Thailand imposes state of emergency to deal with protests

[Baerboxer]

Nothing whatever to do with the current protests, all to do with election...preparation and aftermath

Can you actually read or are you being deliberately obtuse?

Sent from my XT1032 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

To be fair, this time I think Prbkk may have a point. This is about getting the house in order, with powers available, to make sure the election on the 2nd takes place, and that powers are available to deal with any protests following.

How PTP will deal with not enough MP's to form parliament is yet to be seen. They probably have something in mind which will be unconstitutional but which they'll try anyway.

Wonder if a caretaker government has the power to invoke a SOE - we shall find out no doubt.

[bigbamboo]

How Brave are you the critics? posting your sarcastic so called expert opinions in your replies to TV news articles when the majority of you do not even live in the country?

I understood that Farangs are not welcome to get involved in the protests but obviously some of you can not resist the temptation to become a wannabee comedian with your boring comments.

Its obvious that some of you hate Thailand and its people probably because of a bad experience in the past? or maybe you are armchair cowboys with nothing better to do than try and compete with other posters to see who can post the most sarcastic comment?

Leave Thailand Alone! comment with something constructive, you are not an expert! You are not Funny, you are just creating boredom! Get a life! and think before you post your unwanted criticism!

If you take the comedy out of Thai politics what's left?

Thailand is a great country but most of it's politicians suck..... and it's not just farangs who say that.

Edited January 21, 2014 by bigbamboo

[kkerry]

strange that the BBC has had very little coverage so far of the action although they and other UK newsites are covering the Ukraine trouble all the time

Hmmm, on the BBC News I watch Bangkok was the lead story at 8pm...

[fleeing]

I guess someone lost something in the translation, but new information out

RT @PravitR: Correction: It's not clear at this stage if #PDRC has intention 2 disrupt civilian air traffic. My apology 4 jumping 2 conclusion. #ป

Your apology is gratefully and graciously accepted.

Edited January 21, 2014 by fleeing

[backtonormal]

what a joke this govt is, they cannot handle the fact they are on their last legs and after declaring that they will not invoke this unless there is more violence they do it. This once again shows how pathetic the ptp are, they have no idea what to do and are reaching for straws. Lets see how long yl and the capo people can keep their hands clean from the blood, they are now responsible for any deaths.

pray tell with your warped logic and hatred you can possibly blame the government for any deaths in the future with regards to this now illegal protest.

[lostinsurin]

Checkmate! Time to clean the streets and bring Suthep to justice.

I think you see CHESS has just begun and you are calling a victory before the start whistle has been blown.

I think this is but part of a desperate plan by Yinny and CAPO because they have no money to pay farmers and need the army to take over so they can say "SEE they took the money away from us"

NOT WORKING GUYS and any of you on here thinking this government is democratic need to get off the drugs and booze and get a life.

Mugabe has democracy too by these standards. people Voted him in ... hahahahahha

No, just checkmate! mate.

[Suffinator]

Great news for tourists, foreign investments and the oppressed expat community. It's like living in the dark ages. Booked a ticket to Malaysia for this Saturday and if all works out planning on a permanent move; sick and tired of their childish games and all to seek power to rape the country.

I wonder if the Thais will ever wake up to the fact that those at the top couldn't give a rats ass about REAL Thai people.

[FangFerang]

Will make no difference

they will keep marching wherever they want

Suthep and Co. know that if PTP / Police try to stop them there will be a lot more bloodshed

IMO Suthep wanted this .. works in his favor

YL ... do the right thing for the first time in two years ... quit ... and go to Dubai

I have to agree with you on this. Suthep will keep on doing what he does. They have an arrest warrant out for him and he has been in plain site all the time. Yet they couldn't get arrest him.

Now I am not sure what Yingluck thinks she can do other than step down, let it go as it is going or step up the violence by trying to enforce the emergency law.

Don't forget she is the leader people look to her for leadership. She has shown us that when the law is passed down to her from the constitutional court she just says I will ignore it. Good leadership that. Same attitude with the court on the Cambodia dispute. She says she doesn't care what they say she is not going to obey it. Seems to be a Shinawatra thing. Her brother has 15 charges pending that he is ignoring. Plus one conviction.

She does talk about the rule of law when it gets her what she wants. Got to give her credit for that.

Maybe if she had shown some leadership in the last two and a half years things would be different today.

As it sits there is a good chance she will be back. This time with less backing and hopefully a little bit of spine.

