"Red-shirt protesters, at least 100,000 strong, occupied Rajdamnoen Avenue Saturday and more kept flowing into the capital from all over the Kingdom Saturday night. Arrivals quickly set up temporary shelters and cooked dinners in anticipation of a final bid to oust the Abhisit Vejjajiva administration and the old bureaucratic elite.
Makeshift toilets were being installed by the red shirts to supplement those provided by the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration, and many food stalls quickly sprang up. As night fell some traded stories, while others went to listen to the main stage's speakers on Phan Fah Bridge, which became a sea of red shirts."
http://www.nationmultimedia.com/home/2010/...p-30124614.html
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Over 100,000 REDS mass on Saturday night
Started by Harold, Mar 14 2010 07:36 AM
10 replies to this topic
#2
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Posted 14 March 2010 - 12:57 PM
It's impossible to estimate at this point how many Red Shirts have descended on Bangkok for the Sunday rally. It appears that the number is well over 100,000 and still growing, although the number of vehicles entering Bangkok has obviously been slowed by the military's insistence on searching every vehicle entering the city.The state-controlled TV stations are largely avoiding the rally, providing limited coverage on the hour's news break, with replays of PM Abhisit's speech this morning.
Whatever number of protesters may ultimately arrive, it's clear that there are more than enough people and vehicles in the streets of Bangkok to disrupt and paralyze the city, if they choose to do so. The issue is whether the Reds and their leaders will be content to simply blow off steam at a mega-rally and then go home, thus failing in their stated goal to unseat Abhisit as prime minister or forcing him to call for new elections.
The big question is whether the Red Shirts can paralyze Bangkok by sheer force of numbers, without causing or provoking violence that could spin out of control, but causing enough paralysis to force Abhisit to resign and call for new elections. Both probably have to happen simultaneously, because the Reds do not trust Abhisit to serve as an honest caretaker PM once the protesters go home.
In the event of major paralysis and/or violence in Bangkok, it's also possible that the Democratic-led coalition could collapse in parliament in favor of a new coalition led by Pheu Thai, Bhum Jai and Chart Thai, but with a non-Pheu Thai prime minister to act as a caretaker pending new elections.
There have been all sorts of rumors that Thaksin and Newin have buried the hatchet in an effort to get rid of the Abhisit-led government, which Bhum Jai reportedly despises. If the present coalition should collapse in parliament because the people who jumped ship before jump back again, it will be interesting to see if all those Army promises of no more coups were nothing but meaningless rhetoric. It's easy to promise no coup when you have a prime minister you control.
Whatever number of protesters may ultimately arrive, it's clear that there are more than enough people and vehicles in the streets of Bangkok to disrupt and paralyze the city, if they choose to do so. The issue is whether the Reds and their leaders will be content to simply blow off steam at a mega-rally and then go home, thus failing in their stated goal to unseat Abhisit as prime minister or forcing him to call for new elections.
The big question is whether the Red Shirts can paralyze Bangkok by sheer force of numbers, without causing or provoking violence that could spin out of control, but causing enough paralysis to force Abhisit to resign and call for new elections. Both probably have to happen simultaneously, because the Reds do not trust Abhisit to serve as an honest caretaker PM once the protesters go home.
In the event of major paralysis and/or violence in Bangkok, it's also possible that the Democratic-led coalition could collapse in parliament in favor of a new coalition led by Pheu Thai, Bhum Jai and Chart Thai, but with a non-Pheu Thai prime minister to act as a caretaker pending new elections.
There have been all sorts of rumors that Thaksin and Newin have buried the hatchet in an effort to get rid of the Abhisit-led government, which Bhum Jai reportedly despises. If the present coalition should collapse in parliament because the people who jumped ship before jump back again, it will be interesting to see if all those Army promises of no more coups were nothing but meaningless rhetoric. It's easy to promise no coup when you have a prime minister you control.
