PDRC claims 6 million people in Bangkok turn out to protest yesterday

[Puccini]

I was wondering how Suthep's family name Thaugsuban is pronounced and figured it out with the help of Google:

Suthep Thaugsuban pronunciation.wav

[brit1984]

i thought the support of the people was completely irrelevant to a political party's right to hold power in thailand...

[leggo]

Without wanting to be rude on this forum - all i can say is 'what a total load of <deleted>!' There is absolutely no way there were 6 million

demonstrating yesterday unless this was the biggest demo ever in the whole history of the world which of course it was not! This sort of totally absurd and stupid statement gives no credability whatsoever to those involved and shows us all what sort of debate is going on - totall bullshit. Personally as a foreigner I don't pick sides so there is not much that I can add. To bring Bangkok's traffic to a standstill could be achieved with a 100th of that total if they were on strategic junctions and roundabouts (It is estimated that you would only need a fraction of that amount to bring Londo'6s traffic to a halt) Whoever dreamed up these figures are not only doing a great diservice to whoever they are working for but also are insulting the Thai population.

[recycler]

Drunk and delusional people see double, I know, but this counting must be on extreme dope!

"He said that the number came from scientific calculation by a group of architects, scientists" ever heard such <deleted>?

[ratcatcher]

Yeah, and last time I checked the red shirts don't live in Bangkok (well they do but they are the serf class). The yellow bellies shutting down BKK for a week would be cutting off their nose to spite their face.

"(well they do but they are the serf class)."

Somchai don't serf!

[brit1984]

Although not very precise, Satit is quite accurate.

The stage claimed that BBC reported 5 million came out in the last march.

This time I have a feeling that it is a little bit more, so 6 million is about right.

Ok, but I looked online and cannot find where the BBC said this. Do you have a link? I am always open to suggestions.

The population of Thailand is 66 million (quite probably nearly 70 because of unregistered indiginous people). So...10% say they want 100% control?

no no no... you don't understand... that 66/70 million includes poor people, they don''t count

[brit1984]

Without wanting to be rude on this forum - all i can say is 'what a total load of <deleted>!' There is absolutely no way there were 6 million

demonstrating yesterday unless this was the biggest demo ever in the whole history of the world which of course it was not! This sort of totally absurd and stupid statement gives no credability whatsoever to those involved and shows us all what sort of debate is going on - totall bullshit. Personally as a foreigner I don't pick sides so there is not much that I can add. To bring Bangkok's traffic to a standstill could be achieved with a 100th of that total if they were on strategic junctions and roundabouts (It is estimated that you would only need a fraction of that amount to bring Londo'6s traffic to a halt) Whoever dreamed up these figures are not only doing a great diservice to whoever they are working for but also are insulting the Thai population.

lets give them the benefit of doubt and assume it was a simple calculation error / typo

[penwithcris]

If there were 6 million supporters out on the streets then there should be many more silent supporters. Dont see no reason why the dems then dont contest the election to win a majority and then carry on with their reforms.

[trainman34014]

That's nuffink. We had 20 million to see Queen and Freddy live at Wembley in 1995....an 10 million in the Palladium to see Mr Blobby in 2000. Talking of Mr Blobby; I knew i'd seen Suthep somewhere before !

Ohhhh...Blobby Blobby Blobby.

[Puccini]

A person standing takes up roughly 1 square meter. So for one location, 2 million people, that would be 2 square kilometers if packed shoulder to shoulder.

Not by Suthep's reckoning. On 18 December he calculated with with three persons per square metre for yesterday's demonstration:

He said his group estimated that the rallies would cover some 577,000 square metres. At the calculation of three demonstrators per a square metre, there would be at least 1.7 million protesters if the areas are fully occupied, Suthep said.

Reading that, I was reminded of the true story about the Thai woman who, when a man bumped against her chest in the crowded underground train in Hong Kong, said: "Don't touch my milk!"

[geriatrickid]

Doesn't really matter what the numbers were they proved their point that they can bring the center of BKK to a standstill, showing that they can do it again.

If there are no serious moves towards reform in the very near future and the election goes ahead on 2 Feb then it will happen again and it will be for a longer period next time.

Over to you Yingluck wherever you are hiding.

The numbers quoted are not reliable nor even close. It would have been physically impossible to fit all of those people in the protest zones.

The only numbers that count will be at the ballot box.

The numbers are not as the trend and the message that trend relays. The trend is that the numbers of protestors is increasing and this protest movement is still growing. More people are getting off the fence and voting with their feet, while other have had the epiphany that the Thaksin proxy government is ego centric and corrupt not socialist. The message is that they are tired of corrupt governments that change the laws and constitution to suit their own agenda, they will no longer tolerate the machinations of criminals and con men within their government. They are tired of having the wool pulled over their eyes with schemes that pillage the treasure or policies implemented under the guise of helping the poor only to enslave them.

