Thailand Live Today - Live Sunday

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Thailand Live Today - Sunday May 23

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Seized weapons put on display

By THE NATION ON SUNDAY

Published on May 23, 2010

More guns, plus bombs, grenades found at temple, Rajprasong area

A large amount of weapons found after the Army dispersed red-shirt protesters from their protest in central Bangkok were shown at a press conference by the Centre for Resolution of the Emergency Situation (CRES) yesterday that was also attended by diplomats and military attachés from 51 countries.

The display also included Army and police weapons seized by United Front for Democracy against Dictator-ship (UDD) protesters during the clashes.

Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban said at conference during the red-shirt rally there were some terrorists who used weapons to hurt officials, rescue workers, journalists and others, causing many deaths and injuries, but red-shirt leaders always claimed there were no terrorists at the rally site and no weapons.

However, the truth was revealed when police and military officials inspected the site after the rally ended and found many weapons, as witnessed by members of the media, said Suthep, the CRES director. He said the government would continue to hunt culprits who had fled, who still had heavy weapons to cause more violence.

Earlier yesterday at 8.30am, another search of the compound at Wat Pathumwanaram found an AK47 rifle, 30 rounds of ammunition, a smoke bomb, a makeshift bomb, plus three knives and an axe.

Three grenades for an M67 launcher were also found by troops during a check at the protest's main stage at Rajprasong.

Police also took 14 cars parked at the temple for inspection at the CRES headquarters before returning them to owners. They included a Mercedes Benz owned by leading UDD member Kwanchai Praipana. Police also took a Nissan van and a Honda Civic to Pathumwan police station because diamonds that were allegedly stolen were found inside these vehicles.

Meanwhile, Khunying Porntip Rojanasunan, director of the Justice Ministry's Central Institute of Forensic Science, said two 'car bombs' were found - one on Friday at Chalermlok Bridge and another yesterday in Ploenchit. Three other cars were found to carry gas tanks.

Porntip said nearly 1,000 samples from suspected bombs or other bits of evidence were submitted for tests to compare with DNA test results of related people.

The institute was gradually collecting DNA samples from leading UDD members, guards and supporters. Department of Special Investigation (DSI) investigators and public prosecutor would interview UDD leaders, currently detained at Phetchaburi's Naresuan boot camp, tomorrow.

Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) workers continued cleaning yesterday at Rajprasong intersection, the former rally site, plus Siam Square, and former sites where there were clashes - Klong Toei, Sala Daeng and Victory Monument.

Outsiders and vehicles were prohibited from the buildings that had been burnt, but owners of shops in the areas were allowed to inspect the damage on their property provided they registered their names before entering.

Some 100 ID cards and UDD memberships cards were found in sewage on a footpath by Central World opposite the Police General Hospital.

The Central World building continued to smoulder, prompting fire fighters to spray water at it yesterday morning. Nine fire fighters and 10 fire engines were there until the fire was totally out, after three days. Engineers will inspect the structure soon.

Five branches of McDonalds around Rajprasong will provide free meals to police, soldiers, fire fighters and media for three days, INN news service said.

The BMA will have 3,000 officials and volunteers to clean six areas with water and garbage trucks from 8am today, to get them ready for public use tomorrow. They are: Rajdamri Rd to Rajprasong; the Silom-Narathiwat-rajanakarin-Sathorn area; Rama IV Rd to Samyan intersection, Saphan Leung, Siam Square and Henry Dunant Rd; Wireless Rd and Sarasin-Lang Suan-Chidlom rds; Rama 4 Rd to Bon Kai, Klong Toei intersection and Channel 3; and Rajaprarop Rd from the Sri Ayuthaya intersection to Din Daeng Triangle.

-- The Nation 2010-05-23

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You have to take care in what you say, do and wear

By Noppatjak Attanon

Nation TV

Published on May 23, 2010

A TV reporter has responsibilities other than gathering information. Apart from presenting the video sent in by our cameraman during the Bangkok violence, we had to choose the locations for our OB team - the outside broadcasting crew - amid attacks on the media by the protesters.

I've learned a few things in the past few months that I'm confident you won't find in any book:

lWhen asked who you work for, say simply, "I am from NTV", and then walk away as quickly as possible.

• Remove the Nation logo from all pieces of equipment and shun company clothing. No one was targeting us specifically during this crisis but, sadly, there are people who randomly attack any representatives of the news media.
  
• You have to know when to wear the green armband, signifying you're with the news media, and, more importantly, when not to.
  
• We had to know at every moment where the reds were and the greens - the soldiers. I wish I could have known where the blacks were too - the terrorists - but that never seemed possible.
  
• Never wear red, yellow or pink. Wear green with great discretion.
  
• Stay alert and be brave, but always know when to quit. There are moments when knowledge and experience are no help. A weapon is a weapon - it can inflict pain no matter how good a reporter you are.
  

There's a little whimsy among these six points, but of course there is no fun when the danger is real.

Nevertheless, I speak for my team when I say we are proud to have this civic duty, to present what is happening from the field the way it really happens.

As the wounded Nation photographer Chaiwat Pumpuang said, "A single picture could correct all the lies."

-- The Nation 2010-05-23

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School fire in Sakhon Nakhon

By THE NATION ON SUNDAY

Published on May 23, 2010

A school was set alight in Sakhon Nakhon and there was other property damage on the second night of the cur-few on Friday. Guards were posted in several neighbour-hoods near areas where there were clashes in Bangkok to watch out for arson attacks.

