Clashes Continue, Turning Central Bangkok In Virtual Warzone

[on-on]

"The soldiers just opened up on everyone. Old people, women, ambulance crews."

This a tweet from Time journalist Andrew Marshall on the scene now.

http://twitter.com/Journotopia

His Twitter feed is entertaining, I'll say that. If half the stuff he tweets has happened then there are several hundred, maybe several thousand dead people being hidden somewhere.

[LuckyLew]

It is an insurgency which has used some terrorists tactics and has some terrorist leaders/factions. I wouldn't call them all terrorists though. I think the best description now is INSURGENCY.

Get out of here ...

Insurgents who terrorize and use terrorist tactics are terrorist

[alex_aka_P]

PS: may I see the photo where this so-called "peaseful fighter for a democracy" clashes with the army by his bare hands, in front of his ppl and leading'em forward? He himself, I meant.

I've tired of his bullshit being sent from the nearest VIP room at the nearest hotel, while the sheeps are fighting for his ambitions...

Hey, red-supporters here!! I am still waiting.

[hammered]

Thats what the PAD say !

Thats what the Yellow media has written.

The truth is very much different.

Under Thaksin the poor were happy.

Under Thaksin the old Elite were not happy as he was taking "their money" - the corruption money they always got was suddenly being taken away.

Thaksin was taking from the rich and giving lumps of it to the poor - he may not have been perfect but he was the best thing every for the poor.

So of course the Elite hated him.

An illegal coup came out to kick him out.

His name was dragged through the dirt using all means possible, making up all sorts of stories and it was a complete "set up".

What part of that do you not understand ?

The old Elite are the most corrupt in Thailand, always have and are trying to always be....... Thaksin might have been corrupt but he was never as bad as them.

If you fail to appreciate just how bad and corrupt those who persecute Thaksin are, and fail to understand why they are targetting him, then you really do not know anything about the past 10 years.

Do I take it you deny EJK which is well documented by HRW and AI? Surely you dont think that was made up to discredit him! I take itr you see state organised murder as a lesser crime than lifting a bit of dosh for your back pocket too as you think he wasnt as bad as them. I would recommend Snohs book, the Pasuk and Baker report on Thaksins corruption and the recent Japanese research paper into the same matter

[whybother]

The coup ousted an illegal care-taker PM, who was complete outside the constitution. He was a caretaker Dictator in an single party parliament which was not filled fully. He bought the EC. The coup was to bring back democracy, but it brought back vote buying.

Thats what the PAD say !

Thats what the Yellow media has written.

The truth is very much different.

Under Thaksin the poor were happy.

Under Thaksin the old Elite were not happy as he was taking "their money" - the corruption money they always got was suddenly being taken away.

Thaksin was taking from the rich and giving lumps of it to the poor - he may not have been perfect but he was the best thing every for the poor.

So of course the Elite hated him.

An illegal coup came out to kick him out.

His name was dragged through the dirt using all means possible, making up all sorts of stories and it was a complete "set up".

What part of that do you not understand ?

The old Elite are the most corrupt in Thailand, always have and are trying to always be....... Thaksin might have been corrupt but he was never as bad as them.

If you fail to appreciate just how bad and corrupt those who persecute Thaksin are, and fail to understand why they are targetting him, then you really do not know anything about the past 10 years.

That's what the Nation wrote too. You were happy to quote them earlier.

Just because the poor loved Thaksin, doesn't change the fact that he was lining his own pockets and was a care-taker PM who had stayed longer than the constitution allowed when the coup occurred.

You've been completely brainwashed by the red propaganda.

[noel2499rk]

"The soldiers just opened up on everyone. Old people, women, ambulance crews."

This a tweet from Time journalist Andrew Marshall on the scene now.

http://twitter.com/Journotopia

Not sure really believe that.

Better to wait to see what the Nation tells us to think.

