Flashermac Posted April 6, 2009 Report Share Posted April 6, 2009 Bangkok Post 6 Apr 2009 Opinion: Government naivete in face of the Red-Shirt challenge Fugitive former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra has spurned the government's overture for peace talks to end the current political impasse. It appears he is very confident that his Red-Shirt supporters, now being elevated to the status of the "Red Army", will be able to bring him the victorious trophy he wants in his all-out war to not just topple the Democrat-led government but to uproot what he contemptuously brands as the feudal elite. So April 8 has been designated by Thaksin's cronies in the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship as D-Day - the final showdown with the government. Why April 8? Is there anything significant about the number eight? At first I thought the date might have been fixed after consultation with an astrologer or a soothsayer since both the Red-Shirt and Yellow-Shirt leaders, including Thaksin, are known to be superstitious and to have practised witchcraft or voodoo in their political war. I was wrong however. The D-Day date was chosen for the sake of convenience simply because it is the first day after the end of the weeklong Red Cross fair held at the Royal Plaza and on a certain section of Ratchadamnoen Nai road which is adjacent to Government House where the Red-Shirt protesters have been camping out since March 26. The end of the fun-filled fair means there will be more space to accommodate more protesters who are expected to turn up. Also, the choice of date will give the UDD only two days for the final showdown before the start of the long Songkran festival holiday period which will begin as early as Friday when rural folk in Bangkok, including many of the protesters from upcountry, will stream home to celebrate. The opposition Puea Thai MPs in the North and the Northeast have been told to mobilise their supporters in their respective provinces to join the rally. But whether the number will reach or exceed 300,000 as the UDD leaders expect remains to be seen. Seasoned political observers think the figure is overly hopeful. While Thaksin and the UDD have constantly fired up the mood of the protesters and potential sympathisers in preparation for the final putsch, the response of the government, specifically the Democrats, to the challenge has so far been disappointingly amateurish and slow, prompting heavy criticism, even from Chuan Leekpai, the former Democrat leader and the party's chief adviser. Prasong Soonsiri, the former National Security Council chief, has warned the Democrats not to underestimate Thaksin and urged Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva to show more leadership in the face of Thaksin's challenges. Obviously, the government has failed miserably to make good use of the state-owned television and radio stations to counter the one-sided attacks by the Red Shirts, particularly by Thaksin over his allegations that Privy Council president Prem Tinsulanonda and Gen Surayud Chulanont, a privy councillor and former prime minister, were prime movers behind the overthrow of his regime in 2006. Defending the government's non-confrontational approach, PM's Office Minister Sathit Wongnongtoey who is in charge of state media explained the government did not want to be seen as interfering with its operations. He is partially right but appears to have misread the situation. With his opponents relentlessly waging an all-out propaganda war, this is not a normal situation and requires a not-so-normal response and, above all, thinking out of the box. Clarification from Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban about the government's inaction against Thaksin's free rein of the airwaves and that the government was mulling whether it was legally possible to block the signals is even more disappointing. How pathetic they are. Apparently unable to sit idly by like the government in the face of Thaksin's blatant attacks against Gen Prem, privy councillor Amphon Senanarong first broke his silence to defend the statesman and the Privy Council but did not name Thaksin. This was followed a few days later by another privy councillor, Gen Pichit Kullavanijaya, who is more outright and outspoken in his counter-attack against the fugitive ex-premier. Responding to a reporter's question about whether Thaksin wanted to topple the monarchy, Gen Pichit answered "Definitely". He questioned why the authorities concerned did not take action against the fugitive. He also questioned how Thaksin could have amassed 100 billion baht worth of cash in just five to six years with a substantial amount believed to be stashed in the Cayman Islands. Last but not least, the general cited a few past incidents involving Thaksin while in power which he said demonstrated the ex-premier's disrespect towards His Majesty the King. As the situation now stands, it appears that an unprecedented open war of words is now being fought by the Privy Council and Thaksin and Co. How it will end or what the consequences will be is anybody's guess? Will there actually be a "charismatic impartial" person who will come to our rescue to save the country after the Songkran festival as claimed by House Speaker Chai Chidchob? But until the arrival of the "saviour", hold your breath and let's see what will transpire on D-Day, Wednesday. Let us pray that it will taper off peacefully so that everyone, whether they are red, yellow or any other colour, can go home to celebrate the Songkran festival. