Govt claims plot targets King

[Flashermac]

Bangkok Post

27 Apr 2010

 

1:14pm

 

 

 

The Centre for the Resolution to Emergency Situations claims to have uncovered a plot to overthrow the monarchy.

 

The CRES said the network behind the plot included key leaders of the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship, members of the Puea Thai Party and former banned politicians, academics and hosts of community radio programmes.

 

Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said yesterday the CRES had put together the pieces of the “political jigsawâ€Â. He said people involving in the network could face legal action.

 

The prime minister and the armed forces have long suspected the UDD rally had a higher purpose than just forcing a dissolution of the House of Representatives.

 

CRES spokesman Sansern Kaewkamnerd said the demonstration, which started in mid-March, had attacked the higher institution through UDD leaders and the red shirts’ media.

 

The CRES yesterday ordered red shirt protesters to walk away from road blockades or face a crackdown by a joint police-military operation. Col Sansern Kaewkamnerd said any attempts by UDD supporters to obstruct convoys of security authorities would face the same action taken yesterday at Wang Noi district in Ayutthaya.

 

Police from the Regions 1 and 7 and soldiers from the 1st Calvary Battalion decided to break up a checkpoint set up illegally by the UDD late yesterday afternoon. The operations prompted some UDD members to flee the area.

 

The centre decided to take action after buses, taxies and other vehicles were checked by nearly 400 UDD members, causing heavy traffic congestion on Phahon Yothin Road near the outer ring road in the district.

 

The latest operation came as political tension shifted from the capital to the provinces where red shirt members blockaded soldiers and police assigned for reinforcement in Bangkok.

 

UDD leaders are concerned more police and soldiers are part of the government’s plan to launch another effort to clamp down on the demonstrators at Ratchaprasong intersection.

 

The capital was rocked by grenade attacks in front of the house of Chart Thai Pattana Party chief adviser Banharn Silpa-archa on Sunday night and a bomb threats in front of Chulalongkorn Hospital and a car showroom.

 

UDD protesters yesterday gathered in Pathum Thani, Saraburi, Chachoengsao, Phitsanulok and Ayutthaya.

 

Ayutthaya appeared to bear the brunt of separate UDD rallies in Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya district, where they seized five police vans and detained six soldiers, police officers said.

 

A group of nearly 100 UDD protesters, led by Puea Thai MP for Ayutthaya Surachet Chaikosol, used motorcycles and tuk tuks to block a road in Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya district to prevent Lop Buri police reportedly travelling in 14 vans to Bangkok.

 

Five vans were seized by the group while the rest managed to flee from the blockade to other routes.

 

In Saraburi’s Nong Khae district, about 200 UDD protesters blocked a section of Phahon Yothin Road to inspect vehicles heading to Bangkok.

 

Many motorists became angry while they were inspected by the protesters. Meanwhile, in Chachoengsao, about 200 UDD protesters used 15 songthaew passenger trucks and motorcycles to block entrances and exits at Chachoengsao police station to prevent officers from travelling to Bangkok.

 

Their blockade prompted Chachoengsao police chief Monton Mianan to call an urgent meeting on a way to take 300 officers from the station to join other security officers in Bangkok.

 

Police used road spikes on Chachongsao- Kabin Buri road.

 

Police in Phitsanulok also faced a similar blockage when the 31st Border Patrol Police division at Fort Phraya Chakri was surrounded by the UDDlinked Red Shirt Phitsanulok 51. More than 150 officers were prevented from leaving their base for a mission in Bangkok as about 100 protesters placed logs, rocks and objects across a road in front of the division.

 

However, border patrol police decided to go through the protesters who used women as their front line and had men throw stones and wood at the officers. The police, equipped with batons and shields, eventually managed to get out of the area although the action sparked a clash in which some protesters were injured.

 

Meanwhile, UDD leader Natthawut Saikua said the UDD was planning to move today from the Ratchaprasong stronghold to undisclosed locations.

