Facing jail for sedition, Thai student protesters refuse to back down

[speedtripler]

Are things so bad in Thailand that you would go to jail for seven years just so you can pretend to vote for people who use your own tax money for their impossible ponzi schemes to buy your vote?

Yes

[DirtyDan]

Without really understanding the intricacies of the politics.... You'd think the leader of a country, regardless of how he came to power, would be able to stand in front of a few questions lobbed at him from the field. I find it interesting the head government official is so intimidated by a 17 year old's question he has the kid thrown out of the building.

Edited September 7, 2015 by DirtyDan

[NongKhaiKid]

The ball is entirely in the Junta's court , it may sound dramatic , but how they handle this protest group will perhaps decide their fate , it doesn't take long these days with social media to organize , the military should be well aware the last time they clashed with Students , good luck to all those students and friends facing a trumped up sedition charge , you are the only democracy in Thailand at this present time, all the present Administration can offer is section 44. Rule.

Send them to prison Mr. P and this will echo around the world and NO it won't be understood as is usually claimed but it will expose this govt for what it is.

[ianf]

So sad that these students do not understand the real political situation facing Thailand. They could do more good by removing themselves from their entrenched position and show some understandingof what is need to move this country forward and away from the debacle of recent years.

If you understood the history of student resistance in Thailand, then you probably wouldn't make a statement as silly as:

So sad that these students do not understand the real political situation facing Thailand

It depends which students. Here are people calling for 'the return of democracy' when we all know that there was no democracy to return to. What they are really calling for is a return to the 'democracy' of the dictator Thaksin. They are doing this by opposing the military 'coup' that overturned a government run by Thaksin's proxy, his 'sister'. So, although there has been many examples of student radicalism over the years, I would defy you or anyone to place these students' activities in the same bag - the context is entirely different. So what is the real political situation facing Thailand?

1. A strong movement - backed by NATO and the US - to return THEIR proxy to power; (Easy to link the shrine bombings here if you wish to)

2. A division elsewhere in the elite system between those that understand the Thai and non-Thai influences that are trying to steer Thailand towards the US and those that are trying to make sure Thailand's is closely allied to China;

I have posted elsewhere about the media manipulation that continues to identify Thailand as a country that ousted an 'elected' prime minister through a coup and calling for elections; this is the same media that has constantly misreported the events that led to the coup and ignored the hundreds and thousands of people who called for the end of Thaksin's regimes - whilst glorifying and promoting the plight of just ten students who stood up to demand free speech who at the same time were denying free speech to their political opponents.

So I repeat: So sad that these students do not understand the real political situation facing Thailand; and I'll go on to say that I believe these students are more closely aligned to the ousted regime than to democracy itself.

Edited September 8, 2015 by ianf

[Humble and hopefull]

"Thailand’s decade of political conflict loosely pits the rural and urban working class "Red Shirt" backers of the Shinawatra family against a pro-establishment "Yellow" middle-class and elite -- buttressed by parts of the judiciary and military"

Got it.

This quote has the two sides of the political scene correct....."Loosely pitting" as they say........But I am confused......Is there any element of Democracy, or lack of it, linked to these two sides?....Backers of the Shin family, with no correlation to Democratic values?.........Would it be fair to say those listed as "pro-establishment" are in fact anti-democracy?

Perhaps denigrating one side while protecting the other?

Could be!

[pedro01]

I presume if these students are allowed to protest, then Jatuporn et al will claim double standards if the red shirts are not allowed to protest.

For the greater good, I back a complete block on street protests until laws cam be defined that prevent them from spiralling out of control.

[speedtripler]

Without really understanding the intricacies of the politics.... You'd think the leader of a country, regardless of how he came to power, would be able to stand in front of a few questions lobbed at him from the field. I find it interesting the head government official is so intimidated by a 17 year old's question he has the kid thrown out of the building.

I'd like to see George W in the same situation, he could barely stutter the words to answer questions he was briefed on in advance lol

Or shout a random question at Vladimir putim, see how he deals with it....

Not many world leaders would like such a situation where people can shout awkward questions

[Jon Wetherall]

Were these students on the streets protesting against the dirty cronies and outrageous corruption of the last government ?. Were they risking their LIVES to protest against the amnesty disgrace ?.

If they were, good luck to them and their stand for what they believe in.

If not, they are just another bunch of red-shirt hypocrites.

Yadda yadda yadda

[Jon Wetherall]

I presume if these students are allowed to protest, then Jatuporn et al will claim double standards if the red shirts are not allowed to protest.

For the greater good, I back a complete block on street protests until laws cam be defined that prevent them from spiralling out of control.

Two small comments to make:

1. Street protests are not really street protests, they're an excuse for a nice sing-song, some pseudo-intellectual street-theatre (AKA arty-farty BS) and wave a few nice pretty coloured flags about.

2. Agree with you though, should ban all the buggers (especially those held or attended by University Art and Dance students). But they must ban them all - without discrimination as to politics/colours/etc. That's where Thais always fail, they don't understand the concept of consistency.

[MZurf]

I presume if these students are allowed to protest, then Jatuporn et al will claim double standards if the red shirts are not allowed to protest.

For the greater good, I back a complete block on street protests until laws cam be defined that prevent them from spiralling out of control.

If things spiral out of control how can laws prevent that?? I thought out of control actually meant out of control...