Thai Rath's political analysis for March 21 is entitled "ถอยคนละก้าว หาจุดลงตัว" (Take one step back to find the middle ground) is summarized below: It is fortunate that the only blood spilled last week was done voluntarily by the red shirts in a manner of an activity and not through fighting. The situation today is that the red shirts will continue in their protests. Some return home, but then more reinforcements arrive.
Thailand's prime minister said he will send representatives to hold talks with protesters who have been calling for him to step down, but his antagonists want to meet with him personally.
Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva has so far held firm against demands from the so-called Red Shirt movement that he dissolve Parliament and call new elections.
In an op-ed by Stanley A. Weiss in the LA Times (the title of the op-ed would have the government censors in a state of panic, but if you google the author's name and LA Times, you will find the op-ed). About the only paragraphs that BP can excerpt are: The "yellow shirts" -- monarchists, the military and urban middle class -- rightly criticize the Thaksin administration's abuses in office, but their preferred alternative amounts to continued domination by Bangkok's privileged, in a country where the population's richest fifth is roughly 13 times better off than the poorest.
David Van Praagh, a journalism professor in Canada, has an op-ed in The Globe and Mail entitled "Thai democracy on its sickbed". Given its discussion of sensitive topics, BP will not link to it, but of course there is google. The article argues in favour of enlightened generals and the Democrats (the author has written a book on one of the founder of the Democrats Seni Pramoj) and against Thaksin.
The following is a summary of Anek's two of tale democracies argument* where the rural people elect the government and Bangkokians overthrow the government: Many will read this good/bad coup as support for Anek Laothammatas’ (1996) argument that Thai democracy is a tale of two democracies: where the rural masses elect vote-buying politicians, and the urban middle class, frustrated by the corrupt and inept nature of such governments rally to bring them down by weight of social sanction, protest and persuasion (and, in this latest episode, by cheering on a ‘‘good coup’’).
Joshua Kurlantzick, a fellow for South-East Asia at the Council on Foreign Relations, has an article in the London Review of Books entitled "Red vs Yellow". Would link to it, but well the last two paragraphs talk about a sensitive subject. Kurlantzick's article is very critical of both the establishment and Thaksin. He does make some odd assertions at time, for example:
A crimson tide of protesters snaked its way through the Thai capital Saturday, with thousands of cars, trucks and motorbikes tangling up traffic as demonstrators sought to drum up support for ousting a government they call illegitimate. The festive caravan of as many as 100,000 "Red Shirt" protesters is to be followed up Sunday with the group making a giant painting from their own blood, the latest shock tactic in their weeklong campaign to force Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva to dissolve Parliament and call new elections.
Protesters riding thousands of motorcycles and crammed into trucks and cars set off Saturday for a daylong caravan through the streets of the Thai capital, hoping to enlist residents in their "class war" against the government. They plan to follow up the march with a "blood painting" on Sunday, the latest shock tactic by the so-called "Red Shirts" in their peaceful, weeklong campaign to oust the government of Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva.
BBC Monitoring has translated some snippets from Thai language press op-eds/editorials on the red slanguage protests. Key excerpts: Papers disagree on whether or not the decision to splash blood on Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva's house was wise, but most agree that the reds' protest, backed mainly by rural Thais, has made political gains.
Prove your eco-knowledge or humiliate yourself by exposing your green ignorance with these short quizzes on the environment. Don't cheat by googling and no do-overs!
After the more public split in the red shirts, we have the moderate reds, AKA the three amigos (Nattawut, Jautporn, and Veera) who have separated themselves away from the Red Siam group of Jakrapob and Surachai as well as Seh Daeng (and Panlop). Jakrapob, Surachai, Seh Daeng, and Panlop have all directly or indirectly criticized the moderate red group. Haven't seen any statement by Thaksin, but he continues to make phone-ins to the red shirt stage where the moderate reds are in control.
BBC: Third, perhaps the biggest question hanging over the red-shirt rally was the extent to which this has become a genuine anti-government, anti-establishment, political movement, rather than just a political front for the ousted Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. Despite his self-imposed exile, to escape a jail sentenced for corruption, Mr Thaksin remains influential. He has called into the rally via video link on most days.
Thailand
