Have to love a few here not a word about double standard when the CAPO came out and said they would be protecting the red shirt demos against attack a bit of a joke as they had not been attack. No protection for anti-government folks even though they were attack constantly, I guess a few of the posters here have caught the old red shirt double standard sickness.

You don't seem to be paying attention. The ammart did not seize power in order to turn it back over to their enemies, the citizens who are the majority of the country. After the Senate has put their stooges in power with the Army preventing the Reds from gathering to oppose the coup, there will be a long period, years perhaps, of discussion and meetings about "reform." When the "reforms" are completed, the majority will find that either they can't vote at all or they cannot elect a government that will have any actual power. This will be achieved by increasing the anti-democracy provisions of the constitution including non-elected senators and, perhaps, representatives, "independent" agencies like the EC and NACC with increased authority to control or disband the elected government, etc. When elections are finally held they will be a sham.

Let's hope your prediction is not true. However it appears that what you posted above is exactly what is happening right now.

You love nonsense posts.

Funny, Jajuporn has instructed the UDD/RS to cooperate with the military, while the PDRC cancelled their march for today to regroup and make new strategy plans. Nothing said about cooperation with the army.

Everything seems to go against the principles. Mr. Army, shouldn't you start out surrounding the protesters who caused chaos for the past 6 months first? You don't seem to hide your true color at all which side you're standing with.

Why surround peaceful protesters without weapons? Besides, the anti-govt camps are protested by the court of law.

The red are the real thugs. Don't believe me, please refer to 2010.

Thailand's embattled government was not consulted in advance by the military about the declaration of martial law, but it is still in power, says the chief security adviser to Prime Minister Niwattumrong Boonsongpaisan

http://news.ninemsn.com.au/world/2014/05/20/08/52/thai-army-declares-martial-law

"The army has ordered protest groups to remain at their respective sites and remain peaceful"

I was right.

Obvious double standard is a suicide for the Royalists.

How can you be right when the Army have stated that all the protests can continue with the proviso that they remain at the sites and don't start new ones! That's Pro and Anti government protests!

Also the Army are also at the PDRC protest sites.

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To be confirmed.

Looks strange to me.

Like any normal human being I hate Thai army but I don't think they would dare to bother the Reds without bothering the Royalists. It would be the proof of the double standard.

Double standard now => The today's winners will lose for ever in the future.

Normal human beings do not hate the army. Many Thais love the army. Especially after all the help they provided during the floods.

Yeah they love and trust the police too.

Two sides fighting. They have surrounded the ones with the weapons (supplied by our lovely government as now proven) they will tell both sides to dispurse. Best thing to do in the situation.

Not totally disagreeing with you, but what about all the beatings, shootings and stabbings engaged in by the PDRC "guards" that were, for the most part, unprovoked? What about all the pipe bombs and other bomb making equipment found in the park after the protesters moved out? Are you saying those things are ok? Or are you of the opinion that only Reds are violent?

Funny, Jajuporn has instructed the UDD/RS to cooperate with the military, while the PDRC cancelled their march for today to regroup and make new strategy plans. Nothing said about cooperation with the army.

By cancelling the march are they not cooperating?

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Two sides fighting. They have surrounded the ones with the weapons (supplied by our lovely government as now proven) they will tell both sides to dispurse. Best thing to do in the situation.

Not totally disagreeing with you, but what about all the beatings, shootings and stabbings engaged in by the PDRC "guards" that were, for the most part, unprovoked? What about all the pipe bombs and other bomb making equipment found in the park after the protesters moved out? Are you saying those things are ok? Or are you of the opinion that only Reds are violent?

Could have been plated by the government after they left.

Just could have.

One suspects that many posters rush to get their name(s) on-screen before thay have had time to think, hence all the school play-ground cries "it's not fair"....."but what about xxxxxx, "...and "please sir, he did it first"....

It makes good sense to disperse one group before the other to minimise the possibilities of flare-up all over BKK. THEN dispers the other mob, It is unlikely that the army will rush to arrest the half-wit leaders on either side just yet, as they are hoping to calm, not inflame matters. it is sad so many claim to know so much but think so little.

EDIT TO ADD: In fact the army has gone one better, and told BOTH sides not to disperse from their current sites. That should contain the idiots and help prevent violence from whatever source.

However, don't let common sense get in the way of any more vitriolic and ill-thought posts.

Carry on

Time to see what the reds are made of. They sure to talk a lot of smack, lets see if they can walk the walk or if they just get back on the bus and go home.

The military needs to prove their "neutrality" by also surrounding the yellow camps. Otherwise, it is a total farce.

When those PDRC camps start throwing grenades on a daily basis onto red protest sites then the army will proceed with that.

The PDRC have netting and sand bags filled to protect them from the reds.

The reds have……..Well nothing. Because they are not being attacked.

Saying that - If the PDRC start bombing red shirt sites I sincerely hope the army treat them in the same manner as the red shirt threat.

Oh really?