[Jingthing]

It is an insurgency which has used some terrorists tactics and has some terrorist leaders/factions. I wouldn't call them all terrorists though. I think the best description now is INSURGENCY.

Get out of here ...

Insurgents who terrorize and use terrorist tactics are terrorist

I understand your point of view but I can't see labeling ALL red supporters as terrorist. It's just not that simple.

[khunjamespittman]

You are not a very respectful guest here. You obviously would like to tell the Thais how to run their country. That's pretty arrogant of you. Why not go home? Maybe no one their respects you?

Will you get over the guest crap.

We live in Thailand. We support Thai families. We have Thai friends. We pay Thai taxes. We work with Thais. We employ Thais.

We are not guests.

Maybe on your next border run you will discover the door can close for you. You don't seem to comprehend that it doesn't matter if you work or pay taxes orhow many times you've renewed your visa. Everyone with a bank account pays taxes even if they are not residing in Thailand. Only when you have been granted Thai citizenship can you claim to be Thai. Where you reside temporarily only make you a temporary guest. You're visa only gave you a right to enter the country not a say in how it is run. Get over it. Face it, you're just visiting here!

If you don't like the rules, pack your bags and go back to your homeland.

[on-on]

"The soldiers just opened up on everyone. Old people, women, ambulance crews."

This a tweet from Time journalist Andrew Marshall on the scene now.

http://twitter.com/Journotopia

Not sure really believe that.

Better to wait to see what the Nation tells us to think.

If the soldiers open up on "Old people, women, ambulance crews." there will be video all over YOUTube in about thirty minutes and the red leaders will have the bodies on stage within an hour or so, so you'll know pretty soon what happened one way or the other.

[Jingthing]

You are not a very respectful guest here. You obviously would like to tell the Thais how to run their country. That's pretty arrogant of you. Why not go home? Maybe no one their respects you?

Will you get over the guest crap.

We live in Thailand. We support Thai families. We have Thai friends. We pay Thai taxes. We work with Thais. We employ Thais.

We are not guests.

Maybe on your next border run you will discover the door can close for you. You don't seem to comprehend that it doesn't matter if you work or pay taxes orhow many times you've renewed your visa. Everyone with a bank account pays taxes even if they are not residing in Thailand. Only when you have been granted Thai citizenship can you claim to be Thai. Where you reside temporarily only make you a temporary guest. You're visa only gave you a right to enter the country not a say in how it is run. Get over it. Face it, you're just visiting here!

If you don't like the rules, pack your bags and go back to your homeland.

I understand all of that very well. But GUESTS is still the wrong word for committed expats. Cheers.

[SabaiBKK]

Am utterly appalled at the reds. They had such sympathy a month and a half ago, now they are just a bunch of criminals working for their master Thaksin to the detriment of the entire nation. Disgusting.

OK. However, I can't understand any civilized person having any sympathy for them at all after Pattaya Asean and Black Songkran.

The only ones that have sympathy for them are the reds themselves - like their fan club here - time for negotiation is over and I hope the government realizes that the only way to win this is to go full out and destroy them once and for all

Thats a bit harsh...kill the innocent protestors in the camp that are sticking up for the rights whether they are right or wrong?

It never ceases to amaze me how farangs on thaivisa seem to think they know best about thailand and how to deal with thailands problems.

What is also very funny is that i have scoured the thai tv channels to seem some live coverage and all i can find is thai soaps and other nonsense things...yet thaivisa has thousands of high intelligent members going crazy about others people problems..If you are a farang with a thai passport then fair enough..its your problem as well you fellow country mens.

yet another " we are only guest and not entitled to have an opinion " post YAWN!!!!!

[frodo]

The Nation: Protesters at Rajprasong ducked and lied down after sounds of gunfire were heard.

The sounds heard at about 6:20 pm prompted the red-shirt leaders to flee down the stage and hid behind the stage, leaving the protesters to lie down in front of the stage.

Red guards also ran for cover.

Say's a lot about those leaders and the guards for that matter.

