BANGKOK: More than 100K at 9pm. Many More Coming. JAMS 50km Long. ArbiSHIT SHITTING!

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Re: BANGKOK: More than 100K at 9pm. Many More Coming. JAMS 50km Long. ArbiSHIT SHITTI

Former Prime Minister Chavalit Yongchaiyudh arrives at a military base in Bangkok on April 30, 2010.​

 

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Re: BANGKOK: More than 100K at 9pm. Many More Coming. JAMS 50km Long. ArbiSHIT SHITTI

Former Prime Minister Chavalit Yongchaiyudh salutes as he arrives at a military base in Bangkok on April 30, 2010. Chavalit submited a letter to the Centre for Resolution of Emergency Situation to dispute allegations that he was involved with a conspiracy to topple the monarchy.​

 

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Re: BANGKOK: More than 100K at 9pm. Many More Coming. JAMS 50km Long. ArbiSHIT SHITTI

Wearing army uniform, former Thailand's Prime Minister Chavalit Yongchaiyudh, center, talks with reporters as he arrives for a self reporting at the gate of the government's Centre for the Resolution of the Emergency Situation (CRES) Friday, April 30, 2010 in Bangkok, Thailand. Chavalit, also a retired general and former Army commander-in-chief now chairman of the opposition Pheu Thai Party, has been summoned by the CRES to explain his alleged role in connection with a network accused of posing threats to national security.​

 

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Re: BANGKOK: More than 100K at 9pm. Many More Coming. JAMS 50km Long. ArbiSHIT SHITTI

Seh Daeng 'to lead the battle'
Right-wing rebel takes charge of reds' defence,
Published: 28/04/2010

Renegade army specialist Khattiya Sawasdipol makes no attempt to hide his leading role in the red shirts' battle with the government.

Maj Gen Khattiya Sawasdipol, widely known as Seh Daeng, inspects bamboo and tyre barricades on Rama IV Road opposite the entrance to Silom Road. The barricades were set up by anti-government red shirt demonstrators. Jetjaras na Ranong

The officer also known as Seh Daeng calls himself the "commander" of the anti-government United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship's strategy to hamper any government crackdowns aimed at dislodging the protesters from their rally point at Ratchaprasong intersection.

Maj Gen Khattiya said he had drawn on "local wisdom" to erect several hundred metres of barricades made up of old tyres and sharpened stakes at Sala Daeng intersection near Silom Road. The brick-reinforced barriers have been doused with fuel so they can be transformed into a wall of fire to slow down or halt the security forces if they try to retake areas near Lumpini Park that are occupied by the red shirts.

"I consider and call myself the commander who will lead the battle if the government security forces decide to disperse the demonstrators," Maj Gen Khattiya said.
Maj Gen Khattiya said the barricades were modelled on fortifications used in the 1785-86 Burmese-Siamese war during the reign of King Rama I. The war is also known as the "Nine Armies War" after the number of armies Burma used to invade Siam.

He said a 40,000-strong security force would be needed to overrun the barricades, but claimed the government could only muster 10,000 troops and police at the most.

"We have bricks and stones to fight against the security forces, although the protesters do not have any war weapons," he said.

Similar barricades erected at Pratunam, Siam Square and Chidlom are manned by more than 2,000 red shirt security guards, he said.

"These walls are similar to the walls built in the Israeli-occupied West Bank," Maj Gen Khattiya said.
The protesters are also armed with fireworks which Maj Gen Khattiya said would be used to repel helicopter assaults on the red shirts.

He said a thousand new security guards were being recruited who would take about two months to train.

New guards who have completed their training will be given orders on April 30, but Maj Gen Khattiya declined to say what specific tasks they would be assigned to carry out.

Maj Gen Khattiya is the only soldier able to move freely among the red shirts while in uniform. He has won recognition from the protesters who are grateful for his efforts to protect them.

Whenever he appears at the red shirt rallies, demonstrators will ask for his autograph and have their pictures taken with him.

