there still seems to be a "Red v Yellow" mentality here and an obsession with Thaksin. If that is how you assess this , you are seriously ill-informed.

15 Red Shirt Activists sentenced to Prison

The 15 sentenced includes core red shirt activist Arisaman and former Pheu Thai MP Khun Worachai, who were both sent to Jail for 4 years.

No last minute escape from the police by the chubby Arisaman this time.

Whoops! Who will pursue his new airline business now?

Wonder if he'll be checked for unusual wealth?

The witch hunt continues

All this talk of reconciliation yet all we see is more revenge and oppression. This won`t end well.

This is NOT a witch hunt, this is called accountability for your actions and it has to start somewhere or they will never change the culture of this country!!

And yes, I hope the yellows get theirs for the airport too. I hope everyone that has been getting off easy will get theirs no matter which side they or you are on.

Breaking the law should not take sides, you do the crime you do the time. Now if we can get some of these rich untouchables to be accountable we might be getting somewhere.

it has all the signs of th witch-hunt - and precisely what "law" is it we are talking about?

Well, lets hope they are not pardoned in a month or two and released. The red shirt actions have had serious consequences. I wonder if Jatuporn will ever be punished?

And yes, they need to punish all who have violated laws, not just the red shirts. Though I would not bet on it.

The witch hunt continues

All this talk of reconciliation yet all we see is more revenge and oppression. This won`t end well.

To be honest.I hope the Thai people will stay quiet, grin and bare it.

If there is to be a fight, mostly old people and university students die. I don't want to see any more wasted lives over this.

while I agree with your sentiments about the violence and deaths (past and future), I also do not see it getting better without getting much, much worse. Unfortunately.

you're like a Thai weather man - saying rain without looking out the window to see the sun is shining in a cloudless sky lol

Just a little lite humour - no insult intended

Let's see: Suthep and his yellow shirt minions shut down Bangkok by trying to depose a duly elected government and the red shirts get jail. Any question of who's side the Junta is on.

well with 2 posts you got a lot of catching up to do ..revise then come back ok sonny jim..

Well well. There is a God after all! Now, any jail for the yellows who shut down two international airports?

The red shirts violently broke into the ASEAN summit. The yellow shirts peacefully occupied the airport. The criminal code treats these differently. While there should be prosecution of the yellow-shirt leaders, the severity of punishment will be nowhere near the same.

Oh please the PAD were armed and around 100 people were injured as a direct result of the yellow shirt actions in occupying the airport. The storming of ASEAN interrupted the free meal and drinks of a hand full of politicians. The little airport thingy did far more damage to Thailand's reputation and disrupted the lives of hundreds of thousands of people from around the world.

Interesting how history gets rewritten again.

The red shirts 'walked' into the hotel, they were noisy but very well behaved and only looking for PM Abhisit. After half an hour they simply left again. At least that's what you can read on NewMandela from our local photo journalist. One may be excused to fear for the lives of the ASEAN guests (inclusing the Chinese PM I think), the red shirts were a bit noisy. Also the trashing of Abhisit's car a few days before didn't help the red-shirt's image much.

BTW 100 people injured as direct result of PAD occupation of the airports? You mean

2008-11-26 "Bombs injure 7 demonstrators."

http://www.asianews.it/news-en/%E2%c3%83%c6%92%c3%82%c2%af%c3%83%e2%80%9a%c3%82%c2%bf%c3%83%e2%80%9a%c3%82%c2%bd%c3%83%c6%92%c3%82%c2%af%c3%83%e2%80%9a%c3%82%c2%bf%c3%83%e2%80%9a%c3%82%c2%bdFinal-Battle%E2%c3%83%c6%92%c3%82%c2%af%c3%83%e2%80%9a%c3%82%c2%bf%c3%83%e2%80%9a%c3%82%c2%bd%9D-in-Bangkok:-airport-occupied-and-7-injured-13851.html

There's another one with dozens injured, but that was when protesters were attacked near Government House, 2008-12-01

"At times, the protests have turned violent. A pair of explosions injured 49 people -- three of them seriously -- when what was believed to be a grenade was launched at protesters at Government House early Sunday. Later, police said there was another blast in a road in front of Don Muang."

cwww.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/asiapcf/12/01/thailand.airport.main/index.html

or maybe 2008-12-02

"An assailant fired a grenade into the inbound passenger terminal building of the Don Muang Airport early Tuesday (2 Dec), killing one protester and injuring 22 others."

http://www.mysinchew.com/node/18766?tid=37

So in 2008 and 2014, those protesting against Shin controlled governments suffered bomb and grenade attacks. Seems a bit of a connection there.