The Nation: Rajprasong stage returns to normalcy and leaders told protesters not to be frightened. "The time hasnt arrived yet."

This is beginning to sound like a suicide mission more and more. "The time hasn't arrived yet." Scary!

[h90]

Thats what the PAD say !

Thats what the Yellow media has written.

The truth is very much different.

Under Thaksin the poor were happy.

Under Thaksin the old Elite were not happy as he was taking "their money" - the corruption money they always got was suddenly being taken away.

Thaksin was taking from the rich and giving lumps of it to the poor - he may not have been perfect but he was the best thing every for the poor.

So of course the Elite hated him.

An illegal coup came out to kick him out.

His name was dragged through the dirt using all means possible, making up all sorts of stories and it was a complete "set up".

What part of that do you not understand ?

The old Elite are the most corrupt in Thailand, always have and are trying to always be....... Thaksin might have been corrupt but he was never as bad as them.

If you fail to appreciate just how bad and corrupt those who persecute Thaksin are, and fail to understand why they are targetting him, then you really do not know anything about the past 10 years.

That is not what PAD says, that is not an opinion that are facts! I was here when the elections happened, when he got so many no votes that he could not fill the parliament, when his care taker time was expired, when he did not go to the King to tell that he failed. When he opened the parliament with less MP than necessary in the constitution. That are facts. Also fact is that some poor areas love him so much that not even 20 % vote for him even there is no other party.

And I did not even mentioned the vote buying yet.....

[LevelHead]

Notice protesters are using sling shots and petrol bombs.

Army using live ammo and rubber bullets and tear gas.

Protestors dead (shot). Camera men shot. Civilians shot ?

Soldiers not ?

And they claim to be abiding by international rules ?

What's that, assassinate one red by sniper fire, poison others and then go on a rampage killing and maiming others with live ammo ? Not very "standard"......well not in my opinion.

[jcbangkok]

Thats what the PAD say !

Thats what the Yellow media has written.

The truth is very much different.

Under Thaksin the poor were happy.

Under Thaksin the old Elite were not happy as he was taking "their money" - the corruption money they always got was suddenly being taken away.

Thaksin was taking from the rich and giving lumps of it to the poor - he may not have been perfect but he was the best thing every for the poor.

So of course the Elite hated him.

An illegal coup came out to kick him out.

His name was dragged through the dirt using all means possible, making up all sorts of stories and it was a complete "set up".

What part of that do you not understand ?

The old Elite are the most corrupt in Thailand, always have and are trying to always be....... Thaksin might have been corrupt but he was never as bad as them.

If you fail to appreciate just how bad and corrupt those who persecute Thaksin are, and fail to understand why they are targetting him, then you really do not know anything about the past 10 years.

the record is skipping again ... yawnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn

[BSJ]

Whether you believe the red shirts to be right or wrong doesn't change the fact that ordinary Thai people want a better life for themselves and their families. If it takes a civil war to get there, that's sad.....when calling free and fair elections could have solved the problem with far less bloodshed and loss of life.

[hardy1943]

Probably quite true I live almost in the heart of Red Country, Nongbulamphu, and many folks are going to head to BKK. I am just keeping my mouth quiet up here. The Red party line rules and there is no other viewpoint.

Soon we will have UDD protesters in every part of Thailand, not only Ratchaprasong and Silom.

It is really their business not ours.Also this forum reminds of FOX News

hype it up some more guys.Bash some Yanks some more if you run out of things to write.Then use THE NATION as your primary source of news

Edited May 14, 2010 by hardy1943

[ChouDoufu]

PURE COWARDS!! Don't the words, "We are not afraid to die," ring a bell. Gutless leaders.

Brave Sir Robin ran away.

Bravely ran away, away!

When danger reared its ugly head,

He bravely turned his tail and fled.

Yes, brave Sir Robin turned about

And gallantly he chickened out.