Escorted and guarded by Thai commandoes, Maj. Gen Khattiya Sawasdipol, center, a supporter of ousted Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, is brought to criminal court Monday, March 8, 2010, in Bangkok. Khattiya and seven associates were arrested on Saturday on charges of illegal possession of firearms.​

 

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Re: BANGKOK: More than 100K at 9pm. Many More Coming. JAMS 50km Long. ArbiSHIT SHITTI

In this photo taken August 2009, surrounded by bodyguards, Maj. Gen. Khattiya Sawasdipol, center, is greeted by his supporter during an anti-government rally in Bangkok, Thailand. Renegade Maj. Gen. Khattiya helped construct the barricades paralyzing downtown Bangkok, has been accused of creating a paramilitary force among anti-government protesters and has vowed to battle his own army if it should launch a crackdown.

(Left) Photo taken 2009.​

(Right Photo) Maj. Gen. Khattiya Sawasdipol, a supporter of ousted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, talks with reporters as he is brought to criminal court Monday, March 8, 2010, in Bangkok. Khattiya and seven associates were arrested on Saturday on charges of illegal possession of firearms​

9/04/2010
Maj-Gen Khattiya Sawasdipol, known as Seh Daeng, an army specialist who has been suspended from duty, is one of the 17 people wanted under arrest warrants approved by the Criminal Court, police said.

 

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Re: BANGKOK: More than 100K at 9pm. Many More Coming. JAMS 50km Long. ArbiSHIT SHITTI

Nurses makes phone calls and arrange the paperwork to coordinate the transfer of patients from Chulalongkorn Hospital to a diferent one in Bangkok on April 30, 2010. Chulalongkorn Hospital in the Thai capital evacuated most of its patients after anti-government Red Shirt protesters stormed inside in the mistaken belief that troops were hiding there.​

 

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Re: BANGKOK: More than 100K at 9pm. Many More Coming. JAMS 50km Long. ArbiSHIT SHITTI

Nurses makes phone calls and arrange the paperwork to coordinate the transfer of patients from Chulalongkorn Hospital to a diferent one in Bangkok on April 30, 2010

Thai medical staff wheel a patient as she is about to be tranferred from Chulalongkorn Hospital to a diferent one in Bangkok on April 30, 2010.

Thai hospital workers evacuate patient at Chulalongkorn Hospital in Bangkok on April 30, 2010​

 

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Re: BANGKOK: More than 100K at 9pm. Many More Coming. JAMS 50km Long. ArbiSHIT SHITTI

Bangkok police officers assemble outside Chulalongkorn Hospital Friday, April 30, 2010. Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva has told the nation that anti-government protesters had cause hardship by storming the hospital Thursday night. Anti-government demonstrators said they were searching for soldiers. Thailand continues to grapple with political turmoil.​

 

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Re: BANGKOK: More than 100K at 9pm. Many More Coming. JAMS 50km Long. ArbiSHIT SHITTI

Thailand's Finance Minister Korn Chatikavanij (C) greets soldiers as he pays a visit to security forces guarding Silom road, near to a 'Red-Shirt' anti-government protester's fortified camp in the financial central district of downtown Bangkok on April 30, 2010. Chatikavanij told reporters the current political unrest has already cut economic growth this year by 0.5 of a percentage point.​

 

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Re: BANGKOK: More than 100K at 9pm. Many More Coming. JAMS 50km Long. ArbiSHIT SHITTI

Thailand's Finance Minister Korn Chatikavanij (R) offers a gift as he pays a visit to security forces guarding Silom road, near to a 'Red-Shirt' anti-government protester's fortified camp in the financial central district of downtown Bangkok on April 30, 2010.

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Re: BANGKOK: More than 100K at 9pm. Many More Coming. JAMS 50km Long. ArbiSHIT SHITTI

A worker walks past a defaced picture of Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva outside an upscale shopping mall Friday, April 30, 2010, in Bangkok, Thailand where thousands of anti-government protesters refused to leave the commercial heart of Thailand's capital that they occupied for more than one month. The crisis has hurt business in the capital and devastated Thailand's vital tourist industry, which accounts for 6 percent of the economy.​

 

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Re: BANGKOK: More than 100K at 9pm. Many More Coming. JAMS 50km Long. ArbiSHIT SHITTI

A child is evacuated to a different facility as his mother watches, on April 30, 2010 after anti-government protesters searched the hospital in Bangkok, Thailand the previous night. The hospital is adjacent to the hospital creating fear among patients. The anti-governmnet protests that have closed much of central Bangkok's commercial district is now in its seventh week​

