2006 coup suicide: Govt agents force cancellation of event to honour late taxi driver

[Baerboxer]

It's farang or falang, or fascist foreigner or any other way that I care to transliterate the Thai ... how do you dare to even assume what he knew or didn't know about democracy much less the way (and the reasons for taking his life)... You may actually have an inkling about what it means in Thai culture to do what he did, but you certainly don't show it with your posts.

Democracy was raped and pillaged by Thaksin... That is a "mantra", to use your term, which is rolled out by posters here who clearly know little to nothing of Thai history and Thai current events.

The only thing you got right in your post, and that was just by accident, was stating that coups "happen here for a reason".

Fascist foreigner - yeah whatever, or maybe Shin loving gangster foreigner. Whatever rocks you.

You dare to assume you know exactly what was in his mind when he took his own life - but decry someone else who suggests something different. Were you there, speak with him, no him. Or just spouting hot air in support of a convicted criminal fugitive and the crime family he presides over?

Thaksin was, is and always will be only interested in what's best for him, his wealth, his family's wealth and their power and ability to control. Maybe you should read the real history and not the Thaksin/Amsterdam fiction.

But all your posts are like that. Insisting the Shins were more than an opportunistic, immoral, greedy, clan prepared to break any laws for their own advantage.

but decry someone else who suggests something different

yeah, maybe that is because I have actually read about the Taxi driver and his story. He not only tried to kill himself twice in protest of the coup, he also left a note before his suicide ...

But like so many around this forum, you turn it directly to "Thaksin" with nonsensical comments like:

spouting hot air in support of a convicted criminal fugitive and the crime family he presides over?

which is no where to be found in my post.

You are suggesting that there was democracy before the coup in 2006. Yet that coup removed an illegal self appointed caretaker PM who was refusing to go and illegally holding on to power.

Why would someone so passionate about democracy, commit suicide in response to a coup that removed an undemocratic wannabee dictator?

[Baerboxer]

It's farang or falang, or fascist foreigner or any other way that I care to transliterate the Thai ... how do you dare to even assume what he knew or didn't know about democracy much less the way (and the reasons for taking his life)... You may actually have an inkling about what it means in Thai culture to do what he did, but you certainly don't show it with your posts.

Democracy was raped and pillaged by Thaksin... That is a "mantra", to use your term, which is rolled out by posters here who clearly know little to nothing of Thai history and Thai current events.

The only thing you got right in your post, and that was just by accident, was stating that coups "happen here for a reason".

Maybe I can challenge you in explaining how the Shinawatras did not destroy the Western form of democracy and its system of check and balances. You claim I have no understanding of Thai history or even the current events, so I am all ears.

Do you know about Thaksin's business practices before he became PM? Are you aware of his assets assealments cases in his first term and how he managed to get off the hook. Are you aware of his human rights track records? How about his family members? Have you ever listened to his famous speeches, all in Hitler style? The (13?) missing human right activists? The silencing of media and billion baht court cases against crticical journalists? Ample Rich? You call that democracy? And this cabbie's suicide should be seen as a heroes act?

This clan has raped and pillaged democracy, whether you like it or not. Almost every Thai, also the upper echelons of society, had confidence in him and his CEO leadership style. They believed he would push the country forward.

well, look at the mess we are in today, 2 coups later. All because of this little tyrant and his ill gained fortune.

But again, tell me what I don't understand? Spin, spin, spin your wheel.

You are focused on Thaksin. that is the problem. He is a newcomer to the scene. I understand perfectly well that Thaksin was corrupt. I recognize that while he supports elections on one hand, he was never a true democrat. I recognize that he also understood where the power in Thailand lies historically, which is with the army, and this is why he tried like he!! to make sure the army was not his downfall - he failed miserably in that endeavour.

Thaksin was a (typically corrupt) powerful businessman and successful politician who won elections and basically blew to doors off his feeble political rivals. I don't support his corruption or abuses of his power. I support some of the policies that he implemented. I support a more equal distribution of Thailand's resources. But it is not a defense of Thaksin.

Likewise, the taxi driver was protesting the coup, not glorifying Thaksin. There is a huge difference. At least one poster on this thread claimed it was done for Thaksin, that is nonsense.

It's not all about Thaksin. Did he abuse his power, most certainly (albeit, and bizarrely enough, probably not in the one instance for which he was convicted). But how can anyone claim with a straight face that Thaksin destroyed democracy in Thailand when the elephant is the room is the current, self-appointed 'PM'? And the boys in green didn't start with their little antics in the last 15 years since Thaksin started winning elections. Their's is a long history.

