The First Red Shirt District Officially Opened And Recognized Today

[kimamey]

The term district is rather vague. Do they mean Tambon or Amphur or just a Mubaan?

Apparently it means one village. At least for now.

[softgeorge]

So much hatred for the redshirts and the way thai's are trying to live thier lives in thier country. What have the thais done to you people personally to breed such hatred? If you have such destest and hatred of the country and the people why are you here?

+1

This is a democracy and we are guests here. They vote and we can like it or not. But the bottom line is: Leave if you you will!

I wish most of you would!

Tiger

+2

The thai people voted in an election and it seems this has upset a lot of foreigners because they did get the government they wanted in a country that is not even thier own. Boo Hoo the yellow shirts didn't win. I have to agree there does seem to be a lot of hatred for thai people who do not support the views of the foreigners or do things the way a farang would do it. There is always an option if you do not agree with or like the Thai lifestyle.

[GazR]

This news report-- and I use the term generously-- fails to answer the obvious question in any reader's mind: what is a "red shirt district?" Moreover, what does "official" recognition mean, and what are "the legal procedures?" Illiterate, mindless journalism.

Seems like there were quite a few poorly educated (not to say illitearate and mindless) posters before you who didn't think of that obvious question.

[GazR]

So much hatred for the redshirts and the way thai's are trying to live thier lives in thier country. What have the thais done to you people personally to breed such hatred? If you have such destest and hatred of the country and the people why are you here?

+1

This is a democracy and we are guests here. They vote and we can like it or not. But the bottom line is: Leave if you you will!

I wish most of you would!

Tiger

+2

The thai people voted in an election and it seems this has upset a lot of foreigners because they did get the government they wanted in a country that is not even thier own. Boo Hoo the yellow shirts didn't win. I have to agree there does seem to be a lot of hatred for thai people who do not support the views of the foreigners or do things the way a farang would do it. There is always an option if you do not agree with or like the Thai lifestyle.

On orders from Thaksin the Red Army tried to burn down my home (i.e. Bangkok) and your advice is to give up and go back to where I came from (over 30 years ago) because burning down people's homes is part of the Thai lifestyle.

Do you just get off the boat or what - and can I borrow it for the rest of the month?

[ginjag]

So much hatred for the redshirts and the way thai's are trying to live thier lives in thier country. What have the thais done to you people personally to breed such hatred? If you have such destest and hatred of the country and the people why are you here?

+1

This is a democracy and we are guests here. They vote and we can like it or not. But the bottom line is: Leave if you you will!

I wish most of you would!

Tiger

Redshirts = democracy? I feel ashamed to come from Sweden when I read your comment!

chooka and company, Hatred ?? better sorry for them for shooting themselves in the foot and not getting what they wanted, wouldn't it be an ironic twist if the red shirts brought down their own government it could be on the cards, its fun now to watch, with a smile as the world is just doing that. How many world heads of government have penciled in dates to meet Yingluck ??? to welcome her to the world stage. Maybe they are thinking about it later I would rather be honest and say it would be a bit embarrassing -as she would be out of her depth, and these villages are for no other purpose but intimidation, to further pressure to recruit by force. they have a majority and if they govern right they have nothing to promote.

Edited October 9, 2011 by ginjag

[softgeorge]

So much hatred for the redshirts and the way thai's are trying to live thier lives in thier country. What have the thais done to you people personally to breed such hatred? If you have such destest and hatred of the country and the people why are you here?

+1

This is a democracy and we are guests here. They vote and we can like it or not. But the bottom line is: Leave if you you will!

I wish most of you would!

Tiger

+2

The thai people voted in an election and it seems this has upset a lot of foreigners because they did get the government they wanted in a country that is not even thier own. Boo Hoo the yellow shirts didn't win. I have to agree there does seem to be a lot of hatred for thai people who do not support the views of the foreigners or do things the way a farang would do it. There is always an option if you do not agree with or like the Thai lifestyle.

On orders from Thaksin the Red Army tried to burn down my home (i.e. Bangkok) and your advice is to give up and go back to where I came from (over 30 years ago) because burning down people's homes is part of the Thai lifestyle.

Do you just get off the boat or what - and can I borrow it for the rest of the month?

I never suggested that anyone give up and go home I merely said there is an option for people who do not agree with the thai political system or one particular side of politics. Some people on here seem to be extreemly tortured by thai politics and continue to be at thier own choosing. They also seem to have a hatred of the thai people who do not support thier personal political views.

