State of Emergency

[Torneyboy]

Asked if he thinks the situation will get out of control, Gen Boonsang said it depends on the people, who will have to think carefully what is good or bad for the country.

 

A bit late..

[Neo]

I don't think a state of emergency is desirable for Samak. It means the army is taking the reigns and we all know which side they are on. Samak has control of the police, but the army are the ones who got rid of Thaksin and have made no secret they want Samak out.

 

[Central Scrutinizer]

I don't think a state of emergency is desirable for Samak. It means the army is taking the reigns and we all know which side they are on. Samak has control of the police, but the army are the ones who got rid of Thaksin and have made no secret they want Samak out.

 

 

 

Partially true. I do think Samak is taking a bit of a gamble on this. What does he have to lose that he was not likely to lose without taking the gamble though? I am sure deals and compromises are being made behind the scenes as well. Pieces of pie are being discussed and sliced as we type. :smirk:

 

But, you did not answer my question. DO you truly believe that the police could not have kept the DAAD drunken paid demonstrators apart from the PAD people if they were told to do so, and given the power, manpower and authority to do so? (They have the manpower and tools needed really.)

 

Cent

[waerth]

Seems someone has the bright idea to blackmail the military ..... topple Samak or else we will switch of your electrical supply .......

 

Phien Yongnoo, president of the Metropolitan Electricity Authority's labour union, is prepared to ask Army chief General Anupong Paochinda to tackle the violence, or the union could cut power supply to the offices of the Royal Thai Army, the Interior Ministry and the Defence Ministry tomorrow.

 

He said on Tuesday that Anupong could have Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej resign or dissolve House of Parliament. If Samak is defiant, the Army must stage a coup d'etat and form a national government.

 

Phien also noted that the state of emergency is unnecessary. He noted that if violence worsens, the union is ready to join the People's Alliance for Democracy's protest.

 

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2008/09/02/headlines/headlines_30082301.php

[elef]

Bangkok Post

2-09-2008

Link

 

Nationwide strikes

 

By Post Reporters

 

Forty-three state enterprise labour unions under control of People's Alliance for Democracy organisers have agreed to stage strikes and to selectively cut water and electricity, halt Bangkok buses and delay all Thai International Airways flights beginning on Wednesday. The aim is to help PAD to force the government out of office.

 

Sawit Kaewwan, secretary-general of the State Enterprise Labour Relations Confederation and a core leader of the People's Alliance for Democracy, said the unions will begin by cutting water and electricity supplies to provincial police offices - and then to other selected targets.

 

 

Telephone lines to government agencies and the homes of cabinet ministers will be cut.

 

 

Flights of Thai International flights will be delayed nationwide and about 80 per cent of Bangkok buses will stop running. In a reversal of the policy, train service was restored yesterday to the Northeast and North.

 

 

A union representative told the union meeting that the 7,500 staf of the Government Savings Bank will "follow the confederation's resolution."

 

 

Mr Sawit claimed the plan to cut essential services was in response to the use of force against PAD supporters.

 

 

Fellow PAD radical Sirichai Mai-ngam, president of the labour union at the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand, said the announcement of the confederation was only a threat, but then immediately said it would be put into action. The moves by the PAD-friendly labour unions were intended to protect the interests of the nation and were not for the benefit of state enterprise workers.

 

 

The confederation has 43 state enterprise labour unions with more than 200,000 members, Mr Sirichai said.

 

 

"Today is our D-Day. We have given them [the government] many chances.

 

 

"If the government does not resign, we will continue our operations until it quits," Mr Sawit said.

 

 

Boonma Pongma, vice-president of the BMTA's union, said there will be only 800 free red-cream buses left to serve Bangkok commuters, or about 20% of the whole fleet.

 

 

Somsak Manop, vice-president of Thai Airways International's union, said the union will delay the arrival and departure times of THAI aircraft and will reduce the number of flights.

 

 

Thammarat Ramkwan, president of the Provincial Waterworks Authority's union, said the union will initially cut water supplies to police stations across the country.

 

 

Phien Yongnoo, president of the Metropolitan Electricity Authority's labour union, said the union was considering cutting off the power supply to help the PAD pressure the government.

 

 

However, the power supply cut would be applied to government agencies whose bills were overdue by one month.

 

 

"We will hold a discussion to consider whether the cut-off period could be shorter than one month. It should be one week or whatever. We will do everything to achieve our goal of pressuring the government," he said.

 

 

However, at least three labour unions from state-run banks disagreed with the planned strike.