Thaksin is the new boy on the block. The ones who consistently undermine democracy in Thailand have been around for a much much longer time.

Thaksin certainly didn't destroy democracy, it wasn't really there for him to destroy. He had a good go at the checks and balances mind, and most definitely did nothing to promote democracy apart from his jaundiced version.

He was found guilty and convicted in a court of law. He new that particular law but chose to ignore it, got found out and paid the price. Why is that hard to understand?

[ikke]

it's rather remarkable the number of falang fascists on this board who praise military strongmen but abuse simple people who want democracy including a taxi driver who gave up his own life to oppose a coup.

He committed suicide after he drove his taxi into a tank hoping to hurt/kill military personnel. What a nice guy he was. Maybe a course of anger management would have served him right. Glad CSI LA wasn't around then, as he would have surely made his Facebook posts for a nice dosis of name and shame!

He could and should have protested in a less aggressive manner, like thousands of others. You say he wanted a democracy, but he didn't even know what it meant, just as you probably, you keep just repeating a mantra embedded in your long term memory about what democracy is and should be.

Democracy was raped and pillaged the moment a megalomaniac billionaire's and his family tried to copy the Marcos family from the Philippines. Do you have any knowledge of the events that led to the coup? I doubt it. Try to use some of your human intellect and try to think in both sequence of events and in terms of cause and effect.

No one likes coups, soldiers don't and even those falang (it's farang btw) fascists you call them, but they seem to happen here for a reason. Comparable with the system reboot on your laptop when you get another virus while visiting those dodgy Russian websites..

It's farang or falang, or fascist foreigner or any other way that I care to transliterate the Thai ... how do you dare to even assume what he knew or didn't know about democracy much less the way (and the reasons for taking his life)... You may actually have an inkling about what it means in Thai culture to do what he did, but you certainly don't show it with your posts.

Democracy was raped and pillaged by Thaksin... That is a "mantra", to use your term, which is rolled out by posters here who clearly know little to nothing of Thai history and Thai current events.

The only thing you got right in your post, and that was just by accident, was stating that coups "happen here for a reason".

Maybe I can challenge you in explaining how the Shinawatras did not destroy the Western form of democracy and its system of check and balances. You claim I have no understanding of Thai history or even the current events, so I am all ears.

Do you know about Thaksin's business practices before he became PM? Are you aware of his assets assealments cases in his first term and how he managed to get off the hook. Are you aware of his human rights track records? How about his family members? Have you ever listened to his famous speeches, all in Hitler style? The (13?) missing human right activists? The silencing of media and billion baht court cases against crticical journalists? Ample Rich? You call that democracy? And this cabbie's suicide should be seen as a heroes act?

This clan has raped and pillaged democracy, whether you like it or not. Almost every Thai, also the upper echelons of society, had confidence in him and his CEO leadership style. They believed he would push the country forward.

well, look at the mess we are in today, 2 coups later. All because of this little tyrant and his ill gained fortune.

But again, tell me what I don't understand? Spin, spin, spin your wheel.

"well, look at the mess we are in today, 2 coups later."

haha, you just made the point here.... the mess came with the coups, as your beloved junta dont know anything about solving this mess and it get worse every single day.

[SoilSpoil]

Ikke,

Lets make it very clear that I am 100% against a millitary regime as government and hope that Thailand will have honest elections in a peaceful society as soon as possible. So calling me a junta lover probably means you're a bit clueless.

That said, both coups were necessary because a certain political clan was robbing the country blind, had no respect for law and order, and above all was pushing this country into a civil war that would gave been disastrous.

That specific criminal political clan needs to be dismantled and the countries Trias Politica must be set up to protect the Thais against future criminal dynasties.

I fear, on that point I agree with you, that the mess we're in is gonna get uglier. The end game is still on the table. Best thing that could happen, is Thaksin's return and arrest. Maybe, just maybe, Thailand could then move on.

Edited April 25, 2015 by SoilSpoil

[tbthailand]

Ikke,

Lets make it very clear that I am 100% against a millitary regime as government and hope that Thailand will have honest elections in a peaceful society as soon as possible. So calling me a junta lover probably means you're a bit clueless.

That said, both coups were necessary because a certain political clan was robbing the country blind, had no respect for law and order, and above all was pushing this country into a civil war that would gave been disastrous.

That specific criminal political clan needs to be dismantled and the countries Trias Politica must be set up to protect the Thais against future criminal dynasties.

