Bangkok Mar 12-14

[Neo]

In "Thai Army Opens Fire on Red Protesters in Bangkok 2010 Pt2" you can actually see where sniper shots are being fired from, apparently at the Red Shirts. I can't think of any reason why the army would have done that, so I guess it's one of Thaksins mercenaries deliberately taking out Red Shirts. Try explaining that on truth today.

[Crustyjuggler]

After reading all the news feeds for the last 3 weeks there is really only one conclusion that presents itself, unless all Thais unite against all facets of everyday corruption then Thaksin is all you deserve...

[zeusbheld]

In "Thai Army Opens Fire on Red Protesters in Bangkok 2010 Pt2" you can actually see where sniper shots are being fired from, apparently at the Red Shirts. I can't think of any reason why the army would have done that, so I guess it's one of Thaksins mercenaries deliberately taking out Red Shirts. Try explaining that on truth today.

in one of the videos--i think part two--there is a shotgun shell visible on the ground. a big one. it could have been a 12 gauge or 10 gauge but i suspect it was from an M79. the army has m79s, and they're probably what they use to launch tear gas. the reds are thought to have them as well.

one thing that's mysterious is... who were the well-armed guys in black wearing ski masks? they seemed to be fighting on the red side but there is some suspicion kicking around that they were shooting reds too. who commands the 'ninjas'? there are rumors that they are active duty 'watermelon' soldiers. there are even more disturbing rumors floating around that there is an active duty watermelon officer in charge, and that this all comes down to a rift between the same old two factions in the military...

[beej]

They are singing like crazy down there....... must be trying to keep the rain at bay.

Feeling quite sorry for my friends staying in a hotel in Rajdamri though, it must be loud as hell down there.

[zeusbheld]

anyone know anything about the additional army units rumored to be converging on bkk? as in, what are they up to?

[Admin_2]

anyone know anything about the additional army units rumored to be converging on bkk? as in, what are they up to?

Now it's 100% in the hands of the army. Even more reason to be careful out there.

"Suthep loses security job

Army chief takes over after UDD arrests fail

Published: 17/04/2010 at 12:00 AM

Newspaper section: News

Army chief Anupong Paojinda will replace Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban as head of the Centre for the Resolution of Emergency Situations, after yesterday's botched attempt to arrest red shirt leaders at a city hotel.

Mr Suthep loses his job as punishment, but the military could take a dim view of the government's move to replace him with the army chief, who has been reluctant to use force against the red shirt protesters.

Some observers believe the change of guard at the security centre could widen rifts between the government and the army.

An army source said the government's move was intended to ''force'' Gen Anupong to take tough action against the red shirts.

Mr Suthep lost his job as head of the CRES following the failed attempt to arrest red shirt leaders at a city hotel.

Red shirt leader Arisman Pongruangrong staged a dramatic escape by scaling down the side of the hotel, while several co-leaders left with little or no resistance by police sent there to arrest them.

Mr Suthep's removal came hours after speculation about what Mr Abhisit would do after hundreds of police watched helplessly as the core UDD leaders fled.

In a televised address last night, Mr Abhisit said Gen Anupong would replace Mr Suthep as chief of CRES and take charge of operations to suppress and prevent acts of terrorism.

Mr Abhisit briefly mentioned the failed mission by police, but was steadfast that the government would continue its attempts to enforce the laws.

It was Mr Abhisit's first public appearance in three days. He was originally scheduled to address the country about 4pm, but delayed the broadcast.

Gen Anupong has showed reluctance to disperse the red shirt demonstrators, repeatedly maintaining that the political crisis should be solved by political means.

An army source said yesterday that Gen Anupong has been forced to take the job after Mr Suthep failed.

The army chief was informed of his new responsibilities just hours before the prime minister's address, said the source.

Gen Anupong was quoted as telling his close aides that he would only take actions that he deemed appropriate, and that dispersing red shirt protesters from Ratchaprasong intersection was not one of them.

Mr Suthep yesterday appeared upset following the failed mission to round up red shirt leaders at SC Park Hotel.

He went before the cameras yesterday morning to tell the public that the police had launched the operation.

Shortly after his press conference, news broke that Mr Arisman had managed to escape.

Mr Arisman was seen in television footage climbing down a rope from the balcony of the hotel's third floor, to the cheers of the red shirt protesters below.

They converged on the hotel after word of the police operation spread. He was whisked away by red shirt protesters to a waiting vehicle.

The other protest leaders managed to flee as the red shirt demonstrators held back police.

The hundreds of police sent to the hotel could do nothing but watch. Two senior police were taken hostage and released after the leaders arrived safe at Ratchaprasong intersection.