[ginjag]

softgeorge #36

Maybe it's not hatred of Thai people but concerned for personal safety from a bunch of thugs who ought to be helping the flooded homes here and not setting up Gettos in areas-for red promotion.

sound like you are in favour of this regime fine, many of red shirt followers had a smug smile after being elected, now things are going quiet -or out of hand. so a few people on the other side it is now their turn to smile. I try to look at it in a whats right and wrong situation -but when you do that and air your view about the wrongs people are giving answers like yours. Unless you don't find any wrongs at the minute ?????---you and I know it;s much more unstable that the last government-when clearly now you would expect a new elected party, should be on a high. but quite the opposite.

[bigbamboo]

What exactly is a red shirt district? Do we have to wear a red shirt every day if we get to live in one?

[Skywalker69]

So much hatred for the redshirts and the way thai's are trying to live thier lives in thier country. What have the thais done to you people personally to breed such hatred? If you have such destest and hatred of the country and the people why are you here?

+1

This is a democracy and we are guests here. They vote and we can like it or not. But the bottom line is: Leave if you you will!

I wish most of you would!

Tiger

Redshirts = democracy? I feel ashamed to come from Sweden when I read your comment!

Me too Isaanben, me too.

[kimamey]

There isn't always an option. I'm not in Thailand right now but my Thai gf is waiting for me to join her and her family so I don't have a choice. Well not without leaving her.

My preference based on my limited knowledge was for the Democrats although I don't like all of them or their corruption or anyone else's for that matter. I would have hoped that if they'd got a majority Abhisit would have taken the opportunity to clean up it's act. But they didn't win and that's that.

Of course not all Thais agree with the reds either and they should be able to voice their opinion.

My main concern here has been that I and others don't really understand what this means. I have asked my gf and after some searching it seems this is not a legal procedure so maybe the OP is incorrect. Whilst some do complain without finding out what it means there are others who agree with the reds who also complain without bothering to explain what this all means. Assuming they know what it means of course.

So Chooka, EnSvenskTiger and softgeorge explain it to us so we can understand an put our minds at ease.

Who has recognised it and in what official capacity?

What are the legal procedures?

What district is it?

What are the consequences of this and what effect will this have on non red supporters in the district?

Will non reds be able to set up their own districts?

[letitbe]

So much hatred for the redshirts and the way thai's are trying to live thier lives in thier country. What have the thais done to you people personally to breed such hatred? If you have such destest and hatred of the country and the people why are you here?

because they are scum ok answer to first question and as bad as Natzi brown shirts Im here because my family is Thai but I can assure you we will leave the day they try and make our village a pol pot education camp

[letitbe]

So much hatred for the redshirts and the way thai's are trying to live thier lives in thier country. What have the thais done to you people personally to breed such hatred? If you have such destest and hatred of the country and the people why are you here?

You fail to consider that it is perhaps people's love of this country and it's people, including our spouses and children, that cause them to speak out when they see the way a despot is trying to break assunder and cause violence and division to that country they call home.

How right you are!

First we have the all Red Villages,and now Red Districts,Thaksin sure is Consolidating his Army.

Why is it I have this Gut feeling we may be witnessing the Birth of a Civil War?

Pray God i'm wrong!

sadly i reckon your right but not a lot we can do except get what we can out ASAP and hope your wrong

[letitbe]

So much hatred for the redshirts and the way thai's are trying to live thier lives in thier country. What have the thais done to you people personally to breed such hatred? If you have such destest and hatred of the country and the people why are you here?

+1

This is a democracy and we are guests here. They vote and we can like it or not. But the bottom line is: Leave if you you will!

I wish most of you would!

Tiger

why we have families here and sorry if it offends you but me and my Thai family will stay until Taksin and red shirts force all to be properly educated pol pot style I guess your just young and Naive or just incredibly stupid not to see what is happening. I can assure you we have already taken what we can out of here and continue to do so while we can except for my Wifes home. You may be surprised to lern their are actually a lot of Thais who are not totally brainwashed and hate everything Taksin and his SS stand for. Are you suggesting all Thais who believe that should leave

[eTiMaGo]

meh I'll stick to my favorite red light district...

[Junglejumbo]

Just another moment in time. Red shirts will come and go just as other groups did in the 1960's and 70's.

[JAG]

Letitbe, you have been banging on about Thaksin being a nazi and his supporters being like the SS for almost as long as you have been leaving. You won't go, you thrive on the hatred you create!

