Thai Police Suspect They Have Found Bodies Of 169 Missing Red-Shirts

[OzMick]

Former deputy PM Suthep says 165 bodies in Rayong are unclaimed bodies transf. from Chumphon and not related to missing 51 red-shirts /TAN_Network

Oh well problem solved, the bastion of truth has spoken

News reports also state there are not 169 missing.

http://www.nationmul...h-30133017.html

So lets try to keep it factual, thanks

There are 5 young male (late teens to mid-20's) from our amphur still missing from the crackdown. Strangely enough, they all did not have direct or close relatives or were orphans.....

And how many early to late teen girls were there pregnant without a boyfriend in sight? Or, as you imply, some authority carried out an intensive investigation, found they had no relatives, and then killed them because..........................

[termad]

Former deputy PM Suthep says 165 bodies in Rayong are unclaimed bodies transf. from Chumphon and not related to missing 51 red-shirts /TAN_Network

Oh well problem solved, the bastion of truth has spoken

He has been known to tell the truth i.e. "I'm resigning my post as Secretary General of the Democrat Party to prepare for proceedings that I expect to be brought against me in respect of the Red Shirt demonstrations."

All of a sudden he's got an awful lot more preparation than I guess he expected!

[OzMick]

There are 5 young male (late teens to mid-20's) from our amphur still missing from the crackdown. Strangely enough, they all did not have direct or close relatives or were orphans.....

And the army could tell that when they supposedly killed them?

Is it more likely that these young males stayed in Bangkok after the protests, seeing as they had nothing to go back to?

How ya gonna keep 'em down on the farm

After they've seen Paree'

How ya gonna keep 'em away from Broadway

Jazzin around and paintin' the town

How ya gonna keep 'em away from harm, that's a mystery

They'll never want to see a rake or plow

And who the deuce can parleyvous a cow?

How ya gonna keep 'em down on the farm

After they've seen Paree'

[chooka]

Regardless of where the bodies came from, politically for the red shirts it will become fact in their propaganda that these bodies were from red shirt 'protestors'.

Why do they need propaganda? Haven't you heard they won the election. I think the yellow shirts are worried as they hired the wrong serial killers and didn't tell them that here in Thailand we cremate and not bury.

[hammered]

There is a classic report on the unmentionable one where Suthep still repeats the old chesnut about the reds all being injured or killed by their own side. The old opposition need to have a quiet work with him to stay quiet.

[OzMick]

If it is true that these are missing red-shirt demonstrators, and it's only speculation at the moment, then it certainly justifies the actions of the red-shirt protestors to arm themselves with weapons against the attacks from the army.

The events of 1976 and 1992 saw peaceful, unarmed civilians massacred, brutilized and raped, with bodies left hanging from the trees. So there was definitely a precedent set by the army and in 2009 the reds justifiably came armed for their own protection. If these are redshirt bodies, it demonstrates tat the democracy protestors were right in their assumptions about the army.

Do you think that maybe if the red shirts hadn't come armed in 2009 and 2010, there would have been no need for the army to shoot at them?

No I do not.

I think the precedent of 1976 and 1992 shows exactly what the army is capable of doing to unarmed civilians.

It also appears that you believe offense is the best defense.

[whybother]

Regardless of where the bodies came from, politically for the red shirts it will become fact in their propaganda that these bodies were from red shirt 'protestors'.

Why do they need propaganda? Haven't you heard they won the election. I think the yellow shirts are worried as they hired the wrong serial killers and didn't tell them that here in Thailand we cremate and not bury.

They need the propaganda to make sure they win the next election.

How are the yellow shirts involved in this?

[scotbeve]

Does anyone have any links to reports of there being 169 missing red shirt protesters?

The reds in general claim: 91 people killed and 2,000 people injured and many hundreds missing

I dunno the policy on links so wont post loads but simple google searches bring up reports of people disappearing after being arrested by the army after the May finale followed by disappearances around the country

I think the 169 link is just because that number matches the bodies found and is more likely bad wording or reporting or opportunistic claims. Reality is people did disappear and nobody will know how many. Are these some of them? In time hopefully we will find out. If a provable explanation of why thebodies are there isnt provided it is going to look very black and will likley become an explosive issue in the highly charged poltical atmosphere. I genuinely hope authorities can quickly provide the media with the paperwork to show they are indeed tsunami victims although I am not sure that will happen. If they cant then a truly independent investigation is needed. Mass graves are extremely serious issues and cant just be disappeared. This will also attract world attention as time moves on.

