Thailand: Reading Now Considered Resistance Against Military Coup

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In their bid to maintain peace, the army also has made clear that it will tolerate no dissent. The junta has censored the media and issued warnings to citizens to avoid inciting conflict and antagonizing the divided country's political rivals. The list of targets so far has been long. At least 14 partisan TV networks have been shut down along with nearly 3,000 unlicensed community radio stations. Independent international TV channels such as CNN and BBC have been blocked along with more than 300 Web pages, including New York-based Human Rights Watch's Thailand page. Journalists and academics have been summoned by the army. Activists have fled the country.

History seems to be rhyming a little more south and to the east of Germany.

--Mod Edit-- Please use EX tags not quote for external content, and do not quote such a large portion of the article. Also fixed link.

You are correct in that this is nothing new. Heavy-handed tactics of this sort have been used for ages, probably because they are effective. I have an aunt from Bangkok, although she moved to the US 3 or 4 years ago. I am planning on asking her opinion next time I see her. I think peaceful protests in this instance are not a very good idea. It seems to me that the government will not stand for them.

I mean think about it...The only things people are allowed to do are those things which the government lets them do. This is anywhere a government exists. Violent revolution does not seem like an option without firearms, and this is precisely why I support the 2nd amendment in the US. Because I do not feel that leaving the people up to the mercy of the government is ever a good idea.

The coup, Thailand's second in eight years, deposed an elected government that had insisted for months that the nation's fragile democracy was under attack from protesters, the courts and, finally, the army. The junta's leader says the military had to intervene to restore order after half a year of debilitating protests that had crippled the government and triggered sporadic violence that killed 28 people and injured more than 800.

That is about the only truthful part of the article. When the coup happened and the army finally got control they took all T.V. and radio broadcast off the air for almost a week. This is my first coup while actually being in country, my wife has lived through I do not know how many?

In essences, the US is demanding the release of its proxy regime, the so-called "academics" and "journalists" it has groomed for years to support the regime, and restrictions placed on their propaganda bullhorns to be lifted so as to continue coordinating strife within Thailand.

May 27, 2014 (Tony Cartalucci-NEO) - "America's Pacific Century," Foreign Policy magazine declared in an op-ed published by then US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. The by-line would continue by saying, "the future of politics will be decided in Asia, not Afghanistan or Iraq, and the United States will be right at the center of the action."

And indeed, it has been in the middle of the action. With an army of deeply entrenched US-funded NGOs masquerading as human rights, press freedom, and pro-democracy advocates, the US has been busy subverting and attempting to overthrow indigenous institutions across Southeast Asia either in support of US proxy regimes already in power, or to pave way for disruptive "color revolutions" seeking to install them.

The idea is to align Southeast Asia, along with India and Pakistan, as well as Korea and Japan, into three united fronts to encircle and contain China. Detailed first in the Vietnam-era "Pentagon Papers" and continuously updated over the following decades, confrontation with China is now the admitted purpose of the US "pivot."

landdestroyer.blogspot.com...
Nothing in this world would appear to be what we first perceive. The government that was kicked out was part of a lackey group the was funded by probably some of your tax dollars if you are a yank. I have been around and spoken with several soldiers and other than showing a fully armed presence there have been no cracking of heads or strong arm tactic unless you want to protest and get in the face of a directive against an organized protest. Even then to my knowledge the protesters are rounded up and hauled off to be released in a few hours or days.. No beatings have been reported so far to my knowledge. There will be plenty of time to organize when the elections are held sometime within this next year.

Another thing of interest to those who may not know: Let us say this military coup kills and cracks heads...A newly elected government has in the past been very proactive in going after anyone who is found to break their version of human rights... That is why the old prime minister (Billionaire) who was ousted (the brother of the one who was just kicked out) is facing at least a two year prison sentence if he returns to Thailand for human rights violations and corruption; if only the rest of the world could learn how to deal with corrupt leaders, Huh?
landdestroyer.blogspot.com...

The coup was carried out at the climax of half a year of massive and protracted street demonstrations against the proxy regime of billionaire Thaksin Shinawatra. Shinawatra was himself ousted in a coup in 2006 and has since fled the country, residing primarily in Dubai. With his formidable political machine left intact, however, he has been able to rule the country remotely through a series of nepotist-appointed proxies including his brother-in-law Somchai Wongsawat, and his own sister, Yingluck Shinawatra.

While the Western media continues portraying Shinawatra's various proxy regimes as "democratically elected governments," they are nothing of the sort. Shinawatra - a convicted criminal, neither on the ballot or even in the country but admittedly running his political party and those standing in for him as prime minister - is unelected and therefore a dictator.

In the late 1990's, Thaksin was an adviser to notorious private equity firm, the Carlyle Group. He pledged to his foreign contacts that upon taking office, he would still serve as a "matchmaker" between the US equity fund and Thai businesses. It would represent the first of many compromising conflicts of interest that would undermine Thailand's sovereign under his rule.
Thaksin was Thailand's prime minister from 2001-2006. Has since dominated the various reincarnations of his political party - and still to this day runs the country by proxy, via his nepotist appointed sister, Yingluck Shinawatra.
In 2001 he privatized Thailand's resources and infrastructure including the nation's oil conglomerate PTT - much to Wall Street's delight.
In 2003, he would commit Thai troops to the US invasion of Iraq, despite widespread protests from both the Thai military and the public. Thaksin would also allow the CIA to use Thailand for its abhorrent rendition program.
Also in 2003, he initiated what he called a "war on drugs." Nearly 3,000 were extrajudicially murdered in the streets over the course of just 90 days. It would later turn out that more than half of those killed had nothing to even do with the drug trade. In this act alone, Thaksin earned himself the title as worst human rights offender in Thai history, and still he was far from finished.