The operation was launched about 3am when police found that five leaders _ Mr Arisman, Pramual Chuklom, Suporn Atthawong, Phayap Pankate, and Wanchana Kerddee _ had left the rally ground and checked in at the hotel.

At 7am, assistant national police chief Pol Lt Gen Asawin Kwanmuang ordered 500 police from the special police force under the Metropolitan Police Division 4 and the Arintarat squad to prepare for the arrests.

The red shirt leaders learned of the operation and contacted other leaders at the Ratchaprasong area for assistance. About 2,000 protesters were sent to SC Park Hotel to surround the premises.

Inside the hotel, police under the command of Pol Maj Gen Sumeth Ruangsawat, deputy chief of the Metropolitan Police Bureau, were hindered by the red shirt guards.

By 10am, red shirt demonstrators had entered the hotel and searched for their leaders. Some took Pol Maj Gen Sumeth and Pol Maj Gen Somwut Wannapirun as hostage.

After his safety was assured, Mr Arisman told the demonstrators to block all fire exits and elevators on the third floor, to prevent police from arresting the other leaders.

Shortly afterwards, Mr Pramual, Mr Suporn, Mr Phayap and Mr Wanchana were rescued and taken out of the hotel.

Pol Maj Gen Sumeth was escorted out by police and red shirt protesters but was attacked walking to his car.

Pol Maj Gen Somwut fled through the back of the hotel unharmed.

Panithan Wattanayakorn, deputy secretary-general to the prime minister, said the operation failed utterly. The CRES would continue seeking the UDD leaders.

Following the incident, red shirt leader Jatuporn Prompan said UDD leaders would turn themselves in to police to face charges on May 15."

http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/politics/36169/suthep-loses-security-job

[Bruce551]

From BKK Post-Voranai Vanijaka

Ladies and gents, place your bets

Published: 18/04/2010 at 12:00 AM

http://www.bangkokpost.com/opinion/opinion/36233/ladies-and-gents-place-your-bets

Last Saturday, I had an interesting conversation with a lady taxi driver on the way from Lat Phrao to downtown.

Me: Sister, where are you from?

Her: Isan.

Me: Sister, what do you think of all this supposed class struggle business?

Her: Struggle for what? None of this will end up changing the lives of the poor. What do the common, everyday people know about class struggle? Nothing.

Me: Well sister, Thaksin did give the poor one million baht per village. Perhaps he's a friend of the poor?

Her: And everyone went out to buy cell phones, TVs and gamble the rest away. How did that alleviate the standard of living of the poor? He didn't even give his own money. He used the people's money to give to the people. And they loved him for it. All they know is, Thaksin gives us money, Abhisit doesn't - and that's that. That's why Abhisit has been trying to give handouts to so many people since he became prime minister.

Me: If there's a general election, sister, do you think the Puea Thai party will win? Who will the Isan people vote for?

Her: I don't know who will win, but the people will vote for whoever the nai (bosses or masters in the provinces) tell them to.

Me: But wait a second sister, if this is a class struggle, why would the people vote blindly as the nai commands? Shouldn't they be struggling against the nai? Shouldn't they protest against the nai in their provinces?

Her: You think people want to get killed? Besides, it's the nai who brought them to Bangkok to protest.

Me: Sister, what do you think will change the lives of the poor for the better?

Her: Education. Everybody knows that. Talk to everyone and they'll say it's the education. Even dumb people know that.

Me: Well then sister, didn't Thaksin give the rural schools free computers?

Her: Many of the schools didn't even have electricity, and he gave us computers? The kids don't even have proper books, clothes. But Abhisit gave us free education.

Me: But sister, free or not, it's the same education we have been getting since forever. How would that change anything?

Her: I don't know. Do you? Does anyone?

But at the end of the day, the most interesting question is: How can we take the decision and direction of this country out of the backrooms and into the open in the democratic process? That can't be answered unless we first learn how to bridge the gap between the two Thailands.

[funky_house]

Tweet from The Nation:

PAD gives a week deadline for govt to handle the situation. If not, PAD will take action in a bid to protect the country and institutions

[beej]

Tweet from The Nation:

PAD gives a week deadline for govt to handle the situation. If not, PAD will take action in a bid to protect the country and institutions

Love being in the middle of a mini civil war, especially when its under my feet.

[Loburt]

But at the end of the day, the most interesting question is: How can we take the decision and direction of this country out of the backrooms and into the open in the democratic process?

What country couldn't you ask that question about?

[Bruce551]

think Voranai referring to the almost total lack of transparency within Thai gov. ministries and gov. owned companies, "EGAT". Rarely is there ever a public hearing on future plans or policy.

