Closing Suvanabhumi Airport b/c of PAD

[dannyboy]

Thai army calls for new elections

The head of Thailand's army has asked the government to dissolve parliament and call new elections.

Gen Anupong Paochinda also called on anti-government protesters to withdraw from Bangkok's international airport.

Members of the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) took over the airport on Tuesday, leaving thousands of passengers stranded.

It comes after months of PAD protests, in which they have called for the government to resign.

The BBC's Jonathan Head, in Bangkok, says the occupation of Bangkok's airport was the most dramatic move so far in the protesters' campaign to oust the government.

The protesters, who have also been occupying a government compound in the capital, claim that the government is corrupt and hostile to the monarchy.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/7749809.stm

[Jay7]

Just been announced, parliament has been dissolved, new elections to be

staged...Army chief has officially said for protesters to "withdraw"

They should have a cap on how many times they can do that per year...

There should also be a quote system on rewrites of the constituion. Perhaps future versions should be crafted in pencil to make life easier for all concerned.

[sunsnow]

In not surprising move from the General, instead of following the governments instructions, army decided once again to do what is not supposed to do, start giving orders to its boss instead of listening to the boss...oh well...

[zeusbheld]

Thats the great thing of one party military dictatorships or one party countries in other ways. Order.

then again, order can be had in countries with two or more parties. simple thing called rule of law. i seriously doubt that either PAD or PPP grasp the concept, let alone its benefits, however.

[zeusbheld]

But it seems people posting in the forum are a helluva lot more outraged than the people stuck at the airport.

not actually being stuck at the airport doesn't mean you're not screwed by this. not sure if you noticed but *all* expats and tourists depend on that airport.

also i expect that the impression of constant unrest on would-be tourists will be far more damaging to future tourism than the inconvenience to the ones who already come here or go back and forth.

The demonstrators will probably leave the airport in one or two days.

yeah i'm sure they will, just like they left government house.

if they lock up the international airport for a month or two, do you really think it won't catastrophically damage the tourist sector? just a bump in the road, huh?

If they are ejected by force and there is bloodshed, however, that will certainly scare away a hell of a lot more tourists.

true. it's a question of how far they want to screw the country just to get their way. same applies to PPP. and the army chief's bland call to leave wasn't very impressive either.

maybe you're right and they'll leave in a couple of days, in which case, unless they keep seizing airports, the news cycle will churn on, and it may be forgotten or at least forgiven by most. if they carry on for a couple of months? what then?

[zeusbheld]

\But it will probably end fairly soon (I hope) and won't prove to be the Thailand-ending catastrophe some are making it out to be.

If everyone keeps their heads.

my cassandra-ism is predicated on a couple of fairly plausible assumptions based on past performance of the entities involved:

1) it won't be over fairly soon. there's absolutely nothing in PAD's recent history that suggests it will, unless PPP cave in, and there's nothing in THEIR history to suggest they'll cave in. i can't see how it will end fairly soon without some sort of deux ex machina.

2) why on earth would anyone believe that either PAD or PPP have ANY capacity to keep their heads?

it could miraculously and mysteriously end soon but seems to me it could more easily escalate and/or drag on indefinitely. until divine intervention actually occurs, i'm betting on the latter.

[Stramash]

On BBC just now; despite Anupongs request for parliament to be dissolved and for PAD to leave airport, both have rejected the army's proposal!!!

What next??

[zeusbheld]

Hope to see all posters to this forum back in a few month's time after the PPP win again.

i'm hoping to be on malaysiafriends or vietnamfriends or costaricafriends or maybe even newyorkcityfriiends by then.

[zeusbheld]

I'm thinking people should be urged to do their jobs... Like protecting international airports from armed thugs...

that the airport can be seized has been an epic fail on the part of both the gov't and the army, whose repeated calls of "please be nice" have been sooooo efffective so far.

[Stramash]

Hope to see all posters to this forum back in a few month's time after the PPP win again.

i'm hoping to be on malaysiafriends or vietnamfriends or costaricafriends or maybe even newyorkcityfriiends by then.

ssssssshhhhhhh, you will give Rob megalomaniac ideas for expansion...

