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Thread: Rumbling Begins

  1. #1
    Thailand Expat tomcat's Avatar
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    Rumbling Begins

    ...the Post said "hundreds" of protesters......

    Thousands in Bangkok Rally Against Thai Government

    THE ASSOCIATED PRESS July 18, 2020, 10:05 PM GMT+7

    An anti-government demonstration at the Democracy Monument in Bangkok on July 18, 2020. Photographer: Aidan Jones/AFP via Getty Images

    Bangkok (AP) -- Several thousand anti-government protesters rallied in Thailand's capital on Saturday to call for a new constitution, new elections and an end to repressive laws.

    Chanting and waving placards, the demonstrators, comprising mainly younger Thais, converged on Bangkok's iconic Democracy Monument in the old part of the city, a popular venue for dissent.

    The gathering, organized by a group calling itself Liberation Youth, was the biggest of its kind since the government called a state of emergency in March to deal with the coronavirus.

    Protests against the government of former army chief Prayuth Chan-ocha had been drawing increasingly large crowds at the time, but tapered off quickly when several coronavirus clusters were confirmed and the emergency law was invoked.

    Lockdown measures and social distancing have since helped the government contain the spread of the virus, but it has retained emergency powers, which critics say it wields as a political weapon.

    The earlier protests were fueled by a February court ruling dissolving a popular opposition political party whose democracy-promoting policies had attracted substantial support among younger Thais. The supporters of the Future Forward party believed the group was targeted for its popularity and for being critical of the government and the military.

    The political atmosphere heated up again in June, when a prominent self-exiled Thai political activist was snatched off the street by unknown men in neighboring Cambodia’s capital, Phnom Penh. He has not been heard from since. Several other Thai dissidents in Laos, another neighboring country, were also mysteriously kidnapped in recent years, with the bodies of three later found floating in the Mekong River.

    Leaders at Saturday’s protest made speeches calling for sweeping change, and a radical rap group belted out a popular, acerbic political song.
    Organizers put the number of protesters at more than 2,000, with more arriving as darkness fell.

    Police ringed the monument and set up barriers to try to prevent the protesters from occupying it. Police loudspeakers played a recording of the text of the emergency law in an apparent warning that they considered the gathering illegal.

    Prayuth first took power when, as army chief, he led a coup to overthrow the elected government in 2014. He then retained the prime minister’s post in 2019 after an election that was widely denounced as free but not fair, with conditions skewed in favor of a military-dominated party both before and after polling.

    Under his deeply conservative leadership, the military and the royalist elite have consolidated their power, increasingly angering more progressive elements in Thai society.
    Majestically enthroned amid the vulgar herd

  2. #2
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    Nothing will come of it, and if things did change it won't last.

    Guys in uniforms have wielded ultimate power here for decades, legitimized by hiding behind a certain institution.

    Good luck bringing that down.

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    Thailand Expat jabir's Avatar
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    Yer, some revolutions give the people a feeling of worth, without changing mutt.

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    ^Its better than doing nothing.

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    In Uranus
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    Quote Originally Posted by GracelessFawn View Post
    Its better than doing nothing.
    Just wear a mask.

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    The Dentist English Noodles's Avatar
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    At least these protesters have a legitimate reason for protest, and they're peaceful too...

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    The Dentist English Noodles's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by bsnub View Post
    Run motherfucker run.
    From you? A drunk cretin.

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    better than a trolling liar. Caught out for all to see. As always no want to engage with the likes of you.. Reckon Netflix will be better.

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    The Dentist English Noodles's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by aging one View Post
    Netflix
    Sure, that's it...

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    Thailand Expat helge's Avatar
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    ^
    This is a 'News' thread, and noticing the Mods being busy cleaning up after us kids anyway;

    Could I have a sandwich ?

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    Thailand Expat OhOh's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by GracelessFawn View Post
    ^Its better than doing nothing.
    Yea somebody in "Somewhere....".

    Try telling anybody who is liable for legal prosecution, expulsion or incarceration that.

    Dickhead.

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    กงเกวียนกำเกวียน HuangLao's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Agent_Smith View Post
    Nothing will come of it, and if things did change it won't last.