A two-storey wooden building at Ban Bodmadpoknoi School in Sakhon Nakhon's Panna Nikhom district burnt down at 3am, despite a curfew being imposed in the province.

Forensic police who went to the scene at 9am to col-lect evidence found cut pieces of a motorbike tyre.

In Samut Prakan's Muang district, police and a fire engine rushed to the Km 5 marker on Theparak Road at 12.30am where tyres were burning, but two suspects managed to flee on a Yamaha Fino motorbike.

Half an hour later police were alerted to the smash-ing of an ATM at Krung Thai Bank's Wat Nam Daeng branch by some youngsters.

In Chon Buri's Sattahip district, four teenage boys wearing red headbands were arrested at a checkpoint near Nong Takhien public park at 12.30am on suspicion of being part of a gang that lit giant firecrackers at Sattahip Market, which rudely awoke many residents in the area.

The suspects denied any involvement, but admitted they had made giant firecrackers to play with. When they saw the checkpoint, they tossed the fireworks into a nearby pond.

After taking a statement, police called their parents to pick them up and told them not to leave home between 9pm and 5am because a curfew would be imposed on Saturday night.

In the capital, the Soi Mor Leng community in Ratchathevi district set up lookouts for any troublemak-ers.

-- The Nation 2010-05-23

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Red leaders not staying in comfort, police insist

By PANYA TIEWSANGWAN

THE NATION ON SUNDAY

Published on May 23, 2010

Police insisted yesterday that red-shirt leaders who surrendered into custody were not staying in comfort.

Red leaders have not been sent to prisons yet as they are detained under the emergency decree. But they are expected to be remanded in prison once the degree is revoked.

Police responded yesterday to criticism and sarcastic remarks after photos circulated on the Internet showing red leaders such as Natthawut Saikua appearing to enjoy themselves at what looked like a holiday retreat inside the Naresuan Police Border Patrol Camp in Phetchaburi.

Yesterday's police press conference resulted from an order by Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva for |concerned agencies to clarify to the public the degree of comfort provided to red shirt leaders, Thepthai Senpong, a spokesman for the ruling Democrat Party, said.

Assistant national police chief Lt Gen Worapong Chiewpreecha said during a press conference at the 11th Infantry Regiment that the red leaders were being detained appropriately under relevant laws.

"As people questioned why they are not detained in prisons, we will explain that we are detaining them under the emergency decree. That allows us to detain them in designated places but not in police stations and prisons.

"According to the decree, the red leaders are people suspected to cause catastrophes. They are not being detained as suspects in criminal cases. Moreover, the decree does not allow us to treat them as prisoners so they are treated more lightly than prisoners," Pol Maj-General Amnuay Nimmano, deputy Bangkok police chief said.

They would be detained in prisons after the decree was revoked, he said.

Amnuay said that under the decree police could detain them for seven days at a time and extend the detention for up to 30 days in total.

Worapong also showed the press photos of the detention building surrounded by barbed wire. It has 10 detention rooms, and look like others in the southern-most provinces. He said they were not allowed to use any communication tools.

Amnuay said around 40 arrested red shirt protesters were being at the Border Police camp, which had 10 rooms for such purposes. Therefore, police decided to detain the red leaders together at one house.

Worapong said photos posted on the Internet were taken on Thursday when relatives visited red leaders at the house.

Amnuay said the red leaders were sent on Friday to be held in separate rooms after 40 protesters had been taken out to a court. "We insist that they are treated the same way as others."

-- The Nation 2010-05-23

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Uneasy feelings, doubts linger on all sides

By PRAVIT ROJANAPHRUK

THE NATION ON SUNDAY

Published on May 23, 2010

The government may say it's time to heal and reconcile divisions in society, but some feel the offensive against the reds continues. Some members of the reds who participated in the protest are lying low to avoid possible arrest under the emergency decree and the media.

Websites that have been sympathetic to the red shirts continue to be blocked.

"I think I am at risk [of being arrested]," said a man who went on a minor red-shirt stage last Wednesday to speak to protesters at Victory Monument as Bangkok slide into anarchy.

He is now in hiding, fearing for his safety. He said he even believed that red-shirt leader Arisman Pongruanrorng may have been killed by the authorities, as there had been confusing reports on Wednesday that Arisman was arrested - but the government later denied this.

Half the world away, in London, red-shirt sympathiser Pongpong Laowansiri, a post graduate student at University College, wrote to contacts online late on Friday night to say he had received "uncountable" hate emails and death threats. This was after he spoke to the BBC, criticising the Abhisit Vejjajiva government for the crackdown in Bangkok last Wednesday, which led to over a dozen deaths.

"I have been receiving uncountable hate emails and death threats at my current account after my interview with the BBC and British press condemning the government's excessive and disproportionate uses of forces on the crackdown in Thailand. Based on that, I was also informed that the CRES and the [Thai] government is now monitoring my activities," the message reads.

News websites sympathetic to the reds like prachatai.com online newspaper continued to be blocked despite it changing its online address several times in recent weeks. An English site critical of the government called "Thai Political Prisoners" was also blocked on Friday after it ran a recent report about CNN footage on Thai politics, which was earlier blocked under the emergency decree.

Meanwhile, people opposed to the red shirts like environmentalist Chamnien Paul Vorraatuchaiphan, a senior director at Thai Environment Institute, forwarded online letters condemning what he believed was biased reporting by CNN about the "evil" red shirts movement.

"The battle that we are facing now is from both ends, locally and globally... National reconciliation is not possible if global misunderstanding and misinformation about Thailand lingers and dominates the atmosphere," he said.

