Thai Police Fire Tear Gas At Political Protest

[senti]

One thing I am certain of today - not to believe any news reports from the Authorities

From the OP - Blocking their way to what ? the protest site ?

Is this what this disgraceful government is going to do, block protesters from reaching the site and inflame the situation, I thought this would have been peaceful today but now I think the tactic is for the police to stir the trouble - coming from Charlerm it sounds about right

It seems the NO GO area basically surrounds the protest site? So how on earth can they reach the site? This is surely inflaming the situation, as you state? The govt simply does not want the protest to proceed; stupidly thinking protesters will pack up and go home.

Absolute rubbish. There are still two entrances where the police are carrying out orderly and peaceful checks. Stop flaming. The protesters tried to drive a truck through a police line

So, this is a concert, then?

I really hope you're just joking.

[carib102]

It seems the police didn't give warning before firing tear gas at the protestors...maybe if warning was given the need to use tear gas could have been avoided?

Untrue, police chief said they were warned over loud speakers for up to 1 hour before they used gas. the gas was used when protesters tried to drive a truck through a police line

Thai media is reporting otherwise. Which one is true? The police chief certainly has a vested interested in having the masses believe that his troops warned protestors before firing. The media? Well, that depends on which media source I suppose

[sirchai]

The authorities expect tens of thousands of people to attend the demonstration, the first major street protest against Yingluck's 16-month-old administration.

I wish 65 million people would demonstrate, Yingluck's just a clone of Thaksin and everybody knows it.

Time for this country to wake up. Bring back Abhisit, please.

Please Yingluck, step down.--

[senti]

Ridiculous. This does not sound like a protest. Sounds like they have a higher agenda. More immaturity from Thailand. Unfortunately, police are probably warranted in use of force from the sound of things and probably will have to use a lot more force to keep mob mentality in check.

This situation us even more irrational and immature than Israel Gaza. If they don't like Yingluck, they need to wait until next election and not storm the streets.

Hahahaha. I presume you're a stand up comedian, right?

[scotbeve]

Police fired 10 tear gas canisters at a group of demonstrators who removed barbed wire and barriers blocking their way near a UN building, said police spokesman Major General Prawut Thawornsiri.

I wonder if these are the Chinese tear gas canisters that contain shrapnel.

I would think you regular commenting "folks" would have already started the rumors about this ....

[chinthai]

Is it time to call out the Queens Guards units and have them use live fire to conrol these hooligans? Maybe the APCs should be deployed to mow down the people? How about army snipers?

Queens guards?

I think the will help the protestors

This is the yellow army.

[jcw]

Looks like they are thinking the best defense is to attack.

Notice the Red Neck Scarfs on these Police.

Click to enlarge.

Yeah and another group has yellow scarfs, another blue, another green. Ignorance is bliss.

You beat me to it

Most likely colour coded by sections and nothing wrong in that.

Yes, I confirm that I have seen other images with police wearing different color scarfs, so this is of little relevance as such. Just pointing out that I mis read what I saw.

[MrSlatersParrot]

I've just heard that 120 have been arrested at Makassan bridge?! and the police say some were armed with guns and knives.

I don't know if this has yet been reported here.

So it seems their intentions were to seize the bridge?

Peaceful demonstration I think NOT.

Where did you get this info from. Nothing being reported in Thai news. Doesn't mean it isn't true. Just want to tap your source if possible.

Thai PBS is reporting on the situation.

http://www.go6tv.com/ is another service offering stuff from the Dems "Blue Sky" amongst others apparently,

[DocN]

As a matter of principle- all things being equal- I would take a corrupt elected government over a junta every time.

-----------------------

Really, why?

To make it clear. personally, I don't TRUST any sort of government, democratically elected or not.

But just WHY would you prefer a corrupt elected government over a .... just assuming there could be such a thing .... honest coup government.

Not that I believe such a thing as an honest coup government could truely exist.

But, if such things COULD exist....please explain why a democratically elected government of crooks would be preferable to a non-elected government of honest people?

If the moon would be made of cheese...I am not saying that it is made of cheese, but just for the arguments sake, let us say it could be made of cheese....would you want to live there?

[chooka]

.... and here we go.

Yep going to be a long day methinks.

The yellow shirt mob on the rampage again.

[johnlandy]

It will be interesting to compare how this govt deals with protests vs how Abhisit dealt with the 2010 shindig.

Exactly, and will they cry murder, when they mow them down by the score 'like they claim their predecessors did'

[dcutman]

It seems the police didn't give warning before firing tear gas at the protestors...maybe if warning was given the need to use tear gas could have been avoided?