Just a quick thought and question here.... If the poor 169 souls bodies were tsunami victims, why would they be transported all the way to Rayong? (The SOUTHEAST COAST FOLKS!!!)

[Buchholz]

All the corpses being male is intriguing.

It was my experience watching Red Shirt rallies was they were overwhelmingly attended to by women.

.

[bkkjames]

Didn't they find some containers full of bodies last year in the ocean near Pattaya - seems pretty close to Rayong?

[YellowFeverCAD]

as I have said once and reiterated once, I simply mentioned possibilities, I never said they were factual, I never intimated they were factual so therefore nothing to prove, is this so hard to understand?

So you are just shooting your mouth off with no facts for something to do and attempting to stir things up with your "possibilities?"

if I claimed i had facts then i would have to back them up, if I come up with a few possibilities there is no need to back them up as I made no claim that they are factual. If someone chooses to try to argue agaisnt my 'possibilities' they are welcome to, if they want to discount my possibilities they are welcome to prove that these possibilities are wrong and therefore should be discounted.

I think that YOU had something to do with it, it makes sense to me. I mean it's a possibility right? Nobody knows who you really are so you could have had a hand in this then come on the board to trot out your "possibilities" to throw people off the scent.... if you wish to discount my possibilities you are welcome to prove they are wrong... and therefore should be discounted otherwise they have just as much validity as anything you've said as we know exactly ZERO right now about the bodies, who they are nationality wise, how they died etc..etc...

No back to the subject and away with the pedants, what do you think has happened here? Do you have an opinion, did you just come into here to pick squabbles with other posters without checking your facts???

let me know, I am all ears

Actually you're all mouth I stated my opinion above. I think nobody knows what happened here yet and putting up headlines that they "MIGHT" be missing red shirts is pretty much the same as saying you and your death squad had them killed same amount of facts to back each "theory"

[thequietman]

hi guys, this is old news. the authorities already know the origin of these bodies. they are from the massive floods 2 years ago when a lot of bodies were found but they were unable to be identified. therefore the mass graves. wouldnt put it past them however to dig it up again a add a few more deposits ie; red shirts.

[hammered]

Does anyone have any links to reports of there being 169 missing red shirt protesters?

The reds in general claim: 91 people killed and 2,000 people injured and many hundreds missing

I dunno the policy on links so wont post loads but simple google searches bring up reports of people disappearing after being arrested by the army after the May finale followed by disappearances around the country

I think the 169 link is just because that number matches the bodies found and is more likely bad wording or reporting or opportunistic claims. Reality is people did disappear and nobody will know how many. Are these some of them? In time hopefully we will find out. If a provable explanation of why thebodies are there isnt provided it is going to look very black and will likley become an explosive issue in the highly charged poltical atmosphere. I genuinely hope authorities can quickly provide the media with the paperwork to show they are indeed tsunami victims although I am not sure that will happen. If they cant then a truly independent investigation is needed. Mass graves are extremely serious issues and cant just be disappeared. This will also attract world attention as time moves on.

Just a quick thought and question here.... If the poor 169 souls bodies were tsunami victims, why would they be transported all the way to Rayong? (The SOUTHEAST COAST FOLKS!!!)

That is a very good question and one posed by the police officer overseeing the operation. If it is true there will no doubt be some paperwork somewehere, truck drivers who remember driving loads of bodies around, nurses, doctors etc

[Thai at Heart]

Well, if it is proven that these are people killed during riots, and smuggled away under the Democrats watch, the implications for some very important people are very serious indeed. I wouldn't really matter if people deny that they knew this had happened, they will be guilty be association. From the army leadership down to Suthep, and probably further, they will be in extremely hot water.

It isn't as though the police can't act on a find like this. The outcry (if true) will be deafening.

I wonder if the UK is willing to take a few political refugees because they claim they can't get a fair trial in Thailand?

