8 replies to this topic

[mauRICE]

Just heard this from my Thai friends in Bangkok and Al Jazeera.

[TheYenta]

There's a scary article called: Abhisit’s last Card: Ultra-Royalism? that's written by Pravit Rojanaphruk, who writes for both The Nation and Prachatai, which are publications poles apart in their political positions. More recently, Pravit seems to have shifted in Prachatai ( which the government tried to close last week) decidedly against Abhisit and his "ultra-royalist" supporters. In this article, he raises the specter of a royalist coup based on the old chestnut that the Red Shirts' calls for democracy are nothing but disguised attempts to attack and abolish the monarchy.

Judge for yourself:

Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva addressed the nation in the afternoon of Monday April 11, 2010 stating that “terrorists” have infiltrated the red-shirt movement seeking to bring about a “major change” to Thailand.

Now that Abhisit is hemorrhaging most if not all of his legitimacy, could he be desperate and callous enough to accuse the red-shirt leadership and the movement of being an anti-monarchist movement? The new terms: “terrorists” and “major change [to Thailand]” is chilling enough already but could this be a prelude to an all-out allegation in order to justify another brutal crackdown?

As I type these words, rumour spread widely about a possible ultra-royalist coup. A reliable red-shirt source told this writer this afternoon that they’re preparing to face a coup as well, adding that a significant number of soldiers who are on the red-shirt side are prepared for a showdown.

If Abhisit (or anyone who might be pulling the strings from behind) think of launching an “ultra-royalist” crackdown or coup by blaming red shirts for seeking to establish a “new Thai state” as the yellow-shirt People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD) and a number of conservative ultra-royalist media have long been accusing then much blood will be spilled, so much that it may make Saturday night’s crackdown/confrontation which led to 21 deaths and 858 wounded look like a miniature dress rehearsal.

I dread to think what may happen in the coming days but what little democracy, liberty and equality Thais have gained as a result of decades of struggle and sacrifice must be assiduously protected.

The time to prepare for the worst is now."

http://www.prachatai.org/english/node/1734

[Hedda]

[attachmentid=772] If you want to read something on this topic that's bone chilling, take a look at Sopon Onkgara's [photo left] latest piece of work in the Nation, linked below.

After labeling the red shirts as "crazed terrorists" reminiscent of "brute forces" in Africa, a barely disguised appeal to color prejudice, the man who seems to covet the prize of being the Nation's most vitriolic propagandist cries out: "The national institutions, especially the monarchy, face real peril."

His solution: "Prime Minister Abhisit has a few choices left. If he wants to survive this snowballing terror, he must delegate authority to the military to take action and deal with the red shirts by whatever means to restore law and order, with martial law as the last resort."

Make no mistake about it, there are elements in this country who still think that the massacre of protesters in 1976 and 1992 are the template for resolving the current situation. They think that by simply labeling their opponents as threats to the monarchy, they can justify slaughter. Hopefully, the generals who would have to order this kind of organized mayhem realize that its most likely outcome would be a bloody civil war of incalculable horror and political consequences, with the haunting spectacle of the military itself divided into opposing armies shooting at each other.

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/home/2010/...m-30127095.html

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[B.I.G.]

The man who seems to covet the prize of being the Nation's most vitriolic propagandist cries out: "The national institutions, especially the monarchy, face real peril."

His twin at the Nation, Thanong Khanthong, isn't far behind. His blog articles since Satruday's violence have been hysterical calls for Abhisit to unleash certain generals he says know how to deal with urban terrorism. His words are dripping with blood lust.

At the same time, he claims that the so-called terrorists who were involved on Saturday night were actually Rangers from Pakthongchai, Nakhon Rachasima, involved in what he calls a "cruel, ugly and vicious betrayal within the military circle." He claims that General Anuping and his deputy, General Prayuth, "are no longer on speaking terms."

Based on what and how these guys from the Nation are writing, it appears that the extreme reactionary elements they represent want to provoke Abhisit and military hard heads like Prayuth into another bloody confrontation with the red Shirts. The big question is: Are they just plain nuts or are they really trying to create enough chaos to justify the next military coup ?

[Dick]

he claims that the so-called terrorists who were involved on Saturday night were actually Rangers from Pakthongchai, Nakhon Rachasima, involved in what he calls a "cruel, ugly and vicious betrayal within the military circle."

