Reds To Get Robert Amsterdam To File Case Against Thai Govt

[Buchholz]

But I'm not certain Muslims in the south would be any more pro-red or anti-red than anywhere else, which is what Bucholz was implying.

Nick said in response to something that was equivalent to what Bucholz said here (i.e. Muslims hate the red shirts because of Thaksin):

Actually, your two suppositions regarding my post are both wrong.

Yala is a potentially quite violent area for any group of people going there to rally for any cause.

If Thida says they are going to rally in all areas of the country, it will be interesting to see them go there.

[Emptyset]

Actually, your two suppositions regarding my post are both wrong.

Yala is a potentially quite violent area for any group of people going there to rally for any cause.

If Thida says they are going to rally in all areas of the country, it will be interesting to see them go there.

Fair enough... I'd also like to see the "Patriots" go there instead of worrying about the Khmer temple Surely losing the three southern border provinces is a far more serious issue than that? Not that I've got too much against the Patriots or anything, but just sayin'...

[rubl]

Actually, your two suppositions regarding my post are both wrong.

Yala is a potentially quite violent area for any group of people going there to rally for any cause.

If Thida says they are going to rally in all areas of the country, it will be interesting to see them go there.

Fair enough... I'd also like to see the "Patriots" go there instead of worrying about the Khmer temple Surely losing the three southern border provinces is a far more serious issue than that? Not that I've got too much against the Patriots or anything, but just sayin'...

Don't show your true colour now, young master Emptyset.

Personally I'd say the TPN are a similar bunch of militants as some red-shirt factions. Only difference is they seem unarmed and maybe even smaller as a faction.

[Buchholz]

Actually, your two suppositions regarding my post are both wrong.

Yala is a potentially quite violent area for any group of people going there to rally for any cause.

If Thida says they are going to rally in all areas of the country, it will be interesting to see them go there.

Fair enough... I'd also like to see the "Patriots" go there instead of worrying about the Khmer temple Surely losing the three southern border provinces is a far more serious issue than that? Not that I've got too much against the Patriots or anything, but just sayin'...

I wasn't aware the TPN making a boastful announcement such as this:

The red-shirt leaders claimed they have reorganized and will soon hold rallies in all regions of the country.

I also wasn't aware there was a border dispute with Malaysia in the area.

[rubl]

Probably tomorrow as a separate topic:

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Plea to ICC : Red shirts face bumpy road ahead

Published on January 21, 2011

Robert Amsterdam's appointment as lead lawyer in the red shirts' attempt to seek "justice" at the International Criminal Court, may have been met with some frowns.

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/1970/01/01/national/images/30146881-01.jpg

He is on the other hand representing someone associated with controversial Muslim deaths in Thailand's deep South, first of all, not to mention some alleged extra-judicial killings of Thai drug suspects.

Real doubts, though, must be revolving around how far this long-overdue ICC campaign by the red shirts can go, Amsterdam or no Amsterdam.

The ICC has been mentioned since the Thai political conflict caused bloodbaths in April and May last year. Every time the issue came up, however, it faded away in a hurry simply because Thailand is not a member country of the ICC, which was set up to help people fight human rights or war crimes when all else failed.

When new red-shirt leader Thida Tavornseth earlier this week announced a definite plan to sue the Abhisit government in the ICC, nothing has changed when it comes to the court's jurisdiction. The most the red shirts can aim for is for the ICC to "accept" their suit. That could be construed as a political victory, one that, however, may have the least impact on the domestic scene.

The ICC is empowered to summon suspects from member countries, numbering just a little over 100. Non-member governments, however, have been totally uncooperative. Since the court's jurisdiction deals mostly with crimes governments are accused of committing, the court's success rate concerning non-members is virtually flat.

Amsterdam has highlighted "Bangkok Massacre" on his website, referring to the deaths of protesters and alleged militants during last year's political turbulence. The possibility of the "Bangkok Massacre" going to the ICC was mentioned in a recent letter submitted by a US congressional committee asking Thaksin to "brief" the panel on Thai democracy, an invitation that was eventually cancelled.

One potential issue for the ICC to consider is the fact that not only red protesters were victims of violence. Several soldiers died last April, and not from mere bricks or stones either. In 2008, yellow-shirt protesters, rivals of the red movement, were killed in a crackdown ordered by politicians associated with Thaksin.

What preceded the 2008 and 2010 bloodbaths was similar, with anti-government protesters getting belligerent. The yellow shirts had occupied Government House and were marching to Parliament when commandos began a crackdown. The red shirts, acting under the "If they could do it, so can we" pretext, seized key intersections and set up a virtual entrenchment allegedly guarded by armed men.

Before the May 19 crackdown that killed about 20 people, a hospital was invaded, prompting evacuation of patients, and a Skytrain station came under attack, causing casualties. In what could be a glimpse of how allegations and counter-allegations would overwhelm an ICC trial, the Department of Special Investigation claimed yesterday that while many protesters died at the hands of the military last summer, there were cases for which red militants were allegedly responsible.

How Amsterdam will address the non-red deaths or injuries in the lawsuit remains to be seen. It's also interesting how he will portray the arson spree in the afternoon of May 19 when the red shirts were scattered. In defending the Suvarnabhumi Airport seizure in 2008, the yellow shirts claimed they were desperate for justice for fellow protesters who had been killed.

Years of major political conflict mean no hand is clean in Thailand. The red shirts have the right to seek justice but such a campaign can easily be exploited, especially if suspicious characters are let through the door. If a trial could ever take place, it would be at best a contest to see which side is better at telling half-truths. At worst only blatant lies would prevail.

[MaiChai]

If the red shirts had not built a fortress in the middle of downtown Bangkok in the middle of a main road and terrorised and severly affected peoples lives there with their black warriors, the government would not have needed to send the army in to remove them!!! Conclusion: the red shirts created all these problems in the first place! Thus its their fault anyway.

Edited January 20, 2011 by MaiChai