Thanks Mike for your many years of true friendship. I trust things are going well for you and your family.
Yes, I shall be in the very near future flying abroad (again). Am so very lucky to be able to travel and broaden my perspective and of course be able to see more of the world.
Currently I am campaigning for the position Mayor, here in Lusk, Wyoming!
JohnH#17 – I agree : it is a fiasco.
I think the only way out is a national unity government, and new elections.
Is it possible for Thaksin to return without being assassinated ?
I doubt it.
Meanwhile the Red Shirts are increasingly breaking away from domination by him – eg. they’re now receiving large donations from other big business groups.
I defy any of you here to really know the truth to what is or is not happening. You, we, are all being mislead by the various media outlets, whatever their political colouring, and their selective reporting of events. And so, as if we are all believing anything we hear or see, I detect a note of hysteria creeping onto this site.
I note now – elsewhere on here – that the red shirt protesters are now mostly made up of Bangkokians, not people from Isaan as previously reported or depicted on TV and in the newspapers. Clearly, the number of vehicles entering Bangkok 10 or so days ago filled with Isaan folk was a dastardly set up.
According to Thai TV yesterday evening, the authorites apprehended the two men responsible for throwing the cannisters. They were red shirts, or at least people wearing red shirts…
During Thaksin’s vid cast a few days ago, he apoplectically thundered the promises that should he return, he will…’provide a PC for every school child in Thailand and solve Bangkok’s annual flood problems…’
As he did with the Bangkok traffic problems many years ago, no doubt…
This is just what Thais and expats get here for “keeping a low profile.” I know, when you stand up above the firing line you get shot, but people’s lack of input when it was needed helped bring this situation about.
The Frog@5 – where Anupong sits over the next few days is most interesting of all.
Very interesting indeed that Abhisit has placed Anupong under Suthep with these emergency powers.
Maybe all this is playing into Anupong’s reluctant hands – and a coup in his favour may be launched.
Certainly it’s very hard to launch one against him. Anupong succesfully stared down an imminent coup attempt against him while he visited the US, indicating he’s extremely strong.
That way he could do what Sonthi, leader of 2006’s coup, did – i.e. delay his retirement by one year, thereby blocking General Prayuth Ocha, his deputy and hitherto supporter – but now his main rival, perhaps backed by Her Majesty The Queen, with
HMQ being viewed as a Regent solution to Thailand’s succession dilemma.
We have to bear in mind two salient facts :
1) ultimate trigger for the 2006 coup was Thaksin’s apparent
desire to remove Sonthi. Thai coups typically take place when civilian PMs try to remove top brass, especially the Army Chief.
2) Anupong seems in the tradition of liberal, anti-coup generals such as General Kris during 1973, and later General Kriangsak – but considerably stronger than either.
well, guess what, banrachawong – what’s happening is, you (and people like you) can no longer maintain {blood-sucking} status quo, because those whom you despise woke up and are pissed off.
this is a “first call” actually. yet fellas as you are too thick to take it into consideration seriously and act upon it. thus, such thick people usually are holding to their precious positions till the very end, till the after “last call“. see example of such a “last call” happening in Kyrgyzstan right now 😉
the reasons reported are seemingly trivial :
“The violent rolling protests appeared to be largelyspontaneousrather than a premeditated coup… One leading expert said the government had triggered the protests byimposing punitive increases on tariffs for water and gas… The government thought they could get away with it. Most people agreed… interior minister, … was beaten to death by a mob“
get the hint ? when masses are REALLY pissed & totally frustrated (end endlessly insulted and vilified, as those whom you and your likes despise) – sooner or later they just … SNAP, seemingly out of no any serious reason at all.
and THEN …
I guess you know what may happen then (again, see example of Kyrgyzstan) – that’s why, I bet, you and those like you are already scared sh1tless, and therefore desperately try to preserve your positions – instead of USING BRAINS and try to figure it out …
oh, wait, yeah – you already said it, which means you have already started to attempt to figure it out:
What is happenning to us?
well, alright – congradulations ! perhaps you may make it after all. may be eventually you’ll grasp the whole reality, which Thinitan pointed out already :
Though they are insecure and fearful of what change might bring, the forces behind Mr. Abhisit must come to terms with Thailand’s transformation. Concessions need not be limitless. They can still keep much by letting go some. The risk of trying to keep all is that they may end up with very little at the end of the day.