And I guess you will be the champion of equal justice for all / no double standards, and start campaigning for further investigations and punishment for the 2,500 people assassinated on site in the paymasters war on drugs and the tak bai incident, etc.

IMHO, if anybody is guilty of crimes associated with any of these incidents they should be punished appropriately, regardless of what party they belong to.

The events you mention were indeed tragedies and have been raked over without anyone really getting into trouble. As for me personally trumpeting about double standards in the Thai legal system, I think we have come to a point now, that the world can see that this is essentially the norm depending on the political will of the day in Thailand.

What we are seeing with this particular story is a very simple way to push the army further to the outside of control in the country. This to many wouldn't be such a bad thing. I agree, because they are not the benevolent force set up to "protect" the country. They have proven themselves to be largely self serving and above the law. Why should the army be relevant for current day Thailand? Why should a politician have to seek approval from the army? Why can't the legal system deal with corruption, instead of resorting to coups?

Thailand has gone through some radical transformations in the time that I have been here both politically and economically. Thaksin has almost re-jigged the structure of politics and society to the way he wants it. Does that mean that what was there before was some kind of utopia? Not in any way shape or form. Why weren't Tak Bai and the drugs killings investigated properly? Because it suited the powerbrokers at the time not to do so. Why will this latest event be investigated? Because it suits the current power brokers to do so.

The system has been set up the way that those in power want it, because it suits them to have it the way it is. What has changed now, is that there are two sets of powerbrokers at the table, those with Thaksin and those not. I would dearly love for the judiciary and the legal system to become completely devoid of political influence, and for the country to grow up, but I can't blame Thaksin alone for exploiting a corrupt system that was equally as corrupt before.

They got down and dirty with Thaksin not for some altruistic reason to save the country, but to save themselves and secure their sphere of influence for the next 30 years, and look at where it got them? They have been absolutely marmalised by Thaksin's political skill. The continuous desire to hold the country in some kind of rose tinted timewarp simply opened the door for him to march straight through. The army, the Democrats and the old business brokers in Thailand are dinosaurs to Thaksin's asteroid and they are going to become less and less relevant the longer that Thaksin's brand of populism stays around.

But where they fail, is that they do not offer any reasonable alternative. The people largely don't trust the old ways the Dems, the army, the media and the large business groups in Bangkok. The genie is out of the bottle, and no amount of controlling the media, coups, states of emergency, or CRES is going to put it back.

So will I be running around complaining about double standards? I accepted that the whole system is set up to facilitate double standards for expediency a long time ago. As for some claiming asylum in the UK because of a corrupt legal system in Thailand, I would expect the UK to take them in, because it is largely true. As to why, Thaksin lost his visa, well, Mr. Milliband is no more, probably waiting for a long term seat on the board of Tesco, as a thankyou for saving the ass of their Thai operations. Aren't expediency and double standard a terrible thing.

[aaacorp]

hi guys, this is old news. the authorities already know the origin of these bodies. they are from the massive floods 2 years ago when a lot of bodies were found but they were unable to be identified. therefore the mass graves. wouldnt put it past them however to dig it up again a add a few more deposits ie; red shirts.

Mmmm, sure it s the same story? so the authorities just "forgot" they buried corpses two years ago and rediscover them?

For me it would normally end like everytime there is a suspect death : no link to any event, probably suicide...in this case mass suicide

[Buchholz]

Natthawut, and a few other Red Shirts, are smiling in their photo with the Daily News article of this story.

article in Thai:

http://www.dailynews.co.th/newstartpage/index.cfm?page=content&categoryID=8&contentID=158203

[webfact]

RAYONG

Top police and red shirts backpedal from 169 deaths

By The Nation

Deputy national police chief General Prew Damapong denied Friday that he ordered the checks on 169 unidentified bodies on suspicion of linkage to the missing red shirts, in three mass graves in Rayong. "I have no involvement in the matter," he said.

Prewpan said he had no knowledge about the mass graves until he read the newspapers this morning. He added that he would check why police's legal commissioner Lt General Santhan Chayanont invoked his name as authorising the search of the mass graves.

He said he had no jurisdiction over Rayong which is under the Provincial Police Region 2.

