Voters ' Fear Of Thaksin, Red Shirts' Swung Bangkok Poll

[webfact]

Voters' 'fear of Thaksin, red shirts' swung poll
Pravit Rojanaphruk
The Nation

BANGKOK: -- Fear tactics about the risk of Bangkok being taken over by fugitive former premier Thaksin Shinawatra and the red shirts enabled the Democrat Party to win the Bangkok gubernatorial race, said Red Sunday group leader Sombat Boonngam-anong.

"It still works. Bangkokians are afraid of us," said Sombat, himself a Bangkokian. Sombat said the 1.2 million plus votes Democrat Party candidate MR Sukhumbhand Paribatra received was higher than the 900,000 votes he gained four years ago.

The support was likely from voters who opposed Thaksin and the red shirts but are not necessarily fans of the Democrat Party.

"They succeeded in attracting anti-red-shirt votes," Sombat told The Nation.

Pratchayaa Surakamchonrat, a song-writer and another red-shirt Bangkokian, shared a similar view and said some were moved by the negative campaigning against Thaksin and the red shirts.

He added, however, that some red-shirt Bangkokians may also have decided not to vote for Pheu Thai's candidate Pongsapat Pongcharoen because they were dissatisfied with the government's handling of issues like amnesty for political prisoners - including those sentenced and imprisoned under the lese majeste law - and rewriting of the 2007 junta-sponsored constitution.

Red-shirt taxi driver Akom Poldoed, who works in Bangkok, said he also thought the negative campaign against red shirts and Thaksin was decisive. Akom said the race was tight, however, as Pongsapat managed to get more than a million votes, much higher than past pro-Thaksin candidates who had won no more than 600,000 votes.

"Bangkokians have awoken. The Democrats had to fight an uphill battle. And things will be over if another 500,000 Bangkok voters side with Pheu Thai. This may very well be the last time the Democrat Party will keep control of City Hall," he predicted.

-- The Nation 2013-03-09

[Buchholz]

Voters' 'fear of Thaksin, red shirts' swung poll

"It still works. Bangkokians are afraid of us," said Sombat

.

I can't imagine why average, everyday Bangkok voters might feel that way...

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Edited March 9, 2013 by Buchholz

[alstaxi]

So the terrorists lost the election because the people did not want to vote for them, this is hardly news.

All Thai people should be afraid of these parasites.

[kimamey]

Voters' 'fear of Thaksin, red shirts' swung poll

"It still works. Bangkokians are afraid of us," said Sombat

.

I can't imagine why average, everyday Bangkok voters might feel that way...

,

It may just be bad translation but it seems like a boast.

[siampolee]

Indeed a valid reason for being somewhat wary of the Red Shirt movement and its view on democracy,

Pack animal behavior, born again louts who would govern by the gun and the whip, whilst-their paymasters loot the states coffers and enslave the Thai people into a vassal state complete with debt bondage..

[OzMick]

Hardly surprising that mindless thugs should confuse distaste with fear.

[Zpete]

Indeed a valid reason for being somewhat wary of the Red Shirt movement and its view on democracy,

Pack animal behavior, born again louts who would govern by the gun and the whip, whilst-their paymasters loot the states coffers and enslave the Thai people into a vassal state complete with debt bondage..

Exactly, very succint.

[Jingthing]

If they voted mostly for the democrats to keep out PTP, sounds like a normal lesser of two evils election anywhere in the world

[gl555]

The red shirt taxi driver has spoken! Thus it must be so!

[bigbamboo]

Well spotted Sombat.

I'd be afraid of voting for a party whose leader wanted his supporters to burn down my city too.

[dickyknee]

The red shirt taxi driver has spoken! Thus it must be so!

did the author write this in the back of a taxi?

[waza]

The tide is turning, the Thaksin factor is no longer an election advantage and is increasingly having a negative impact.

Sniff, Why dont they love me anymore?

Edited March 9, 2013 by waza

[Locationthailand]

"It still works. Bangkokians are afraid of us," - and so they should. Thugs all.

[rubl]

"It still works. Bangkokians are afraid of us," said Sombat, himself a Bangkokian. Sombat said the 1.2 million plus votes Democrat Party candidate MR Sukhumbhand Paribatra received was higher than the 900,000 votes he gained four years ago.

The 1,0m votes for Pongsapat was also lower than the 1.2m Pheu Thai votes in 2011 when the 'Bangkok Burning' was still fresh in everybodies mind..

Interesting part is that neither Thaksin nor red-shirts were participating as party or candidate in the Bangkok governor elections of 2009 and 2013 and as far as I know there were no red-shirt Pheu Thai constituency candidates in Bangkok in the general elections in 2011. Only the normal democracy minded Pheu Thai party list UDD leaders.

[Halion]

The PTP candidate LOST !