Violence has stepped up on Wednesday after a red-shirt activist and poet was shot dead at a restaurant in Bangkok and two gunmen sprayed bullets into a community radio station in Pathum Thani.

The People’s Radio for Democracy filed a complaint to the police after some of its members were attacked by a group vocational students, who joined the People’s Army Against Thaksin’s Regime protest at Lumpini park.

Coup in progress. Step 1: disperse the Reds, but not the PRDC. Step 2: Senate replaces govt illegally. Coup complete.

you forgot the next steps

Step 3. Make the necessary reforms

Step 4. Make free and fair elections

To be confirmed.

Looks strange to me.

Like any normal human being I hate Thai army but I don't think they would dare to bother the Reds without bothering the Royalists. It would be the proof of the double standard.

Double standard now => The today's winners will lose for ever in the future.

Most Thais like the Thai army

To the Red Shirt apologists out there, regardless of how you try to spin it, the PTP/Red Brigade have brought this upon themselves as a direct result of recent occurrences.

1. Setting aside a limited number of renegade protest guards, the anti-government protesters have proven themselves to be very peaceful, and indeed, their rallies have been shown by the courts to be legal (of course, you will say that the courts are crooked, regardless of the fact that Nattawut, Jatuporn and Prompong have been roaming free despite having been sentenced or having breached their bail conditions);

2. The red shirt hordes have taken advantage of the peaceful nature of the protests to carry out nightly attacks on them, resulting in almost three dozen deaths, including children, and hundreds of casualties;

3. The Red army had clearly been put to task, and were getting dangerously close to carrying out that task - they were even given protection by CAPO, something which they did not feel was deserved by the anti-government protesters;

4. Chlaerm, despite having been sacked, was threatening charges of treason against anyone who came out in support of the anti-government protesters - let's not forget that treason is punishable by death;

5. A cache of weapons was found in a vehicle belonging to a "senior figure" in the government, resulting in PTP/Red Shirt leaders trying to conceal this discovery - this would seem to suggest that the government was complicit in providing arms to its supportive extremists;

Name me any other country in the world that would not have reacted in a similar way against this Red Army amassing around the capital...?!

Finally, the point about double standards is nonsense; had the anti-government protesters been seen as a threat to the public, they would also have been surrounded and told to disperse; however, as already noted, their activities have already been held by the courts not to be illegal.

Red shirts start return home after troops block Utthayan road

BANGKOK: -- Troops were deployed to close Buddha Monthon 4 Road and replaced police to keep security there. Following the arrival of troops, some red shirts started returning home.

-- The Nation 2014-05-20

I am living there...the police didn't keep security. There were checkpoints with 20 or so policemen and they did nothing. You could smuggle in an aircraftcarrier on the thaveewattana klong without the police notice it.

Coup in progress. Step 1: disperse the Reds, but not the PRDC. Step 2: Senate replaces govt illegally. Coup complete.

you forgot the next steps

Step 3. Make the necessary reforms

Step 4. Make free and fair elections

Then it starts all over again.

There are no winners here. The country is too divided. Whatever party wins, the other party will want them out, and here we go again.

Rinse and repeat.

Coup in progress. Step 1: disperse the Reds, but not the PRDC. Step 2: Senate replaces govt illegally. Coup complete.

you forgot the next steps

Step 3. Make the necessary reforms

Step 4. Make free and fair elections

Then it starts all over again.

There are no winners here. The country is too divided. Whatever party wins, the other party will want them out, and here we go again.

Rinse and repeat.

Don't bother rinsing.....just hang everything out to dry before chucking it in the bin..... and get a complete new wardrobe...new designs, new colours...none of the same designers!

Double standards you bet there is!

Once again the yellows are on here portraying themselves as completely innocent and their supreme leader and the mad monk are as pure as the driven snow.

The fact is than yingluck won the election by the second biggest margin in thai history and was removed by a very controversial decision by the courts which ousted the PTP time and time again.

Sutep has been giving free reign with the mad monk to carry on with their undemocratic ways for months now and has failed at every step except for the BS decision of the courts.

The government is still intact and if it still is on the 27th let's see if he's a man of his word and hands himself in!

You don't seem to be paying attention. The ammart did not seize power in order to turn it back over to their enemies, the citizens who are the majority of the country. After the Senate has put their stooges in power with the Army preventing the Reds from gathering to oppose the coup, there will be a long period, years perhaps, of discussion and meetings about "reform." When the "reforms" are completed, the majority will find that either they can't vote at all or they cannot elect a government that will have any actual power. This will be achieved by increasing the anti-democracy provisions of the constitution including non-elected senators and, perhaps, representatives, "independent" agencies like the EC and NACC with increased authority to control or disband the elected government, etc. When elections are finally held they will be a sham.

A politically pragmatic analysis. But I hope you're wrong.

"The army has ordered protest groups to remain at their respective sites and remain peaceful"

I was right.

Obvious double standard is a suicide for the Royalists.

Where is the double standard? Both protest groups have been ordered to stay where they are. The PDRC cancelled their planned marches.