P.S. by the way – why did you bother to come to this blog at all, seriously – did you think you can change the way people here think? I mean, if all the things discussed here are too outrageous, foolish, etc. for you – WHY BOTHER ? after all, this blog is in English, not in Thai – and thus is NOT targeting Thai speaking / reading auditory, and accordingly may not seriously affect wide masses of Thais (as, say, those blatant Propaganda adds all over Thai TV – conducted on taxpayers money)
so, I suggest – yeah, remain in your comfortable “box”, do not trouble yourself. better – wait for the “last call” ! 😉
While I read here regularly I usually have little offer since my orientation seems much more empirical than political, as in much of the discussion here. Regarding the The Village fund (VFR) those discussing it may find this World Bank report Does the Village Fund Matter in Thailand to be of interest. In summary the findings are as follows.
For households obtaining Village Fund loans expenditures increased by 3.3% and income by 1.9%.
The effects were greatest in the lowest income quintile where expenditures increased by 5.5%.
The primary beneficiaries were credit constrained farmers and there seems to be little impact with regard to increasing non-farm income.
There exist synergies between BAAC and VRF loans. Household obtaining credit from both sources had the largest increases in both expenditures and income.
Many interesting details, qualifications and references as well.
Banrachawong#44 re :
“@chris beale
voting is not the only way of influencing people and I think you know that”.
Yes – up to a point.
I think it was a good idea – of General Anupong’s ? – that Anand Panyarachun (of whom I have the highest respect), Chuan Leek Pai, and General Chavalit, all very good people, get together to find a way out of this crisis.
@chris beale & Media War
“the very problem of how some westerners always think they know better than us”.
I never take this attitude. As written numerous times on previous posts, I find Thailand one of the most complex, subtle and difficult societies anywhere, to understand.
I post on this blog – often with provocative comments – simply to elicit responses from people who know more than me, so to further understand.
I never blog, or take part in any politics within Thailand, because of respect for Thai sovereignty.
Sorry if my style is blunt, but that is the way we speak in Western societies, especially New World Western societies such as Australia.
Wow, so people not only need nice comfy houses and facilities but they also need livelihoods and these are based upon the land, and the land is the one thing the project is taking away and it is far from conclusive that anything but good land can successfully provide for these livelihoods or for the feeling of stability that these people crave. Maybe someone can rework Richard Sennet’s The Corrosion of Character to explain why they are still unhappy even after all the goodies. Is there a middle ‘ground’ (most of the development industry faithful need to believe so) or is it really just a case of sacrificing a few thousand livelihoods for the benefit of a large income from electricity sales for the state? There is nothing like hydropower for splitting camps. In the end you are either for or against the Dam, which (if we are really honest) means being for or against screwing these people over.
Looking at pictures on the Bangkok Post web-site, this just seems too neat.
Police stand back while Red Shirts climb over the gates to Parliament, then the Red Shirts unlock them while police look on.
Then a soldier steps OUT of a car with a machine gun – with the lame excuse he was trying to prevent Red Shirts getting hold of weapons in that car.
Why did n’t he simply lock the car?
Gas canisters are thrown at Parliament, and before that at Rachaprasong, to get the Red Shirts stirred up.
And then there’s the misinformation campaign, picked up by Bloomberg and others, and relayed here in Australia via the Sydney Morning Herald – namely that a vehicle rammed Parliament’s gates, allowing the Red Shirts entry, when the Bangkok Post photos clearly show otherwise.
And hey wow – we now have Thanong at The Nation, reversing his verdict that Abhisit was about to be ousted by Parliamentary coup, backed by military pressure.
Remember how Abhisit and Newin’s Blue Shirts were subsequently alleged to have staged a set-up of the Red Shirts
at Pattaya, during the Songkran riots ?
Perhaps I’m too suspicious, but I smell another set-up.
The Thai visa blog is only relevant in terms of ethnographic material on expat petty-bourgois and their affinity to fascism.
I find the common argument in the media surprising that due to the red-shirts (they are no reds!) things will get worse. Is this wishful thinking? Since 2006 it is quite impossible that matters can get any worse. Consequently, one should be thankful to the red shirts that they try to initiate changes. Well perhaps I am wrong. A coup organized again by the royalist-tycoon elite with the Bangkok petty-bourgoisie (yellow shirts) as willing tools might in fact push matters over the edge. Thailand is at a cross-road. Perhaps the comming days deceide whether it will continue on a path towards barbary (Burma as example) or turn towards a more civilized direction.
