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[rubl]

It's seems the word has been spread, theNation is a 'yellow newspaper'.
Thailanf Live Wednesday 19 June #26:

Red shirts demand 'fair reporting'
BANGKOK: -- A group of red shirts gathered in front of the Nation newspaper headquarters in Bang Na on Wednesday, demanding that the paper do its duty and be neutral when reporting news.
The group of about 20 people said they were members of Samut Prakarn Loving People Group and represented 50 districts of Bangkok.
They also demanded that the Nation send out a representative to receive a letter of protest. Sadet Bunnak, a front page editor of the Thailanguage newspaper Kom Chad Luek received the letter.
-- The Nation 2013-06-19

[whybother]

It's seems the word has been spread, theNation is a 'yellow newspaper'.

Thailanf Live Wednesday 19 June #26:

Red shirts demand 'fair reporting'

BANGKOK: -- A group of red shirts gathered in front of the Nation newspaper headquarters in Bang Na on Wednesday, demanding that the paper do its duty and be neutral when reporting news.

The group of about 20 people said they were members of Samut Prakarn Loving People Group and represented 50 districts of Bangkok.

They also demanded that the Nation send out a representative to receive a letter of protest. Sadet Bunnak, a front page editor of the Thailanguage newspaper Kom Chad Luek received the letter.

-- The Nation 2013-06-19

I hope they're planning to move to some red media sites next.

[nicknostitz]

Just a brief correction.

While it is true that the Nation is overwhelmingly "yellow", there are a minority of reporters who are not, such as this writer, or Pravit. They are in conflict with most of their editors, and try to balance with their articles the slant presented by people such as Thanong, Tulsathip, etc.

Pravit, for example, joined the Nation because of the Nation's stand against the military in 1992. But in 2006 things have changed in that paper.

You have a similar situation in many newspapers here. Some are more strongly yellow (such as Naeow Na, Daily News, Bangkok Post), others are slightly more yellow, and at times shifting (such as Thai Rath), and again others are a bit more red (such as Khao Sod, who especially after Rajaprasong made an editorial decision not to let government pressure dictate their editorial policy, especially when it came to reporting on dead and injured Red Shirts). Matichon, Thailand's most respected newspaper (which also owns Khao Sod) is mostly seen as having a middle ground in which both sides are presented in an equal measure.

Journalism in Thailand is a reflection of Thai society, in many ways, where in editorial offices the same conflicts are played out as in general Thai society.

A thoroughly shallow commentary. One wonders where he spends his all his time. Marinating in self-observed subjectivism mostly it appears. Another one who wants to ignore the fact that the so-called yellow shirts called for a boycott of the DP at the last election. Keep peddling the old line lads and maybe one day someone will forget to point it out. Not that that will stop you.

It will hardly stop me when faced with such an uninformed (and ill-mannered) reply.

Another correction: before the 2011 elections the PAD itself was massively split between the "No-Vote" camp, and the ones that supported the PAD's own New Politics Party, which then led to Somsak Kosaisuk having left the PAD (and having been verbally attacked on the PAD's stage at Makkhawan).

But if you may have observed the PAD of 2006 and 2008, you might have noticed that on many levels the yellow shirts of the PAD and the DP party have closely collaborated, and i am not just talking about Kasit on the stage, but of entire local PAD chapters that were led by DP vote canvassers, and guard units that were sent in by local DP MP's.

Therefore, when people speak about "Yellow" in the context of this conflict, people do not just narrow it down to the PAD itself, but to all groups that have been in close alliance in 2006 and 2008 in their protest against Thaksin. While they may have severe conflicts over almost anything that does not concern Thaksin, their strong dislike of Thaksin does bring them together again. We have seen, for example, in late May/early June 2012, where the PAD and the Democrat Party led protest groups have *together* blockaded the parliament, and key DP politicians have even visited not just their own protesters, but also the PAD's area in front of parliament, such as Suthep, etc.

So, you, see, even though the PAD boycotted the DP (and on stage badly insulted their leading politicians), they still work together when they need to. Even though they may not wear yellow shirts anymore, we can still paraphrase their general philosophy (anti-Thaksin, ultra-royalist, ultra-nationalist) as "Yellow".

In Thai society itself when Thais talk about their own political views (or their neighbor's views) they call themselves either "daeng" or "lueang", and after go then into the different sub-categories ("daeng nor por chor", or "daeng issara", etc, and on the other side "lueang panthamit", or "lueang pak patchathipat").

And back to my original point - yes, in this context different Thai newspapers have differing tendencies along the color divide, but also individual journalists have that as well, but also reflecting the different sub-trends within each different color code.

The Nation, I expect, is fully aware that they are chastised in some quarters for their bias (and there is a bias - the majority of articles in The Nation are not supportive of Peua Thai, they go further to highlight PTP irregularities than they do with Democrat irregularities). Any media wishing to be part of the mainstream would be foolish not to have some "dissenting" voices.

As I've said before many times, I strongly disagree with Nick on some aspects - most of it because, much as he may deny it, he is "Red" in that he is anti-coup, and I am a "Yellow" as I was pro-coup in 2006 (I thought having an undemocratic military dictatorship was better than an undemocratic privately-owned dicatatorship). I do acknowledge he holds some knowledge outside the sphere of some of ours, due to the circles in which he spends most of his time; but, as I've said before, I don't think his knowledge is all-encompassing in the political sphere because my experiences with the Yellow Shirt crowd since 2006 have shown much more variety of opinion than that which I've seen attributed by Nick to the PAD/Yellow/MC-shirt/Pitak Siam/etc umbrella.

"In Thai society itself when Thais talk about their own political views (or their neighbor's views) they call themselves either "daeng" or "lueang", and after go then into the different sub-categories ("daeng nor por chor", or "daeng issara", etc, and on the other side "lueang panthamit", or "lueang pak patchathipat")."

