EDITORIAL
Hatred is not the only big worry in Thailand
The Nation

Mistrust between the protesters and the police is soaring

BANGKOK: -- The political crisis has become extremely dangerous not only because the hatred is feeding off itself, but also because law-enforcement officers are seen as biased in favour of the government. Whether the police are intentionally partisan or are being pushed into a corner is debatable, but that doesn't matter much now. The country is in serious trouble because, increasingly, anti-government protesters and the police are failing to see eye to eye.

In 2010 the police were accused of dragging their feet as the Democrat government struggled to contain the red shirts' revolt. This time the police have been accused of being tools of the Pheu Thai government. The demonstrators have besieged key police headquarters several times, and outbreaks of violence have seen police firing tear gas and protesters hurling stones.

The situation is increasingly worrisome. The rift between a large section of society and the police is threatening to widen.

A demonstration by police recently confirmed their frustration, but they cannot blame it all on the anti-government protesters. Bangkok Police Chief Kamronwit Thoopkrajang showed off Thaksin Shinawatra's photo in his office. His admiration of Thaksin is well publicised, not least because he wants it to be.

The anti-government campaign has targeted the police as the main pillar of the "Thaksin system". Protest leader Suthep Thaugsuban has repeatedly said that, when he achieves victory, among the first items on the agenda would be a thorough reform of the police force. Suthep's threat no doubt strikes fear into the police. All of a sudden, the force's political stake in the crisis is firmly attached to who wins and who loses this showdown.

In fact, the stakes are getting higher and higher on both sides. The contrast with previous political crises is stark. This time, many more people have everything to gain from victory - and everything to lose from defeat. However, it is wrong for those who enforce the law to have any stake at all. Their duty demands that they remain completely neutral.

If the hatred of opposing "colours" is the most worrisome concern, the rift between the police and the protesters must come a close second. And it will be as hard to fix as the divide between people of different ideologies. To add to the complex situation between people on the streets and people in uniform, the red shirts and soldiers have yet to get over the Rajprasong bloodshed in 2010.

The worst-case scenario is that armed men weigh in on each side of the conflict. It was taboo to even mention that possibility a few months ago, but Thailand will edge toward that frightening territory if the political strife drags on. The sense of togetherness that has seen the nation through various crises is facing another great test. And we will only pass it by coming to a genuine realisation of the values of unity. In other words, "unity" must be more than just a slogan.

Healing will be a long process, even if it begins soon. The imperative to "serve and protect" is being drowned out by rallying cries from both sides of the conflict. As the crisis snowballs, a solution seems remote. But everyone must try. In a country split divided down the middle, with mistrust between law enforcers and one side soaring, the hour could become "too late" very quickly.


-- The Nation 2014-01-25

Hey look. Last time the army went around town with APCs and machine guns and the city got burnt down.

The political crisis has become extremely dangerous

What can they beat that with? A nuclear explosion. So far this is a doddle

There is no unity between organisations in Thailand, no one works together and it is all about the personal little empires. The Army doesn't get along with the Police, the Police don't get along with Navy and the Navy doesn't get along with the Army. To many generals jostling for positions at the trough and god help anyone who gets in their way. Let's not forget other Dept's like TAT fighting with TCT (Tourism Auth & Council) they don't get along or work together either and are stealing each others budget. The list can go on and on

the police do not serve the people ...they are in buiness and open to the highest bidder...the full mafia needs to be re-built from the top down

I have been told stright by police if you have a problem you must pay to resolve!!!!..they always like to throw in if you dont like go back to your Country?..PARASITES

The present situation only shows that police leadership is corrupt to the bone. Among the lower ranks "normal" everyday corruption is a big problem too, but it is not politicised. It is vital for Thailand that the shinaclan is stopped now. Replacing police leadership will be enough to stop the thaksin-support in those ranks.

Fighting the everyday corruption by police and other officials is the big issue that has to help "curing" Thai society and politics. For that a whole lot more is needed. But in the long run it can and must be done.

Police and Military are SUPPOSED to be loyal to the government.

" law-enforcement officers " LOL Who? Where????

