I just spent the better part of an hour traveling from Chitlom to Ratchadamri on Sukhumvit because of another red shirt rally. They are in the streets and on the sidewalks. The sidewalks are crowded with food stalls and makeshift tents for them to sleep. It makes me sick to see them celebrating, singing and dancing, in front of Centralworld, where so many lives were thrown into turmoil and possibly ruin by the fires, where so much destruction is still clearly visible. This can't be happening again? What happened to sticking to a yearly protest? Who screwed up the schedule? The good news is that there is a huge police presence here. And the best part is that there are nearly a hundred police ready with riot shields. At least showing some sort of show of force is a better start than last time. Anyway, avoid Ratchaprasong. It is starting to look exactly like the last protest there.

What happened to sticking to a yearly protest?

Central World reopened earlier than expected and is restocked for more looting

What are the numbers?

How can it be good news that the police are there? The Police ARE red shirts!!!

What are the numbers?

I am guessing upwards of 5000, but they are all gathered at the corner of Sukhumvit and Ratchadamri, on both the Centralworld and Gaysorn sides, causing a huge traffic backup.

How can it be good news that the police are there? The Police ARE red shirts!!!

So true, but I am hoping that they at least stop them from burning the place down again. My office in Centralworld was spared luckily, but I don't want to take my chances a second time.

Isn't there an Emergency Decree in force banning assembly of more than 5 people?

Oh, I forgot, the Red Shirts are protesting against double standard, right?

Isn't there an Emergency Decree in force banning assembly of more than 5 people?

Oh, I forgot, the Red Shirts are protesting against double standard, right?

its a meeting not an assembly so it doesnt apply

I wouldn't worry too much about it. The government will quite happily murder another few hundred if required.

I wouldn't worry too much about it. The government will quite happily murder another few hundred if required.

What? Are there that many armed red shirts there?

FWIW: I made a special trip down to Rachaprasong today (really I needed to go to MBK to fix my mobile phone )!

Be that as it may; I stopped a while there and thought they were pretty peaceful (compared to when the soldiers went in and ran 'em out with bullets!).

I talked to many of the ‘thais-on-the-street” meaning thais wearing either ‘red’ or ‘black’ t-shirts. Were there a LOT of ‘em, hel_l yes! They were 'thick as ticks on a dogs back' but of course that is an American idiom, so no one understands it. !

For the most part they seemed like they didn’t have a clue why they were there (at Rachaprasong).

Many of them told me ‘in thai’, “They told me to come so I came…”

You figure it out for yourself. .. .

FWIW: I made a special trip down to Rachaprasong today (really I needed to go to MBK to fix my mobile phone )!

Be that as it may; I stopped a while there and thought they were pretty peaceful (compared to when the soldiers went in and ran 'em out with bullets!).

I talked to many of the 'thais-on-the-street" meaning thais wearing either 'red' or 'black' t-shirts. Were there a LOT of 'em, hel_l yes! They were 'thick as ticks on a dogs back' but of course that is an American idiom, so no one understands it. !

For the most part they seemed like they didn't have a clue why they were there (at Rachaprasong).

Many of them told me 'in thai', "They told me to come so I came…"

You figure it out for yourself. .. .

Same exact situation as last time. No one knows or cares, they are being paid to be there, so they go.

And btw, how about "knee high to a grasshopper" as another silly American idiom? My dad used to refer to me that way.

Is this True?

The following is a translated excerpt from the ban, which took effect immediately:

Item 1: Individuals are forbidden to have in their

possession, or possess with intent to sell or otherwise distribute,

products, clothing, consumer goods, or any other objects that contain

printing, writing, drawing, photography, or any other method that

conveys a meaning which provokes, incites, agitates, or causes disunity

in the general populace, or acts or supports acts which cause a state of

emergency.

Item 2: Authorities are authorized to order the seizure or confiscation

of products, clothing, consumer goods, or any other objects as outlined

in Item 1, and are authorized to act as necessary to maintain the

security of the state or the safety of the public.

Item 3: These orders are to be made by authorities of commissioned officer level or equivalent.

Item 4: Any person violating this order is subject to up to 2 years

imprisonment or a fine of up to 40,000 baht, or both. This order is

enacted under Article 18 of the 2005 State of Emergency Administration

Act and is effective from 19 November 2010.

[signed]

General Prayuth Chan-ocha

http://rikker.blogspot.com/2010/11/thai-government-bans-goods-that-cause.html

Anyone know if they were selling flip flops at Rachaprasong?

