Bangkok: Taxi driver beaten unconscious by anti-govt protesters

[wooloomooloo]

I hope the cabbie survives as was obviously a brutal assault and a hell of a lot of blood from a head injury.

Shame on the thugs who beat the poor guy.

[MJP]

Disgraceful attack on a man trying to earn a living but its a sign of the sheer contempt that the hi so protesters show for the rest of the Thai Population. The government must stand firm against this thuggery and intimidation.

How many shop and hotel workers lost their living because of the reds at Central?

Sheer contempt by the reds for their fellow working class gang.

Difference was, the reds were paid to be there and if they say Hi So, the media is immediately on their side.

Please tell me how thaksin, with his billions and overseas education, and yingluck, with her millions worth of watches, handbags, etc, Chalerm with his pink Bentley, and the rest of their gang, are not the Elite?

Not wrong.

The whole thing is ripe for Orwellian quotes.

“The creatures outside looked from pig to man, and from man to pig, and from pig to man again; but already it was impossible to say which was which.”

[englishoak]

Movements never get more peaceful they only get more and more violent. this is how the madness spreads.

The more fed up normal people get with their daily lives and livelihood being disrupted the more incidents with normal people will happen. Who cares who this poor taxi driver had political sympathy with or the cab owner. ( probably not the driver ) people have to eat and if they cant work they dont eat...

I had some pratt blow a whistle right in my ear on the skytrain this morning. On purpose, all i wanted to do was to deck him but instead just made a very loud Oiii and held my ear and glared at him, luckily some old lady got really pissed off and proceeded to launch into a tirade at him about being an idiot and having no respect or a better job than blowing whistles in peoples faces, he got off in a hurry as soon as we pulled into Asok.

More and more normal people are going to become vocal about not being able to make a daily living and they are clearly getting fed up with it and the image its portraying on the country,Expect more and more incidents like this and expect the foreign media to pick up on it and become even more critical of the mob attitude.

[hcvc]

Didn't Suthep mention his People's Democratic Reform Committee (PDRC) wished to establish its own police force. Is this an example of how his jackboots will behave?

[tomacht8]

I do not like this.
Hope the taxi driver is still well.
Why the people go so crazy?
Wake up thailand.
The King called for peace and unity.
Some stupid people can not understand this massage.
Peace and unit.

[blaze]

Something I wonder about as the country slowly descends into mob rule, will farangs become targets for their rage? I keep hearing that many Thais hate us and only put up with us because we spend money. I don't know how true this is or even what percentage hate us if it is true but something to think about perhaps.

I walked among the crowd at Metropolitan police headquarters a few weeks ago, I could hear people say "farang this & farang that..."

While I was not concerned as it felt like a harmless gathering, it was in stark contrast to what I experienced in the same location in 2010 when the UDD was there.

As a street photographer, I don't think I would venture anywhere near the "mad mob" at this point in time.

Wise move.

where the reds welcomed 'us'- this thing does not- best to stay clear.

The reds had a cause that they rightly or wrongly believed would win international attention.

These peoople have only passion- and no idea about anything.

It used to be called 'jaquerie'l

[philw]

Something I wonder about as the country slowly descends into mob rule, will farangs become targets for their rage? I keep hearing that many Thais hate us and only put up with us because we spend money. I don't know how true this is or even what percentage hate us if it is true but something to think about perhaps.

I walked among the crowd at Metropolitan police headquarters a few weeks ago, I could hear people say "farang this & farang that..."

While I was not concerned as it felt like a harmless gathering, it was in stark contrast to what I experienced in the same location in 2010 when the UDD was there.

As a street photographer, I don't think I would venture anywhere near the "mad mob" at this point in time.

Wise move.

where the reds welcomed 'us'- this thing does not- best to stay clear.

The reds had a cause that they rightly or wrongly believed would win international attention.

These peoople have only passion- and no idea about anything.

It used to be called 'jaquerie'l

I hope you are wrong and suspect that you are right.

[Mackie]

where the reds welcomed 'us'- this thing does not- best to stay clear.

