Advocates of separatism warned by army chief

[Mosha]

Up to now the General has been pictured in uniform. Now just what looks like an open necked shirt. I wonder why?

[jennywren]

Other than a few extremists which both sides seem to have, the talk is more of maintaining and upholding Democracy in the Country.

The clear message to the Courts and Army is... Do not try and Coup us again. Ever.

[edwinchester]

Thinking differently is illegal now is it?

No, but secession is against the law in many countries with heavy penalties.

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

I have read only that some people are discussing the possibility and a desire to secede.

Can't see what is illegal about that myself.

And recruiting a massive army - larger than Russia's?

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

When that army is mobilised let me know. To speak of one is the usual blustering by self important pumped up self appointed spokesmen. It is as meaningless as Sutheps millions taking over Bangkok.

As I said, what is illegal about discussion and desire?

I should point out that I disagree with the North of Thailand seceeding but would agree with anyone their right to discuss or want such a move.

Same as I want Scotland to remain in the UK but respect anyone who has a different view to mine.

Edited March 2, 2014 by edwinchester

[Crushdepth]

Yingluck where are you?

She better speak out soon. She is running out of time.

The silence is deafening.

[rijb]

Shows how pathetic this government is. Red traitors want to secede and form their republic and raise their own army and Poo and her brother's cronies are all quiet about it. It takes the General to speak up against these people. Well done sir!

Maybe the 'cronies' are not all worked up, like you, because they know talk is cheap. And a revolution isn't.

But, if ranting and raving (and sucking up to the General) makes you feel relevant...

Then, have a nice day.

[Mosha]

I'm not sure how serious it is, let's hope not at all really.

That said, the people of the North and South are very different in language appearance and many beliefs. Working in Phuket and Krabi for many years, I notice a big big difference when I go to anwhere North of Ayudhya.

Countries have split that are less diverse than this... But lets hope the heat starts to go from all of this soon.

Go to England, people in the south sometimes don't have a clue what northerners are talking about.

And we don't care what folks South of Barnsley think of us either, 555

[focus27]

"The government did not want people to know about their ethnicity, they wanted a unified, centralised, Thailand; it's the policy of the government to teach one country, one flag. We used to see signs saying 'This area is free from local dialect.' We were supposed to speak Central Thai only. Not many people in the north were even aware of their cultural background, they didn't know that they were Tai Daeng, Tai Dam, Tai Laos or Tai Lue."

from The Lanna Deception (http://www.chiangmainews.com/ecmn/viewfa.php?id=2727)

The Suthepistas have opened a very old and very sore wound - well done, now reap the consequences.

[mrtoad]

Other than a few extremists which both sides seem to have, the talk is more of maintaining and upholding Democracy in the Country.

The clear message to the Courts and Army is... Do not try and Coup us again. Ever.

A party political broadcast by the Thai Rouge

[lemonjelly]

I'm not sure how serious it is, let's hope not at all really.

That said, the people of the North and South are very different in language appearance and many beliefs. Working in Phuket and Krabi for many years, I notice a big big difference when I go to anwhere North of Ayudhya.

Countries have split that are less diverse than this... But lets hope the heat starts to go from all of this soon.

Go to England, people in the south sometimes don't have a clue what northerners are talking about.

Polish is the new Lingua Franca of Blightyed

[northernjohn]

Thinking differently is illegal now is it?

Advocating secession is illegal, your thoughts, and everyone else's are safe, don't panic.

Yingluck should disown this groups ASAP, her silence (and the caretaker government's) is extremely troubling; specially in view of at least one of her cabinet memebers being part of this movement.

Being silent is all she can do.

She doesn't have room in her mouth for another foot.

I understand having her speech written for her but what I can't understand is how she can read them with a straight face. Or does she actually believe it. Have they drained the treasury so bad they can not hire decent speech writers?

[TVGerry]

Other than a few extremists which both sides seem to have, the talk is more of maintaining and upholding Democracy in the Country.

The clear message to the Courts and Army is... Do not try and Coup us again. Ever.

Riiiiight. It's all talk only by 'extremists'. And yet you don't hear anyone from the 'moderate' reds or from the Shinawatra government condemning it do you?

[15Peter20]

I'm not sure how serious it is, let's hope not at all really.

