The relative peace of 24 November seemed too good to be true. The PAD have now reverted to their regular strategy of extreme provocation. This clip from TPBS is well worth a look. Apparently the PAD has already denied that they are responsible. It’s a “third hand” of course!
And here is an extract from a statement from Giles Ungpakorn about the PAD invasion of the international airport:
Bangkok International Airport has now been closed by Fascist thugs from the anti-government PAD. The PAD are demanding that the elected government resigns. This is despite the fact that the government has the backing of the majority of the Thai population and even the majority of Bangkok citizens. This backing has been proven by repeated elections. The PAD want a dictatorship to replace democracy because they deem that the majority of the Thai electorate are too ignorant to deserve the right to vote. How did the PAD thugs manage to seize Bangkok International airport? Airports are supposed to be high security areas. Thai airports are controlled by the Thai military. It is obvious that the Thai military, who staged an illegal coup in 2006, have quietly supported the actions of the PAD. It is obvious that the military is unwilling to provide basic security to air travellers and air crew. But they are happy to rake in huge salaries associated with their control of the Airports Authority. Foreign governments and airlines should reconsider whether the authorities in Thailand are willing to provide international standards of safety and security.
Back in early October, the PAD thugs surrounded parliament to prevent the Prime Minister from making a policy speech. When the police used tear gas to try to disperse the PAD, the police were roundly condemned by the Thai media and most Middle-Class intellectuals. It is no secret that the PAD are armed with guns, bombs, knives and wooden batons. They constantly break the law with impunity. Earlier today PAD thugs were filmed by PBS ThaiTV, shooting at taxi drivers who were trying to defend their pro-democracy community radio station. The PAD thugs were holding up pictures of the King. Yesterday the PAD kicked and punched a senior policeman. The police are powerless to act.
…
Those who support democracy and social justice in Thailand must condemn the PAD and those advocating a dictatorship. We must be with the pro-democracy Red Shirts, while refusing to support ex-PM Thaksin, who has a record of Human Rights abuses. I hope that all those friends of Thailand abroad will support all our efforts to defend Thai democracy and to defend those of us who may face arrest in the future.
15 responses so far ↓
1 NoDorm // Nov 26, 2008 at 11:19 am
Those who support democracy and social justice in Thailand must condemn the PAD and those advocating a dictatorship. We must be with the pro-democracy Red Shirts, while refusing to support ex-PM Thaksin, who has a record of Human Rights abuses. I hope that all those friends of Thailand abroad will support all our efforts to defend Thai democracy and to defend those of us who may face arrest in the future.
Lacks substance, but kind of ironic statement
2 Ralph Kramden // Nov 26, 2008 at 11:34 am
I Ji is dead wrong when he states that the king has no power. This is a really odd position to take when Ji actually spends considerable time talking about why the old guy hasn’t intervened. My answer is that he needs the right time to intervene when he knows he can’t lose. We might be close to that now.
Apart from this, Ji hammers many a good point, and readers might want to compare with the Bangkok Post’s insipid editorial (http://www.bangkokpost.com/261108_News/26Nov2008_news14.php). It is a travesty for they cannot bring themselves to condemn PAD’s methods and agenda. Rather they are just critical of the airport siege. We expect this from the Nation, but increasingly desperate supported of the PAD at the Bangkok Post seem to be holding sway. Look at the reports regarding the alleged constitutional changes that were meant to be in the works on Monday. That journalism (sic) is direct from the PAD stage.
Ji has gone from calling PAD proto-fascist to fascist. On that, I think he is looking pretty sharp.
3 David Brown // Nov 26, 2008 at 11:57 am
thank you… we are all waiting
many think its time for the police and maybe the military at the airport to move in heavily on the PAD
now that the PAD are in the airport its very difficult because they are mixed with so many ordinary people
and if arrests are made out on the streets it is possible the PAD could start taking hostages
despite our desires to see the PAD finished, unfortunately, we need to be patient before touching the PAD slaves
however, it could be time to arrest the leaders and, because of the risk of re-offending if they are allowed out on bail, keep them in gaol pending charges and court appearances
that was the real scandal, why were the leaders allowed out on bail when they were arrested last time?
we should all carefully investigate the judges and their actions then! and make sure the same does not happen again!
4 HC lau // Nov 26, 2008 at 1:57 pm
David,
When the police and the army is not under the jurisdiction of the elected govt, but under instructions from elsewhere or are an authority unto themselves, on e can never tell what the agenda really is.