[sunsnow]

"Meanwhile, Transport Minister Santi Prompat told the agency managing Thailand's main airport, the Airports of Thailand (AoT), to seek a court order to force anti-government protesters to vacate Suvarnabhumi Airport.

Mr Santi ordered the AoT petition the civil court to force the protesters to leave Suvarnabhumi airport compound, so the airport can reopen."

FAIL.

"The government on Wednesday rejected a 'suggestion' by army chief Anupong Paojinda to resign and the protesters who seized and closed Suvarnabhumi airport on Wednesday declined the general's demand to get out of the airport.

"The prime minister should dissolve parliament and call a snap election," Gen Anupong said"

SECOND AND THIRD FAIL.

= MASSIVE FAIL

[Loburt]

\But it will probably end fairly soon (I hope) and won't prove to be the Thailand-ending catastrophe some are making it out to be.

If everyone keeps their heads.

my cassandra-ism is predicated on a couple of fairly plausible assumptions based on past performance of the entities involved:

1) it won't be over fairly soon. there's absolutely nothing in PAD's recent history that suggests it will, unless PPP cave in, and there's nothing in THEIR history to suggest they'll cave in. i can't see how it will end fairly soon without some sort of deux ex machina.

2) why on earth would anyone believe that either PAD or PPP have ANY capacity to keep their heads?

it could miraculously and mysteriously end soon but seems to me it could more easily escalate and/or drag on indefinitely. until divine intervention actually occurs, i'm betting on the latter.

I didn't say the overall stand off between the government and the PAD would end soon. Only that the PAD would "probably" leave the airport relatively soon. But the situation here does tend to change rapidly and can be unpredictable, so we shall see.

I don't expect the PAD to "keep their heads" as far as finding ways to protest that are provocative. They want to be provocative. They have to be provocative.

It is the government and security leadership that need to keep their heads.

There are some who would like to respond with violence. The smart thing to do is to resist that course of action.

[eagle]

Im not capable of making a judgement of Pad with my limited knowledge of thai politics but I do feel its a good thing that people can take to the streets if they feel treated unfairly. I just hope the situation is resolved without violence.

[zeusbheld]

\But it will probably end fairly soon (I hope) and won't prove to be the Thailand-ending catastrophe some are making it out to be.

If everyone keeps their heads.

my cassandra-ism is predicated on a couple of fairly plausible assumptions based on past performance of the entities involved:

1) it won't be over fairly soon. there's absolutely nothing in PAD's recent history that suggests it will, unless PPP cave in, and there's nothing in THEIR history to suggest they'll cave in. i can't see how it will end fairly soon without some sort of deux ex machina.

2) why on earth would anyone believe that either PAD or PPP have ANY capacity to keep their heads?

it could miraculously and mysteriously end soon but seems to me it could more easily escalate and/or drag on indefinitely. until divine intervention actually occurs, i'm betting on the latter.

I didn't say the overall stand off between the government and the PAD would end soon. Only that the PAD would "probably" leave the airport relatively soon. But the situation here does tend to change rapidly and can be unpredictable, so we shall see.

i know what you meant; what i'm saying is that i'm not convinced they're likely to leave the airport and if they do, they'll be back--or worse--the next time something happens they don't like.

I don't expect the PAD to "keep their heads" as far as finding ways to protest that are provocative. They want to be provocative. They have to be provocative.

one can be provocative without screwing the already screwed economy.

It is the government and security leadership that need to keep their heads.

no, they both do. PAD have demonstrated they're more than willing to screw up the country if they don't get their way. they've crossed a major line with this one, and for an encore i don't see them doing anything but escalating for their next major tantrum. it'll end in tears for both PAD and PPP, they've shown that they're willing to cut off nose to spite face; limbs are next.

There are some who would like to respond with violence. The smart thing to do is to resist that course of action.

that would be especially messy considering it's an international airport. full of witnesses and potential innocent victims.

