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The Inevitability Of Bloodletting


Flashermac

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Maybe you should just stay in bed. :hmmm:

 

British nationals in Bangkok cautioned on election day

 

 

Britain has warned its citizens in Bangkok to stay in doors when Thailand goes to the polls on Sunday, due to possibility of violence.

 

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has urged Britons to take extra care on Sunday and avoid all protests as Thailand holds its national elections, following three months of demonstrations.

 

The FCO has updated its advice following further violence when polling stations opened on January 26 for advanced voting.

 

It warns "On 2 February there are likely to be protests at polling locations and some of these could turn violent. Be alert to the situation, avoid all protests, and if you're in any doubt about your safety on 2 February, stay in your accommodation."

 

The Thai government declared a 60-day State of Emergency in Bangkok on January 21, due to the escalation of protests since they first began in November last year.

 

 

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/breakingnews/British-nationals-in-Bangkok-cautioned-on-election-30225765.html

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Soldiers deployed to help police handle clashes

 

 

Some 150 soldiers from the 11th Infantry Regiment were deployed to support police unit in handling the clashes between red shirts and the anti-government protesters in Lak Si district on Saturday.

 

The combined forces will try to negotiate with both sides that have confronted each other near IT Square Center in the district, Lak Si district director Narong Jamfah said Saturday.

 

The protesters camped outside the Lak Si district office on Chang Wattana Road in an attempt to block delivery of ballot boxes to polling booths in the area.

 

The redshirts who supported the tomorrow snap election gathered from nearby areas and tried to enter the site reportedly to get out the ballot boxes from the district office.

 

Female and children protesters retreated into the district office buildings, leaving the men and security guards at the gate.

 

During a confrontation, giant firecrackers were thrown at the protesters, injuring three people, including a reporter of rhe Daily News newspaper.

 

A female reporter tweeted from inside a police booth near the site that somebody shot into the police booth where she and other reporters were hiding.

 

One of her photos showed a bullet hole at the glass window of the booth.

 

 

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/politics/Soldiers-deployed-to-help-police-handle-clashes-30225784.html

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6:47 pm

 

 

Gunshots were fired and small bombs were thrown at anti-government protesters at Laksi district office by red-shirt supporters, injuring five protesters.

 

Soldiers were rushed in and evacuated some 200 protesters from the district office. A search was conducted to hunt down the red shirts, who were from Pathumthani province. They came to drie out the anti-government protesters led by abbot Luang Poo Bhuddhaisara, who seized the office to block the election tomorrow.

 

The hard-core red shirts are followers of a local influential tycoon known as Ko Ti.

 

 

http://englishnews.t...y/breakingnews/

 

 

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American photojournalist shot, injured in Lak Si clash, report

 

 

An American photojournalist, James Nachtwey, was shot in the leg, an Associated Press staff at the scene reported.

 

 

http://www.nationmul...l-30225791.html

 

 

........................

 

 

Erawan centre revises Lak Si clash's injuries to six

 

 

6:44 pm

 

Bangkok Metropolitan Administration's Erawan Emergency Medical Service Centre announced that six people were injured in the clash between red shirt people and anti-government protesters at the Lak Si district office.

 

Four were injured with gun wounds, the centre said. All the injured people were sent to the Vibhavadi Hospital.

 

Two of the injured are women.

 

 

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/breakingnews/Erawan-centre-revises-Lak-Si-clashs-injuries-to-si-30225786.html

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"The confrontation happened after Luangpu Puttha Issara, a monk who leads the rally at the Chaeng Wattana, led protesters to surround the Lak Si district office to prevent the transport of ballots and ballot boxes from the office to polling stations."

 

I seem to remember recently reading that monks are absolutely required to stay out of politics. Or am I crazy?

