Bangkok: Taxi driver beaten unconscious by anti-govt protesters

[diceq]

In time of war, men get killed, and women get raped, it is just part of the struggle.

If this was a war I would be personally out there putting bullets in the heads of these fascist thugs. It isn't. Thailand is a democracy, which I respect.

[mervyn yap]

<deleted> did he really says to those guys?

[Tatsujin]

Its not difficult to see where these yellow shirt protesters are heading.

Anyone who is still supporting Suthep and the disgusting behaviour of these animals should be ashamed of themselves.

Would your same disgust apply to the 2010 protests when the glorious peaceful supporters of democracy then were rioting, beating and killing people? I'm curious.

There seems to be large scale condemnation of the protests now from TV supporters here, but were you also condemning the protestors in the same way a few years ago? Oh wait, you weren't here then most of you.

So where do you get these amazing facts oh great Tatsujin. However we are all here now and we are talking about the present day thugs and their leader who is charged with murder, a man who is a complete meglomaniac, a man who obviously is inciting his lemming like followers to yet again commit murder so that he can get his way. This man is a criminal of the first degree, his name is (Benito) Suthep, a man who wants to have his own police force and change the laws to suit himself.

Nice little rant, but you missed the point.

To clarify, there seem to be a large number of pro Govt supporters here that condemn the actions of the current anti-govt protestors.

I was curious if those same people here condemned those self same actions from the previous protests ... cos it seems not. The condemnation seems to be only one way.

As for the actions themselves, well that's the "Thai" way ... no matter who they support ...

[anon8]

Its not difficult to see where these yellow shirt protesters are heading.

Anyone who is still supporting Suthep and the disgusting behaviour of these animals should be ashamed of themselves.

Would your same disgust apply to the 2010 protests when the glorious peaceful supporters of democracy then were rioting, beating and killing people? I'm curious.

There seems to be large scale condemnation of the protests now from TV supporters here, but were you also condemning the protestors in the same way a few years ago? Oh wait, you weren't here then most of you.

No.

The deminstrations against convicted crimal was a right cause.

But what is happening in last few days have nothing to do with establishing democracy in this country.

Current leader of opposirion would rather burn this place down, than be reasonable, and respect the law, which says there will be electiond in Feb.

Sent from my C6802 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[diceq]

To clarify, there seem to be a large number of pro Govt supporters here that condemn the actions of the current anti-govt protestors.

I was curious if those same people here condemned those self same actions from the previous protests ... cos it seems not. The condemnation seems to be only one way.

What actions are you referring to? It's a bit different protesting against a democratically elected government and a military dictatorship.

[Chao Lao Beach]

Mob Rules They should all be in Jail

Gezz, he looks to be left for dead.

Land of Smiles eh.....

[anon8]

In time of war, men get killed, and women get raped, it is just part of the struggle.

If this was a war I would be personally out there putting bullets in the heads of these fascist thugs. It isn't. Thailand is a democracy, which I respect.

No no,

Thailand has nothing to do with democracy. It is a hunta.

Sent from my C6802 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[MJP]

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.

I cautioned some red shirt people I know about this in 2010, weeks before Bangkok was set on fire. Mentioned they were enabling violent factions and this would backfire. I also talked about longer term instability and used the 30 year Northern Ireland troubles as an example, went into quite some detail about it. They couldn't believe the UK had internal terrorism and for that long, quite shocked.

[anon8]

The best solution is for Yingluck to step down and have a candidate that is at the very least not a blood relative or direct crony of Thaksin. But of course she will never do this even though she said "I will step down for my country". Yeah right. She's probably getting a good pedicure right now prior to an afternoon of power shopping.

You dont seriously belive this will evet happen, do you?

[diceq]

No no,

Thailand has nothing to do with democracy. It is a hunta.

You mean junta? Then you obviously don't know what your talking about. I suggest you pick up a dictionary.

[mca]

Same same Red taxi driver got hack in the head, it was isolated and much regretted, but that does not stop the "People" struggle.

Well putting aside the "red" taxi driver comment for another day I feel sure you'd hold the same stance of an "isolated and much regretted" incident in the " people's struggle" if it were a member of your family flat out in the street.

[MobileContent]

som nom na .... find it hard to feel sorry for a taxi driver after seeing one of his own kill a man with a sword for a couple baht.

