Carpetbaggers Or Else!!!
It’s a terrifying sight, once respected minds voicing support for mayhem and death – for rather selective, hardly sane reasons. The leaders of the red shirts were successful at inciting hatred and violence in society, but not that the red cause lost support. The reds are dead. Long live the reds. Now even the “real Thaksin disciple” and political dinosaur Chalerm Yoobamrung is poised to continue the dynasty of the political dinosaurs Samak and Chavalit – a succession not rejected by the true Thaksin converts, but accepted as a sort of “what good guy can survive in the Thai system.”
Well, that’s why those guys make life so hard for a guy who’s not yet as low as them. One can hardly dispute that the Democrats and their powerful hidden backers represent patronizing bullies. But then again, that’s balm for politics compared to an opposition that’s on the brink of intellectual collapse, supported by academic firebrands and hardcore loyalists whose emailed pamphlets, writings and comments suggest you’re ruled by the Butcher of Bangkok, the Pol Pot and Hitler of modern times, by a fascist regime killing the innocent. Worst of it: people keep on repeating and – obviously – believing this nonsense. Even in parliament.
Their choice of strong words reflects the failure of these hardcore reds’ imaginary world, as their attention-grabbing approach by moronizing dissenters has not much to do with the betterment of society. It’s their desperate attempt to pretend strength and get the numbers. But the numbers never added up. So they had to radicalize the remaining few by applying peer pressure and comradeship. Hierarchal obedience yes, but Thai people are not that dumb, stupid. Take our red hero – or “red herring”? – Jatuporn during the censure debate. Lying on live TV about peaceful protest, no weapons and that he submitted pictures of police carrying loads and loads of gasoline into Central World to blow up the place … Jatuporn did not submit a single picture. And red apologists are still not “questioning” him. Outrageous? Now why’s that.
First and foremost, many of the most radical red supporters, especially the farang ones, are not and never were in the line of fire. These keyboard warriors live in the comfort of anonymity with no family in danger and no property about to be blown up. Spectators with no role, just vanity, ridicule and arrogance are their weapons, stuck in an old world of an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. They’re freaks of time, born into the wrong era – but in reality they’re leeches, the first ones to enjoy the excesses of bustling Bangkok with the big bang for a little buck. Well they say blood is the ingredient of change for that the phoenix can rise from the ashes. That’s so yesteryear. Revolutions are dead. That’s not what Thais want. These are the times of asymmetrical warfare and politics. Or you already forgot how red supporters fled the red protests in masses? Because never ever has Thailand seen dirtier money politics of self-interests at play than during the red mayhem.
There’s legitimate anger, but there’s no more credible red cause, as reds deconstructed themselves. The fairy tale of masses of taxi drivers paralyzing the capital is pulp, the watermelon and tomato revolution was never to materialize. The moment the government interrupted the flow of funds the red bombings stopped. Thais knew all along. But it’s one of those taboos. You just know it. You don’t talk about. Money, money, money, that’s what the red protest was all about in the end. Not only did the reds’ then-spokesman Sean Boonpracong confirm that protesters got a 130,000 U.S. dollars a day – that’s quite some money considering that in the final days a few hundred red diehards were holding out in front of the red stage. A northern couple I spoke to told me they were promised 45,000 baht should the protest “succeed.” After they got tired of the hatred from the stage they soon left back home. According to sources I trust those motorcycle guys who spearheaded the impressive march for democracy were promised 50,000 baht each should the reds triumph over the government. The reds kept detailed account of whom they paid and promised how much.
And what? You did not yet read Father Joe‘s related letter?
Dear Everyone
Once again from Bangkok, “after the present troubles.”
All is quiet. The curfew is slowly going away. I believe Saturday will be the final night. Today, Thursday, as I write this, curfew is from midnight till four a.m. The first night, five folks tried to torch different parts of our Klong Toey slum. One by dropping burning material from the express way above the slum. All were doused in minutes. Two of the arsonists were 14-year old kids who had been given a handful of money to throw a petrol bottle bomb anywhere they could, to burn the slum, and if they succeeded, they would get more cash.
The total slum mobilized and kept watch against strangers, and even their own. First time in my forty years here I have seen total unity: no one – absolutely no one will burn – will torch – our slum. And that is the way it was and is. Our kids kept watch also, boys patrolling the street with a couple of slum street motorcycle gangs and the girls up the roof, keeping watch. We don’t have enemies, but our buildings are large, and look flammable, (which they ain’t) but you can do a lot of damage with a petrol bottle bomb!