#3 Guest_Leopold_*
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Posted 14 March 2010 - 01:48 PM
QUOTE(expathai @ Mar 14 2010, 12:57 PM) 
There have been all sorts of rumors that Thaksin and Newin have buried the hatchet in an effort to get rid of the Abhisit-led government, which Bhum Jai reportedly despises. If the present coalition should collapse in parliament because the people who jumped ship before jump back again, it will be interesting to see if all those Army promises of no more coups were nothing but meaningless rhetoric. It's easy to promise no coup when you have a prime minister you control.
That is a possibility that I mentioned in one of my previous posts. What adds to the intrigue is that Parlamentary speaker (who happens to be the father of Newin)) called for the joint session of both chambers
of Parliament on Tuesday. It came as a total surprise to Abhisit. I found it quite interesting that the agenda is
the discussion of Constitutional amendmends which were rejected by Democrats but pushed by coalition partners. I do think that it is a little bit early to jump to any conclusions though.
#4
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Posted 14 March 2010 - 03:03 PM
The Times Online is now reporting that the Red shirt crowd now exceeds 200,000 people with more still arriving. The Reds have given Abhisit 24 hours to dissolve Parliament for new elections.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/worl...icle7061405.ece
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/worl...icle7061405.ece
#5
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Posted 14 March 2010 - 07:52 PM
According to Thanong Khanthong, who is one of the Nation's most radical anti-Thaksin writers, and who tends to shoot from the hip, Bhum Jai's de facto leader, Newin Chidchob, has jumped ship from Abhisit's coalition government and joined the Reds. This is from today's blog:
http://blog.nationmultimedia.com/thanong/2010/03/14/entry-1
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It is now certain that Newin Chidchob of Bhumjai Thai has stabbed Abhisit Vejjajiva, the prime minister, at the back. He has jumped ship and joined the Red Shirts. "Newin has betrayed Abhisit. This is one million per cent for sure. It is time that Abhisit dumps all the coalition partners to take the helm at this moment," said a very reliable source.
Newin is now in London, saying that he needs to visit his children studyin at the UK schools. It is an open secret that Newin has been in contact with former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. Sorry for the brief honeymoon. It's time to move on.
Another high-level source just told me that Suthep Thuagsuban, the deputy prime minister, has been very frustrated because he can't reach Newin at this critical hour.Newin has switched off his communication line with the Democrats.
Banharn Silapa-archa of Chat Thai Pattana and Phuea Phan Din have already made their decisions to join the Red Shirts, ready to desert the Democrats to form a new coalition government with the Pheu Thai Party of Thaksin.
Like father, like son, Chai Chidchob, the House Speaker, will call for a special joint partliamentary session between the House of Representatives and Senate on Tuesday, March 16, 2010 at 9:00 AM. A motion will be submitted to surprise Abhisit and the Democrats. Chai is preparing a guillotine for Abhisit.
"There is no need to call for such a joint session unless a deal is done. Abhisit and the Democrats will be dealt with a big shock. Perhaps during that parliamentary session, Maj Gen Sanan Khachornprasat of Chat Thai Pattana would achieve his life-long dream to become prime minister and to erase his bad memories," said the well-informed source." Thaksin's Phue Thai will hold back the temptation to grab the premiership for now. Let Sanan enjoy the toy first.
The only way out for Abhisit now is to dump all the coalition partners to form a minority government. Strangely enough, Abhisit does not feel that he is bleeding. If Abhisit fails to block the "Brutus" conspiracy in Parliament, he will, like Julius Caesar, be stabbed to death on the steps of Parliament.
Abhisit will have to dump his entire Cabinet and replaced it with the old guards, who have the experience and the mettle to help him steer the country out of the current political crisis. As a minority government, Abhisit can be fully in charge -- at least over the coming months before the new election is held. Most important, Abhisit can lay all the blame to Newin, who is the catalyst of this Red Shirts' ambush."
Newin is now in London, saying that he needs to visit his children studyin at the UK schools. It is an open secret that Newin has been in contact with former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. Sorry for the brief honeymoon. It's time to move on.
