Also see: The CIA's Thailand Tentacles
THAI DEMONSTRATORS ARE 'PAWNS IN A BIGGER GAME
That's the background you will not find in the one-sided, agenda-pushing, colorblind AmeriKan MSM (and my largest regional representative, readers).
That's the actually the tell. Protests that are approved by the agenda-pushing MSM of AmeriKa are a sure giveaway.
And please note where and what you find for coverage of the anti-agenda, counter-protest, readers. Another tell.
"Prime minister declares state of emergency in Thailand; Protesters show no signs they are willing to disband" by Grant Peck, Associated Press | April 8, 2010
BANGKOK — Thailand’s beleaguered prime minister declared a state of emergency yesterday to quell weeks of paralyzing protests costing businesses tens of millions of dollars. But the demonstrators championing the rights of the rural poor remained uncowed, and it was unclear whether the showdown would end without violence.
Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva made the declaration after mostly peaceful protests turned chaotic when demonstrators burst into Parliament and forced lawmakers to flee on ladders over a back wall, with senior officials hastily evacuated by helicopter.
Thailand put out a textbook for protest or something?
Americans could use a good read.
Yesterday’s chaos was a continuation of the long-running battle between partisans of the country’s former leader — Thaksin Shinawatra, who was ousted by a 2006 military coup — and those who oppose him. Thaksin was accused of corruption and showing disrespect to the country’s revered monarch. The demonstrators, called the Red Shirts for the attire they wear, benefited from Thaksin’s populist policies such as inexpensive health care and village loans. They have demanded that Abhisit dissolve Parliament within 15 days and call new elections, claiming he took office illegitimately in December 2008 with the help of military pressure on Parliament. The prime minister has offered to do so by year’s end.
Okay, so when do negotiations start.
Can't be that hard to get from here to there -- unless you want to destabilize, cui bono?
Protesters have camped out in Bangkok since March 12, ignoring court orders and a massive security presence. Abhisit has become the target of sharp criticism for not taking strong measures to end the disruptive demonstrations. He has entered negotiations with the Red Shirts and ordered security forces to pull back from possible confrontations.
Didn't anyone tell him nice guys finish last?
Besides, you can't appease the CIA.
Several shopping malls have closed and luxury hotels put under virtual siege since Saturday, when demonstrators moved to a busy intersection at the heart of Bangkok’s commercial district.
Interesting how that word never enters an article regarding Gaza and Israel.
Merchants have complained that the boisterous demonstrations have cost tens of millions of dollars, and economists have expressed concern that continuing protests will hurt the gross domestic product.
That is NOT a SIGN of POPULAR PROTEST!
When BUSINESSMEN and MERCHANTS are upset we are not talking a people's revolt, readers; we are talking a covert and controlled operation directed by some intelligence service for the purposes of a coup.
And at bottom this is about China and trade, 'eh?
Abhisit, in a televised broadcast that interrupted regular programming, said the aim of the emergency decree was to restore normalcy to Bangkok and prevent “further related crime and disaster.’’
“I want you to understand and stop taking part in any illegal demonstration,’’ the prime minister told the protesters.
The state of emergency decree allows “the performing of an act to the extent that is necessary to maintain the security of the State, the safety of the country, or the safety of the people.’’ Security officials can detain suspects without charge for up to 30 days. The effectiveness of the decree is debatable, however. Although it gives the military greater powers to restore order, both Abhisit and the army know a crackdown could result in bloodshed that would be political poison.
Except for one small nation in the Middle East.
Anyway, normally I would be opposed to martial law; however, I view it as a self-defense measure by a government under attack.
They have been MORE than REASONABLE, and the protesters still say no?
P.J. Crowley, US State Department spokesman, told reporters yesterday that the protesters have a right to express their views, but he urged them to avoid violence. “We respect the right of freedom of expression; however, forcibly entering government buildings is not an appropriate means of protest,’’ Crowley said.
Well, I can understand him feeling that way; it could be him we are coming to get, right? He doesn't want to have to jump out the window or hit the tunnel.
Surat Horachaikul, a political science lecturer at Bangkok’s Chulalongkorn University, said the state of emergency announcement can be interpreted in two ways.
“First, it might be an attempt by the government to buy some time. Or it might actually mean that the government and the army have reached an agreement in solving the current problem,’’ he said.
Red Shirt leaders responded to the decree by telling protesters to stay put and wait for the military to arrive. They have called a major rally for tomorrow.
And do what, STIR IT UP?
Protest leader Veera Muksikapong directed his message to the army: “If you want to meet an army of nonviolent people, please come here. But I believe that ultimately the military will not listen to the government’s order.’’