That said, the people of the North and South are very different in language appearance and many beliefs. Working in Phuket and Krabi for many years, I notice a big big difference when I go to anwhere North of Ayudhya.

Countries have split that are less diverse than this... But lets hope the heat starts to go from all of this soon.

Go to England, people in the south sometimes don't have a clue what northerners are talking about.

And we don't care what folks South of Barnsley think of us either, 555

Not so much a red buffalo, than a yellow whippet, then?

[TVGerry]

Shows how pathetic this government is. Red traitors want to secede and form their republic and raise their own army and Poo and her brother's cronies are all quiet about it. It takes the General to speak up against these people. Well done sir!

Maybe the 'cronies' are not all worked up, like you, because they know talk is cheap. And a revolution isn't.

But, if ranting and raving (and sucking up to the General) makes you feel relevant...

Then, have a nice day.

Yeah right. 'Maybe'.

[northernjohn]

Thinking differently is illegal now is it?

Express separatism and rebellion violated section 1 of constitution

If you r not agree you can leave for North Korea

O so true.

Some people just have no clue how good they have it here.

[ratcatcher]

I'm not sure how serious it is, let's hope not at all really.

That said, the people of the North and South are very different in language appearance and many beliefs. Working in Phuket and Krabi for many years, I notice a big big difference when I go to anwhere North of Ayudhya.

Countries have split that are less diverse than this... But lets hope the heat starts to go from all of this soon.

Go to England, people in the south sometimes don't have a clue what northerners are talking about.

Polish is the new Lingua Franca of Blightyed

Well, smother me in cold balti, I could have sworn the more popular were Punjabi & Gujarati.

[Mosha]

"The government did not want people to know about their ethnicity, they wanted a unified, centralised, Thailand; it's the policy of the government to teach one country, one flag. We used to see signs saying 'This area is free from local dialect.' We were supposed to speak Central Thai only. Not many people in the north were even aware of their cultural background, they didn't know that they were Tai Daeng, Tai Dam, Tai Laos or Tai Lue."

from The Lanna Deception (http://www.chiangmainews.com/ecmn/viewfa.php?id=2727)

The Suthepistas have opened a very old and very sore wound - well done, now reap the consequences.

You can not hide/erase a cultural identity. UK tried that with the Welsh. On the planet every 2 weeks a language/dialect vanishes. People should have a link to their past.

[newcomer71]

Thinking differently is illegal now is it?

No, but secession is against the law in many countries with heavy penalties.

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

Disrupt elections and deny fundamental right to vote is also against law in many countries with heavy penatlies, but as usual: double standards... Welcome to Thailand

Anyway the secession idea is another bad one added to many other crazy words spoken in last 4 months...

Wish everything will be over soon and Thailand can find balanced views again and don't go to confrontation on everything as it is happening now.

Edited March 2, 2014 by newcomer71

[northernjohn]

Other than a few extremists which both sides seem to have, the talk is more of maintaining and upholding Democracy in the Country.

The clear message to the Courts and Army is... Do not try and Coup us again. Ever.

Have you ever bothered to check in and see what the red shirt idea of democracy is. I don't think you would like it.

[northernjohn]

I have read only that some people are discussing the possibility and a desire to secede.

Can't see what is illegal about that myself.

And recruiting a massive army - larger than Russia's?

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

When that army is mobilised let me know. To speak of one is the usual blustering by self important pumped up self appointed spokesmen. It is as meaningless as Sutheps millions taking over Bangkok.

As I said, what is illegal about discussion and desire?

I should point out that I disagree with the North of Thailand seceeding but would agree with anyone their right to discuss or want such a move.

Same as I want Scotland to remain in the UK but respect anyone who has a different view to mine.

They are not discussing it they are promoting it.

Suthep did not say a single word about taking Bangkok out of Thailand.

[zydeco]

Yingluck where are you?

She better speak out soon. She is running out of time.

Probably in Dubai by now.

And if Suthep would crawl back into his hole, everybody would be happy.

You really are behind the curve. Things move quickly, probably too quickly for you. Suthep is all but out of the picture at this point. Things have moved to an entirely different level. You and your ilk are fighting last month's battles.

[ThailandNoob]

The army is a big part of why Thailand is in this mess in the first place. The reason this movement exists in the first place is because people in the North / NE are desperate to be able to elect governments without having them removed by coups (like the one Prayuth participated in in 2006, or the impending one that he has repeatedly "refused to rule out").