 

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Re: BANGKOK: More than 100K at 9pm. Many More Coming. JAMS 50km Long. ArbiSHIT SHITTI

Fire extinguishers stand ready for use behind a 'Red-Shirt' anti-government protester's barricade at their fortified camp in the financial central district in downtown Bangkok on April 30, 2010.​

 

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Re: BANGKOK: More than 100K at 9pm. Many More Coming. JAMS 50km Long. ArbiSHIT SHITTI

A patient at Chulalongkorn Hospital is evacuated to a different facility April 30, 2010 after anti-government protesters searched the hospital in Bangkok, Thailand the previous night. The hospital is adjacent to the protest site creating fear among patients.

A patient at Chulalongkorn Hospital is evacuated to a different facility April 30, 2010.

Thai soldier secure an area near Silom street after Anti-government protesters storm Chulalongkorn Hospital on April 30, 2010 in Bangkok, Thailand.​

 

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Re: BANGKOK: More than 100K at 9pm. Many More Coming. JAMS 50km Long. ArbiSHIT SHITTI

Thailand's Finance Minister Korn Chatikavanij (C) shakes hands with a woman as he greets security forces, business owners and pedestrians on a sidewalk along Silom Road, which was the scene of grenade attacks last week, in Bangkok April 30, 2010. Thai anti-government protesters were apologetic on Friday a day after a clumsy storming of a hospital that raised questions over whether the movement is losing direction in a two-month crisis that has killed 27 people.​

 

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Re: BANGKOK: More than 100K at 9pm. Many More Coming. JAMS 50km Long. ArbiSHIT SHITTI

Anti-government protesters clean the street after opening up part of their barricade to allow access to Chulalongkorn Hospital in Bangkok, Thailand April 30, 2010.​

 

[kensington]

Re: BANGKOK: More than 100K at 9pm. Many More Coming. JAMS 50km Long. ArbiSHIT SHITTI

Thailand: It's about Democracy, Stupid!
by Giles Ji Ungpakorn

In a democratic society, when there is a deep crisis, it is customary for the government to dissolve parliament and call elections in order for the people to decide. This happened in Britain and France after mass strikes and demonstrations in the 1960s and 1970s.

After mass Yellow Shirt protests against the government in Bangkok in 2006, Taksin's Thai Rak Thai government dissolved parliament and called elections. Yet the Democrat Party and others refused to take part in these elections because they knew they would lose. This led to a military coup. The military wrote their own undemocratic constitution. Fresh elections were held under the control of the military, yet Taksin's party won an overall majority again. Abhisit's government is only in power by using two judiciary coups, Yellow Shirt violence at Government House and the airports, and the actions of the army. It has never been elected.

So why are the government and their elite friends refusing to dissolve parliament and call immediate elections? They brush aside this simple Red Shirt demand. Instead they bring armed soldiers and tanks on to the streets to break up an unarmed pro-democracy protest. So far at least 27 people have died this year.

This is what the Thai crisis is all about. It is about Democracy vs. Dictatorship. It is also about equality.

Let us look at the justification for refusing an election. It is the same as the justification for the 2006 coup. Basically the elites claim that the majority of ordinary people in Thailand are too poorly educated and too stupid to be allowed a free vote. They claim that they are all "bought" by Taksin. It is the same old story throughout the history of democratic struggles in the world. The poor are always insulted in this way. Only the privileged classes and middle classes are deemed to be mature enough to vote.

The government and the military have now announced that the entire Red Shirt leadership is "republican" and therefore it is "OK" to shoot everyone. Yes, I am a republican, but the Red Shirt leaders are unfortunately not. Tell a huge lie about the Red Shirts so you can kill them "with legitimacy." This is what Abhisit means by "democracy." In Thailand it is now a capital offence to have political views which differ from the royalist elites. This means that no one can tell if most Thais love the King or not. The chances are that millions of ordinary people now hate the monarchy because of what has been done in its name. The tyrants can only react with violence, lies, and censorship. That is a sign of desperation.

