The White Knight Conquers The Forces Of Evil. Thai Style

[yumidesign]

The recent events in the kingdom of Thailand that cost the country billions of dollars had nothing to do with democratic principles.

It was a battle between the fugitive billionaire ex P M Thaksin and the installed democratic coalition party’s leader PM. Abhisit

There was a second contest in play between a loyal division of the King’s Royal Thai army and the police, most of them are on Thaksin’s side. He started his empire as a policeman, who through devious means was awarded the country’s satellite communications concession, the cornerstone of his unbelievable wealth. The chief of police in Bangkok as well as many of his merry men are thought to be on Thaksin’s payroll and openly defied instructions to disband the red shirt protesters and indeed assisted them by allowing them to take weapons, including assault rifles, grenades and miscellaneous items of warfare into the protest sites, the root cause of the carnage and injury to hundreds of people, not all innocents.

The red shirt brigade, all paid by Thaksin included a small private army of mercenaries, trained, equipped and directed by a suspended army general who was mysteriously killed by a sniper’s bullet to the head during the last days of the Bangkok protest whilst doing a TV interview, telling the interviewer of his infallibility. The general’s men known as the Red Guard were bad dudes, probably some had already killed their grandmothers for small amounts of money, caused most of the problems for the real Thai army who had no experience in dealing with what was transpiring on the streets around the country and particularly at the main rally sites in Bangkok. The rest of the protesters, also paid for their participation, were the poor ignorant rice farmers from the north and north east of the country who were manipulated by Thaksin’s henchmen. Toward the end 70% of the protesters were women and children who were positioned in front of the rally stage to act as a human shield for the pitiful ‘leaders’ on stage. The red shirts shot themselves in the foot on several occasions, notably the awful front page picture of the young child being held up on top the tyre barricades by his father to face off the rows of fully armed combat troops. And the wreckless invasion of a nearby hospital by a nasty group who terrified the hospital staff causing the facility to be closed and the patients relocated. Their search for the soldiers, who were supposed to be hiding in the hospital buildings revealed nothing. At about the same time 6 cars pulled up outside a bank in Bangkok to transport away over 20 million dollars in withdrawals from Thaksin’s family and associates accounts. Makes one wonder who has the film rights.

And why was Thaksin so desperate to be the victor and gain control? It was about his revolting addiction to money and power. Days before the red shirt protesters arrived in Bangkok the courts had finally had the guts to make a decision to take some of the frozen billions of his ill-gotten gains from Thai bank accounts that had been frozen after he had been sentenced to two years in jail for corruption. There were two other important factors. In September 2010 the chief of the army is to retire and he wanted to control the appointment. Also the government budget for 2011 is due for approval mid September 2010 and Thaksin wanted to be able to control who got what.

As it has transpired, he achieved nothing and lost all credibility

The white knight in this scenario, PM Abhisit is and has always only ever been a politician. He had observed the methods of his opponent during the years in parliament when he was leader of the opposition. Although not without critics among his own following, he has managed to come through the recent tragic days relatively unscathed. Originally criticised heavily for his perceived weakness to act quickly to rid the city of the red scourge, he worked slowly and methodically. First trying to negotiate peacefully and openly with the red shirt leaders in a series of live TV discussions then with more so called peace talks behind closed doors which always ended in deadlock as the red shirts continued to make more and more unrealistic demands.

It was not possible for the red leaders, who had always claimed that the protests were peaceful, to leave the protest site without showing the amount of weaponry they had although they had gained what they originally demanded, albeit not quite within the time frame. They had hyped up the followers so much on their demand to dissolve the parliament immediately, hold elections immediately and hence overthrow the government on behalf of their boss Thaksin who was pulling all the strings behind the scenes, that in the end the red mob would not take any directions to accept a peace deal. Ignoring pleas to go home deciding to fight to the bitter end without their original leaders who had by this time abandoned the rally site. Abhisit held his resolve under mounting comment from uninformed government and non-government groups from around the world who had been watching far too much of the news from CNN and Fox News about the escalating violence. After 6 days of heated clashes and many deaths there was a final shoot out and the army won.

Some of the red shirts then set fire to a large number of pre determined buildings and looted what they could. Leaving the rally site littered with the dead and wounded, and most of their weapons including car bombs filled with enough explosives to demolish entire blocks of the city where the mob had set up their fortress. Abandoning confused and traumatized ‘true red shirt believers’ who had been coerced into attending. Mainly old people, women and children including some children just left behind to fend for themselves. Many still hiding in their tents on the side of the main stage as the troops moved in. These are not pretty pictures.

The path ahead for the white knight is littered with seemingly insurmountable obstacles. His rightful insistence on the populous following the rule of law is somewhat optimistic, with a police force not on his side, so inept, badly trained, overfeed, overstaffed (by as much as 40% according to some academics), tragically underpaid, totally corrupt and morally bankrupt in tandem with a corrupt judicial system so bogged down with meaningless bits of paper full of incorrect information detailing wrong procedures. This idea should probably go in the ‘too hard file’.