[nicknostitz]

There seems to be a lot of confusion over the Red Shirt Village Movement here (and quite some hatred as well).

The whole thing is more symbolic than anything else, presently. It just means that most people in any particular village are Red Shirts, and show support for the Red Shirt movement by declaring themselves a Red Shirt village. Of course this also involves organizational structures, in which the Red Shirt movement builds lateral communication networks country wide that do not anymore solely depend on the hierarchical structures to and from their top leadership, which the organizers of this movement see as especially necessary in case of another military coup. This idea is supported by most Red Shirt leaders, but not by all of them. Within this sub-movement of the Red Shirts, such an organization does also improve political education efforts.

Another reason to start this movement, as was explained to me by the organizers, is that in case of a coup or a similar non-electoral overthrow of the elected government, Red Shirts can resist this in their home districts, and not go to Bangkok to get killed there, like in 2010.

One has to see this also in context of the efforts of the military, and in particular of the Internal Security Operations Command (ISOC), who after last year's crackdown have received huge budgets to go into villages of Red Shirt strongholds, and to pressure them to stop supporting the Red Shirt movement (without any success). This movement was founded as a counter movement to the ISOC efforts on local level.

Of course it has to be noted what critics state - in such a movement is of course the inherent danger of suppressing differing views within these villages. This has to be watched, of course. Unfortunately though in today's Thailand and its color coded conflicts all sides here have been, and are guilty of intolerance. Opponents of the Red Shirts in many villages in the Red Shirt heartlands have to be careful with expressing their views too openly, but so have Red Shirts in the southern provinces, where also Red Shirt meetings have been violently attacked by the majority population there in the South, which opposes the Red Shirts.

The problem here is, that even though things are calm at the moment, the conflict is far from over, and all sides expect sooner or later a new round, however that will look like. All sides prepare presently for a new round of open conflict, the Red Shirts do, and so do their opponents. Posters here who state that the Red side has won the elections, and question why the Red Shirts still campaign, should consider that while in most developed countries elections are the ultimate political decision making processes, the Thai system though has a sort of a double-polity, meaning that one system of governance is indeed the elections, but besides this is another system of governance existing, which is at loggerheads with the elected government. The elected government is only in power of the aforementioned system, not at all though of the latter system, which the Red Shirts define as "Amart" - or the traditional elites, or "Amartayathipathai" - the rule of the traditional elites.

How this whole thing continues to develop in the future depends solely on the development of the conflict, if there will be peaceful conflict resolution (which i hope for, but it seems unlikely to me), or if the conflict blows up again - which will then possibly worse and more widespread than in 2010.

[gl555]

Letitbe, you have been banging on about Thaksin being a nazi and his supporters being like the SS for almost as long as you have been leaving. You won't go, you thrive on the hatred you create!

Look at the history of Nazi Germany, Fascist Italy and the Khmer Rouge. You'll notice the similarities between them and Thaksin and his Red Shirt movement.

[nicknostitz]

Letitbe, you have been banging on about Thaksin being a nazi and his supporters being like the SS for almost as long as you have been leaving. You won't go, you thrive on the hatred you create!

Look at the history of Nazi Germany, Fascist Italy and the Khmer Rouge. You'll notice the similarities between them and Thaksin and his Red Shirt movement.

Yet if you compare the political ideologies of the dictatorships you mentioned, and the stated ideology of the Red Shirts - a western style democracy, a military that does not interfere in politics anymore, and abandonment of what they define as the system of Amartayathipathai - the similarities suddenly stop. Also the organizational structures are completely different, and something like the Red Shirt Village movement - a movement that started from the bottom - would hardly have been possible in the by you mentioned dictatorships that would not have tolerated any structures with lateral communication lines and internal discussions and debates on those levels, which often are countering the line of the leadership, which also is based on council style decision making processes including many conflicts over strategy and tactics.

[kimamey]

There seems to be a lot of confusion over the Red Shirt Village Movement here (and quite some hatred as well).

The whole thing is more symbolic than anything else, presently. It just means that most people in any particular village are Red Shirts, and show support for the Red Shirt movement by declaring themselves a Red Shirt village. Of course this also involves organizational structures, in which the Red Shirt movement builds lateral communication networks country wide that do not anymore solely depend on the hierarchical structures to and from their top leadership, which the organizers of this movement see as especially necessary in case of another military coup. This idea is supported by most Red Shirt leaders, but not by all of them. Within this sub-movement of the Red Shirts, such an organization does also improve political education efforts.