Last year a taxi driver stopped and helped me change a flat tyre on petchburi and wouldn't accept a single baht for his trouble so yeah some nam nah to this poor bastard. And some folks on here consider thais to be dumb shits. They're mental giants compared to a lot of the mongs on tvf

+1 Some of my best friends are taxi and limo drivers in Bangkok. The chap that posted som nom na should be ashamed of himself. Many taxi drivers in Bangkok are very nice and I only had once a problem with a taxi driver in my 24 years in Bangkok.

[englishoak]

What exactly am I trying to justify? Please tell me as I've reread my post and don't see where you are coming from.

first off a child was brought into a political agenda, an attack was made be it verbal innuendo only but the threat was there. totally unacceptable, secondly the words "stormtroopers" and "Red Guard" are equally propaganda terms. Now I dont think that is what you meant but then again you dont use propaganda words for these scumbags that killed this poor man I note .... yellow mafia or yellow guard etc etc is absent from your posts yet the word red is used in derogatory terms all the time. When you do this it gives the impression be it concious or not that its to be expected with the red yet yellows its a one off, that in itself is a form of justification.

Say it like it is,.... BOTH sides have people and others who happily play BOTH sides and equally happily KILL people.... red stormtroopes, yellow stormtroopers BOTH Kill.

Yinglucks son was not attacked. He did not have whistles blown at him. There were no calls to attack him. Suthep should not mention him in his speeches, yingluck should not use him as a photo prop while on official govt business.

I call the red shirt movement stormtroopers and red guard because that is what they are. They have a history of violence and are used by PT to intimidate all who stand in their way. I don't mention yellow stormtroopers or mafia because suthep's fascist movement is not PAD and PAD are associated with yellow shirt movement. I have no sympathy for PAD. They are or were right wing nationalist bigots. I have never supported them, their actions or intolerant approach to anything they perceived as being against the demands. Equally I have condemned suthep and his fascist movement from the moment he left the dems to begin his frankly lunatic campaign. I don't trust the man and I see nothing good coming from his schemes.

However this does not blind me to the fact that PT are unfit to govern. They won a majority and had the right to govern the country because of that. Since then they have proved themselves to be incompetent, corrupt, nepotistic, intolerant of any opinion or view but their own, they use the law as a weapon when it suits them or ignore it if it proves to be a hinderance to their illegal plans, they use the red shirts as a weapon to intimidate their political opponents and to intimidate judges ruling in cases they are involved in, they have no respect for the rule of law or good governance. They are responsible for the movement that sprang up in reaction to their corruption. The fact that suthep has hijacked this movement and turned it into his own little campaign for power is something I find appalling. He has turned it into something nasty, anti democratic and as intolerant as the govt he claims to be fighting against.

I'm not justifying the actions of anyone, except the initial protests I guess, I still think those involved had the right to protest the give thaksin what he wants amnesty bill, I have a view about what good governance should be. I have not seen it in PT, I don't see it in suthep and the dems seem to have lost the plot as well. I support new elections and can only hope that when PT win again they will look to see what their previous arrogance led to and will govern in a better manner. Winners of elections have the right to rule, they also have an obligation to rule for the whole country and not their friends and family.

M8 this movement was never hijacked it was always intended to be like this ... right from the very beginning. just like the airport sit ins etc its seizing power there is nothing democratic about it or wish to be or changes would have been made back then but they wernt of course. Wake up pal you have been completely blind sided, this was never about a just cause that is a total front, and the poor old taxi driver here and police being attacked by just as bad student thugs should make you realise you and many others got played by the pied piper..even while he was in the dems.

Be a man and accept you have no champion, no one coming to save Thailand and can only look forward to more of the same.. only question is will the place get slapped into the dirt by a yellow hand or a red one...

Edited December 27, 2013 by englishoak

[Yunla]

Murder and terrorism can never be condoned for whatever struggle you imagine you have.

It wasn't right in the UK and it isn't right here.

I am disgusted that you try to justify it.

"What difference does it make to the dead, the orphans, and the homeless, whether the mad destruction is wrought under the name of totalitarianism or the holy name of liberty and democracy."

[Gandhi.]

