Bangkok: Mass anti-government protest on Sunday

[123thaibourbon]

please excuse this ignorant request, what exactly does the 'D' represent?

[GrantSmith]

We will be there... Come on, you have opportunity to speak with Royalists and Thai middle and upper class... Dont forget to carry food and water...

And don't forget your jacket... Don't want you to catch a chill out there

[Nibbles48]

So is this the third or fourth time Suthep has declared "D-Day?" I'm losing track.

He didn't declare a D-Day. Those were the reporter's words, and for the record, if you care to skip back through the older threads, you will see that almost all of the 'D-Day' and 'Victory Day' declarations were using the reporter's words too.

Suthep speaks and reporters twist and manipulate the words to make them read what the reporter wants it to read.

Have you not been in Thailand long enough to know that the media here is far more controlled and government centric than in the west.

[Zolt]

Suthep is cunning. He's very good at rabble-rousing (a veritable Thai linguist).

He knows he cannot force Yingluck to step down as caretaker PM, nor can he postpone the elections, nor was he successful in provoking the Reds to start violence, and he failed to get the army to stage a coup.

Therefore he has a new ulterior motive. His sabre-rattling nowadays is NOT directed at PTP.

Instead, it is in fact to intimidate his former boss, Abhisit, to not contest the 2/2 polls. Very Machiavellian in its deviousness.

This is his only hope to prolong the chaos and save some face.

Abhisit does not appreciate this at all, as the Democrats fear losing the support from Suthep's followers.

I feel sorry for the Democrats, they don't deserve to be tarred by the same brush as Uncle Suthep.

I think you might be reading this right. Except there never really was much pretense of Abhisit being Suthep's boss when they were in power.

[Spare]

Why not call it R-Day. "Day of Rage"

[bkkfaranguy]

Am bored with d-days, can't he pick another letter?

How about V-day?

How about VD day that would be a better fit for Suthep!

[123thaibourbon]

please excuse this ignorant request, what exactly does the 'D' represent?

plz let it not be D-EMOCRACY.

here is my take, perhaps ignoratio elenchi, perhaps not:

how is it one reason for the removal of TS was the alleged disloyalty to The Monarchy? When, in fact, or at least acc to Wikileak cables the heavy hitters who orchestrated the 2006 coup were themselves guilty of criticizing a member of The Royal Family to American Ambassador Boyce. Namely, General Prem-ocracy & Madrid Club member Anand Panyarachun among others. If true, how very ironic. Of course, later in 2006-7, TS was equally blamed for the NY eve bombings in Bkk.

PM Yingluck for whatever reason in some sense is following in her brothers' footsteps. To be more specific, TS allowed wealthy exiled characters to return to Thailand illegally and begin smear campaigns against him. Little was done to quell the damage or even recognize such persons. Somehow, the military found a way to exile TS. Given for now, there appears to be support for YLS by the Army. She may fall into the tiger trap. I hope not.

Just as in 1973 & 76, amidst the minority 'loyalists' are dangerous para-military tigers ready to pounce ie or rather were; CIA trained lugseau chowban & krating dang = tiger cub villagers & red guar/bulls resp.. Hence, the recent 4 red-shirts dead, one on the burnt bus? Few yellow shirts are ever really in harmsway. Should things escalate or escalade, it could become another version of 'The Quiet American'. The question posed to the French about having guts in Vietnam only resulted in too much innocent bloodshed.

Yes,' there is snow in Africa'( & Syria) this year. Tons of elephant tusks were recently shredded into ivory flakes for the Dec 3-5 Botswana CITES conf. How sad, the 'grey-market' for many of those tusks is still Thailand. I add this because, to paraphrase JFK, the unfinished business of ~Thailand~ is great.

The political turmoil and pesky pundits may put The Kingdom into a spiral for no sufficient reason. anti-Monarchy hysteria has supplanted the old anti-communism movement. It seems D is self Destruction imo.

Edited December 18, 2013 by 123thaibourbon

[Bpuumike]

The terrorist want photos and films of the police. He is threatening the royal thai police. How long will this be accepted? Sent from my GT-I9300 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

See this is how it works in Thailland, if you stand on a stage and tell thousands of people, and millions more via tv that they should bring empty bottles to Bangkok, where you will fill them with gasoline, for free, so that they can burn the city and all the city halls in their home districts, and not to worry, that you will accept the responsibility. You are rewarded, not with prison, but with a government job and the adoration of many. That is a threat, not telling the police that you will take their picture if they are caught deliberately trying to harm people.

Am sort of confused.

As I understand it, 2 arrest warrants have already been issued against the man but he appears on television daily.

Unlike our leading political lady.

[DGIE]

Am bored with d-days, can't he pick another letter?

He is avoiding the E-Day (end day) because he knows their protest doesn't end

[tx22cb]

So is this the third or fourth time Suthep has declared "D-Day?" I'm losing track.