No problem with seeing this, but will they do the same with the PDRC anti-gov protesters?

It is reported on Australian news that they are doing exactly the same to the PDRC. The Military wants both sides to disperse.

No problem with seeing this, but will they do the same with the PDRC anti-gov protesters?

Were they threatening to start a civil war as well ??

IF they do not do the same for the PDRC thugs then the inherent bias will be clear to ALL Thais and the entire world

Do you seriously think the 'entire world' give a flying fart about Thai domestic politics?

Next.......

To the Red Shirt apologists out there, regardless of how you try to spin it, the PTP/Red Brigade have brought this upon themselves as a direct result of recent occurrences.

1. Setting aside a limited number of renegade protest guards, the anti-government protesters have proven themselves to be very peaceful, and indeed, their rallies have been shown by the courts to be legal (of course, you will say that the courts are crooked, regardless of the fact that Nattawut, Jatuporn and Prompong have been roaming free despite having been sentenced or having breached their bail conditions);

2. The red shirt hordes have taken advantage of the peaceful nature of the protests to carry out nightly attacks on them, resulting in almost three dozen deaths, including children, and hundreds of casualties;

3. The Red army had clearly been put to task, and were getting dangerously close to carrying out that task - they were even given protection by CAPO, something which they did not feel was deserved by the anti-government protesters;

4. Chlaerm, despite having been sacked, was threatening charges of treason against anyone who came out in support of the anti-government protesters - let's not forget that treason is punishable by death;

5. A cache of weapons was found in a vehicle belonging to a "senior figure" in the government, resulting in PTP/Red Shirt leaders trying to conceal this discovery - this would seem to suggest that the government was complicit in providing arms to its supportive extremists;

Name me any other country in the world that would not have reacted in a similar way against this Red Army amassing around the capital...?!

Finally, the point about double standards is nonsense; had the anti-government protesters been seen as a threat to the public, they would also have been surrounded and told to disperse; however, as already noted, their activities have already been held by the courts not to be illegal.

well said and 100% correct

The most shocking point being that a car owned by a DPM used to transport guns and the police trying to cover it up - and people on here are wondering why CAPO has been disbanded when one of it's members is smuggling arms to the redshirts......really ?

Good question! But the RED have violent tendencies and with the fanatic Jatuporn leading them the chances increase dramatically. Also there is the fact that Prayuth hates Jatuporn heehee.

Hard to say if the Army will do the same for the Dems. I think if they were going to do it them then they would have them surrounded already.

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And exactly where did you gather these false ideas. You find it OK for that Jackass of a monk and Suthep to run wild for months but condem a rally by the other side.

This might work. They can 'persuade' suthep to pack it in and go home, Senate can invite Peua Thai, as the previous election winner, to choose a suitable interim prime minister, agreeing on a cabinet made up of mild persons from both sides, protests can be temporarily outlawed, we can get on with reform with an election promised within 4 months.

You don't seem to be paying attention. The ammart did not seize power in order to turn it back over to their enemies, the citizens who are the majority of the country. After the Senate has put their stooges in power with the Army preventing the Reds from gathering to oppose the coup, there will be a long period, years perhaps, of discussion and meetings about "reform." When the "reforms" are completed, the majority will find that either they can't vote at all or they cannot elect a government that will have any actual power. This will be achieved by increasing the anti-democracy provisions of the constitution including non-elected senators and, perhaps, representatives, "independent" agencies like the EC and NACC with increased authority to control or disband the elected government, etc. When elections are finally held they will be a sham.

Any less of a sham whereby you ignore the murder of campaigners/canvassers? Any words from you about the facts of the case? You know you just choose to pass over small details like the fact that the elected government is incompetent and broke the law? Winning elections is fine and all of Thailand accepted the election until PTP started blatantly breaking the law and manipulating the system so that they could rule with impunity and without checks and balances inherent in any modern democracy. Creating "Red Villages" and intimidating and paying people to vote your way is OK with your definition of democracy?

Perhaps...just perhaps if we could create an environment that is fair to all Thais where they feel free to vote whichever way they feel is best for them and best for Thailand all sides would respect that vote as you envision its happening now. The problem is that it doesn't quite work that way at the moment. Then, we would have an "us against them" mentality and politics and true democracy can propel Thailand forward.

"The army has ordered protest groups to remain at their respective sites and remain peaceful"

I was right.

Obvious double standard is a suicide for the Royalists.

Where is the double standard? Both protest groups have been ordered to stay where they are. The PDRC cancelled their planned marches.

Yes, stay where they are.

Suthep was in the PM office already. Suthep, please stay where you are.

Acting PM NB (can't spell his name) is in Chiang Mai. NB, please stay where you are.

Everything seems to go against the principles. Mr. Army, shouldn't you start out surrounding the protesters who caused chaos for the past 6 months first? You don't seem to hide your true color at all which side you're standing with.

What you say is so very accurate and true. No act of fairness has thusfar been shown.