One of the most radical protest leaders, Arisman Pongruengrong, led a small group in smashing through Parliament’s gate and rushing into the building yesterday. But the protesters later withdrew at the request of opposition legislators, their political allies.Yeah, the VIOLENCE is a DEAD GIVEAWAY!!
I have a loud voice and I always yell "hey, hey, hey" when someone steps out of line and goes that way!
WE KNOW WHO YOU ARE, provocateur slime!
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I think I just saw some more.
"18 dead as Thai soldiers, crowd clash; At least 825 also injured in ongoing protest" by Jocelyn Gecker, Associated Press | April 11, 2010
BANGKOK — Savage clashes between protesters and Thai soldiers killed at least 18 people and injured hundreds before both sides retreated, no closer to ending a monthlong occupation of parts of the capital by demonstrators demanding new elections. Hopes were expressed for negotiations today.
Bullet casings, rocks, and pools of blood littered the streets where pitched battles raged for hours yesterday. It was the worst violence in Bangkok since more than four dozen people were killed in an antimilitary protest in 1992. Army troops pulled back and asked protesters to do the same, resulting in an unofficial truce.
TRUCE, TALKING, sounds good to me!!!
Five soldiers and 13 civilians, including a Japanese cameraman for the
Yeah, DEAD PEOPLE, I don't like the sight or sound.
Editorials in Bangkok newspapers today called for urgent talks between the government and so-called Red Shirts to end the violence, noting that some protest leaders were ready for negotiations.
So WHO is going to SCREW THAT UP?
The violence erupted after security forces tried to push out demonstrators who have camped in parts of the capital for a month, staging disruptive protests....
Yesterday’s violence and failure to dislodge the protesters could make it harder to end the political deadlock. Previously, both sides had exercised considerable restraint....
I keep telling you IT NEVER HELPS!
Tanet Charoengmuang, a political scientist at Chiang Mai University sympathetic to the Red Shirts’ cause, said he expects the fighting to resume because the protesters are unafraid and the government refused to listen to them....
And we have American pukes over here who can't understand why public is furious. Pfft!
Abhisit “failed miserably,’’ said Michael Nelson, a German scholar of Southeast Asian studies working in Bangkok. Nelson said he had been hopeful the situation would calm down after the troops pulled back but that Abhisit’s TV appearance raised doubts because he seemed “totally defiant.’’
WTF? Has he been reading the same reports?
The army had vowed to clear the protesters out of one of their two bases in Bangkok by nightfall, but the push instead set off street fighting. There was a continuous sound of gunfire and explosions, mostly from Molotov cocktails. After more than two hours of fierce clashes, the soldiers pulled back.
Well,, if they were Molotovs they were CIA, 'er, Red Shirts.
Colonel Sansern Kaewkamnerd, an army spokesman, went on television to ask the protesters to retreat as well. He also accused them of firing live rounds and throwing grenades. An Associated Press television cameraman saw two Red Shirt security guards carrying assault rifles....
I mean, readers, WHAT MORE does a GOVERNMENT have to do?
How many would just plow right in, eh?
You know who I'm thinking of, right?
Okay, will the Red Shirts at least be reasonable?
Will they at least TALK?
"Thailand, protesters unwilling to hold talks" By Associated Press | April 12, 2010
BANGKOK — Both the government and protesters mourned their dead yesterday after a night of savage street fighting that left 21 dead, but neither side appeared ready to compromise to end the political stalemate that has bedeviled Thailand for five years and threatens more violence.
Oh, is that the MSM spin? Sigh.
At least 874 others were injured when security forces tried to crack down Saturday on demonstrators who have been staging a month of disruptive protests in the Thai capital....
Bullet casings and shattered army vehicles littered the streets near a main tourist area where soldiers had pitched nighttime battles with the protesters. The fighting halted after the army pulled back its troops and initiated an informal truce. But there was no sign that either side was willing to negotiate the issues underlying the protests....
I mean really!
I just CAN NOT BELIEVE the DECEPTION and DISTORTION of the AmeriKan MSM!
I feel sorry for anyone who thinks picking up the paper is going to learn them something.
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Well, WHATEVER the situation and string-pullers over there, the AmeriKan MSM sure seems to have chosen sides based on their coverage.
And either the CIA pressure is cracking the government or we have ANOTHER GOVERNMENT CONCESSION!
"Thai election agency calls for ruling party to be dissolved; Army commander also declares he backs a new vote" by Grant Peck, Associated Press | April 13, 2010
BANGKOK — Thailand’s coalition government teetered yesterday after the Election Commission ordered that the ruling party be dissolved for allegedly concealing campaign donations, and the influential army commander said he supports a new vote.
Then every political party in the world would be dissolved (except for Hamas and a handful of other governments around the world).