That is a rather simplistic synopsis, but it's quite close to the mark... and this "need to identify" would add to why the political divide here is so polarised, much like loyalty towards a particular football team (you don't start supporting Chonburi if your local Buriram side that you have been following all your life start diving or playing boring football or something), and also why so many Reds believe that that, if you're not Red, then you must be Yellow.

The different sub-categories, though, I don't agree with. I often get asked about my political affiliations... because of my Thai language and my right to vote here, they're keen to know what a "white guy" thinks. The first question - daeng or leuang. The second question: "you don't like Thaksin, luh?". My answer is always a little dismissive of chaps like Suthep, but I go on to say that the Democrat Party is pretty-much the only option on the table that will run the country like a country and I usually go on to highlight the blatant faults within PTP governance. I suppose that makes me a "lueang pak patchathipat" in Nick's book, but I've never heard that expression before. I have heard "Daeng Nor Por Chor" (UDD Red Shirt), but never "Daeng Issara" (free Red Shirt). Admittedly I don't have the political contacts that Nick has, but I do chat politics on occasion with 3 current Democrat MPs, one high profile leader within the "Yellow" camp (even though they don't wear yellow shirts any more and don't agree with NPP) and one of the Red Shirt faction leaders (I might well ask him about it), not to mention a LOT of the general public. Anyway, my point is that, in several hundred not-too-short conversations about Thai politics with Thais, I've not heard a divide any further than "daeng" or "leuang", on either side. Perhaps you get that because your a member of the press? At times people talk because they feel the need to sound intelligent.

That's not from being part of the media, but from living in an almost exclusively Thai neighborhood in which both sides are quite strongly represented - local MP from the Democrats with a narrow margin, who is also quite active in mobilizing protesters for different anti government protests, and some very active Red Shirts as well. People discuss and argue politics all the time there, and naturally, it is quite important to know others' position, also to avoid fights and arguments, as people regardless of their political affiliation still have to live with each other.

There are even finer nuances within both general color groups.

much as he may deny it, he is "Red" in that he is anti-coup, and I am a "Yellow" as I was pro-coup in 2006 (I thought having an undemocratic military dictatorship was better than an undemocratic privately-owned dicatatorship).

In this aspect you could call me "Red", because i was strongly against the coup as a solution, and still am. But i was never a great fan of Thaksin. Back then, i somewhat favored the Democrats. I lost all respect for the Democrats when they refused to partake in the 2006 elections, which they would most definitely not have won, but would have made them a properly functioning opposition again. The coup, in my view, was a quick fix that went terribly wrong. And in the long run it has not just strengthened Thaksin, but has also catapulted increasing amounts of Thais into the political sphere (which was a good thing though). While Thaksin fiddled undoubtably with the system (i am sorry, but to call his rule a dictatorship is hyperbole), but the coup destroyed it and Thailand has not yet recuperated. And i fear it will only be able to recuperate after a lot more bloodshed.

On the other hand, i can't really be Red. With all my knowledge and connections, i am still a foreigner, and happy to be in this position. How can i, without the right to vote here, be part of such a purely internal struggle, other than a person that provides raw material for historians?

But anyhow. As you said - there is very little space for middle ground in contemporary Thailand. You are either this or that. And even if one believes that one tries to keep a middle ground there, people will have perceptions of which side one belongs to. People believe that i am "Red", and there is unfortunately very little i can do about, even though i believe that i am in the middle ground, and just try to be as objective as i can. I honestly have no real feelings at all over the last two important elections - Bangkok Governor and Don Mueang. The DP candidates won fair and square, and i would feel no different if PT would have won. I have spoken a few times with Sukhumband, and i like him, i like that he has very intelligent and moderate views about the political conflict.

Does that make me "yellow" now?

[chainarong]

A very noble cause , unfortunately it is the opposite to democracy, there heart is in the right place, however the present administration will, with hope, self destruct with their arrogance , self importance and with an attitude of I'm alright jack up yours, of course the peasants who follow and support these spiffs will need to have there arse burned before the slow learners learn the hard way of the con job done to them , one hopes that comes soon.

[khunken]

I love the patronising attitude that says 'The Nation is yellow but there are a few within who are not' or words to that effect. The article just made all the red-shirt critics look foolish.

First I don't want to see Yingluck, with all her failings, replaced. Every other possible candidate (selected by Thaksin, of course) looks worse. The thought of someone like Chalerm as PM makes me want to puke.

Second, despite supporting the coup as the lesser of two evils (the other was getting too close to a one-man dictatorship), I do hope that fair elections will result in the next government. This is going to be difficult on two fronts:

1. The party which makes the biggest promises for subsidies & handouts will win;

2. Vote buying and, especially, intimidation will prevent some parties (Dems, Newin's BJP) from canvassing or holding meetings in parts of Isan & the north.

The whole democratic scenario (leaving out checks & balances) will come to a shuddering halt if PTP manage to force through the Thaksin amnesty. If this happens then a coup is probably the only way to prevent a civil war breaking out.

We have a temporary lull before the upcoming storm when the amnesty & constitution changes (PTP-boosting) are to the fore again.

[Pi Sek]

<snip>

Does that make me "yellow" now?

In some peoples' books I'm sure in does! Similarly I've been accused many times on here of being a "Thaksin-sympathiser", which couldn't be further from the truth.

[surangw]

in other words "vote for the crook of your choice "

[GeorgeO]

Fair point. Better off with another 2 years of stability under a controversial govt than having an unelected leader and more tanks on the streets.

I question the use of the word "stability" in the current running of the country, and two years is a long time for them to be left in control ... what's left behind after they've finished raping and pillaging its assets may make Greece look healthy in comparison...!