I am keenly interested in any replies that you get to this query since my post-doc research at ARI in Singapore will be on just this topic although I plan on taking a more qualitative approach (the title of the project is: A Question of Class: Migrant Stories, Inter-generational Aspirations and the Construction of Social and Economic Class in Contemporary Thailand).
I will begin the background research on this project next month and let you know of any resources I come across.
Thanks also for the information on this research on China – it is immensely helpful.
Not too long ago my Isaan housekeeper (rural phrai) began to wail at the top of her lungs. She was distraught that the People’s Channel went off the air. I checked and can confirm that the Red Shirts’ cable propaganda machine is no longer available for viewing. It appears that the Thai government’s State of Emergency is taking affect. What’s next?
I am praying that the military authorities flex their muscles and disperse the Red Shirts from Bangkok’s spiritual center – Ratchaprasong – through the application of force. These intruders have betrayed their Thai identity and should have their citizenship revoked. The leadership of the Red Shirts state nothing more than hate, rumours, slander and falsehoods about the meritorious Thai elite and the injustices that exist in this country. On the other hand, we Yellow Shirts during our season of peaceful marches and protests engaged in factual criticisms of the Thaksin regime and its proxies, Samak and Somchai. Plus, ASTV was embraced by all the good people of this land because it reported the truth. Here’s an example of how the Yellow Shirts were defending the integrity of the Kingdom’s democratic institutions and structures. Can the same be said of the Red Shirts?
But I would like to express an inner disappointment. I expect the State (and the person who occupies the post of prime minister) to make sure that the interests of the established elite be safeguarded from the uncouth masses. Accordingly, we do not need mannequins like Abhisit at the helm of the government. He has proven to be immensely inadequate for the job. Khun Suthep Thaugsuban (chief CAPO) is much more appropriate and he knows how to play the game of politics. Another alternative to Suthep would be Khun Sanan Kachornprasart. He has been rehabilitated and his karma restored. We need real men who have read Niccolo Machiavelli’s The Prince and who understand intimately what power means and the importance of patron-client relations, not some Oxford dandy whose favorite novel is Alice in Wonderland. Long live Suthep! Long live Sanan! Long live Anupong! Bring back the Constitution of 1968!
Look, our rights, privileges and status as anointed amart must be preserved at all costs. If that means using sanctioned violence against unarmed civilians then so be it. Our society and culture are under threat from the Red scourge!
Mathichon Online reports the incident when the Red Shirt protesters broke into the parliament buildings.
Pictures were taken as one of the Democrats MP was holding a shotgun in a ready-to-shoot position and guarding Suthep Thaugsuban before he left the area by helicopter.
Mathichon Online also reports one of Democrats MPs jokingly told reporter, “Shoot them down if they come in”.
GeGee, I reported what I saw on the reds’ TV. In a way, Suthep was successful in provoking Arisman to commit the “illegal” act of intruding the parliamentary grounds even though the gas canisters failed to explode. Imagine what would have happened if both canisters exploded and Suthep would be laughing all the way to the 11th Infantry Regiment. Unfortunately, the plot failed and he had to flee by a helicopter.
I would say you are also being selective by focusing only on Arisman’s “illegal” action to go inside. You prefer not to say what was the cause of Arisman’s action. This is in line what the Abhisit-controled TVs had been stressing: Arisman broke the law. These TV stations, especially NBT and Channel 9, were silent about the gas canisters.
I must ask you which source you got about Dr. Weng trying to disassociate Arisman’s actions from UDD? Is it from the govt TV?
Even the not-so-neutral Bangkok Post said UDD defends Arisman’s action. See this link: http://www.bangkokpost.com/breakingnews/173939/udd-defends-arisman
As of this posting at 22:45 local time, Suthep/Abhisit tried hard to disrupt People Channel TV transmissions. They manage to disrupt the C-Band system, but not the KU-Band that my satellite dish is using.
This is Thailand! The country where the poo-yais spawn monsters by cutting too much slack for their own corrupt arrogant sort. You silly people overindulged Thaksin and he became the hydra-headed monster that he is today. Let’s have none of this earnest pseudo-intellectual nonsense about “Its not all about Thaksin”. It has everything to do with that man being allowed to rip the country off by weak-willed people of his own priviledged class. It also has everything to do with the fact that various factions of the the poo-yais are battling it out to see who gets all the power and dosh when the weak succession occurs. You poo-yais make me sick! You monopolise and corrupt everything (including the desire for reform) for your own personal gain. You red shirts and yellow shirts are nothing more than the brainwashed sold-out goon squads of this sickly, perverse, inbred, backstabbing ‘elite’.