Bravely taking to his feet

He beat a very brave retreat,

Bravest of the brave, Sir Robin!

He is packing it in and packing it up

And sneaking away and buggering up

And chickening out and pissing off home,

Yes, bravely he is throwing in the sponge...

[LevelHead]

Thats what the PAD say !

Thats what the Yellow media has written.

The truth is very much different.

Under Thaksin the poor were happy.

Under Thaksin the old Elite were not happy as he was taking "their money" - the corruption money they always got was suddenly being taken away.

Thaksin was taking from the rich and giving lumps of it to the poor - he may not have been perfect but he was the best thing every for the poor.

So of course the Elite hated him.

An illegal coup came out to kick him out.

His name was dragged through the dirt using all means possible, making up all sorts of stories and it was a complete "set up".

What part of that do you not understand ?

The old Elite are the most corrupt in Thailand, always have and are trying to always be....... Thaksin might have been corrupt but he was never as bad as them.

If you fail to appreciate just how bad and corrupt those who persecute Thaksin are, and fail to understand why they are targetting him, then you really do not know anything about the past 10 years.

That is not what PAD says, that is not an opinion that are facts! I was here when the elections happened, when he got so many no votes that he could not fill the parliament, when his care taker time was expired, when he did not go to the King to tell that he failed. When he opened the parliament with less MP than necessary in the constitution. That are facts. Also fact is that some poor areas love him so much that not even 20 % vote for him even there is no other party.

And I did not even mentioned the vote buying yet.....

And this shows that you were not here.

Votes for TRT were far more than the "no vote".

The "no vote" was requested by the Democrats who asked people not to take part in the elections in order to invalidate them.

So TRT "won" nearly all the seats, but as Democrats did not run (and alleged PAID other parties not to run - which they got a Yellow card for) TRT could not claim the seat as the vote was invalid as there was no competition.

SO, you were not here and you do not know the FACTS.

Stop posting lies please and STICK WITH THE FACTS.

[animatic]

3hrs of sunlight left before the spooks come out. Hoping the army are fully prepared.

Thaksin wanting to negotiate a sign the reds are on the back-foot, or is he merely reading from the script...?

Well, Abhisit used the illusion of negotiations as a prelude to his murderous military offense against civilians. Might Thaksin stoop to Abhisit's level? Why not?

I think you are right . They all belong to the same boys club.

It could not go on forever. Simple as that.

Abhisit gave them many chances to act reasonably and act as good faith bargainers

they threw it back in his face, and continued to destroy Bangkok's equilibrium and the lives of countless citizens.

The red leaders never agreed to anything, so his offers were not accepted, thus he need not keep to them.

The Red Leaders are to blame for this violence:

Faux words of peace, belied by actions of violence; the people can tell the difference..

Abhisit's hand was forced by their intransigence.

And this has nothing to do with the overlayed red cause of greater equality for Issan people,

and everything to do with violent red tactics to win their points. Their tactics caused by their zealotry

have lost those points for a generation or so.... Too sad for those truly wanting better conditions,

but having harnessed their potential power to Thaksin compromised, bad leaders.

Edited May 14, 2010 by animatic

[alex_aka_P]

Soon we will have UDD protesters in every part of Thailand, not only Ratchaprasong and Silom.

By protesters do you mean armed insurgents?

You are not a very respectful guest here. You obviously would like to tell the Thais how to run their country. That's pretty arrogant of you. Why not go home? Maybe no one their respects you?

If you Thais (as a country) EVER listen to farang's (as a country) opinions, or even READ THROUGH the world's history - all of this just won't happen.

But now it is a time to gather some stones. Count them well. VERY well.

[ChiangMaiFun]

I am not a guest. I am an expat. This is home. Nothing to go back to.