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apols to chooka.i didnt realise the airport sit in was before so i stand corrected still painfully slooooow..

The witch hunt continues

All this talk of reconciliation yet all we see is more revenge and oppression. This won`t end well.

This is NOT a witch hunt, this is called accountability for your actions and it has to start somewhere or they will never change the culture of this country!!

And yes, I hope the yellows get theirs for the airport too. I hope everyone that has been getting off easy will get theirs no matter which side they or you are on.

Breaking the law should not take sides, you do the crime you do the time. Now if we can get some of these rich untouchables to be accountable we might be getting somewhere.

it has all the signs of th witch-hunt - and precisely what "law" is it we are talking about?

The whole legal system and law enforcement system is a load of <deleted>. However, it is what it is.

The reason nothing was done about these goons since 2009 is because the Shins got into power again and the goons were acting on Shin orders. Now the law has caught up with them when previously the Shin controlled police did bugger all.

In a normal developed country all sides would face the law equally. Here it ain't so. This is not a witch-hunt - the crimes were committed. But prosecutions seem selective, even though some yellow shirts have faced justice.

apols to chooka.i didnt realise the airport sit in was before so i stand corrected still painfully slooooow..

still love you and respect you.

Well well. There is a God after all! Now, any jail for the yellows who shut down two international airports?

yep we should now see yellow shirt leaders doing serious jail time also. Then we should see Suthep and the Mad Monk also in prison for storming buildings and shutting down an election. Suthep himself said in 2010 it is ilegal for protestors to occupy government buildings. That is if they go after everyone and not just one side.

I don't normally post on politics threads, but this post is so true, and surely the Junta cannot just punish one side. The Reds were wrong in 2010, and the Yellows were wrong in 2008. The leaders of both must be punished, and I will have no respect for the Junta unless they play fair and jail the Yellows leaders for shutting down two airports.

Let's see: Suthep and his yellow shirt minions shut down Bangkok by trying to depose a duly elected government and the red shirts get jail. Any question of who's side the Junta is on.

The side without the guns, bombs and violent intent.

Ask a harder question next time.

Would that be the army you're describing there? ? oh silly me, it's only one political faction that resorts to violence isn't it? The Popcorn gunman must have been using a paintball gun eh?

Both sides have their scumbags, and hopefully justice doesn't wear coloured spectacles ?

Well well. There is a God after all! Now, any jail for the yellows who shut down two international airports?

yep we should now see yellow shirt leaders doing serious jail time also. Then we should see Suthep and the Mad Monk also in prison for storming buildings and shutting down an election. Suthep himself said in 2010 it is ilegal for protestors to occupy government buildings. That is if they go after everyone and not just one side.

I don't normally post on politics threads, but this post is so true, and surely the Junta cannot just punish one side. The Reds were wrong in 2010, and the Yellows were wrong in 2008. The leaders of both must be punished, and I will have no respect for the Junta unless they play fair and jail the Yellows leaders for shutting down two airports.

yes !

Where are all this reds bombing and shooting on innocent people ?? most all of them still running or hiding around !!

How many where shooted in airport protest ?? no one !!

Good to see Arisaman and Payap getting jail terms.

Small point here: Gogo girls "grin and bare it". General population "grin and bear it" during these obvious purges until time comes for them to assert populist notions, like elections and somewhat democracy.

same old shit suppress the poor,the elite use the military to do their dirty work, prayut is just a puppet of the elite, who will not accept democracy, due to the mentality of the thai people, whom they are spoonfed thainess and brainwashed by all this.i am not on anyone`s side, just saying what i see

Well well. There is a God after all! Now, any jail for the yellows who shut down two international airports?

The red shirts violently broke into the ASEAN summit. The yellow shirts peacefully occupied the airport. The criminal code treats these differently. While there should be prosecution of the yellow-shirt leaders, the severity of punishment will be nowhere near the same.

Whilst I have no allegiance to any childish colour the red and yellows broke the laws. You can soften it up with words and sugar coat with words like peacefully but it is clearly double standards. I would still like to know where you get 12 miles of barb wire. You can hardly go to your local hardware store and get that much. I wonder where they got that much barbed wire to surround the airport with and the roads?

Let's see: Suthep and his yellow shirt minions shut down Bangkok by trying to depose a duly elected government and the red shirts get jail. Any question of who's side the Junta is on.

The side without the guns, bombs and violent intent.

Ask a harder question next time.

Would that be the army you're describing there? ? oh silly me, it's only one political faction that resorts to violence isn't it? The Popcorn gunman must have been using a paintball gun eh?

