What would your government do?

[Flashermac]

Bangkok Post

20 May 2010

 

 

What would your government do about this?

 

Opinion by Reungvit Nandhabiwat

 

 

This is going to be a long note, but I want my overseas friends to understand what has been happening here in Thailand.

 

I would like to present a case against the international media’s reporting on the situation in Thailand, particularly in Bangkok.

 

Most of you will likely be seeing only scenes of soldiers shooting or injured people being carried away on international TV channels for 30 seconds, but never get to know the background.

 

The truth is the Thai government has been too accommodating by withholding the use of force since the rally started two months ago (with the exception of the April 10 event, when the soldiers were ordered to move in without live ammunition and subsequently got slaughtered by unknown gunmen shooting from among the red shirt protesters).

 

The majority of us support the government in dealing with the terrorists hidden amongst the protesters. It held talks with the rally leaders and offered peace solutions to them 10 days ago.

 

The prime minister publicly urged the protesters to disperse for fear of violence created by the terrorists. But the plan wasn’t accepted.

 

So it came time to block food and water supplies from entering the centre of the protest.

 

If the demonstrators were peaceful, they wouldn’t have rushed out to throw rocks, firecrackers and even bombs at the soldiers’ barricades  thus causing the soldiers to defend themselves by firing rubber bullets and live rounds.

 

It has been very frustrating for the law abiding citizens of Bangkok  we even voiced our dissatisfaction at the government for its failure to uphold the laws.

 

The situation was like Bangkok was being held for ransom. A lot of businesses got affected because it’s happening right in the middle of the major commercial area.

 

Again, think what your government would do if there were a large group of protesters blocking all traffic at Orchard Road in Singapore; Times Square in New York City; Ginza in Tokyo; or Knightsbridge in London. For two months.

 

They set up barricades to search through personal belongings of everyone travelling through the area.

 

Also think what your government would do if those protesters invaded a nearby hospital, causing doctors and nurses to evacuate patients  some of whom were newborn babies in incubators and those in ICU  to other hospitals.

 

And most important of all, think what would your government do if the protesters were found to have a large stockpile of M79 grenades, M16 and AK47 assault rifles.

 

Do you think your government would be as tolerant as the Thai government has till now been?

 

 

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Reungvit Nandhabiwat is the owner of a business in Bangkok.

 

 

 

Rink

[drogon]

 

Look at the French riots in 2005, state of emergency which lasted about 3 months.

 

OK, no M-79 and assault rifles but how the events went are a good answer to how well some countries in the west could fare if such a thing happened.

 

[Julian2]

Would never have got this far with my government. Certain events dating back to 2006 would never has occurred because my country's army does what the government of the day tells them.

That would have included special forces cleaning out the airport and government buildings very quickly in 2008 sending a VERY strong message to ALL people planning similar activities to think twice about it.

 

[Flashermac]

Australia was founded by convicts who know the price of breaking the law. They'd be afraid they'd be transported back to England!

 

 

[Julian2]

I keep telling you, I'm from the free settler state.

It's bust and dumsoda and the other rabble who are of convict descent.

 

[gobbledonk]

Flasher, I seem to recall a massive armed response to the LA Riots and the civil rights marches in the 60s - Kent State being the most cited example of over-reaction by the goons with guns. That said, I have to wonder if the owners of Central World are happy with the outcome - insurers are notorious for having get-out-of-jail clauses that exempt them from payouts in the event of war or civil unrest. The Abhisit govt should have acted much earlier, IMO.

 

Here in Oz, the willingness of Police to go in hard has softened over the last 30 years. Big protests like the anti-apartheid rallies during the Springbok tour and some of the Union protests featured 'cavalry charges' and the deliberate savaging of protestors by dogs - straight out of South Africa. Granted, it usually got nasty after a coppper was hit in the head with a flying brick or similar, but riding a horse straight over the top of another human being strikes me as very 13th century ....

[Coss]

We'd get Helen back from the UN and send her in.

 

She would have it sorted out by the afternoon.

 

 

 

[Julian2]

Do you think a situation serious enough to warrant that would ever occur?

[Flashermac]

I keep telling you, I'm from the free settler state.

It's bust and dumsoda and the other rabble who are of convict descent.

 

 

But your PM is one of Fagan's descendants.

 

 

p.s. One of my colleagues from Sydney gets very upset when someone suggests he is of convict descent. He insists, "I am not! My ggg grandfather was a GUARD!"

 

 

[Flashermac]

The owners of Central World should survive. It's an amazing family - only three generations in Thailand starting with an imigrant Chinese grandfather and now one of the wealthiest in Thailand. They own the entire Central dept store chain, as well as a number of hotels. I imagine they are about ready to take out a contract on Takky though.