Escalating Situation in Thailand 2014

Dr. Seri explains in the video that the current government of Thailand is a dictatorship - and in this regard he believes he is absolutely right - by the ruling party's own admission, it is ruled by an unelected convicted criminal and fugitive, Thaksin Shinawatra, who manages the country from abroad. Propaganda or the truth I dunno but there are strong feelings on both sides..
www.forbes.com...

Deposed Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra travels freely outside his homeland, is in frequent touch with his sister, the current PM Yingluck Shinawatra, and is investing “not very much” in African mining projects to stay occupied while exiled in Dubai, he told Forbes late this month.
Thaksin also said that since soon after Yingluck took power in 2011, his Thai passport was restored and he has been able to travel widely on it. He continues to have backup passports issued by supportive governments such as Montenegro where he has property. He said he recently visited the U.S. and was received by Henry Kissinger for a chat.

Kissinger ! That might explain something ?
I wondered what would happen when the Thais were not hot on the idea of the U.S. moving back into Utapao for their Asian expansion..

Thaksin has been accused of being a Wall Street lacky by a few articles I have read (whatever that means?) ... My wife says many of the Red shirts (pro-government) are paid 300 baht a day ($9) to show up for rallies... That sum is more than many would make working for someone in a rice field all day.
landdestroyer.blogspot.com...
Title: Protesters are fighting against a loud, violent, and well connected minority led by Thaksin Shinawatra and backed by Wall Street.

Eric Sommer's "unarmed red-shirt pro-democracy demonstrators" in the streets of Bangkok, April 10, 2010. While Sommer and others have attempted to portray the loss of life in 2010 as the result of a "brutal" military crackdown, it was in reality the result of some 300 heavily armed, professional mercenaries deployed by Thaksin Shinwatra, seeking specifically for a bloodbath to undermine the credibility of both the government at the time and the Thai military to this day.

A message to the world from the Thai people: Listen carefully and see if you hear the same things which are going on in many countries...

1969 Utapao airbase video.. I flew out of Utapao for several months way back when....Memories

Dr. Seri's video..

A Forbes article on the King's holdings
www.forbes.com...

Thailand’s King Bhumibol, who turned 84 last December, is the world’s longest serving ruler. He is also the richest – by a comfortable margin. Last year Forbes estimated his net wealth in excess of $30 billion, beating oil-rich Brunei’s Sultan Bolkiah into second place.

Forbes might have not gotten the numbers correct but the King has been a successful business man on many fronts. I am not much for royalty but this King did much to better the lives of the average Thai and is loved by many for his deeds. He still has sway and power over what happens in Thailand..

So in closing: I absolutely respect the people of Thailand and their belief that corruption has gotten out of hand and it is time for a reset.. They don't just sit around and bitch but they actually risk live and limb for true democratic change and election.. We will just have to wait and see what shakes out after the dust settles; hopefully, a government that the people can trust will be elected in a fair/real election.

Bomb hits Thai protest march, 28 wounded

A bomb blast struck an anti-government protest march in the Thai capital on Friday, wounding at least 28 people, officials said, sending tensions soaring following weeks of mass opposition rallies.
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"The bomb went off about 30 metres (100 feet) from Suthep and then his bodyguards escorted him back to a rally stage," spokesman Akanat Promphan told AFP.

Bangkok Source

I doubt that they find a peaceful Solution!

Do I smell something like Syria here ?
This is really bad, the king must change his view about "current" prime minister, if he do not do anything, he might lose his own support.

www.bbc.co.uk...

Bomb blast as Thai standoff continues17 January 2014 Last updated at 14:12 GMT

The stand-off between the government of PM Yingluck Shinawatra and thousands of protesters has taken a bloody turn with a bomb blast at an anti-government rally.

At least 28 people have been injured.

A prominent leader of the protest movement, Suthep Thaugsuban, was said to be just 30mt from the explosion.

Across Bangkok a host of government buildings have been shut down by mass demonstrations.

In all at least eight people have died since the protest campaign began in November.

Jonathan Head reports from Bangkok.

www.activistpost.com...