On the street of Silom yesterday, things were quiet. But a newspaper stand owner opposite the Bangkok Bank headquarters on Silom Road predicted the conflict would re-emerge soon and that the bank would be targeted for attack by hardline red once the curfew is lifted.

"Let me say this, Bangkok is full of reds. They take satisfaction in the burning [of buildings]. Things have gone that far," the female news-stand owner said.

A female customer then said: "No matter what shirt colour you belong to, I hope the country will have just one same colour.

"[but] this is impossible. Once the |soldiers pull out, Bangkok Bank [head office] will be targeted," she said pointing at the large building opposite. She noted that the nearby market at Chan Road was "full of reds" and she had to be careful about what she said.

"Reds like to bite from behind," she insisted.

-- The Nation 2010-05-23

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Eerie quiet remains

By SOMROUTAI SAPSOMBOON,

KORNCHANOK RAKSASERI

THE NATION

Published on May 23, 2010

Never have we seen the city so quiet and devoid of life. A walk through the centre of Bangkok on Friday, two days after the red shirts' dramatic rally was dispersed, left an indelible haunting impression.

We had taken a taxi to Patpong. Soldiers inspected each vehicle passing by. We started late in the morning. Although it was daytime, one could see instantly that it was different than normal days there.

Although Patpong is a popular area among foreigners, only a few were eating at a restaurant there. Amid the quiet atmosphere, guests and waitresses at the restaurant were tense or on the alert. They exchanged strange looks, watching every time somebody entered the restaurant or walked past each table.

A few foreigners hung out at a beverage shop nearby.

An ATM machine in front of a Foodland outlet had run out of cash. An officer at the bank told the shop manager it was too dangerous to transport more cash to fill the machine up again.

We walked along Surawong Road. Some vehicles passed by and some shops were open. Aside from soldiers on patrol, and police at their checkpoints, there were just motorcycle taxi-drivers, waiting in groups along the road.

We turned right to Rama IV Road and were stunned at the view. Almost as far as we could see the road was empty, except for razor wire.

At Sala Daeng intersection, we met people loitering around who had lost their jobs at the burnt-out CentralWorld. There were also foreigners who had come to take pictures of this rare atmosphere - of a normally crowded road.

Sala Daeng has been different since it was a strategic corner of the red shirts protest down at Rajprasong, as well as a rally site for local residents and others opposed to the red shirts.

On April 22, a woman was killed and 75 others injured when five M79 grenades were fired at hundreds of people gathered under Sala Daeng Skytrain station to counter the red-shirt protesters.

And recently, Sala Daeng intersection was full of bunkers created by the protesters.

By Friday, these small red-shirt 'forts' had been cleared away. It was just an empty street, being cleaned by employees from Bangkok Metropolitan Administration.

The McDonald's outlet on the corner was open until 2pm. Only beverages were available. Staff said it was open only to test the machines after a period of closure. They expected it would provide normal service tomorrow.

In recent weeks the fast-food outlet was hit with marbles and rocks fired from across the road near Lumpini Park.

We took motorcycle taxis to visit a senior photographer from The Nation shot in the leg last Saturday, now recovering in hospital.

The taxi-drivers were from Thon Buri and said they had made lots of money because of the rally. One said he had had lots of passengers, free meals and stayed overnight sometimes at the rally site.

We went down Henri Dunant Road, past Siam Square and continued on Phya Thai Road.

The popular Siam Square was very quiet and gave an eerie feeling. The parking areas were empty. Piles of merchandise boxes were seen on the roads inside. MBK, another popular shopping mall, was also closed.

Along the route, we saw empty roads, checkpoints, patrolling soldiers and police, and huge groups of taxi motorcyclists.

Both of us and the motorcycle taxi drivers had to show passes and official media cards to get down the blocked-off road.

Later, we surveyed Makkasan and Pratunam.

These roads used to be among the most crowded in Bangkok.

Again, it was quiet and gave a haunting feeling. Besides checkpoints, bunkers and patrolling soldiers and police, the roads were blocked with coils of razor wire and littered with rock debris here and there.

Most of the soldiers were still young.

Only a few shops were open. Old ladies greeted us, wishing us luck and peace for the country.

Here again it was unusually quiet with some people walking without talking; all were in small groups. Nobody walked alone.

Some were carrying big bags as if they had just come back from staying somewhere else (we assumed they had fled and stayed somewhere else until they felt it safe enough to come back.)

Some were carrying big bags full of food. They handed out the food to soldiers and hurried to go back home.

A resident said: "The reports that Pratunam residents are hostile to soldiers is not true. We want them to stay as comfortable as possible. We try our best, but we have to be careful not to be the target of attacks. It's useless if we lose our lives and cannot help the soldiers further."

Influential people in the areas have many people to watch and report what goes on.

Another resident said she never thought she'd see a time when Thais would kill each other.

One resident said it was good that security officers were there. The residents also hoped drug addicts living in the area would be removed.

A soldier said he had been in the Army for about a year. He never thought that in the two years he serves as a Private, he would have to go into a battlefield. It was an experience he can't forget.

"At the time, when I saw the red shirts firing at soldiers heavily, I had no choice but to shoot back," he said.

In a sad mood, we took photos of the empty roads.

As evening came, we left while the troops changed shifts. We walked past the rock debris, the blinking traffic lights and razor wire lifted by officers before the sun set. This Bangkok was very different from the one we knew.

