News from Thailand – December 30, 2013
Bangkok Post opens today with a full-page story about the Muan Maha Prachachon 2013, or the mass uprising, as the rallies have come to be called. The uprising receives its annual 'People of the Year' award from the newspaper.
The article looks back at the actions that started small two months ago at Samsen station and grew into a mass rally centered on the Democracy Monument on Ratchadamnoen Avenue.
Khim Sitthip (60) from Nakhon Ratchasima was there from the start. “The government has done the wrong policy but never dares to take responsibility for it,” she says, referring to the costly and ineffective rice mortgage system. “The government also wanted to grant amnesty to corrupt people. I could no longer sit at home and pay taxes.'
Anek Laothammatas disputes the prejudice you sometimes hear about the protests: 'The crowd on Ratchadamnoen Avenue is too diverse to be characterized exclusively as an elite protest, as anti-Thaksin or as pro-Democrats.' And I'll leave it at that today.
– Five guards were injured yesterday afternoon by a large piece of fireworks; one was seriously injured. The fireworks were thrown at a tent belonging to the People's Democratic Force to Overthrow Thaksinism (Pefot) and the Dhamma Army at the UN building on Ratchadamnoen Avenue. Protesters attacked the police when they wanted to investigate on the spot. Police Lieutenant Colonel Anurak Pimpa was beaten and suffered head injuries. According to a witness, the fireworks were thrown from a passing motorcycle with two men.
A day earlier at the Chamai Maruchet bridge, a guard was killed and three others injured. They were fired upon from a car.
Action leader Suthep Thaugsuban said on Saturday evening that he suspected the chief commissioner of the Bangkok municipal police that he was behind this attack. "No one can enter the rally site with an M16 without the police knowing about it."
Suthep also called on the chief of the national police to investigate the alleged presence of men on the roof of the Ministry of Employment on Thursday. They are said to be responsible for the death of an officer during the fighting between police and demonstrators at the Thai-Japan stadium. Those fights also cost the lives of a protester.
The head of the municipal police has promised a reward of 2 million baht for information leading to the arrest of the perpetrators. According to him, the men on the roof were not cops. The chief constable has ordered his officers not to meet at the Royal Plaza today. Police would like to gather there to boost morale now that the police are accused. That call circulates on the Line smartphone app.
– A 5-year-old girl was killed in an attack on her father on Saturday evening in Panare (Pattani). The village chief was fired upon from the roadside in his pickup truck. The girl was hit in the head. It is the third time this year that a child has been the victim of southern violence. Earlier, a 2-year-old and 9-year-old child were killed.
While walking home, a defense volunteer (56) was shot dead in Sungai Padi on Saturday. The same day, two women aged 17 and 22 riding the motorcycle were shot at. The 22-year-old did not survive the attack.
– The (national) Electoral Council wants to mediate between the government and the protest movement. Yesterday, the Electoral Council spoke with government representatives about solutions to the political conflict and measures to ensure that the elections run smoothly. Today the Electoral Council is talking to the protest movement.
As the day before, the registration of district candidates in eight southern provinces was prevented by protesters yesterday. In Phuket, a candidate from Pheu Thai managed to enter the community center in Muang to register. And that in turn provoked furious reactions from protesters. Under pressure from the demonstrations, the election directors of two constituencies in Phuket have resigned.
In Songkhla, the Electoral Council has appointed new directors, after directors of eight constituencies hung up their winch on Saturday. But registration could not take place yesterday either, because demonstrators broke down tents and removed the furniture from the registration location on the grounds of a sports stadium.
In Trang, four election directors called it quits yesterday. They will be replaced. So far, 481 district candidates have registered for the elections. They are making a shot at one of the 375 district chamber seats. The House of Representatives has 500 seats. The rest are distributed by proportional representation.
– For the newly elected parliament to get to work, at least 475 of the 500 parliamentary seats must be occupied. According to ruling party Pheu Thai, this should work, even if the elections are sabotaged in a few places. In addition, the Electoral Council is trying to solve the problems in the South, where candidates have not been able to register for two days.
