Outstanding post S Landreth.
It's funny/strange....Mr Amsterdam used to mention the burning of city halls in his list of crimes that the reds didn't commit....he stopped doing that in his later missives. Makes you wonder......
Well, it should make you wonder....if you have a functioning brain. Some here clearly don't.
Nice list of the events of the day here...
Thailand protests: crackdown against redshirts - as it happened | World news | guardian.co.uk
9.10am:
Thailand's Channel 3 TV station is seeking police protection from redshirt protesters, according to a tweet from a reporter from the Nation.
"Cars have been smashed and building under siege," says an update.
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Ben Doherty
9.24am:
Ben has confirmed that report about the TV station being under siege."Fleeing redshirts are torching Bangkok as they leave. Thai TV station Channel 3 is under attack from angry reds, and the Thai Stock Exchange building, a few kilometres from the protest site, has been set ablaze.
Despite pleas from redshirt leaders for protesters to leave peacefully, many reds are angry and are looking to take out their frustration on anything they see as being representative of the ruling elite they have been protesting against."![]()
9.31am:
Staff at the Bangkok Post have been forced to flee their offices. Bangkok Post being evacuated, says its website.The evacuation came after protesters have reportedly set fire on buildings around the Rama IV intersection. Reporters are heading to Wat Klong Toey Nai.9.43am:
The dead Italian journalist has been named as Fabio Polenghi. He was a 48-year-old freelance photojournalist, according to Newsolio.
9.46am:
Images are circulating of the fire at the Thai Stock Exchange. "Flames twice as bad since I've uploaded this," says the caption to this photo.
10.02am:
More media organisations have been forced to evacuate their offices. The Tan Network tweeted this: "Due to immediate threats on our headquarters, TAN Network is evacuating our editorial/production crews."
Thailand's Channel 3 has gone off air. AP reports: "Staff at the Thai local TV station Channel 3 say their building has been attacked by redshirt protesters. One staffer said cars parked outside the building were set on fire and protesters then entered the Channel 3 building."
There are reports that some staff are trapped inside the building.
10.21am:
More details on that curfew, from Reuters:Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva imposed a curfew in Bangkok on tonight from 8pm (2pm BST) until 6am tomorrow. The curfew – details of which were read out on national television – was meant to allow security authorities perform their duty, Abhisit said in the order.10.27am:
Andrew Marshall, a reporter for Time, is one journalist tweeting from Thailand.
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Here are couple or recent updates:I'm on the 18th floor of a building about a mile from Rama 4. I can see at least 5 fires, from Ch3 building to (I think) Siam Square.
Residents in expensive cars try to flee upmarket apartment block opposite. Can't. No power to lift the security gate.
Mark MacKinnon, east Asia correspondent for Canada's The Globe and Mail, is also worth following for his updates and mobile phone photos.Ambulance attendees take cover in alley outside Wat Patum, Bangkok
Settling in for a long stay? Inside the Wat Patum temple where maybe 1,000 are now sheltering![]()
10.44am:
Thaksin Shinawatra's lawyer Robert Amsterdam tweets:The decision of #redshirt leaders to sacrifice themselves to prevent violence stands in stark contrast to a govt willing to murder its own.10.55am:
A Bangkok fire service official just told the BBC that up to 100 staff are trapped in the Channel 3 building. There also unconfirmed reports that the fire at station's offices has been put out.
11.09am:
A helicopter has been photographed over Channel 3's building, in what is being seen as an attempt to evacuate staff.
Meanwhile, the Centre for the Resolution of the Emergency Situation has announced that a government message is about to be broadcast on all Thai TV channels.
11.33am:
There are reports that the protesters have set fire to government offices in the north eastern province of Udon Thani.
. Can anyone help verify this?
12.00pm:
Ben Doherty says the street of Bangkok are emptying ahead of the curfew but there are still pockets of violence, gunshots and several burning buildings.
"I'm looking now at smoke billowing from the stock exchange building," he says as he discusses attacks onThai media buildings, banks and shopping centres.