    Guys in uniforms have wielded ultimate power here for decades, legitimized by hiding behind a certain institution.

    Good luck bringing that down.

    Sounds about right.
    Same as it ever was.

  13. #13
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    Quote Originally Posted by OhOh View Post
    Yea somebody in "Somewhere....".

    Try telling anybody who is liable for legal prosecution, expulsion or incarceration that.

    Dickhead.
    The lady is in the Philippines, I do believe.

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    Thailand Expat OhOh's Avatar
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    ^

    No consequences for her, then.

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    Thailand Expat helge's Avatar
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    I think PI could do with a few "reforms" itself

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    ^^

    No, I was trying to suggest that the ephitet you used might not be suitable for a lady or really anyone that's expressing an opinion. Expressing an opposite opinion is cool.

    Insulting the poster personally in that manner reeks of lack of respect for those who differ with you and demonstrates the lack of vocabulary that separates someone whose education might have come from someone who grew up in a tavern or the result of watching the late night Fox "News" after enjoying an evening of the WWE.

    Not that I would ever pass judgement on someone who made me think of who the dickhead truly was when I read your post.

    Quote Originally Posted by helge View Post
    I think PI could do with a few "reforms" itself
    What country doesn't need a few reforms?
    "I was a good student. I comprehend very well, OK, better than I think almost anybody," - President Trump comparing his legal knowledge to a Federal judge.

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    Thailand Expat helge's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Topper View Post
    What country doesn't need a few reforms?
    Coincidentally I'm taking the kids to Legoland tomorrow.
    Shall report back


    All, and some need outright revolutions

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    Quote Originally Posted by helge View Post
    I think PI could do with a few "reforms" itself
    Are you kidding? A few reforms is an understatement. PI is almost beyond reform at this point. It's buried neck-deep in shite. It will take decades for true reform to take place by educating the masses, but until then, it's just another day as usual. Figures/leaders might change in shape, form or name, but the society is still confronted with the same problems.
    Last edited by GracelessFawn; 22-07-2020 at 06:15 AM.
    I am so unlucky that if I fall into a barrel full of D*ick**s, I'd come out sucking my own thumb!

  19. #19
    Days Work Done! Norton's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by GracelessFawn View Post
    the society is still confronted with the same problems.
    Yep. Pretty bad when Philippine coruption index is worse than Thailand's.

    Corruption Rank - Countries - List | Asia

  20. #20
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    a radical rap group belted out a popular, acerbic political song.



    Prathet Ku Mee!!

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    Thailand Expat jabir's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by English Noodles View Post
    At least these protesters have a legitimate reason for protest, and they're peaceful too...
    Won't be, not once our glorious leaders send in the agitators; such a novel concept to control the violence, works every time.

  22. #22
    Thailand Expat helge's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by GracelessFawn View Post
    Are you kidding?
    Yes..
    Quote Originally Posted by GracelessFawn View Post
    A few reforms is an understatement
    Quote Originally Posted by helge View Post
    "reforms"

  23. #23
    Thailand Expat OhOh's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Topper View Post
    Insulting the poster personally in that manner
    I agree, it really wasn't required at all.

  24. #24
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    Quote Originally Posted by jabir View Post
    Won't be, not once our glorious leaders send in the agitators; such a novel concept to control the violence, works every time.
    It works everywhere and the media loves it. Best way to turn a legitimate movement into "terrorism".

  25. #25
    Thailand Expat tomcat's Avatar
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    Why a new generation of Thais are protesting against the government

    Yvette Tan - BBC News
    August 1, 2020, 7:08 AM


    The latest wave of protests is driven by young peopleThey're young, they're angry, and they're calling for change.

    Thailand's youth were among thousands on the streets of Bangkok last week in one of the biggest anti-government protests the capital has seen in years, despite a coronavirus ban on large gatherings.

    They say they will continue protesting if their three main demands are not met - for parliament to be dissolved, for the constitution to be rewritten, and for authorities to stop harassing critics.

    Many have found creative ways to protest - including the use of a Japanese anime character and a "Hunger Games" salute.

    Disillusioned youth

    Thailand has a long history of political unrest and protest, but a new wave began in February this year, after a popular opposition political party was ordered to dissolve.