He didn't declare a D-Day. Those were the reporter's words, and for the record, if you care to skip back through the older threads, you will see that almost all of the 'D-Day' and 'Victory Day' declarations were using the reporter's words too.

Suthep speaks and reporters twist and manipulate the words to make them read what the reporter wants it to read.

Have you not been in Thailand long enough to know that the media here is far more controlled and government centric than in the west.

My (albeit limited) experience of the Thai media is that they do not interpret nor analyse very much.

Their MO is to shove a microphone into someone's face and transcribe almost word for word.

There is less press freedom here - reporters are relatively junior and fear reprisals if they mis-quote a senior person.

Some Thai people I know (avid Suthep supporters) told me that they went to a few of the rallies in the evenings, and Suthep did indeed several times say "wan chai chana" (sorry, no Thai keyboard), which literally translates as "day victory".

Search YouTube for "Suthep" and "Victory Day" - 2 clips on the page are:

1) Suthep declared 1 Dec to be Victory Day

2) Suthep apologising for unable to delivery Victory that he promised on 7 Dec

So at least 2 victory days. Unfortunately the clips are in Thai, so cannot verify.

Suthep was unlucky several times. The Reds did not get violent. The Army did not stage a coup. Yingluck did not commit political suicide.

I am not surprised at these hollow promises - many Thai politicians of all walks do so, it's the norm here.

The Thai press is docile - no investigative reporter to grill them on why so many broken promises and half-truths made by Suthep/Yingluck/Chalerm/Banharn/Newin etc

[webfact]

Thai Protesters Say They Will Rally to Hound Yingluck From Office

An anti-government protestor sits in front of a gate at Government House in Bangkok. (Photo: Steve Tickner / The Irrawaddy)

BANGKOK: -- Anti-government demonstrators in Thailand said they will step up their protests in an attempt to force Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra from office and push through electoral reforms before a general election is held.

The number of protesters camped on the street in the capital has dwindled to around 2,000 over the past week but their leader, former deputy premier Suthep Thaugsuban, called for marches along main roads in central Bangkok on Thursday and Friday, followed by a big rally on Sunday.

"We will chase Yingluck out this Sunday after she made it clear she will not step down as caretaker prime minister," he said late on Tuesday.

Suthep massed 160,000 protesters around Yingluck's office on Dec. 9, when she called a snap election for Feb. 2 to try to defuse the crisis. Yingluck remains caretaker prime minister.

He has sought the backing of the influential military but has so far been rebuffed. Thailand's military a frequent actor in Thai politics ousted Yingluck's brother, the self-exiled Thaksin Shinawatra, when he was premier in 2006.

Will walk until the number of people who come out to join us outnumber those who elected Yingluck. We will march until the military and civil servants finally join us, Suthep told reporters.

Thailand's eight-year political conflict centers on Thaksin, a former telecommunications tycoon popular among the rural poor because of cheap health care and other policies brought in while he was in power.

Yingluck won a landslide victory in 2011 and her Pheu Thai Party is well placed to win again because of Thaksin's bedrock support in the populous, rural north and northeast.

Ranged against him are a royalist establishment that feels threatened by Thaksin's rise and in the past, at least the army. Some academics see him as a corrupt rights abuser, while the middle class resent what they see as their taxes being spent on wasteful populist policies that amount to vote-buying.

Thaksin chose to live in exile after fleeing in 2008 just before being sentenced to jail for abuse of power in a trial that he says was politically motivated.

Even if the election takes place on Feb. 2, its legitimacy could be undermined if the main opposition Democrat Party decides not to take part.

At a two-day conference that ended on Tuesday, it reappointed former premier Abhisit Vejjajiva as its leader. However, its members could not agree whether to run in the election or back the street protesters.

Democrat lawmakers resigned from parliament this month to march with Suthep, who was a deputy prime minister in Abhisit's government until 2011.

Some agree with his call for reforms to be implemented before another election is held, but others believe their party, Thailand's oldest, should respect the democratic process and run for office. A decision is expected on Saturday.

Suthep's program remains vague and it is unclear how long it would take his proposed people's council to implement any reforms.

He wants to wipe out vote-buying and electoral fraud and has also promised forceful laws to eradicate corruption, decentralization, the end of superficial populist policies that enable corruption, and the reform of certain state agencies such as the police force.

Suthep's protest gained impetus in early November after Yingluck's government tried to push through a political amnesty bill that would have allowed Thaksin to return home a free man.

Additional reporting by Panarat Thepgumpanat.

The post Thai Protesters Say They Will Rally to Hound Yingluck From Office appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine.

Source: Irrawaddy.org

[Richard Hall]

"We won’t be tired, born to walk and born to chase" said Suthep.

Bruce, is it you? Then quit the whistle and get the guitar out instead, dude.

[Robby nz]

Where are the Red shirts? Are they going to take all of this laying down and watch their government overthrown without any fight at all? One has to wonder if they being kept out of BKK by the military or police officials?

