Flames rise from the burning City Hall which was set on fire by Red Shirt protesters following a crackdown by the troops in Ubon Ratchathani.Image Credit: EPAMilitary forces used the curfew to continue mopping up red shirt resistance after a day of bloody clashes
May 20, 2010
By Mick O'Reilly, Deputy Managing Editor
Gulf News
Bangkok: Residents of this city of 10 million emerged from a night of curfew to a city of burned buildings, charred streets and broken dreams.
The Thai government ordered a blanket curfew Wednesday night which ended Thursday at 6am local time (3am in Dubai)
Buildings are smoldering across central Bangkok and troops are exchanging sporadic fire with pockets of holdouts a day after the army routed anti-government protesters.
On Thursday morning, troops in the central business district, occupied by protesters for weeks, exchanged fire with holdouts as locals in the area looted a vast tent city the activists had cobbled together.
Military forces used the curfew to continue mopping up red shirt resistance after a day of bloody clashes between the two sides which left at least four confirmed dead and hundreds more injured.
A heavy police and military cordon of razor wire and checkpoints rings the central downtown core.
Every one entering the zone had their identification check and their vehicles searched.
The red shirt encampment had brought the heart of Bangkok to a standstill since March as thousands of mostly rural and poor urban Thais demanded the resignation of the Thai government.
Thursday morning, minutes after curfew lifted, the area was abandoned, tyre barricades pushed aside, makeshift shelters crushed and meals left unfinished as the protesters fled the military's assault, which began at dawn on Wednesday.
It will take this city months to recover from the physical damage this, the worst outbreak of political violence in the kingdom's history, inflicted.
May 20, 2010
By Mick O'Reilly, Deputy Managing Editor
Gulf News
Bangkok: Residents of this city of 10 million emerged from a night of curfew to a city of burned buildings, charred streets and broken dreams.
The Thai government ordered a blanket curfew Wednesday night which ended Thursday at 6am local time (3am in Dubai)
Buildings are smoldering across central Bangkok and troops are exchanging sporadic fire with pockets of holdouts a day after the army routed anti-government protesters.
On Thursday morning, troops in the central business district, occupied by protesters for weeks, exchanged fire with holdouts as locals in the area looted a vast tent city the activists had cobbled together.
Military forces used the curfew to continue mopping up red shirt resistance after a day of bloody clashes between the two sides which left at least four confirmed dead and hundreds more injured.
A heavy police and military cordon of razor wire and checkpoints rings the central downtown core.
Every one entering the zone had their identification check and their vehicles searched.
The red shirt encampment had brought the heart of Bangkok to a standstill since March as thousands of mostly rural and poor urban Thais demanded the resignation of the Thai government.
Thursday morning, minutes after curfew lifted, the area was abandoned, tyre barricades pushed aside, makeshift shelters crushed and meals left unfinished as the protesters fled the military's assault, which began at dawn on Wednesday.
It will take this city months to recover from the physical damage this, the worst outbreak of political violence in the kingdom's history, inflicted.
26 comments:
I was always remember this old Khmer word "Bangkok rolom, Phnom Penh roleas" Bangkok is only melt down, Phnom Penh had been destroy. This is so so true..
Wow,, click here to the truth
Abhisit Vejjajiva and Siam military has been curse from our temple Preah Vihear.
(Signed) Hun Sen
Now, Thailand has a good taste of a mini-civil war. However, if violence kept escalating, the country could escalate into a full-fledged civil war, although the country itself already on the precipice of civil war. Also, now, all we need is to have the audacity from Mr. Hun Sen to draw dispute on border, then Thailand will be in a horrible quagmire. That said, "what's your position" and "what's your take" on the ongoing violence in Thailand, Mr. Big Shot (Hun Sen)?
War is peace
This is the first war for Thai govt. After there will be guerrilla war, civil war, and then the Viet will control Thailand just like it controls khmer.
1:05 PM
It would be a dream come true to me -- and, of course, most Cambodians -- if the Yuon has the audacity to invade the Thai, and then the US can finish it unfinished business with the black-toothed dog-eater society.
War is peace
Message to stupid Cambodian, we are not as stupid as you to for guerrillas fighter like your stupid former king Sihanouk. We do the best for our country not destroy the country like you guys.
Thong Wadi
8:01 AM
In these Asian countries, democracy and free elections in the West are just dreams with no future.
In these Asian countries, politics is made with the strength and what counts are the armed forces.