[funky_house]

Holiday Inn Chidlom closing to minimise losses from Red Shirt rally. Intercontinental Hotel having a meeting tomorrow to decide whether to close.

I wonder if the workers will get paid whilst they are closed.

[beej]

Holiday Inn Chidlom closing to minimise losses from Red Shirt rally. Intercontinental Hotel having a meeting tomorrow to decide whether to close.

I wonder if the workers will get paid whilst they are closed.

Should hope so.

Wonder if they'll manage to close Silom down?

[beej]

This week I've been hearing the government shout the word TERRORIST around a lot, I know they like to use this new power word, it seems like any ***** with a grudge is called a terrorist these days.

But personally its a bit of a dumb thing for them to have gone shouting about, once whitey hears there are armed TERRORISTS in Central Bangkok, those flights will be getting cancelled hand over fist, best stick to calling them Protestors..... its less intimidating and Arab!

[Chatty]

Oh yeah today they wanna set up their stage on Silom rd.

but full of Soldiers are there... dunno what will happen next.

I think i'm so sick of these... why don't just let them take over the place that they want to... if they wanna destroy this country just let's sink together how about that?

BTW, Sukhumvit is a great place to mess around... they should annouce to come here, if they come I will go back home and get a good sleep.

[beej]

7-11 Silom

http://twitpic.com/1gqk4o/full

[beej]

**** me.... who's this goon?

http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=112334902132308&ref=nf

Best pic so far....

http://www.daylife.com/photo/0aAzdPsg31gfj?q=Patpong

[PeeMarc]

From the chaos may emerge a new Thai identity

* Published: 19/04/2010 at 12:00 AM

* Newspaper section: News

The fatal face-off between the red shirts and security forces in which at least 24 people were killed and more than 800 injured is the latest evidence that Thailand's "glory" days have come to an end. The position of power, long dominated by the Bangkok elite, is on the verge of collapsing.

The bloodbath on the Bangkok streets conveyed a firm message to the established institutions that their days of monopolising state power are over. Some local media are reluctant to use the term "civil war" to describe the ongoing brutal confrontations. Whatever one wants to call it, the conflict, with its deep roots in ideological polarisation, is on its way to generating political changes.

Already the violence that has erupted in the course of countless political battles has redefined the essence of the Thai nation. State-crafted national identity is under threat. Apparently, many Thais are in the process of finding a new meaning to being Thai.

Traditionally, Thailand has been a country proud of its perfection. It is the only country in Southeast Asia that successfully escaped colonialism, it is often claimed. The success, as past Thai leaders saw it, was made possible because of the trait of unity imbued in every Thai. This attribute also made some people feel that Thailand is supposedly more superior to its neighbours. This is how many Thai people perceived themselves. It is this same perception exploited by the state as it tried to construct a national identity.

In many ways, Thailand did have "glory" days. Over the past few decades, Thailand, despite being ruled by numerous despotic regimes, has enjoyed a certain level of political stability. The Thai two-faced strategy, being rebranded more appealingly as a shrewd bending-with-the-wind diplomacy, allowed the country to survive various kinds of threat. Political stability was buttressed by long years of impressive economic growth. There is no doubt Thailand is far ahead of its once war-torn neighbours.

It was the period when the political elite began to re-engineer Thailand's national identity, not only as part of identifying the Thai "self" in the face of supposedly inferior neighbours, but also strengthening the regime of the day by setting certain social rules in order to demand social obedience. Thailand became the "Land of Smiles" because Thais were seemingly happy under the benevolence of the elite in Bangkok. The Thai character, as echoed in the Thai national anthem, was strenuously promoted. "Thailand unites the flesh and blood of Thais. This is the nation that belongs to Thais in all respects ...The Thais are peace-loving", so goes the lyrics of the national anthem.

Beneath the Thai smiles, however, political domination in the hands of the Bangkok elite continued. Poor villagers in far-flung regions were told to remain subservient even when they were left in poverty and politically crippled. For many of them, being Thai was to be politically submissive. The leaders in Bangkok made decisions. The perceived uneducated khon ban nok (upcountry residents) followed them. The elite called this a "social contract". All Thais seemed to live happily in unison. Cashing in on this deceitful image, Thailand even declared to the world that they were welcome to come to "Amazing Thailand".

Throughout the Thaksin Shinawatra period, however, the billionaire prime minister shifted the political consensus. He did this with a series of populist programmes, such as cheap universal health care and ample village development funds. In a sense, he managed to put a genuine smile on people's faces, especially those in the North and Northeast regions. During his six-year administration, not only did they taste a more comfortable life, but they were also offered a chance to elect their favourite leader in a ballot box. Suddenly, their political voice became meaningful.