Enrico and Benny must be terribly embarrassed . . . and I truly sympathize. But take solace Enrico and Benny that there are indeed very pure Reds in this world . . . I could already count at least two Reds-with-no-honest mistakes at this thread.
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Volunteering to fight in Burma
Thanks Mike for your many years of true friendship. I trust things are going well for you and your family.
Yes, I shall be in the very near future flying abroad (again). Am so very lucky to be able to travel and broaden my perspective and of course be able to see more of the world.
Currently I am campaigning for the position Mayor, here in Lusk, Wyoming!
State of Emergency in Bangkok
JohnH#17 – I agree : it is a fiasco.
I think the only way out is a national unity government, and new elections.
Is it possible for Thaksin to return without being assassinated ?
I doubt it.
Meanwhile the Red Shirts are increasingly breaking away from domination by him – eg. they’re now receiving large donations from other big business groups.
State of Emergency in Bangkok
I defy any of you here to really know the truth to what is or is not happening. You, we, are all being mislead by the various media outlets, whatever their political colouring, and their selective reporting of events. And so, as if we are all believing anything we hear or see, I detect a note of hysteria creeping onto this site.
I note now – elsewhere on here – that the red shirt protesters are now mostly made up of Bangkokians, not people from Isaan as previously reported or depicted on TV and in the newspapers. Clearly, the number of vehicles entering Bangkok 10 or so days ago filled with Isaan folk was a dastardly set up.
According to Thai TV yesterday evening, the authorites apprehended the two men responsible for throwing the cannisters. They were red shirts, or at least people wearing red shirts…
During Thaksin’s vid cast a few days ago, he apoplectically thundered the promises that should he return, he will…’provide a PC for every school child in Thailand and solve Bangkok’s annual flood problems…’
As he did with the Bangkok traffic problems many years ago, no doubt…
The truth is, there no truth in this fiasco.
State of Emergency in Bangkok
This is just what Thais and expats get here for “keeping a low profile.” I know, when you stand up above the firing line you get shot, but people’s lack of input when it was needed helped bring this situation about.
State of Emergency in Bangkok
Julian, I am sorry the Reds can do no wrong…enjoy your dillusions
State of Emergency in Bangkok
The Frog@5 – where Anupong sits over the next few days is most interesting of all.
Very interesting indeed that Abhisit has placed Anupong under Suthep with these emergency powers.
Maybe all this is playing into Anupong’s reluctant hands – and a coup in his favour may be launched.
Certainly it’s very hard to launch one against him. Anupong succesfully stared down an imminent coup attempt against him while he visited the US, indicating he’s extremely strong.
That way he could do what Sonthi, leader of 2006’s coup, did – i.e. delay his retirement by one year, thereby blocking General Prayuth Ocha, his deputy and hitherto supporter – but now his main rival, perhaps backed by Her Majesty The Queen, with
HMQ being viewed as a Regent solution to Thailand’s succession dilemma.
We have to bear in mind two salient facts :
1) ultimate trigger for the 2006 coup was Thaksin’s apparent
desire to remove Sonthi. Thai coups typically take place when civilian PMs try to remove top brass, especially the Army Chief.
2) Anupong seems in the tradition of liberal, anti-coup generals such as General Kris during 1973, and later General Kriangsak – but considerably stronger than either.
Imagining a new mandala in mainland Southeast Asia
@banrachawong
Bangkok or bust, Part 1
While I read here regularly I usually have little offer since my orientation seems much more empirical than political, as in much of the discussion here. Regarding the The Village fund (VFR) those discussing it may find this World Bank report Does the Village Fund Matter in Thailand to be of interest. In summary the findings are as follows.
For households obtaining Village Fund loans expenditures increased by 3.3% and income by 1.9%.
The effects were greatest in the lowest income quintile where expenditures increased by 5.5%.
The primary beneficiaries were credit constrained farmers and there seems to be little impact with regard to increasing non-farm income.
There exist synergies between BAAC and VRF loans. Household obtaining credit from both sources had the largest increases in both expenditures and income.
Many interesting details, qualifications and references as well.
The link is here.
Empirically,
Bob
Imagining a new mandala in mainland Southeast Asia
Banrachawong#44 re :
“@chris beale
voting is not the only way of influencing people and I think you know that”.