-- The Nation 2010-05-23

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In the line of fire

By Somroutai Sapsomboon

The Nation on Sunday

Published on May 23, 2010

Nation photographers share some thoughts about getting the shot without getting shot

Nation senior photographer Charoon Thongnual was summoned to Bangkok from the bloodied South, the editors thinking his experience there would serve him well amid the mayhem in the capital.

Not at all, says the 21-year veteran: Bangkok proved to be far more dangerous - in the South he could always tell where the bullets were coming from.

Chief photographer Nanthasit Nitmatha nevertheless knew that a veteran like Charoon would come through. "He knows exactly when to get in and get the photos and when to back off."

Charoon certainly knew what he needed.

"The company gave me a bulletproof vest in 2007. I'd only worn it a few times, but I've worn it each of the four days I've been here, along with a steel helmet that's very heavy."

A photojournalist's equipment is cumbersome enough without the vest and helmet, Charoon says, but the protection is necessary, both for physical safety and self-confidence.

"A photographer can't be careless. He has to protest his life first. If he can't get a good picture today, he can try again later."

Noting that reporters covering the same situations can hang back from the action and still get their story, Charoon points out that the photographer's job isn't finished until he's got some meaningful pictures - and that means getting close to the subject.

In dangerous circumstances like the Bangkok turmoil, the photographers go out in pairs. They're not always working for the same news outlet, but they're ready to watch each other's backs, and they can consult about strategy.

"There are no solo heroes," Charoon says. "Everybody has to help each other."

"We need a buddy to take care of us," confirms Kittinun Rodsupan, who's been a Nation lensman for 17 years. "The most important thing is being careful."

Kittinun didn't feel discouraged when reports circulated on Wednesday, following the dispersal of the red-shirt rally, that the news media were being targeted for attacks.

"I was worried at times, but it just made me more careful. You have to think before each step. After all, the bombs and bullets don't choose who they hit - they hit everybody who's in their way."

"If something happens," adds Thanis Sudto, a Nation photographer for six years, "we have to find cover first."

"Generally I'm not afraid," says Thanis, who covered the red rallies from the start. "But I can get paranoid at times. Stories were coming in all the time - the protesters saying the troops were coming, hearing gunshots, hearing bombs all the time."

Three news photographers were killed during the red siege, beginning with a Japanese cameraman shot by an unknown gunman on April 10. Two other foreign photographers were gunned down last Wednesday.

Many more were injured, including another of The Nation's top men, Chaiwat Pumpuang.

Chaiwat has worked in Afghanistan and the southern border provinces, but the wound he suffered in Bangkok was his worst, a high-velocity rifle round that shattered his thighbone, requiring prompt surgery.

"The photographers were at even greater risk than the soldiers and red shirts - we were right in the middle," says Associated Press photographer Wason Wanichakorn.

"The soldiers had weapons, the reds had weapons, but we had only cameras."

-- The Nation 2010-05-23

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OPINION

It is a fight against democracy, not for it

Chang Noi's article in Monday's The Nation was good. These uprisings all around the world are indeed related to globalisation, and as Ian Buruma puts it in his excellent article on Saturday, "Elites are under siege in every corner of the world".

However neither of these commentators go far enough with their analyses. Buruma's Thai elites - "the ruling class, backed by big business and the Army" - are clearly a dying breed and sound strangely at odds with their counterparts - the "New York liberals" in America or "multiculturalists" in Europe. Chang Noi is closer to the truth in calling them "middle class urbanites".

What Chang Noi only hints at, however, is the massive growth of this vast new middle class - people who were once poor during the last century, but who now have access to more money, consumer goods, education, healthcare, mobility and entertainment than they have ever had anytime in their history.

As GDP surges, so too does the number of people gaining access to the middle class. All across Asia the growth of this demographic is radically changing the political structure and threatening the old feudal societies, which had always depended on "patronage" and corruption for their power.

Thailand's rural population, like the Philippines, is and has been ruled by locally powerful families, mafia thugs, police chiefs and village heads at least since 1938 when the government first became a military dictatorship under Marshal Phibul. Such people are terrified of progressive democratic changes in society, social welfare, strong tax policies and tough legal constraints on what they consider traditionally legitimate, but illegal, behaviour.

Such changes, however, are inevitable as more and more people join the expanding middle classes and demand the same as their counterparts across the globalised world.

The current revolt has been precipitated and supported by these corrupt feudal families. Thaksin is their hero - and because each fiefdom controls its own group of rural people they have been able to make it look like - to the naive foreign press - that a large crowd is clamouring for democracy. But it is their intense focus on violence that gives them away entirely. They have a powerful military wing that has no qualms about killing their own protesters in order to lay blame on the government. They have been clamouring for bloodletting since the beginning of this protest. There is no idealism here, unlike the student-led uprisings of the past. Instead they are fighting back tooth and nail against democracy, education, the welfare state - attacks on hospitals - and in particular the legal system. They are, in the end, the dying breed.

Early Warm

Nuclear power is a major security threat

Today Bangkok, tomorrow a nuclear power plant?

Egat is hel_l-bent on getting four nuclear plants built along Thailand's coasts. They announced two months ago that they would name the four sites this month. It doesn't take a genius to see that nuclear power plants would pose a plum target for future protesters or insurgents.

It's also a no-brainer that solar power plants won't carry that concern. Indeed, producing large-scale electricity from the sun is cheaper, cleaner and safer than producing the same from uranium.

Solar has become a lot more than a few PV panels on a roof. Current technology is mind-boggling in its feasibility, efficiency and low cost - even for large-scale municipal applications.

