25 Reasons Why 7 Clumsy Thais Should Be Released

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25 reasons why 7 clumsy Thais should be released

By Tulsathit Taptim

The Nation

Starting 2011 this way is too deja vu for comfort, so here's my open plea to the Cambodian government. Please set free the 7 clumsy Thais immediately for the following reasons:

1. We've had enough laughs. Please free them before things get really serious, which they otherwise will, soon.

2. New Year spirit. Come on.

3. With Thaksin Shinawatra no longer your economic adviser, he can't just land on your soil and play the hero again.

4. Even if he could, how ironic and paradoxical that would be. A man without a Thai passport entering Cambodia to help secure the release of those detained for illegal entry, though they hold genuine Thai passports. Please don't let it get messier than this.

5. Time will continue to fly. The Preah Vihear-Unesco controversy will resurface in the blink of an eye at a Bahrain meeting. Let's save our energy for that mega showdown.

6. Unlike the Preah Vihear dispute, this will win an election for nobody. Cambodian voters couldn't care less about the arrest of a Thai MP who strayed over the border like a lost puppy. Thais are so enthusiastically divided that they won't let this trivial incident influence their decision anyway.

7. Think of the good old days when we helped you fend off the Vietnamese.

8. Sometimes neighbours simply have to put conflicts to rest. We've stopped talking about the "red training camp" and speculating on the whereabouts of Arisman Pongruangrong.

9. Abhisit Vejjajiva and Hun Sen looked really "bromance" together. Let's not spoil that.

10. Kasit Piromya is a bit of a loose cannon. We give you that. But hasn't he behaved himself lately? (This was written before the foreign minister was to go on air to tell the Thai public about what the Thai government planned to do. If he was back to his belligerent self, remember one half of Thailand doesn't like him that much either.)

11. No offence to your national soccer team, but you don't want the next game with ours to be highly politically charged, do you?

12. If this is all about ego, repeat after me: We have 3G; the poor Thais don't.

13. If you release the Thais, here's the deal: We can do a hit soap opera featuring a compassionate Cambodian heroine who fights against all odds to help free a group of Thais arrested for illegal entry. And for the sake of the "cultural cooperation" pledged by both prime ministers, we'll have any Cambodian actress of your choice play that heroine.

14. On the contrary, failure to release the prisoners may result in Thai hackers scrambling our TV signals, thus depriving Cambodians of excellent-quality soap operas showing, ironically, how to lock a girl up and make her love you in 10 days.

15. After a series of cordial meetings, Abhisit and Hun Sen agree that one way to shore up bilateral relations is to solve "easy issues" first. If a group of Thai border surveyors wandering into Cambodian territory can't be considered an easy case, we don't know what can.

16. Now that I'm at it, didn't both governments just sign an agreement allowing brief, visa-free, cross-border visits? Of course, travellers are supposed to go through immigration, not cross a field and say, "Hey, look, I'm on Cambodian soil now", but could you bend the rules a little for goodwill's sake?

17. If you put Panich Vikitsech in jail, you'll inadvertently trigger a heated constitutional question of whether he should lose his MP status. Spare us this headache and we'll never forget you.

18. Consider our mess. Panich belongs to the Democrat Party, which is accused by the yellow hard-liners of giving in too much to Cambodia. He was taken to the spot where he was arrested by someone who broke away from the yellow-shirt mainstream. The yellow shirts, nonetheless, are planning a protest soon, and the fate of those arrested would be a sure-fire "I told you so" rallying cry. If you wanted to punish us, that wish has already been fulfilled.

29. New Year countdown is a big deal for Thais. If you wanted to punish Panich, locking him up as the clock ticked toward 2011 did it.

20. In fact, the publicity of "that clip" has done it.

21. Think of the money we Thais spend at your casinos year after year.

22. This may be politically impolite, but please think of the refugee camps.

23. Neither of us wants to be part of the next generation's textbook on "Silliest border conflicts of all time", do we?

24. Come on, "Asean community" has to mean something apart from "hand-locking" photo ops and snail-paced free trade negotiations.

