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SPECIAL REPORT
Thai Spring launches online campaign against Yingluck
Attayuth Bootsripoom,
Khanittha Thepphajorn
The Nation


Thai Spring calls on people who disagree with Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra

BANGKOK: -- The speech Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra delivered in the Mongolian capital recently has sparked widespread discussions nationwide.

Many have been asking if it is appropriate for the prime minister to cite domestic political conflicts in a speech. Others are questioning her decision to mention the coup that ousted her brother, former PM Thaksin Shinawatra, as well as the attack on a "certain group" for blocking Thailand from becoming a full democracy.

Though many of her supporters admire the speech, others say it only told part of the truth. Critics say Yingluck conveniently chose not to mention the corruption that led to the coup.

This dissatisfaction with the prime minister's speech has led to the formation of a new group called Thai Spring.

Members have been collecting signatures of those who disagree with the contents of the speech, while the group has also published an open letter detailing Thaksin's alleged misdeeds that they say warranted the coup and.

The letter also attacks the Yingluck government, calling it a dictatorial regime that is perpetuating the power of the Shinawatra family. It also attacked Yingluck personally, saying she was merely a puppet of her brother.

Thai Spring is modelled after the Arab Spring pro-democracy movement in North Africa and the Middle East. The Arab Spring movement spread across the region and dictatorial regimes were toppled in countries including Libya, Tunisia and Egypt. In others, such as Syria, a bloody conflict is still ongoing.

Two founding members of Thai Spring are well-known figures - Kaewsan Atibodhi and former chief of the Royal Court Security Police Vasit Dejkunjorn. They are known to have close ties to the Democrat Party and previously participated in protests against the current government. They are also known to be close to the Siam Samakkhi group, which has held seminars critical of the government.

Furthermore, Kaewsan used to be a member of the Assets Examination Committee and is regarded as an arch-enemy of Thaksin and his allies.

Kaewsan's involvement has led several observers to believe that the Thai Spring will do more than just gather signatures and express its displeasure in cyber-space.

Kaewsan said the movement had been set up because Yingluck was showing her true colours. He said he had drafted the open letter on April 30, while Vasit suggested that he should provide a channel for people who disagree with the speech to express their opposition. As a result, the duo set up a website for people to sign their names and convey their opinions to the international community.

The campaign kicked off on May 4 and, so far, up to 15,000 signatures have been gathered.

Kaewsan said expressing disagreement on the Net was an alternative method for civilians to show their dissatisfaction with the government. He also denied allegations that he had been hired by someone to organise the movement, adding that he did not care about efforts to discredit it.

"Vasit and I simply want to provide a channel for the people to share their opinion," he said, adding that this movement might lead to demonstrations in the future but he would not be the one organising any such rallies.

He said he would send the signatures and the movement's open letter to foreign embassies and international organisations in 106 countries.

The movement will continue gathering signatures, which will be sent to the embassies again in the future.

Kaewsan said the movement's only aim at present was to show to the world that many Thais disagreed with the prime minister's speech in Mongolia.

The rest of us will have to wait and see what the Thai Spring does next and if it will grow like the Arab Spring when the controversial reconciliation bill is deliberated in August.


-- The Nation 2013-05-18

[kotsak]

Feel free to sign up

http://goo.gl/iQzaK

[rametindallas]

'because Yingluck was showing her true colors'. Madam P.M.'s true colors are whatever her brother Thaksin says they are.

[arthurboy]

Khun Kaewsan, are your comments simply a lot of melodramatic bluster and hot air, or the prelude to a bloody uprising?

The people have a right to know.

[Payboy]

Thai Spring is modelled after the Arab Spring pro-democracy movement in North Africa and the Middle East. The Arab Spring movement spread across the region and dictatorial regimes were toppled in countries including Libya, Tunisia and Egypt. In others, such as Syria, a bloody conflict is still ongoing.

Only difference being, Thai Spring would barely take the load of a 1000 baht note.

[apetley]

Hopefully "Thai Spring" will be asking the electorate for their mandate at the next elections too.

Sent from my GT-I9003 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[LuckyLew]

and what color shirts will they wear?