So why are the NGOs and academics claiming that both sides in Thailand must "avoid violence" and "take responsibility"? Which side has the guns and tanks? Which side is refusing democratic elections? Would they have said this about the Peoples Power movement in the Philippines? Do they accuse Aung San Suu Kyi and the Buddhist monks of being equally responsible for the violence in Burma? Were the students in Tiananmen Square "responsible" for their own deaths? Why are the NGOs and academics not backing simple demands for democracy?

The answer is that the NGOs and academics do not believe in voting or the democratic process. They have become members of the elite class and are uncomfortable about the self-empowerment of the poor. When the poor fight back, they quickly run to the side of the elites. There was once a time when NGO activists were on the side of the poor and the oppressed against tyranny. Unfortunately, all that has now changed.

Thailand will never be the same. What will happen, no one knows. But this is a revolutionary situation with a potential for Freedom, Democracy, Social Justice . . . or Barbarism.
Giles Ji Ungpakorn is a Thai socialist, currently in exile in the U.K. His latest book Thailand's Crisis and the Fight for Democracy will be published in April 2010. See, also, "Thailand: Seeing through the Mist of Tear Gas" (MRZine, 16 April 2010)

 

[kensington]

Re: BANGKOK: More than 100K at 9pm. Many More Coming. JAMS 50km Long. ArbiSHIT SHITTI

Thailand: Seeing through the Mist of Tear Gas
by Giles Ji Ungpakorn



After the recent bloodshed on the streets of Bangkok, the army, the government, and the media, academics, and NGOs who have sided with the royalist elites, especially those who deceitfully call themselves "neutral," are all trying to distort the major facts about what is happening in Thailand. Together with the blanket censorship ordered by the government, this distortion is like firing a second round of tear gas at the population in order to cause confusion. So let us just remind ourselves of the basics.

The first basic point is that any government that sends soldiers armed with M16 automatic weapons, live ammunition, and tanks, in order to disperse a peaceful and disciplined demonstration, has already decided on the option of using lethal force against the demonstrators. This is an undeniable fact whether or not the soldiers also carry shields and rubber bullets and whether or not the soldiers initially fire live rounds into the air. In the inevitable situation of stress and tension, the soldiers will start firing live ammunition against civilians and they have indeed done this. It is also true that this will occur whether or not there are some mysterious black-clad figures running around. These could be special military forces, people hoping to stimulate a bloody crackdown, or some other group. Whatever the case, these people had no connection with the UDD who have repeatedly restrained their supporters. The UDD stored captured weapons so that they would not be used, and, in contrast to the behavior of the army, any captured soldiers were well treated. Let us be clear. When the army bring lethal weapons of war and station snipers on high buildings, they are already intent on the option of killing civilians. Machine guns and tanks are not brought on to the streets to cook noodles, show off to tourists, or repair the roads. In most civilized democracies, the streets are cleared of demonstrators, whether legitimately or not, by the use of riot police and mass arrests, not by systematic use of weapons of war.

The Abhisit Government and its military backers were therefore intent on killing civilians. This is, of course, nothing new in Thailand. In the last 40 years the Thai elites have gunned down and murdered unarmed civilian demonstrations six times. Five of these bloodbaths occurred in Bangkok in 1973, 1976, 1992, 2009, and now in 2010. The sixth occasion was in the South at Takbai in 2004. It is a matter of great urgency that democratic and human rights standards are established in Thailand to deal with this. Elite figures, politicians, and generals have to be publically punished if found guilty. The entire military command needs to be retired and the army has to be drastically reduced in terms of budgets, numbers, and influence. Lèse majesté and other draconian laws need to be abolished also, in order to stop the specter of republicanism or communism being used as an excuse to murder civilians.

The deceitful so-called "neutral" academics and NGOs, including Focus of Global South, who claim that "both sides should take responsibility for the bloodshed," are merely reducing the responsibility of the government, the oppressor. It is like saying that both the elephant and the ant are "responsible" for the ant being crushed to death under the elephant's giant foot, just because the ant was in the wrong place. On the one hand we have the military-backed government and its armed forces trying to crush a democratic protest with lethal weapons. On the other hand we have thousands of unarmed and disciplined protesters. It should not be hard to see the difference, unless of course you backed the 2006 coup (however reluctantly) and you backed the semi-fascist PAD Yellow Shirts. This is what nearly all these so-called neutrals did.

