to give their life for what they believe in. You whiners that think your opinion matters are just adding to the problem. The Thai people have a leader they believe is illegitimate and they are acting as such.

Many years ago our countries did the same thing the Thai are doing now. GIVE THEM SOME SLACK!!! Your opinion as a farang means nothing but your trivial rhetoric may create discontent that isn't needed. We are bystanders. Pay some respect and allow the process to come to it's conclusion. It is coming soon. I believe we will have a better country that we are visiting than the one that exists now.

Good Post Mate

your Spot on

9 months is a compromise. So's 7.

[RandyWhite]

Maybe the soldier got shot by friendly fire, but what source does BBC have? Was the reporter at the scene?

Arwa Damon from CNN was at Phahonyothin earlier, right behind the soldiers. She moved down to Rajprasong now.

BBC is quoting CNN. CNN is quoting "police". Police don't appear to be saying anything.

The police have, by and large, been in Thaksin's pocket for a long time and everyone knows that.

BTW: At least since Max Weber wrote about it a hundred years ago, it is accepted virtually the world over that the state is the only body that has a legitimate right to use violence - not hired thugs, not disgruntled citizens and not ex-prime ministers and army chiefs by proxy.

Still, what does Thaksin have to lose - the story that he has terminal cancer is getting more credible by the day from what I hear in my soi, and, being a superstitious lot, some are adding that it was his karma i.e. 'What goes around comes around'.

Finally - with even newsrooms like that of the Bangkok Post being highly divided re the REDS etc. - leaving aside the question of reporters' personal bias, the credibility of the foreign talking heads on the news reports rests largely on the honesty of those they depend on to translate Thai into English or whatever, and I, for one , am not impressed with the result.

Edited April 28, 2010 by RandyWhite

[Thailand]

Like many others here I regularly check the news in the hopes that the Reds have come to their senses and gone home or that the world's most incompetent government has had a flash of inspiration and found either preferably a political or god forbid a military solution to the current fiasco.

Even a "simple' compromise, if either side even understands the word, would be acceptable.

Currently the stalemate of indecision,incompetence etc is stirring up other factions who now want an additional 15 minutes, or weeks, of fame or infamy.

If there is a God or Buddha or some form of all powerful being you are currently needed in the Land of No Smiles, I for one would like to get back to reading the normal banal news proffered by the local media not hearing that more Thai's have been killed or injured by their own.

It is currently madness on a very slippery slope.

[jdinasia]

I have no axe to grind for either side but I wonder: is there any chance of Thaksin (and his wife?) doing the prison time they were sentenced to? Whether there are new elections or not soon, unless people believe their convictions were politically motivated - and even Thais I know concede they probably were guilty of wrongdoing - they shouldn't be allowed to simple return home and get off Scot-free should they? what do people think?

It was a witch hunt in the first place I bet all those that put that case togheter if be known would all be guilty of some sort of corruption within there goverment position.

its a 2 faced joke and all part of this problem

If you do a crime then pay for it with time but it has to be the same for all and unfortunately its only for thaksin

There were governments under Samak and Somchai to bring charges against others ....look and see who was the government when Thaksin was convicted. It wasn't any kind of "put up" it was just the easiest and fastest case to prove. Thaksin spoke publicly of his trust in the courts .. and then his bakery money was refused and the rest is history.

The term "double standards" was first brought into use when Thaksin narrowly escaped a conviction on asetts concealment in 2001. Read what the judges concerned with that trial said afterwards.

[deadsnoopy]

Bangkokpundit: [Matichon] 2 soldiers were leaving tollway. Other solider mistook them for protesters & fired live bullet. 1 injury

So the soldier shot at them because they were leaving?

Completely turns things around, doesn't it. People were mentioning here that the soldier was shot because red shirts charged at the barricades, but now it turns out soldiers tried to leave and were shot by their own because they were mistaken for red shirts leaving?

Like .."red shirt, you can't leave or we'll shoot you. stay here!"

Edited April 28, 2010 by deadsnoopy

[elcent]

I'm a little sick of hearing the redshirts this and the redshirts that. This is democracy in motion. If a ruling party refuses to openly compromise then the outcome can be violent. People here are passionate about their country. I admire them for that. They are willing to give their life for what they believe in. You whiners that think your opinion matters are just adding to the problem. The Thai people have a leader they believe is illegitimate and they are acting as such.

Many years ago our countries did the same thing the Thai are doing now. GIVE THEM SOME SLACK!!! Your opinion as a farang means nothing but your trivial rhetoric may create discontent that isn't needed. We are bystanders. Pay some respect and allow the process to come to it's conclusion. It is coming soon. I believe we will have a better country that we are visiting than the one that exists now.

ask any of the protesters to name the members of parliament, their positions etc..

Guess you'd only hear Thaksin and Abhisit, maybe some remember Kasit and Korn. Oh, and Arisaman the culture Minister.

[neverdie]

TAN Network: Channel 3 reporter says that she's gotten confirmation that the soldier who was shot in the head in today's clashes has passed away

It's official. The soldier that was killed earlier has passed away now.

Terrible news. RIP

[Brewsta]

I have no axe to grind for either side but I wonder: is there any chance of Thaksin (and his wife?) doing the prison time they were sentenced to? Whether there are new elections or not soon, unless people believe their convictions were politically motivated - and even Thais I know concede they probably were guilty of wrongdoing - they shouldn't be allowed to simple return home and get off Scot-free should they? what do people think?

It was a witch hunt in the first place I bet all those that put that case togheter if be known would all be guilty of some sort of corruption within there goverment position.

its a 2 faced joke and all part of this problem

If you do a crime then pay for it with time but it has to be the same for all and unfortunately its only for thaksin

[timekeeper]

The dead soldier is a war casualty, simply as that. Without the red insurgency, he would be alive. Period.

you remember that old chestnut that circulates in farang circles

a car accident is always the farangs fault, if we weren't here, it would not have happened

same deal here, if the reds weren't there, it would not have happened......

you been here too long mate if you think thats right

perhaps you do not understand the meaning of ''old chestnut''

maybe you haven't been here long enough..........

[FarangCravings]

The dead soldier is a war casualty, simply as that. Without the red insurgency, he would be alive. Period.

you remember that old chestnut that circulates in farang circles

a car accident is always the farangs fault, if we weren't here, it would not have happened

same deal here, if the reds weren't there, it would not have happened......

you been here too long mate if you think thats right

perhaps you do not understand the meaning of ''old chestnut''

maybe you haven't been here long enough..........

Only chestnut I know is chestnut stuffing at Christmas Hmmm