The loss to this beloved land is beyond counting. For most, all started rather jovial – everyone getting a daily stipend of anywhere from a thousand baht for people on foot, and three to four thousand baht for motorcycles for joining the rallies. A thousand baht is four to five days wages for unskilled labor here in the slums and a bit more in the provinces. But then if you joined the protesters, they took your photo, registered you. That was when it began to unravel.
Then, it all blew up. Huge buildings, banks, shops, homes got torched. Hospitals evacuated. The police were passive, allowing everything to happen. Maybe that’s what they were told to do. I shall not comment on that. I think everyone was “like slapped senseless” by the reality.
What now?
Life goes on. We pick up the pieces. We are most uncertain of a calm tomorrow. We here in the slums, strongly feel this is just the beginning.
The poverty level here in Klong Toey has jumped higher. The port closed for a while. The bars closed, and many of the nighttime working moms of our kindergarten kids had no work – no customers. Street kids went hungry. Most of the slum had and still has no work – no wages. And the long term suffering is just now beginning. More and more people come to us daily for help, to begin their lives again.
Had the protesters won the day, we would now be under dictatorship with lots of folks disappearing. The Law of the Gun. I am reminded of the lyrics of “Keeper of the Song.” Those in power write the history, those who suffer write the songs. Meanwhile, now, children are beginning the new school year – but the corruption goes on, the carpetbaggers go on.
We, and that means almost everyone in Thailand, fear that any new radical government certainly would not be interested in the cost, time and effort necessary to bring about the radical economic changes urgently needed for better equality.
As for us and our children, our family at Mercy Center, thank you for your prayers and concern. Many of you asked how you could help us. I hope that I do not have to put out another letter, urgently asking, begging for your assistance. Right now, today, we are fine, unscathed physically, but emotionally pretty beat up. Some of our neighbors died, both protesters and those in uniform. Death is death.
What started as a red folk festival soon turned into a bought propaganda show of hatred and abuse. Who didn’t want to join! Address genuine grievances! And who didn’t want to leave soon – and still hardcore supporters keep on repeating to this day the red holy mantra of justice and equality and end of double standards … The systematic call to arms and burning and looting is well and broadly documented. You have the right to make a further fool of yourself by denying the obvious, but expect to be treated as a fool. To speak with a certain Buncha Ooraikul, Edmonton:
(Thaksin) encouraged the red shirts to use any tactics, including killing, burning and looting, to topple the present government to pave the way for his return.
The story of Thaksin Shinawatra is one of power, greed and total lack of scruples. He bought his way into the Thai PM office in his first term by buying up MPs from other parties, then used populist policies to win the hearts and souls of the “rural poor” in the most populous northeastern and northern Thailand, resulting in the landslide victory in his second term.
He could have been a great PM by using his business talents to lead Thailand to prosperity with true democracy.
Instead, he ran the country as his own company, buying or getting rid of his opposition or “undesirable” elements, while changing laws to favor his own and his cronies’ businesses.
Now some will still argue nothing’s proven, all’s made up! Election, election, or else!! The shameful prostitution of some bright minds goes even further. They consider as credible that the army torched down Central World and shot at firefighters and emergency personnel. That it’s maybe even the work of Newin, hey that guy knows all the dodges. People were shooting and throwing bombs at those trying to put out the blaze. Thai Rath reported some protesters put guns on firefighters’ heads telling them not to approach Central World. Can red apologetics get more ridiculous? People in the north are fed up, they know, they’ve been deceived by Thaksin. The glorified hardcore red is a tiny minority by now. But we have to take these apologists seriously and talk and debate with them. Otherwise they accuse you of being fascists bullying the disenfranchised majority. They denounce The Nation as biased, but make a parody of themselves by ignoring as a matter of principle what they don’t like. The Nation reports like a subversive polemic paper in comparison by at least not keeping silent about the other side.
I’ve had it with those backseat drivers masquerading as Robin Hood lamenting again and again “But the coup! The military! The Democrats!” If there’s one government in recent Thai history more serious about breaking with the past cycle of military coups, strongmen and self-service governments, it’s the one you have right now. Am not kidding. There are good reasons for not trusting Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, but there are vastly more reasons for not trusting his opponents’ promises. There’s the Office of the Prime Minister’s 14 page position paper detailing the red crackdown, common misconceptions and the prime minister’s reconciliation roadmap. Download it here and save some time for a careful read.