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flashermac Posted April 6, 2009 Report Share Posted April 6, 2009 Bangkok Post 6 Apr 2009 PAD plans revolt against Red Shirts Fears of bloodshed spark comeback plans The People's Alliance for Democracy is pledging to stage a comeback and mount a counter-rally if the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship's political gathering on Wednesday escalates into violence. The PAD, which has kept a low profile since the Democrat-led coalition government came to power in December, fears the red-shirt rally could deteriorate into violence and lead to military intervention. Supporters of Privy Council president Prem Tinsulanonda will also hold a rally on Wednesday, raising fears they could be on a collision course with the red shirts. Gen Prem has said he would stay at home on rally day. PAD coordinator Suriyasai Katasila said core leaders of the alliance have monitored the UDD's movements and they shared the view that the UDD rally could trigger violence. He said the UDD leaders were pressing demands that are impossible to meet, which limits the chances of breaking the political impasse. He said the UDD leaders' drive against what they call "a government system dominated by the bureaucrats" is only creating a false impression that they are fighting for democracy. In fact, the anti-government campaign was designed to serve the vested interests of the UDD leaders and particularly to help clear the name of former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, Mr Suriyasai said. If the rally on Wednesday gets out of hand and degenerates into violence, the military could use this as an excuse to intervene, he said. This would play into the hands of Thaksin and would only support his argument that the country remained undemocratic. He said if the UDD did anything to provoke violence on Wednesday, the PAD would mount its own major rally. The PAD was concerned the UDD would lead the country into chaos by holding rallies. "If the UDD tries to do damage to the country or to establish a new system of government, the PAD is ready to make a move against it straight away," Mr Suriyasai said. A group called A Patriots' Network yesterday took up positions outside Gen Prem's Si Sao Thewes home. Network leader Pradit Orn-rak said the group would block part of Si Ayutthaya road near the Army Club and set up a rally stage. Mr Pradit urged more people to join them on Wednesday to rally behind the privy council chief and to unite against the UDD and Thaksin. He said the group did not want to provoke confrontation or violence but intended to protect and defend the Privy Council. Mr Pradit said the Red Shirt protesters had no right to protest in front of Gen Prem's home. Their demonstrations would be a violation of his rights and would not comply with the law and the constitution. Government House and parliament should be the place for them to call for democracy, he said. Democrat Party spokesman Buranat Samutrak yesterday said Thaksin was trying to change the system of government and his video broadcast speeches had damaged the judicial system. In his video-link speech to his Red Shirt followers at a gathering outside Government House yesterday, Thaksin repeated calls for more of his supporters to turn up at Wednesday's rally. Thaksin again rejected allegations that he had tried to overthrow the monarchy. He stressed he wanted a democratic system with the King as head of state. Thaksin insisted it was the government dominated by "old-world" bureaucrats that he wanted to wipe out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mentors Posted April 6, 2009 Author Report Share Posted April 6, 2009 Who'll up the ante next....? The red shirts rally on Soi Rangnam yesterday was amusing. Very well organised or orchestrated. They came, they shouted, they left....life continued obliviously. and they are peacful! :content: This is in the West impossible. Even a village fair ends with brawl. But i'm afraid of the day, when the goon squad from the Yellow ones arriving to the scene (again). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
.. Posted April 6, 2009 Report Share Posted April 6, 2009 and they are peacful! But i'm afraid of the day, when the goon squad from the Yellow ones arriving to the scene (again). Peaceful? Maybe for the past couple of days... Poor delusional Mentors, once again conveniently forgetting the the blood spilt so far has come at the hands of his red guys. And ignoring the fact that their leader has openly called for civil war and violence come 8 April. Regards, SD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mentors Posted April 6, 2009 Author Report Share Posted April 6, 2009 just wondering how propaganda can affect you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