National Police Office commissioner Pol Gen Adul Saengsingkaew this morning admitted that the men in black” on the roof-top of the Labor Ministry’s building near the Thai-Japan youth centre in Din Daeng are police.

The article goes on to state how the present regime is but a lackey of the west and goes into allot of detail on the West meddling in domestic affairs..

Clearly the US' interest in Thailand has nothing to do with defending "democracy." Considering Thaksin Shinawatra's abhorrent human rights abuses, unprecedented in Thailand's long history, the US is not concerned about the treatment of the Thai people either. Their interest is purely financial and geopolitical. Their support is only further emboldening the regime, who may otherwise realize that their time is up and that they should bow out peacefully. Instead, they have elected a bloody campaign of terror against their political opponents, wounding and killing innocent people on a daily basis, while the West buries their atrocities within news stories and among cartoonish denials made by the regime's police in direct contradiction of all evidence suggesting otherwise.

The Thai people are left to ask themselves to whom they should turn when the police themselves are obstructing justice and covering up a campaign of terrorism directed against peaceful protesters. With each attack bringing more military units into the streets - since the police are unwilling to do their job - it appears that answer may be Thailand's respected army. The regime is left with the gamble of provoking the military to take action against it and subsequently depending on whatever backing the West has promised it. Considering the fate of the terrorist Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt and the crumbling US-backed terrorist front in Syria, that may be a gamble the Thaksin regime should seriously reconsider.

reply to post by 727Sky


"The article goes on to state how the present regime is but a lackey of the west and goes into allot of detail on the West meddling in domestic affairs.. "

I most humbly agree. Here is a link to an unbiased news source here in Thailand, one of my favourites!
It is a website we can trust...because their banner says so!

"US Reverses 60-Year Policy, Supports Elections In Thailand"

Not the Nation

The situation here is has even prompted the US Embassy to issue this statement.

"US Embassy Urges Citizens To Stockpile Bland, Unhealthy Food"

Not the Nation

On a more serious note, here are two views of the the situation from different media sources.

The Nation

Chiang Rai Times

Unfortunately, things will most likely become much worse before there is any improvement in this political situation.
The rice farmers have yet to be paid as they were promised by the Yingluck Administration "Rice Pledging Scheme" and are also ready to descend on Bangkok. Yingluck's involvement to be probed and many of the Ex-Ministers are to face formal corruption charges.

Bangkok Post

And now CAPO is considering Emergency Law, especially with the Feb. 2 election date arriving soon "and not proceeding smoothly".

Bangkok Post

The Army is still playing their cards close to their chest, but they are presenting themselves as neutral at this point.

I hope their services are not required.
Cheers from here,
Aft

A bloody weekend in Bangkok

The week-long 'Shutdown Bangkok' campaign turned violent over the weekend, with two attacks marring otherwise peaceful protests.

A grenade attack on protesters near the historic Victory Monument on Sunday wounded 28 people. While on Friday, at Banthat Thong Road, another grenade attack wounded 35 and killed one person. A video of the first blast circulated through social media shortly after.

The attacks have been blamed by the government on a 'third party', although few are likely to be satisfied by such doublespeak.

The weekend attacks escalate the situation in the capital, from what were until this weekend largely peaceful protests. An estimated 170,000 people were camped out when protests began a week ago. This number had dropped to 10,000 by the weekend. The recent violence may see a return, in strength, of demonstrators to the streets.

What is most concerning are unconfirmed reports that Red Shirts are descending on the city in larger numbers. This escalates chances of further clashes between anti-government and pro-government groups.

Source

State of Emergency Declared in Bangkok as Protests Grow Violent

Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra declared a 60-day state of emergency in Bangkok as she sought to combat violent attacks that threaten to derail elections scheduled for Feb. 2.

Bloomberg

Thailand declares state of emergency in Bangkok

Thailand has announced a two-month state of emergency in Bangkok and neighbouring provinces in response to protests that have seen nine people killed and hundreds injured amid calls for the government to resign. Anti-government protesters have taken to the streets of the capital since November, cutting off water and power to ministers' homes, besieging government ministries, and forcing the beleaguered prime minister, Yingluck Shinawatra, to rule from offices north of the capital in their attempt to oust her from power. "The cabinet decided to invoke the emergency decree to take care of the situation and to enforce the law," said deputy prime minister Surapong Tovichaikul on Tuesday. The emergency decree, which will go into effect on Wednesday, is seen as an attempt by the government to instil some sense of law and order in the capital, where main intersections have for the past week been blockaded by protesters and their rally stages and encampments in what they call a "Bangkok shutdown". Security forces will now be allowed to detain suspects without charge, impose a curfew, censor the media, close off parts of the capital and prevent political groupings of five or more people.