Both sides have their scumbags, and hopefully justice doesn't wear coloured spectacles ?

And until justice can clearly to be seen to be meted out to both sides equally, events such as these are nothing but the triumph of plunderers.

I wouldn't be surprised if the next lot of elections there only one nominee who's Ex NLA to vote for in the regional elections, make it impossible for anyone to stand against them, and voila, you have a democratically elected Government stacked with former senior Military figures too!! ?

Simple answer for the red shirts is to simply close down the international airports next time........

Well well. There is a God after all! Now, any jail for the yellows who shut down two international airports?

yep we should now see yellow shirt leaders doing serious jail time also. Then we should see Suthep and the Mad Monk also in prison for storming buildings and shutting down an election. Suthep himself said in 2010 it is ilegal for protestors to occupy government buildings. That is if they go after everyone and not just one side.

I don't normally post on politics threads, but this post is so true, and surely the Junta cannot just punish one side. The Reds were wrong in 2010, and the Yellows were wrong in 2008. The leaders of both must be punished, and I will have no respect for the Junta unless they play fair and jail the Yellows leaders for shutting down two airports.

The junta doesn't punish, the junta doesn't rule. Courts do..

The case has been handled in court and after a few years a ruling comes out. Next is appeal which drags things along a wee bit longer.

Similar to the 2008 'airport closure' case. The last appeal is being processed I think.

Why 4 years? Maybe to remind them this is the time people in democratic countries wait when they are not happy with an election result. They wait 4 years and hope their party will win the next election. But in Thailand, there are always a few thousands out of millions who don't like to follow this democratic rule. It's pretty rare that goverments step down because unhappy protesters want them to do so.

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Well well. There is a God after all! Now, any jail for the yellows who shut down two international airports?

yep we should now see yellow shirt leaders doing serious jail time also. Then we should see Suthep and the Mad Monk also in prison for storming buildings and shutting down an election. Suthep himself said in 2010 it is ilegal for protestors to occupy government buildings. That is if they go after everyone and not just one side.

I don't normally post on politics threads, but this post is so true, and surely the Junta cannot just punish one side. The Reds were wrong in 2010, and the Yellows were wrong in 2008. The leaders of both must be punished, and I will have no respect for the Junta unless they play fair and jail the Yellows leaders for shutting down two airports.

The junta doesn't punish, the junta doesn't rule. Courts do..

The case has been handled in court and after a few years a ruling comes out. Next is appeal which drags things along a wee bit longer.

Similar to the 2008 'airport closure' case. The last appeal is being processed I think.

So are you suggesting that the judiciary operates independently of the junta/government and that there is an operable separation of powers in Thailand?

That's a classic.

Do you believe in Father Christmas and the tooth fairy?

The witch hunt continues

All this talk of reconciliation yet all we see is more revenge and oppression. This won`t end well.

To be honest.I hope the Thai people will stay quiet, grin and bare it.

If there is to be a fight, mostly old people and university students die. I don't want to see any more wasted lives over this.

while I agree with your sentiments about the violence and deaths (past and future), I also do not see it getting better without getting much, much worse. Unfortunately.

you're like a Thai weather man - saying rain without looking out the window to see the sun is shining in a cloudless sky lol

Just a little lite humour - no insult intended

... cause if it's the right time of year, he doesn't need to look out the window.

Well well. There is a God after all! Now, any jail for the yellows who shut down two international airports?

The red shirts violently broke into the ASEAN summit. The yellow shirts peacefully occupied the airport. The criminal code treats these differently. While there should be prosecution of the yellow-shirt leaders, the severity of punishment will be nowhere near the same.

The severity won't be the same because nobody will go to court. Nor will Suthep go to court for storming and occupying government buildings.

Only 4 years,... That equals just a slap on the wrist and a little more extreme attitude adjustment....

Edited March 6, 201511 yr by MaxLee

I personally find imprisoning any people for political actions is a matter for deep concern.

In principle, yes, I agree with you. However, it's the action which determines whether it's criminal or not.

If people are on a sidewalk holding placards and perhaps chanting, it's ok. If they're blocking a street, then it's questionable, depending on the gravity of the situation (if it blocks an entire section of a city for many hours, for example).

However, when people storm in to a hotel en masse, breaking one or more doors, threatening/frightening innocents, ...then it crosses the line between peaceful protest and criminal activity. That's what happened in the OP.

Only 4 years,... That equals just a slap on the wrist and a little more extreme attitude adjustment....

I wouldn't volunteer to take their places.