Sadly, this is what happened awhile back. Now they have a constitution that is unconstitutional to amend. This paper online was written long before the current crisis. From http://www.freedomhouse.org/report/freedom-world/2012/thailand#.Ut6J1NL-K03

"Whereas the old Senate was fully elected, the Senate created by the 2007 charter consists of 77 elected members and 73 appointed by a committee of judges and members of independent government bodies. Senators, who serve six-year terms, cannot belong to political parties. For the 500-seat lower chamber, the House of Representatives, the new constitution altered the system of proportional representation to curtail the voting power of the northern and northeastern provinces, where support for Thaksin remains strong."

That last part might be opinion, but the first part is fact. Not a nice fact, IMO, but a fact that is hard to explain, especially since it was ineffective.

[Somtamnication]

It is reassuring to see that the number of 'likes' in this TV forum is split almost 50/50 for and against the current Government.

It is frustrating to see so many farangs actively and openly supporting 'reds' or 'yellows', whilst they should be remembering their position of guests.

Personally I was crying out for a Coup for exactly a means to stop total madness and disorder.

At the end of the day ask yourself one question: - Is there an alternative to elections?

I really do not care if 'reds' or 'yellows' win as long as it is an election they are winning. Anything else will be deadly to the country and to us all.

Any farang not understanding this is an idiot deserving whatever will be coming. And it will be ugly, believe me.

An idiotic statement. While we may not have, in their eyes, a right to an opinion about the bs going around in BKK, we do have the right an opinion in a conversation with other farangs.

This ain't North Korea, yet!!!

[Baerboxer]

The Royal Thai Army has the biggest opportunity ever to advance the cause of Thailand by bringing these protests to an end without a coup. Thai people have to learn that democracy means accepting the results of an election no matter how much you may dislike the person(s) elected. Have elections and vote! Let the will of the majority be shown for all to see.

Very true.

Democracy also means you shouldn't accept a government lying, cheating, acting illegally and refusing to obey the law. Being elected doesn't put you or your relations above the law.

[Rinrada]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-25825872

Aunty has it on line now so the World will/should know wots happening in LOS.....so well done Khun Yinluck...

Purely by so Incidence I am in our local restaurant..(great food) ..and not a stones throw from San Kam Peng so no UKIP/ Farage Taliban type supporters in "ere.....eh..... call Nigel a terry-or ist?....me never

Anyway all the political posters ((PTT) are up and here in Lanna no doubt the real Con Thais will decide if their vote matters and how they will use it........Democracy certainly does not refer to the Democrats..

Had a chat today with our future MP and seems a nice lad......yeah..... OK .....so he just happens to be Mr Ts nephew.........TiT ...init

Edited January 21, 2014 by Rinrada

[inutil]

How Brave are you the critics? posting your sarcastic so called expert opinions in your replies to TV news articles when the majority of you do not even live in the country?

I understood that Farangs are not welcome to get involved in the protests but obviously some of you can not resist the temptation to become a wannabee comedian with your boring comments.

Its obvious that some of you hate Thailand and its people probably because of a bad experience in the past? or maybe you are armchair cowboys with nothing better to do than try and compete with other posters to see who can post the most sarcastic comment?

Leave Thailand Alone! comment with something constructive, you are not an expert! You are not Funny, you are just creating boredom! Get a life! and think before you post your unwanted criticism!

no?

Really though, what on earth do you think thaivisa is? You realise this isnt some kind of secret power-base where we all discuss how we're going to pull thailand apart for our nefarious super villain gains right? Its a message board. No one on planet earth (with the POSSIBLE exception of the users of ThaiVisa) remotely cares what the people of ThaiVisa think about (hilariously biased) 'news' articles.

And with that point lingering in the air like a poison...

This breaks my heart. Genuinely. Not because it happened or that 'team Shinawatra' have lowered themselves to the status of fascist morons who cant handle even a moderate bit of OBVIOUSLY COMING dissent. But because i had it in my head that the low profile police and army presence was in fact a genuine strategy to take the wind out of the protesters sails. It was pure Gandhi. Let them protest, let them disrupt the lives of their own supporters. Let them cause a bit of mischief in their own back yard. And sure, you know, it might bring the tone of the neighborhood down a little, but maybe theyll come to their senses, realise its only really their house thats rubbish and tidy up a bit... i might be getting carried away with a metaphor.

Point is, the first cop or army dude to shoot a protester brings me kicking and screaming out on their side. And cosmically speaking (given what i wrote above) that changes nothing really since its thai visa and im not exactly smashing the state here. But im disappointed in this act. I should have really read the act though. Or at least the first post and a few of the comments and takes on it before plunging in based on a headline... Heres to a safe, peaceful protest. I cant believe the bait, mind you!

Edited January 21, 2014 by inutil

[Mr Yim]

It is reassuring to see that the number of 'likes' in this TV forum is split almost 50/50 for and against the current Government.