.. Posted April 6, 2009 Report Share Posted April 6, 2009 Well, we see it first hand with you, from the denial of violence (e.g., ask the poor bastard last week who got beat down cuz he was wearing a yellow king shirt on a Monday and happened to walk past the UDD protest), or the silliness of you position of PMs being elected by the people... Cheers, SD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flashermac Posted April 6, 2009 Report Share Posted April 6, 2009 Ummm ... the Yellow Shirts did attack some Thaksinistas at the We Love Taxi radio station earlier this year. Still, the Camisas Rojas are easily the more violent (so far). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
.. Posted April 6, 2009 Report Share Posted April 6, 2009 Agreed... Decoding my fat fingers typing, forgetting the the blood spilt was supposed to say forgetting most of the blood spilt. Cheers, SD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drogon Posted April 6, 2009 Report Share Posted April 6, 2009 Don't like these shirts....reminds me too much of the black shirts (camicie nere), same kind of "political philosophy" = stinky ideology Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drogon Posted April 6, 2009 Report Share Posted April 6, 2009 Will be like Autumn in EU....all the colors in the street....Good thing the red ones chose red -> maybe we will call this day "blooday wednesday"? http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/local/14608/pad-plans-revolt-against-red-shirts PAD plans revolt against red shirts ---------------------------------------------- PAD plans revolt against red shirts Fears of bloodshed spark comeback plans By: POST REPORTERS Published: 6/04/2009 at 12:00 AM Newspaper section: News The People's Alliance for Democracy is pledging to stage a comeback and mount a counter-rally if the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship's political gathering on Wednesday escalates into violence. The PAD, which has kept a low profile since the Democrat-led coalition government came to power in December, fears the red-shirt rally could deteriorate into violence and lead to military intervention. Supporters of Privy Council president Prem Tinsulanonda will also hold a rally on Wednesday, raising fears they could be on a collision course with the red shirts. Gen Prem has said he would stay at home on rally day. PAD coordinator Suriyasai Katasila said core leaders of the alliance have monitored the UDD's movements and they shared the view that the UDD rally could trigger violence. He said the UDD leaders were pressing demands that are impossible to meet, which limits the chances of breaking the political impasse. He said the UDD leaders' drive against what they call "a government system dominated by the bureaucrats" is only creating a false impression that they are fighting for democracy. In fact, the anti-government campaign was designed to serve the vested interests of the UDD leaders and particularly to help clear the name of former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, Mr Suriyasai said. If the rally on Wednesday gets out of hand and degenerates into violence, the military could use this as an excuse to intervene, he said. This would play into the hands of Thaksin and would only support his argument that the country remained undemocratic. He said if the UDD did anything to provoke violence on Wednesday, the PAD would mount its own major rally. The PAD was concerned the UDD would lead the country into chaos by holding rallies. It could lay siege to important government places to force the government to bow to its demands - the tactics used by the PAD itself during its protests last year. "If the UDD tries to do damage to the country or to establish a new system of government, the PAD is ready to make a move against it straight away," Mr Suriyasai said. A group called A Patriots' Network yesterday took up positions outside Gen Prem's Si Sao Thewes home. Network leader Pradit Orn-rak said the group would block part of Si Ayutthaya road near the army club and set up a rally stage. Mr Pradit urged more people to join them on Wednesday to rally behind the privy council chief and to unite against the UDD and Thaksin. He said the group did not want to provoke confrontation or violence but intended to protect and defend the Privy Council. Mr Pradit said the red-shirt protesters had no right to protest in front of Gen Prem's home. Their demonstrations would be a violation of his rights and would not comply with the law and the constitution. Government House and parliament should be the place for them to call for democracy, he said. Democrat party spokesman Buranat Samutrak yesterday said Thaksin was trying to change