Ken Albertsen

Chiang Rai

Blame it all on vengeful Thaksin

Thaksin is the mastermind behind the crisis in Thailand. He has said all along that if he lost, everyone would go down with him. He is the kind of person who loves you if you're on his side, and does everything to destroy you if you're not. He once said any provinces that didn't vote for him would get no special treatment. He always remembers and holds grudges. He takes advantage of other people. He talks from both sides of his mouth, with no feelings of shame or guilt whatsoever.

There is much evidence that he hired an armed militia to be part of the red-shirt protesters. The government should target the former and current Army generals who planned and executed the street battles. It should announce that these people are the rebels who want to make Thailand a failed state. They know that the government is weak and is too gentlemanly in its conduct.

At the same time they are asking for the UN to intervene. They know that a government that shoots at people has no legitimacy. It's difficult to explain and justify the government's conduct to the international audience with the pictures on TV, unless you know and can prove how cruel the red-shirt masterminds are. How they are willing to sacrifice the country and well-being of their countrymen for their personal goals.

It is sad how ineffective most organisations in the country have become. Most of them only complain about the situation, avoid responsibility and bicker among themselves.

Choopong A

Bangkok

Urgent need for a balanced approach

Being a resident of Bangkok, with no political leanings, I am very happy that this impasse is finally over, at least for the time being. I read the ramblings of Napas (May 19) in which she complained about the international reporting of CNN, which she felt was very one-sided in favour of the Democratic Alliance against Democracy. Her letter was totally subjective against the red-shirt protesters, and I could not imagine her appreciating the very poignant "Burning Issue" on the back page of the same edition. She probably delighted in the cartoon above her letter, and interpreted it to mean that all the peasants should be upcountry where they belong. I cannot help wondering if she was supporting the yellow-shirted thugs whilst they aggressively commandeered the airport until they got their way.

I do not agree with the vengeful tactics of the red-shirt hard-liners as they exact destructive revenge after their loss. I think they should go home and lick their wounds until they come up with a more suitable mandate. In the meantime Napas can happily parade around her favourite shopping malls manifesting her "new money" image.

Alwes

Focus on how to avoid a repeat of this crisis

I take Suthichai Yoon's hint in "Thai Talk" of May 20 - no point in finger-pointing but to focus on what is ahead because the conflict is not yet over. The following are my thoughts:

First, it was not about a civil war but more about a clever man with almost unlimited funds trying to achieve an honourable return. His only way now is the victory of his proxy party at the next election. If we could stymie his use of money to manipulate people then we would be halfway there to nipping his chances of getting amnesty for his sins.

Second, to be fair and credible, the yellow-shirts' sins should be accelerated for judgement to match the red-shirts' cases and never again should one sector be allowed to have an advantage over another sector because of cronyism.

Third, the old thinking inside a box should be changed by thinking outside the box to achieve the target. If force has to be used to uphold the rule of law, then there should be no hesitation to uphold that rule to maintain our society. There is no point in parrot-mumbling about good governance, transparency, fairness and honesty. Action must be stronger than words. Yes, speak less and show us more.

Fourth, planning is a must for any government as it is its job to anticipate and prevent citizens' losses. In the past, the conduct was more of shadow-chasing rather than anticipating the reactions of villains. Tyre-burning and many vicious tactics were made known and shown off but no legal action was taken to prevent the acquisition of those tyres until when they were completely used to paint our city black.

Finally, be less legal-minded but more pragmatic in governing and using laws as the government's tool in achieving an ideal goal. New laws and changes are meant to be subservient to good administration and not the other way round.

Knowing Thailand, a repeat of this mayhem can be expected unless there is a dynamic change and sincerity in one's aim for the common good. The despicable event can easily be forgotten as time heals. We will be back to our past normalcy, inclusive of corruption and dirty politics, and the promises of social justice and economic equality will simply evaporate since the government is now on the winning seat. I call for a higher standard of normalcy to ensure no repeat of this ugliness in Thai men.

Songdej Praditsmanont

Bangkok

-- The Nation 2010-05-23

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Former Indonesian first lady Hasri Ainun Habibie dies of cervical cancer; she was 72 http://bit.ly/coKqnK /via @BreakingNews

At least 3 die, 10 hurt in east China’s Jiangxi Province when a passenger train derails after being hit by landslides – Xinhua /via @BreakingNews

Jordan Romera, a 13-year-old American, becomes youngest-ever climber to summit Mount Everest. http://on.cnn.com/ckVUAp /via @cnnbrk

Major tornado damage reported to power lines and farms in the Bowdle area of Edmunds Co, SD - NBC /via @BreakingNews

Turkey’s main opposition party elects new leader after sex scandal prompts abrupt resignation of predecessor http://nyti.ms/daA4RN /via @BreakingNews

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DAAD Plays Dead: No End Soon in Sight

The depressing pictures of severely burnt department stores, banks and major buildings in Bangkok should make us all realize now that the movement of the Democratic Alliance Against Dictatorship (DAAD), which was purported to be about bringing about 'true' democracy via non-violence means, is nothing but a sheer propaganda. The incalculable damages done by the hands of red-shirt ravage spree turns Thailand’s capital into a shadow of its former self. The havoc signals a chain reactions we all will have to bear for quite some time to come.

How will we cope with the economic loss and, more importantly, emotional toll inflicted on every Thai people? Should the end of the DAAD rally at Ratchaprasong give the public any closure at all or is it just a beginning of a more serious and sinister crisis to befall Thailand?