I fear, on that point I agree with you, that the mess we're in is gonna get uglier. The end game is still on the table. Best thing that could happen, is Thaksin's return and arrest. Maybe, just maybe, Thailand could then move on.

Sorry to jump in, but to say that you are 100% against something and then turn around and say that this same something was absolutely necessary, ... twice... I would say that such a position makes you confused, at the least.

BTW, there never was a serious threat of civil war in 2013/14. That is nice propaganda and used by the supporters of the current regime to justify their undemocratic positions.

There was a serious split in the military in 2006 which was visible during the 2010 protests, and while the army fighting itself would look like a civil war, it would actually just be the different factions in the army fighting among themselves... It's happened before.

as for robbing the country blind, why do you limit yourself to the Thaksin clan?

I also agree that it will get worse before it gets better. Personally, I would like to see Thaksin just go away, ... not that his exit from the scene would end the conflict, it would just show that the current conflict is not all about him. But that is not likely to happen, so he'll still be a player on stage for a while.

[tbthailand]

Do you know about Thaksin's business practices before he became PM? Are you aware of his assets assealments cases in his first term and how he managed to get off the hook. Are you aware of his human rights track records? How about his family members? Have you ever listened to his famous speeches, all in Hitler style? The (13?) missing human right activists? The silencing of media and billion baht court cases against crticical journalists? Ample Rich? You call that democracy? And this cabbie's suicide should be seen as a heroes act?

This clan has raped and pillaged democracy, whether you like it or not. Almost every Thai, also the upper echelons of society, had confidence in him and his CEO leadership style. They believed he would push the country forward.

well, look at the mess we are in today, 2 coups later. All because of this little tyrant and his ill gained fortune.

But again, tell me what I don't understand? Spin, spin, spin your wheel.

You are focused on Thaksin. that is the problem. He is a newcomer to the scene. I understand perfectly well that Thaksin was corrupt. I recognize that while he supports elections on one hand, he was never a true democrat. I recognize that he also understood where the power in Thailand lies historically, which is with the army, and this is why he tried like he!! to make sure the army was not his downfall - he failed miserably in that endeavour.

Thaksin was a (typically corrupt) powerful businessman and successful politician who won elections and basically blew to doors off his feeble political rivals. I don't support his corruption or abuses of his power. I support some of the policies that he implemented. I support a more equal distribution of Thailand's resources. But it is not a defense of Thaksin.

Likewise, the taxi driver was protesting the coup, not glorifying Thaksin. There is a huge difference. At least one poster on this thread claimed it was done for Thaksin, that is nonsense.

It's not all about Thaksin. Did he abuse his power, most certainly (albeit, and bizarrely enough, probably not in the one instance for which he was convicted). But how can anyone claim with a straight face that Thaksin destroyed democracy in Thailand when the elephant is the room is the current, self-appointed 'PM'? And the boys in green didn't start with their little antics in the last 15 years since Thaksin started winning elections. Their's is a long history.

Thaksin is the new boy on the block. The ones who consistently undermine democracy in Thailand have been around for a much much longer time.

Thaksin certainly didn't destroy democracy, it wasn't really there for him to destroy. He had a good go at the checks and balances mind, and most definitely did nothing to promote democracy apart from his jaundiced version.

He was found guilty and convicted in a court of law. He new that particular law but chose to ignore it, got found out and paid the price. Why is that hard to understand?

nah, democracy was there ... for him or anyone else to destroy.

For sure, Thaksin wanted to (and still does) bend it to suit his purposes.

But his opponents don't need, have never liked, and have never wanted democracy. And they have crushed it on a regular basis.

That is the difference.

ps: I know that he was convicted... and that conviction was for something which was the least of his sins... if it was even really illegal. What is not hard to understand is that it was just pure political vengeance... For all of the things that he did, they had to try to make a stupid, open, and fair auction into a conviction? That was feeble.

[Bakseeda]

"Democratic Path and What we can Learn from Nuamthong Praiwan".

Maybe the lesson to be learned is not to mob up and barricade themselves in the main commercial district of Bangkok and fire M-70 grenades at BTS stations, invade hospitals, burn shopping centers, etc., but instead, just go home and hang themselves in protest. It would send a lot clearer message and wouldn't negatively impact a lot of folks just trying to earn a living.

Of course, the best way to follow the 'Democratic Path' is to just wait for the next scheduled election and vote in their Dear Leader peacefully

Get a grip. That was in 2006 and the mob up was by the PAD who wanted a coup. They got one and this lone brave man was a true soldier of democracy unlike the fake one now.

Lone stupid nutter......