Red-shirt followers force the cancellation of a concert in Nonthaburi

[whybother]

Everything has began with the Yellow Fascists and their stone-age ideology. No Yellow Shirts, no Red-Shirts. Many seems to have forget this fact.

Did it start with them ???? memory loss ???

Yep, it did start with them.

Actually, it started with Thaksin changing laws to benefit his companies and his profits.

Sent from my phone...

[Malone]

Did the mob beat up any monks while they were at it?

This is not the first time a naive entertainer with certain political views and or links, with an even more naive or greedy manager, has accepted a gig in territory hostile to his views. What did he expect? He should sack his manager. There is probably more than enough work for him in other parts of the country without the need to court controversy. Entertainers, be they thespians or musicians, have far too high an opinion of themselves and their opinions. This one had a wake up call. I hope he learned from it.

This is not the first time that maniacal red shirts have been threatening to entertainers that have opinions different than red shirts.

This one is another wake up call. I hope the police learned from this and are able to control these marauding mobs of red shirts that think they can dictate what opinions are and are not allowed as well as dictating when and where entertainers, or anyone for that matter, can work and travel.

[Malone]

I can see how Pongpat's opinions expressed would upset the Red Shirts.

Great speech, loved it

This is fascism. Come and say this stupid nonsence in Khon Kaen or Chiang Rai and see if we'd put up with your nonsense.

Please stay in Bangkok, you so-and-so.

There are thousands and thousands of Thais in Khon Kaen and Chiang Rai that share Pongpat's opinion.

They don't see it as fascism nor as nonsense.

[Morch]

Red shirt democracy! Now you need be politically 'neutral' to perform in their territory. Did this singer protest against the Shinawatras? Or did he just vote Dem?

The other question is how many singers that support the UDD/Red Shirts/Pheu Thai have the Red Shirts shutdown? The answer is without a doubt, none. So it's not about neutral, is definitely about having a different politcal conviction than the Red Shirts. Not moral or just.

Sek Loso?

[HD 205]

Everything has began with the Yellow Fascists and their stone-age ideology. No Yellow Shirts, no Red-Shirts. Many seems to have forget this fact.

Did it start with them ???? memory loss ???

Yep, it did start with them.

Actually, it started with Thaksin changing laws to benefit his companies and his profits.

Sent from my phone...

Actually it really started because Sondhi got annoyed when his debt clearing banker friend got the heave-ho, that was the real genesis of the yellow shirts.

To think, people actually believe there was a genuine, noble reason to begin this disaster of divided protest groups that we see today, is laughable.

"It was about fighting corruption" - yeah right.

And here we are again in a perfect circle - "This is about fighting corruption" - yeah right.

[Morch]

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The red shirt idiots particularly hate Pongpat because he performed some of his well known songs on the PDRC rally stages. He is well known for his love of the king and during 2010 made a speech on accepting an award which was also seen as anti red.

He is one of the few real 'artists' Thailand has being a singer, actor, director and he actually has talent unlike a lot of the other people in the entertainment business here.

Sad a good guy is treated so badly by a few idiots because they disagree with his freedom of expression which is an important part of the 'democracy' the reds like to keep bleating about. Shame so many of the reds seem to not understand the meaning of 'democracy', red democracy you can keep, I don't want it. Real democracy is way way better !!!

Exactly he is biased towards the red groups but wants to perform in Nonthaburi. Nonthaburi is red shirt territory.

BTW: Thailand never had freedom of expression

I'll venture a guess that the show was booked by the owner of the place. Of course, just owning a business (as opposed to running an illegal radio station), and probably also being a fake Nonthaburian gives you no right to make such decisions without consulting said illegal radio station.

[Vinny1967]

Heard from my in-laws who live down the road from the venue that the protest wasn't against the singer,but against all the "yellow shirt " TV stars and personalities who were planning to attend.

Don't shoot the messenger

[tilac2]

Hi pmugghc,

You've put your finger on the choice:

'what is the right balance of a government "nanny state" vs freedom of choice" '

What can one say? Surely, as relatively prosperous people we like the "freedom of choice" option, but as decent citizens I guess we'd favour the "nanny state".

Probably the most effective option would be to let the people decide. If they want the millionaire Thaksin to run the country with populist policies then they should be able to vote for him; or equally if they want the old-Etonite Abhisit to be the PM, then he should be on the paper.

My choice of the lesser of 2 evils would be Thaksin, but I have no vote. In my opinion this country should take a radical turn to the left, but I realise that there would be substantial oppositon to that. If one suggested that most public services here should be run for the public benefit, as happens in Europe - transport, education, health care, etc - then one would be virtually hounded out of the country for such opinions. Most of the people who run this country, the ammart, want things to continue as they are, with a huge disparity in wealth, and, typically, corruption in most business deals. They do not want to have public services paid for by the public.