Well, an expat is a guest in Thailand (and quite a few other countries), meaning nothing to go back to is not really a good plan...

none of us are Thai and we never will be - despite some pseudo-Thai on here who, probably, genuinely believe they 'are' Thai - I have no such illusions (delusions?) - we will never be accepted or have any real Thai friends - but I veer off-topic

[Jingthing]

Whether you believe the red shirts to be right or wrong doesn't change the fact that ordinary Thai people want a better life for themselves and their families. If it takes a civil war to get there, that's sad.....when calling free and fair elections could have solved the problem with far less bloodshed and loss of life.

Yeah those elections would have been real free and fair. Sure thing.

[jcbangkok]

How many people admitted to hospital with bullet wounds so far?

Common sense would say there would be a HUGE NUMBER of both deaths and injuries if the army opened fire on the red mob but those supporting this illegal violent mob clearly seem to be lacking any common sense.

[neverdie]

As for the FARANG tourists that you seem to dislike so much- they prop up the economy in this country, without them the economy will crash imo.

You seem to thing that Tourism is the main source of income for thais. Its not. Remove yourself from Tourist Thailand and go check the rest of it out......tourist schmourist.

6-7 % they estimate, not sure if that includes all the sextourists tax free spendings.

6-7 % is a lot but not the main source, as well the southern Tourism will not be full effected.

If tourism drops to half than it is less than the estimated economic grow.

That does not kill the economic, but of course damage it.

It s not just tourism that suffers but investments in the country. Why invest in a third world country that constantly has fights and blockades, airport closures, war on drugs where 2,500 are killed, etc etc There is no law in Bangkok now, No one is in command

Vietnam is opening up, Even Cambodia which is run like a private kingdom for Hen Sen is more stable and u can get a 99 year Lease. no work permits needed, 1 year visa for $265.

Malaysia welcomes investors with tax breaks, long term visas and even your allowed to own ur own home.

Thailand>>>> will loose out in the long term and all i can say its been coming for years.

Thankyou very much, theres nothing like thinking outside the box. Part of my point, there is much more at stake here than a tourism industry, a whole lot more.

[Netfan]

You are not a very respectful guest here. You obviously would like to tell the Thais how to run their country. That's pretty arrogant of you. Why not go home? Maybe no one their respects you?

Will you get over the guest crap.

We live in Thailand. We support Thai families. We have Thai friends. We pay Thai taxes. We work with Thais. We employ Thais.

We are not guests.

Maybe on your next border run you will discover the door can close for you. You don't seem to comprehend that it doesn't matter if you work or pay taxes orhow many times you've renewed your visa. Everyone with a bank account pays taxes even if they are not residing in Thailand. Only when you have been granted Thai citizenship can you claim to be Thai. Where you reside temporarily only make you a temporary guest. You're visa only gave you a right to enter the country not a say in how it is run. Get over it. Face it, you're just visiting here!

If you don't like the rules, pack your bags and go back to your homeland.

Funny, it seems to be you who doesn't like the way things are going here, what with the elite taking advantage of the poor proletariat and all, and defending an armed revolution. So why is it that you don't take your own advice?

[KKvampire]

The anarchist anti monarchy Scum Red never wanted elections later this year they want Victory to pursue their masters Takki's agenda , Criminals and Thugs. The Army and Abhisits government have to finish the job NOW!!!!!

[seahorse]

I seriously doubt that 50% supports the reds. Perhaps close to that originally had sympathy for the protests, but my personal observation is that most of them now think it's enough, and especially that Abhisit's offer should have been accepted.

For once I can agree with you.

The crowd at Rajprasong cheered when Abhisit's offer was made known to them. It was the red leaders who wanted to keep it going.

And some people still think this is a rank and file movement.

[jcbangkok]

THE NATION: Journalists are warned to always wear green arm band while on duty and avoid the clash area as military cant guarantee their safety.

THE NATION: From Reuters bureau chief: The story that Reuters photographer has been wounded is incorrect.

[LuckyLew]

yet another " we are only guest and not entitled to have an opinion " post YAWN!!!!!

They had to change tactics

The letters that spell "double standards" were worn out on their keyboards