Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva
Posted on 04/24/2010 2:17:31 PM PDT by bruinbirdman
He came to power as the decent leader: a smooth British-born and Oxford-educated Thai aristocrat who promised to end political turmoil and restore democracy.
But Abhisit Vejjajiva was cowering behind razor wire in a military barracks in suburban Bangkok as his capital, turned into a smoking battlefield by mobs in red shirts, braced itself for an expected bloody crackdown.
Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva
Eighteen months after becoming prime minister of Thailand, once a bulwark of Asian calm and prosperity, Mr Abhisit is still in office but is only just in power.
Anti-government protesters who support one of his ousted predecessors, Thaksin Shinawatra – the telecoms billionaire who once owned Manchester City FC – were preparing for new and ugly clashes with the Thai army after Mr Abhisit rejected a compromise designed to end weeks of increasing violence.
Last week foreigners were among the 80 injured by grenades apparently fired from behind Red Shirt lines during street battles in Bangkok's tourist districts.
The clashes, in which three Thais died, led the Foreign Office to warn Britons to avoid all but essential travel to the city, normally one of the world's favourite exotic holiday destinations.
On Friday, alarmed by the pace of events, Red Shirt leaders offered to end their occupation of Bangkok's central shopping district, normally awash with foreign tourists, in return for elections within the next three months.
But when Mr Abhisit, who knows he would probably lose such a poll, was asked if he accepted the protesters' proposal, he replied bluntly: "No, I don't."
His refusal to give ground spells an almost certain escalation of trouble. If the army does not move in to confront the red-shirted crowds, rival bands of yellow-shirted supporters of government have threatened to take matters into their own hands.
(Excerpt) Read more at telegraph.co.uk ...
lol.
Is that why hundreds of Brits are trapped at the airport from the earlier thread?
I wonder if Soros is funding the Red Shirts?
Thailand?
They should airdrop origami birds over the city.
Muslims appear to be funding the “Yellow Shirts” (e.g the current government supporters).
It is very complicated with many other factions and alliances in play. There are military light arms available to all sides now.
A great time for foreigners to head for the nearest exits.
See now, in the old days, the US would be helping out the normal people.
The Brits are stuck because of Iceland, remember? Europe closed its airports down? for a real long time?
The Red Shirts are asking for of all nonsense “elections” to replace the military junta installed government.
Sounds a real Banana Republic kind of mess.
I guess normal people are too scared of either side to speak up
“I wonder if Soros is funding the Red Shirts?”
I am sure there is some element of Marxist opportunism here, but I really can’t blame people rebelling against a government which finds indentured prostitution and pedophilia acceptable industries and economic mainstays.
The Red Shirts are probably no better than the “Yellow Shirts” I would guess.
These days it is getting harder and harder to tell who are the good guys and who are the bad guys in these foreign conflicts. Too bad they don’t issue uniforms clearly saying “Bad” or “Good”. ;-)
We could maybe send in Bill Clinton to negotiate a truce, but he’d end up spending all his time in the massage parlors having “sandwiches” (and I ain’t talking about McDonalds, if you know what I mean).
“but I really can’t blame people rebelling against a government which finds indentured prostitution and pedophilia acceptable industries and economic mainstays.”
I didn’t realize they elected a Libertarian government. Serves them right.
It is a real shame as Thailand is actually a great place with a proud decent and fair minded people.
Thaksin was of course an opportunist but he mobilized the common folk to propel him to power against the military, business and criminal cartels of Bangkok which traditionally have run the nation.
He and his party were twice freely, legally elected, and twice the cartel has overturned those elections.
The Red Shirts have the right and duty to seek elections.
It is a corrupt CF to be sure.
Thailand was a lovely, stable, agrarian country back in the ‘60s. Their major problem was communist incursions on their borders with Laos and Cambodia.
A great place?
I understand they have more child prostitutes per foot than anywhere on Earth.
Why do you think the Brit tourists didn’t save lunch money and are rioting in Bangkok since England closed its airports?
And it is EXACTLY the PIMPS and DRUG cartels of Bangkok who are in league with the police and military to stop the Red Shirts.
I remember seeing an interview on Thai TV with a past prime minister of theirs where a Brit reporter asked whether it concerned him that so many Europeans were coming there for reasons other than taking pictures of pretty temples. The PM replied that actually, he was very flattered that foreigners found his people "so attractive".
This was before AIDS was known of and attitudes have since changed a bit. But it's nothing new and certainly not due to the current government.
not true
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