If anyone thinks that the corrupt Suthep is really planning to change things for the better, I'd suggest they should try to believe that a whore should become virgin or a drug addict should become a monk. Maybe it can happen, but I'd be sceptical.

A more probable cause for change would be - to judge from history - if a significant number of the ruling class were shot, hanged or guillotined. Again, that seems unlikely, given the fact that these people control the entire country, even unto the level of controlling how people think and buy (e.g. 7/11 stores: 'yes, I will buy your fat-filled, health-destroying garbage').

So I revert to my basic belief that in Thailand the main political hope remains with the forces of the 'reasonable left', and that means substantially to the left of the red shirts. They should try to persuade the electorate that leftish policies can improve society - as has happened in northern Europe.

[rametindallas]

Nonthaburi is red territory. Why on earth would Khun Pongpat play in Nonthaburi. He showed give a free concert at Lumphini park for his friends.

Maybe he was invited by the restaurant that was promoting his appearance? Maybe there are people in Nonthaburi who like talent? Maybe it's because that's his profession to sing for a living? Now, do you have any more stupid questions?

[luckytrev]

Conversation I just had

me: Do you like Pongpat Watchabanchong?

wife: No (emphatically)

me: Why?

wife; He yellow people. Before I like very much but he wak wak wak to people make big problem for Thaksin. I no like, I no listen any more..

me: The red shirts just stopped him having a concert.

wife: Good. (emphatically)

My wife takes her politics very seriously and her view is echoed by a large number of villagers here (north Thailand). She honestly sees nothing wrong with closing down the concert. We westerners may not agree but therein lays the problem when we condemn behavior we do not understand. Ours is a different worldview, maybe if we walked a mile in their shoes we would not be so quick to criticize.

me: Is everyone in our village a red shirt?

wife: No, there are some yellow people, but we know who they are (last part spoken quietly with a sinister undertone).

[AleG]

I can see how Pongpat's opinions expressed would upset the Red Shirts.

Great speech, loved it

This is fascism. Come and say this stupid nonsence in Khon Kaen or Chiang Rai and see if we'd put up with your nonsense.

Please stay in Bangkok, you so-and-so.

Fascism, you keep using that word, I do not think it means what you think it means.

[whybother]

This is fascism. Come and say this stupid nonsence in Khon Kaen or Chiang Rai and see if we'd put up with your nonsense.

Please stay in Bangkok, you so-and-so.

"you so-and-so"

"Come and say this stupid nonsence in Khon Kaen or Chiang Rai and see if we'd put up with your nonsense."

Yay for Red Shirt Freedom of Speech!

[boomerangutang]

The venue operator gave in too easily. Did he/she bother calling cops? Ooops, almost forgot, this is Thailand, and police, like the courts are fully subjective in their duties.

Thailand = rule by mob. That's a big reason (along with vote buying) why Reds command a majority of Issan voters.

[AleG]

This is fascism. Come and say this stupid nonsence in Khon Kaen or Chiang Rai and see if we'd put up with your nonsense.

Please stay in Bangkok, you so-and-so.

"you so-and-so"

"Come and say this stupid nonsence in Khon Kaen or Chiang Rai and see if we'd put up with your nonsense."

Yay for Red Shirt Freedom of Speech!

Hang on, maybe tilac2 made a typo and put a full stop instead of a colon?

Like this:

This is fascism: Come and say this stupid nonsence in Khon Kaen or Chiang Rai and see if we'd put up with your nonsense.

Please stay in Bangkok, you so-and-so.

In that case yes, I agree, that is fascism.

[ginjag]

People on here complaining about mob rule. Some very convenient memory lapses, ignoring the fact of the Suthep led mob that has closed many services to people who need them , inconvenienced millions, caused untold damage to the economy. Perhaps that is less significant than a cancelled concert by a publicity junkie, B list singer

Welcome back, Always the others isn't it ??? And I thought you were mellowing.

Why would Prbkk be "mellowing"? Why would anyone think it is okay that this lunatic, Suthep, should take over large areas of Bangkok?

This behavior is not 'okay'. In most other countries in the world this madman, Suthep, would be arrested and thrown in prison. The reason he isn't, quite obviously, is that he is supported at the very highest levels. He has his own private army. He can do what he wants in Bangkok. He is supported by the Army.

Among the few forces standing against Suthep are the PT party and the red shirts.

In my opinion (but probably not in Prbkk's, because I am a genuine socialist whereas he is probably simply a believer in democracy) the red shirts should be supported. So I say, in case anyone thinks all falangs are conservatives, "long live the red shirts"!

Enjoy a long bike ride. do you good, get some fresh air.

Are you a spokesperson for Prbkk, ??? Suthep is only copying the reds when they not only took over-they fired and pillaged some of BKK.