Yes – up to a point.
I think it was a good idea – of General Anupong’s ? – that Anand Panyarachun (of whom I have the highest respect), Chuan Leek Pai, and General Chavalit, all very good people, get together to find a way out of this crisis.
@chris beale & Media War
“the very problem of how some westerners always think they know better than us”.
I never take this attitude. As written numerous times on previous posts, I find Thailand one of the most complex, subtle and difficult societies anywhere, to understand.
I post on this blog – often with provocative comments – simply to elicit responses from people who know more than me, so to further understand.
I never blog, or take part in any politics within Thailand, because of respect for Thai sovereignty.
Sorry if my style is blunt, but that is the way we speak in Western societies, especially New World Western societies such as Australia.
How are the Nam Theun 2 resettlees going?
Wow, so people not only need nice comfy houses and facilities but they also need livelihoods and these are based upon the land, and the land is the one thing the project is taking away and it is far from conclusive that anything but good land can successfully provide for these livelihoods or for the feeling of stability that these people crave. Maybe someone can rework Richard Sennet’s The Corrosion of Character to explain why they are still unhappy even after all the goodies. Is there a middle ‘ground’ (most of the development industry faithful need to believe so) or is it really just a case of sacrificing a few thousand livelihoods for the benefit of a large income from electricity sales for the state? There is nothing like hydropower for splitting camps. In the end you are either for or against the Dam, which (if we are really honest) means being for or against screwing these people over.
State of Emergency in Bangkok
Looking at pictures on the Bangkok Post web-site, this just seems too neat.
Police stand back while Red Shirts climb over the gates to Parliament, then the Red Shirts unlock them while police look on.
Then a soldier steps OUT of a car with a machine gun – with the lame excuse he was trying to prevent Red Shirts getting hold of weapons in that car.
Why did n’t he simply lock the car?
Gas canisters are thrown at Parliament, and before that at Rachaprasong, to get the Red Shirts stirred up.
And then there’s the misinformation campaign, picked up by Bloomberg and others, and relayed here in Australia via the Sydney Morning Herald – namely that a vehicle rammed Parliament’s gates, allowing the Red Shirts entry, when the Bangkok Post photos clearly show otherwise.
And hey wow – we now have Thanong at The Nation, reversing his verdict that Abhisit was about to be ousted by Parliamentary coup, backed by military pressure.
Remember how Abhisit and Newin’s Blue Shirts were subsequently alleged to have staged a set-up of the Red Shirts
at Pattaya, during the Songkran riots ?
Perhaps I’m too suspicious, but I smell another set-up.
State of Emergency in Bangkok
The Thai visa blog is only relevant in terms of ethnographic material on expat petty-bourgois and their affinity to fascism.
I find the common argument in the media surprising that due to the red-shirts (they are no reds!) things will get worse. Is this wishful thinking? Since 2006 it is quite impossible that matters can get any worse. Consequently, one should be thankful to the red shirts that they try to initiate changes. Well perhaps I am wrong. A coup organized again by the royalist-tycoon elite with the Bangkok petty-bourgoisie (yellow shirts) as willing tools might in fact push matters over the edge. Thailand is at a cross-road. Perhaps the comming days deceide whether it will continue on a path towards barbary (Burma as example) or turn towards a more civilized direction.
On mobility and inequality in Thailand and elsewhere
Hi Nich,
I am keenly interested in any replies that you get to this query since my post-doc research at ARI in Singapore will be on just this topic although I plan on taking a more qualitative approach (the title of the project is: A Question of Class: Migrant Stories, Inter-generational Aspirations and the Construction of Social and Economic Class in Contemporary Thailand).
I will begin the background research on this project next month and let you know of any resources I come across.
Thanks also for the information on this research on China – it is immensely helpful.
Best, Maureen
State of Emergency in Bangkok
Good evening, fellow amart!
Not too long ago my Isaan housekeeper (rural phrai) began to wail at the top of her lungs. She was distraught that the People’s Channel went off the air. I checked and can confirm that the Red Shirts’ cable propaganda machine is no longer available for viewing. It appears that the Thai government’s State of Emergency is taking affect. What’s next?