All I know is that the PAD and its supporters, intellectuals or otherwise have an uncanny ability to turn a blind eye and lie to themselves.
never mind the constant call to battle and war declarations of the leadership.
never mind the footages of PAD “guards” armed and trigger happy
never mind PAD “guards” beating up on old ladies…. the list goes on and on. This is not hearsay, but reported by the very PRO-PAD and bias bangkok newspaper.
Despite all of the above and more.. the “intellectual” supporters of the PAD still claim “peaceful” protest. How does one debate logically with them.
For the record, I am not a supporter of any particular camp or person, but I am certainly against the PAD actions and the violent and selfish path that they have chosen.
5 doctorJ // Nov 26, 2008 at 3:43 pm
Though I did agree with most of Giles’s idea about PAD, still I considered the red shirt movement was too close to Thaksin for me to comfort.
I do agree with most comments here that PAD desparately seek none but violence, tring in vain to pave way for coup. That’s the reason why PMSomchai kept avoiding clashes at least for the moment. But once the majorities turn their sentiment from PAD to the government , PAD will face some fierce “fight back”
My stance is of course, against PAD, but Thaksin did cast too long a shadow on the red shirts for me to support.
6 jonfernquest // Nov 26, 2008 at 4:37 pm
Is this the best you can do to be convincing Giles?
Nidhi Eoseewong was more convincing:
http://www.bangkokpost.com/261108_News/26Nov2008_news19.php
Some beauty hints, cut the hyperbolic self-gratifying leftist verbage: fascist thugs, dictators, middle class intellectual enemies,…yawn, yawn…
PAD violent? Someone keeps lobbing bombs with a grenade launcher
into their camp while they sleep (aerobics commander Khattiya?).
The grenade launch down the street in Klong Toey market last week at 2am even woke me up. If you don’t mention facts like this you are simply not being objective Giles. Supporting pro-democracy Red Shirts, while refusing to support ex-PM Thaksin? Are you sure you have your head screwed on straight this morning Giles? The latest from ASTV makes PAD sound very dangerous indeed:
11:15 The food situation has apparently been taken care of, but now there is an urgent call from Suwarnabhumi for toothpaste and toothbrushes. With all the shops closed there, the announcers are saying this is a great opportunity for PAD supporters to sell goods there. They also say foreign tourists who missed their flights, especially Russians, are sitting with the protestors and enjoying the music. PAD rallies are always full of live performances.)
http://www.readbangkokpost.com/articles/airportupdates.php
7 amberwaves // Nov 26, 2008 at 9:12 pm
I thought jonfernquest was just a curmudgeon, but now I have to wonder if he is a dope or visually impaired. To cite “The latest from ASTV” is the flip side of citing “the latest from Thaksin.”
Do you actually read, watch or listen to The Manager/PAD propaganda machine? Somsak yesterday denied that the people who were shooting at the Redshirts were from the PAD. Tell it to the TPBS cameraman who risked his life to film the incident, and was later threatened by them.
There are both film and witnesses’ accounts that show the PAD has used guns on earlier occasions as well.
And this from People’s Alliance for Democracy Announcement 26/2008: “…Armed with only the plastic hand clappers, the PAD protesters have marched to various key locations including Parliament, Finance ministry, the Metropolitan Police Bureau and the government’s temporary seat at Don Muang Airport…”
Is that true? Isn’t that called the “big lie” technique?
Why assume the grenades were not a PAD provocation? They are pragmatic above anything, aren’t they? Isn’t that clear?
BTW, they don’t share your high opinion of Nidhi, who has been savaged from the PAD stage and in Manager, with the website comments piling on vile personal attacks.
Students of the Nidhi and Charnvit schools _ Thailand’s most respected historians _ don’t share your laissez-faire attitude towards the PAD shenanigans, whatever they feel about Thaksin.
And what about the DAAD guy they beat to death on Sept. 2? Are you upset that justice hasn’t been done in that case?
PAD violent? Yes. And they set the tone when their masked thugs burst into NBT on Aug. 26.
8 polo // Nov 26, 2008 at 9:21 pm
Giles knows what’s happening here: a move toward a silent coup. The army chief has just told the rotestors to clear out but also told the government to hold new elections. And he denies this is a coup. Just who will be the next leader will be interesting.