Your beloved reds are such a peaceful crowd aren't they??? in relation to the word democracy, look it up and see if the reds fall into that category --the couts will sort your party out.

[Runamile]

@luckytrev

Your'e so right. We farangs can prattle on, but we're from more evolved political systems and countries that have also evolved to a higher point of economic development.

Thailand is a developing country, economically. Politically, I don't know whether it's evolving at all. I guess the best we can say is that it's an immature democracy.

To carry the systemic points forward, the fact is that we are all in a reasonable personal economic position. To state the obvious, nearly all of us is likely to have had initial contact with Thailand because we could afford a holiday! We feel we have choice, especially economic choice, but it's amazing how wealth, not feeling your back to the wall all the time, allows feelings of choice more broadly than just the economic.

We are used to political systems, indeed, whole moral systems where give and take is normal. Quite a lot of us are, even, altruistic, supporting systems, politicians, taking individual action for the benefit of others, and doing so, often, to our own dis-benefit. These are mind-boggling ideas for Thailand!

Finally, Westerners have a strong sense of process, never mind due process. We could criticise the process of the ban on the singer, even if we, ourselves, had problems with that singer. Thais, not alone, in Asia, are very often unable to distinguish process from outcome. Specifically, they would be utterly unable to see that poor process could be applied the other way around; and, to that extent, if it's a red singer banned next time, they would happily, and illogically, protest that ban. After all, the two events would be unconnected!!!!!!!!!!

[Malone]

Conversation I just had

me: Do you like Pongpat Watchabanchong?

wife: No (emphatically)

me: Why?

wife; He yellow people. Before I like very much but he wak wak wak to people make big problem for Thaksin. I no like, I no listen any more..

me: The red shirts just stopped him having a concert.

wife: Good. (emphatically)

My wife takes her politics very seriously and her view is echoed by a large number of villagers here (north Thailand). She honestly sees nothing wrong with closing down the concert. We westerners may not agree but therein lays the problem when we condemn behavior we do not understand. Ours is a different worldview, maybe if we walked a mile in their shoes we would not be so quick to criticize.

me: Is everyone in our village a red shirt?

wife: No, there are some yellow people, but we know who they are (last part spoken quietly with a sinister undertone).

Good luck to the non-red shirts in your village.

I hope they aren't murdered at some point.

[Malone]

I can see how Pongpat's opinions expressed would upset the Red Shirts.

Great speech, loved it

This is fascism. Come and say this stupid nonsence in Khon Kaen or Chiang Rai and see if we'd put up with your nonsense.

Please stay in Bangkok, you so-and-so.

Fascism, you keep using that word, I do not think it means what you think it means.

Accuracy isn't a concern amongst the red shirt advocates.

[pmugghc]

Hi pmugghc,

You've put your finger on the choice:

'what is the right balance of a government "nanny state" vs freedom of choice" '

What can one say? Surely, as relatively prosperous people we like the "freedom of choice" option, but as decent citizens I guess we'd favour the "nanny state".

Probably the most effective option would be to let the people decide. If they want the millionaire Thaksin to run the country with populist policies then they should be able to vote for him; or equally if they want the old-Etonite Abhisit to be the PM, then he should be on the paper.

My choice of the lesser of 2 evils would be Thaksin, but I have no vote. In my opinion this country should take a radical turn to the left, but I realise that there would be substantial oppositon to that. If one suggested that most public services here should be run for the public benefit, as happens in Europe - transport, education, health care, etc - then one would be virtually hounded out of the country for such opinions. Most of the people who run this country, the ammart, want things to continue as they are, with a huge disparity in wealth, and, typically, corruption in most business deals. They do not want to have public services paid for by the public.

If anyone thinks that the corrupt Suthep is really planning to change things for the better, I'd suggest they should try to believe that a whore should become virgin or a drug addict should become a monk. Maybe it can happen, but I'd be sceptical.

A more probable cause for change would be - to judge from history - if a significant number of the ruling class were shot, hanged or guillotined. Again, that seems unlikely, given the fact that these people control the entire country, even unto the level of controlling how people think and buy (e.g. 7/11 stores: 'yes, I will buy your fat-filled, health-destroying garbage').

So I revert to my basic belief that in Thailand the main political hope remains with the forces of the 'reasonable left', and that means substantially to the left of the red shirts. They should try to persuade the electorate that leftish policies can improve society - as has happened in northern Europe.

I happen to come from northern Europe. Change wasn't achieved by shooting/hanging/guillotining people. Change came from peaceful labor unions that led to social democrat parties, VERY different from the UDD/PTP and their autocratic ways, they are far removed from any democratic notions. Just look at how the latest UDD leader was appointed.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[Runamile]

@pmugghc

Many believe in virgin birth.

[GeorgeO]

Did the mob beat up any monks while they were at it?

No, disappointed?