Change to the inbuilt corruption in the political process is equally daunting. Openly discussed is the goal for MPs that the sort after ministries are those that are ‘the most lucrative’. A recent poll revealed that 70% of participants thought it was totally acceptable that politicians be ‘on the take’ and corrupt.

Then there is the real underlying reason for all of what has happened. The lack of proper and effective education at any level. The Thai education system promotes ignorance, it is so lacking in any credence that all that it produces is mindless students, bound by the shackles of tradition which should be observed not followed blindly as they do. Taught not to ask questions and incapable of contributing anything to others or breaking the mould by looking at things differently under the guise of Thai tradition.

Teachers don’t fail students as it reflects badly on them and reduces promotion prospects. If good marks are to be assured a payment of about 60 dollars fixes the problem.

There is no adult education of any kind. The older red shirt people from the north and northeast cannot sign their names.

And from this lack of good education springs the poverty and lack of ability to know when they are being manipulated and used to further the ends of thugs and crooks.

So much reform is needed that anything other than a benevolent dictator would have great difficulty in attaining any real progress.

Whether the white knight, thinking of himself as the democratic champion of the country, that some are calling a failed state, will make a difference and has the strength and forbearance to overcome just some of the main obstacles and give a more equitable life to all Thai people, the gods only know.

Time and courage are powerful warriors.

[needforspeed]

No politics .

//CLOSED//

[Samuian]

Well summed up story, from "ancient" feudalistic times to the "influential figures" the "Pu Yai , "Kemnan Dam" times, where a system was set up, where people can reap the fruits of others relentlessly, just because they had some connection to the "big Guy" or at least his phone number - BUT now - as practicing Buddhists the 95% of the citizens of this Nation should know that this is the result of years, decades of negligence and support of that system, where most harbored themselves secret dreams of being one day at the receiving end - it never worked - it CAN'T work, never ever it will, those who are at the trough, will never ever share - as the concept of "édible democracy" sounds great but is a very blunt promise, it's just another expression for the system that has dictated life in the country for a long, long time - long enough for many to forget what is right and what is wrong and for quite a number of others to simply give a up and resignate - uttering the universal "excuse all an everyone" phrase of "mai pen rai"! - which is going to come back and haunt an entire nation and shake it to it's very core as it happened these day's!

A system, a nation with a set up like this - is "set up" for exploitation, that why some fugitive probably in earnest believes that he hasn't done anything wrong and made "honest mistakes" and even got acquitted by a court of law through this "defense" line - which is but so typical to the mechanics of this society.... as in "...he bled to death and died then of massive loss of blood... as a result of the injuries his weak body sustained, while he walked very fast into a round of bullets!"...

I didn't make these rules - but a whole nation abides by them, all to willingly and quietly - many not even wonder what hit them why in the last months, why their "peace" was shattered and some lives ruined so deeply .... and it's far from over yet - the set up is leaning "his way"and he knows it too well....!

It's after all a whole "Army", generations of people, all over the country, in every "walk of life" every "village head man" may find their "lively hoods" all of a sudden endangered and won't understand why this should find an end - now!

To change this set up - will take a while and most of all, education. understanding and then the willingness to go for it and make the changes watertight!

Nobody and nothing is perfect, but this is way too imperfect, way too many loopholes to be exploited!

[givenall]

No matter how much we bitch about the recent event over here, I am sure the government don’t really give a sh..t. it seems the government is not really working for the people, or even for themselves. They are either clueless, or really don care what happens since it is not effective themselves individually. But go and bitch if it makes you feel better

[Samuian]

No matter how much we bitch about the recent event over here, I am sure the government don’t really give a sh..t. it seems the government is not really working for the people, or even for themselves. They are either clueless, or really don care what happens since it is not effective themselves individually. But go and bitch if it makes you feel better

Your assumption lacks at least 2 important considerations:

:that there is NO (genuine) Perpetuum mobile!

:Mr. "honest mistakes" was the butterfly in the amazon!

and well arguable..

: there is not free lunch in the entire world...!

and that everything has it's time, momentum!

Just came up in the "News":

Truth and Leadership

UPDATE : 27 May 2010

One of the necessary virtues of leadership at any level is honesty and truthfulness. If a leader is unable to gain the trust and faith of his or her underlings, the resulting paranoia will become a major obstacle to any attempt to rule or lead.

A major survey was carried out to study the characteristics the Thai public wanted most in their leaders. The survey found that the trait Thai society loathed the most in its leaders was dishonesty. The term dishonesty in the survey refer not only acts of corruption but also the act of lying.

Source:

this just UNDERLINES all the above!

[gocus]

A neutral analysis would be better then all those biased reports based on smearing for both side.

Yellows are not better then reds and the contrary.

[MiG16]

sorry, but I do have to close this

no matter how interesting, or different angles, the discussions take

cheers

may i suggest people discuss in existing threads?