Untrue, police chief said they were warned over loud speakers for up to 1 hour before they used gas. the gas was used when protesters tried to drive a truck through a police line

Thai media is reporting otherwise. Which one is true? The police chief certainly has a vested interested in having the masses believe that his troops warned protestors before firing. The media? Well, that depends on which media source I suppose

RT @veen_NT: #ThaiPBS cameraman insists there was no warning from the Police b4tear gas being fired. He was injured and went to hospital.

[scotbeve]

It seems the police didn't give warning before firing tear gas at the protestors...maybe if warning was given the need to use tear gas could have been avoided?

Untrue, police chief said they were warned over loud speakers for up to 1 hour before they used gas. the gas was used when protesters tried to drive a truck through a police line

Thai media is reporting otherwise. Which one is true? The police chief certainly has a vested interested in having the masses believe that his troops warned protestors before firing. The media? Well, that depends on which media source I suppose

Re: what channel are you watching????

[lensta]

I just lurve Thai politics. Just like those dopey vocational students who run around shouting 'my dick's bigger than your dick .. nah na na na nah' .... then shoot or stab each other. Lets not forget that this general Boonlert has openly and publicly called for a military coup to overthrow a duly elected government... corrupt or useless as it may be. Lets not forget that love him or hate him Thaksin and his proxies continue to be elected over and over again... and the established elite can't stand the thought of losing their 'divine right' to rule. Thaksin is an elite like the others... just a different form.... just like the vocational students... they would rather fight for their 'face' than actually do something productive. What have the democrats done to strengthen transparency in govt. and rule of law ... bugger all.... both sides actually prefer this style of thing to actually doing something to advance Thailand's interests and the interests of its people. Meanwhile, the Thai people have consistently sat on their bums and done stuff all about demanding proper governance. Their immature attitude and acceptance of corruption and nepotism at all levels by all colours has brought this upon themselves ... a kind of Karma I guess. I have absolutely no sympathy for any of them and I have no sympathy for the Thai people who willingly put up with it. It's time they grew a spine and stood up to both lots of incompetents.

This is so true. Excellent post

[bigbamboo]

As a matter of principle- all things being equal- I would take a corrupt elected government over a junta every time.

I doubt if many Zimbabweans would agree with you.

[Theoutsider]

The authorities expect tens of thousands of people to attend the demonstration, the first major street protest against Yingluck's 16-month-old administration.

I wish 65 million people would demonstrate, Yingluck's just a clone of Thaksin and everybody knows it.

Time for this country to wake up. Bring back Abhisit, please.

Please Yingluck, step down.--

if you feel that way why aren't you there.

[Moruya]

If they don't like Yingluck, they need to wait until next election and not storm the streets.

Expect to hear a lot of this sort of advice in the next few days coming from the direction of those who in 2010 either participated in or fully supported not waiting until the next election but rather storming the streets. Utter hypocrisy.

The difference is that the current PM has a mandate to govern. In case you forgot, she won a decisive victory. The public was given a choice of parties, electing one of them in sufficient numbers determined the PM. Mr. Abhisit lost that election.

Just as many people voted for me as Yingluck.

The same number of people voted for the real chief, Thaksin.

The same number of people voted for Jatuporn and the other red thugs.

Democracy indeed.

[inquisitive]

Yes but if they sit there peaceful (or somewhere else where the police decide to block them), they can sit there the next 100 years trying not to provoke the police and nothing will happen (beside a M79 from time to time).

Actually I don't know how to peacefully force the government out. I also don't know how to forcefully force them out.

Recall when the PAD took over government house and 2 airports it did not impress the government....they just wanted to move to Chang Mai.

It's called free and fair elections. It's called waiting your turn and submitting yourself to the will of the people through a democratic process.

It's NOT about calling for a coup and a 5 year freeze on democratic rule, as Gen Boonlert has done as head of Pitak Siam...

Free and fair elections? The elections were incredibly expensive since so many votes had to be paid for, and that fact automatically eliminates the conception of fair. How do I KNOW this as a fact? Because my relatives were handed the cash directly into their hand. It happened. Get over it. It was NOT a free nor a fair election and if you think otherwise, then you need to go out more among the people to see what is really going on.''

The sad thing about the whole sham is that PT would have won anyway, and THEN they really could say they were the democratically elected government. Right now all they can say is that they were elected. They almost assuredly gave up the high ground for no real benefit at all.

I am somehow reminded of Dick Nixon and Watergate. Most people think that he would have won the election if he allowed it to be free and fair, but he was so unsure of himself that he resorted to undemocratic means. I recall that for one anti-Vietnam War protest in Washington he took the leaders and put them in jail overnight to prevent their attendance at the rallies. The tactic was an abuse of power, though technically still legal, but was it democratic? It is to America's cedit that they heaped the ultimate discrace on Tricky Dick by essentially kicking this potentially great leader with oversized ego and feet of clay out of office. Just because there is an election doesn't mean the election is free and fair, nor does it mean that democratic principles were observed. So let's not get carried away with the rhetoric.