And now Prayuth continues to drag the country towards civil war by refusing to support negotiations with the "separatists" (who made it clear in their speeches that they are only asking for autonomy as opposed to full independence). If he cracks down on the Red Shirts, then many moderates who would have only wanted decentralisation will instead think "in for a penny, in for a pound" and start supporting full-blown secession.

Because of Prayuth's blindness in his drive to support yellow groups to bring dictatorship to the country, Thailand is missing what may well be its last chance to avoid following a Syria-like path.

[northernjohn]

Ironically the Thai PBS website that relates this tale has a section headed "Related News".

The suggested article is headlined

"Army Chief pleads for calm"

He has a strange way of making that possible....................

fab4 your are truly fabulous.

Why don't you just give him a call and explain what the red shirts expect out of him.

[edwinchester]

I have read only that some people are discussing the possibility and a desire to secede.

Can't see what is illegal about that myself.

And recruiting a massive army - larger than Russia's?

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

When that army is mobilised let me know. To speak of one is the usual blustering by self important pumped up self appointed spokesmen. It is as meaningless as Sutheps millions taking over Bangkok.

As I said, what is illegal about discussion and desire?

I should point out that I disagree with the North of Thailand seceeding but would agree with anyone their right to discuss or want such a move.

Same as I want Scotland to remain in the UK but respect anyone who has a different view to mine.

They are not discussing it they are promoting it.

Suthep did not say a single word about taking Bangkok out of Thailand.

And I would argue their right to promote the idea of secession despite disagreeing with it.

Until they try to force secession of the north I personally see nothing illegal with discussion or desire.

[WitawatWatawit]

All this is just the rantings of puffed up little big men, desperate to kiss the derriere of Thaksin for some last minute largesse before he is permanently removed from the scene. You can be sure that a lot of people, alot, who live within the borders of this so-called Lanna land would not like to have their lives further ruined by the violence that a secession movement would generate, nor the years of hardship they would endure while a functioning govt apparatus is set up etc.

Lanna land is just la-la land.

[SICHONSTEVE]

Thinking differently is illegal now is it?

"Expression of different opinions is fine under the Constitution but expression to carve out the country to create a separate state is not within the legal framework and cannot be done,” said the spokesman."

They have declared an intention.

....and it doesn't fit well within the constitution!!!

[northernjohn]

The army is a big part of why Thailand is in this mess in the first place. The reason this movement exists in the first place is because people in the North / NE are desperate to be able to elect governments without having them removed by coups (like the one Prayuth participated in in 2006, or the impending one that he has repeatedly "refused to rule out").

And now Prayuth continues to drag the country towards civil war by refusing to support negotiations with the "separatists" (who made it clear in their speeches that they are only asking for autonomy as opposed to full independence). If he cracks down on the Red Shirts, then many moderates who would have only wanted decentralisation will instead think "in for a penny, in for a pound" and start supporting full-blown secession.

Because of Prayuth's blindness in his drive to support yellow groups to bring dictatorship to the country, Thailand is missing what may well be its last chance to avoid following a Syria-like path.

Well that is one way of looking at it.

And now Prayuth continues to drag the country towards civil war by refusing to support negotiations with the "separatists" (who made it clear in their speeches that they are only asking for autonomy as opposed to full independence). If he cracks down on the Red Shirts, then many moderates who would have only wanted decentralisation will instead think "in for a penny, in for a pound" and start supporting full-blown secession

On the other hand the moderates might say thank you for putting an end to those nuts.

By the way if they have autonomy why are they trying to create an army?

Just a question.

[triffid]

If there is one person who needs to be removed completely from attempts to influence the political situation in Thailand, it is this very unpleasant, arrogant man. Exactly who is his boss?

You pose an explosive question there.

[pmugghc]

Thailand's constitution, Section 1: Thailand is one and indivisible Kingdom.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[Basil B]

Thinking differently is illegal now is it?

No, but advocating separatism is...

[coma]

Thinking differently is illegal now is it?

He may be privy to intelligence that points to the group going past the 'Thinking' stage. There has been some real strong dialogue coming out of the pro separatist group. It would have any military commander anywhere in the world concerned.