25. Of course, we've had some laughs over this episode, but overall, we are just so sick and tired. Please help.

-- The Nation 2011-01-05

[taff33]

Leave them there, stupid people that they are,if it wasn't for utube we would't have known the truth, if the goverment lied about this what else have they lied about (killing red shirts). lets hope a few of the "yellow" shirts go over to help them when they have the meeting on the border 'birds of a feather'.

[sharecropper]

Idiot. Someone should give him a job in the foreign ministry.

This comment:

7. Think of the good old days when we helped you fend off the Vietnamese.

shows how delusional Thai thinking is on Cambodia. They helped the evil Khmer Rouge, along with the US, to fight against the Chinese-backed Vietnamese, who entered the country and toppled Pol Pot. This Khmer Rouge support still rankles with Cambodians today and underpins their animosity towards Thailand, yet this muppet lists it as a reason (even in jest)why Cambodians should be grateful to the Thais.

Presumably they don't teach regional history in Thai schools.

[geriatrickid]

Idiot. Someone should give him a job in the foreign ministry.

This comment:

7. Think of the good old days when we helped you fend off the Vietnamese.

shows how delusional Thai thinking is on Cambodia. They helped the evil Khmer Rouge, along with the US, to fight against the Chinese-backed Vietnamese, who entered the country and toppled Pol Pot. This Khmer Rouge support still rankles with Cambodians today and underpins their animosity towards Thailand, yet this muppet lists it as a reason (even in jest)why Cambodians should be grateful to the Thais.

Presumably they don't teach regional history in Thai schools.

You noticed that too? Unbelievable, that someone could make light of the genocide. It really is heartbreaking to see that No.7 item. Is the Nation's writer that ignorant, cruel and heartless?

I can think of one good reason to leave the idiots in Cambodia. They intentionally entered Cambodia with the intent of causing a confrontation. well, now they have it. let them rot as martyrs. Lock them up like the Thais lock up refugees.

[OzMick]

Idiot. Someone should give him a job in the foreign ministry.

This comment:

7. Think of the good old days when we helped you fend off the Vietnamese.

shows how delusional Thai thinking is on Cambodia. They helped the evil Khmer Rouge, along with the US, to fight against the Chinese-backed Vietnamese, who entered the country and toppled Pol Pot. This Khmer Rouge support still rankles with Cambodians today and underpins their animosity towards Thailand, yet this muppet lists it as a reason (even in jest)why Cambodians should be grateful to the Thais.

Presumably they don't teach regional history in Thai schools.

h

If they start teaching regional history, I hope that you are not a teacher!

The Khmer Rouge were Chinese sponsored, and the Vietnamese, apparently Russian sponsored, angered the Chinese by their toppling of PolPot to the extent that China invaded northern Vietnam while most of the Vietnamese army was in the far south/Cambodia. You won't find this in Chinese history books though, as Vietnamese irregulars and border guards held the Chinese incursion to a few km while their army was being shuttled back up north.

Vietnam has a 3-0 record against France, US and China - you don't mess with them.

Edited January 5, 2011 by OzMick

[geriatrickid]

If they start teaching regional history, I hope that you are not a teacher!

The Khmer Rouge were Chinese sponsored, and the Vietnamese, apparently Russian sponsored, angered the Chinese by their toppling of PolPot to the extent that China invaded northern Vietnam while most of the Vietnamese army was in the far south/Cambodia. You won't find this in Chinese history books though, as Vietnamese irregulars and border guards held the Chinese incursion to a few km while their army was being shuttled back up north.

Vietnam has a 3-0 record against France, US and China - you don't mess with them.

Yes you make a very valid point, but he's not so far off. Please remember the following facts;

1. Starting in 1975, Pol Pot launched repeated attacks and incursions into Vietnamese territory.

2. In 1978, the Vietnamese were forced into a war when Pol Pot threatened to wipe out all ethnic Vietnamese, i.e. an even bigger killing field.