The Election Commission ruling and the army chief’s opinion buoyed antigovernment protesters who have demonstrated for the past month pressing for Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva’s resignation. The standoff turned deadly on Saturday when troops tried to drive away a large group of protesters, resulting in clashes that left 21 people dead in Thailand’s worst political violence in nearly two decades....
A final decision on whether the Democrat Party should be dissolved, however, rests with the Constitutional Court. No date has been set to hear the case.
“This is a massive blow to the Democrat Party’s legitimacy and suggests their wider alliance may just perhaps be starting to fragment,’’ said Lee Jones, a lecturer in international relations at the University of London.
Abhisit took another blow when army chief General Anupong Paochinda told reporters dissolving Parliament and calling new elections might resolve the country’s political crisis.
The army chief was until now seen as a staunch backer of the prime minister. The apparent about-face puts Abhisit under renewed pressure given the army is an influential force in the country’s politics — and has not hesitated to stage coups during previous bouts of political instability....
I take this to mean that they are cutting their losses.
They want harmony, they don't want to be dealing with this s***.
The root of the trouble goes back to 2006 when a coup drove Thaksin from power amid accusations of corruption. Thailand has seen three governments since then, but every administration has been dogged by street protests by rival groups.
Yeah, because they have been coups within coups.
In 2008, anti-Thaksin protesters besieged the government headquarters for months and occupied the airports for a week. The crisis was defused by a court ruling similar to yesterday’s that unseated the pro-Thaksin government. Subsequently, Abhisit became prime minister.
While the Election Commission ruling could set the stage for another change in power, it may not provide a permanent solution. There is also a chance that Abhisit’s impending departure could fuel another round of counterdemonstrations by his supporters....
Yes, by the vast yellow shirts that dumped the first guy.
And here they are (if you can spot them through the MSM haze):
"Red Shirt protesters elude Thai police raid" by Seth Mydans, New York Times | April 17, 2010
BANGKOK — In a new humiliation for the Thai government, several leaders of the Red Shirt protest movement escaped from a hotel yesterday after it had been surrounded by security forces, even as a deputy prime minister was announcing the raid live on television.
The raid was the first aggressive action by the government since a failed attempt to disperse the rallies Saturday that resulted in 24 deaths and hundreds of injuries. The police were overwhelmed by throngs of red-shirted protesters who have occupied parts of Bangkok for a month, demanding that the government resign and hold new elections.
In response, Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva announced that he was appointing the army commander, General Anupong Paochinda, the sole commander of what had been a civilian-military security office, in effect putting security operations entirely in the hands of the military. Abhisit said the move was necessary because the protesters had been infiltrated by terrorists who threaten national security.
That tells me the CIA is there, and that the government is desperate.
When they start showing the "terror and security" you know they are in trouble.
“We want to see peace,’’ the prime minister said. “Sometimes you need patience. Sometimes you need tolerance. The government will not stop working toward peace.’’
They sure have been so far.
The move was effectively a demotion for Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban, who had been in charge of the security office. His televised proclamation of the raid and arrest attempt — even as it was going awry — was an acute embarrassment. In that failed operation, several police officers, some in body armor, were seized by protesters.
Yeah, talk about a botched operation!
Most were released to rejoin their comrades at the scene, but two commanders of the operation, a colonel and a major general, were taken to the protest site before being set free.
Yes, I can SEE why the GOVERNMENT is AFRAID of its people now!!!
One protest leader, Arisman Pongruengrong, a popular singer and one of the most militant of the Red Shirts, was lowered from a third-floor ledge with a rope looped under his arms.
According to local television reports, five protest organizers had been staying in the hotel. Three could be seen being hustled away by supporters as the outnumbered police watched.
After the escape, five leaders appeared on a main stage, garlanded with jasmine, their arms wrapped around one another, receiving the cheers of a huge crowd that had taken over the core of Bangkok’s commercial district, turning it into a tent city.
“From now on our mission is to hunt down Abhisit and Suthep,’’ Arisman said after his escape. “Our patience is at its limit. This is a war between the government and the Red Shirts.’’
Now THAT, to me, SEEMS UNREASONABLE and is a SURE SIGN of some controller!!
Suthep said in the televised announcement: “As I am speaking, the government’s special team is surrounding the SC Park Hotel, where we have learned that there are terrorists and some of their leaders hiding. We will arrest and suppress the terrorists. Innocent people should leave the protests, because the authorities have to take decisive measures.’’
Protesters had expanded their sit-in on Thursday, vowing to make central Bangkok their final battleground. Though Saturday’s clash was the worst political violence in Thailand in nearly 20 years, it resolved nothing. Protesters held their ground, and the government refused to step aside.
It has been implied approval all the way through, hasn't it?
Far from central Bangkok yesterday, several hundred gathered near a military headquarters in a show of support for the government and the armed forces.
Gee, I'm glad I read to the end, Glob.
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