 

 

Kusol Boonklom, president of the Bank for Agriculture and Agricultural Co-operatives' labour union, said members of the BAAC union needed to discuss the planned strike among themselves first.

 

 

Natthapat Yimyai, president of the Government Savings Bank's labour union, said his members had varying views on whether to join the strike.

 

 

Somsak Boonthong, chairman of the SRT's board, said the board is considering whether to resign following the stoppages by railway workers.

 

 

"The move by the SRT union to stop rail services was wrong, so we are considering resigning and taking responsibility," he said. The board is expected to make a decision in two days, he said.

 

 

Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej called an urgent meeting yesterday to discuss the union stance with leaders of the People Power party.

 

 

PM's Office Minister Chusak Sirinil said the prime minister stressed the importance of legal means to deal with the protesters.

 

 

Meanwhile, northern and northeastern train services resumed yesterday after hundreds of railway workers went on strike last week and paralysed the country's rail system.

 

 

In Nakhon Ratchasima province, State Railway of Thailand governor Yutthana Sapcharoen held talks with railway workers and persuaded them to cancel the strike.

 

 

The first northeastern train, on the Nakhon Ratchasima-Surin route, left at 6pm, while northeastern-bound services from Bangkok were expected to resume last night.

 

 

[Mentors]

I'm not a supporter of Samak & Co. but - if Samak must quit, then Thailand carry the Democracy to the grave.

Don't give too much power to the poor! :alert:

[Central Scrutinizer]

If Samak must quit, then Thailand carry the Democracy to the grave - don't give too much power to the poor! :alert:

 

 

 

Can the poor vote just like the rich where you live? One person, one vote?

 

Most poor people are poor, I say most, because their governments are not doing their job and helping all the citizens in their country. Instead they are playing games with the people's money helping the rich, big business, their cronies, and using the money for their pet pork barrel projects instead of using it wisely and fairly to the benefit of all the citizens. It is through the corruption in big government and all this 'old boy network' bullshit that many of the citizens of many countries are not getting what they deserve, to NOT have to be poor: proper modern advanced public education, health care help, jobs that pay a decent 'living' wage upon graduation, enough jobs to go around, help with decent child care so both parents can work if needed or wanted, good safe and clean inexpensive extensive public transportation, decent housing and realistic housing costs and loans, etc etc etc etc. I'll betcha where most here live/come from all these things are available to all citizens to help them thrive and contribute as decent, law-abiding, family-loving healthy and happy citizens, or at least most of these things at one level or another are being done.

 

The poor shouldn't vote? Yeah, how democratic is that?

 

The rich know all and are such great benefactors of the human race aren't they? They are so smart and intelligent that they always take care of the poor and uneducated so that there are never any problems and everyone is happy and content and no one ever need to strike, or picket, or protest, or riot, or chop a few fucking heads off on the guillotine.

 

Yeah, right. The rich (many) are stupid cunts who are so stupid, arrogant and obsessively greedy they will not share a bit of their largess to help others help themselves so that they don't need to chop a few heads off once in a while out of desperation and frustration. They just want to keep taking and taking and taking it all and think that with laws and guns and tanks and the governments bought and paid for and in their pockets they can keep you and yours, the peons, from ever getting ahead. And each time they find they are wrong. If you don't invest in your people, their education, their quality of life, their health and welfare... you will one day pay the price of your arrogance and ignorance. History proves this out time and again. Every civilization's elite that ignored their less fortunate citizens has fallen.

 

Here in Thailand the elite and their lackeys are afraid of the poor and those politicians who would upset the golden rice bowl and actually give something back to the poor (how dare they spoil those stupid darkies in the provinces), who have every right under a democracy to vote for whoever the fuck they want to vote for. Want their votes? Fucking give the poor bastards something in return. Ignore them at your peril, for the poor still outnumber the rich by a wide margin, and the gap is growing.

 

The rich are greedy fools, not all, but enough. Off with their heads!

 

Cent

[Mentors]

Cent, you are right.

I wrote it cloudy - don't give much power to the people is what some people wants. Read about the PAD and which aims they have.

 

[BJ_Blackowitz]

asian country are calling not to go to thailand

 

Great ! no more JP or Koreans flooding the golfcourses..

 

[Neo]

But, you did not answer my question. DO you truly believe that the police could not have kept the DAAD drunken paid demonstrators apart from the PAD people if they were told to do so, and given the power, manpower and authority to do so? (They have the manpower and tools needed really.)

No idea what happened there. I am not aware of the specifics. But it is not like this is the first time the two sides have come face to face and clashed, nor likely to be the last. Sometimes s*** happens. It doesn't necessarily mean there is a greater conspiracy.