In 1985 when Pol Pot fled Cambodia he set up shop in Trat, Thailand. He received special forces security and lived in relative comfort. Thailand was an accomodating and gracious host.

It was only when he developed face cancer that he temporarily left Thailand for treatment in China 1988. Pol Pot continued to wage his maniacal war using Thailand as a sanctuary for his forces. He received the tacit support of Thailand. To be blunt, Thailand shares some of the responsibility for the Cambodian genocide, a subject that the typical Thai is oblivious to. Thailand has repeatedly meddled in Cambodia for the past 50 years, always with deadly consequences. The Vietnamese can squash Thailand if the need ever arises and this time around, the USA will not intervene as Vietnam has more strategic value as a counterbalance to Chinese imperialism than any other country in the region. Thailand should think twice before trying to bully Cambodia.

Edited January 5, 2011 by geriatrickid

[dannyman]

sharecropper I think you might have to go back to regional history school?

[jrmaanda]

In all fairness, comment 7 could be be referring to the 1840s, when the Siamese helped their puppet Cambodian King against his Vietnamese-backed rival. However, the whole thinking behind the writer's comments, as well as the reaction of the Thai government, is a fine illustration of the self-damage continuously wrought by blinkered unthinking nationalism. It cannot do Thailand any harm if seven of her most arrogant and bloody-minded citizens remain for a while in the jail they have deliberately contrived to be put in. It would, however, do a miracle for Thailand's relations with Cambodia and bring all sorts of economic benefits as a long-term result if instead of rushing to give undeserved help to these trouble-makers, the PM and Forteign ministers were, both in public and behind closed doors with their Cambodian counterparts, to express the hope that the seven will get as stiff sentences as is legally possible.

Idiot. Someone should give him a job in the foreign ministry.

This comment:

7. Think of the good old days when we helped you fend off the Vietnamese.

shows how delusional Thai thinking is on Cambodia. They helped the evil Khmer Rouge, along with the US, to fight against the Chinese-backed Vietnamese, who entered the country and toppled Pol Pot. This Khmer Rouge support still rankles with Cambodians today and underpins their animosity towards Thailand, yet this muppet lists it as a reason (even in jest)why Cambodians should be grateful to the Thais.

Presumably they don't teach regional history in Thai schools.

h

If they start teaching regional history, I hope that you are not a teacher!

The Khmer Rouge were Chinese sponsored, and the Vietnamese, apparently Russian sponsored, angered the Chinese by their toppling of PolPot to the extent that China invaded northern Vietnam while most of the Vietnamese army was in the far south/Cambodia. You won't find this in Chinese history books though, as Vietnamese irregulars and border guards held the Chinese incursion to a few km while their army was being shuttled back up north.

Vietnam has a 3-0 record against France, US and China - you don't mess with them.

[random]

does anyone actually give a dam_n about what happened 50 or 100 years ago, the fact is that right now he knows where the border is and he chose to cross it, I am sure if I commit cyber crime and try and use the defence that 100 years ago there was no cyber crime so therefore I can not be guilty i would get laughed out of court.

[sharecropper]

sharecropper I think you might have to go back to regional history school?

OOps. Sorry. Should have said Russian not Chinese. But the point remains about the Thais and their support of these Khmer Rouge bast*rds.

[Humphrey Bear]

And the Vietnamese still have a soft spot for their sponsors of the past 50 years - for instance VietSovPetro has just been allocated exploration and drilling rights in some very promising areas of VN.

I don't know what the full story of this fact-finding tour was, but I understand it had Abhisit's blessing at the start. Maybe he didn't expect them to cross the border, but I'm pretty sure he knew they were heading for the border, and I'm pretty sure he had an idea of what the idiot would do when he got there. The PM is no innocent boy, even with his baby-faced public persona.

[Misterwhisper]

Love it! Sarcastic and tongue-in-cheek, thus thoroughly to my liking.