The reds had a cause that they rightly or wrongly believed would win international attention.

These peoople have only passion- and no idea about anything.

It used to be called 'jaquerie'l

The reds welcomed foreigners only if foreigners supported them. That's how it works. When I walked out to support the current protest I got hugged and Thais showed me quite a lot of respect, especially older generation.

Let's not spread any 'romantic' ideas about reds. Thugs are thugs, not matter what colour. And stop whinging about people livelihood being endangered. More than 100,000 Thais lost their jobs as a result of red mob actions. Some of you need to be continually reminded what happened three years ago.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Front_for_Democracy_Against_Dictatorship#Pattaya

Critics and opponents inside and outside Thailand often express the suspicion that the socially progressive platform and the organization as an independent NGO are only feigned to actually pursue the agenda of Thaksin and his entourage. The American freelance commentator Philip J. Cunningham even drew parallels of UDD's personalism, xenophobia, anti-gay sentiments and militance with Italian Fascism.^[54]

The red shirt movement also publicly displays close and regular relations ^[55] with Cambodian prime minister Hun Sen, severely criticized for his political history (former Khmer Rouge captain, leader of the violent 1997 clashes in Cambodia) and accused by several NGOs, including Human Rights Watch,^[56] of antidemocratic, corrupted and nepotic practices spread over his record-long mandate.

[nottocus]

Something I wonder about as the country slowly descends into mob rule, will farangs become targets for their rage? I keep hearing that many Thais hate us and only put up with us because we spend money. I don't know how true this is or even what percentage hate us if it is true but something to think about perhaps.

I walked among the crowd at Metropolitan police headquarters a few weeks ago, I could hear people say "farang this & farang that..."

While I was not concerned as it felt like a harmless gathering, it was in stark contrast to what I experienced in the same location in 2010 when the UDD was there.

As a street photographer, I don't think I would venture anywhere near the "mad mob" at this point in time.

Wise move.

where the reds welcomed 'us'- this thing does not- best to stay clear.

The reds had a cause that they rightly or wrongly believed would win international attention.

These peoople have only passion- and no idea about anything.

It used to be called 'jaquerie'l

I hope you are wrong and suspect that you are right.

Get out now Farang. While u still can. It's gonna be a bloodbath.

[bkkgriz]

Whatever high moral ground these protesters thought they could take is gone. The police and or army need to end the protests now. This whole thing is going to get out of hand and there is going to be lots of blood in the streets. I know and work with many people who go to the protests, blow their whistles and post pics to Facebook. I think they have no idea they are being used and many innocent and naive people are going to get hurt.

[Mackie]

Whatever high moral ground these protesters thought they could take is gone. The police and or army need to end the protests now. This whole thing is going to get out of hand and there is going to be lots of blood in the streets. I know and work with many people who go to the protests, blow their whistles and post pics to Facebook. I think they have no idea they are being used and many innocent and naive people are going to get hurt.

You couldn't be more wrong. People who support the protest have clear idea why they do that. Thaksin is simply not wanted in Thailand. The current government miscalculated greatly. The amnesty bill galvanized Thais across the board. Thais will not allow Thaksin and his cronies to turn Thailand into another Cambodia. Innocent people will die, innocent people will get hurt but only because of Thaksin and his cronies attempts to privatise the whole country the way Hun Sen did it in Cambodia.

The root and the cause of all instability in Thailand is Thaksin. As simple as that. Suthep is just a pawn in the bigger game. Kind of Jatuporn or Nattawut but on the different side. If ever is going to be stability in Thailand, Thaksin needs to back off for good.

Edited December 26, 2013 by Mackie

[hotrod4098]

if thaksin dont go...then things will stay as they are..no one will back off...SAR NAR...

[nickynomates]

Anything is possible if it gets to mob rule.

Something I wonder about as the country slowly descends into mob rule, will farangs become targets for their rage? I keep hearing that many Thais hate us and only put up with us because we spend money. I don't know how true this is or even what percentage hate us if it is true but something to think about perhaps.