It is frustrating to see so many farangs actively and openly supporting 'reds' or 'yellows', whilst they should be remembering their position of guests.

Personally I was crying out for a Coup for exactly a means to stop total madness and disorder.

At the end of the day ask yourself one question: - Is there an alternative to elections?

I really do not care if 'reds' or 'yellows' win as long as it is an election they are winning. Anything else will be deadly to the country and to us all.

Any farang not understanding this is an idiot deserving whatever will be coming. And it will be ugly, believe me.

I am not so sure it will be ugly. I think one wrong move now and Suthep and his fellow leaders will be removed. I don't see a coup, because I dont think the army has full support within the army and the general knows that coups simply do not work. In my opinion the Government will succeed. However, the protests will not have been in vain, as I am convinced Yingluck will work hard to clean up corruption and hopefully we will see a better government as a result.

[Prbkk]

It is reassuring to see that the number of 'likes' in this TV forum is split almost 50/50 for and against the current Government.

It is frustrating to see so many farangs actively and openly supporting 'reds' or 'yellows', whilst they should be remembering their position of guests.

Personally I was crying out for a Coup for exactly a means to stop total madness and disorder.

At the end of the day ask yourself one question: - Is there an alternative to elections?

I really do not care if 'reds' or 'yellows' win as long as it is an election they are winning. Anything else will be deadly to the country and to us all.

Any farang not understanding this is an idiot deserving whatever will be coming. And it will be ugly, believe me.

An idiotic statement. While we may not have, in their eyes, a right to an opinion about the bs going around in BKK, we do have the right an opinion in a conversation with other farangs.

This ain't North Korea, yet!!!

Actually, although it might sound a bit harsh at times, the discussion is interesting. Both sides' have good points and Thailand should be a bit flattered that foreigners care enough to take an interest. In most countries, expats couldn't give an FF about politics, even when they should. The bad news in Thailand is that neither side in politics seems to care much about expats, tourists, investors, retirees....hardly on the radar

[SICHONSTEVE]

The Royal Thai Army has the biggest opportunity ever to advance the cause of Thailand by bringing these protests to an end without a coup. Thai people have to learn that democracy means accepting the results of an election no matter how much you may dislike the person(s) elected. Have elections and vote! Let the will of the majority be shown for all to see.

Very true.

Democracy also means you shouldn't accept a government lying, cheating, acting illegally and refusing to obey the law. Being elected doesn't put you or your relations above the law.

A tad inconvenient for this government though as all of these things you listed are what they are good at!!

[SICHONSTEVE]

It is reassuring to see that the number of 'likes' in this TV forum is split almost 50/50 for and against the current Government.

It is frustrating to see so many farangs actively and openly supporting 'reds' or 'yellows', whilst they should be remembering their position of guests.

Personally I was crying out for a Coup for exactly a means to stop total madness and disorder.

At the end of the day ask yourself one question: - Is there an alternative to elections?

I really do not care if 'reds' or 'yellows' win as long as it is an election they are winning. Anything else will be deadly to the country and to us all.

Any farang not understanding this is an idiot deserving whatever will be coming. And it will be ugly, believe me.

I am not so sure it will be ugly. I think one wrong move now and Suthep and his fellow leaders will be removed. I don't see a coup, because I dont think the army has full support within the army and the general knows that coups simply do not work. In my opinion the Government will succeed. However, the protests will not have been in vain, as I am convinced Yingluck will work hard to clean up corruption and hopefully we will see a better government as a result.

Such an unlikely dream!!!

[smoochy]

I'm torn on this one. I've never figured out how a group can simply move into the busiest intersections of a capital city without any resistance from the police, army, etc. Yet, since they moved in, it's been quieter and traffic at Asok has never been better.

[pmugghc]

So now the gov't and EC have the legal excuse to postpone the election. It won't happen on Feb 2.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[lostinsurin]

Has it crossed anyone's mind that this SOE has been invoked in a bid to discourage the rice farmers from coming to BKK and joining the protests and really embarrassing Thaksin, Yingluck and the Gov?????

Worth a thought really.

It could add hundreds of thousands, and driven by poverty and hunger too. They are not as likely to remain as peaceful as Suthep's lot.

Well done! finally, you got it! and as usual Suthep goes one step behind! his big hope once again on the rocks.

[Fryslan boppe]

It will be interesting to see how the military react to this.

Good point...At least they will be exposed one way or the other....Their most noted mutiny was when they refused an elected Govt. order to clear the airport.......