See articles for the other side of the story... I might add in the 40+ years I have known and lived (on and off) in Thailand I have yet to see a military Junta take control and not hold elections whenever it is deemed a fair and honest election can be held.. On the other hand those who might believe the USA and their NWO puppets would not be meddling in a sovereign nations internal affairs might want to read a bit of history.

originally posted by: JiggyPotamus
Violent revolution does not seem like an option without firearms, and this is precisely why I support the 2nd amendment in the US. Because I do not feel that leaving the people up to the mercy of the government is ever a good idea.

the 2nd amendment is useless in the US, we have allowed ourselves to be impoverished, over ran with immigrants, and surrounded and outgunned by TPTB. there isn't much left to fight for at this point.

In Thailand I keep thinking of Burma/Myanmar.

a reply to: 727Sky

Exactly .. and said far better than could regarding life in thailand ..
Unfortuneatly most will still believe the bovine fecal matter of western state run media rather than listen to those who are or have been in-country ..

a reply to: JiggyPotamus

I mean think about it...The only things people are allowed to do are those things which the government lets them do. This is anywhere a government exists. Violent revolution does not seem like an option without firearms, and this is precisely why I support the 2nd amendment in the US. Because I do not feel that leaving the people up to the mercy of the government is ever a good idea. - See more at: www.abovetopsecret.com...

In most countries I would agree with what you said.. Thailand is the only country in S.E. Asia that has not been subjugated by some European country. For over 800 years they have lived up to the name of THAI which means free. The protest around Bangkok were mostly peaceful until some paid henchmen (agent provocateurs) upped the anti with Multiple M79 grenade attacks....

During the most recent political crisis, red shirts have frequently surrounded the homes of opponents, threatening and intimidating them from speaking out against the regime. This includes the home of Chiang Mai's Cultural Council president, teachers and parents of Regina Coeli College, and violently attacking a peaceful protest held at Chiang Mai University's art museum and again during a march held several weeks later.
They have threatened to kidnap and/or kill Thai Royal Army Commander-in-Chief Gen Prayuth Chan-ocha's twin daughters.
On the eve of February 2014 general elections, the "red shirts" carried out a brazen broad-daylight assassination of NGO worker, activist, and protest leader Sutin Taratin.
Regime militants carried out a grisly attack in the eastern province of Trat that left scores maimed and a five-year old girl dead and a similar attack carried out in Bangkok that left many maimed along with a woman and two children killed.
Multiple M79 grenade attacks were carried out on the office of the National Anti-Corruption Commission in northern Bangkok in conjunction with a blockade carried out by the regime's "red shirts." The blockade was aimed at obstructing criminal proceeding against then prime minister, Yingluck Shinawatra. Regime supporters would be arrested for possession of AK47s, M79 grenade launchers, and RGD-5 hand grenades, the latter two with lot numbers matching those used in previous attacks across the city.
Recently, an accidental discovery was made by police of a white Mazda parked outside the resort of regime MP Sitthichai Kittithanesuan, containing AK47s in the backseat. The car was owned by an "adviser" to a regime minister.
Regime militants carried out an M79 grenade attack and drive-by shooting on Bangkok's Democracy Monument on May 15 that killed 3 and left dozens more injured.

landdestroyer.blogspot.com...
OK so go figure... For the most part only the police and military have arms...

If you own a shop where large sums of money are handled or a Gold shop, many owners have pistols... Some home owners have pistols but with the price of ammo I doubt many would hit anything if they ever had to use one...no practice...
Otherwise a normal pedestrian doesn't own a pistol..

There were snipers killing people (7.62 military issue ammo) and arms were being transferred to Bangkok to stir up even more trouble and bloodshed. Between the religion of peace down south bombing schools and hospitals coupled with the occasional drive by shootings I personally welcome the military stepping in a cleaning house. The Thai people will be free to form another government and elect officials of their choosing... But hopefully it will not be because of outside influence or at the point of a gun.. For the most part Thai's do not want to see Thai's killed.. Much deeper than just saying that...Probably do to their history and a feeling of unity among the 5 tribes. Even with all the strife in Thailand the death toll for a year does not come close to the gang related violence we see in garden spots such as Chicago in one 24 hour period. I have a CHL in the states and I exercise that right when I am there. In Thailand I have never felt the need to go about armed except for a pocket knife; actually I use the knife almost daily on the farm... Different culture and just not as much meanness as I have seen in other parts of the world.. a personal opinion and observation take it for what it is worth..

There was one politician who said the Thai people are not as cohesive in their outlook as they once were and a more open minded approach to government should be taken.. Give me a frigging break ! Drug war, privatizing and selling Thailand's resources and infrastructure including the nation's oil conglomerate PTT - Which made Wall Street and the international bankers lick their big fat lips as another domino is added to their game. The old divide and conquer is alive and well. Everything is cloaked in high sounding niceties.... the outline of how to do it, is well written, and used all over the world. Maybe if people lived for a couple of hundred years without Alzheimer's there would be enough to have figured out when they are being propagandized and used as tools for nefarious reasons.