But their smiles seriously threatened the power interests of the Bangkok elite. Three years after the military coup, the Bangkok elite is fighting back against the khon ban nok who are now labelled as simply unintelligent and easily manipulated. The bloody confrontations during the previous weekend revealed that these villagers, in red T-shirts, are no longer subservient. They are seeking to reinvent a national identity of their own. They are eager to reject the top-down process of identity making, while campaigning for a bottom-up way of how Thais should express their nationhood.

The message of the rural residents is clear: a new Thailand with a new identity which is no longer submissive but one in which the Thais know their rights. The relentless demonstrations confirm the emergence of such a new identity which fiercely contests the traditional one created by Bangkok leaders. Occasionally, this new identity allows Thais to behave unconventionally, as seen in the Bangkok riot of April 2009 and the incident last weekend. It also reveals the unattractive truth behind certain Thai images. That is, the Thai nation no longer unites Thai blood and flesh, that this society is not homogeneous but comprises many different races, and that the people profess different political ideologies. They do not need to pretend to be same.

Thailand is now entering a new political landscape. Recent developments strongly suggest the anti-government forces are yearning to rebuild Thai society and make it more equal. While it will be impossible to remove class divisions, they just hope that the rapidly expanding membership of the "underclass" will be able to access politics without state obstruction.

How will this shape the future of Thailand? The state will have to come to terms with the shift in the people's perception of their identity. They will demand their rights and will protest more. The state will be assigned a new responsibility to ensure that their rights are protected, that their welfare is to be improved and that emerging human rights organisations be strengthened.

Thailand has long lived in a fairy tale world in which the supposed ideal of perfection effectively eclipsed the huge differences and fragmentations in society. The deadly conflict between the red shirts and the state authorities may demonstrate the ugliness of the real Thailand. But it also exposes its other side - the side that values the people's love of democracy and a more equal and just society.

Dr Pavin Chachavalpongpun is a Fellow at Singapore's Institute of Southeast Asian Studies.

http://www.bangkokpost.com/opinion/opinion/36273/from-the-chaos-may-emerge-a-new-thai-identity

[SweetieBabie]

f*ck me.... who's this goon?

http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=112334902132308&ref=nf

According to the four eyed Wheng, it is an Irish guy Ex-solider in Australia for 7 years. "I am a charity worker and i am a teacher."

LMAO so dramatized for some beers money.

[Neo]

f*ck me.... who's this goon?

http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=112334902132308&ref=nf

Another english teacher.

What an embarressing git. He has no idea what he's talking about. I wonder if he got his 500 baht.

[beej]

''I'm an English Teacher''

***FAIL***

[Chatty]

I'm just wondering, if this happened to other countries, developed countries, such as USA. UK etc. what the gov. do with the protesters.

[PeeMarc]

I'm just wondering, if this happened to other countries, developed countries, such as USA. UK etc. what the gov. do with the protesters.

In those countries, the law, police, army etc etc actually mean something and do what they're suppose to do (mostly).

This means that if someone (even 1000s) breaks the law, they will be arrested and/or held accountable (punished).

It is very rare that if the police are sent in to sort out a riot/mob, the police don't win very swiftly.

In Western countries, the police and army actually work for the people to "serve and protect", unlike here where neither actually seems to work at all and just collect money for themselves their 'bosses'.

[funky_house]

I'm just wondering, if this happened to other countries, developed countries, such as USA. UK etc. what the gov. do with the protesters.

Well Neung, it is the police, not the army who deal with protests, (at least here in the U.K.), and they are generally not armed with guns.

There have been some big riots here in past years: Brixton, the Poll Tax riots, and lately the G20 protests.

The police are sent out in large numbers, protected by anti-riot clothing, (at least in later years), and are armed with Gas sprays, batons and shields.

They are also trained and practiced in anti-riot techniques, and controlled and directed by a commander, to ****** trouble makers, or to hot spots. They are in no way perfect, and someone died as a result of their handling at the recent G20 protests.

[Loburt]

It's not always the police that handle protests or disorder.

In the US during the 1960s the National Guard, a branch of the military, had to intervene during protests for and against civil rights, because police, especially in the South, would not do the job. the National Guard did a good job.

They were also called out to contain or disperse anti-war demonstrations (Vietnam War), at least one time with disastrous results (Kent State).

And in the 1930s, the army was called out to suppress a demonstration of army veterans, who were unarmed, in Washington DC. Also with disastrous results.