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The motivation for the September 2006 military coup was outrage among royalists at the activities of then prime minister and billionaire businessman Thaksin, who was seen as attempting to undermine the role of the monarchy as the unifying and binding force in Thai national life.
While no one suggests the king was involved in the coup, Thaksin supporters are less reluctant to point at former prime minister and army chief, Gen. Prem Tinsulanonda, who is the president of the King’s Privy Council.
– Extracted from Jonathan Manthorpe, “Thailand’s political turmoil remains unresolved four years after coup”, Vancouver Sun, 18 October 2010.
So what else is new? This is the same old story about the noble military coming to the rescue of the Thai Kingdom which otherwise cannot be saved byany other hands deemed disloyal somehow. In short, no one but the military can save this holy kingdom. And so, common Thai citizens, it’s your lot to suffer to no end. At best, your country is pseudo-democratic, and they use you as some kind of excuse.
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Sorry not really related to this article but didn’t know where to post.
Anyone else having problems accessing NM in Thailand.
I have not been able to access for a couple of weeks now (except on proxy server). Page comes up as “connection reset”
I’m on 3BB in Chiang Mai. My internet works OK and no problems with other sites.
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But most assume that the bombings are the work of the military themselves. He does mention that ‘some think so’ further on… but puts it in the realm of ‘conspiracy theories’ in the same breath.
Neo-liberals don’t bat an eye at authoritarian governments. They like ’em. Every currency is up against the dollar, US printing presses are running full-speed, Free Money! Borrow it here and lend it there and live on the difference. The US Fed is going to inflate away the exploding US debt, apparently.
I guess you published this as a sort of “and here’s what the people in Vancouver are reading about Thailand” piece?
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@ UKreader (#2)
As it happens, I’m also in Chiang Mai and using 3BB (8Mb). Accessing NM was notably slow/creaky for most of last week, but eventually it always got through. Seems to be back to about normal now.
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More comment on the Vancouver Sun article at
http://thaipoliticalprisoners.wordpress.com/2010/10/18/soldiers-palace-and-politics/
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Still can’t access NM, but fine on proxy server.
Get a blank page or connection interrupted. Tried multiple times today but always end up on proxy.
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Circumstantially and by motives, the Bangkok bombings including the recent unintended Nonthaburi self-detonated explosion that killed four people including a known Red guard Samai, do appear to be the handiwork of violent radical Reds. What is abhorrent is that the ‘peaceful’ Reds appear to condone or encourage activities of the violent radical Reds.
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Circumstantially and by motive the Bangkok bombings including the recent Nonthaburi explosion that killed four people said to include a man claimed to be a Red guard, Samai, do appear to be the handiwork of the Thai military. What is abhorrent is that the ‘civilian’ Regime condones and encourages activities of the violent Thai military and the Thai MSM mindlessly prints DSI/CRES allegations, put forth without a shred of evidence, as The Truth.
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Thai MSM, and trolls on the payroll of the DSI/CRES of course, mindlessly put forth DSI/CRES allegations without a shred of evidence, as The Truth.
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But John Francis Lee, the dead bomber Samai (detonated himself accidentally and three others at Nothaburi) was identified as hardcore Red. And the money trail indicated that dead bomber Samai was paid by someone connected to a high-ranking Peau Thai Party executive and MP, right?.
Isn’t that circumstantial enough, if not ‘smoking gun’ evidence?
For motives and violence streak, the Thai people were witness to the April-May 2010 bombing rampage, high assault rifle attacks by the violent Red radicals, with the ‘peaceful’ Reds cheering every time the M79 grenade launchers made a direct hit to some innocent bystanders. And for pure malice as motive, there was the arson rampage during the Black May 2010 rampage.
Now Mr. John Francis Lee, what could be more incriminating than all the above background reading on the Reds?
The dear departed General Khattiya, before his assassination, made some really damning confessions about the motives of the Reds (for Thaksin, by Thaksin and only Thaksin, what else?). And General Khattiya also confessed that all his activities (very violent activities) were approved by Thaksin. Even at this very moment, Peau Thai Party executive Chalerm Yubamrung openly repeatedly avers to the Peau Thai Party as nothing more than the extension of Thaksin’s persona.
So how could not anybody, including John Francis Lee (if not in denial) conclude that the current ongoing Bangkok bombings as being the handiwork of no other group, but the Red Radicals themselves?
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An arm was said by the DSI to have been found with fingers still attached whose prints matched those of Samai who was said by the DSI to be a ‘red guard’ who ‘myseriously disappeared’ the night before the May Military Massacre at Ratchaprasong. No evidence given for either assertion. The non-evidence offered is as consistent with
1. the arm of a random dead person being planted at the site and the prints of its fingers being ‘identified’ as those of Samai by the DSI, or
2. the arm of the DSI/CRES’ paid red shirt infiltrator, Samai, being planted at the site and the prints of its fingers being ‘identified’ as those of Samai by the DSI, or
3. the arm of the disappeared, tortured, and murdered red shirt guard, Samai, being planted at the site and the prints of its fingers being ‘identified’ as those of Samai by the DSI, or
4. one can continue speculating.