I am praying that the military authorities flex their muscles and disperse the Red Shirts from Bangkok’s spiritual center – Ratchaprasong – through the application of force. These intruders have betrayed their Thai identity and should have their citizenship revoked. The leadership of the Red Shirts state nothing more than hate, rumours, slander and falsehoods about the meritorious Thai elite and the injustices that exist in this country. On the other hand, we Yellow Shirts during our season of peaceful marches and protests engaged in factual criticisms of the Thaksin regime and its proxies, Samak and Somchai. Plus, ASTV was embraced by all the good people of this land because it reported the truth. Here’s an example of how the Yellow Shirts were defending the integrity of the Kingdom’s democratic institutions and structures. Can the same be said of the Red Shirts?
But I would like to express an inner disappointment. I expect the State (and the person who occupies the post of prime minister) to make sure that the interests of the established elite be safeguarded from the uncouth masses. Accordingly, we do not need mannequins like Abhisit at the helm of the government. He has proven to be immensely inadequate for the job. Khun Suthep Thaugsuban (chief CAPO) is much more appropriate and he knows how to play the game of politics. Another alternative to Suthep would be Khun Sanan Kachornprasart. He has been rehabilitated and his karma restored. We need real men who have read Niccolo Machiavelli’s The Prince and who understand intimately what power means and the importance of patron-client relations, not some Oxford dandy whose favorite novel is Alice in Wonderland. Long live Suthep! Long live Sanan! Long live Anupong! Bring back the Constitution of 1968!
Look, our rights, privileges and status as anointed amart must be preserved at all costs. If that means using sanctioned violence against unarmed civilians then so be it. Our society and culture are under threat from the Red scourge!
State of Emergency in Bangkok
Mathichon Online reports the incident when the Red Shirt protesters broke into the parliament buildings.
Pictures were taken as one of the Democrats MP was holding a shotgun in a ready-to-shoot position and guarding Suthep Thaugsuban before he left the area by helicopter.
Mathichon Online also reports one of Democrats MPs jokingly told reporter, “Shoot them down if they come in”.
http://www.matichon.co.th/news_detail.php?newsid=1270630669&grpid=01&catid=
State of Emergency in Bangkok
On getting into parliament, see this: http://www.thailandoutlook.tv/tan/ViewData.aspx?DataID=1027530
State of Emergency in Bangkok
GeGee, I reported what I saw on the reds’ TV. In a way, Suthep was successful in provoking Arisman to commit the “illegal” act of intruding the parliamentary grounds even though the gas canisters failed to explode. Imagine what would have happened if both canisters exploded and Suthep would be laughing all the way to the 11th Infantry Regiment. Unfortunately, the plot failed and he had to flee by a helicopter.
I would say you are also being selective by focusing only on Arisman’s “illegal” action to go inside. You prefer not to say what was the cause of Arisman’s action. This is in line what the Abhisit-controled TVs had been stressing: Arisman broke the law. These TV stations, especially NBT and Channel 9, were silent about the gas canisters.
I must ask you which source you got about Dr. Weng trying to disassociate Arisman’s actions from UDD? Is it from the govt TV?
Even the not-so-neutral Bangkok Post said UDD defends Arisman’s action. See this link: http://www.bangkokpost.com/breakingnews/173939/udd-defends-arisman
As of this posting at 22:45 local time, Suthep/Abhisit tried hard to disrupt People Channel TV transmissions. They manage to disrupt the C-Band system, but not the KU-Band that my satellite dish is using.
State of Emergency in Bangkok
The Red Shirt TV station is down… Prachathai is down… by whatever name, there’s been another coup in Thailand.
State of Emergency in Bangkok
This is Thailand! The country where the poo-yais spawn monsters by cutting too much slack for their own corrupt arrogant sort. You silly people overindulged Thaksin and he became the hydra-headed monster that he is today. Let’s have none of this earnest pseudo-intellectual nonsense about “Its not all about Thaksin”. It has everything to do with that man being allowed to rip the country off by weak-willed people of his own priviledged class. It also has everything to do with the fact that various factions of the the poo-yais are battling it out to see who gets all the power and dosh when the weak succession occurs. You poo-yais make me sick! You monopolise and corrupt everything (including the desire for reform) for your own personal gain. You red shirts and yellow shirts are nothing more than the brainwashed sold-out goon squads of this sickly, perverse, inbred, backstabbing ‘elite’.
Anti-pro-democracy
Enrico and Benny must be terribly embarrassed . . . and I truly sympathize. But take solace Enrico and Benny that there are indeed very pure Reds in this world . . . I could already count at least two Reds-with-no-honest mistakes at this thread.
(Hazard a guess Benny . . . hazard a guess . . .)