Another reason to start this movement, as was explained to me by the organizers, is that in case of a coup or a similar non-electoral overthrow of the elected government, Red Shirts can resist this in their home districts, and not go to Bangkok to get killed there, like in 2010.

One has to see this also in context of the efforts of the military, and in particular of the Internal Security Operations Command (ISOC), who after last year's crackdown have received huge budgets to go into villages of Red Shirt strongholds, and to pressure them to stop supporting the Red Shirt movement (without any success). This movement was founded as a counter movement to the ISOC efforts on local level.

Of course it has to be noted what critics state - in such a movement is of course the inherent danger of suppressing differing views within these villages. This has to be watched, of course. Unfortunately though in today's Thailand and its color coded conflicts all sides here have been, and are guilty of intolerance. Opponents of the Red Shirts in many villages in the Red Shirt heartlands have to be careful with expressing their views too openly, but so have Red Shirts in the southern provinces, where also Red Shirt meetings have been violently attacked by the majority population there in the South, which opposes the Red Shirts.

The problem here is, that even though things are calm at the moment, the conflict is far from over, and all sides expect sooner or later a new round, however that will look like. All sides prepare presently for a new round of open conflict, the Red Shirts do, and so do their opponents. Posters here who state that the Red side has won the elections, and question why the Red Shirts still campaign, should consider that while in most developed countries elections are the ultimate political decision making processes, the Thai system though has a sort of a double-polity, meaning that one system of governance is indeed the elections, but besides this is another system of governance existing, which is at loggerheads with the elected government. The elected government is only in power of the aforementioned system, not at all though of the latter system, which the Red Shirts define as "Amart" - or the traditional elites, or "Amartayathipathai" - the rule of the traditional elites.

How this whole thing continues to develop in the future depends solely on the development of the conflict, if there will be peaceful conflict resolution (which i hope for, but it seems unlikely to me), or if the conflict blows up again - which will then possibly worse and more widespread than in 2010.

Thanks for that. At last a reasonable explanation of some of the meaning of this red shirt district. It seems as if the "legal procedures" may have been incorrect or badly translated. At least I hope so.

[DaamNaam]

District 9?Like the recent film, full of prawns.

[nicknostitz]

Thanks for that. At last a reasonable explanation of some of the meaning of this red shirt district. It seems as if the "legal procedures" may have been incorrect or badly translated. At least I hope so.

As far as i am aware there are no special legal provisions for Red Shirt villages or districts, and any "official" recognition may, i assume, just mean that the stated that they are a Red Shirt district. I assume also, that the first Red Shirt district (districts - Ampur) means that all villages (Mu Ban) in this district declared themselves as Red Shirt villages. The Red Shirt village movement in Thai is "Mu Ban Suah Daeng".

[patjem]

There seems to be a lot of confusion over the Red Shirt Village Movement here (and quite some hatred as well).

The whole thing is more symbolic than anything else, presently. It just means that most people in any particular village are Red Shirts, and show support for the Red Shirt movement by declaring themselves a Red Shirt village. Of course this also involves organizational structures, in which the Red Shirt movement builds lateral communication networks country wide that do not anymore solely depend on the hierarchical structures to and from their top leadership, which the organizers of this movement see as especially necessary in case of another military coup. This idea is supported by most Red Shirt leaders, but not by all of them. Within this sub-movement of the Red Shirts, such an organization does also improve political education efforts.

Another reason to start this movement, as was explained to me by the organizers, is that in case of a coup or a similar non-electoral overthrow of the elected government, Red Shirts can resist this in their home districts, and not go to Bangkok to get killed there, like in 2010.

One has to see this also in context of the efforts of the military, and in particular of the Internal Security Operations Command (ISOC), who after last year's crackdown have received huge budgets to go into villages of Red Shirt strongholds, and to pressure them to stop supporting the Red Shirt movement (without any success). This movement was founded as a counter movement to the ISOC efforts on local level.

Of course it has to be noted what critics state - in such a movement is of course the inherent danger of suppressing differing views within these villages. This has to be watched, of course. Unfortunately though in today's Thailand and its color coded conflicts all sides here have been, and are guilty of intolerance. Opponents of the Red Shirts in many villages in the Red Shirt heartlands have to be careful with expressing their views too openly, but so have Red Shirts in the southern provinces, where also Red Shirt meetings have been violently attacked by the majority population there in the South, which opposes the Red Shirts.