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh good on

Police and Military are SUPPOSED to be loyal to the government.

maybe so, but this is thailand

The statement "However, it is wrong for those who enforce the law to have any stake at all. Their duty demands that they remain completely neutral." is true, and also applies to the Army, who owns a stake in Channel 7.

Amazing Thailand. I wonder if the writer can see the irony of this article being written by The Nation at all.

Every wants to get rid of corruption and also wants to benefit from it. How does one kill that zombie?

Talking about biases, it is noteworthy that only the Police are mentioned, and not the military........Hatred yes or no?....The denigration the Elitists throw at their political opposites has engendered just that. Their harping away at educational deficiencies and imputing no political awareness on these people beyond what money can buy, just grates......Little do the Elites, who think they are the sole repository of political wisdom, realize to what degree these people have been politicized....And that trumps education in the political sphere..Where do you think the independent electoral results come from, in spite of the pro-PAD/Dem media onslaught at election time..Their denigration efforts simply boomerang on them, and they are too thick to realize it....It also blinds the unelectables to the realization they need to reform themselves to appeal to a diverse electorate, and not the system....The reform mantra of the BKK. Coup-mongers is seriously misdirected.

The police force, along with many other public institutions in this fair country , need a thorough clean out. It is dysfunctional, corrupt and self-serving. The question is , who will have the courage and fortitude to take them on?

This is all the result of people like Chalerm and the Damapongs helping Thaksin get a leg up and the return of the favour.

Once red shirts and politics got involved, all appointments became political until the whole shooting match was Thaksin's

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Police and Military are SUPPOSED to be loyal to the government.

Police officers are supposed to uphold and enforce the law, period. They are not supposed to take sides, hold support Thaksin rallies, or let people with money pay a bribe to escape justice. I don't like to get personal but that was a stupid comment.

There is no unity between organisations in Thailand, no one works together and it is all about the personal little empires. The Army doesn't get along with the Police, the Police don't get along with Navy and the Navy doesn't get along with the Army. To many generals jostling for positions at the trough and god help anyone who gets in their way. Let's not forget other Dept's like TAT fighting with TCT (Tourism Auth & Council) they don't get along or work together either and are stealing each others budget. The list can go on and on

And the Thai infighting over recognition and skim. A lot of posturing in Thailand.

"Their duty (the police) demands that they remaim completely neutral". What, neutral between the elected government on the one hand and people who illegally block the roads in Bangkok on the other?

I am not really sure what Suthep is going on about. The police are behaving in much the same way as they did in 2010 and doing very little. If they were doing their job they should arrest him and his hench men, like they should have arrested the red shirt leaders and their hench men in 2010.

The only time Aussies hate each other is during the State of Origin. Get a grip Thais!

Police and Military are SUPPOSED to be loyal to the government.

Actually the police are not suppose to be loyal to the government, they are suppose to be loyal to the community/society.

A Police force should be independent from government to prevent corruption and bias. A Police Minister is merely a go to man/contact at the government and assists in things such as legislation/budgets etc but has no involvement in the running of the police.

This is the oath I took

I swear by Almighty God that I will well and truly serve our Sovereign Lady the Queen as a member of the Police Force of Victoria in such capacity as I may be hereafter appointed, promoted, or reduced to without favour or affection malice or ill-will for the period of

from this date, and until I am legally discharged; that I will see and cause Her Majesty's peace to be kept and preserved; and that I will prevent to the best of my power all offences against the same, and that while I shall continue to be a member of the Police Force of Victoria I will to the best of my skill and knowledge discharge all the duties legally imposed upon me faithfully and according to law.

If the Thais hate each other at least they are distracted from hating foreigners for a while.

another propaganda item in 'The Nation' masquerading as a news story. (and the 'Bangkok Post' is no better).

From my perspective, corruption is eating this country alive. The police are corrupt, the politicians are corrupt, the civil servants are corrupt, even the electricity generating board is on the take...hell even the anti-corruption services are corrupt (where is the prosecution of Supoj?)