Pheu Thai will kick off her election campaign on Wednesday. The party (of course) supports the government's initiative to form a National Reform Council of 499 members, which will make proposals for political reform.
– And again a dead gaur has been found in Kui Buri National Park (Prachuap Khiri Khan). The death toll now stands at eighteen and the cause of death is still unknown. Research will be done [or is it already being done?].
– Curious coincidence: Friday a fire broke out in a Karen refugee camp in Tak, Saturday in Mae Hong Son. A 70-year-old woman was killed. The fire hit 38 housing units, of which 21 were reduced to ashes. The camp was also hit by fire once in 2010. The Red Cross has distributed blankets and other supplies to the approximately XNUMX homeless refugees in Mae Hong Son. The fire in Tak destroyed a hundred houses [huts?] and left a thousand refugees homeless.
– It remains cold in the 36 provinces in the North, Northeast and the Central Plains, which have been declared a disaster area. The lowest temperature recorded was 7,5 degrees C in Muang (Nakhon Phanom). More than 6 million people in 3.281 tambons are shivering from the cold.
– After two of the seven 'dangerous days', the death toll is 86, the number of road casualties 885 and the number of accidents 866. Most deaths occurred in Ayutthaya and Lamphun.
www.dickvanderlugt.nl – Source: Bangkok Post
Profile of the protesters and red shirts
On December 23, Thailandblog posted the posts 'Suthep and Yingluck, the background of the 'yellow' and the 'red' demonstrators'. Suthep's anti-government protesters have been described as 'ultra-nationalist' and 'royalist', the other group being characterized only as 'connected to Pheu Thai and Prime Minister Yingluck'. According to the author of the posting, there are "a few distinctive and fairly significant differences."
[NB Note especially the use of the prefix 'ultra' and the vague characterization of the red shirts, which is an indication of the sympathy of the author. For example, you could just as rightly characterize the red shirts as 'prone to violence' given the events in 2010. Think of the attacks on the army, arson and looting. To be clear, I'm not guilty of that.]
In spectrum, the Sunday supplement of Bangkok Post, is quoted from the same research as the author of the posting used. Indeed, parts of the demographics of the two groups match the sterotype picture. For example, the income difference is 'striking'. The anti-government protesters are also better educated and have 'better' jobs.
From the article Spectrum however, it appears that the author of the posting carefully omitted the non-distinctive features of both groups. The Asia Foundation report finds no significant difference in terms of political tolerance. Compared to 2009, when 93 percent had no problem with other political views of friends, this percentage is now only 10 percent lower, which is 'striking given the intensity of the political conflict'. The report finds that Thailand has the highest level of political tolerance of the Southeast Asian countries surveyed by the foundation.
The results also contradict the idea that the anti-government protesters are elitist. The best government consists of representatives from all walks of life, say 77 and 81 percent of the protesters and the red shirts respectively. The best government consists of the most intelligent and best educated people, say 17 and 11 percent respectively.
[Incidentally, I have serious doubts about the reliability of the research. The sample is very small, not a word is said about the survey method and question formulation, and information is missing about non-response, which can strongly influence survey results.]
(Source: Spectrum, Bangkok Post, December 29, 2013)
It is important that peace comes Thailand's economy is seriously damaged by the protest actions of Sutheb and his people, fair elections must be held and they must not be sabored by certain anti-democratic forces. After elections, parties with a new mandate in their pocket going to look to the future. As always, the small Thai entrepreneur is the dube if things go worse, I don't think they should want to.
After four weeks in Bangkok, walked over the demonstration area quite a few times, last night last night, really thought most people were home after, but it seemed to have become busier.
More stalls have also been added, even one with luxury fake bags,
Everything is cordoned off, and you have to report at the entrance, foreigners can just walk through, Thai people's bags are checked, or something like that if the guard indicated there is no boom in it.