Asia does not know the language of the democracy and the free elections but only the language of the strength.It is the big lesson which we have to retain of the defeat of red.The history of all the seizures of political power in this region of Asia and specially in thailande confirms this analysis.
Look at the last recent example in Asia, in Nepal, the example of the leader Moaiste Prachanda with the support of its guerrilla warfares armed and supported by Communist China succeeded to abolish the Nepalese monarchy and to establish the democratic people's republic of Nepal in 2008.
The leaders of the red shirts have just made the bitter experience in front of the Thai military junta which governs in reality thailand underhand.
Children's dream of red for political change through democracy in Thailand is drowned in blood by the military.
The Reds, if they wanted to change the political system in Thailand and end the monarchy and the Thai military junta need to have to create a political party which possesses an armed force, or insurrectionary movements with guerrillas armed to fight against the junta and avoid military coups with repetition.
Any other attempt of red to return to the power in Thailand will be doomed to failure and will expose its activists to unnecessary casualties.
Today, it is not any more the change of the government that is needed in Thailand but a revolution.
8:01 PM
Believe me, Thailand was only save in the years 60 and 70 from Communist ideology, because the western world were able to protect your country.
Today is your country is on the same track as our country Cambodia in 1970.
Why america let us Cambodia in to the arm of the communist. Cambodia was just a small and poor country, no one from the western world have had interest to protect us again the Communist.
2 factors were, why the western world save your country Thailand or what ever you changed.
- The challenge of the political situation between the west & east in this region.
- The economical situation in southeast asia and of course other part of the world.
But now is your turn and remembered of the former State of Yugoslavia ?
In case a civil war in Thailand, Cambodia and the Cambodian government will have the right to protect the Khmer and Khmer moon.
In the constitutionand the responsibility of the Khmer Kingdom, means Cambodia has the right to protect the life of all Khmer descents.
M. Thasink if you want to be respected by the yellow shirts, the Thai King and Thai military
and regain power in Bangkok you have to create a personal army and finance a private military force to harass the military junta.
You're rich enough to do it, otherwise you must get help from China and other communist countries in the region to create bases of back folds .
You have then to become allied with the thais Muslims of the South for to expand the battlefront.
You have to combine the political action and the military action.
Look Abhisit is ready to recognize a certain autonomy to the thais Muslims of the South after years of armed struggles.
Your dream of regaining power in Bangkok against the military with democratic elections is utopia.
Abhisit and his supporters also rely on force and the military to stay in power Bangkok.
Yous need to do the same thing.
Otherwise, you must give up your political ambitions.
For now it is the force against force.
3:20 PM Thai is not depend on the west. We depend ourselves unlike you depend foreigners. When you have internal conflict you depend Thai or Vietname to kill your own people. I am sorry we are not stupid like you people and leaders. Take care yourself and your land. Are you not still under Vietname?
Wadi
Ah!Thong wadi,You're are ah lao Monkey!!!your people are going get cook up!by viet and eat up!by viet too.
Cambodia and laos border countries should help the reds and their families and all Thai refugees fleeing the ruthless repression of the military and police Abhisit which will worsen in coming days because the international community can not do anything much for them apart from the usual diplomatic protests and without any practical effectivenessby giving them refugee camps along its borders
May be also a way for cambodia to settle the border dispute with Abhisit.
The King is for the repression and walk with Abhisit and Thai military dictatorship.
The red and all his supporters should not underestimate the violence, the brutality of the military and police repression will go against them in the days to come : arrest, torture, assassination, murder, .....
The military and the police of Abhisit consider already red as terrorists.
Do not go to military l like some red leaders when there is no guarantee that your life is not threatened. Do not be stutpides.
You have toflee to the border of cambodia and laos where the refugee camps will soon be created for you.
The red you must now flee abroad to Cambodia or Laos to rearrange your movement and your political and military struggle to regain power in Bangkok against the military and police Abhisit.
To Wadi,
If Thai believe that their country is the best democracy in the South East Asia, they must not understand democratic system.
You can't have democracy in the country when it is ran by millitary. Which university did you go to ????? Burma !!!!!
Thai claim that they have freedom of speech and can critisize any body except the king and millitary. What kind of freedom of speech is that ??????
When Cambodia has similar system as Viet Nam, on some area, Thai said that Cambodia is controlled by Viet Nam. You can't compare Viet Nam with Cambodia. There is no democracy there. If you use the same analogy, Thailand is for sure is controlled by the Queen of England. If you proud of that, I guess it is OK.