The semi-fascist PAD Yellow Shirts used weapons and violent tactics to wreck Government House, to prevent the opening of an elected parliament, and to make the extremely damaging seizure of the international airports in 2008. They have not been punished because the military and Abhisit's Democrat Party support them. In contrast, the Red Shirts have occupied some roads in Bangkok. They have not shot anyone or destroyed buildings. Yet the government is manufacturing lies about "Red Shirt Terrorists." Previously they lied about troops "not using lethal weapons on civilians."

The second basic point is that the Abhisit Goverment was never democratically elected. It is in power because of a military coup in 2006, two judiciary coups, the PAD violence, and the maneuverings of the military. Abhisit's Democrat Party can never hope to win an overall majority in any future election and in the past it has never won such an election. It can only cling to power by the use of the military and blanket censorship which is turning Thailand into a Police State. So the Red Shirt demand for the government to resign and for immediate democratic elections is totally legitimate. Their long drawn-out protest in the streets is totally legitimate. The use of a state of emergency and the military by the government to shut the mouths of the Red Shirt protesters, and to arrest their leaders, is totally illegitimate. The military Constitution and the "law" that Abhisit keeps talking about are totally illegitimate.

There are many people who say that democratic elections will not solve the crisis. They are probably right. But this is only because the elites, the military, the royalists, the middle classes, the PAD, the academics, the NGOs, and the Democrat Party are not committed to respecting the majority vote and democracy. They firmly believe, like all supporters of dictatorships, that the Thai electorate is "unqualified to be given a free vote."

The third basic point is about the accusation that the Red Shirts are "committing treason," revolting against the nation and the monarch. Let us just remind ourselves who should hold sovereign and absolute power in a democracy. It is the people. The Red Shirts are defending that sovereign power. The government, the military, and its royalist supporters are committing treason against the people. It is as simple as that.

The Abhisit government must resign now. The military must return to barracks and the people should decide the future of Thai society.

Giles Ji Ungpakorn is a Thai socialist, currently in exile in the U.K. His latest book Thailand's Crisis and the Fight for Democracy will be published in April 2010.

 

[kensington]

Re: BANGKOK: More than 100K at 9pm. Many More Coming. JAMS 50km Long. ArbiSHIT SHITTI

An Interview with Patrick Winn – American journalist in Bangkok

By Kourosh Ziabari

Thailand has been a witness to bloody civil wars since the 2006 military coup which ousted the popular Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra from office. The supporters of the former Prime Minister are calling for the dissolution of parliament and a new round of general elections. The "Red Shirts" are middle-urban and rural Thais who benefited from the socialistic policies of the former Prime Minister and are now risking their lives for the reappearance of freedom and democracy in Thailand. According to the official stats, 24 people have been killed and 1,000 others wounded since the eruption of demonstrations and street clashes in which the Thai police has relentlessly opened fire on the angry demonstrators.

Having seen 15 military coups and 27 changes of Prime Ministers during his 64 years in power, the 82-year-old Thai monarch Bhumibol Adulyadej is the world's longest-serving head of state and has kept a low profile regarding the current political crisis in his country. The military loyalists of Mr. Adulyadej who deposed the popular government in a bloodless September 2006 coup had resorted to a number of excuses, including several charges of lèse majesté, to depose Thaksin and bring into power the chief of army General Sonthi Boonyaratglin, a close ally of the king.

Now, Thailand is facing a paralyzing political crisis once again and stability has departed from Bangkok. I've interviewed Patrick Winn, the American journalist and Thailand correspondent of the Global Post news service to discuss the movement of Red Shirts and the intensive chaos in the South Asian country.

Kourosh Ziabari: What caused the dissolution of Thailand's Thai Rak Thai party in 2007 by the Constitutional Court of Thailand? Did the West endorse this movement which was preceded by the 2006 coup?

Patrick Winn: The defunct Thai Rak Thai, like other parties affiliated with Thaksin Shinawatra, was dissolved under fraud accusations. The West has largely taken a hands-off approach to steering Thailand's political development. America, which counts Thailand as its oldest Asian ally, has distanced itself from censure of any Thai political movements. U.S. leaders like to vaguely encourage democracy, but they've shown no interest in direct interference.