And here are 4 reasons why that clumsy group of Thai waterbuffalos should not be released unconditionally and without having been punished by a Cambodian court of law:

1) They intruded knowingly and deliberately into Cambodian territory.

2) They were arrogant enough to believe that Thais can do anything they want without having to face consequences ("I Thai. I better than anybody else.").

3) If a Cambodian group would attempt the same intusion onto Thai soil, they would be immediately arrested and slapped with a draconian sentence ("How dare those people trespassing on sacred Thai soil?!")

4) The PAD splinter group "Thai Patriots Network" have agreed to call off their rally at the border, because even they realized that demanding the release of a bunch of arrogant twits who have brought their situation upon themselves is not worth risking a further deterioration in bilateral relations.

5) Thais just cannot always get what they want/demand.

[asiawatcher]

Love it! Sarcastic and tongue-in-cheek, thus thoroughly to my liking.

And here are 4 reasons why that clumsy group of Thai waterbuffalos should not be released unconditionally and without having been punished by a Cambodian court of law:

1) They intruded knowingly and deliberately into Cambodian territory.

2) They were arrogant enough to believe that Thais can do anything they want without having to face consequences ("I Thai. I better than anybody else.").

3) If a Cambodian group would attempt the same intusion onto Thai soil, they would be immediately arrested and slapped with a draconian sentence ("How dare those people trespassing on sacred Thai soil?!")

4) The PAD splinter group "Thai Patriots Network" have agreed to call off their rally at the border, because even they realized that demanding the release of a bunch of arrogant twits who have brought their situation upon themselves is not worth risking a further deterioration in bilateral relations.

5) Thais just cannot always get what they want/demand.

I concur - the arrogance displayed got what it deserved. Let them enjoy the fruits of their rewards for a while longer. It only puts Thailand in debt to Cambodia a bit longer.

[chuang]

Love it! Sarcastic and tongue-in-cheek, thus thoroughly to my liking.

And here are 4 reasons why that clumsy group of Thai waterbuffalos should not be released unconditionally and without having been punished by a Cambodian court of law:

1) They intruded knowingly and deliberately into Cambodian territory.

2) They were arrogant enough to believe that Thais can do anything they want without having to face consequences ("I Thai. I better than anybody else.").

3) If a Cambodian group would attempt the same intusion onto Thai soil, they would be immediately arrested and slapped with a draconian sentence ("How dare those people trespassing on sacred Thai soil?!")

4) The PAD splinter group "Thai Patriots Network" have agreed to call off their rally at the border, because even they realized that demanding the release of a bunch of arrogant twits who have brought their situation upon themselves is not worth risking a further deterioration in bilateral relations.

5) Thais just cannot always get what they want/demand.

I concur - the arrogance displayed got what it deserved. Let them enjoy the fruits of their rewards for a while longer. It only puts Thailand in debt to Cambodia a bit longer.

Put these idiots in S21...

[Thai at Heart]

does anyone actually give a dam_n about what happened 50 or 100 years ago, the fact is that right now he knows where the border is and he chose to cross it, I am sure if I commit cyber crime and try and use the defence that 100 years ago there was no cyber crime so therefore I can not be guilty i would get laughed out of court.

Hey when it comes to this part of the world, be happy that they maybe only bother to worry about what happened 50 to 100 years ago.

[yellow1red1]

6. Unlike the Preah Vihear dispute, this will win an election for nobody. Cambodian voters couldn't care less about the arrest of a Thai MP who strayed over the border like a lost puppy. Thais are so enthusiastically divided that they won't let this trivial incident influence their decision anyway.

Sondhi forms political party in 2009,,, it's a LAFFER

Maybe needs an election platform.. Patriotism, making wars, worked for other miscreants like Thatcher and the Bushes.

Let's just see if the yellow shirties turn brown in 2011.

[brianb1944]

Love it! Sarcastic and tongue-in-cheek, thus thoroughly to my liking.

And here are 4 reasons why that clumsy group of Thai waterbuffalos should not be released unconditionally and without having been punished by a Cambodian court of law:

1) They intruded knowingly and deliberately into Cambodian territory.