[tezzainoz]

One photo puts to rest the GREAT LIE that this is some kind of benign movement of the people. Just vile lawless thugs who will stop at nothing to impose their will. Time for the Army to have the guts to stand by the elected government

Or if they not feel the government themselves are not any better

Take control themselves

I was in Bangkok in the last take over and never felt more safe

the only thing I worried about then, was flowers thrown by the people at the soldiers would give me hay fever

[tezzainoz]

So much for the protesters taking the high road.

where in hell were the police? this is disgusting! if a touriast had been in the taxi, it would have gained more atention! give these dam protesters a taste of their own medi cine! get that fool suthep and lock him up. or fire into the crowd and watch them scatte like the cowards they are! don't these idiots have jobs? who is payinf their salaries? who is feeding them?

I'm wondering this too. How come these protesters can protest day in and day out? Don't they have jobs to go to? Are they getting paid to protest?

Get real

these are thai men

They have girlfriend who support them

you get mixed up with Farlang rules

[Bluespunk]

What exactly am I trying to justify? Please tell me as I've reread my post and don't see where you are coming from.

first off a child was brought into a political agenda, an attack was made be it verbal innuendo only but the threat was there. totally unacceptable, secondly the words "stormtroopers" and "Red Guard" are equally propaganda terms. Now I dont think that is what you meant but then again you dont use propaganda words for these scumbags that killed this poor man I note .... yellow mafia or yellow guard etc etc is absent from your posts yet the word red is used in derogatory terms all the time. When you do this it gives the impression be it concious or not that its to be expected with the red yet yellows its a one off, that in itself is a form of justification.

Say it like it is,.... BOTH sides have people and others who happily play BOTH sides and equally happily KILL people.... red stormtroopes, yellow stormtroopers BOTH Kill.

Yinglucks son was not attacked. He did not have whistles blown at him. There were no calls to attack him. Suthep should not mention him in his speeches, yingluck should not use him as a photo prop while on official govt business.

I call the red shirt movement stormtroopers and red guard because that is what they are. They have a history of violence and are used by PT to intimidate all who stand in their way. I don't mention yellow stormtroopers or mafia because suthep's fascist movement is not PAD and PAD are associated with yellow shirt movement. I have no sympathy for PAD. They are or were right wing nationalist bigots. I have never supported them, their actions or intolerant approach to anything they perceived as being against the demands. Equally I have condemned suthep and his fascist movement from the moment he left the dems to begin his frankly lunatic campaign. I don't trust the man and I see nothing good coming from his schemes.

However this does not blind me to the fact that PT are unfit to govern. They won a majority and had the right to govern the country because of that. Since then they have proved themselves to be incompetent, corrupt, nepotistic, intolerant of any opinion or view but their own, they use the law as a weapon when it suits them or ignore it if it proves to be a hinderance to their illegal plans, they use the red shirts as a weapon to intimidate their political opponents and to intimidate judges ruling in cases they are involved in, they have no respect for the rule of law or good governance. They are responsible for the movement that sprang up in reaction to their corruption. The fact that suthep has hijacked this movement and turned it into his own little campaign for power is something I find appalling. He has turned it into something nasty, anti democratic and as intolerant as the govt he claims to be fighting against.

I'm not justifying the actions of anyone, except the initial protests I guess, I still think those involved had the right to protest the give thaksin what he wants amnesty bill, I have a view about what good governance should be. I have not seen it in PT, I don't see it in suthep and the dems seem to have lost the plot as well. I support new elections and can only hope that when PT win again they will look to see what their previous arrogance led to and will govern in a better manner. Winners of elections have the right to rule, they also have an obligation to rule for the whole country and not their friends and family.

M8 this movement was never hijacked it was always intended to be like this ... right from the very beginning. just like the airport sit ins etc its seizing power there is nothing democratic about it or wish to be or changes would have been made back then but they wernt of course. Wake up pal you have been completely blind sided, this was never about a just cause that is a total front, and the poor old taxi driver here and police being attacked by just as bad student thugs should make you realise you and many others got played by the pied piper..even while he was in the dems.

Be a man and accept you have no champion, no one coming to save Thailand and can only look forward to more of the same.. only question is will the place get slapped into the dirt by a yellow hand or a red one...

So many things wrong here

Can you post links saying it was the protestors who attacked the police, I have read a lot of reports about it but you seem to have better info than me. Or is it just intuition, you do seem to have all the answers. You certainly seem to think I've been fooled and you are the great and powerful oz who was wise to it all along.

You are wrong about the movement being hijacked. It was one thing and now it's another. Man up and accept that.

You are wrong that I am looking for a champion to save Thailand. I have no such illusions about how society evolves.

