Snapshot From Bangkok

Hey Blue. Glad you like Ms Poppins too :)

Having only just returned from Thailand I have a lot of sympathy for the beleaguered Thai Prime Minister who is forced to walk a tightrope while trying to deal with PAD. Everything he does is criticised for being weak and ineffectual and yet those who criticise must realise that he acts as he must since the ‘powers that be’ (the Thai establishment) continually strive to make him fail! The army will not support him in his need to clear the airports and the courts use silly loopholes to prevent him from arresting the PAD leaders who are presently free on bail. The strong bias against the government in the present system makes any useful action by them either difficult or impossible and continues to protect PAD despite their destructive behaviour. PAD is a lie! Though they call themselves the People’s Alliance for Democracy their goal is the exact opposite – to remove the one man one vote system and replace it with a system of appointments made by an elite – in effect removing the power of the vote from the majority. PAD pretend to represent the King but in fact have been warned several times to stop using this lie and core leader Sondhi (who is a media mogul and uses his ASTv network to spread lies and anti-government propaganda) has been in danger of being imprisoned for using the lie to gain support from the naive... A reason that so many PAD supporters in the airports are emotional women willing to subject themselves and their children to stress and danger is their blind faith that PAD will somehow benefit the King and the country in spite of the mounting evidence that they are actually doing the exact opposite! So why are PAD still fighting on? Why doesn’t the King appear on TV to speak directly to the PAD protesters and tell them they have been duped and for the sake of the country they should pack up and go home? I suspect that the King walks a similar tightrope to the Prime Minister and that the real threat to Thailand is the invisible hand that holds the rope!

I read of the mounting horror in Gaza and I wonder if those who fire the rockets care at all about the people they profess to represent? Is it the way of the desperate or the ruthless? There is a time to fight and a time to wait - this is a time of waiting! They may gain a little sympathy from certain quarters but is it worth the death and destruction? How has it really helped anyone but the arms manufacturers and the hucksters of hate? I ask this because I had a dark dream. A big circus full of people gathered to watch the tightrope walkers. A new sheriff was attempting to walk the high-wire toward the Governor’s box to pay his respects while some of the crowd threw banana skins that couldn't quite reach. The audience seemed to have three main groups, some dressed in yellow, some dressed in red, some dressed in orange, but there were also many others dressed as they liked. While all eyes were glued on the high-wire I was watching the crowd and I noticed a band of yellow shirts slip red shirts over the top of their yellow and merge in with the reds. Suddenly the yellow-reds pulled out guns and started firing into the air. Almost immediately the circus tent was invaded by a large cavalry detachment that rode down the reds. Then the Ring Master appeared from the shadows and declared martial law. He called to the yellow leaders and gave each of them a page from the documents stolen from the Town Hall. “These will tell you where the money is lads and who you can trust and who you can’t. Now you know what to tell any pesky reporters – the reds tried to kill the new sheriff and threatened the Governor.” Suddenly, a Golden light filled the tent and the clock started going backward... A big circus full of people gathered to watch the tightrope walkers. A new sheriff was attempting to walk the high-wire toward the Governor’s box to pay his respects while some of the crowd threw banana skins that couldn't quite reach. The audience seemed to have three main groups, some dressed in yellow, some dressed in orange, but mostly people dressed as they liked as they watched to see if the new sheriff could maintain his balance. Suddenly the clowns appeared and everyone began to relax and some even laughed... The sheriff hadn’t managed to get very far but at least he wasn’t swaying from side to side now. The time passed and soon it was over... Maybe it wasn’t a great circus but it could have been so much worse!

It amazes me that no-one in Thailand seems to be considering the importance of the stolen computer information – why it was taken and where it is now. Here is one speculation, a possible explanation: After the army returned power to the people by holding an election - things did not go as they hoped. The people chose a government very similar to the one that forced the coup. The military’s ‘new’ constitution was in danger of being revoked in favour of a return to the previous one and there was a fair chance that Kun Thaksin might return and claim his 72 billion Baht. Too late now for another coup because there was no excuse and this time it would most certainly not be a “Happy” coup. It was hard to predict how the soldiers would react when it came down to killing their own people and difficult to be sure who would support the coup when the blood began to flow. So, they used PAD to try and do by stealth what they hesitated to do by force. To make sure that the Constitution was NOT changed and to topple the Government! Meanwhile in case things did not go well and a bloody coup became inevitable it was decided to stage an invasion of Government House. By concealing a group of army commandos within PAD's paid protesters it was simple to “acquire” all the secret documents stored in the National Security Centre and have the very latest intelligence on all the major players and their likely allegiances. Having ’digested’ the secret information it was time to leave Government House and try and force a coup by invading the airports and hoping the ‘red shirts’ would attempt to come to the aid of the Government. The Prime Minister was clever enough to see what was happening and appoint the army chief to take charge of the airport sieges while he got out of town... effectively leaving the army with the choice of confronting itself or doing nothing. So it was that the Thai economy and the whole country were dealt another huge blow by the very people who were supposed to be defending it. However, it gave the frightened courts time to rush through the dissolution of the offending parties ( by not hearing any evidence) and bring down the government on THE VERY DAY THAT PAD HAD PREDICTED. No surprise then that PAD has led such a charmed life – for who dare challenge the military? The question now is will the DAAD let themselves be used as an excuse for a coup or will they realise that it is best to give the new Government a chance and save a lot of bloodshed. Whatever happens to the economy and the country it is hard to imagine that the rich will starve but if this government fails I would suspect that it would be inevitable that many poor would.