Many redshirts have completely ignored a edict to surrender from some protest leaders, he says. "Red Radio was broadcasting message like 'If you are near a bank set it on fire'. There is an element that is refusing to abide by the surrender," Ben says.
Ben Doherty on the continuing violence in Bangkok (10.58am, May 19th, 2010)
Audioboo / Ben Doherty on the continuing violence in Bangkok
12.22pm:
Bangkok's Central World - South East Asia's second biggest department store has be destroyed by fire, according to Reuters.
There are pictures of the blaze here and here
For a British comparison, I'm told this is the equivalent of a large swath of Oxford Street in London burning down.
(worth listening to the Ben Doherty interview. At 10.58am he can see Central World on fire, amongst other buildings. He also mentions a well armed and well trained armed faction amongst the red shirts....yeah, I know....damn witnesses....)
Last edited by StrontiumDog; 26-02-2012 at 05:09 PM.
"Slavery is the daughter of darkness; an ignorant people is the blind instrument of its own destruction; ambition and intrigue take advantage of the credulity and inexperience of men who have no political, economic or civil knowledge. They mistake pure illusion for reality, license for freedom, treason for patriotism, vengeance for justice."-Simón Bolívar
And the important bit once more...
12.00pm:
Ben Doherty says the street of Bangkok are emptying ahead of the curfew but there are still pockets of violence, gunshots and several burning buildings.
"I'm looking now at smoke billowing from the stock exchange building," he says as he discusses attacks onThai media buildings, banks and shopping centres.
Many redshirts have completely ignored a edict to surrender from some protest leaders, he says. "Red Radio was broadcasting message like 'If you are near a bank set it on fire'. There is an element that is refusing to abide by the surrender," Ben says.
lets have a bit more from Ben shall we ...............
As Bangkok suffers its worst political unrest for two decades, the Thai army has declared parts of the city "live-fire zones", warning that anyone found entering certain roads in the capital will be shot on sight.
The move came as one of the leaders of the redshirt protesters said that there would be "civil war" if the army did not pull back and declare a ceasefire.
snip
Troops have erected signs at Ratchaprarop Road, on the northern edge of the redshirts' camp, warning, in Thai and English: "No Entry, Restricted Area. Live Firing Zone".
snip
"We are all very afraid," Somchai Sanwong said as he manned the barricades, a few hundred yards from troop positions.
The redshirts have piles of rocks and Molotov cocktails stashed to hurl at troops when they finally advance. They also have gallons of motor vehicle oil to make the road slippery. Deeper inside the camp, sources say, the redshirts have dozens of M79 rocket-launched grenades. Several were fired last night at an inner-city police station.
"Obviously we're outgunned, outnumbered. In the worst case, if the soldiers come, we'll just burn the barricades," Somchai said.
and finally
Already there are reports of food shortages. By most estimates, the redshirts can only sustain themselves for a few more days.
Redshirts warn of civil war as Thai troops told to shoot on sight | World news | The Observer
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and in the vain of SD's overload still more ..................
again from Ben
"Troops are moving into the redshirts central city protest camp firing indiscriminately, as they seek to take back control of the capital's streets.
snip
Moving up Ratchadamri Road, troops fired indiscriminately. Journalists, ambulances and paramedics all attracted fire.
snip
Bangkok has descended into open warfare, says Ben Doherty reporting from the Foreign Correspondents Club amidst the gunfire in central Bangkok.
Redshirts warn of civil war as Thai troops told to shoot on sight | World news | The Observer
and all it would have taken to avoid all this is a couple more days till the food ran out ..........................
^^ Thanks for the posts Mid.
I don't think anyone is denying that troops opened fire on civilians. I was shot at twice, I saw 2 people shot. And I saw bullets flying at the red shirts from the army on many occasions.
I think the point is that a lot of people deny the role the red shirts played.
Both sides are guilty of crimes.