 

On the one side, we have the Peoples Democratic Revolutionary Committee, who want to put an end to democratic elections in Thailand, at least until their "reforms" are "completed", and are perfectly happy with obstruction and intimidation as tactics. (There was a case in the South, reported recently, where a local school headmaster was ordered to resign and leave town because he wasn't a Committee member. He did so.) On the other hand, we have the Red Shirts, who want to keep democracy alive in Thailand, and are entirely willing to resort to violence in pursuit of that goal.

 

Somehow, I just can't bring myself to believe that the Red Shirts are entirely on the wrong side of this one.

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Luang Poo Bhuddhaisara is very controversial because he does take part in politics. But political monks are nothing new. I remember one back in the 1970s who announced that it was not a sin to kill a communist. Not sure what the Buddha would have thought of that.

 

The criminal court has just authorised an arrest warrant for the leader of the Lard Phrao protests for blocking the advanced voting at St John's Uni. Still not even a hint of a warrant for the warlord Ko Tee, who has led his red shirts repeatedly in armed attacks on protesters. :hmmm:

 

 

 

Six people injured in violence at Lak Si

 

 

post-98-0-75858500-1391269132_thumb.jpg

 

Six people, including two journalists, were wounded by gunshots in a spate of violence at Lak Si, Bangkok Metropolis, Saturday afternoon.

 

One of the wounded journalist was identified as James Nachtwey, an American freelancer.

 

The violence stemmed when a group of protesters, including several women, laid siege to Lak Si district office to prevent officials from taking ballots out of the office for distribution to polling units in the district. The protesters used a truck to block a soi leading to the district office.

 

Later, about 300 red-shirts led by Wutthipong Kotthammakhun, aka Ko Tee, of Pathum Thani, converged at the Lak Si intersection in a bid to storm the district office. However, a group of policemen and troops who were deployed there intervened to prevent the two rival groups from clashing with each other.

 

After that, gunshots were fired allegedly by the red-shirts and three people at the district office, including the two journalists, and a woman protester, were shot and wounded.

 

More protesters from Lat Phrao protest site rushed to rescue of their people inside the district office. Stones were thrown at each other by the protesters and the red shirts, and three explosions thought to be small bombs were heard. Three more protesters were injured.

 

One “man in black†holding a rifle was sighted by reporters at the scene of the clashes..

 

post-98-0-10287600-1391269749_thumb.jpg

 

The Erawan Centre of Bangkok Metropolitan Administration reported six injured, including four men and two women.

 

The violence has prompted the State Railway of Thailand to suspend the train service between Lak Si and Don Muang whereas the Expressway and Rapid Transit Authority closed the exits at Chaengwattana-Paholyothin and Chaengwattana- Pak Kred

 

 

http://englishnews.t...iolence-lak-si/

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Somehow, I just can't bring myself to believe that the Red Shirts are entirely on the wrong side of this one.

 

 

Not even when they threaten farmers who are protesting because they are going bankrupt from not having been paid by the PT government for last year's crops? Not even when they used deadly weapons against unarmed protesters? How many red shirts have been killed so far? How many protesters? Blocking an election is wrong, but is it as bad as killing people?

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Michael Yon tweets;

 

 

Yesterday with Khunying Porntip Rojanasunan, M.D.

 

I spent all day yesterday with several interesting people, including the famous forensics expert Dr. Porntip, who is widely known for her expertise and uncomfortable truth telling. We talked about many subjects, including missing persons and unidentified remains in Thailand, both of which are big topics mostly out of public focus.

 

On a side note, I asked if she was part of the investigation into who shot the Dusit Thani hotel with an RPG in 2010. Dr. Porntip said she was part of the investigation and found RPG propellent residue on a police vehicle, and also in the policeman's home. She said he was taken into custody and later released.

 

The information she revealed about missing persons and unidentified human remains was nothing short of stunning. Huge numbers. I will get to those in the future -- today is a big day and there is no time to rest.

 

 

https://www.facebook.com/MichaelYonFanPage/posts/10151943419780665

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