The Guardian


This smells more and more!

Civil War in good old Thailand.

Protect the Kids and start to kill each other but avoid to think
deeply, there is only one Side who wins and this is never your Side!

Thailand elections can be delayed, court rules

The prime minister, Yingluck Shinawatra, had called the elections for 2 February to try to defuse anti-government protests. The Election Commission had said the potential for violence and the absence of registered candidates in some areas meant the vote should be delayed, but the government had argued that was not legally possible.

The court said in its ruling on Friday that the power to delay the polls rested with Yingluck and the head of the commission.

The protests are the latest eruption in a political conflict that has gripped the country for eight years. An emergency decree has failed to clear the demonstrators, though the capital of Bangkok has been relatively calm this week.

The Guardian

WORLD NEWS Thailand Protest Leader Killed During Campaign to Block Voting

BANGKOK—One person was killed and several injured amid clashes between rival political factions in the Thai capital on Sunday as antigovernment protesters blockaded polling stations, disrupting advance voting for Feb. 2's national elections.

Suthin Taratin, one of the protesters attempting to dissuade voters from casting votes at a Buddhist temple in Bangkok's eastern suburbs was shot dead by an as yet unknown assailant as he addressed a crowd from a truck. Police said at least five other people were injured.

The killing will likely heighten tension in the country, which Sunday saw protesters barricading polling centers elsewhere in Bangkok and in some southern provinces as a standoff continued between Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra's government and demonstrators aiming to scuttle the election.

Under Thai election rules, voters who register in advance can vote ahead of the main election date.

The protesters, who call themselves the People's Democratic Reform Committee, said they were protesting the vote rather than obstructing it. But Thailand's Election Commission canceled voting at all 50 polling centers in Bangkok when faced with protests, which in some cases involved protesters padlocking entrances to some polling stations.

Source

reply to post by Human0815

landdestroyer.blogspot.com...

Rice farmers in Phitsanulok province were threatened by regime "red shirts" to end their protest. Often cited by the Western media in their "class divide" narrative, it is now clear the nation's farmers were simply used to get Thaksin Shinawtra back into power, and that the violence and intimidation usually reserved for his political opponents is now being turned on them in the wake of being cheated by his vote-buying rice subsidy scam. Rice farmers have already turned in their rice, but have not been paid for it for half a year - in other words - they were robbed.

Interesting article on how the Red Shirts have started trying to intimidate the farmers who are protesting because they have not been paid for over half a year. It looks like the sitting government's days are truly numbered.. They will be removed one way or the other.. In true Thai tradition once removed the ones responsible for the deaths will be found out and prosecuted....unless high up and well connected with the newly formed government.. ?

I personally hope the new government can get a handle on corruption and the land of smiles can find peace and prosperity .

Well here we are.

It is now the eve before the polls open up here in Thailand and the tensions are high, mostly in Bangkok where the anti government demonstrations have been held.
Life up here in northern Thailand has been pretty much business as usual. That would be the view from my perch anyways.
I won't post link's to the shooting/bombs or violent confrontations this time. Unfortunately, there may be more opportunity for that in the coming days.

I would however like to post an opinion piece from Kasit Piromya.
Kuhn Piromya is a former Thai Foreign Minister and a present member of the Thai Parliament.

"A sensible government would not hold an election when the country is in an uproar and the people are against it. So let us move forward on the reform process."

AlJazeera

Not everybody is against holding the election and many are seriously angered that their "Right to Vote" has been hijacked.
Democracy is not simply about having the right to vote.........It has to MEAN something!
We will see what happens tomorrow.

Any hoooooo, here is something a little on the lighter side while still making a point about the situation is the far south of Thailand.

