Yingluck wants to talk, Suthep doesn't want to talk
Yingluck wants to talk, Suthep doesn't want to talk. There is really nothing more to say about the state of affairs after yesterday. Prime Minister Yingluck called on the demonstrators to end their protests. She is willing to negotiate with them to "find solutions acceptable to all parties."
But Suthep Thaugsuban, ex-Democrat MP and now the face and voice of the protesters, is unyielding. “We are not talking: not with Yingluck, not with the government or any of its representatives. Our only goal is to end the “Thaksin regime” in Thailand,” he says, referring to the alleged influence of former Prime Minister Thaksin and his family on Thai politics.
In addition to the Shinawatra clan, his fellow party member Korn Chatikavanij (photo homepage) also received a beating last night. The Democrat and former Minister of Finance in the (previous) cabinet Abhisit had publicly stated that he was unhappy with the occupation of the Ministry of Finance. Suthep warned him not to criticize the Civil Movement for Democracy (the name under which various groups now operate) or he could expect 'trouble in his life'.
Suthep reiterated his proposal to set up a 'people's parliament', an idea rejected by Yingluck. “My government does not want to play political games that harm the country. The government is prepared to listen to proposals and demands from all groups, but a people's council cannot be realized with the current constitution.'
Opposition leader Abhisit, who has so far kept a low profile, said yesterday that Yingluck has no right to demand an end to the protests. She also has no right to negotiate with the protesters; all she has to do, according to Abhisit, is to resign.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has called on the warring parties to settle their differences through "genuine dialogue and peaceful means". He is concerned about the rising tensions in Bangkok.
I will not mention yesterday's events. See the Breaking News items below News from Thailand from November 28. More news later today in News from Thailand.
(Source: bangkok mail, Nov. 29, 2013)
Photos: Protesters offer flowers to the Ministry of Defense in vain, because the soldiers were not allowed to receive them.
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Of course we all know that these are the starting points of both parties NOW, but that it is inevitable that the parties will negotiate with each other. Also happened the last time when the red shirts finally also sat down with representatives of the Abhisit government, even broadcast live on TV. Only when negotiations fail (and consequently positions harden) should the worst be feared. It's not that far yet.
By the way, I am typing this response in a classroom in Petchaburi where I am going to talk today about yes:..negotiation…..
Abhisit Suthep. No negotiating!? Very cool. Let's assume that Yingluck et al. clear the field. What happens then? I assume new elections. And since the duo Abhisit-Suthep cq. de gelen has never won a regular election in recent decades (Abisith became prime minister because the red party was banned/abolished at the time due to malpractice in the previous election), it is realistic to assume that new elections will again lead to a victory for the red bloc .
And then there will certainly be less enthusiasm among the reds to negotiate with Abhisit-Suthep. So: Abhisit-Suthep, keep persevering and the problem will solve itself. But not in the way they want. As a political party, if you have fewer supporters/voters than the “opposing party”, you will never win the battle.
I think there is still a chance to negotiate. The longer they wait, the less likely it is.
Yingluck really isn't clearing the field yet.
Reinforcements are on their way .
Where I live in the wider area, that's how I heard from my spouse.
Will buses and mini vans etc go to Bangkok tonight.
Where I live, the majority are red shirts.
Some factories where they normally make clothes are closed.
Orders are no longer coming from Bangkok because of the unrest .
This has nothing to do with red or yellow, but the daily demand for goods has come to a standstill.
But no matter how you look at it and whatever the outcome will be.
One thing is certain , to put it in a Dutch way , the atmosphere here in Thailand is completely sick or ruined .
And no new elections will change that.
On the one side the Yellow, Royalists, middle class and elite, mostly living in Bangkok and the south and surroundings
On the other side are the red Thaksin family , the ordinary , mostly low - educated poor population and farmers hoping for a better standard of living .
The North of Thailand and East also think of Isaan.
We are not there yet , this is going to be a BIG Fight .
The population of Thailand is completely divided.
Me and my spouse are very worried, including my stepson who lives and works in Bangkok, but I say if we can no longer be proud to live in Thailand, we will go somewhere else.
After living here for more than 8 years, I have slowly given up on this.
the THAI unit is not coming back again .
Land of Smiles no longer exists, perhaps only in the travel guides of the tour operators and the TAT.
Not even by standing still at 8 am and 6 pm when the national anthem is being sung, anywhere.
The unit is missing .
That is why I am still glad that I am a real Dutchman , even with us there is sometimes something .
But such protests and anarchy, because that is occupying government institutions, etc., you will not easily find in the Dutch mentality.
The Netherlands is a real democracy , in contrast to Thailand .
No , in the 8 years that I have been living here permanently , and the preceding years , I have seen Thailand and the mentality of the population change rapidly .
And not for the better.
With regret : Jantje .
Dear Jan,
I only partially agree with you. I see that more Thai than in recent years are thinking about what should be done with their country. The contrast between red and yellow is weakening. More and more red shirts (especially poor rice farmers who don't get their money or only partly) are disappointed in this government that promised a lot but made a mess of a number of projects. But not everyone agrees on the yellow side either (Suthep versus Korn). For me a sign of increasing pluralism. Of course there are still the die-hards who want to mate. In the Netherlands you still have them around football matches, but that group has become considerably less. I expect that will also happen here in Thailand. It is also positive that more academics and more young people are making themselves heard. People start to think and realize that this is no longer possible (also in view of the AEC). Formerly red-skinned academics from Thammasat University have also started to think more nuanced…..There are signs of hope but we are not there yet….