Another high-level source just told me that Suthep Thuagsuban, the deputy prime minister, has been very frustrated because he can't reach Newin at this critical hour.Newin has switched off his communication line with the Democrats.
Banharn Silapa-archa of Chat Thai Pattana and Phuea Phan Din have already made their decisions to join the Red Shirts, ready to desert the Democrats to form a new coalition government with the Pheu Thai Party of Thaksin.
Like father, like son, Chai Chidchob, the House Speaker, will call for a special joint partliamentary session between the House of Representatives and Senate on Tuesday, March 16, 2010 at 9:00 AM. A motion will be submitted to surprise Abhisit and the Democrats. Chai is preparing a guillotine for Abhisit.
"There is no need to call for such a joint session unless a deal is done. Abhisit and the Democrats will be dealt with a big shock. Perhaps during that parliamentary session, Maj Gen Sanan Khachornprasat of Chat Thai Pattana would achieve his life-long dream to become prime minister and to erase his bad memories," said the well-informed source." Thaksin's Phue Thai will hold back the temptation to grab the premiership for now. Let Sanan enjoy the toy first.
The only way out for Abhisit now is to dump all the coalition partners to form a minority government. Strangely enough, Abhisit does not feel that he is bleeding. If Abhisit fails to block the "Brutus" conspiracy in Parliament, he will, like Julius Caesar, be stabbed to death on the steps of Parliament.
Abhisit will have to dump his entire Cabinet and replaced it with the old guards, who have the experience and the mettle to help him steer the country out of the current political crisis. As a minority government, Abhisit can be fully in charge -- at least over the coming months before the new election is held. Most important, Abhisit can lay all the blame to Newin, who is the catalyst of this Red Shirts' ambush."
http://blog.nationmultimedia.com/thanong/2010/03/14/entry-1
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Posted 15 March 2010 - 01:20 PM
I have no idea if what this guy Thanong says is true about Bhum Jai. What's really disturbing is that any newspaper would allow such an emotional, almost hysterical piece to be published. This kind of totally unprofessional writer should not be allowed to get anywhere near a keyboard. I have seen more rational and better writing in 9th grade essays.
#7
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Posted 16 March 2010 - 03:40 PM
The problem with giving any credit to Thanong is that he has thrown so many political tantrums and cried wolf on so many issues so many times that people have stopped paying attention to him. He is so consumed by his animosity towards Thaksin that he has lost the ability to make an objective analysis of the political situation.
For example, the fact that Newin Chidchob is away in the UK and not returning calls could easily mean that he wants to keep a very low profile during this red demonstration. Why? Because all those folks from Issan who are in Bangkok demonstrating, are the same people that Newin and his Bhum Jai will be courting for votes when the elections eventually roll around. The last thing Newin wants is to antagonize them further by appearing to criticize their rally, especially since a lot of these Issan people view Newin as a traitor to Thaksin for scuttling the Pheu Thai government and joining the Democrat coalition.
Newin might also figure that he has maximum negotiating room for more power in the coalition with Abhisit if he plays coy and lets Abhisit think he may be jumping ship. Lord only knows what Junior might promise Newin if he thinks his keeping the prime minister's chair depends on holding Bhum Jai in the coalition.
For example, the fact that Newin Chidchob is away in the UK and not returning calls could easily mean that he wants to keep a very low profile during this red demonstration. Why? Because all those folks from Issan who are in Bangkok demonstrating, are the same people that Newin and his Bhum Jai will be courting for votes when the elections eventually roll around. The last thing Newin wants is to antagonize them further by appearing to criticize their rally, especially since a lot of these Issan people view Newin as a traitor to Thaksin for scuttling the Pheu Thai government and joining the Democrat coalition.
Newin might also figure that he has maximum negotiating room for more power in the coalition with Abhisit if he plays coy and lets Abhisit think he may be jumping ship. Lord only knows what Junior might promise Newin if he thinks his keeping the prime minister's chair depends on holding Bhum Jai in the coalition.