In related development, three reds leaders refused to speculate whether the bodies found were the missing red shirts.

Pheu Thai MP and reds leader Nattawut Saikua said the red shirts were closely monitoring the police investigation into the 169 bodies. He said he would check on the investigative progress in the next few days.

"In my personal opinion, I will not draw any conclusion before the complettion of forensic checks," he said.

He urged police to complete the checks in a speedy manner in order to prevent the issue from being politicised.

Reds chairwoman Thida Thawornseth said the government was obligated to dispell lingering doubts on the mass graves.

Thida said she could not confirm or deny about the missing red shirts.

Pheu Thai MP Weng Tojirakan said he wanted Deputy Prime Minister Chalerm Yoobamrung to take charge of the checks into the 169 bodies.

-- The Nation 2011-08-19

[bkkjames]

"Prevent from being politicized" cats out of the bag mate.

[hammered]

RAYONG

Top police and red shirts backpedal from 169 deaths

By The Nation

Deputy national police chief General Prew Damapong denied Friday that he ordered the checks on 169 unidentified bodies on suspicion of linkage to the missing red shirts, in three mass graves in Rayong. "I have no involvement in the matter," he said.

Prewpan said he had no knowledge about the mass graves until he read the newspapers this morning. He added that he would check why police's legal commissioner Lt General Santhan Chayanont invoked his name as authorising the search of the mass graves.

He said he had no jurisdiction over Rayong which is under the Provincial Police Region 2.

In related development, three reds leaders refused to speculate whether the bodies found were the missing red shirts.

Pheu Thai MP and reds leader Nattawut Saikua said the red shirts were closely monitoring the police investigation into the 169 bodies. He said he would check on the investigative progress in the next few days.

"In my personal opinion, I will not draw any conclusion before the complettion of forensic checks," he said.

He urged police to complete the checks in a speedy manner in order to prevent the issue from being politicised.

Reds chairwoman Thida Thawornseth said the government was obligated to dispell lingering doubts on the mass graves.

Thida said she could not confirm or deny about the missing red shirts.

Pheu Thai MP Weng Tojirakan said he wanted Deputy Prime Minister Chalerm Yoobamrung to take charge of the checks into the 169 bodies.

-- The Nation 2011-08-19

They all seem quite worried judging by their reactions.

You cant help but think for a mass grave to be in Thailand someone with power somewhere and probably more than one knows exactly who the dead are and why they are there

[webfact]

UDD calls for speedy probe into 169 bodies

BANGKOK, 19 August 2011 (NNT) – The United Front of Democracy Against Dictatorship (UDD) has encouraged related authorities to bring light to the 169 suspicious bodies found in the eastern province of Rayong upon rumour that they were killed in the military crackdown on the UDD protesters.

UDD Secretary-General and Pheu Thai party-listed MP Natthawut Saikua stated that UDD core leaders are monitoring the news report by coordinating information exchange with local UDD leaders in Rayong.

The secretary-general noted that he personally did not want to conclude too soon that the 169 bodies were people killed in the military crackdown against the UDD protest last year because it was still unclear where the bodies were taken from.

Mr Natthawut said this issue should be clarified speedily as it might be used as a political ploy and therefore would not be useful for anyone. He voiced his confidence that the police would be able to verify identities of the bodies soon and he would ask for progress if nothing was heard in one or two days.

Meanwhile, UDD Acting Chairperson Thida Thavornsret urged the authorities to investigate this issue seriously. She refused to conclude if the bodies were UDD supporters or not but she believed that the number of people killed in the UDD protest last year should be more than 92.

UDD key leader and Pheu Thai party-listed MP Medical Doctor Weng Tojirakarn announced that he would bring this issue to Deputy Prime Minister Police Captain Chalerm Yubumrung and National Police Chief Police General Wichean Potephosree for further investigation.

-- NNT 2011-08-19

[webfact]

Police probing suspicious 169 bodies in Rayong

BANGKOK, 19 August 2011 (NNT) – The police is investigating 169 bodies found in burial grounds of three temples in the eastern province of Rayong after it has been rumoured that the corpses belong to those killed in military crackdown against the United Front of Democracy Against Dictatorship (UDD).