They sure went to a lot of trouble to get this government into power, just seems a bit odd that they are just laying down like this

The reds are demonstrating in Chiang Mai at the home of a lady called Chao Duangduan Chiang Mai who is the president of an organization called 'The Chiang Mai Cultural Council'.

They are there because she had the temerity to speak up against Yingluck and PT.

They are insisting she resigns for this terrible crime and be replaced with Yinglucks big sister.

They say they want this so politics can be removed from the running of the CMCC.

That's right they want a non MP removed and an MP installed to remove political influence.

Do these people have any thought process at all ?

Sorry cant post a link as this came from todays news in another publication, however if anyone really wants a link PM me and I will be happy to provide it.

Must warn you though, it should really be in the jokes section.

Edited December 18, 2013 by Robby nz

[GrantSmith]

Where are the Red shirts? Are they going to take all of this laying down and watch their government overthrown without any fight at all? One has to wonder if they being kept out of BKK by the military or police officials?

They sure went to a lot of trouble to get this government into power, just seems a bit odd that they are just laying down like this

The reds are demonstrating in Chiang Mai at the home of a lady called Chao Duangduan Chiang Mai who is the president of an organization called 'The Chiang Mai Cultural Council'.

They are there because she had the temerity to speak up against Yingluck and PT.

They are insisting she resigns for this terrible crime and be replaced with Yinglucks big sister.

They say they want this so politics can be removed from the running of the CMCC.

That's right they want a non MP removed and an MP installed to remove political influence.

Do these people have any thought process at all ?

Sorry cant post a link as this came from todays news in another publication, however if anyone really wants a link PM me and I will be happy to provide it.

Must warn you though, it should really be in the jokes section.

Have you used an internet search engine before?

Go to www.google.com

Type in the above mentioned persons name in the "search" field and click "enter"

http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/red-shirts-protest-chao-duangduan-criticism-ms-yingluck/

Last time I checked, Thai PBS is not on the banned list of sources

It was posted an hour before the publishing of the article that you site in your post - that as you correctly point out - which can't be made.

[aechzen]

Shure Y.she wanst good money for every day hard working !!how much she gets in one month ?

[Jasun]

I wish the King had birthdays more often.

Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[Patje]

Can someone point them in the wrong direction? Into Myanmar or so ???

A minority can never win, accept that !!

[Robby nz]

Ta for the insult Grant.

As you have found the article you may like to post it in full so those who support the reds can see the utter stupidity of those they champion.

[GrantSmith]

Ta for the insult Grant.

As you have found the article you may like to post it in full so those who support the reds can see the utter stupidity of those they champion.

No worries Robby, I just wouldn't want anyone doubting your sources again...

As for posting the article in full - it's probably in violation of forum rule #22

[aguy30]

"Thaksin chose to live in exile after fleeing in 2008 just before being sentenced to jail for abuse of power in a trial that he says was politically motivated."

Politically motivated by who? Politically motived is correct if you consider that there were criminal acts perpetrated by a politician in the political office of Prime Minister. and convicted in Thai court. There are still many outstanding charges waiting for his return.

[kingstonkid]

Ok so he gets rid of Yingluck Won't that free up a spot for another thaksin stooge

[Ghostnigel]

We will be there... Come on, you have opportunity to speak with Royalists and Thai middle and upper class... Dont forget to carry food and water...

They'll even give you the chance to vote on 2/2.....haha, chok dee.

[Costas2008]

I Googled "Happy New Year" and it came up as "Not available in your country".

To the Reds, Yellows, Greens, Blues etc. Please stop the nonsense.

[ggold]

The terrorist want photos and films of the police. He is threatening the royal thai police. How long will this be accepted? Sent from my GT-I9300 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

And if it were the police taking photos of the protestors, would that be big brother baring down on freedom of expression? Peaceful protestors do not equate with the real terror that is a redshirt!

Not forgetting the terrorist of Dubai, if we have to call someone a terrorist!

[FangFerang]

The terrorist want photos and films of the police. He is threatening the royal thai police. How long will this be accepted? Sent from my GT-I9300 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

Do you care to elaborate where the threat is?

That the police are now forewarned to confiscate cellphones and cameras of buses stopped by spikes.

[FangFerang]

please excuse this ignorant request, what exactly does the 'D' represent?

Either Dumbass or Dictator I think. Maybe both for the sake of brevity.

[DocN]

"...and I demand cake for everybody!"

"...and if not one gazillion people follow me, I will surrender to the police!"

[rijb]

Ok so he gets rid of Yingluck Won't that free up a spot for another thaksin stooge

There are plenty of stooges, on both sides.

I miss the old days when there were only 3 ... Moe, Larry and Curly.

[JoeThePoster]

After the December 22 D-Day

He's sounding like a broken Mayan doomsday clock now.

[mca]

please excuse this ignorant request, what exactly does the 'D' represent?

"Dis is the day I announce my next D-Day"