FWIW: I made a special trip down to Rachaprasong today (really I needed to go to MBK to fix my mobile phone )!

Be that as it may; I stopped a while there and thought they were pretty peaceful (compared to when the soldiers went in and ran 'em out with bullets!).

I talked to many of the 'thais-on-the-street" meaning thais wearing either 'red' or 'black' t-shirts. Were there a LOT of 'em, hel_l yes! They were 'thick as ticks on a dogs back' but of course that is an American idiom, so no one understands it. !

For the most part they seemed like they didn't have a clue why they were there (at Rachaprasong).

Many of them told me 'in thai', "They told me to come so I came…"

You figure it out for yourself. .. .

Im not saying theyre like sheep but baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa it also probably involved no thougt process

or maybe free somtam was all the incentive they needed?

Is this True?

The following is a translated excerpt from the ban, which took effect immediately:

Item 1: Individuals are forbidden to have in their

possession, or possess with intent to sell or otherwise distribute,

products, clothing, consumer goods, or any other objects that contain

printing, writing, drawing, photography, or any other method that

conveys a meaning which provokes, incites, agitates, or causes disunity

in the general populace, or acts or supports acts which cause a state of

emergency.

Item 2: Authorities are authorized to order the seizure or confiscation

of products, clothing, consumer goods, or any other objects as outlined

in Item 1, and are authorized to act as necessary to maintain the

security of the state or the safety of the public.

Item 3: These orders are to be made by authorities of commissioned officer level or equivalent.

Item 4: Any person violating this order is subject to up to 2 years

imprisonment or a fine of up to 40,000 baht, or both. This order is

enacted under Article 18 of the 2005 State of Emergency Administration

Act and is effective from 19 November 2010.

[signed]

General Prayuth Chan-ocha

http://rikker.blogsp...that-cause.html

Anyone know if they were selling flip flops at Rachaprasong?

Yes it's true.

Good luck enforcing that. According to the Bangkok Post:

"However, CRES spokesman Sansern Kaewkamnerd conceded it may be difficult to determine what items should be banned, so it would be up to the police to judge what rally items would cause disunity."

Or in police parlance KA-CHING!!!

FWIW: I made a special trip down to Rachaprasong today (really I needed to go to MBK to fix my mobile phone )!

Be that as it may; I stopped a while there and thought they were pretty peaceful (compared to when the soldiers went in and ran 'em out with bullets!).

I talked to many of the ‘thais-on-the-street” meaning thais wearing either ‘red’ or ‘black’ t-shirts. Were there a LOT of ‘em, hel_l yes! They were 'thick as ticks on a dogs back' but of course that is an American idiom, so no one understands it. !

For the most part they seemed like they didn’t have a clue why they were there (at Rachaprasong).

Many of them told me ‘in thai’, “They told me to come so I came…”

You figure it out for yourself. .. .

The essence of the red shirt "movement" (move any way we're told to) in two short sentences. Top stuff.

clean them up quickly while they are only 5k...

Boy it would be refreshing if the police kept good order.

FWIW: I made a special trip down to Rachaprasong today (really I needed to go to MBK to fix my mobile phone )!

Be that as it may; I stopped a while there and thought they were pretty peaceful (compared to when the soldiers went in and ran 'em out with bullets!).

I talked to many of the ‘thais-on-the-street” meaning thais wearing either ‘red’ or ‘black’ t-shirts. Were there a LOT of ‘em, hel_l yes! They were 'thick as ticks on a dogs back' but of course that is an American idiom, so no one understands it. !

For the most part they seemed like they didn’t have a clue why they were there (at Rachaprasong).

Many of them told me ‘in thai’, “They told me to come so I came…”

You figure it out for yourself. .. .

Here's a little more; most of the food vendors in my soi went almost every day. They bragged about how much money they were making from 'attendance money'. They told many of their customers that they were being careful to not miss a day in the run up to songkran so that they would in fact have a nice chunk to take home to the provinces.

Many of them also mentioned:

- They didn't really understand the continuous long winded 'lectures' given by arisman, veera, jatuporn etc.

- The hate messages / same mesage, repeated again and agin got very boring.

- Several of the vendors said they understodd the 'democracy' concept very well,they said 'thaksin is democracy' means 'thaksin is our saviour'. (manipulation?)

- They were totally convinced that thaksin paid off the IMF loan out of his own money and that the initial 1million Baht village fund came from thaksins own money.