The supporters of the Yingluck government claim they have the majority but even at the height of their popularity they were unable to get these numbers to any of their sanctioned protests, even though they paid them to attend and covered their expenses. Therefore, it is further evident that the message is that the corrupt and self centered actions of this administration over the last 2 and a half years have further alienated them and reduced their mandate. They have recognised this as evidenced by the dissolution of their parliament and are now trying to engineer a victory from the jaws of defeat.

Ok. Now that you have "established" the great popularity of the Suthep message, you should have no reservations having it put it to the test at the ballot box. These people can cast their votes for their candidate who will represent their position. Those who disagree, can vote for their preferred candidate. Not very difficult is it?

Almost every post seems to refer to the PTP paying for votes and supporters at rallies. Well, here's a newsflash, my friend says he was offered 1000baht, less a 200 baht donation to the movement. He would have been obliged to turn over his id card and to check in with a supervisor at the rally. He declined. He needed the cash but due to work could not attend. Should I make a generalization as to everyone being paid this amount to attend the rally? I would not as it is not relevant. The continued references to alleged payments by PTP are the same.

[penwithcris]

Intelligent comment. If there were six million protesting on the streets it follows that there must be several million in Bangkok and the provinces that wish to see the ousting of Yingluck and PheuThai

So why are the inaptly named Democratic Party so fearful of the upcoming election that they are doing everything in their power to scupper it.

I have no love for the Democratic Party and I wholeheartedly support PheuThai, but if the Democrats win the election I would support their right to govern and hope that the policies they put in place would be good for the whole country.

Instead of constant bickering I pray that whichever party is successful turns their attention to things that really matter like the ongoing conflict in the deep South of Thailand, drug control, law and order, the obscene number of deaths on the roads.

[Hulkster]

So 10% of the population of Thailand was gathered at three intersections yesterday?

BTS numbers were a record but only slightly higher than the record. Did all the high-so get motorbike taxis to the protest areas?

[beautifulthailand99]

Well if comes down to numbers in street protest in the end - then the next step is for the Red;s to show their cards both in Bangkok and provincially and then for fights, burning down of government building's and the like. Then before you know it the problem escalates out of control, the army comes in coup and then back to square one. At some point there's going to be a civil war which in other asian countries has manifested in the past as anti-Chinese sentiment but will be more nuanced here in Thailand but will have large elements of the rural Thai Thai's against the Bangkok sino-Thai elite. The poor of Thailand have got the message loud and clear doesn't matter who or how many times you vote we will steal the result away from you time and time again.

[kimamey]

Who really cares?

You I assume since you're reading it.

[brit1984]

whatever the real numbers, it doesnt add any credibility to suthep + co... if they had the support of the thai people they could take power democratically

anyway, suthep has already made very clear that the support of thai people is irrelevant to his right to take power so not really sure why they care about the numbers

only one thing is certain - most of the 15 million people who voted for the government did not attend the protest and if suthep gets his way, a lot of them will be in bangkok next year causing more disruption / chaos / bloodshed / deaths until democracy is restored

Edited December 23, 2013 by brit1984

[Halion]

CAPO and the NSC giving out distorted facts. Now we are starting to get to the truth. In black and white print for all to see. The government agency's deliver bullshit.

[kurtgruen]

Not sure, if you guys got this article, on TV yet, as I don't spend most of my waking hours posting on here, but I found it to be a good article and pretty much agree with everything I know about, in it....

http://www.globalresearch.ca/thailand-regime-is-not-democratically-elected-wall-streets-proxy-government/5360153

[kimamey]

Doesn't really matter what the numbers were they proved their point that they can bring the center of BKK to a standstill, showing that they can do it again.

If there are no serious moves towards reform in the very near future and the election goes ahead on 2 Feb then it will happen again and it will be for a longer period next time.

Over to you Yingluck wherever you are hiding.

The numbers quoted are not reliable nor even close. It would have been physically impossible to fit all of those people in the protest zones.

The only numbers that count will be at the ballot box.

I would seriously doubt those numbers as well in the same way I wouldn't believe the government ones either. There were still a lot of people though. Obviously enough to have an effect on Yingluck and the government. Of course many people would have joined the protest and then left again as my wife did. There are ways to accommodate these variables but it doesn't look like that's what's being done

[metisdead]

A post containing Thai language has been removed. This is the English language part of the forum, if you want to post in Thai language you can do that on the Thai language forum.

Some trolling posts have been removed.

[Emptyset]

Almost every post seems to refer to the PTP paying for votes and supporters at rallies. Well, here's a newsflash, my friend says he was offered 1000baht, less a 200 baht donation to the movement. He would have been obliged to turn over his id card and to check in with a supervisor at the rally. He declined. He needed the cash but due to work could not attend. Should I make a generalization as to everyone being paid this amount to attend the rally? I would not as it is not relevant. The continued references to alleged payments by PTP are the same.