That's interesting in view of the latest from the red Shirts:

"The "terrorists" the prime minister said instigated the bloodshed on Saturday night are malcontent soldiers intent on bringing down the government, UDD leader Natthawut Saikua said on Tuesday.He said the government should find and arrest them. . .

Deputy Prime MInister Suthep Thaugsuban also accused unidentified armed men of causing the chaos.

"The terrorists the government claimed [were there] are soldiers who do not accept the current administration, causing conflict within the army," Mr Natthawut said. "They used the opportunity on Saturday to create unrest." He did not identify them, or offer to help with their arrest."

http://www.bangkokpost.com/breakingnews/17...ellious-soldier

[TheYenta]

The big question is: Are they just plain nuts or are they really trying to create enough chaos to justify the next military coup ?

I wonder if they are not trying to scare the Red Shirts into making a deal with Abhisit, insted of risking a coup. It's easy for hot headed writers to make threats. The question is whether there are men in the army who are prepared to act on the threats.My sense of the situation is that the army is not going to go to war against the people, risking mutiny and/or civil war, just to save Abhisit's government.

[Harold]

There's a English language translation of an article written yesterday by the owner of the Thai Post which is also way over the top, calling for reforms, but predicting civil war unless action is taken. He claims that the Red shirts are pursuing the goals of "old time communists" engaged in a "subversive movement against the throne." He claims that the Red shirts have fooled "the peasants" into marching on Bangkok. He urges the army to identify the subversives in order to "strike at the right point...those who must be suppressed or killed."

http://www.prachatai.org/english/node/1736

[Tony]

A spokesman for Pheu Thai Party is also warning that a coup is being planned, presumably by General Prayuth, the deputy army commander who is rumored to be at odds with his boss, General Anupong.

"A senior army general whose his name starts with the letter “P” is planning a military coup to spare the Democrat Party from dissolution, Puea Thai spokesman Prompong Nopparit said on Wednesday.The coup would also enable the general’s subordinates who used force against the red-shirt protesters on Saturday to avoid punishment, Mr Prompong claimed.

“If the general succeeds in staging the coup, the 2007 constitution will be revoked and the Democrat Party will escape punishment,” the Puea Thai spokesman said.

Mr Prompong claimed the army general in question was now busy verifying the number of commanders who would support him. Several commanders were opposed to another coup, saying it is not a solution to political problems, he said. He warned that if the general tries to stage a coup, there would be more clashes, more violent than Saturday's incident. The people would come out and fight the coup-makers. A civil war was likely, he said."

http://www.bangkokpost.com/breakingnews/17...to-stage-a-coup

[Hedda]

I suppose that, in a country that's had far more coups than hurricanes or elections, you have to take seriously all these warnings that another one's coming. Indeed, if you have read Paul Handley's banned book, some of the things that have been appearing in the press lately look eerily like Chapters already written.

Putting aside some of the claims by figures who have an obvious political axe to grind, one of the more frightening aspects of the current situation is the degree to which newspapers like the Nation seem willing to fan the winds of a possible civil war by inciting violence against the red shirts as "enemies of the monarchy." Writers like Thanong Kanthong and Sopon Ongkara have allowed their fervent anti-Thaksin zeal to morph into a cry for retribution in the wake of what happened last Saturday.The tragedy is that they have seized on the monarchy to justify their fanaticism, exposing it to scrutiny that may do more harm than good.

Pracahtai reports that a group of 100 people led by a university medical doctor, who claim no political allegiance, assembled at the Victory Monument to support PM Abhisit and sing anti-communist songs, some with a melody written by the King, that were popular during the bloody anti-communist campaigns 40 years ago.

According to Pracahtai, this former PAD member urging Abhisit to fight on, spoke at PAD rallies in 2008, calling for the ouster and death of former PM Somchai because two PAD protesters were killed in the police crackdown at government house. "He went on to say that, speaking as a doctor, love for the country and the king was embedded only in Thais’ DNA, not that of other peoples. It was a pity that many Thais had mutated and did not have the love for the king in their DNA and should not be called Thai."

There's no way to describe this kind of situation other than to say that the patients have taken over the wards. What's terrifying is that there appear to be elements of the current government, the army, its controlled media and supposed "independent" newspapers, who are encouraging this fanaticism. One can only hope for Thailand's sake that Abhisit Vejjajiva and the upper echelons of the Thai military are not prepared to follow the same path at the ultimate expense of the institution they claim to be protecting.