Do not think we are immune to this kind of response here in the US. If you happened to see some of the videos from the DNC and RNC convention protests you would know what I mean. Though I will give you that the police responses did not go as far as throwing grenades, but the crowds there were not as large nor as hostile either.

Personally, I wish that crowd of 30K would have shown the police there what they were made of. The problem is, no one wants to be one of the couple of hundred people who would have died in doing so. I really don't blame them. However, when the oppression gets to be too much, a crowd will do what ever it takes to release its frustration, even if that includes ripping the cops from limb to limb. Not that I am advocating such a response, non violence should always be a first response.

Oh my god.

Anyone who has seen my posts knows that I usually stick up for police forces, who are much maligned in my opinion.

But this is unacceptable. This is downright trecherous and tyrannic.

For once Im appalled but I dont know what to do about it. I'll pass this link on to anyone I know... thats a start.

Now there is something I have thoght about as well, though my original stance is a bit blurred in this thread, perhaps the grotesq pictures are ment to continue to desensitise us for roit violence. In anthoer thread it was mentioned about that and this could be a contnuation. It's strange how we thrive on carnage. Post an "Explicit photos" post and people will click to see how bad it really is. I am JUST as guilty.

Just to point out, in case no one else has done their research, the PAD are middle - upper class group supported by the wealthy. They are sick of the government giving so much help to the rural people (places like Isaan), where the majority are farmers and very poor. They would rather have a majority of unelected people permanently put in place in the Thai Government. In other words, the protesters would support a less democratic (and more their way) kind of Government. I know this because i spend a lot of time in Thailand and follow their current affairs.
Of course there is corruption in the current Government, there always has been in Thai politics. Installing their own cronies would not change the level of corruption, but just transfer it to another group.

That being said, there is no excuse for this kind of police brutality, regardless of who is protesting.

It was reported in some econimic forems that this government has developed the rural sector. This is a sector that is booming in Thailand, although the base workers are the poorest in the country (Isaan) and also equate to some 30,000,000, almost half the population of Thailand. The factories, like in most other countries are owned by a very small and protected elite. Of coarse when this elite prosper so do the farmers.

They get a few US dollars a week extra.

Thailand has maintained a beuracratic infrastrusture. Health care is not privatised, public ambulances don't exist, but with all these problems the country moves forward.
The PAD are a very broad group of thais. They are Bkk based and do include the intellectual and middle classes.

They do not include the super rich. Not at all. They would be sumed up as regular modern educated thais.

The farmers in the north support Taksin not because of his rural initiavies, but because he bribes them with free rice.

He built a brilliant mobile network that most thais can afford. (good service inc GPRS etc for about 10% the cost of western countries).

He purchased the only inderpendent tv channel (the other main ones ran by the military and the government in power) and replaced all doco and investigative journalism programs with thai reality tv and talent shows, and to fill in the gap for so many bored people, he brought footy here.

Most thais love it, whether they farm rice in Isaan or work in a Bkk office.

Very clever.

That doesn't make your generalisations about the PAD valid. They are a mixed bunch of people who care. A lot of rural thais are easily convinced by his clever tactics, but unaware of his motives. Those who do understand would support PAD.

80% of the poorerst rural thais who support his party voted purely on the small bribes in cash they were given (approx $US20 for a farmer and US$1000's for a community leader). Not everyone was corruptable and community leaders in poor areas who spoke out were killed. Many cases are still been invstigated in the courts, although it is unlikely any justice will be handed down.

The people who gathered want some system where nepatistic cronies don't get to take folios they don't give a hoot for, and then spend their lives in parliament lining the pockets.

They want educated experts who do not have a direct alignment with private indusrty to see over certain fields.

Unfortunately, if Bush and Cheney can do what they do in Iraq with their private interests, I don't expect PAD to fulfill their wishes this decade.

But they are not the on trial here.

It is the actions of the security forces.

Thank you. Yes Khun Ponthip had made interesting statement. Word o the streets here is that an underground militia (the guy in black - first photo on the flicker site) who are funded to stir both sides. One of those disasterous situations when an outsider is possibly funding professionals to cause the situation to become explosive, destablising the country.

So far it is working. Many of my thai friends who are apolitical are going to Bangkok to join the anti government protests. In 1992 the situation unfolded exactly the same way. After one week there were an estimated 100,000 to 500,000 (no one can give an accurate account as their was a media blackout and martial law) people gathered at the Victory Monument in downtown Bangkok. The situation flared, due to disruptive influences on both sides, and thousands died. The officilal inquest 10 years later put the death toll at about 50, although all thais know it was so much more. Tanks crushed unarmed protesters as they held orchids in the air, buses were hijaked by the masses and done up Mad Max style and converted into civilian tanks to fight the army. It was a blood bath.

Everyone here is praying that this situation is not about to repeat.

Chinese canisters to be recalled, destroyed

The Royal Thai Police will recall all Chinese-made tear-gas canisters that are now blamed for causing injuries and deaths to People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) demonstrators during last Tuesday's clash outside Parliament.

....many PAD demonstrators had lost fingers, toes, arms and legs when police fired tear gas into them the previous day.