KZ: It's said that the 2006 coup was endorsed by the Thai Monarch humibol Adulyadej. He was the one who gave the green light to the Commander of Army Sonthi Boonyaratglin to depose the popular Prime Minister Thaksin; however, the international reactions to the unconstitutional movement were not that severe and decisive. Did the West implicitly endorse the coup?

PW: The U.S., by law, has to cut military funding to any nation that stages a coup. But while the U.S. temporarily halted funding, it made few other moves to weaken ties with Thailand's army. In fact, just months after the coup, the U.S. legitimized the Thai military by going ahead with massive military exercises, the largest in Asia. Basically, America treated the coup as an embarrassing annoyance but not a horrible catastrophe worthy of open condemnation.

KZ: Is the movement of Red Shirts, those who proclaim themselves as the supporters of former Prime Miniser Thaksin Shinawatra, going to bear fruit? They're seemingly calling for the resignation of Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, dissolution of the parliament and a new round of general elecions. What's going to happen next?

PW: The Red Shirts movement has already proven quasi-successful. They've overcome a battalion of soldiers intent on dispersing them, pried guns from soldiers' hands and captured military vehicles. Despite weeks of daily government suggestions that a crackdown on their encampment is nigh, they remain in control of parts of Bangkok. Many from Bangkok's working class openly support the movement by flying red flags.

At this point, Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva has two options. He could bend to protesters' demands, which would satisfy many working-class Thais and likely send them home. Many pundits in the Western media have suggested this is the best way forward. But in Thailand, Abhisit's urban, middle-class support base would likely turn on him and cut short his political career.

The other option is a crackdown. This would quite likely degenerate into dozens of injuries and possibly deaths in an area filled with elderly women and children. Red Shirt protesters have even threatened to flee into the glitzy Central World mall nearby -- Asia's second shopping center -- if troops push into their encampment. Even if troops secured the area, protesters would likely regroup elsewhere in Bangkok and continue their fight in the upcountry provinces.


KZ: It was the 2006 coup that ousted Prime Minister Thaksin. Why should the large-scale protests take place four years later? Would you please explain for us the course of events which led to the current political turmoil in Thailand?

PW: The Red Shirts trace this conflict directly to the 2006 coup. Thaksin is a political folk hero among many in Thailand's laboring classes and many are still bitter over his ouster. Moreover, they're angry that subsequent parties allied to Thaksin were also dismantled for fraud and corruption. Essentially, a huge portion of Thai voters feel shafted, as if their votes are overturned no matter who they vote for.

The Red Shirts initially tried to drive out the government last year, but failed following brief riots and a military crackdown. What we're seeing now is a re-grouping with more money, more people and a more cohesive strategy. The timing is tied in part to the farming season, which experiences a lull starting in March. This break allows more Thais connected to the agriculture industries -- many of them Red Shirt sympathizers - to join the rallies.

KZ: Unfortunately, it's usually the influence of White House which determines the destiny of revolutionary movements in the third world countries. Which side is the U.S. taking in the current political unrest?

PW: The U.S. isn't taking sides. America is mostly interested in stability and business friendly policies in Thailand and neither side is proposing a radical overhaul of U.S.-Thai policy. Thailand remains strategically important to the U.S. as a trustworthy ally in China's backyard and Thailand likes having the support of the world's most powerful nation. As long as that arrangement sticks, the U.S. will keep softly promoting democracy in Thailand but won't interfere.

KZ: Some analysts believe that what's taking place in the stage of Thailand's political developments is more of a social class conflict between those who had gotten hold of Thailand's socialistic economy under Prime Minister Thaksin and the old, elite class of Yellow Shirts who are benefiting from the economic policies of the current government. What's your view about that?

PW: The Red Shirts have definitely tapped into class frustration among Thailand's working poor. That many protesters are somehow paid to attend rallies is widely believed in Thailand, but the sentiment of being shafted by powers they call "aristocrats" and "elites" is very real among protesters. Many are convinced that life was better under Thaksin. This is true to an extent: Thailand's economy was rapidly recovering during his reign and the number of Thais living in poverty plummeted. There's debate, however, as to how much Thaksin influenced this. But he was definitely successful in selling himself as the force steering poor Thais towards a better future.

