Sunday, January 30, 2011

Frenemies in the streets

Sat, Jan 29, 2011
The Nation/Asia News Network

Chaiwat Sinsuwong appears to be a lonely man lately, though his ambition is to bring together a million people - both yellow and red - to bring Abhisit Vejjajiva down.

Leading a splinter group of the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD), Chaiwat approached some of the red-shirt leaders in jail to sound them out on the idea of a yellow-red merger against the prime minister.

"Their response was positive," said Chaiwat, who was granted bail on Thursday after being detained in connection to the infamous 2008 Suvarnabhumi Airport seizure by the yellow shirts.

"We need an uprising of a million people of both colours, making it the biggest political rally in Thai history, which will put Abhisit away," he said.


Lack of immediate response from mainstream yellow-shirt leaders, namely Sondhi Limthongkul and Chamlong Srimuang, might make a mockery of Chaiwat's grand plan. But in Thai politics, if he manages to get some momentum, anything can happen. After all, Abhisit has become the arch-enemy of both "colours", although the mainstream yellow shirts have been considerably less belligerent towards him than Chaiwat's Thai Patriots Network.

Merging both movements is easier said than done, though. The red shirts were born out of proclaimed resentment against the use of "undemocratic means" to force political change, the ousting of Thaksin Shinawatra. The yellow shirts favoured these very "undemocratic means" and yet would not mind if Abhisit were removed from office in the same way.

Analysts say a "tactical" tag team is always a possible scenario for the red and yellow shirts. The reds, who have blamed Abhisit for the bloody crackdown on protesters last year, could focus their anti-government campaign on that. The latter, upset with the way the government has handled territorial conflicts with Cambodia, can concentrate on the border issue. If events evolve into a political hurricane that results in an "undemocratic" removal of Abhisit, the reds would just turn a blind eye the outcome.

Chaiwat is no stranger to some of the key red-shirt leaders. In fact, he fought alongside many during the 1992 uprising against the military. Chamlong was a key leader of that battle, which, ironically, ended military intervention in politics and brought the Democrat Party to power.

Lately, Chaiwat and Chamlong have been drifting farther and farther away from each other. Their estrangement was one of the main reasons the Thai Patriots Network was born, with the unorthodox Buddhist sect Santi Asoke, once Chamlong's political base, serving as its backbone.

Chaiwat yesterday insisted that it was not a travesty for the red and yellow shirts to join hands. Such realignment or re-alliance was common in "Romance of the Three Kingdoms", he pointed out. Enemies can work together to fight the more powerful common enemy first and take care of their own scores later.

"The people can't be divided. They need to join hands," said Chaiwat. "The Thaksin government only cheated the nation, but this Abhisit administration has sold out the nation."

Harsh or drastic as it may sound, this very same criticism against Abhisit has been blaring out from the mainstream rally stage of the yellow shirts. Chamlong, remarkably, has refused to rule out PAD protesters abandoning their peaceful means and resorting to something more aggressive.

"We won't do anything yet in the next few days," Chamlong said. "We just want the government to respond to our demands."

Those demands have been rejected by the government, which leaves the question what the mainstream PAD is prepared to do next. The answer may disappoint Chaiwat, or it may boost his much-taunted idea to unite the two political "colours".

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

Dear Dr. Hun Sen and Ten Thousands stars Dr. Hun Manet,

Why do you and your relatives give Kos Trol, sea and lands to Vietnam? Why? and Why?

Why do you and all of your relatives involve alot of murder cases in Cambodia? Why? Why?

Why do you murder cambodian K5,1997events and so on and so on with lost count? Why?

If you are so good why do you and your families murder cambodians? Why? and Why?

If you are so good why do about 90%cambodians are so poor but you and your relatives are billionair and millinor? Why? Why?

Why do you try to kill people from telling the true? Why? Why?

What is the difference from Khmer Rough and you, Sir?

If you are so good Why do you block KI from cambodians?

If you are so good why more than 6 millions vietnameses are living permantly in cambodia, right now? Why, Dr. Hen Sen? and Why

Every where, I walk in Cambodia I see vietnamese speak vietnamese every where, why? why?

Don't you and your families scare of hell for ethernity?

When you die can you bring all of your power and money with you?

Dr. Hun Sen and Dr. Big ass lady and his belove Dr. Hun Manet Please don't put us in jail or kill us for this! We want to live like you and your families do!

Khmers victim of 1997 and K5

PS

If Dr. Hun Sen and Dr. Hun Manet remove the tablet it is show they are extremely coward and his star are just joy stars given by his daddy not by patriotism. Dr. Hun Manet is very coward as his daddy they only aim to kill innocent cambodians that all. Dr. Hun SEn and Dr. ten stars Hun Manet are very great at bullying cambodians and killing Cambodians but cowardly toward Thai and Viet.

Seriously where is the win win policy of Dr. Hun Sen represent. The country is getting smaller and shamer by Dr. Hun Sen and Dr. Hun Manet.

Anonymous said...

Thai are such bullies . They threatened to use force if Cambodian don't remove the flag from the Temple at Preas Vihear but after Cambodian said they were not going to remove the flag and they were ready to respond if Thai dare to remove that flag and now , Abullshit just said that he wants to solve that problem with a peaceful manner . Shame on you Abullshit--Abhisit .

Anonymous said...

Youns and Thais are Buddhists,but they are greedy, they want to share Khmer lands, what kind of their religion?

Anonymous said...

Khmer News , stop doing that advertize here you stupid idiot.

Anonymous said...

If stupid thai leader want to make war with cambodia ,thai will lost every thing and vietnam will gain every thing .

Anonymous said...

what have you ben don so far KI and idiot Sam ransy, beside stolent all news from other sources and insulting our leader he, who try hards to protect Khmer. if you spend time to improve yourself you don't have time to criticise other, you KI, Sacrava, and idoit sam rainsy are the real Khmer triator not Hun sen.

Anonymous said...

11:22 am,

I am not KI team. I am just a regular Khmer people. So what are you doing in Ki's space? Are you have a job or this is the way you think you could get a job from Mr. Sen by kiss his ass...man, you are too small to be notice by Mr. Sen!! Or unless you are one the pay roll of Hun's regime to do this...that would be another story altogther! If you don't like KI...you don't need to come to this space...this is the only space that we Khmer can express without feeling the dictator Hun sen bit the hill out of us like a "dog". Just look at how he threatening Dr. Lao Mong Hay! So what can you tell me about that 11:22! Are you telling me that Dr. Lao want to break Khmer up as well?????

The ball is in your!

Anonymous said...

Mr.Hun Sen caught seven Thai intruders;
This action was so good,but 20,000 Vietnam troops and 6,000,000 illegal Vietnamese immigrants live happily in Cambodia,Hun Sen never caught them.
Vietnam made border markers inside Khmer territory along Khmer-Vietnam borders.Hun Sen just ignores and does nothing.
Khmer people should rise up against Hun Sen and Vietnam out of Cambodia.
The Tunisia and Egypt could do,so can Khmer people.
If Khmer inside rise up,Khmer abroad will rise up too.
Be brave Khmer people.Time now is on your side.
If someone lost money,s/he can be gained,but lost time,lost forever.