9 jonfernquest // Nov 26, 2008 at 10:01 pm
“I thought jonfernquest was just a curmudgeon, but now I have to wonder if he is a dope or visually impaired. ”
Hope that was cathartic Amber Waves, seems exactly like the “idle abuse” barred from this forum, but definitely keeping with the ridiculous one-sided approach of Giles and his fans to events. Systematically avoid mentioning or talking about what you disagree with. Cite only half of the evidence with maximum emotional hyperbole, demand that everyone agree with you rather than persuade (quite like PAD in this respect), Lumping everything from anti-Thaksin, anti-monarchy, anti-PAD, together…and ending up creating your own mythology…grenades lobbed into PAD camps. That is violence. I don’t see it being talked about here. The notion that you could support the red shirts and not have Thaksin come back is also ridiculous and right now the notion that Thaksin could come back seems crazy, and objectively speaking, whether you like it or not, whether it makes you upset or not, in the face of political lethargy (kaan meuang naa beua, 90% of everyone I talk to) PAD is playing a pivotal role in ensuring just this, that Thaksin does not come back, or is nominee proxy brother in law, much as Mao’s red guards once did (for Marx lovers like Giles).
10 Ralph Kramden // Nov 27, 2008 at 12:03 am
jonfernquest has been shown to be misinformed so many times at NM that he hardly warrants attention. His support for PAD seems to be based on some weird idea that Thaksin and his mob are leftists. But I do love his comment comparing PAD to Red Guards. On that he is absolutely right (assuming that I have read the slightly delirious and punctuated comment correctly).
11 amberwaves // Nov 27, 2008 at 1:13 am
jf:
What? (BTW, conciliatory words at end)
Idle abuse? Not like your “Are you sure you have your head screwed on straight this morning Giles?”?
I asked whether ASTV (talk about own mythology!) was a credible source on whether the PAD was peaceable, or whether people should believe their own eyes.
I’m not demanding that you agree with me, I’m asking you to acknowledge certain basic facts _ and I think it’s fair to describe them as that _ and take the argument from there.
But on the bigger picture, it seems to be it just may boil down to whether one believes the PAD cure is worse than the Thaksin disease. To put it in simplest terms.
I don’t really think you are a dope, apologies for that, like you (I assume) I find the current situation stressful, and sometimes let emotion get the better of me.
But I still think you are a curmudgeon. A well-informed and articulate curmudgeon.
Please keep writing. Dialogue is more useful than monologue.
12 HC lau // Nov 27, 2008 at 2:56 pm
For those readers who are still supporters of the PAD (Sondhi’s bunch of lunatics) please take a trip to Nepal. (sorry, you will have to take a train to malaysia and fly from there)
Nepal used to be a beutiful country, full of hope, now it is a desparate country with its people in despair. People unknown, ok, maybe not so unknown saw it fit to use mob rule to get their own way. This animal, once release, has a way of going out of control.
The result after 10 years or so – go see for yourself
13 max // Nov 27, 2008 at 3:00 pm
it sound like jon fernquest doesn’t respond to direct intellectual inquiry because he is in a sentimentally genocidal state of denial that has reached new heights in the face of incontrovertible visual, aural, and testimonial evidence of the insidious viciousness that is fanning out to challenge the state and destroy the Thai economy and international standing. the Sonthi sanitary wipes have not only clogged his ears, but seeped in his brain. unfortunately, he is only one of many (not multitudes) that have undergone the same lock-step moral and intellectual devolution. tragically, this downwardly spiralling movement has a near-monopoly on thai media outlets and the shadowy apparatus that delegares the operation of state security forces.
14 jonfernquest // Nov 27, 2008 at 9:55 pm
Ralph Kramden: “…the Bangkok Post’s insipid editorial… It is a travesty for they cannot bring themselves to condemn PAD’s methods and agenda….”
The Bangkok Post is a newspaper not a direct connect to Ralph Kramden’s highly opinionated little mind.
It presents a full spectrum of opinions rather than being rude to someone under an assumed name, taking potshots, and claiming that its opinion is the only one around. As for obsessing over who hit who at a protest or whether my punctuation and spelling is correct, bon appetite. Have fun.
Unlike Kramden I openly admit when I don’t know about something. But that Thaksin and his red shirts will lose in the end is one thing I am fairly sure about.
15 Ralph Kramden // Nov 28, 2008 at 12:06 am
jonfernquest: the reference to the Bangkok Post was to a particular editorial, and editorials do not tend to be “a full spectrum of opinions” – newspapers have editorials to allow editors to express their opinions and to take strong, moral or other positions. And, because of that, most editorial writers expect to be criticised and debated. Maybe you have forgotten the that the press both reports and editorialises.
Not sure where I was worried about who hit who, but I do find it difficult to disagree with amberwaves at #7, where s/he seems to sum things up nicely.
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