Red-Shirts Disperse Following State of Emergency

[Gaybutton]

I hope that report is true. It will certainly be nice if things get back to normal around here within the next day or two.

 

The following appears in THE NATION:

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Red-Shirts Disperse Following State of Emergency

 

Arisman Pongruangron told red-shirted protesters to disperse from the Royal Cliff Beach Resort Hotel, TNN reported at 1:58 pm.

 

Arisman said the red-shirted had scored a victory to prevent the Asean summit so they no longer needed to occupy the hotel.

[PattayaMale]

Abihist should have asked China how to deal with protests.

[Gaybutton]

The following appears in THE NATION:

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Natthawut Declares Victory, Tells Red-Shirts to Leave Pattaya for Bangkok

 

Natthawut Saikua, a leader of the red-shirted movement, declared victory for the Pattaya battle and told the protesters to leave the town and head back to Bangkok.

 

"The war in Pattaya was over now. Since we have gained victory, all red-shirted people in Pattaya will return to join the rally in front of the Government House," Natthawut said.

[Guest GaySacGuy]

Sounds good for Pattaya at least...now what will they do in Bangkok???

[Gaybutton]

Sounds good for Pattaya at least.

That depends upon how long the state of emergency will be in place in Pattaya. I doubt it will last very long, but a state of emergency prohibits gatherings of more than 5 people. That could make for a very interesting Songkran.

[Guest aot87]

This shows how hopeless the thai police are. When the g20 were in london the other week , there where over 9000 police deployed and the protesters did not get any where close to the conference centre. Why did the riot police not fire tear gas ?

[Gaybutton]

Why did the riot police not fire tear gas ?

I would guess because of two reasons: One was because the government was determined to avoid violence on their part unless there absolutely was no other choice. The other was probably because the foreign representatives inside the hotel have to breathe the same air as the Red Shirts who had broken in and were just outside.

 

 

"Sooooo, they are going." - Yul Brynner, 'Taras Bulba'

[Guest lvdkeyes]

Traffic on Thrappaya and Theppasit has returned to normal, although traffic is light.

 

The red shirts managed to get the summit canceled, further damage tourism which will hurt the Thai people and to embarrass Thailand, not just the government, in the eyes of the world. How is this a victory?

 

How all of this is going to affect Songkran is anybody's guess, but I will not be here to experience it. I will hear about it when I get back.

[Gaybutton]

Here is a commentary that appears in THE NATION:

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COMMENTARY

 

Round Two: Everyone Loses

 

By Tulsathit Taptim

 

Published on April 11, 2009

 

Even though Thaksin Shinawatra may be laughing, there is no winner after the Pattaya infamy.

 

Pattaya will lose billions of baht. Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva has lost his face, and his job is under greater threat. To other Thais, Songkran has been pretty much spoiled. Thailand's image as a whole has taken a new hit. Economically struggling Asean has to defer discussing some crucial plans. The red-shirted movement, while having achieved a key objective of preventing the Asean summit with dialogue partners, can't be content with the glaring truth that, like its rival People's Alliance for Democracy, it has become its own worst enemy.

 

And Thaksin Shinawatra will only get brief satisfaction from the turmoil in Pattaya that led to the cancellation of the summit and declaration of state of emergency which leaves everything hanging in the balance. He will be cheering a "triumph" of his supporters in the next address through video link, but deep down he must know that he is not fighting to win, that to get even is the best he can get. He has been way past of the point of no-return, and what happened in Pattaya on Saturday only serves to lengthen the distance between the man and his motherland.

 

The biggest loss, however, belongs to us, no matter what colours of the shirts we are wearing. The political divide was not about to be bridged any time soon, but the Pattaya incident has further dimmed the fragile hope. We had wanted things to improve, but now we would be glad if they don't get any worse.

 

It's been an-eye-for-an-eye showdown. You can seize Government House, so we can block city traffic. You can take over the airport, so we can torpedo an international summit. You fight for democracy that rejects corrupt polticians, we can fight for democracy that respects the voices of the poor.

 

A common sense of national values has been a long-time victim, who was beaten to near death on Saturday. The nation has lost its way for some time, and the Pattaya infamy ensures there will remain no light at the end of the tunnel in the foreseeable future. The vulnerable national harmony has been dealt a new blow, and the threat to nationhood has never looked more real.

 

Those involved in the years-long power struggle have done their best to make sure that politics affects everyone's life. Too bad the general Thais have only been feeling the negative effects of a war that those responsible insisted was for a greater good. We have come to learn that perhaps people go into war not because they are different. Maybe what has been happening was caused by the fact that we are all too much alike.