    March 2019 saw the first elections since the military seized power in 2014. For many young people and first-time voters, it was seen as a chance for change after years of military rule.

    But the military had taken steps to entrench its political role, and the election saw Prayuth Chan-ocha - the military leader who led the coup - re-installed as prime minister.

    The pro-democracy Future Forward Party (FFP), with its charismatic leader Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit, garnered the third-largest share of seats and was particularly popular with young, first-time voters.


    But in February, a court ruled FFP had received a loan from Thanathorn which was deemed a donation - thus making it illegal - and the party was forced to disband.

    Pro-democracy activist Wanchalearm Satsaksit was reportedly snatched off the street in CambodiaThousands joined street protests, but these were halted by Covid-19 restrictions.

    Things heated up again in June when a prominent pro-democracy activist went missing.
    Wanchalearm Satsaksit, who had been living in Cambodia in exile since 2014, was reportedly grabbed off the street and bundled off into a vehicle.


    Protesters accused the Thai state of orchestrating his kidnapping, which the police and government have denied.
    Hamsters and milk tea

    Punchada Sirivunnabood, a professor of politics at Mahidol University, says this combination of events has driven the new wave of protest.
    "The students feel like what the government has done is not really democratic. They want a fair government," she told the BBC.
    Disillusioned by years of military rule, protesters are now demanding amendments to the constitution, a new election, the prime minister's resignation and an end to the harassment of rights activists.

    The protests are technically banned under Thailand's coronavirus state of emergency - and breaking this ban carries a sentence of up to two years in jail.

    Youth activists have adopted the Japanese hamster character Hamtaro - seen on the phone - as a protest symbolThe movement is largely leaderless, but driven by a group known as the Free Youth.

    This group, says Dr Am Sinpeng at the University of Sydney, is "loosely composed of a number of university student associations and affiliated groups… [there's] no leader on purpose".

    She says they've learned from the Hong Kong protests of recent years, "where these groups represent free individuals that come together rather than being anchored down by particular organisations or political parties".

    Pro-democracy - and anti-China - protesters in Thailand, Hong Kong and Taiwan have even dubbed themselves the "Milk Tea Alliance" - after the classic drink loved in all three places.

    And the Thais have found creative - and sometimes whimsical - methods of protest.
    A Japanese hamster character, for example, has been turned into a rebel symbol.

    Protesters have taken the Hamtaro theme song and changed its lyrics, using it as an anti-government anthem.
    A line in the song which says "the most delicious food is sunflower seeds" has been changed to "the most delicious food is taxpayers' money".
    Protesters have also been seen giving a three-fingered salute, a gesture taken from the Hunger Games film franchise where it's a rousing symbol of defiance against an authoritarian state.

    "Thai youths have always used more subversive pop culture forms of discontent," Dr Sinpeng says.
    "That's because of years of living in repressive environments that do not always allow for freedom of expression. [They're] having to always find creative ways to get around all kinds of censorship."

    The three-fingered salute from the Hunger Games film franchise is used by many demonstratorsAs well as in Bangkok, small "flashmob" type protests which are easy to organise and can quickly disperse are being organised in smaller cities, driven by social media.

    "Twitter has really gained ground in the past few years," says Dr Sinpeng. "The trending hashtags are not only important for mobilising public participation, but it is also a branding exercise for a movement that is still forming with evolving and dynamic identities."

    A generational divide


    According to Prof Punchada, "most of the older generation, they don't understand what the students want.
    "Most of them support this government, but the young people have opposite ideas."

    Unlike previous conflicts between the Red and Yellow shirts - supporters of opposing political factions in Thailand - "this conflict is between the older and younger generation," she says.


    "There [have been] off remarks from senior officials that are patronising and demonstrate a deeply-held belief among some older sections of the population that 'kids should not defy their elders'," says Dr Sinpeng.

    "[The youth] want to know the elders running the country hear them and take their concerns seriously. They want respect."

    Back on the streets, a real fight continues to brew - but is this protest wave likely to have much impact?
    "The protests are not going to shake up the government too much now as they are not at the scale that they could yet," says Dr Sinpeng.
    "[They] are notable, but will require more momentum."

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