But it's unclear whether a new Thaksin-style government could really lift up the poor once again. Many have observed that the current government is copying successful Thaksin social policies in a bid to sway the poor. Abhisit has repeatedly insisted that he's devoted to stimulus packages aimed at the working class.

Regardless, the ruling party has failed to shake off its image as a faction of elites. Nor have Red Shirts shaken their image as violence-prone, uneducated hooligans among Thailand's right-wing Yellow Shirts. This fight is definitely a power struggle, but it's also about pent-up anger and vendettas.

KZ: Those who believe that the administration of Thaksin was a democratically-elected government, confess at the same time that his freedom of press and human rights records were disappointing. What's the truthful reality about Thailand's status of press freedom and human rights?

PW: Both Thaksin's government and the current ruling party have attempted to pressure the media into promoting their agenda. Neither can claim a clean record of press freedom.
Neither Abhisit nor Thaksin has been able to avoid embarrassment stemming from military blunders that have taken place under their rule. Thaksin was roundly scorned when the army rounded up Muslim protesters into a sweltering paddy wagon, which led to dozens of suffocation deaths. Abhisit was also censured when the military found Muslims from the Rohingya tribe escaping Burma by boat, cut their engines and turned them loose on the sea.


These embarrassments and others have long been pinned on prime ministers from rival parties. But it's unclear how much any political leader can reign in Thailand's military, which remains a powerful political force that all premiers must appease.

--------------

Kourosh Ziabari is an Iranian media correspondent, freelance journalist and interviewer. He is a contributing writer of Finland’s Award-winning Ovi Magazine and the the Foreign Policy Journal. He is a member of Tlaxcala Translators Network for Linguistic Diversity (Spain). He is also a member of World Student Community for Sustainable Development (WSC-SD). Kourosh Ziabari's articles have appeared in a number of Canadian, Belgian, Italian, French and German websites. He can be reached at [email protected]

 

[kensington]

Re: BANGKOK: More than 100K at 9pm. Many More Coming. JAMS 50km Long. ArbiSHIT SHITTI

Re: Chula hospital.
Were suspicions troops had been using the hospital.
Payap led a group to the hospital.
Asked to check. Was given approval
So, What's The BIG Fucking Deal with The MSM's?




RATCHAPRASONG, APRIL 30, 2010: Core United Front for Democracy Against Dictatorship (UDD) leaders have this morning criticized red-shirt protesters who last night conducted a search of Chulalongkorn Hospital for Thai troops.

Core UDD leader Dr. Weng Tochirakarn repeated statements made last night that the search, led by Payap Panket, was “inappropriate, too much, and unreasonable.

“All of the core red-shirts leaders unreservedly apologize to the staff, the patients and their relatives for any inconvenience caused. We deeply regret the incident and guarantee there will be no repeat of last nights incident. We observe all recognized conventions that define hospitals and those who work in them as being neutral and non-partisan to the current political situation”, he said.

Dr. Weng said he and Dr. Cherd Chai will head an investigation committee into the incident and will liaise with Chulalongkorn Hospital director Adisorn Patradul to ensure there is no repeat of the incident and to see what other things the red-shirts could do to facilitate the operation of the hospital.

“In the past we have seen the Abhisit [Vejjajiva] government station troops in the Police Hospital and at temples. Our guards were told that troops had been stationed in the hospital and at about 8.55pm last night 10 shots were fired at our protesters from the direction of Chulalongkorn Hospital.

“Our guards detained a number of Thai soldiers and after questioning them they were released back to their lines. We do not wish to see hospitals or temples used as battle grounds and hope that the government will take the same stance and refrain from using these premises as staging grounds”, he added.

Dr. Weng went on to say the action by Mr. Payap was not condoned by core UDD leaders and broke with the UDDs stated aims of a peaceful protest aimed at bringing about the dissolution of the Thai parliament. “If we would have found soldiers inside Chulalongkorn Hospital last night we would have asked Mr. Adisorn to evict them”, he said.

Today is day 48 of the red-shirts pro-democracy protest against the government of Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva and the 28th day protesters have occupied the Ratchaprasong shopping precinct in the heart of Bangkok.


http://redphanfa2day.wordpress.com/




And now the whole fucking MSM is playing up the search though that search was asked for and granted permission by the Hospital