Perhaps the most right-wing rag in Thailand is the Bangkok Post - not really a surprise as Bangkok is the home of the 'elite' which gave birth to PAD and continues to support it. The Bangkok Post not only runs very biased articles but also reader’s comments, posted below the articles, which often reflect bias and hate for Thaksin. So I was both amazed and very pleased to find a well argued post, from someone calling himself Drey, in support of Thaksin. I'm sure he will not mind me posting it to an English site where many have never had chance to see the bigger picture. I'm not claiming it is unbiased but it is certainly a cut above the average. In the spirit of fair play it would be great to get a reasoned response from a Thai Democrat or PAD supporter to give us a sense of balance. So here it is, very slightly edited, to suit European readers. ***************************************************** For the record, Thaksin was probably the least corrupt PM in a long time. To make my points clear I do not wish Thaksin to return to power but only to see honest un-biased Justice and a true Democracy for all Thai's. Many people with no knowledge of the history of Thai politics are making very crazy statements based only on emotion. Let’s get our facts right: 1/ It took a military coup appointed supreme court and government over two years to convict Thaksin. 2/ The most damning evidence is reported to have come from "SPOKEN WORD" and "WRITTEN TESTEMANT" of a very few insiders. This came years into the coup, anyone can argue such "testaments" were forced out, paid for etc.....why did these people wait SO MANY YEARS into the coup before suddenly coming out with these accusations? 3/ The length of time to convict Thaksin points to the potential that the convictions were "engineered" in order to discredit and disgrace him, a point he himself is making by fleeing the country saying "I cannot get a fair trial in Thailand." under the coup appointed system. 4/ It is said "All politicians are corrupt". The amount of money that Thaksin is reported to have been corrupt with, is less than the country has lost through the PAD shutting the airports illegally. So why have the PAD leaders and all persons involved in shutting the airport down not been jailed? Why have the PAD protestors, who were shown, in close up, on TV, attacking a deputy police commissioner, knocking him over and causing head injuries, not been charged? 5/ Going back to the last Democrat government, why were there no bans or convictions or dissolutions ? 6/ Moving forward a few years later, why, after the OAG recommended that TRT and the Democrats be dissolved, was only the TRT dissolved ? 7/ The 2007 constitution protects the CNS members who organised the coup, as they are immune from all previous actions. This is said to be why the 2007 constitution is being "protected" by the PAD, because a return to the earlier "Peoples Charter" would mean certain people losing their immunity and they could then be tried for treason. Do you think the PAD are worried about just little old Thaksin? 8/ The current Supreme Court Judges who have ruled 100% of the cases against the TRT, PPP Government & officials as guilty WERE HAND-PICKED, CHOOSEN BY THE MILITARY COUP GOVERNMENT. Does that not reek of corruption and a failed legal system? 9/ The last election took place under the coup appointed system, under martial law in places, with soldiers reportedly sent out to "speak to people", and, reportedly, ordered to vote Democrat, with massive resources available to watch all PPP politicians for corruption but ignore other parties Despite all of this the PPP won! The PAD ‘s claims that the election was biased and unfair are in fact correct, the last elections were extremely biased AGAINST the PPP... and yet still they won! 10/ People "hate" the Democrats as they are seen as the "untouchables" with a lot of old Elite rulers in the background Pulling all the strings. Which is why it’s said they are immune to all charges and are seen by many people, to be the most corrupt of all, representing the "old ways" and "old power cliques". We can see this clearly in the fact that every legal case thrown into the courts against the TRT, PPP government and its representatives is a "GUILTY VERDICT". While all cases against the Democrats, PAD are "NOT GUILTY VERDICTS". Does anybody truly believe that the Democrats are clean and pure angels? The PAD did many illegal things, we all know it, we saw it on television BUT will they ever stand trial? The new government says that they will be tried, but when? More importantly will they ever be found guilty??? 11/ Other important facts include nation dividing actions such as some Democrat MP's openly supporting PAD. (editor's note - one of the Democrat MP's is a core PAD leader). The Democrats NEVER once tried to work with the majority government (TRT or PPP...) AND NEVER lifted one finger (or lip) to follow the law of the nation against the PAD's numerous crimes. 12/ It is the Democrats who have the history as being some of the worse, MOST CORRUPT, nation robbers which is why we saw the rise of the TRT in the first place (remember everyone???). 13/ It is the Democrats who have likely supported & orchestrated this entire mess we see since the 2007 military coup. Why? The answer is simple. POWER = MONEY = PERSONAL GAIN... "Once Corrupted Always Corrupt" All you supporters of the PAD who enjoyed seeing Democracy vanish in the 2007 coup PLEASE TAKE A MOMENT TO READ THE HISTORY OF THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY. 14/ Under PM Thaksin leadership Thailand became the number 1 ranked economy in S.E.Asia. Today Thailand ranks 3rd and falling. It is economic prosperity that brings a better life to all Thais. PM Thaksin is a brilliant businessman with powerful associates in governments & businesses throughout the world. He knows how to run a country. That is why everyone could see a REAL difference in their quality of life when he was leading. The Majority of Thai's still feel that khun Thaksin truly cares about them and their wellbeing. The list of discussion points and facts goes on and on, but while many here simply blame Thaksin , the whole Yellow against Red is more than just him, it goes back to before him and will carry on after him as it is now, there is far, far, far more at stake, so please open your minds. PAD/Democrats now want everyone to "give the government a chance..." They think anarchy is only starting now that the reds are protesting the stealing of a country by the minority? Wake up! Anarchy started when the Military got the green light to take-over the government in 2007, changing the constitution so that one bad apple destroys the entire majority party (twice). Anarchy was there when PM Samak lost his job because of a cooking show (the world laughed at the ruling against him). Anarchy has been in front of everyone's televisions with the yellow shirts doing anything/everything they wanted without worry of Democratic laws being enforced. Don't think for one second it is a North versus South problem. Many, MANY, southern Thai's understand what Democracy is and what it is not. Does every Democrat/PAD supporter think I am one of those "uneducated voters" who do not know how to vote correctly? Or was paid off to vote? Facts are facts Thaksin won because he was good at his job. Thaksin made his money from the bottom up working his business into businesses that grew and grew. He is extremely business savvy. Nothing wrong with making money the old fashioned way is there? Surely that is what capitalism and democracy support. Individual freedom to prosper (legally). He ran for office to help all Thai's prosper or do you think he did it solely to make his already huge assets larger? Just look at Thaksin's results, Thailand became the number 1 S.E.Asia economy during his leadership. Today, with all the Coup's and Protest's, Thailand is ranked 3rd and falling fast. Now, finally, the Police/Military are taking their jobs seriously. Makes me ill how these Democrats/PAD can manipulate and destroy the country and disregard the votes of 67% of all Thai's. While The PAD remain above the law what is the future for Democracy? Finally, vote buying! What crap! The vast majority (99% at least) who voted TRT or PPP were not paid one baht. The majority is still the majority, no matter what the PAD/Democrats wish to believe, and they must and will Protect Democracy!