[Docno]

Why have so few entrances????? This will just drag out the protest and cause more clashes.

Answer : to provoke the protesters

Rubbish... the government has much more to gain by managing the protests well (ensuring weapons are not brought into the protest area, etc.) than by provoking the protesters. Under such fluid and uncertain circumstances, the police need to manage in-flows and people movement which means limiting access points. This is by no means an unusual technique among police services. Look at how protests are dealt with around IMF and World Bank summits...

[MaxLee]

And 2 days ago Prime Minister Yingluck has mentioned in her speech that the Pheu Thai "was a democratic elected government and that the losing side should respect democracy with this democratically (<-vote-bought) elected government…

And now look how her political minions are treating their arch rivals minions by starting the violence in the first place..., anything democratic about that???? That is soo democratic action now.

I wouldn't be surprised that this will start into another gunfight spectacle inferno...

Democracy??? Hell what is Yingluck talking about?

[sirchai]

Guess they cloned Yingluck again......

[whybother]

Fascism, pure fascism.

When the police disperse protesters it is fascism and when the army disperses the democratically elected government (again) what is that called?

That's called a coup. I thought you would have known that.

[SPIKECM]

The protesters removed police barriers and then tried to drive a truck, converted to a mobile stage, through a line of police in an attempt to get to an area which had been declared out of bounds.

The police should have said "now, now, move on!" somewhat aggressively, negating the need for any force.

[whybother]

Why have so few entrances????? This will just drag out the protest and cause more clashes.

Answer : to provoke the protesters

Rubbish... the government has much more to gain by managing the protests well (ensuring weapons are not brought into the protest area, etc.) than by provoking the protesters. Under such fluid and uncertain circumstances, the police need to manage in-flows and people movement which means limiting access points. This is by no means an unusual technique among police services. Look at how protests are dealt with around IMF and World Bank summits...

Why do they need to manage inflows? If they've got enough police to block an entrance, surely they've got enough police to manage the people coming in.

[smedly]

seems like a pretty large turn out getting larger by the hour - a very clear message that the people have had enough of this corrupt puppet show

I hope that things don't get out of hand going into the evening

Don't see too much coverage of the red contingent who also said they would demonstrate today, where are they and what sort of police tactic is going on there ?

[Moruya]

Why have so few entrances????? This will just drag out the protest and cause more clashes.

Answer : to provoke the protesters

Rubbish... the government has much more to gain by managing the protests well (ensuring weapons are not brought into the protest area, etc.) than by provoking the protesters. Under such fluid and uncertain circumstances, the police need to manage in-flows and people movement which means limiting access points. This is by no means an unusual technique among police services. Look at how protests are dealt with around IMF and World Bank summits...

Claptrap. Given all the government propaganda about violence and kidnappings, and the sheer volume of police and "others" on standby, it would have been a huge loss of face if the decidedly partisan police had not created bedlam.

[fstarbkk]

Fascism, pure fascism.

When the police disperse protesters it is fascism and when the army disperses the democratically elected government (again) what is that called?

Its called thai politics,

When a fugitive criminal on the run finances protest and political party (vote buying) with the aim to run the country from afar while pillaging the the countrys koffers ...what is that called?

why not prove in a court of law this alleged theft? do you just want a dictatorship?

The pillaging part has already been proven in a court of law. Now we're just waiting for the convict to make time to serve his sentence. But, understandably he is too busy, as he is running a "democratically elected government" via remote.

[whybother]

Absolute rubbish. There are still two entrances where the police are carrying out orderly and peaceful checks. Stop flaming. The protesters tried to drive a truck through a police line

Why block entrances with police when you can use the police to carry out orderly and peaceful checks.

[Thai at Heart]

Absolute rubbish. There are still two entrances where the police are carrying out orderly and peaceful checks. Stop flaming. The protesters tried to drive a truck through a police line

Why block entrances with police when you can use the police to carry out orderly and peaceful checks.

That's the routes they have. They said they would protect government and other strategic buildings.

moving razor wire actually makes it easier for the coppers to storm the crowds. I would prefer to have it up.

[Nickymaster]

It seems the police didn't give warning before firing tear gas at the protestors...maybe if warning was given the need to use tear gas could have been avoided?

Untrue, police chief said they were warned over loud speakers for up to 1 hour before they used gas. the gas was used when protesters tried to drive a truck through a police line

You believe the Thai police on their word?