Legal Affairs and Litigation Office Commander Police Lieutenant General Santhan Chayanont told the press that he has been assigned by Deputy National Police Chief Police General Prewpan Dhamapong to investigate the issue.

Earlier, UDD Rayong leader Rapin Phranonsathit filed a complaint to the National Police Bureau requesting the police to investigate 65 unknown bodies buried at Huay Yang Temple in Rayong province since he believed that the bodies belonged to people missing or killed in the UDD protest last year.

Police Lieutenant General Santhan stated that the police would investigate and bring light to this issue no matter who the dead were, either normal citizens or UDD supporters, because a number of people were buried without any evidence to confirm how they died.

The commander added that 104 more bodies were found buried at Khlong Ta Kwa and Samo Phrong Temples. He hence ordered confiscation of the 169 bodies in total to investigate their identity via DNA and other methods while interrogation of related people will be made.

Meanwhile, Khlong Ta Kwa Abbot Venerable Wirat Atiwiro told the press that Mr Pitak whose surname was unknown and Mr Tee who worked at the Klaeng Buddhist Welfare Association brought 72 bodies for burial at the temple, saying that the bodies had no relatives and their cases no longer had legal binding.

-- NNT 2011-08-19

[gemini81]

well if it were really true, could they round it up to 170 and include jatuporn too? Maybe "deep down" he's a good person.

[lannarebirth]

Well, if it is proven that these are people killed during riots, and smuggled away under the Democrats watch, the implications for some very important people are very serious indeed. I wouldn't really matter if people deny that they knew this had happened, they will be guilty be association. From the army leadership down to Suthep, and probably further, they will be in extremely hot water.

It isn't as though the police can't act on a find like this. The outcry (if true) will be deafening.

I wonder if the UK is willing to take a few political refugees because they claim they can't get a fair trial in Thailand?

And I guess you will be the champion of equal justice for all / no double standards, and start campaigning for further investigations and punishment for the 2,500 people assassinated on site in the paymasters war on drugs and the tak bai incident, etc.

IMHO, if anybody is guilty of crimes associated with any of these incidents they should be punished appropriately, regardless of what party they belong to.

The events you mention were indeed tragedies and have been raked over without anyone really getting into trouble. As for me personally trumpeting about double standards in the Thai legal system, I think we have come to a point now, that the world can see that this is essentially the norm depending on the political will of the day in Thailand.

What we are seeing with this particular story is a very simple way to push the army further to the outside of control in the country. This to many wouldn't be such a bad thing. I agree, because they are not the benevolent force set up to "protect" the country. They have proven themselves to be largely self serving and above the law. Why should the army be relevant for current day Thailand? Why should a politician have to seek approval from the army? Why can't the legal system deal with corruption, instead of resorting to coups?

Thailand has gone through some radical transformations in the time that I have been here both politically and economically. Thaksin has almost re-jigged the structure of politics and society to the way he wants it. Does that mean that what was there before was some kind of utopia? Not in any way shape or form. Why weren't Tak Bai and the drugs killings investigated properly? Because it suited the powerbrokers at the time not to do so. Why will this latest event be investigated? Because it suits the current power brokers to do so.

The system has been set up the way that those in power want it, because it suits them to have it the way it is. What has changed now, is that there are two sets of powerbrokers at the table, those with Thaksin and those not. I would dearly love for the judiciary and the legal system to become completely devoid of political influence, and for the country to grow up,

but I can't blame Thaksin alone for exploiting a corrupt system that was equally as corrupt before.

They got down and dirty with Thaksin not for some altruistic reason to save the country, but to save themselves and secure their sphere of influence for the next 30 years, and look at where it got them? They have been absolutely marmalised by Thaksin's political skill. The continuous desire to hold the country in some kind of rose tinted timewarp simply opened the door for him to march straight through. The army, the Democrats and the old business brokers in Thailand are dinosaurs to Thaksin's asteroid and they are going to become less and less relevant the longer that Thaksin's brand of populism stays around.

But where they fail, is that they do not offer any reasonable alternative. The people largely don't trust the old ways the Dems, the army, the media and the large business groups in Bangkok. The genie is out of the bottle, and no amount of controlling the media, coups, states of emergency, or CRES is going to put it back.

