Is escalating violence against protesters a tactical move by Thai govt?

[Issangeorge]

This more preposterous Thai editorial tripe. The Thai press should be pounding the table for party nominations and elections. The Thai press looks like a joke following blundering protesters and their supporters before the world. The Thai press is blatantly supporting a sabotage of a popularly elected PM in favor of a "people's council" with 185 handpicked by its own insiders to the exclusion of ordinary Thais. Does the Thai press actually believe that this is the right thing to do? Does the Thai press actually believe that the international community will view this as anything but "propaganda?"

I have not read anywhere a columnist supporting the people's council, for that matter I haven't read lately where Suthep has mentioned it. It was first mentioned at the beginning of the protests when Suthep realized how much support he had against the amnesty bill and decided to take the protests further. He was then fishing for ideas and came up with the peoples council. I think he has since decided it was a bad idea. However is it. Some ground rules, no present or former police or army officer can be on it. No present or former politician can be on it. Then the PTP nominates 1 representative and the Opposition nominates 1 representative. Each side has a chance to veto the other sides representative up to a certain number of say 10. The process would continue until each side had nominated say 25 reps (5 from each region) for a total of 50 representatives. These reps would then appoint a PM and government. They would then have a maximum of 12 months to present a new constitution and have a vote on it. If it passed a new election under the new constitution would be held within 3 months. If it failed they would have 3 months to come up with another constitution and vote on it, if it passed a new election would be held within 3 months under its rules and if it didn't then the election would be held under the existing constitution. This solution would be somewhat democratic, and by no means fascist, and hopefully would produce a council of good honest neutral people who would present a new constitution welcome by all, and a democratically elected government within 18 months.

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[Issangeorge]

The Violence was stated by the PDRC, they are the only one that can gain from it!

Cheers

I agree with you. If Suthep would have accepted new election - the result of course - there would be no need for further escalations and terrorism. This guy does'nt know the rules of democracy. All what happens now he should be blamed for!

Going by that premise all the people who were killed at the end of the May 2010 protests after Abhisit made a deal with the redshirts to end their protest for early elections that was then rejected by Jatuporn and Nattawut, should be their responsibility. I agree on both counts

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[RadKiter]

You can expect violence when a small minority that has been losing every election in landslides for the past 18 years tries to take away people's right to vote and promote dictatorship.

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Edited February 27, 2014 by RadKiter

[northernjohn]

I always get a chuckle out of the author of this piece taking the high road considering her own convictions in the past.. and she may be correct in assuming the position... that many here and from outside have already accepted... that a judicial coup is most likely the outcome...since that was the strategy (IMHO) from the start....halt and oppress... obstruct and harass... and buy the time needed to get all the "good people" on board...and then totally dismantle it from "the inside" one thing for sure... it is history repeating itself for the umpteenth time...and not much will change within the society until the knowledge base and education inadequacies are addressed...but they at least are in motion... unless the "good people" totally obstruct Internet usage and information Thailand will slowly but surely be able to take a more balanced path into the future..to do so will be slow painful process...and the generations coming up must learn and read... but it will become more transparent going forward... You can only hide in things in the dark for so long...

Well I agree with you on what you say but there is a time factor to be figured in. the Pendulum never swings to one side and stays there. When it is finally released it will swing far to the opposite side. It will take a generation to come to a middle point. As you say education inadequacies must improve. They should be good enough that no one would wish to go to an outside collage unless it was as prestigious as Yale , Harvard or Eton. Ones in that class and there is no reason Thailand can not achieve collages with an international reputation for education.

When I say a generation I point to the farmers. They are complaining of not receiving their money. They are forming demonstrations of their own to get their money. But they will not unite with another group trying to get the same justice for all sectors of society. When and if they get there money they will still vote for a Shinawatra.

[wealth]

violence is planned in a desperate move to cover the crimes(just one out of many) committed by govt officials big and small. This is the tip of the iceberg only

Read how 60 billion Baht were siphoned out and that Thaksin tried to open a bank in Hongkong - "Dhanai-Thaksin Bank" which went sour due to much publicity in Hongkong News.

follow this link and get shocked

[Mister Fixit]

The problem for Thais is that they ALWAYS shoot themselves in the foot.

I don't know what it is, a sort of self-destruct button that somehow always makes them make decisions that are the opposite of logic.

A sort of child-like oppositional/defiant stance which always fails eventually.