[Rhys]

55555 are you kidding.... she thinks this is a fashion movement...better to look good than be good... image and fashion..a pretty one and pretty sweet lip speaking.. p..... n

[mickjn]

I love her

[bigbamboo]

All this effort because of a speech in Mongolia...!

I doubt if anyone outside Thailand can even remember it.

[centrala]

I love her

Why?

[Bellweather]

Just how long will it be before the ICT Minister issues his " i can suspend you " warning since in the PTP dictionary criticism is really defamation ?

[hellodolly]

Could Thaksin be behind this in an effort to get his other sister in?

[Just1Voice]

If I were an Arab, I'd be insulted by this "Thai Spring" nomenclature.

[Frank James]

Here goes "The Nation" again, desperately trying to gain traction on a non-story. Thai Spring, PLEASE! What a joke. The PTP should call another election right away, just to call BS on this "movement".

The Prime Minister's speech was a form of "anti-coup insurance", in my opinion. It was not a great speech, and got entirely too personal in places. But she told the truth about the fragile state of democracy here, and apparently steeped on a lot of over-sensitive toes.

A Loyal Opposition is essential in a democracy, and they are perfectly correct in challenging the government and its leader when in their view she is in the wrong. But bankrolling a phony group like this to stir up trouble is unworthy of them, and will lead nowhere.

Viva Yingluck. Keep sticking it to The Power, Babe.

[mickjn]

I love her

Why?

I do not know it is just like when you meet someone and there is that spark.My main problem is I havent met her

[mickjn]

Viva Yingluck. Keep sticking it to The Power, Babe.

I wish I had the power of the word like you Sir

Chohk Dee Yingluck

Chohk Dee Frank James

[tragickingdom]

Thai Spring? Elitists were never very original and Thai elitists are a bit dumb too. Looking at all their almost 100 year old heroes it is more "evening red" or Thai winter, if there was one at all. The club magazine of Thai coup takers, The Nation, seems desperate. Anyhow, try a Thai spring and you will harvest what you have sowed, ask the people in Egypt, Libya or Syria. But wait, maybe they have just done a try out in the deep South.

[indyuk]

I love her

Why?

'Cos she's lovely

[Paangjang]

I met her once and she smiled at me so i now consider us friends

[indyuk]

Could Thaksin be behind this in an effort to get his other sister in?

If he is I'd like to drop him myself.

[hellodolly]

Thai Spring? Elitists were never very original and Thai elitists are a bit dumb too. Looking at all their almost 100 year old heroes it is more "evening red" or Thai winter, if there was one at all. The club magazine of Thai coup takers, The Nation, seems desperate. Anyhow, try a Thai spring and you will harvest what you have sowed, ask the people in Egypt, Libya or Syria. But wait, maybe they have just done a try out in the deep South.

Hard to compare the Mideast spring doings to Thailand. Any time you get fanatics involved over in a subject that includes Sharia law it only takes a few To move masses.

Here in Thailand the Thai spring is to try to stop a dictatorship such as the Arabian countries had and have. There will be no talk of Sharia law.

[hellodolly]

I met her once and she smiled at me so i now consider us friends

That will end if she gets to know you.

Unless you own a chain of high fashion boutiques.

[indyuk]

and what color shirts will they wear?

Yellow shirts with white feather in their hair I suppose is a very appropriate flag for any of the Dem mob.

[whybother]

and what color shirts will they wear?

Yellow shirts with white feather in their hair I suppose is a very appropriate flag for any of the Dem mob.

.

Dem mob?

[ballpoint]

and what color shirts will they wear?

Yellow shirts with white feather in their hair I suppose is a very appropriate flag for any of the Dem mob.

.

Dem mob?

As in "Dem mob, dey wear red shirts. Dey burnin' and dey killin'"

[bigbamboo]

I met her once and she smiled at me so i now consider us friends

Thank you, Barack Obama.

[metisdead]

Just a reminder that posts using derogatory nicknames or intentional misspelling of people’s names will be deleted. If you don’t want your post to be deleted, spell people’s names correctly. A post and a reply have been removed.

[waza]

A pleasant non-confrontational method to indicate your disapproval, well done. Far better than street violence and burning buildings

[surangw]

walking a fine line between truth and slander