2) They were arrogant enough to believe that Thais can do anything they want without having to face consequences ("I Thai. I better than anybody else.").

3) If a Cambodian group would attempt the same intusion onto Thai soil, they would be immediately arrested and slapped with a draconian sentence ("How dare those people trespassing on sacred Thai soil?!")

4) The PAD splinter group "Thai Patriots Network" have agreed to call off their rally at the border, because even they realized that demanding the release of a bunch of arrogant twits who have brought their situation upon themselves is not worth risking a further deterioration in bilateral relations.

5) Thais just cannot always get what they want/demand.

I concur - the arrogance displayed got what it deserved. Let them enjoy the fruits of their rewards for a while longer. It only puts Thailand in debt to Cambodia a bit longer.

I understand that the "Patriots" called off their rally because 800 locals had a rally and said "do not come here or else, we like the border peaceful"

[TPI]

Idiot. Someone should give him a job in the foreign ministry.

This comment:

7. Think of the good old days when we helped you fend off the Vietnamese.

shows how delusional Thai thinking is on Cambodia. They helped the evil Khmer Rouge, along with the US, to fight against the Chinese-backed Vietnamese, who entered the country and toppled Pol Pot. This Khmer Rouge support still rankles with Cambodians today and underpins their animosity towards Thailand, yet this muppet lists it as a reason (even in jest)why Cambodians should be grateful to the Thais.

Presumably they don't teach regional history in Thai schools. (they do, you just didn't go to school here?)

I know it's difficult but, take a little look at Thai/ Cambodian history and you will quickly see that prior to the idiocy of the 20th century the Cambodians were a vassel state to Thailand....In fact Tak Sin (Rama 1) was on his way to help Cambodia when he had to.......ah forget it, if you don't know, who am I to tell you!

[hanuman1]

With reference to the OP's point 3 of Thaksin stepping in with the Cambodians to secure the release of his political opponents to gain more sympathy, I think we can safely say that if there were the slightest chance he could exploit this possibility he most definitely would.

It follows therefore that if he doesn't, we can pretty much assume that it is because he genuinely holds no sway with Hun Sen any more (if he ever really did). A useful 'barometer' situation to keep an eye on.

[rubl]

One reason why these 7 UDD leaders shouldn't be released:

Assuming the original reason for detaining them is still valid (terrorist acts and instigation of violence) there seems to be no reason at all to free them (even with the government helping in the procedure).

Happy 2011 (or 2554 if you like) and keep dreaming of justice, democracy, equality and the like.

If you like to protest, no problem, but please indicate why, what you want and how you'd like to reach that goal. Only protesting gets a wee bit boring after a while.

[whybother]

One reason why these 7 UDD leaders shouldn't be released:

Assuming the original reason for detaining them is still valid (terrorist acts and instigation of violence) there seems to be no reason at all to free them (even with the government helping in the procedure).

Happy 2011 (or 2554 if you like) and keep dreaming of justice, democracy, equality and the like.

If you like to protest, no problem, but please indicate why, what you want and how you'd like to reach that goal. Only protesting gets a wee bit boring after a while.

Wrong thread rubl.

This thread is about the 7(an MP and some PAD) holed up in Cambodia.

[Bagwan]

13. If you release the Thais, here's the deal: We can do a hit soap opera featuring a compassionate Cambodian heroine who fights against all odds to help free a group of Thais arrested for illegal entry. And for the sake of the "cultural cooperation" pledged by both prime ministers, we'll have any Cambodian actress of your choice play that heroine.

No,no, no. Never, never, never. There can be only one lady for this role. Nong Natt.

[canuckamuck]

13. If you release the Thais, here's the deal: We can do a hit soap opera featuring a compassionate Cambodian heroine who fights against all odds to help free a group of Thais arrested for illegal entry. And for the sake of the "cultural cooperation" pledged by both prime ministers, we'll have any Cambodian actress of your choice play that heroine.

No,no, no. Never, never, never. There can be only one lady for this role. Nong Natt.