All eyes are now on former premiere Thaksin Shinawatra who has been adamant that he has no involvement in the DAAD movement. Dubbed as ‘Father of the Reds’, he never once urged the red-shirts to stop their violent acts but said the crackdown on the red-shirts by the government may spark off nationwide guerrilla-style attacks. Moreover, two DAAD core leaders; Jatuporn Promphan and Nutthawut Saigua, said at the calling off of the rally that it is not the end of the rally and their fight will go on.

Take a look at all of elements that made up the red-shirt movement and you’ll see that the DAAD core leaders are just one part of this elaborate operation. The other parts are Pheu Thai MPs, election canvassers, red-shirt supporters elsewhere and certain elected Senators who are in cahoot with the Pheu Thai Party.

The current circumstances destroyed every last shred of credibility or legitimacy the DAAD might have before except for one point which can be raised in their favor; the government had authorized the use of live ammunitions against civilians.

At the next extraordinary Parliament session, which is scheduled to take place for four days from May 24 to 27, it is very likley that Pheu Thai MPs and certain Senators will bring the recent riots up for discussion. Should the government refused to discuss it, according to a source, Pheu Thai MPs and certain Senators will reject the budget bill for next year.

If the source is correct, the question is whether the MPs would know how to use the Parliamentary stage constructively to soothe the already traumatized nation or to fan the flame. It is a legitimate point given they have use Parliament as an instrument to tip things in favor of certain groups before instead of solving problems the ordinary people face.

You don’t have to look far back for evidence to support the above claim. A national reconciliation committee was set up in the wake of the Songkran Mayhem in 2009. All sides agreed to amend six points in the charter except for Pheu Thai MPs who are against the suggestions and demanded that the 1997 Constitution be reinstated. And guess who share the same opinion with them – Thaksin.

Avid political observers saw Parliament being used as a tool to garner support from voters in the north and the northeast where, in fact, people have far less access to well-rounded information and facts compared to their fellow countrymen in Bangkok.

Cutting off the lifeline of the red movement by means of putting restrictions on business transactions of certain individuals and entities believed to be financing the anti-government movement and individuals is one way to force people who are part of Thaksin's scheme to give up. However, it can backfire and incite them to oppose the government all the more. Key individuals who are on the list include Pheu Thai chairman Chavalit Yongchaiyudh and alumni of Armed Forces Academies Preparatory School class 10.

With a new lawyer, it seems Thaksin is ready to take his fight to the international level. He is no longer content with the game at Ratchaprasong and who knows what is up his sleeves; underground movement, inter-regional conflicts, or inter-class conflict.

The consequences from the repercussions of blacklisting DAAD financiers and Thaksin's attempt to take his fight to the international level will continue to plague the Abhisit government.

However, the administration must realize now it has gained masses of supporters who have been awakened to face the harsh reality in the wake of red-shirt riots and, on the other hand, those who are already stand on the opposite side of the government will step up their attacks against the administration. The division has already been widened and it will be difficult to repair.

This is the most pressing concern of all as today it seems Thai people cannot communicate with each other anymore despite the fact that we speak the same language.

Hatred and divisiveness amongst the Thai people sparked off by the DAAD is the biggest task the government has to tackle. If left unattended for too long, possibility of another round of riots will eventually become inevitable.

Daily News, Politics Page 3, May 22, 2010

Rewritten by Pornchai Sereemongkonpol

-- Tan Network 2010-05-23

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Some businesses resume normal services on Sunday

By The Nation

On Sunday, May 23, BTS train service will resume the operations, from 8am to 10pm, and the train will stop at all stations but the Rajdamri station which is not yet ready to serve commuters.

Normal operations, from 6am to 12pm, is scheduled for Monday, with the Rajdamri station omitted.

On Saturday, the company operated the test run.

On Sunday, Tesco Lotus will also resume the normal operations of all branches located in the areas

subjected to the government's curfew.

Meanwhile, Big C Supercentre announced that fire at its Rajdamri branch is put out and it was found that damage was contained at the ground floor.

However, the company awaits full clearance from the authorities before allowing anyone to enter the premise.

Then, the company will start the damage evaluation. Big C Rajdamri is fully insured, it said.

-- The Nation 2010-05-23

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Curfew expected in Bangkok tonight, after that it will be announced day by day /BkkPost /via @RichardBarrow

Central Chidlom & Silom Complex remain closed. Other branches open but close at 7pm. /via @Centralnews /via @RichardBarrow

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MCOTEnglishnews: Meteorological Dept: Fairly widespread thundershowers and isolated heavy rain in BKK

MCOTEnglishnews: Police lead media to see place where 8 Red Shirt leaders are detained at Naresuan camp, denying they stay at police guesthouse comfortably

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ThaivisaNews: PM Abhisit: Curfew may relax in next few days from 11pm to 4am or midnight to 5am; exact time to be announced later

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Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva extends night-time curfew in Bangkok and several provinces for two more days - /via @Reuters

Bangkok: Coca Cola giving out free drinks to people on Silom! http://twitpic.com/1q7ejh /via @RichardBarrow

Bangkok people coming out in their 1000's to help clean their city. Wonderful sight! /via @RichardBarrow

BMA workers, volunteers kick off 'Big Cleaning Day' activity to clean Ratchaprasong and nearby areas after security personnel cleared area

PM says Sunday that the country is calm and returning to normalcy and that schools, streets and government agencies will reopen on Monday

PM Abhisit: Curfew may relax in the next few days from 11pm to 4am or midnight to 5am; exact time to be announced later

Bangkok: Soldiers helping to clean telephone booths. http://twitpic.com/1q7b4e /via @RichardBarrow

First things first. PM says curfew continues tomorrow as well, but hours may be reduced, e.g. midnight to 4am. /via @terryfrd