The problem here is, that even though things are calm at the moment, the conflict is far from over, and all sides expect sooner or later a new round, however that will look like. All sides prepare presently for a new round of open conflict, the Red Shirts do, and so do their opponents. Posters here who state that the Red side has won the elections, and question why the Red Shirts still campaign, should consider that while in most developed countries elections are the ultimate political decision making processes, the Thai system though has a sort of a double-polity, meaning that one system of governance is indeed the elections, but besides this is another system of governance existing, which is at loggerheads with the elected government. The elected government is only in power of the aforementioned system, not at all though of the latter system, which the Red Shirts define as "Amart" - or the traditional elites, or "Amartayathipathai" - the rule of the traditional elites.

How this whole thing continues to develop in the future depends solely on the development of the conflict, if there will be peaceful conflict resolution (which i hope for, but it seems unlikely to me), or if the conflict blows up again - which will then possibly worse and more widespread than in 2010.

Keep waving your red flag, Nick.

[MAJIC]

So much hatred for the redshirts and the way thai's are trying to live thier lives in thier country. What have the thais done to you people personally to breed such hatred? If you have such destest and hatred of the country and the people why are you here?

+1

This is a democracy and we are guests here. They vote and we can like it or not. But the bottom line is: Leave if you you will!

I wish most of you would!

Tiger

Redshirts = democracy? I feel ashamed to come from Sweden when I read your comment!

Likewise + 1

[rubl]

What is a red-shirt district and what does it want?

Answer: the whole thing is more symbolic than anything else, presently. It just means that most people in any particular village are Red Shirts, and show support for the Red Shirt movement by declaring themselves a Red Shirt village. Of course this also involves organizational structures ... ...

So a district which only contains red villages who are also in the red-shirt nation wide federation with main goal 'to strengthen the "fight against dictatorship" and help bring former premier Thaksin Shinawatra back to Thailand'

So which part is more symbolic, the 'fight against dictatorship' or 'bring back Thaksin'.

To repeat my questions before:

- what is a red-shirt district?

- what is the official status of a red-shirt district?

- what is the legal status of a red-shirt district?

- is an 'other-color-shirt' village allowed in a red-shirt district?

- with only Pheu Thai UDD leader MPs present, what is the link between government/Pheu Thai/UDD and red-shirt districts / villages?

[nicknostitz]

What is a red-shirt district and what does it want?

Answer: the whole thing is more symbolic than anything else, presently. It just means that most people in any particular village are Red Shirts, and show support for the Red Shirt movement by declaring themselves a Red Shirt village. Of course this also involves organizational structures ... ...

So a district which only contains red villages who are also in the red-shirt nation wide federation with main goal 'to strengthen the "fight against dictatorship" and help bring former premier Thaksin Shinawatra back to Thailand'

So which part is more symbolic, the 'fight against dictatorship' or 'bring back Thaksin'.

To repeat my questions before:

- what is a red-shirt district?

- what is the official status of a red-shirt district?

- what is the legal status of a red-shirt district?

- is an 'other-color-shirt' village allowed in a red-shirt district?

- with only Pheu Thai UDD leader MPs present, what is the link between government/Pheu Thai/UDD and red-shirt districts / villages?

As i have answered already all the other questions in the posts i have made here (read them, please), i will only answer the last question.

The relationship between the Pueah Thai and the Red Shirts is very complex and fluid. Trying to make it simple and brief: while almost all Red Shirts support this government as the elected government out of principle, there are several minority Red Shirt factions that do not care at all about Pueah Thai Party for very similar reasons as many posters cite here, but life with the party as the for them only presently existing alternative over what they cannot support - the Democrats, and military involvement in politics. Their criticism of the system is mostly structural. Many of these Red Shirt groups can be found in the off-shots of the now dissolved Daeng Siam, or in the 24th of June Group.

But also many UDD grassroots organizations are critical and watchful of the government and the Pueah Thai Party, not entirely trusting them, their ideology also increasingly turning into structural issues.

The Pueah Thai Party has MP's that are very close to the Red Shirts, some of them see themselves more as Red Shirts than as Party members, and a few are even closer to Daeng Siam offshots than to the UDD. Then there are Pueah Thai Party members who do support the Red Shirts, but are primarily interested in parliamentary politics. But there are also more than a few Pueah Thai Party members who do dislike the Red Shirts, who have never appeared at Red Shirt events, but who have to live with the fact that without Red Shirt support the Pueah Thai Party would hardly have been elected.