Thai has no principle or shame, they use poor young girls as a token for european tourrist. If you go around the world and ask people who want to go to Thailand, what do you want to do there ???? do you think they would say " I want to see the beach !!!!" Are you kidding me ????? the whole world know what is going on up there !!!! there are beaches every where around the world.
When only two people own 90% of the wealth in Thailand, sooner or later this kind of thing will happend. If Thailand is a real democratic country, the red shirt would rule the country by now, because there are more poor people than the rich. Is that how democracy work ???? Majority rule ????
Cambodia lost territory not just because of the war alone. It was the decision of the european countries. It was hard to compete with the neigboring countries when they use poor young girls as atoken to persuate the decision (as Thailand and Viet Nam did). As Cambodia standed with it principle, it get smaller but proud !!!!!!!
9:23 PM
Thank you, sir!
War is peace
4:52pm economically you're partially righ(only a fraction mainly the poor Thais who are able to feed themselve). What we're mentining in this blogg is the safty of the Thailand itself. Beyond this point you will see, feel the fraction of the country and the Thai people greater out of you imagination. the western nation will help you differently compair to year 50-70, Abhi-Shit nor your single eye boss could do beter any more. The flame of war it might passed but another war is erecting around.
Down to Siamese!
i used to have some sense of sympathy for the Thai "red shirts", but not anymore. They have become out of control and are so reckless and none-caring. They want better lives, but by destroying Thailand's infrastructure and economy, will that help them? Also, compared to Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia, and Burma,...Thailand had the best economy and freedom. These "red shirts" are so spoiled, inconsiderate and take things for granted.
11:13 PM,
To understand one you need to put yourself in their shooes then you know.
The same thing that happend to KR soldiers who killed many Cambodian, either kill or be killed, how do you choose ?????
All human are the same, when you put them in the same situation, they will act the same way. The best way to solve it, is to prevent it from being in that situation. The red shirt look just like the KR supporter, poor, uneducated and easier to manipulate by educated politicians.
11:13pm,11:22pm both of you are wrong Saim did not have Democracy and justice for all Thai people. How many Siamese existing groups actually there are? once you stratify its, you see wisely such: the lower cell is allowing to speak limited, the midle cell also has alimited expressing but down toward the lower cell is ok, the high cell is beter than those two below, the top and the highest non of the group cells below allow to exspress nor critic any thing, otherwise be in Jail or be killed.
My Q? is where is the free dom of speach?, where is free dom in Tailand?. The red Shirt have burn stuffs because the Abhi-Shit had stolen their free dom and power, because Abhi-Shit had used of force to destroy! and killing them! while they reclaiming back the justice!, this thief and failure GOV'T must be punished periot.
I said, kill thaksin and lefty leaders of Thai. And Thai will be peaceful.
Its khmer culture and attitude that always see the fault of others, can't see yourself. What i want to say thailand is not better than cambodia. we do not ask for scholarship to study in cambodia but many cambodian offered scholarship to study in thailand. man, if you still insist that cambodia is better than thailand, take it man. you live the way you live. if you think your cross eye prime minister is better than abhisit, let it be man. and who killed ho sok inside the ministry of interior compound?
Wadi
Thai democracy?. With this military suppression, Thailand is now at a low point as in Burma and Cambodia. They solve political problems by military means.
Cambodians should NOT, again NOT gloat over the trouble in Thailand.
We should not be happy when our neighbor is in trouble.
There has been deep resentment from Cambodians how Thais treat Cambodian refugees. We just look for an opportunity to laugh at Thais when they encounter problem, like right now.
This is not a right attitude for Cambodians to adopt. Deaths and destruction in any country is never a laughing matter. It is morally wrong if you are happy to see Thailand in such a mess.
The greatest teacher of all time once taught to love your enemy, pray for those who use you. If your enemy is hungry feed him.
Unless Cambodians, and Asian as a whole start to adopt such attitude toward one another we will always be held back by out hatred and never progress beyond our ethnic superiority.
Wadi,
Who killed the King bother in Thailand ???????
The current King was in the same room as his brother. What the Thai history said about it ??????
This is the kind of talk when you want to pick up a fight with some one. It is not the conversation.
You probably believe that the reason the red shirt were poor because they are lazy. Do you ???
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