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Posted 16 March 2010 - 09:15 PM
I agree with previous posters. Thanong hardly has any credibility and his blog cannot be trusted.
The problem with Thai politicians is that almost everyone of them wants to become a Prime Minister even for a very short period of time and under very dire circumstances. It is especially strange under current Constitution which delegates real power to non-elected structures leaving to PM a kind of nominal role.
Editor's Note: This post has been edited to remove the repetition of the previous post in its entirety. The poster is reminded again that posters agree on registration to refrain from copying and pasting long or duplicate quotes of previous posts, which are there in the original for all to read. This practice simple clutters threads and hinders easy reading. Thank you.
The problem with Thai politicians is that almost everyone of them wants to become a Prime Minister even for a very short period of time and under very dire circumstances. It is especially strange under current Constitution which delegates real power to non-elected structures leaving to PM a kind of nominal role.
Editor's Note: This post has been edited to remove the repetition of the previous post in its entirety. The poster is reminded again that posters agree on registration to refrain from copying and pasting long or duplicate quotes of previous posts, which are there in the original for all to read. This practice simple clutters threads and hinders easy reading. Thank you.
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Posted 17 March 2010 - 03:49 PM
Based on some of the comments made above, this looks like it may be more pressure from Newin and Bhum Jai to squeeze concessions from Abhisit under threat of losing his coalition.
"Interior Minister Chaovarat Chanweerakul, the Bhum Jai Thai Party leader, Wednesday expressed surprise over the report that Parliament President Chai Chidchob would hold a discussion in the party about House dissolution.
Chaovarat was approached by reporters for comment over reports that Chai wanted the Bhum Jai Thai to propose House dissolution after MPs did not make quorum for House meetings for several meetings in a row."I've never heard about this. No one talked about it," Chavarat said."
http://www.nationmultimedia.com/home/Chava...i-30124909.html
"Interior Minister Chaovarat Chanweerakul, the Bhum Jai Thai Party leader, Wednesday expressed surprise over the report that Parliament President Chai Chidchob would hold a discussion in the party about House dissolution.
Chaovarat was approached by reporters for comment over reports that Chai wanted the Bhum Jai Thai to propose House dissolution after MPs did not make quorum for House meetings for several meetings in a row."I've never heard about this. No one talked about it," Chavarat said."
http://www.nationmultimedia.com/home/Chava...i-30124909.html
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Posted 18 March 2010 - 01:54 PM
[attachmentid=732]
the internet Nation today showing Thaksin with his daughter in Montenegro. Meanwhile, Thanong's blog says his spies tell him Thaksin is really in Cambodia !!!
The poor man needs psychiatric help.
the internet Nation today showing Thaksin with his daughter in Montenegro. Meanwhile, Thanong's blog says his spies tell him Thaksin is really in Cambodia !!!
The poor man needs psychiatric help.
Attached Images
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Posted 19 March 2010 - 04:10 PM
[attachmentid=733]
Take a look at his blog today, which he dated "Mach 19," in which he is frothing at the mouth, claiming that that there was a plot to stage a "parliamentary coup" last Tuesday, whatever the hell that's supposed to be. He also claims Parliament was called to meet last Tuesday as part of a trap to surround the building and maybe kill Abhisit if he had attended. It's almost comical to read the rantings - until you realize this man is one of the Nation's principal reporters !!!!
http://blog.nationmultimedia.com/thanong/2010/03/19/entry-1
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The poor man needs psychiatric help.
Take a look at his blog today, which he dated "Mach 19," in which he is frothing at the mouth, claiming that that there was a plot to stage a "parliamentary coup" last Tuesday, whatever the hell that's supposed to be. He also claims Parliament was called to meet last Tuesday as part of a trap to surround the building and maybe kill Abhisit if he had attended. It's almost comical to read the rantings - until you realize this man is one of the Nation's principal reporters !!!!
http://blog.nationmultimedia.com/thanong/2010/03/19/entry-1