Now if you still think Thailand under the current government is an exotic Uganda with lots of ugly Idi Amins in control, consider the pure democracy of Malaysia, Singapore, Italy, Israel, Germany, the U.K., and and and. The conquest and occupation of the state by private interests is not a Thai exclusivity. The Thai rural poor are not more neglected than the Indonesian or Philippine rural poor, but expectations here are certainly higher because some demagogue promised shortcuts to richness and wealth.
Stop fooling yourself. Opposition is important. This kind of opposition is nothing short of criminal.
And yeah yeah am paid by Suthep. But what a joy it is to see Bangkok coming back alive again. People laughing, dressing up, moving on. He can’t destroy this.
Now with the red protests history and the Abhisit government comfortably surviving the censure debate you can say this:
The red campaign strengthened Abhisit.
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by BKKDan, Pim Pimlapas. Pim Pimlapas said: RT @BangkokDan: (BLOG) Carpetbaggers Or Else!!! http://bit.ly/dlVRlK < Love it! So true especially the 4th paragraph :p [...]
Brilliant BangkokDan … passionate and compassionate … about the Father Joe letter.
The solution is a fair vote with the yellows accepting the loss.
If it doesn’t work out, have another election.
That’s fair.
(BD: There’s no such thing as a fair vote in current Thailand.)
There are a lot of people out there who want the reds to be what the movement either isn’t or hasn’t yet become, i.e. a people’s grassroots pro-democracy etc. movement.
When the so-called moderates were ignored and the roadmap turned down we saw the defeat of the pro-poor activist group by the Thaksinistas. And even the pro-poor activist group did not hail from or be chosen by the grassroots but were parachuted in or attempting to join/hijack a carefully designed and manipualted movement.
Not much different from red siam analysis that although now the Thaksinistas and pro-poor activists are in hiding, bottling it or locked up siam daeng may make a move to take over the reigns of the movement for their own ends or at least the hard side rather than the we are red but not red like that brigade that is also emerging.
Another telling thing about those that want it be something it is not is that the stage speeches at Ratchaprasong remain laregly uncovered by them or were not understood – even by Thai speakers – because of language difficulties. Most of the speeches were about mighty Thaksin and everything good he did, returning Thaksin and everyone becoming incredibly rich overnight, the evil baby killing Abhisit, that safety of certain peop[le could not be guaranteed followed by their addresses and phone numbers being given out and of course the bile-filled hate speeches more typical of 30′s Europe. Even the far from red hating Michael Nelsen commented on this. However, on the red apologist blogs and news sources and in the minds of those who want the reds to be what they imagine them as rather than what they are you won’t see this stuff mentioned as it doesn’t fit the meme.
Father Joe is doing what NGOs and charities – particularly religious ones – do best – siding with the victors.
Having been at Bon Kai when the fires started and the looting was being done I know for a fact that this “rampage” was done by the good, God fearing lambs of the good shepherd Father Joe.
However, not a word in his letter than any of his flock could have been responsible for any of it.
Instead, the government mantra about people being paid to attend the rally. If they were being paid so much to attend the rally why?:
Bars closing would’ve been a good thing I would have thought. Kept the slum dwellers who have no money for food or clothes for their kids from spending their cash in the bars.
And while it might give some people a warm fuzzy feeling, let’s remember that the Klong Toey slum is largely made up of squatters who have no land rights to be where they are and that the slum sits on a very valuable piece of developmental real estate meaning there is no shortage of people who would like to see it raised.
To me it looks as if it was written by Ferrara with a battery inserted the wrong way.
I haven’t seen anyone commenting on Chalerm’s latest attack on Kasit for proposing a discussion on the role of the monarchy.
He called the idea “evil and vile.”
I haven’t seen it mentioned on the usual red crowd hangouts like NM or BP.
They couldn’t have missed it.
John, he meant working in the bars not drinking in them.
StanG. Political Prisoners in Thailand (usual red hangout) does have a post today critical of Chalerm. However, given the rest of its contents I doubt Kasit will be citing it in his defence.
I think you may be jumping the gun for poor old BP – give the man just a some time!
NM moderators doesn’t make a point of reporting or commenting on general news anyway so I wouldn’t expect them to make a big deal of it. However, I do agree there are many regular posters on the site that seem highly selective in how they apply their principles. For example, I was disappointed that LM charges against Sondhi Lim (for repeating Da Torpedo) were not condemned anywhere near as vociferously (if at all) as the charges against anyone else. I know it would be painfull but still needs to be done!