[wooloomooloo]

nickynomates, on 26 Dec 2013 - 18:08, said:

Anything is possible if it gets to mob rule.

ChoakMyDee, on 26 Dec 2013 - 13:57, said:

Something I wonder about as the country slowly descends into mob rule, will farangs become targets for their rage? I keep hearing that many Thais hate us and only put up with us because we spend money. I don't know how true this is or even what percentage hate us if it is true but something to think about perhaps.

No chance. The Army will step in when necessary.

The Army is the only stability Thailand retains. Sounds strange, but they'll restore order and all will be quiet for another year or two.

[Thaddeus]

So I think you can put your mind at ease. An anti-Western pogrom is most, most, most unlikely. Unless against me by my wife, of course.

Uh huh.

Wait- you claim to an education- hasn't your education prepared you for the xenophobia that accompanies all fascist movements?

What Nutocracy that your PhD lilluminated did NOT include blaming the 'other'.?

The third rate mind follows the majority, the second rate mind supports the minority.

The first rate mind thinks.

(and never stoops so low as to make primitive insults)

[Melpomene]

You couldn't be more wrong. People who support the protest have clear idea why they do that. Thaksin is simply not wanted in Thailand. The current government miscalculated greatly. The amnesty bill galvanized Thais across the board. Thais will not allow Thaksin and his cronies to turn Thailand into another Cambodia. Innocent people will die, innocent people will get hurt but only because of Thaksin and his cronies attempts to privatise the whole country the way Hun Sen did it in Cambodia.

The root and the cause of all instability in Thailand is Thaksin. As simple as that. Suthep is just a pawn in the bigger game. Kind of Jatuporn or Nattawut but on the different side. If ever is going to be stability in Thailand, Thaksin needs to back off for good.

And still there are some who are completely ignorant to the reality of what is happening. Shouldn't you be out blowing your whistle with the rest of the brain-washed ?

[jackrich]

Can't someone please stop this madman Suthep before he plunges Thailand into a civil war?

[dtangsadiwai]

People who support the protest have clear idea why they do that. Thaksin is simply not wanted in Thailand. The current government miscalculated greatly. The amnesty bill galvanized Thais across the board. Thais will not allow Thaksin and his cronies to turn Thailand into another Cambodia. Innocent people will die, innocent people will get hurt but only because of Thaksin and his cronies attempts to privatise the whole country the way Hun Sen did it in Cambodia.

The root and the cause of all instability in Thailand is Thaksin. As simple as that. Suthep is just a pawn in the bigger game. Kind of Jatuporn or Nattawut but on the different side. If ever is going to be stability in Thailand, Thaksin needs to back off for good.

But it is not enough for the protesters just to protest against everything that is going wrong. A discourse would be needed to think about what the future of Thailand could be like. If Suthep was clearer on his plan if he came to power, people could actually make their minds up about it. Which steps of reform does his council want to enforce?

If Thai people would be willing to protest against corruption and abuse of power without becoming exploited my parties for their purposes, things may chance faster. Political parties in Thailand are so polarized and debate about practical matters is needed; not just about how bad the other party is. If parties knew, once they get into power, that scandals and corruption will surely be punished in the next election, maybe they would actually start reform. If not, a new party would be elected

[beautifulthailand99]

Something I wonder about as the country slowly descends into mob rule, will farangs become targets for their rage? I keep hearing that many Thais hate us and only put up with us because we spend money. I don't know how true this is or even what percentage hate us if it is true but something to think about perhaps.

When the mob rules in any country all bets are off - hysteria can spread like wildfire through a crowd. Looks like Suthep will get what he wants once he's lit the touchpaper for the fire to rage in Bangkok.

[Puccini]

Suthep is desperate to spark a civil war in Thailand.

Sadly, it looks like that.

[Bender]

meanwhile poor taxi was in a critical condition the yellow thugs were...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GNfdJRtm21w#t=48

honestly looks at these bast#### at the end of the clip

Edited December 26, 2013 by Bender

[MJP]

meanwhile poor taxi was in a critical condition the yellow thugs were...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GNfdJRtm21w#t=48

It says the bloke was killed in the video title.