Everything is also closed off with sandbags, they have made a complete trenches,
As a Dutchman, we cannot understand that it can be done just like that, such a blockade, just imagine if all streets around the dam in Amsterdam were closed off by a political party, I would not give them 24 hours, and the police would have intervened.
is the police and the city of Bangkok afraid of those demonstrators?
Gr Harry
@ Harrie The sandbags were placed in response to attacks on guards. One guard was killed and the others injured. See News from Thailand today and yesterday.
His question is still unanswered. Are the police afraid of the protesters?
This phenomenon is labeled as “weak” by the international communities. This would not be possible in any other country. Civil and human rights are violated and broken. Even the institutional constitution has been violated several times. Isn't the function of the police to enforce and protect the law?…
@ Simon der Leusden The Yingluck government is trying at all costs to avoid a repeat of 2010 (90 dead, 2000 injured). For those deaths, then Prime Minister Abhisit and Deputy Prime Minister Suthep (the current action leader) are being prosecuted for murder. For that reason, protesters were given free access to government buildings earlier this month after two days of rioting. I can't look behind the scenes, but I think the government's tactic is to exhaust the demonstrators.
Breaking News The number of road fatalities rose by 75 to 161 on Sunday in the first three of the so-called 'seven dangerous days'; 1.390 people were injured. The death toll is 9,52 percent higher than in the same period last year. Nakhon Ratchasima is the province with the most deaths, injuries and accidents. Alcohol consumption and speeding remain the main causes of accidents
Who was the person who set a target of 50 deaths per day? I think it's a really weird target, the target should be 0 right? Today I drove about 100 km. Guys what a number of cars and just trying to overtake. I always left room to insert. Was an exception!
Well, well Gerrie, you have objectives and you have concrete figures.
First the concrete numbers. Figures (2011) from the WHO (World Health Organization) show that Thailand is one of the most unsafe countries in the world, number 6 on the list with an annual 42,9 deaths per 100.000 inhabitants. The Netherlands is in 185th place with 4 deaths per 100.000.
Yet in the Netherlands that is still 650 road fatalities per year. In the Netherlands, the target is to reduce that number to 500 per year by 2020.
Thailand has about 26.000 fatalities per year, which is more than 70 per day. If it were possible to reduce that number to 50, that would mean more than 7.000 fewer victims. That would be a step in the right direction. However, I do not notice any large-scale approach to road safety in Thailand. So how to achieve that goal is a mystery to me.
The traffic in Thailand is the same as the politics “me me and the rest can suffocate” so it is better not to have an objective.
I actually think that the virtually non-violent (especially compared to the red shirt demonstrations in 2010) demonstrations, which are also strongly localized in a few areas in Bangkok, are good for the Thai economy. Because they are so non-violent, no negative travel advice has been issued, some holidays have been canceled (of which the vast majority of the money ends up with the non-Thai tour operator), but the small Thai entrepreneur who does not rely on tourists but notices of the Thai consumer very little of that.
The demonstrations, on the other hand, have a positive impact on the purchase of food and drink by protesters (what do you think 200.000 walking protesters spend on the road?) in addition to buying t-shirts, whistles and related items. A smart entrepreneur makes sweatbands with whistles, bags with whistles and because the demonstrators do not consist of the poor wretches of the Isan (who do not have to deal with Satan) but of people with an income, the trade in Bangkok is going well. The falling baht is then good for exports. For Thai companies that only have Thai customers, the decrease does not matter; for the exporting companies (and there are quite a few of them) the declining baht comes as a blessing after a period in which the baht only strengthened. and the elections are postponed.
Unfortunately, the demonstrations have turned into violence, there have been deaths, rioters do not want free elections after which parties can sit down for consultation. cnn, bbc, aljazeera broadcast the images of the chaos, a disaster for the Thai business community. It is not spontaneous either, because the demonstrators are partly paid to participate. Riot boss Suthep deliberately harms Thailand. The highest authority wants elections on February 2, also good to know. So stop this misery don't dupe the Thai middle class and tourist industry. The Thai FBI wants to put Suthep to the test, he has to report.