You are wrong in saying the thuggish attack on this taxi driver has opened my eyes to anything. Suthep is a fascist and fascists need their street thugs and bully boys, that he has them is no surprise to me. Besides Thai males mob attacking an individual who allegedly insulted them is nothing new in this country.

But most of all you are wrong in thinking I am your 'mate' or 'pal'. Respond to how this as you will but I'm dropping this thread with you. You have your view and like so many on the streets today of all shirts don't want to listen to another. Good luck to you.

[Yunla]

Besides Thai males mob attacking an individual who allegedly insulted them is nothing new in this country.

Very true. I would list this near the top of my list of reasons why Suthep should have solved the problems politically by accepting the offered dialogue with Yingluck, and accepted the early elections. Because keeping people on the streets and making them angrier, coupled with the point you raised (above) makes for a deadly mix.

[MobileContent]

So much for the protesters taking the high road.

where in hell were the police? this is disgusting! if a touriast had been in the taxi, it would have gained more atention! give these dam protesters a taste of their own medi cine! get that fool suthep and lock him up. or fire into the crowd and watch them scatte like the cowards they are! don't these idiots have jobs? who is payinf their salaries? who is feeding them?

I'm wondering this too. How come these protesters can protest day in and day out? Don't they have jobs to go to? Are they getting paid to protest?

This is Thai style. Mobs can be bought from the North and Northeast in the same way as they can be bought from the South. Free bus ride with return to Bangkok, plus food, drink etc.

[soi41]

A fellow human being is beaten to death by thugs on the streets of Bangkok!!

And that triggers a stream of posts here, where everyone are claiming they are the rightest of the right?

What about a thought or two for the victim and his family, who he can't provide for anymore??

[darren84310]

They are starting to lose the backing of the neutrals.... I have noticed that when speaking to my Thai friends.

Big mistake and very stupid if they want to win.

[Maha Sarakham Marty]

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.

I believe you are serious when you say you capable of murdering a half dozen people.

And yet another who I believe is serious.Such is the instability of some posters.

I am really serious when i say that if that poor taxi driver was a relation of mine, i would personally hunt down the instigator of this crime. His name is Suthep, and make him pay the ultimate price for what he has done.

Edited December 27, 2013 by Maha Sarakham Marty

[jollyman]

Does any one know where old Sethup is, hes gone very quieter maybe a swat team got him. In Mongolia we have a saying "The trees do not grow up to the sky"

I dont really know what this means

[soi41]

They are starting to lose the backing of the neutrals.... I have noticed that when speaking to my Thai friends.

Big mistake and very stupid if they want to win.

So to your Thai friends the killing of a fellow Thai is just a "tactical" mistake??

[JeffreyWitty]

How is this possible?!?!?!

According to the message boards here only RED SHIRTS commit these kind of actions!

Have I been lied to just to fit someone else's narrative of what "democracy" is?

[Maha Sarakham Marty]

If this was a war I would be personally out there putting bullets in the heads of these fascist thugs.

Add yet another to the believably serious.

Edited December 27, 2013 by Maha Sarakham Marty

[diceq]

How is this possible?!?!?!

According to the message boards here only RED SHIRTS commit these kind of actions!

Have I been lied to just to fit someone else's narrative of what "democracy" is?

I've read so as well. I've repeatedly asked them to clarify what actions but I have so far only been met with silence.

[Baerboxer]

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.

Yes, some the UDD were stopping "farangs" and demanding to see your passport. Some were also looking for 'donations" to the fund.

Not all the people who attend the demonstrations/protests on either side are bad. But, as always, the rent a thug types turn up for the payment and aggro - on both sides, along with the small % of polarized extremists - on both sides.

Provoking any group is dangerous, Scolding Thais is dangerous. Venturing near groups when tensions are running high is dangerous. No one in their right mind condones violence, by any side, for any reason.

Sadly, this seems to be escalating. As a farang, with a camera, you could be targeted for a variety of reasons. Take care, regardless of your views.

[Baerboxer]

If this was a war I would be personally out there putting bullets in the heads of these fascist thugs.

Add yet another to the believably serious.

He's probably ex special forces or something - SAS, SEALS, Mossad, KGB, CIA, etc,

Hope he realizes he'll need an appropriate work permit !

[Maha Sarakham Marty]

fire into the crowd and watch them scatter like the cowards they are!

More instability on display.