[englishoak]

The poor guy went into a coma and died ......

All those in the clip smashing up his car whilst hes bleeding out are cowardly filth, this was not a flash point zone nor a riot or anything but supposed protesters peacefully blockading a road, yes right ... this guy was trying to work and basically got killed for driving a F###### taxi.

Dont even dare to try and justify it,

[beautifulthailand99]

It really is crazy time now best things Farangs can do is keep our mouth shuts around Thais , stay away from protests areas and pray this blows over some time soon before it blows up.

[metisdead]

Off topic posts and replies have been removed. Inflammatory insult posts have been removed.

[khunsiam]

Something I wonder about as the country slowly descends into mob rule, will farangs become targets for their rage? I keep hearing that many Thais hate us and only put up with us because we spend money. I don't know how true this is or even what percentage hate us if it is true but something to think about perhaps.

Fairly weak attempt at trolling.

I hear many Thais love us. Especially 'long time'!

I asked a legitimate question because it is honestly something that is on my mind. Not trolling at all.

'You keep hearing Thais hate us' but you have no first hand evidence of it, do you? Otherwise you wouldn't have asked the question.

Do you stay locked in your hotel room/condo everyday? Or do you get out amongst them?

I certainly do and have done for 11 years and I've never had an issue with a Thai because I'm western.

you haven't been that far then, do you understand the language?

[dyertribe]

xtaxi_jpg_pagespeed_ic_G5TZHiO4az.jpg

Wonder if TAT is going to use this photo in their new campaign "Amazing countdown in Thailand" ??

Am I the only one?? But seeing behavior like this makes me really angry!!

It is just an isolated incident. People don't get too carried away and act irrationally towards protesters on the street.

It is not an isolated incident.

Things are escalating and there will be more like this and worse as long as the protesters think they are above the law ( or that they are the law ).

Another worrying thing is that now the protest leaders have wound up the mob, they are losing control of them.

[jackrich]

The protesters were lucky I wasn't in the front row of the traffic jam. I would have pushed down on the gas and drove right through it with 180, I'm serious.

Edited December 26, 2013 by jackrich

[Bluespunk]

Low level yellow thugs supporting Suthep in his insane battle against democracy and behaving like animals is, sadly, not something unexpected.

I feel sorry for this driver

But I also feel sorry for all the others who have been beaten, the journalists who have been intimidated and brutalized, the policemen who ended up in hospital, the son of Yingluck who was cowardly attacked, the unarmed pro-government protesters who were besieged in their buses, the three red shirts shot dead at the stadium, as well as the policeman shot dead today by the protesters... All this was, very unfortunately, something that was foreseeable, and probably unavoidable, taking into account the low level of the people who, for those who are not paid, blindly follow Suthep, however crazy and full of hate he might be.

But, and sorry to repeat myself, what is astonishing is to read comments from so called "educated" farangs who support Suthep and his criminal movement. That is far above insanity...

How can anyone educated support a minority trying to gain power through illegal means, violence, murder and the mob rule?

A psychiatrists mystery...

No one attacked yingluck's son. Both sides, red and anti-govt, use violence, mob rule and intimidation to get their way, both sides have attacked journalists and police, the red stormtroopers have a long (well 3 years at least) history of this. PT have used intimidation of the press, judiciary and political opponents via their red guard consistently before and since they gained power to get their way.

I have no sympathy for Suthep and his fascist council, but you undermine your argument against him by using half truths and PT propaganda.

That said, those responsible for the assault upon this man need to be found and gaoled for a long time, they are thugs and cowardly scum.

[Bluespunk]

The protesters were lucky I wasn't in the front row of the traffic jam. I would have pushed down on the gas and drove right through it with 180, I'm serious.

Yes, because that would really have helped the situation wouldn't it. Just what this conflict needs, more blood, more deaths, more violence and rage. Bravo on such an insightful contribution.