Some folks don't understand irony and some are just plain argumentative

Fabbie is not argumentative, as that would suggest that he has a valid point to make vis-a-vis another person's valid point. Fabbie is a pure bigot, and one of the biggest trolls on this forum.

[mikemac]

Did the mob beat up any monks while they were at it?

No, disappointed?

Some folks don't understand irony and some are just plain argumentative

Fabbie is not argumentative, as that would suggest that he has a valid point to make vis-a-vis another person's valid point. Fabbie is a pure bigot, and one of the biggest trolls on this forum.

Be careful GeorgeO, fabio does not like people using the "t" word.

Seems like the only ones who have a problem with that word are the lowlife trolls themselves.

[mikemac]

Hi pmugghc,

You've put your finger on the choice:

'what is the right balance of a government "nanny state" vs freedom of choice" '

What can one say? Surely, as relatively prosperous people we like the "freedom of choice" option, but as decent citizens I guess we'd favour the "nanny state".

Probably the most effective option would be to let the people decide. If they want the millionaire Thaksin to run the country with populist policies then they should be able to vote for him; or equally if they want the old-Etonite Abhisit to be the PM, then he should be on the paper.

My choice of the lesser of 2 evils would be Thaksin, but I have no vote. In my opinion this country should take a radical turn to the left, but I realise that there would be substantial oppositon to that. If one suggested that most public services here should be run for the public benefit, as happens in Europe - transport, education, health care, etc - then one would be virtually hounded out of the country for such opinions. Most of the people who run this country, the ammart, want things to continue as they are, with a huge disparity in wealth, and, typically, corruption in most business deals. They do not want to have public services paid for by the public.

If anyone thinks that the corrupt Suthep is really planning to change things for the better, I'd suggest they should try to believe that a whore should become virgin or a drug addict should become a monk. Maybe it can happen, but I'd be sceptical.

A more probable cause for change would be - to judge from history - if a significant number of the ruling class were shot, hanged or guillotined. Again, that seems unlikely, given the fact that these people control the entire country, even unto the level of controlling how people think and buy (e.g. 7/11 stores: 'yes, I will buy your fat-filled, health-destroying garbage').

So I revert to my basic belief that in Thailand the main political hope remains with the forces of the 'reasonable left', and that means substantially to the left of the red shirts. They should try to persuade the electorate that leftish policies can improve society - as has happened in northern Europe.

I happen to come from northern Europe. Change wasn't achieved by shooting/hanging/guillotining people. Change came from peaceful labor unions that led to social democrat parties, VERY different from the UDD/PTP and their autocratic ways, they are far removed from any democratic notions. Just look at how the latest UDD leader was appointed.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

Good comment pmugghc, but probably wasted on tilac2.

[fullcave]

Conversation I just had

me: Do you like Pongpat Watchabanchong?

wife: No (emphatically)

me: Why?

wife; He yellow people. Before I like very much but he wak wak wak to people make big problem for Thaksin. I no like, I no listen any more..

me: The red shirts just stopped him having a concert.

wife: Good. (emphatically)

My wife takes her politics very seriously and her view is echoed by a large number of villagers here (north Thailand). She honestly sees nothing wrong with closing down the concert. We westerners may not agree but therein lays the problem when we condemn behavior we do not understand. Ours is a different worldview, maybe if we walked a mile in their shoes we would not be so quick to criticize.

me: Is everyone in our village a red shirt?

wife: No, there are some yellow people, but we know who they are (last part spoken quietly with a sinister undertone).

Scary, has she ever beaten you?

[mikemac]

Conversation I just had

me: Do you like Pongpat Watchabanchong?

wife: No (emphatically)

me: Why?

wife; He yellow people. Before I like very much but he wak wak wak to people make big problem for Thaksin. I no like, I no listen any more..

me: The red shirts just stopped him having a concert.

wife: Good. (emphatically)

My wife takes her politics very seriously and her view is echoed by a large number of villagers here (north Thailand). She honestly sees nothing wrong with closing down the concert. We westerners may not agree but therein lays the problem when we condemn behavior we do not understand. Ours is a different worldview, maybe if we walked a mile in their shoes we would not be so quick to criticize.

me: Is everyone in our village a red shirt?

wife: No, there are some yellow people, but we know who they are (last part spoken quietly with a sinister undertone).

Scary, has she ever beaten you?

Scary, has she ever beaten you?

After reading the conversation he had with his wife I have come to the conclusion that trev is not that "lucky".

[Docno]

People here are outraged that the Reds tried (and succeeded) to get a one-off concert cancelled. Their opponents tried to get an ELECTION cancelled! I didn't see quite so much outrage about that. TV never fails to amaze...

[Runamile]

I think there's a bigger point. Current collective behaviour is cancelling Thailand........ Tourism, cancelled ......... Global Political Respect, cancelled ..........