Word. Heard the same story about payment offered from three friends now, people who have no reason to lie and who have told me this in private capacity. Like you, GK, I believe this has little impact on the credibility of the rally. I say the vast majority of people are there because they genuinely believe in it, and that the payment issue isn't relevant. The same goes for the red shirts.

However, posters who believe in the anti-government cause often post these anecdotes about the red shirts and believe that this sort of thing means the red shirts are supporting the cause only for 200 baht in hand and free food. That's what I object to. It's nonsense.

Edited December 23, 2013 by Emptyset

[Thailand]

Oops, ipad error!

Edited December 23, 2013 by Thailand

[metisdead]

An off topic post has been removed.

[thomash]

6 million?? That is total nonsense! If you believe that I have a bridge to sell ya to!

[Halion]

Well if comes down to numbers in street protest in the end - then the next step is for the Red;s to show their cards both in Bangkok and provincially and then for fights, burning down of government building's and the like. Then before you know it the problem escalates out of control, the army comes in coup and then back to square one. At some point there's going to be a civil war which in other asian countries has manifested in the past as anti-Chinese sentiment but will be more nuanced here in Thailand but will have large elements of the rural Thai Thai's against the Bangkok sino-Thai elite. The poor of Thailand have got the message loud and clear doesn't matter who or how many times you vote we will steal the result away from you time and time again.

Please, get some objectivity into your argument. It is widely known that the previous election was a travesty of Shiniwatara and PTP manipulation , bought votes and outright fraud. The current opposition want reforms in place prior to any election in order to try to obtain a true objective on the voting practise. An election now would simple lead to more of the same and perhaps you have not noticed but there are many in Thailand that have simply had enough of this goverments malfeasance ,ineptitude and outright corruption. Insanity is in doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.. The people of Isan are no more special than any other area in Thailand with the exception that the Shiniwatara's have successful exploited and manipulated them for personal gain. The PTP cares not about the poor and rural but only about votes. If they are truly on the side of the poor then ask yourself why they have done bugger all to alleviate the rampant terrorism that prevails in the South. If the south voted PTP I am sure help would be forthcoming however ,thankfully they have a little more integrity than their cousins in the north.

[Thailand]

Well if comes down to numbers in street protest in the end - then the next step is for the Red;s to show their cards both in Bangkok and provincially and then for fights, burning down of government building's and the like. Then before you know it the problem escalates out of control, the army comes in coup and then back to square one. At some point there's going to be a civil war which in other asian countries has manifested in the past as anti-Chinese sentiment but will be more nuanced here in Thailand but will have large elements of the rural Thai Thai's against the Bangkok sino-Thai elite. The poor of Thailand have got the message loud and clear doesn't matter who or how many times you vote we will steal the result away from you time and time again.

Please, get some objectivity into your argument. It is widely known that the previous election was a travesty of Shiniwatara and PTP manipulation , bought votes and outright fraud. The current opposition want reforms in place prior to any election in order to try to obtain a true objective on the voting practise. An election now would simple lead to more of the same and perhaps you have not noticed but there are many in Thailand that have simply had enough of this goverments malfeasance ,ineptitude and outright corruption. Insanity is in doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.. The people of Isan are no more special than any other area in Thailand with the exception that the Shiniwatara's have successful exploited and manipulated them for personal gain. The PTP cares not about the poor and rural but only about votes. If they are truly on the side of the poor then ask yourself why they have done bugger all to alleviate the rampant terrorism that prevails in the South. If the south voted PTP I am sure help would be forthcoming however ,thankfully they have a little more integrity than their cousins in the north.

Could you please point me to the Thai integrity meter?

[cacruden]

I stopped off to see how many people were at Asoke and the turnout was not very high. There were those on the skywalk, but the intersection although sort of filled in the middle was thinning rapidly on either side of the traffic lights..... I could get more people to come out for a pro-nuclear weapons rally in my hometown

[animatic]

University of California at Berkeley journalism professor named Herbert Jacobs rule of thumb method.

"• A loose crowd, one where each person is an arm’s length from the body of his or her nearest neighbors, needs 10 square feet per person.

• A more tightly packed crowd fills 4.5 square feet per person.

• A truly scary mob of mosh-pit density would get about 2.5 square feet per person. "

Or

http://www.popularmechanics.com/science/the-curious-science-of-counting-a-crowd

Edited December 23, 2013 by animatic

[emiubon]

6 millions fairly packet and homogeneous, take at least 6 sq km,

[ourmanflint]

Wow, calculations by "architect scientists with experience in urban and aerial designs". Of course it must be accurate and all that...

Do they realize just how much 6 million people really is...??

A person standing takes up roughly 1 square meter. So for one location, 2 million people, that would be 2 square kilometers if packed shoulder to shoulder.

What absolute twaddle! You have no idea what youre talking about much like most of the nay sayers here!

Look here for a more informed opinion on crowd density http://www.gkstill.com/Support/crowd-density/625sm/Density6.html