I have problem with this quote however, "The latest protests were triggered by a failed amnesty bill"....The 2006 coup caper and this attempted one has nothing to do with issues such as the amnesty thing...Issues are only contrived to give cover for ongoing attempts to nullify democracy by the opposition and the country’s entrenched elite. They want to dilute Thai democracy via vague, self-serving reform stuff in order to prevent the electorate from ever again choosing a government that goes against their will.

To imply an issue based trigger to these protests is wrong..It is more a "coup opportunity trigger" they have been looking for since the last election..

[WitawatWatawit]

It is reassuring to see that the number of 'likes' in this TV forum is split almost 50/50 for and against the current Government.

It is frustrating to see so many farangs actively and openly supporting 'reds' or 'yellows', whilst they should be remembering their position of guests.

Personally I was crying out for a Coup for exactly a means to stop total madness and disorder.

At the end of the day ask yourself one question: - Is there an alternative to elections?

I really do not care if 'reds' or 'yellows' win as long as it is an election they are winning. Anything else will be deadly to the country and to us all.

Any farang not understanding this is an idiot deserving whatever will be coming. And it will be ugly, believe me.

"...remembering their position of guests."

"Personally I was crying out for a Coup ..."

Confused? And why is it "frustrating" to you? Debate is healthy and necessary, even if the posters on this forum are foreigners and have no direct influence. Indirect, yes, in terms of investment (business and personal). Ergo, let us all debate to our hearts content. BTW, it's not red versus yellow, it's the disenchanted versus the morally disenfranchised.

I like the comment above about the SOE being employed to stop the once-red supporters/farmers (what have you) descending on Bangkok to join the anti-government protests. Big ring of truth to that.

[casualbiker]

I'm torn on this one. I've never figured out how a group can simply move into the busiest intersections of a capital city without any resistance from the police, army, etc. Yet, since they moved in, it's been quieter and traffic at Asok has never been better.

That's because the police are not snarling up the traffic with impromptu traffic light dances and dodgy tickets.

[crazydrummerpauly]

what a joke this govt is, they cannot handle the fact they are on their last legs and after declaring that they will not invoke this unless there is more violence they do it. This once again shows how pathetic the ptp are, they have no idea what to do and are reaching for straws. Lets see how long yl and the capo people can keep their hands clean from the blood, they are now responsible for any deaths.

Not biased then...

[SICHONSTEVE]

So now the gov't and EC have the legal excuse to postpone the election. It won't happen on Feb 2. Sent from my Nexus 7 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

Very interesting thought indeed!!

[nycjoe]

Praying for Peace. It is the common folk who will suffer, the scoundrels stay above the fray.

[plazot11]

what a joke this govt is, they cannot handle the fact they are on their last legs and after declaring that they will not invoke this unless there is more violence they do it. This once again shows how pathetic the ptp are, they have no idea what to do and are reaching for straws. Lets see how long yl and the capo people can keep their hands clean from the blood, they are now responsible for any deaths.

Hello Cyclops keep posting your myopic anti democracy opinions

[SICHONSTEVE]

Praying for Peace. It is the common folk who will suffer, the scoundrels stay above the fray.

That's the status quo I'm afraid - all the praying in the world won't change it. The only thing that would, is Yingluck stepping down and walking away!!

[jitenshaman]

The Royal Thai Army has the biggest opportunity ever to advance the cause of Thailand by bringing these protests to an end without a coup. Thai people have to learn that democracy means accepting the results of an election no matter how much you may dislike the person(s) elected. Have elections and vote! Let the will of the majority be shown for all to see.

Richard Nixon won a presumably relatively democratic election and then proceeded to abuse his terms and power of office, and thus was removed. He certainly wasn't allowed to run for President again. Sorry to say but the criminal in Dubai has no right anymore to run the country, and any election which allows he and his proxies to do so is nothing but another sham. Before they have another election they need to clean house, put the criminals in jail, make some laws about who can run, and maybe then there can be even the remotest possibility to end all this.

All those going on about no democracy need to take a look at the leader of this supposed democracy...about as far removed from the term as anyone could be.

[larsjohnsson]

what a joke this govt is, they cannot handle the fact they are on their last legs and after declaring that they will not invoke this unless their is more violence they do it. This once again shows how pathetic the ptp are, they have no idea what to do and are reaching for straws. Lets see how long yl and the capo people can keep their hands clean from the blood, they are now responsible for any deaths.

if they are on their last legs ,why do the protestors not let the country vote?

+ 100

[WitawatWatawit]

Anyway all the political posters ((PTT) are up and here in Lanna no doubt the real Con Thais will decide if their vote matters and how they will use it........Democracy certainly does not refer to the Democrats..

"Con Thais ..." Be dat de Freudian slip of de day, my bro?