[zeusbheld]

Im not capable of making a judgement of Pad with my limited knowledge of thai politics but I do feel its a good thing that people can take to the streets if they feel treated unfairly. I just hope the situation is resolved without violence.

news flash: the airports ain't the streets.

[sunsnow]

[MisterMatlock]

After living in Thailand for over 6 years, I'm STILL having problems comprehending the "relationship" between the government, police, military, and royalty. I've asked plenty of questions of Thais as well as farangs. This particular situation at the airport has re-raised the gov't/military relationship issue in my mind.

I've tried to take this situation and transplant it to my home country (Canada). If armed thugs walked into the international airport in Ottawa, the first people to get involved would be the police. Security guards at the airport would most likely NOT be involved in repelling a group like this. If the force moving into the airport was deemed sufficient enough, the military would become involved. The second the military becomes involved, there are only two possible outcomes for the scenario:

1)armed thugs leave airport in handcuffs

2)armed thugs leave airport in bodybags complete with lead between their ears

The military isn't there to make decisions whether the group that's taken over the airport is good or bad... The military doesn't make demands of the gov't (at least publicly...) The military doesn't wait needlessly for months on end to deal with the problem (they act NOW.) The military doesn't throw mud at the police, the gov't, OR the armed thugs (they throw lead at the armed thugs.) The military doesn't say "We don't want to get involved as it could damage our reputation." The military doesn't tell the gov't "You should step down and allow the armed thugs to have their way."

Yet, here in Thailand, it appears that the military has their OWN capacity to make decisions on whether to act or not, whether to follow orders from the gov't or follow them from other groups, whether to "allow" the gov't in power to remain or to unceremoniously/undemocratically EJECT the democratically elected gov't from their seat of power.

I don't know if I'll ever be able to understand this relationship. Even if I DO, I don't know if I'd ever be able to accept it as "the way to do things."

[daniel123]

oh my!

Things are just hotting up this year, what with the Obama election and now the PAD shanannigans....

i was gonna rent Rambo 3 tonight but i don't think ill bother....

utube and the BBC are exeeding holywood these days

[sunsnow]

MisterMatlock: man, that was...yea, fair and balanced post. Wow...6 years here? Does it ever get any easier, I mean, so that you won't feel like backing your bags or taking a bullet and just ending it all as it makes no sense? Or you just try to avoid anything that has to do with so called "daily or political lives of the locals", do what most expats do and distance almost completly themselves from the community that surrounds them just to keep their heads together so to speak? :?:

[eagle]

Im not capable of making a judgement of Pad with my limited knowledge of thai politics but I do feel its a good thing that people can take to the streets if they feel treated unfairly. I just hope the situation is resolved without violence.

news flash: the airports ain't the streets.

At least they aren't getting run over by tanks like china, that was my point.

[bigcatbus]

When I see young mother with 6 month child at the floor of airport, I stop understand anything.

[Zombiedriven]

Just gotta love it all.........Unless you are one of the people stuck at the airports. :? :? :? :? :? :? :? :? :? :? :? :? :? :? :?

[Loburt]

what i'm saying is that i'm not convinced they're likely to leave the airport and if they do, they'll be back--or worse--the next time something happens they don't like...PAD have demonstrated they're more than willing to screw up the country if they don't get their way.

The next time something happens they don't like. You mean like having their people killed and wounded in grenade attacks several nights in a row? Clearly, both sides have shown they are willing to screw up the country if they don't get their way. Or hadn't you noticed?

[beej]

So whats up at the airport now? I'm flying back on Friday...... or am I?

[sunsnow]

So Loburt what is this "other side" that has been throwing grenades at PAD? I am pretty sure zb was talking about PAD vs. government...And pretty sure that zb was meaning with "next time something happens they don't like" something like elections that bring results Sondhi don't like or changes to laws or constitution that Sondhi won't like.

We know that PAD has had internal bombings and fights, PAD "guards" even attacking against eachothers, they have been shooting guys in their cars etc. Seems that PAD can injure very well it's own people and others. And I bet there are lots of anti-PAD anarchists also throwing their grenades at them too. But don't confuse now those people attacking some PAD people to represent government.