So will I be running around complaining about double standards? I accepted that the whole system is set up to facilitate double standards for expediency a long time ago. As for some claiming asylum in the UK because of a corrupt legal system in Thailand, I would expect the UK to take them in, because it is largely true. As to why, Thaksin lost his visa, well, Mr. Milliband is no more, probably waiting for a long term seat on the board of Tesco, as a thankyou for saving the ass of their Thai operations. Aren't expediency and double standard a terrible thing.

Excellent post but while not blaming Thaksin alone, you still believe he should be held accountable to the law, right? Along with other transgressors of course and assuming the law is applied fairly?

[bifftastic]

The whole report sounds fishy to me. I can believe the part that monks may not have known what was going on at their temple (they didn't acknowledge the multiple fetus stored for many months, and many wats have feral dogs which monks are adept at not noticing). However, I cannot believe so many dead bodies could be moved around without raising alarms, ....even in the land of 'mai pen rai.'

Some mentioned Rohinga or Burmese - which sounds slightly plausible. Or other SE Asians hired by the Thaksin machine which fueled the Bkk riots or 2009 and 2010, and, if killed, were expendable in their view.

This could all be filed under 'False Stories' until we hear more. Too often in Thailand, there are inflamatory stories - which turn out to be either badly reported or just plain false. - like the recent report of a Thai gang of near dozen members who brutally murdered a Swede - which turned out to be false on several counts. Even numbers can't always be relied upon when spoken. in Thai, the number 11 sounds almost identical to the number 18. And have you ever looked closely at numbers written by a Thai? a number one looks like a seven, and a number four could look like a nine or a zero or a six, or......who knows? Who teaches the kids how to write numbers? Add to that, the word for 'far' (glai) sounds almost identical to the word for 'near' (glai). Imagine if there were Thai soldiers in a forward trench, attempting to call back artillery aiming adjustments on a nearby target. The soldier says 'glai', and the gunner thinks 'close' rather than 'far' and 'KA_BOOM!" ......game over.

So, ๑ looks like ๗ and ๔ looks like ๙ or ๖ ? Really? As for สิบเอ็ด (sip et) sounding like สิบแปด (sip bpeart) I suppose it can do, much like in English eighteen sounding like eighty. ไกล does sound a lot like ใกล้ but I would imagine that soldiers might use co-ordinates rather than 'near' or 'far' when directing fire missions.

However, you may have stumbled across the reason why certain things can be confusing, what they really ought to do is forget about their own language and learn yours.

[Thai at Heart]

The events you mention were indeed tragedies and have been raked over without anyone really getting into trouble. As for me personally trumpeting about double standards in the Thai legal system, I think we have come to a point now, that the world can see that this is essentially the norm depending on the political will of the day in Thailand.

What we are seeing with this particular story is a very simple way to push the army further to the outside of control in the country. This to many wouldn't be such a bad thing. I agree, because they are not the benevolent force set up to "protect" the country. They have proven themselves to be largely self serving and above the law. Why should the army be relevant for current day Thailand? Why should a politician have to seek approval from the army? Why can't the legal system deal with corruption, instead of resorting to coups?

Thailand has gone through some radical transformations in the time that I have been here both politically and economically. Thaksin has almost re-jigged the structure of politics and society to the way he wants it. Does that mean that what was there before was some kind of utopia? Not in any way shape or form. Why weren't Tak Bai and the drugs killings investigated properly? Because it suited the powerbrokers at the time not to do so. Why will this latest event be investigated? Because it suits the current power brokers to do so.

The system has been set up the way that those in power want it, because it suits them to have it the way it is. What has changed now, is that there are two sets of powerbrokers at the table, those with Thaksin and those not. I would dearly love for the judiciary and the legal system to become completely devoid of political influence, and for the country to grow up,

but I can't blame Thaksin alone for exploiting a corrupt system that was equally as corrupt before.