Get used to it and stop all this stupid rhetoric from want to be's and also rans. The fundementals of a demographic process is that you get to cast your vote and when the results are in you are expected to be grown up and respect and suport the wishes of the MAJORITY,

Stop whining like spoilt children. It is what it is. You can have another crack at it in 4 years,

[chainarong]

What comes around, go's around , you burn your bridges, you end up with egg on your face

[khunken]

I said exactly this some days ago & was patronised by one of the usual PTP/red shirt supporters. It seems more & more real red shirts are admitting that this was an important factor in the election.

Hard to admit by the TV PTP supporters who have to defend their idols no matter what.

[rubl]

I said exactly this some days ago & was patronised by one of the usual PTP/red shirt supporters. It seems more & more real red shirts are admitting that this was an important factor in the election.

Hard to admit by the TV PTP supporters who have to defend their idols no matter what.

You mean our darling Pol. General Dr. Pongsapat didn't really lose against MR Sukhumbhant, but against Thaksin and his band of merry shirts ?

[khunken]

I said exactly this some days ago & was patronised by one of the usual PTP/red shirt supporters. It seems more & more real red shirts are admitting that this was an important factor in the election.

Hard to admit by the TV PTP supporters who have to defend their idols no matter what.

You mean our darling Pol. General Dr. Pongsapat didn't really lose against MR Sukhumbhant, but against Thaksin and his band of merry shirts ?

I wouldn't go that far Rubi, but I'd say it tipped the balance.

[Skywalker69]

The tide is turning, the Thaksin factor is no longer an election advantage and is increasingly having a negative impact.

Thaksin crying.jpg Sniff, Why dont they love me anymore?

Agreed, Time is not on Thaksins side.

[khaowong1]

What comes around, go's around , you burn your bridges, you end up with egg on your face

Are we having a cliche morning? Thai politics will do that to you..

[khunken]

What comes around, go's around , you burn your bridges, you end up with egg on your face

Are we having a cliche morning? Thai politics will do that to you..

Not only that but it tends to get your mornings & evenings mixed up too.

[Mrjlh]

"Red Shirts"! They sure picked the PERFECT COLOR to advertise oppression, a "Non-Democratic" way of life, corruption, violence if you don't do it our way, and you better "fear us" attitude. Uhmmmm...just like a dictatorial Communist country that comes to mind.

Oh! excuse me! They are peaceful, lawful, democratic, and never do anything wrong group of people! It was everyone else that demonstrated causing millions of baht damage.

Not US! We do nothing wrong because we will never admit it. Nothing to fear here.

[hellodolly]

I said exactly this some days ago & was patronised by one of the usual PTP/red shirt supporters. It seems more & more real red shirts are admitting that this was an important factor in the election.

Hard to admit by the TV PTP supporters who have to defend their idols no matter what.

Well I could be wrong but it sounds to me like he is making a back door statement that the red shirts were wrong in 2010.

after all if they were rite in 2010 there would be no fear.

Or is Sombat going to have to take a refresher course in red shirt Democracy at the end of a gun?

[charmonman]

Say what? You mean your followers set fire to buildings all over the city, blockade the center for two months, cripple the city's economy and then the ingrates don't even want to vote for you?

This Sombat character must be some kind of genius!

[Bagwan]

The red shirt taxi driver has spoken! Thus it must be so!

Given that his reported opinions are accurate I can well understand why he is a taxi driver.

[NongKhaiKid]

So the terrorists lost the election because the people did not want to vote for them, this is hardly news.

All Thai people should be afraid of these parasites.

Unfortunately up here in Isan both Udon Thani and Khon Kaen want to be regarded as the " reddest " of provinces with totally red villages no go areas for other politicians. When Thaksin was overthrown one of my neighbours had a near fit and ran around the soi in complete confusion. Udon Thani's provincial hall was firebombed by reds led by two police sub-lieutenants and on it goes. Reconciliation is a great ideal but not with ingrained attitudes like this and they don't see how Thaksin uses, and abuses, them

[Buchholz]

Say what? You mean your followers set fire to buildings all over the city, blockade the center for two months, cripple the city's economy and then the ingrates don't even want to vote for you?

This Sombat character must be some kind of genius!

,

Based on Sombat's often-repeated gesture and his frequently-encountered slogan (on his T-shirt) an expected reply could easily be...

,

Edited March 10, 2013 by Buchholz

[OzMick]

Say what? You mean your followers set fire to buildings all over the city, blockade the center for two months, cripple the city's economy and then the ingrates don't even want to vote for you?

This Sombat character must be some kind of genius!

,

Based on Sombat's often-repeated gesture and his frequently-encountered slogan (on his T-shirt) an expected reply could easily be...

,

If you enlarge the picture, you will see the fine print.

RETARDED.