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au contraire , the point is the denial of the role the authorities played .Originally Posted by StrontiumDog
Strange as everyone else saw smoke....check the photos below. You must have been busy, right? Check the times on the photos too. The smoke was all day, as was the violence and murder. I think it would be fair and reasonable to suggest, after your above post Nostromo, that you don't have a clue about anything.
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Ben Doherty
8.40am:
Since redshirt leaders have conceded their protest is lost, the gunfire has decreased in recent minutes, but there are still volleys being fired at the camp, and by reds protesters at advancing troops. It will take several hours before troops can be confident they have central Bangkok under control. Undoubtedly, there will be pockets of resistance from within the redshirts. Many in the paramilitary wing of the redshirts remain armed and have vowed to fight to the death.
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The Stock Exchange is ablaze. Flames twice as bad since I've ... on Twitpic
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648 days ago
The Stock Exchange is ablaze. Flames twice as bad since I've uploaded this.
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Bangkok protests | Liveblog live blogging | Reuters.com
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by AlertNet_Thin on May 19, 2010 at 7:33 AM
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Bangkok protests | Liveblog live blogging | Reuters.com
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by Russell Boyce on May 19, 2010 at 8:02 AM
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View over Silom, 7.45am May 19th
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Bangkok protests | Liveblog live blogging | Reuters.com
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by Russell Boyce on May 19, 2010 at 8:21 AM
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Bangkok protests | Liveblog live blogging | Reuters.com
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by AlertNet_Thin on May 19, 2010 at 10:32 AM
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Bangkok protests | Liveblog live blogging | Reuters.com
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by AlertNet_Thin on May 19, 2010 at 10:46 AM
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Bangkok protests | Liveblog live blogging | Reuters.com
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by AlertNet_Thin on May 19, 2010 at 10:48 AM
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Bangkok protests | Liveblog live blogging | Reuters.com
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by Russell Boyce on May 19, 2010 at 2:53 PM
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Bangkok protests | Liveblog live blogging | Reuters.com
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by Russell Boyce on May 19, 2010 at 5:56 PM
An anti government "red shirt" protester walks by a shopping mall that was ransacked and set on fire during clashes in central Bangkok May 19, 2010. Anti-government protest leaders in Thailand surrendered to police on Wednesday after troops stormed their encampment, sparking clashes that killed at least four people, but violence rocked other areas of the city. REUTERS/stringer
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Bangkok protests | Liveblog live blogging | Reuters.com
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by Russell Boyce on May 19, 2010 at 5:58 PM
Smoke rises at a shopping mall that was ransacked and set on fire during clashes in central Bangkok May 19, 2010. Anti-government protest leaders in Thailand surrendered to police on Wednesday after troops stormed their encampment, sparking clashes that killed at least four people, but violence rocked other areas of the city. REUTERS/Chaiwat Subprasom
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Bangkok protests | Liveblog live blogging | Reuters.com
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by Russell Boyce on May 19, 2010 at 6:35 PM
Smoke rises at Central World shopping mall that was ransacked and set on fire during clashes in central Bangkok May 19, 2010. Bangkok's Central World, Southeast Asia's second-biggest department store, was destroyed by fire during riots following a crackdown on anti-government protesters, a Reuters witness said. REUTERS/Chaiwat Subprasom
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Bangkok protests | Liveblog live blogging | Reuters.com
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by Russell Boyce on May 19, 2010 at 1:39 PM
A Thai army soldier crouches behind a street sign near the body of a protester who was killed during an operation to evict anti-government "red shirt" protesters from their encampment in Bangkok May 19, 2010. Thai troops and armoured vehicles broke through barricades of tyres and staves on Wednesday in a fresh offensive to evict thousands of anti-government protesters from their fortified camp in central Bangkok, witnesses said. REUTERS/Damir Sagolj
Genuine question, because you seem sure of your facts.Originally Posted by robuzo
What time did the Army take control and what time did it burn presumably at their hands?
Fair enough, but you wont have any denials on that from me. I saw the army shooting at protesters and there is a huge amount of evidence on this too.