They got down and dirty with Thaksin not for some altruistic reason to save the country, but to save themselves and secure their sphere of influence for the next 30 years, and look at where it got them? They have been absolutely marmalised by Thaksin's political skill. The continuous desire to hold the country in some kind of rose tinted timewarp simply opened the door for him to march straight through. The army, the Democrats and the old business brokers in Thailand are dinosaurs to Thaksin's asteroid and they are going to become less and less relevant the longer that Thaksin's brand of populism stays around.

But where they fail, is that they do not offer any reasonable alternative. The people largely don't trust the old ways the Dems, the army, the media and the large business groups in Bangkok. The genie is out of the bottle, and no amount of controlling the media, coups, states of emergency, or CRES is going to put it back.

So will I be running around complaining about double standards? I accepted that the whole system is set up to facilitate double standards for expediency a long time ago. As for some claiming asylum in the UK because of a corrupt legal system in Thailand, I would expect the UK to take them in, because it is largely true. As to why, Thaksin lost his visa, well, Mr. Milliband is no more, probably waiting for a long term seat on the board of Tesco, as a thankyou for saving the ass of their Thai operations. Aren't expediency and double standard a terrible thing.

Excellent post but while not blaming Thaksin alone, you still believe he should be held accountable to the law, right? Along with other transgressors of course and assuming the law is applied fairly?

Of course he should.

Unfortunately, if the law was enforced to catch every single public servant breaking, bending or completely ignoring the law or even not acting solely in the public interest, even for a single day, how many would be left in their job by the end of the day?

The thing is, that to change the corrupt mindset of business in the country, a draconian step like this is what is probably needed.

[MaiChai]

My experience of news reporting and things happening in Thailand is that nothing is ever as it seems. I suggest we wait until more facts come out.

One thing it does show: life is cheap in Asia.

[rubl]

Hi guys, sorry I'm late, had to work. I did go through all 237 posts, but it seems I didn't miss much.

Strictly speaking we're still at '169 bodies found at three places in temple complexes, brought there probably April 2010'. Start 'Police acted on suspicion of red-shirts missing' and end with 'I read/heard it, so we went looking'. Most of the 237 posts are a rehash of pro/anti whoever, nothing new. The usual suspects posting as well.

With mass hysteria over (I hope) we can have some calm professional look into this matter? Maybe ask Dr. Pornthip to look at the bodies. It should be relatively easy to determine how old these bodies are.

(edit: add: change from 223 to 237 posts, there still coming in )

Edited August 19, 2011 by rubl

[hammered]

One thing that the media and us maybe are missing that the UDD and government arent is that if what has been mentioned is true or even if no explanation can be given this places the army and some senior Dems in a very bad position. Now I doubt the UDD or government give a toss about the Dems but how the army react will likely be a big worry for them

[Thai at Heart]

Hi guys, sorry I'm late, had to work. I did go through all 237 posts, but it seems I didn't miss much.

Strictly speaking we're still at '169 bodies found at three places in temple complexes, brought there probably April 2010'. Start 'Police acted on suspicion of red-shirts missing' and end with 'I readheard it, so we went looking'. Most of the 237 posts are a rehash of pro/anti whoever, nothing new. The usual suspects posting as well.

With mass hysteria over (I hope) we can have some calm professional look into this matter? Maybe ask Dr. Pornthip to look at the bodies. It should be relatively easy to determine how old these bodies are.

(edit: add: change from 223 to 237 posts, there still coming in )

It was all going quite well until you mentioned Porntip.

After public performance with the bomb scanner front and centre with the army no less, I would expect if these bodies were buried wearing red shirts, with placards from the protest site, clutching copies of Thaksin today, with digital cameras with pictures taken from behind the barricades 30 minutes before the crackdown occured, she would probably conclude that there was a mass suicide after a Man U versus Liverpool match, being watched in a printing factory, where the employees had just been given free digital cameras as gifts, where the pictures had been received via high speed internet.

Now we all know that isn't true, because 3g wasn't around back then.

Edited August 19, 2011 by Thai at Heart

[bubba]

All the corpses being male is intriguing.

It was my experience watching Red Shirt rallies was they were overwhelmingly attended to by women.

.

How could anyone already know that all 169 were males, when the remains were largely bones? It would take a trained pathologist to work that out from what were likely incomplete skeletons.

Just one more in the chain of unsupported assumptions that are being spread to support a particular point of view.