For those who care to look at the data Thailand's ranking in the international corruption index has been falling steadily under this administration; but it also fell markedly under Abhisit's administration indicating that it was more corrupt than what it replaced; it stabilized under the army at the level of the Thaksin regime; the index also fell under the first Thaksin regime. The country is going down a sinkhole fast. Anyone thinking that Democrat, PAD, Pheu Thai or whomever is not corrupt is living in a fantasy world. The only question is whether the army is more corrupt than Thaksin as they stabilized corruption at the level of Thaksin.

Whether the police are biased, I doubt it. They let the PAD walk into Suvarnabhumi in 2008. They let Suthep's mob walk into government ministries in 2013/4.

Personally I don't see widespread corruption being eliminated in Thailand ever. Poor people believe Thaksin, love him or hate him, gave them something more than the elite ever did. There are many more poor people in Thailand than wealthy elite or urban middle class, so do the math. This is why Pheu Thai or whatever they will be called in the future or were called in the past can win elections on a one man, one vote basis. Which is why Suthep wants to get rid of one man, one vote democracy....remember PAD's platform, let the Bangkok people vote, then have Bangkok's elected representatives choose representatives for the poor people. However you look at it the elite's view of the working class is ugly.

Police and Military are SUPPOSED to be loyal to the government.

The army are supposed to uphold the Constitution and protect the Monarchy. They are not upholding the Constitution at the moment. The Constitution love it or hate it, was approved in a referendum relatively recently (2007 or so). The Constitution should be respected until a new one can be drafted and approved by the people. Mob rule, even by 'decent men', will never found a legitimate government.

...well what do you expect if the top police position was given to you-know-who's cousin or brother-in-law....

....how quickly people forget all the demotions and promotions that took place at this government's hands...

"Their duty (the police) demands that they remaim completely neutral". What, neutral between the elected government on the one hand and people who illegally block the roads in Bangkok on the other?

Strange, they had no problem making that decision in 2010. They refused to do their duty, to enforce the law, as a result the army was called upon. The army are not trained in crowd control, it wasn't their job. The police don't make the laws, they don't get to choose which ones they like, that would be illegal.

Can anyone answer my question.

What colour shirt am i allowed to wear without the risk of

being abused or beaten up?

From my perspective as a resident alien, a.k.a Farang, it appears that the corrupt serpent needs to have it head(s) removed. The centralized police appear not to have to answer to the local munipalities and it's citizens and take very opportunity to squeeze revenue from those they supposedly serve.

The military seems to be a free agent with high ranking officers making public statements, which in most democratic countries, would land them in civiy world post haste.

The civil servants, again appear, to be in it for themselves and some are so bold as to have tip-baskets plainly displayed in their work areas.

As other posters have mentioned, the entire system seems to be a dysfunctional child, whose parents have neglected it's upbringing from an early age and are content to see the cycle repeat itself when puberty arrives.

Aside from that, I sit, watch and enjoy the remaining days that I am blessed with.

Can anyone answer my question.

What colour shirt am i allowed to wear without the risk of

being abused or beaten up?

Red or Yellow, depending on which part of the country you are in.

The interesting premise of this article is that the police have a vested interest in the survival of this administration. Imagine a police chief having a picture of Thaksin on his wall, and imagine publicly boasting about it. So if the writer of this article laments the politicization of the police, I'm afraid he's rather late ! It's long been in place. And as the police have much to lose with any serious attempt to reform and clean up their function - which of course means the depoliticization of it, and the issue of corruption - naturally some people's feathers are going to get rustled. Many are partaking of the gravy train, and they wouldn't want that to stop. For the public, they only experience trust in the police in Thai TV dramas. The police are always in them and doing fearless work to eradicate crime. But in the reality of day, people do not hold that view of the police ! And that needs to be changed. The public needs to have trust in the police. Without that, a major pillar of democracy is gone.

"Hatred is not the only big worry in Thailand"

No stupidity, ignorance, xenophobia and the me-me-me attitude play a major role as well!!

If the Thais hate each other at least they are distracted from hating foreigners for a while.

In my experience, I have never came across any hate between Thai people and Farangs, although there are exceptions, all I've seen is mostly kindness and honesty.