Thai Meteorological Dept: Fairly widespread thundershowers and isolated heavy rain in Bangkok

PM's weekly TV show on Ch11 / via @TAN_Network:

Police lead media to place where 8 Red Shirt leaders are detained denying they stay at police guesthouse comfortably /via RT @MCOTEnglishnews

Meteorological Dept: Fairly widespread thundershowers and isolated heavy rain in BKK /via RT @MCOTEnglishnews

Bangkok: MRT resumes service at all stations today from 8am-8pm/ via @MRT_BMCL

Boat services on Khlong Saen Saeb open today from Asok Pier to Wat Bunruang until 7pm /via js100radio

BTS resumes service at all stations from 8am-10pm today, except Rajadamri Station. Call 026176000 for more info

Rama IV, Silom and Sathon Roads are now open to all traffic /via @js100radio

All traffic routes are now open except the ones heading towards Ratchaprasong Intersection /via @js100radio

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Related topic:

Curfew will remain Sunday, Monday's night

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/Curfew-remai...ig-t368308.html

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BTS sky-train and MRT subway start operating again

BANGKOK (NNT) -- The BTS Skytrain and MRT Subway will resume its normal operation at all stations today, with the exception of Ratchadamri station, after being closed for about a week due to the recent political situation.

Executive of the Bangkok Mass Transit System (BTS) Dr Anat Apapirom disclosed that the company would resume its normal service on both Sukhumvit and Silom lines at all stations with the exception of Ratchadamri station today during 08.00 hrs - 22.00 hrs.

Dr Anat also asserted that BTS would operate from 06.00 hrs to 24.00 hrs at all stations, excluding Ratchadamri station on 24 May 2010 onwards.

Meanwhile, the MRT Subway will resume its normal service at all stations today during 08.00 hrs - 20.00 hrs and from 06.00 hrs to 24.00 hrs, starting on 24 May.

The BTS Skytrain and the MRT Subway operation were recently ordered to remain closed for an additional day despite the overall improvement in the situation in Bangkok. Maintenance work took place to ensure readiness and to boost the commuters’ confidence towards the service.

-- NNT 2010-05-23

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Nine roads reopen after mass protests

BANGKOK, 23 May 2010 (NNT) - The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) has officially announced the reopening of roads in the capital.

The nine roads to be resumed from Sunday onwards, include Rama IV, Sathorn, Silom, Ratchaprarop, Langsuan, Phayathai, Wireless Road, Din Daeng and Sri Ayudhaya. The expressways in all directions will also be fully operational from 9.00 hrs today onwards.

Hoewever, the road heading towards Ratchaprasong Intersection temporarily remains closed.

The closure of roads was a result of the political unrest which led to clashes between security forces and supporters of the United Front of Democracy Against Dictatorship (UDD) in those areas.

-- NNT 2010-05-23

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PM pledges independent probe into killings inside Pathum Wanaram Temple

Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva Sunday pledged to have an independent panel probe the killings inside the Pathum Wanaram Temple Wednesday evening.

Speaking during his weekly TV programme, Abhisit said six people were killed inside the temple at around 6 pm to 7 pm, hours after the troops had halted the operation to besiege the Rajprasong rally zone.

The prime minister said troops had no plan to break up the rally at Rajprasong.

But troops simply wanted to pushed back protesters from Saladaeng Intersection to the Salasin Intersection.

He said the red-shirt leaders announced the end of the rally at 1 pm Wednesday after troops successfully pushed back protesters to the Salasin Intersection.

-- The Nation 2010-05-23

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Cleaning graffiti at BTS Ratchadamri station. http://twitpic.com/1q7ww1 /via @RichardBarrow

INN: TAT to meet with private sectors next week to discuss Thai tourism & its future after the political protest

Bangkok: Fire damage at BTS Ratchadamri station 1: http://twitpic.com/1q7xiu /via @RichardBarrow

Bangkok: Live pic looking south on Ratchadamri Road. http://twitpic.com/1q7u7e /via @RichardBarrow

Bangkok: Police at Sarasin Intersection not getting any flowers. Only soldiers. /via @RichardBarrow

If you are coming for the big clean up, please bring your own supplies like garbage bags. /via @RichardBarrow

Live pic of Bangkok Governor on Ratchadamri Road 1: http://twitpic.com/1q7oz1 /via @RichardBarrow

Curfew will remain Sunday, Monday's night: http://bit.ly/caalUK

BMA's Big Cleaning Day starts w/ Rama 6 statue at Lumpini before cleaning all 6 traffic routes, ppl required to bring gloves&cleaning tools

Bangkok volunteers doing their best to clean black charred road on Ratchadamri. http://twitpic.com/1q7kxo /via @RichardBarrow

Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva extends night-time curfew in Bangkok and several provinces for two more days - Reuters

Bangkok: Coca Cola giving out free drinks to people on Silom! http://twitpic.com/1q7ejh /via @RichardBarrow

Bangkok people coming out in their 1000's to help clean their city. Wonderful sight! /via @RichardBarrow

[Thaivisa News]

Bangkok: Cleaning elephants on Ratchadamri Road. http://twitpic.com/1q80x9 /via @RichardBarrow

"A complete stranger came up to me & asked if I was RichardBarrow. She wanted 2 thank me 4 the tweets. Nice of her to say" /v @richardbarrow

Cleaning elephants on Ratchadamri Road. http://twitpic.com/1q80x9 /v @richardbarrow

"Live pic in front of Dusit Thani Silom" http://twitpic.com/1q7a7k /via @Richardbarrow