"Prayuth Urges Thais To Keep Bombings In South Where They Can Be Safely Ignored"

Not The Nation

Cheers from the "Land of Smiles"
Aft

reply to post by Human0815

Thailand's February 2, 2014 elections produced the worst ever voter turnout in Thai history with a humiliating 46% coming out to cast their ballots. Of this paltry number, many chose to deface their ballots or cast "no vote" in protest of both the process and the regime overseeing it.

The elections were highly controversial, with all major opposition parties boycotting them and the only major party on the ballot being openly run by an accused mass murderer, convicted criminal, and fugitive, Thaksin Shinawatra, who is currently hiding abroad from a two-year jail sentence, multiple arrest warrants, and a long list of pending legal cases.

The elections were carried out with heavy backing from the West, despite the obvious illegitimacy of the process and the nature of the regime.
While the West claims it was merely defending the "democratic process," a look into the relationship between dictator Thaksin Shinawatra and the corporate-financier interests of Wall Street and London tell another, more likely story of imposing upon Thailand a proxy regime serving Western, not Thai interests.

It looks like nothing was resolved and the seeds of more discontent have been sown. The only solution may be for the military to step in as they have done in the past... Unlike many countries when the military does take over there are elections a short time later and a new civilian government is installed...

It does not surprise me one bit (if true) the U.S. and the U.K. have their finger prints all over the present regime... We have a way of picking the wrong side...

www.activistpost.com...

reply to post by 727Sky


In my Opinion the big Game Changer will be the delayed
Pay of the Rice Farmer in the North East of Thailand
which is normally "Red Shirt Territory "

Thai Farmers Begin Deserting Government Over Late Rice Payments

Thailand's flagship rice subsidy is running out of cash and backfiring at a critical time for Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, whose political future hinges on support from farmers and other rural voters as her rivals intensify their campaign to remove her from office.

The government has been buying up rice from farmers at about 50% above market prices to boost rural incomes since Ms. Yingluck's Pheu Thai Party took office in 2011. Now, it can't sell the rice fast enough to fund the subsidy. Rival exporters such as India and Vietnam have ramped up production, selling rice cheaper and knocking Thailand off its perch as the No. 1 exporter.

"Farmers are very angry," said Nipon Poapongsakorn, a rural development specialist at Thailand Development Research Institute, a think tank. "It is the first time in our history that farmers didn't get money for the rice that they already sold to the government,''

Source

Human0815
reply to post by 727Sky

 

In my Opinion the big Game Changer will be the delayed
Pay of the Rice Farmer in the North East of Thailand
which is normally "Red Shirt Territory "

Thai Farmers Begin Deserting Government Over Late Rice Payments

Thailand's flagship rice subsidy is running out of cash and backfiring at a critical time for Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, whose political future hinges on support from farmers and other rural voters as her rivals intensify their campaign to remove her from office.

The government has been buying up rice from farmers at about 50% above market prices to boost rural incomes since Ms. Yingluck's Pheu Thai Party took office in 2011. Now, it can't sell the rice fast enough to fund the subsidy. Rival exporters such as India and Vietnam have ramped up production, selling rice cheaper and knocking Thailand off its perch as the No. 1 exporter.

"Farmers are very angry," said Nipon Poapongsakorn, a rural development specialist at Thailand Development Research Institute, a think tank. "It is the first time in our history that farmers didn't get money for the rice that they already sold to the government,''

Source

I agree and the government has been trying to get loans to pay the farmers to no avail.. If I remember correctly Bangkok Bank (King's a major player in that bank) has already said, "no loan for you"..

One thing that has bothered me is one of the politicos said something to the effect that the Thai culture has changed and is not as homogenous as it once was... The Thai's have always been one nation and any outside force who tried to fight one Thai ended up fighting the whole populace. I am afraid the Southern religion of peace is undermining this with the tried and true practice of religious multiculturalism (bombs and guns seems to always follow?) that might sound good on the surface but leads to many of the problems we are seeing the world over..

Exchange rate is 32.79 for the dollar and has been holding around that figure since this stuff started.. I hope very selfishly it goes to around 40 before all this stuff settles down. I want to dump some dollars into the Baht but have been waiting..