Clearly you and the DSI feel that your story is compelling, is enough. You have the MSM in Thailand printing it as The Truth as well. But it’s just a story like any of a long list of stories centered on the ‘facts’, most likely fabricated in my opinion, by the DSI.
The business about the secretary being given 500 baht to deposit 50,000 to the account of the guy said to have been to the apartment before the blast has no real bearing on anything, is truly of the ‘circumstantial’ variety and is as easily explained as an act of the DSI as any other.
Most people trying to ‘prove’ a case try to avoid the word ‘circumstantial’ rather than revel in it. You at the DSI seem to have been taking lessons from Robert Amsterdam and ‘trying’ your case in the complicit Thai media. You seem to honor Thaksin more and more through your emulation of his tactics, from your dogged implementation of his Emergency Decree to his present full-court media press.
Yes, the Thai people were witness to the April-May 2010 DSI/CRES bombing rampage; to the high-velocity bullets blowing out the brains of the unarmed Thai protestors during the assault rifle attacks by the vicious Thai military, who have only ever killed Thais; with the ‘peaceful’ Bangkok middle class cheering every time the M79 grenade launchers made a direct hit to some innocent bystanders. And for pure greed as motive there was the arson rampage that took place under the watchful eyes of the occupying Thai military, an opportunistic assault on their insurance companies by the Bangkok commercial “elite” during the Black May 2010 rampage.
As regards the bombings… all the violence in general… cui bono? It is the DSI/CRES that think they benefit from the bombings, attempting to create the bogus, circumstantial ‘evidence’ of red-shirt agency that you cite above as justification of the permanent existence of the CRES/SLORC/DSI and their de facto coup of 2010.
You are an interested party Vichai. You get paid to push the party line. My line is the anti-party line of my personal skepticism. All I can see is 800 pound gorilla, the obviously fabricated story line that is turning Thailand into the Siamese twin of Burma. You and the DSI/SLORC/CRES have effectively unlimited funds to push your propaganda. I don’t buy it. No one who requires evidence instead of self-serving assertion does either. Bye, bye Vichai.
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But John Francis Lee, here is what is reported about Samai Wongsuwan, suspected bomber responsible for the Oct. 5th Nonthaburi explostion that killed four people including Samai. And if you will look closely at the dates, and times, when witnesses saw Samai just hours before accidentally blew himself up and the neighborhood, your alternative ‘story’ that CRES itself could have been responsible for the Nonthaburi explosion seem very farfetched indeed.
http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/local/200096/blast-toll-climbs-to-four
(a) A native of Chiang Mai’s Hang Dong district and a staunch red shirt supporter, Mr Samai was arrested in Chiang Mai in connection with an assault on a group of yellow shirt supporters on Aug 23 last year. He was suspected of throwing a grenade at an office of yellow shirt supporters.
(b) Based on the explosives and the technique of bomb making found at the Nonthaburi scene, Samai might be linked to four bombing incidents: the Santirat School bomb attack on September 8, the attack at the parking lot of Big C supercentre on Ngarm Wongwan Road on September 8, the Public Health Ministry attack on September 9 and the Royal Turf Club attack on September 26.
(c) Samai moved into the apartment building (that exploded) at Bang Bua Thong on September 23.
(d) A security camera at the apartment also captured Mr Samai seeing off a married couple hours before the blast, said the CSD officer who requested anonymity.
(e) Pattaraporn Petnil, 38, a housekeeper, said a couple, travelling in a Toyota pickup truck with Narathiwat licence plates, visited Mr Samai’s room often. The housekeeper saw the three of them entering the apartment at 11am on Tuesday (Oct. 5th) and making a number of trips between the room and the car carrying pillows and fertiliser sacks.
Any more alternative stories Mr. John Francis Lee? And hadn’t we met before John Francis Lee about your Prachatai other alternative unsubstantiated story of ‘piles of bodies’ at Rachaprasong during Black May 2010 crackdown?
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@John, where’s the ‘circumstantial evidence’ of military involvement in the Bangkok bombings you mention? Would you care to give us the source for the rumour so that we may see it is bereft of fact? And since army personnel are some of the principal victims, would you care to explain the army’s ‘motivation’ for killing its own staff?
There have been no bombings in Bangkok since the red bomb maker blew himself to pieces. The guy was already wanted on explosive related matters. Apparently he also wasn’t big on travel, hence the somewhat bizzarre series of bombings and RPG attack in Nonthaburi.
And John…tsk tsk…you appear to have overlooked the fact that Puea Thai MPs have been busted depositing large sums of money to the deceased. Cooincidence, apparently 🙂
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Simon – 13
where’s the ‘circumstantial evidence’ of military involvement in the Bangkok bombings you mention?
Initially the police report that the explosion was due to TNT then they changed to uria benzine mix. Now if we are to take the initial report then TNT is a control explosive substance so no ordinary man can get their hand on that sort of explosive material.
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The Ghost of Samai … the pipe-bombs of Samai …. Samai the Red bomber, or his student could be responsible for the latest carnage at Erawan Shrine bombing!
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