Red-Shirt Villages To Join Up To Boost Unity And Facilitate Expansion Nationwide

[webfact]

Red-shirt villages to join up

By The Nation

Udon Thani

Residents of red-shirt villages are planning to create a national federation to boost unity and facilitate expansion nationwide.

Anon Saennan, secretary of the Udon Thani red-shirt movement who initiated the creation of these villages, said yesterday that the chiefs of these villages would meet at a hotel in the northeastern province on October 5. At the meeting, they will elect the chairman and members of the federation's board, which will be formally announced later.

He said the federation's headquarters will be located in the same building that houses the 111 Thai Rak Thai Foundation formed by executives of the disbanded Thai Rak Thai Party, including former premier Thaksin Shinawatra.

"The formation of the federation will help enhance unity within the movement," Anon explained. He added that after the first red-shirt village was set up in Udon Thani last December, more than 3,000 of them have sprouted across the country. He expressed confidence that in two years, many more villages in all provinces of the country will become part of the red-shirt movement.

Anon said at a meeting in Cambodia last Sunday, Thaksin told him personally that he had never told the ruling Pheu Thai Party to dissolve red-shirt villages.

"The former prime minister said that in addition to strengthening the red-shirt movement, he wants these red-shirt villages to create jobs for residents. He also wants us to work with the Interior Ministry to keep these villages free of drugs," Anon said.

Hundreds of Thaksin supporters have been crossing the border from Si Sa Ket province into Cambodia to watch a friendly football match between red-shirt politicians and members of the Cambodian cabinet, which is scheduled to take place today at the Olympics Stadium in Phnom Penh.

Sompoj Prasartthai, a red-shirt leader from Nakhon Ratchasima, said he expected the football match to boost ties between the two countries. However, many red-shirt from the North chose not to travel to Cambodia after hearing that Thaksin had left the country and would not be present at the match.

-- The Nation 2011-09-24

[MILT]

Here is another side of the story. In the village where I live the village headman position was up for election. The current head is an staunch supporter of the democrats. In this election he faced off with a women representing the red shirts and along with wearing the red shirt was using the number 1. They canvassed our village offering 300 baht to anyone that would vote for her. The headman wore pink. This happen a week ago this sunday. This village has been wanting to a be a red village ever since the reds took to their normal aggressive "our way or the highway' attitude. The headman won 3 to 1 vote ratio and sent the red shirts packing. It shows just how much Taskin funneled monies to support the red shirt destruction of Bangkok and is attempting to create a country wide base for his attempted triumphed return. <deleted>! It's way to early in the day for such bad news

Edited September 24, 2011 by MILT

[Ricardo]

While one remains concerned that we may eventually see Red-Provinces & a Red-Country, as a result of this movement, one small positive-sign is the intention for grass-roots village-leaders to elect their national-committee & chairperson themselves, rather than having them imposed from the top down ?

[OzMick]

Here is another side of the story. In the village where I live the village headman position was up for election. The current head is an staunch supporter of the democrats. In this election he faced off with a women representing the red shirts and along with wearing the red shirt was using the number 1. They canvassed our village offering 300 baht to anyone that would vote for her. The headman wore pink. This happen a week ago this sunday. This village has been wanting to a be a red village ever since the reds took to their normal aggressive "our way or the highway' attitude. The headman won 3 to 1 vote ratio and sent the red shirts packing. It shows just how much Taskin funneled monies to support the red shirt destruction of Bangkok and is attempting to create a country wide base for his attempted triumphed return. <deleted>! It's way to early in the day for such bad news

I can only hope that every person in the village accepted the bribe, before voting the way that they preferred. If fools want to give away money, it is almost criminal not to accept.

"............ to keep these villages free of drugs......" Who needs police, we have our red shirt militia.

[OzMick]

While one remains concerned that we may eventually see Red-Provinces & a Red-Country, as a result of this movement, one small positive-sign is the intention for grass-roots village-leaders to elect their national-committee & chairperson themselves, rather than having them imposed from the top down ?

That is, of course, if the outcome hasn't already been decided and the money put in the envelopes.

[Buchholz]

While one remains concerned that we may eventually see Red-Provinces & a Red-Country, as a result of this movement, one small positive-sign is the intention for grass-roots village-leaders to elect their national-committee & chairperson themselves, rather than having them imposed from the top down ?

If they truly are self-selected, it'll be good, although, whoever is elected, it will be easy for them to get their orders from the tenants on the next floor up.

He said the federation's headquarters will be located in the same building that houses the 111 Thai Rak Thai Foundation formed by executives of the disbanded Thai Rak Thai Party, including former premier Thaksin Shinawatra.

[Sharp]

I suppose it makes it easier where to aim ..

[hammered]

All it is about really is concentrating and focusing power as a group to gain as much leverage as possible. For now that is within the PTP, but if they dont deliver, there is a vehicle forming to move in a different direction. That must be a good thing. The red-PTP relationship is a symbiotic one in development rather than a master-slave one now. Note that some in PTP want to close the red villages down. This move prevents that.

Also this allows this network to quickly move of there is an accident, and Im sure that is something that will be noticed.

[Buchholz]

Shame they don't focus on "nationwide" reconciliation, rather than attempting to push their one side "nationwide" to increase the division of the nation.

.

Edited September 24, 2011 by Buchholz

[OzMick]

Of course, it could be a power play. Weng, Jatuporn, Nathiwut etc have all had big paydays, could be getting harder to control.

Sideline them into do-nothing jobs, then set up a new power structure with more "hungry" villagers who think a million is a lot of money, and the whip becomes much more effective.

[otherstuff1957]

It would be nice to see the whole Red movement start to evolve into a genuine progressive movement. Some of our forum Reds have claimed that this has already happened, but I suspect that they are just hearing from the segment of the Reds who have always been socially progressive and who joined Thaksin as a marriage of convenience.

The fact that their HQ is in an old TRT building and that their leader has met with Thaksin recently makes me doubt that is really is an independent movement. Thaksin seems to follow a pattern: 1. He pushes the limits of acceptable behavior just to see what he can get away with (like the cabinet teleconference), and 2. He has two or three groups working for him, like the main redshirts and the blackshirts that were embedded within them. He probably thinks that if one group isn't successful, perhaps the other will be!

[rubl]

All it is about really is concentrating and focusing power as a group to gain as much leverage as possible. For now that is within the PTP, but if they dont deliver, there is a vehicle forming to move in a different direction. That must be a good thing. The red-PTP relationship is a symbiotic one in development rather than a master-slave one now. Note that some in PTP want to close the red villages down. This move prevents that.

Also this allows this network to quickly move of there is an accident, and Im sure that is something that will be noticed.

Quickly move is probably a reference to k. Kokaew's remark on last years fun being 'riot only', carefully planned, coordinated, militants thrown in, lots of propaganda. Yep, I'm sure it will be noticed.