MCOT: PM: Curfew may be relaxed in next two days http://bit.ly/c1exMp

TAN: Commerce Minister to propose the Cabinet for 300 Million Baht budget approval to aid businesses affected by red-shirt protest

"Soldiers helping to clean telephone booths" http://twitpic.com/1q7b4e /via @RIchardbarrow

"Citizens cleaning near MRt Khlong Toei" http://tweetphoto.com/23585640 /via @freakingcat

[Thaivisa News]

TAN: Another homemade bomb reportedly found close to the Four Seasons, officers have now barred volunteers from the area /via news1005fm

"Live pic of Central World" http://twitpic.com/1q86nn /via @richardbarrow

AFP: Thai PM says shattered capital calm, returning to normal

AFP: Thailand's PMsaid Sunday the capital was calm and returning to normal after a massive...(1/2)

AFP: ...clean-up, and defended a crackdown on protest rallies that unleashed a rampage of arson and looting. (2/2)

AFP: "Everything is calm and returning to normalcy," he said in his regular Sunday television address.

AFP: "All weapons use was based on international standards. Weapons were used for self defence and to establish peace and order."

AFP: "The most distressing were the deaths at the Pathum Vanaram temple," he said

"Uneasy feelings, doubts linger on all sides" http://bit.ly/dwcmdz /via @nationnews

[Thaivisa News]

"Live pic at Ratxhaprasong Intersection" http://twitpic.com/1q8bsi /via @richardbarrow

TAN: Krungthong Plaza Pratunam & MBK opens at normal hours today, Platinum Mall will be open tomorrow /via @js100Radio

Instead of Protesters, #bangkok 's public comes to clean their streets: http://tweetphoto.com/23589525 /via @Bancha_nna

Times Online: 'The Thai protest has spawned an underground militant wing' http://bit.ly/cskedz

TAN: Faculty of Journalism, Thammasat Uni, will host "Social Sanction to CNN" seminar/press conf at 2pm tomorrow. Everyone welcome to join.

"Teenagers made ice tea and handed it out to volunteers at (ex)Siam Theatre" http://tweetphoto.com/23590681 /via @adisaklive @tulsathit

Curfew in Bangkok, 23 other provinces for 2 more nights (May 23-24), banning people from leaving home from 11pm to 4am: http://bit.ly/brUkq1

TAN: PM will return to work at the Govt House tomorrow and CRES command center to move to the Royal Thai Army Headquarter / #NBT #news1005fm

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Curfew Will Remain, Time Adjusted

Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said in his weekly TV program that curfew will remain tonight and tomorrow night, but time will be adjusted to around 11.00PM or midnight until 4.00AM.

In this regard, he said the Center for the Resolution of Emergency Center is now discussing the details in this matter, where it will be announced later on today.

-- Tan Network 2010-05-23

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"Motorists stopping to give food & drink to clean-up volunteers" http://twitpic.com/1q8mll /via @RichardBarrow

TAN: Pheu Thai challenges PM to swear he did not order the killing of innocent ppl (regarding Arp10) & urges PM to lift curfew /news1005fm

INN: A suspect sprayed a string of bullets at #Bangkok Bank's Ladprao17 branch (00:00) last night(during curfew), glasses shattered. /v TAN

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People found a bag of 25 home-made bombs and other explosive devices near the BTS Ratchadamri station /via @RichardBarrow BkkPost

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Bkk Bangkok Attacked by Gunfire During Curfew Lastnight!

Bangkok Bank's Ladprao 71 branch was reportedly attack by spray of bullets last night during the impose of a curfew.

An official on duty at Chokechai Provincial Police Station revealed that a patrol police officer went to the scene and found one of the side-window shattered. He said the incident may occur during past midnight, as people who lived nearby say they heard a sound at that time, but due to the curfew, no one dare to came out and examine what it was.

Officials have now contacted the bank for permission to investigate the direction of the gunshots and surveillance camera to trace the suspect.

Nevertheless, the tempest event during the past two nights is considered an attempt to challenge the law.

-- Tan Network 2010-05-23

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Curfew Extended!

The Center for the Resolution of Emergency Situation (CRES) has officially announced to extend the impose of curfew in Bangkok and other provinces during May 22-23, 2010 for security reason. However, the time span has been adjusted to start from 11P.M. to 4A.M.

After two more nights of curfew, the CRES will evaluate the appropriateness of whether the curfew should continue.

Moreover, the security command center has now moved from the 11th Infantry Regiment to the Royal Thai Army Headquarter, and will hold a meeting twice everyday as usual. Also, security forces have been arranged to monitor 17 vital places in Bangkok including Sirirat Hospital, the Government House, Parliament, and various other governmental buildings.

-- Tan Network 2010-05-23

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[george]

BTS: Today Sun May 23rd, service at all BTS stations will be closed at 9.00 p.m. Sorry for any inconvenience. Call: 026176000

BTS: Mon 24 May, SkyTrain on both Sukhumvit and Silom Lines will operate from 06.00-21.00.Only Rajdamri Station will be temporarily closed.

TAN: CRES: after two more days of curfew in Bkk and its vicinity, the appropriateness of whether curfew should be continued will b evaluated

MCOT: Few Bangkok roads remain closed; Most department stores resume business

A "terrorist" in Thai government's eyes, Sae Daeng a martyr in Chiang Mai http://twitpic.com/1q94ou /via @markmackinnon

Unknown group of gunmen fires four bullets at Bangkok Bank in Lad Prao area Saturday night; shatters three glass panes: MCOT