the system of government and his video broadcast speeches had damaged the judicial system. In his video-link speech to his red-shirt supporters at a gathering outside Government House yesterday, Thaksin repeated calls for more of his supporters to turn up at Wednesday's rally. Thaksin again rejected allegations that he had tried to overthrow the monarchy. He stressed he wanted a democratic system with the King as head of state. Thaksin insisted it was the regime dominated by the "old-world" bureaucrats that he wanted to wipe out. -------------------------------------- In the same time, it seems some Thais have definitely lost their minds. -> this is really a "micro niche" market -> seeing the state of some roads in LOS + the proverbial driving skills of Thais.... I suppose some people in LOS still think: 20 tourists x 60k bht/day over 30 days = 36 million bht is better for Thailand than: 1 million tourist x 5k bht/day x 15 days..... Instead of focusing on getting back some tourists with some real discounts/good marketing campaigns-> let's dream of "new market niche". "One market he is very interested in is long-distance cycling. Tourists in this group will spend as much as 60,000 baht per person per day and many of them are millionaires, he noted." -------------------------------------- http://www.bangkokpost.com/business/economics/14627/tourism-s-eternal-optimist TOURISM'S ETERNAL OPTIMIST TAT chief sees multiple niche markets as the wave of the future. By: Chadamas Chinmaneevong Published: 6/04/2009 at 12:00 AM Newspaper section: Business There is always a light at the end of the tunnel, though many in Thailand's tourism industry may believe the light is very dim at the moment. I believe that operators can survive amid the worldwide economic downturn and local political uncertainties if they offer something different from others Weerasak Kohsurat Chairman of the Tourism Authority of Thailand In the face of headlines about recession, unemployment and bankruptcies, Weerasak Kohsurat still believes tourism can shine brightly, if the industry knows how to focus. As chairman of the Tourism Authority of Thailand, he is looking beyond conventional travel sectors and recommending a closer look at unique markets, They include high-end tourists who love long-distance cycling, or "meaningful tourists": those who love to learn about different lifestyles and help people in developing countries. He even includes travellers on luxury cruises. "Although we haven't recorded any official numbers for these tourist niches, I still see high potential to increase them," says Mr Weerasak, a former Tourism and Sports minister. He notes, for example, that the Queen Mary 2, the largest cruise liner of The Cunard Line, with 2,400 passengers and 2,200 crew, stopped at Laem Chabang port last month for one day and let its passengers experience Thailand. The cruise passengers were offered a selection of tour programmes featuring Bangkok and Pattaya. These tourists enjoy boat trips to see the lifestyles of people living along canals, and they also like visiting temples. The Cunard Line recently released its world cruise itinerary for 2010, which includes calls by the Queen Mary 2 at two ports in Thailand: Laem Chabang and Phuket. The Queen Victoria will call at Laem Chabang, Phuket and Koh Samui. Mr Weerasak said this development reflected the growth of the country's and region's tourism. This should lead to more cruises to Thailand in the future. The meaningful tourism trend, meanwhile, is popular in Europe and should spread to Thailand soon because some associations in Europe have given money to tourism-related associations to promote such activities here, he said. Mr Weerasak said tourists in this market have high purchasing power and they could help promote Thailand worldwide. "I see many new unique market segments emerging in Thailand. I believe that operators can survive amid the worldwide economic downturn and local political uncertainties, if they offer something different from others," he said. One market he is very interested in is long-distance cycling. Tourists in this group will spend as much as 60,000 baht per person per day and many of them are millionaires, he noted. Rich long-distance cyclists have big teams of assistants for their safety. They have ambulances and tents, for example, and are lavish spenders. "The only thing I am very concerned about is tourism operators giving up," says Mr Weerasak. "Personally, I strongly believe in Thailand's tourism opportunities. "We have a lot of products and excellent services. If the economic and political problems end, our business will certainly boom again." He wants operators to be patient, keep fighting and improve their products. This means offering unique activities or services for tourists to experience during vacations. As well, he says, they should not forget regional tourists who are increasingly arriving on low-cost flights. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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