[moe666]

I think the process for establishing an official district is a bit more complicated than a bunch of people showing up and saying it is so. A few years ago they created a couple of new districts and the bit that was reported here sujested it takes a few years for the government to establish a new district.

Nick thank you for your informed post.

[rubl]

What is a red-shirt district and what does it want?

Answer: the whole thing is more symbolic than anything else, presently. It just means that most people in any particular village are Red Shirts, and show support for the Red Shirt movement by declaring themselves a Red Shirt village. Of course this also involves organizational structures ... ...

So a district which only contains red villages who are also in the red-shirt nation wide federation with main goal 'to strengthen the "fight against dictatorship" and help bring former premier Thaksin Shinawatra back to Thailand'

So which part is more symbolic, the 'fight against dictatorship' or 'bring back Thaksin'.

To repeat my questions before:

- what is a red-shirt district?

- what is the official status of a red-shirt district?

- what is the legal status of a red-shirt district?

- is an 'other-color-shirt' village allowed in a red-shirt district?

- with only Pheu Thai UDD leader MPs present, what is the link between government/Pheu Thai/UDD and red-shirt districts / villages?

As i have answered already all the other questions in the posts i have made here (read them, please), i will only answer the last question.

The relationship between the Pueah Thai and the Red Shirts is very complex and fluid. Trying to make it simple and brief: while almost all Red Shirts support this government as the elected government out of principle, there are several minority Red Shirt factions that do not care at all about Pueah Thai Party for very similar reasons as many posters cite here, but life with the party as the for them only presently existing alternative over what they cannot support - the Democrats, and military involvement in politics. Their criticism of the system is mostly structural. Many of these Red Shirt groups can be found in the off-shots of the now dissolved Daeng Siam, or in the 24th of June Group.

But also many UDD grassroots organizations are critical and watchful of the government and the Pueah Thai Party, not entirely trusting them, their ideology also increasingly turning into structural issues.

The Pueah Thai Party has MP's that are very close to the Red Shirts, some of them see themselves more as Red Shirts than as Party members, and a few are even closer to Daeng Siam offshots than to the UDD. Then there are Pueah Thai Party members who do support the Red Shirts, but are primarily interested in parliamentary politics. But there are also more than a few Pueah Thai Party members who do dislike the Red Shirts, who have never appeared at Red Shirt events, but who have to live with the fact that without Red Shirt support the Pueah Thai Party would hardly have been elected.

Thanks for the obfuscation, straight answers seem not your strength. The government has more than a handful of UDD leaders turned Pheu Thai MPs. They are vocal in support of UDD and more than likely to include all red-shirts whether they like it or not. Some Pheu Thai may not like red-shirts (k. Thaksin only doesn't know them though), only use them in any way they see fit. Those red-shirts who don't follow the official line, we'll get sooner or later.

All this to explain and justify red-shirt districts which have only a symbolic meaning yet. Just don't try to frustrate us, or you'll be sorry ?

So again: what's this about red-shirt district, villages and nation wide federation "to strengthen the "fight against dictatorship" and help bring former premier Thaksin Shinawatra back to Thailand'". The dictatorship of the current government, Pheu Thai, the Shinawatra clan?

[nicknostitz]

Thanks for the obfuscation, straight answers seem not your strength.

If you don't like that the answer does not conform to your preconceived notions than don't ask me these questions, because you will not get a different answer. I would suggest then to stick with the posters that give you one liner answers on how much they hate the Red Shirts - you won't need to go through the frustrations my answers seem to give you.

And no, so far i do not see the elected government being anywhere close to a dictatorship. As we can see here in this overwhelmingly critical forum - even the most rabidly insulting posts are allowed to be posted. And i see more than a few very critical articles in the different newspapers. I see the PAD being allowed to hold their events. parliament is functioning, the opposition regularly criticizing the government.

Furthermore - the vast majority of political prisoners are actually supporters of this government, and not its opponents. Which dictatorship again, please?

Edited October 9, 2011 by nicknostitz

[nicknostitz]

I think the process for establishing an official district is a bit more complicated than a bunch of people showing up and saying it is so. A few years ago they created a couple of new districts and the bit that was reported here sujested it takes a few years for the government to establish a new district.

Nick thank you for your informed post.

Yes, indeed, establishing a district is an administrative nightmare. This is a bunch of people just saying that their district is overwhelmingly in support of the Red Shirts. Won't change a thing in the administration of the district.