Having vast knowledge of Thai soaps is something I would hide from the world.

But that's just me.

[rubl]

One reason why these 7 UDD leaders shouldn't be released:

Assuming the original reason for detaining them is still valid (terrorist acts and instigation of violence) there seems to be no reason at all to free them (even with the government helping in the procedure).

Happy 2011 (or 2554 if you like) and keep dreaming of justice, democracy, equality and the like.

If you like to protest, no problem, but please indicate why, what you want and how you'd like to reach that goal. Only protesting gets a wee bit boring after a while.

Wrong thread rubl.

This thread is about the 7(an MP and some PAD) holed up in Cambodia.

I stand corrected

[termad]

6. Unlike the Preah Vihear dispute, this will win an election for nobody. Cambodian voters couldn't care less about the arrest of a Thai MP who strayed over the border like a lost puppy. Thais are so enthusiastically divided that they won't let this trivial incident influence their decision anyway.

Sondhi forms political party in 2009,,, it's a LAFFER

Maybe needs an election platform.. Patriotism, making wars, worked for other miscreants like Thatcher and the Bushes.

Let's just see if the yellow shirties turn brown in 2011.

Which war did Thatcher start?

[SomTumTiger]

Much ado about nothing, as per usual, carry on.

Edited January 6, 2011 by SomTumTiger

[MrJohnson]

Idiot. Someone should give him a job in the foreign ministry.

This comment:

7. Think of the good old days when we helped you fend off the Vietnamese.

shows how delusional Thai thinking is on Cambodia. They helped the evil Khmer Rouge, along with the US, to fight against the Chinese-backed Vietnamese, who entered the country and toppled Pol Pot. This Khmer Rouge support still rankles with Cambodians today and underpins their animosity towards Thailand, yet this muppet lists it as a reason (even in jest)why Cambodians should be grateful to the Thais.

Presumably they don't teach regional history in Thai schools.

I think the writers tongue is firmly in his cheek.

A good little distraction for the government though. Very nicely timed. Stir up a bit of patiotism - take evryone's mind off what is reall going on.

[quiksilva]

13. If you release the Thais, here's the deal: We can do a hit soap opera featuring a compassionate Cambodian heroine who fights against all odds to help free a group of Thais arrested for illegal entry. And for the sake of the "cultural cooperation" pledged by both prime ministers, we'll have any Cambodian actress of your choice play that heroine.

No,no, no. Never, never, never. There can be only one lady for this role. Nong Natt.

Having vast knowledge of Thai soaps is something I would hide from the world.

But that's just me.

Mentioning Nong Natt's name does not really display a deep knowledge of soap operas, whilst she has been in a few videos, they are mostly of the illegally distributed VCD kind...

[housepainter]

6. Unlike the Preah Vihear dispute, this will win an election for nobody. Cambodian voters couldn't care less about the arrest of a Thai MP who strayed over the border like a lost puppy. Thais are so enthusiastically divided that they won't let this trivial incident influence their decision anyway.

Sondhi forms political party in 2009,,, it's a LAFFER

Maybe needs an election platform.. Patriotism, making wars, worked for other miscreants like Thatcher and the Bushes.

Let's just see if the yellow shirties turn brown in 2011.

Which war did Thatcher start?

On 2 April 1982, Argentina invaded the Falkland Islands, a remote UK colony in the South Atlantic. The move led to a brief, but bitter war.

Argentina's military junta hoped to restore its support at a time of economic crisis, by reclaiming sovereignty of the islands. It said it had inherited them from Spain in the 1800s and they were close to South America.

The UK, which had ruled the islands for 150 years, quickly chose to fight. Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher said the 1,800 Falklanders were "of British tradition and stock". A task force was sent to reclaim the islands, 8,000 miles away.

In the fighting that followed, 655 Argentine and 255 British servicemen lost their lives, as did three Falkland Islanders.

Next.

[exterminator]

Cambodia made a mistake on this one....should have shot them and claimed they were poachers...