My take has always been, the army murdered civilians. The red shirts torched and looted buildings...and there were some armed red/black shirts amongst the mostly unarmed civilians....
Exactly.Originally Posted by StrontiumDog
How is "murdered civilians" the equivalent to "torched and looted [empty] buildings"? The army were not only shooting at protesters, they murdered people taking refuge in a temple. To create a false equivalence between that and vandalism is obscene. You should be ashamed.
It has to be repeated again and again. The army still denies causing any deaths or injuries through shooting at people as far as I am aware. People are denying it.Originally Posted by Strontium Dog
Last edited by tomta; 27-02-2012 at 12:04 AM.
Link? Where are they *still* denying it?Originally Posted by tomta
Gerbil. They have denied responsibility for every wound or death caused. They have not admitted to the responsibility even for non-lethal wounds. They are denying it by their silence now about these events.Originally Posted by Gerbil
They deny it in the same way that they have denied the events of 1976 and 1992 such that Samak was able to say that only one protester was killed in 1976. They are able to deny it because they are never held to account for it.
They do not anymore parade their blanket denials in public because it would be totally absurd. But as long as they feel unable to state publicly that they caused even some injuries or deaths then they are denying that they caused them. This question came up in another thread and I will repeat my answer here because I put it better there:
"Mr Lick
The government and army has not come out with one single statement covering the events of April and May that denies responsibility for every death. That would be so patently ridiculous that their case would be revealed as absolutely laughable.
What they do is simply to deny responsibility for every particular death or even wound that the troops are accused of causing. Have you seen one instance of the government or army accepting responsibility for a death or injury? Have the complete results of one autopsy been published six months after the events ? [And now, Gerbil, can you find anything like this even two years after the events]
This shouldn't be too hard. The government could say "Soldier X shot and wounded protestor Y with such and such a gun and ammunition while Protestor Y was looting/shooting/burning." Such an admission would be a propaganda victory for the government in that it would tend to justify their argument that they were using legitimate force. They've had six months to come up with just one such story and haven't done so.
Mid has provided you with a link to a denial of responsibility for the the shootings at Phan Fa in April. It should be remembered that at first they denied using live bullets. They only admitted to using live bullets when the evidence was so overwhelming that it was pointless to continue their denials.
You must have seen their denials of prominent cases like the shooting of Seh Daeng. Here is Anupong's denial of responsibility for the shootings at Wat Panatharum Bangkok Post : Anupong: Troops didn't kill at temple
You will notice in this article that Anupong claims to have evidence that they didn't shoot anyone but he chooses not to reveal it.
These denials are part of a pattern . Has the army admitted to the killings in 1973, 1976, 1992, No. Tak bai, Kru Sae? Sort of but it was all an accident. Has any army disciplinary committee reccommended that particular persons be charged for these events? Has anyone been charged?
The army and the government has a culture of denial and lying. Look at this typical statement from Sonthi, made during the planning stages of the coup: "The army will not get involved in the political conflict. Political troubles should be resolved by politicians. Military coups are a thing of the past.", 6 March 2006, (Wikipedia).
The denial is perpetrated by many means: lying, active denial of particular events, asserting that the "men in black " shot those on their own side, asserting that the army would never harm the Thai people,refusing to respond to or counter particular allegations with credible evidence, waiting till everyone despairs of getting the truth and gives up asking questions, saying the accusations are all from ill-intentioned people who want to destroy the state and overthrow the monarchy, and setting up"independent" commissions (whose reports are due in three years) with an emphasis on "reconciliation" not on "truth".
The denial is not a single event; it is a process. And it is serving its purposes as the same process has done before in Thailand."
https://teakdoor.com/thailand-and-asi...ml#post1603178 (Investigators fail to identify killers of foreign journalists)
As I said it's a process of denial and I have not seen anything that has indicated that the army admits responsibility even for lawfully causing death or injury but if you can provide a link to the army admitting that their soldiers and ammunition caused deaths in April/May 2010, then I will happily revise my ideas about this. I have not seen anything like that.Originally Posted by Gerbil
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