Protesters refuse to move from Chaeng Wattana
Piyanut Tumnukasetchai
The Nation

BANGKOK: -- The second round of negotiation to talk People's Democratic Reform Committee (PDRC) into moving from Chaeng Wattana to Muang Thong Thani has failed, Maj-General Surachart Jitjaeng, chief of the Defence Ministry's public relations department said yesterday.

Surachart said protest leader Phra Buddha Issara said the protesters would stop blocking traffic on Chaeng Wattana Road only if General Nipat Thonglek, the Defence Ministry's permanent secretary, spent three nights and three days at the rally site. However, Nipat has only agreed to spend one night - from 6pm to 6am - at the site.

Surachart said the monk was also insisting that the negotiators put their lives on the line should any violence break out at the rally site. He added that he was not sure if there would be a third round of negotiation.

Phra Buddha Issara said the negotiators wanted the protesters to relocate, not just open the road to the traffic. He said talks like this could be a breach of the Civil Court's order for an injunction against the government's imposition of emergency decree.

He added he would lead protesters and farmers to pledge 10 truckloads of rice to a government agency today. He did not disclose which government agency this would be.

-- The Nation 2014-03-11

What does pledging 10 truckloads of rice have to do with the protesters at chaeng wattana? I could understand if they were using it to feed their followers but they state its for a gov agency.

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What does pledging 10 truckloads of rice have to do with the protesters at chaeng wattana? I could understand if they were using it to feed their followers but they state its for a gov agency.

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I thought that the rice pledging scheme was over now and that the farmers are getting a much lower price. Maybe to Mad Monk wants it to start again. I am very confused.

Was it the Mad Monk's thugs that beat up the man for moving a cone at the weekend?

This gets more ridiculous by the day! How many are there actually left?

Why should they move.

They have the right, hand down by the court, to protest freely and peacefully.

I forgot they were still there. Maybe its easier to just construct a bridge over top of the protest site. Even better, build a big wall around it so they cant get out.

The people are exercising their democratic right to be anti-democratic which is a teaching of the Buddha.

What does pledging 10 truckloads of rice have to do with the protesters at chaeng wattana? I could understand if they were using it to feed their followers but they state its for a gov agency.

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I thought that the rice pledging scheme was over now and that the farmers are getting a much lower price. Maybe to Mad Monk wants it to start again. I am very confused.

Was it the Mad Monk's thugs that beat up the man for moving a cone at the weekend?

If you are confused you should refrain from speculating and name calling.

This gets more ridiculous by the day! How many are there actually left?

We still have a state of emergency therefor I assume that here are still a few hundred thousand people protesting....

What does pledging 10 truckloads of rice have to do with the protesters at chaeng wattana? I could understand if they were using it to feed their followers but they state its for a gov agency.

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I thought that the rice pledging scheme was over now and that the farmers are getting a much lower price. Maybe to Mad Monk wants it to start again. I am very confused.

Was it the Mad Monk's thugs that beat up the man for moving a cone at the weekend?

The rice pledging scheme is far from over. YL and the PTP swear it is still a good scheme and continue it. Only when it is proven in court and people are prosecuted or when YL and the PTP lose their power in the GOV will someone put an end to that scheme. The rice these protest leaders are talking about is something different which is why i dont understand why it is included in this article

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So, it would seem, don't plan on making visits to CW Immigration any time soon....

There aren't many protesters at Changwattana, and indeed common sense would dictate that they relocate to Lumpini.

But the problem is that Suthep and Phra Issara had a major falling out months ago (the latter felt "dissed" by the former), and one of them needs to swallow their pride before they get together again.

Just a guess but is he going to dump the rice outside some government office

or someones home?

I am surprised that The Nation newspaper still refers to him as Phra Buddha Issara. Other news agencies have already started using Nai Issara - as if he has already been defrocked. Which he should already be....BTW.

I am praying for a long, very wet rainy season so these protestors get very uncomfortable.

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Just a guess but is he going to dump the rice outside some government office

or someones home?

For reasons best known to the "monk", he dumped it outside of the government lottery office after asking officials there to buy the rice paddy off him.

Presumably he's put a lot of thought into that action and I look forward to more sane decisions like that. This is definitely a man that people should follow.