 

“It’s time for another an offensive drive,†he said. “The government has been trying hard to crack down on the red shirt demonstration and we want them to know that we remain firm on our goal to oust the Abhisit Vejjajiva government.â€Â

 

 

 

Rink

[Flashermac]

Maybe they are talking about the red shirt magazines that carry pictures of Lenin and Trotsky, display communist flags and pictures of communist mobs etc. Of course, there is the "Red Siam" faction of "former communists", whose "mainfesto was written by avowed communist Dr Ji.

 

 

On a troubling note, the student protestors who took over Thammasat in October 1976 also had plenty of pro-communist literature on hand. Is this the beginning of an attempt to turn people against the red shirts in the same way that Samak et al. did back then.

 

 

[Pom Michael]

Flasher - I was thinking the same thing.

[Flashermac]

I was at a northern university in October 1976. Everyone talks about Thamasat, but the violence was not only there. One day I noticed the students putting up a display of photos, posters etc and went to look at it. The display was 100% pro-communist propaganda - flattering posters of Mao, Cho, Ho, Marx, Lenin, the Khmer Rouge leaders etc. There were posters of "the people" rising up to kick out the evil American oppressors and bring freedom to Asia. Most disturbing was the displaying of the proposed flag for the new "People's Democratic Republic of Thailand". I asked the students where they got all of that garbage. They replied, "I was sent by the students in Bangkok. They told us to put it up, so we did."

 

I knew exactly what was going to happen. The local town folk came to see the display and were furious. I heard them muttering, "Where is OUR flag? Where is OUR religion? Where is OUR KING?" The students from the nearby vocational college came to look and immediately exploded. They started tearing down the display and beating the crap out of any nearby university students.

 

That night some speakers from Bangkok appeared on the university's stage. Musicians played the inevitable "Khon gap kwai" and other protest songs. Then a Bangkok student got up to tell everyone how wonderful communism was and concluded by saying, "Then it is agreed. Communist is best for Thailand!" When he said that, a vocational student drew a homemade pistol and fired at the speaker. He missed and hit a guitarist, who crumpled to the floor. Panic ensued and everyone left the auditorium. The next day the rector wisely closed the university for two weeks, ordering all students to leave the dorms and return home. The Thammasat Massacre happened 2 or 3 days later.

 

That time the student protestors did have an active communist group among them, though a large majority of the protestors were certainly not pro-communist. But they had all been painted with the same brush. The red shirts also have a communist faction, including some of those very same "reds" from the 1970s. I hope it is not deja vu time all over again.

 

 

[Guest]

some institutions need to come to an end. various factions will be blamed for it...but every Thai who is smart (read: who has studied and lived for some years overseas) knows it.

[Flashermac]

Bullshit. The most stable governments in the world are often constitutional monarchies. Hitler was always scared to death that the monarchy might be restored in Germany, since he planned to fill the role of leader himself.

 

 

 

[Nervous God]

I often wonder at many Americans love of monarchies?

 

I think the Irish have a good system myself.

[Flashermac]

Northern Ireland?

 

Of course, it helps that there are more Irish-Americans in any major US city than there are Irish in the whole of Eire. One of Eire's major exports seems to be selling passports to Irish-Americans.

 

 

 

[Wallenda]

I often wonder at many Americans love of monarchies?

 

I think the Irish have a good system myself.

 

I'm American. I think the part about keeping the M part of CM is at best a quaint idea and at worst, well, it might have the effect of keeping a lot of your voters thinking like small children. In other words, it can be an impediment to adult responsibility at the voting booth. Then again, we have Sarah Palin, so maybe it's inevitable you'll get some portion of any population that buys into the political leader as superhero. The places where CM works are ones where the M part is totally powerless, just there for show. And who knows, if we had a queen, maybe there wouldn't be any desire for a Palin.

 

My take is that everyone's afraid of the impending unmentionable event, and seeking out you-know-who as their new parent.

 

If ya think of it, he just stole the idea of the unmentionable by showing goodwill to the poor, seeing what kind of loyalty it garnered, and took it up a notch. Just part of the grand plan.

[Nervous God]

I was wondering who'd be the first to say N I?