5 reportedly killed so far

[Bangkoktraveler]

Sounds like the battle has begun.

[dave32]

LA Times now reporting 15 dead and 650 wounded.

Link

 

[SpiceMan]

BBC News is also reporting 15 dead. Not yet as many as were killed during the 1992 protests. Then and now soldiers fired on medics as they tried to remove the wounded.

 

[Guest lazyphil]

this is really fucked up. fucked up my holiday plans it looks. plan b. north norfolk.

[gobbledonk]

And so it begins - some anonymous coward throws a grenade into a group of soldiers and 15 people end up dead, including a Japanese journo. For all the good humour that the Red Shirts have reportedly shown, this is starting to sound more like a warzone. Until now, our media has shown little interest, but with a body count reporters will scurry from all over the world.

 

Sorry about your holiday plans Phil, but spare a thought for the poor bastards who actually live in BKK.

 

 

[Guest lazyphil]

of course i do gd, i feel totally selfish and scummy thinking of myself in such a bloody mess .....oh well, just have to sit tight and hope things improve for thais and farangs living in thailand and for those hoping for some sunshine and happy days on holiday....

[Old Hippie]

And so it begins - some anonymous coward throws a grenade into a group of soldiers and 15 people end up dead, including a Japanese journo. For all the good humour that the Red Shirts have reportedly shown, this is starting to sound more like a warzone. Until now, our media has shown little interest, but with a body count reporters will scurry from all over the world.

 

Sorry about your holiday plans Phil, but spare a thought for the poor bastards who actually live in BKK.

 

 

 

 

This is exactly what I ment about the "Shot heard round the world" that I mentioned in another post. For those who may not know/recall, "the shot heard round the world" was what essentially kicked off the American revolution against Britain (we won!).

 

Essentially, a group of yanks was in a face to face stand off with a group of British soldiers. The yanks were ordered to lay down their weapons and disperse. For a brief second, it seemed the yanks were faltering. Suddenly, a shot was fired, no one knows who fired it, or from where, or who it was aimed at. Then the Brits fired and the yanks fired and all hell broke lose, and the war was on.

 

The shot was soon after named "the shot heard round the world." That said to say this, in many incidence since than, there has been "a shot heard round the world" that is, a shot intended by someone to start something. I believe the Thamasaart shootings had some similar explanation ("...oh gee shots were fired, we all fired back..."), Kent state tried it, and numerous otehr events.

 

No idea who here may have thrown the grenades, but the intention is clear, they wanted to kick things up a few dozen levels. Sadly they may have gotten their wish.

 

 

FYI, in military circles "A shot heard round the world" or "a gulf of Tonkin" is synonymous with something starting up.

[cavanami]

Was around Suk Soi 22 yesterday afternoon.

Saw a few red shirts walking and in pickup trucks. They were cheering and making a little noise but no violence or even a hint of it.

Drove up Rama 4, just a few red shirts about, no violence or even a hint of it.

 

Sorry to see the situation come to this.

[Wallenda]

 

 

 

This is exactly what I ment about the "Shot heard round the world"

 

...

 

FYI, in military circles "A shot heard round the world" or "a gulf of Tonkin" is synonymous with something starting up.

 

OK I thought you were referring to the Bobby Thompson home run against the Dodgers in 1951 that sent the NY Giants to the World Series. I thought, what's this old coot on about with the baseball analogies.

 

Seriously, when I think of Tonkin, I think of a bogus unverifiable excuse to start a war -- that's one that was always suspect to some, and it turned out that it was bogus, released records later showed.

 

Either way. Yes it seems as if this was in the making all this time. I mean, the protestors have guns, real bullets, bombs and grenades -- it means they've been arming themselves (some at least) for some time now, preparing for just this.

 

Another direction to point the finger: the army and police -- their shameful performance encouraged this. Had they shown any reasonable amount of authority in previous days rather than let themselves be made to look like fools, the protestors probably wouldn't have felt so bold as to actually attack the army compound or throw bombs at troops.

 

In a real country, the top general would be sacked for this, removed in shame.

 

 

 

[Flashermac]

<< For those who may not know/recall, "the shot heard round the world" was what essentially kicked off the American revolution against Britain [color:red](we won!)[/color]. >>

 

 

Well, yes and no. I know of 7 or 8 ancestors who served on the "Patriot" side in the Rev War, but 2 others were Loyalists (one even got expelled from his colony). After the Brits gave up in 1783, the 2 Loyalists bit the bullet and took the oath of allegiance to the Continental Congress so they could come home. Canada was just too damned cold to move to.