PM announce: election 14Nov

[Wallenda]

the airport shutdown was a form of terrorism-not taking sides mind you, might get yelled at!

 

I don't think there's any definition of the word Terrorism that could include causing flight delays. You can call it a lot of nasty things, but not terrorism. You also can't call it rape. Or murder.

 

"Terrorism" got its start, as a term, from the French Reign of Terror -- and there it was the new revolutionary regime that used the guillotine to scare people into compliance. In the last century it started to become associated with similiar use of killing by disenfranchised groups (the PLO, the IRA, etc. etc.).

 

So it's fair to call bombings terrorism, or the kinds of decapitations of teachers you see in the South, or it'd be arguable that the anti-drug campaign of a few years back was a kind of terrorism.

 

To qualify as terrorism, you need people scared of being killed, and usually that means killing people to create that effect.

 

I dont' think any reasonable person felt afraid for their lives during the airport shutdown.

 

By the way I think your indiscriminate use of the word Terrorism was a kind of rape of people's sensitivities here.

[Flashermac]

I don't consider the majority of the reds or yellows to be terrorists ... just arseholes.

 

Even the leaders don't seem to have much control over them, especially the reds, and spend much of their time denying responsibility.

 

 

[ThaiHome]

Are there any Western firms in that region? Any Western expats?

 

That should answer your question.

 

The depots for both Chevron and PTT for all the offshore work is located in Songkla. There are many expats that stay in Hat Yai, which has a several bars catering to them.

Except for the few times Hat Yai itself has been the target of smallish bombs, virtually all the victims are from the rural or small town areas.

 

TH

[WorldFun]

just people getting killed ain't news (like in the south) - happens all the time (daily) - news is when a new situation with killings are created like in bkk where USUALLY no one is killed by terrorism incl. tourists

 

get it now & why it? and why it makes such a huge difference when the travel warnings were changed from warning in non tourist areas to first bkk & then ALL OF THAILAND sure that was a major attention grabber whatever that means

[KimDidMeGood]

Reds to discuss implementing roadmap

 

* Published: 4/05/2010 at 11:50 AM

* Online news: Breakingnews

 

Core leaders of the United front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD) will meet at noon today to discuss implementation of the national reconciliation plan proposed by Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, UDD co-leader Suporn Atthawong said on Tuesday.

 

Mr Suporn said Mr Abhisit’s reconciliation roadmap is acceptable to the red-shirts.

 

“UDD chairman Veera Musigkapong will be a representative of the red-shirts in discussing details of the five guidelines for national reconciliation with the premier. Ratification between the government and the UDD might be needed after that,†he said.

 

Another UDD core leader Arisman Pongruangrong, said he personally felt the proposed roadmap was a good solution to the current political conflict. Red-shirt protesters will from now on not have to be worried about a crackdown on their protest.

 

“I believe the red-shirts protesters can accept the plan as what they want is justice and a true democracy. If the House is dissolved, they will go back home to exercise their right to vote for their representatives,†Mr Arisman said.

 

The UDD’s Natthawut Saikua said he believes Mr Abhisit proposed the roadmap because he could no longer control state mechanisms.

 

“I don’t think the UDD is playing an upper-hand role or being an underdog. But it was agreed that from now on there should be no more violence or casualties. That should be enough,†Mr Natthawut said.

 

He also said UDD leaders will today discuss Mr Abhisit’s peace plan.

 

Chain

[KimDidMeGood]

So there were, admittedly, secret talks. The Red Shirt leadership visibly seeks a way out of the crisis in the aftermath of the disastrous Chulalongkorn Hospital blunder.

There clearly was a rift between the "political" leadership and Seh Daeng & Co.

Probably the official leadership figured out they were losing control and needed to push the "Reset" button to take a deep breath and refine their strategy.

[WorldFun]

wow now it's all easy'peasy agreement all around, so nice to waste so much space, breath & casulties between initial negotiations & now - fucking lunatics

[Flashermac]

Whoopee! An election means a lot of money thrown around ... enough for everybody to get some. Thais just love democracy.

 

 

[Torneyboy]

Yeah that

[Flashermac]

Front page pics on the Thai language papers of the redniks cheering in delight at the news the PM has called for an election in November. They seem to think they have won. Uh ... weeks ago Abhisit offered to dissolve the house in November and call an election. So what was all of this over anyway?

 

My taxi driver just went into a rant when I mentioned the election. He said what kind of government is this when it spent millions of baht when any western country would have put down the demonstrations in 1 or 2 days? He was an older guy and obviously didn't think much of the red shirts or the government.