I notice that the pro Thaksin post above neglects this - "In March 2006, a Thai criminal court cleared Supinya Klangnarong, a media rights activist, and the Thai Post, a popular local newspaper, of criminal defamation charges in a suit filed by Shin Corp., a major Thai company which was at the time the case was brought owned largely by the family of the then Thai Prime Minister, Thaksin Shinawatra. Supinya had alleged that the Thaksin government had pursued policies which benefited Shin Corp. The verdict underlined the fundamental right of citizens and the press to express their opinions on matters of public concern and the legitimacy of public scrutiny and criticism of the operations of the State and its public officials." http://www.article19.org/speaking-out/asia-overview Still, it does demonstrate that even at the height of his influence Thaksin couldn't sway the judicary - something that has obviously become much easier in more recent times. ***************************************************** Actually, I’m trying to look into the Constitution question... Is the present Constitution illegitimate - because it has been ruled that there was not the required quorum (not enough people present) when it was introduced - and, if so, should the previous Constitution be reinstated as the legitimate one? There seems to have been an awful lot of fuss from all sides about changing the Constitution so why not simply return to the ‘Peoples Charter’ Constitution? When it was adopted in October 1997 it was hailed as a radically more democratic Constitution which represented a hugely important development for Thai democracy! So why did the coup try (well suceed really) in replacing it with their own and why are the Democrats, PAD et al, so keen on yet another Constitution when the ‘Peoples Charter’ was so highly regarded? Begs the question of whether the coup was to get rid of Thaksin or the ‘Peoples Charter’ constitution! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2007_Constitution_of_Thailand It's VERY surprising that with such a large majority still in favour of the banned TRT (evident by the later vote which marked "the end of the coup") that the coup government managed to get a majority of almost 60% to back their new constitution! http://www.prachatai.com/english/news.php?id=149 Perhaps the greatest mystery of all, to my mind, is that various people have been threatened with imprisionment for accusing the King of being associated with PAD and yet PAD itself makes the same claim without comment! In the West many see the "Yellow shirted" PAD as terrorists and have little faith that the new government could stop further airport seiges, hostage taking or even kidnapping. The fact that no member of PAD has been punished in any way for their acts of terrorism simply serves to strengthen the belief that they are above the law. Thailand will still get tourists but many will tend to be thrill seekers and riff-raff who prefer the spice of uncertainty. Families and sunseekers will no doubt choose safer shores to find their holiday paradise.

I've thought about posting several of the above to a new thread but since I want the new Thai govenment to have a fair chance of making things better I've decided not to as I can see it might inspire fresh problems when there are already too many now. Few people ever bother with this topic as there is no indication that it has been updated. Mind you, should the new government decide to change the Constitution without facing a democratic election to demonstrate the approval of the people then it could prove useful to forward these 'thoughts' to interested parties.