Dear Menno,
The protesters in Bangkok are NOT paid to demonstrate.
At the moment, money is being asked and collected from the demonstrators every day to pay for this mass demonstration because some banks have blocked the accounts on behalf of Yingluck supporters.
Most of the demonstrators have a job and if you have some time I would recommend that you exchange thoughts with the demonstrators in Bangkok.
You can read many facts about the course of these demonstrations on this blog and that can prevent people from giving it their own twist.
At present there is no supreme authority. There is an electoral council, but it still doubts whether it is wise to hold the new elections on February 2.
This doubt rests on the fact that Thailand does not benefit from the same government as before.
The country is fed up with corruption.
It is not the dumbest people from Thailand who are demonstrating in Bangkok right now.
They want to fight against corruption and prevent generations after them from suffering from the absolute illicit state spending of yingluck.
There have still been very few riots with very few deaths considering the number of people (hundreds of thousands) on their feet.
In the south of Thailand, deaths occur almost every day due to political mismanagement started under Thaksin. I don't hear you say anything about that.
If the tourists or expats suffer from it, then it is secondary to the importance of Thailand.
I like it when people on this blog want to think about solutions instead of blowing off steam, because maybe some tear gas will flow over their beer.
greetings from Danny
Hi Danny, very true and if those smart people who are now demonstrating in the government or parliament, the corruption in Thailand will be done right away.
Or at least not if a suitcase full of money lands on the table in front of them.
Breaking News Five hundred officers of the Bangkok Municipal Police demonstrated today at the Royal Plaza. They feel like 'sitting ducks' (easy prey, target) and demand the right to protect themselves against attacks by demonstrators.
The protest follows the death of a police officer Thursday during fighting at the Thai-Japan stadium. About thirty officers were also injured.
Messages are circulating on LINE from agents, who complain that they did not receive orders on Thursday how to act.
The commissioner has rebuked the commander of the police for this and replaced it.
I can understand the policemen. Their lives and well-being largely depend on the decisions of their commanders.
@ Simon der Leusden The replacement you are referring to concerns the commander who was in charge at Prime Minister Yingluck's residence. As far as I know, the executives at the Thai-Japan stadium (where that officer was killed) have not been reprimanded or replaced. But maybe that will happen as a result of this protest.
Breaking News The government proposes moving the registration of election candidates in the South to army bases or police stations. For three days now, demonstrators have been blocking registration in the 38 constituencies of eight southern provinces.
The Electoral Council is not enthusiastic. The move could spark further anti-government demonstrations. Minister Surapong says the government is just making a recommendation; the decision rests with the Electoral Council.
The South is a stronghold of the opposition Democrats, which are not taking part in the elections.
Opponents of elections who want to stop registrations by force, I think it is the best evidence there is to show that something is seriously wrong, of course those registrations will continue and the elections will be February 2. Incidentally, I have never seen the millions where the opposition is on the street in Bangkok, at most 10.000 people on a free Sunday, and they were partly paid for that.
The problems in the South did not start in the Thaksin Sinawatra period but have been there for much longer, the three southern provinces were promised self-determination for after WWII, never happened and that is not about religion directly. I came across this misconception in a comment somewhere. Suthep and Abbesit the Democratic party lost the last elections and it is thought that they will lose the one of February 2 that determined the supreme authority as well, therefore they want to postpone and disrupt it, so they are against democracy. That's what's going on in Thailand. The demonstrators and helpers are paid by the anti-democrats who are jealous of the current government and want to come to power themselves without elections, because they will not win them. Violence is being used and people have already died, so that it would be a 'peaceful walk where people sell some flags and whistles' as I read somewhere, I had to laugh really hard. 🙂
Who pays for the laughter? The small Thai middle class, the people who are going to lose their jobs because the tourists are afraid to stay away, hotel owners, etc., store chains, shopping malls, the currency is depreciating, all disasters for Thailand, and it is not necessary, one would also can just wait for elections, if you think you have the right answer as a party, people will vote for such a party.