Lacking principles is not something anyone could accuse PPT of. While stridently anti-government (and that could be any government), he is nevertheless highly consistent when it comes to sticking to his own particular code of defending invididual liberty. For me, this makes his “bias” acceptable. You know exactly where he stands and that he applies the same standards without fear or favour. This give his opinions on personal liberty issues a high value IMO, though I remain wary of some (not all) of his other political analysis.
Is it really surprising that some amount of looting and pillage happened after army started shooting at the protesters? Look at any recent protest turning violent, same pattern occurs (only much earlier and severe than it did in Bangkok).
Once bullets fly, sanity and moderation quickly gets well out of the picture. Reds certainly have their ugly extremists, as we have seen. Some red leaders did incite violence, but they were hardly in control when it occurred.
Thai army crackdown has been relatively restrained (only ~50 worthless peasants killed this time). However, I wonder whether this is due to genuine benevolence of government and generals, or due to internet and immediate media coverage, which would have ensured that a massacre on the scale of 1992 would bring down the government in short order?
Unfortunately, it will probably only get uglier next time.
Treble, PPT is not a “hangout,” they don’t allow comments. It is also blocked in Thailand.
On BP and NM people post all kinds of links to all kinds of stories, I find the silence of the usual commentators there interesting, not BP or Farelly/Walker themselves.
You’re crazy, Abhisit is a dead man. He will never be able to travel around this country again without an armed escort.
Arthurson – But will he be attacked by genuinely angry rural folk or people acting on orders?
Much evidence states the arsonists on the rampage on May 19th were acting on orders rather than venting rage.
Really. You think this government is legit and represents a majority of Thais?
I think it came in under very shady circumstances and Thais should be allowed a vote.
Some JJ hijacked my nick, so I’ll be JJst.
So you other JJ out there, voting at gunpoint? You’ll be the first to cry if this bunch of liars and cheats take over. But they won’t. The red Thaksin-orchestrated movement is finished as we knew it. People in the north today are scared of themselves how they were deceived. They’re watching the horrible official TV, glad how much more information they can get from TPBS or TNN compared to PTV. They got their fields, kids go to school again. Thaksin’s red haters are dead, killed by themselves because they’re not about the participation and redistribution northern and northeastern folks need and deserve.
Another “threat” against PM Abhisit’s life Arthurson?
Very poor form Arthurson, and all those red sympathizers in denial.
The failed red campaign/rebellion strengthened Abhisit … absolutely!
The coalition government together holds the most seats in parliament, so yes, in a parliamentary democracy as in Thailand or the U.K. that translates to representing the majority of Thais.
II agree that the government came under shady circumstances but so did previous Thai governments. Back room deals are the norm, even in more developed countries. Such is the nature of the system.
As for the point that Thais should be allowed a vote, they were in fact going to get one in just a few months ahead, i.e. Nov 14, but as we now know Thaksin never wanted that for the Thai people and so the deal didn’t go through. Instead the Thais may now be facing a protracted guerrilla insurgency – as Thaksin himself predicted. I do hope Thaksin won’t get his way though and the Thais will come back to their senses.
Insightful piece of … what’s the word I’m looking for, ah yes, editorializing, that’s it. The truth of the matter is that the post rambles aimlessly about looking to make a point but failing in the process. Or, more precisely, the musings expressed throughout the post contain a lot of disjointed argumentation, faulty conjecture and some glaring omissions. It definitely reads like a rant from a Bangkokian whose self-serving, hedonistic lifestyle was inconvenienced temporarily by the rent-a-mob of red shirts (I am still waiting for someone to conduct some serious investigative reporting on these so-called “pay-offs” and to present publicly substantive documented evidence of these acts). Once the farm boys in green cleaned up the streets it was back to normalcy for upper and middle class Bangkokians (Thais and expatriates) but not for the residents of Bon Kai community. But no worries, mate, happy days are back again. Head straight to Siam Paragon (Thailand’s most glamorous temple), enjoy your tea and crumpets, feel good to be with the beautiful people, then saunter over to the Siam BTS station so as to take a snapshot of the Siam Theater (I wonder how much both Chulalongkorn University and APEX Cinema will collect in insurance), walk quickly past Wat Pathum Wanaram, and don’t forget to lay a wreath at the Central World Memorial in remembrance of all the mannequins that perished in the inferno.
You attack the so-called red shirt apologists but what exactly do you stand for? You lambast the pro-red shirt keyboard warriors but what are your ideas to solve this ongoing crisis? You point out how Thaksin and his cabal have duped millions of innocent Thais and foreigners into swallowing his propaganda but what are you prepared to do to clean up Thai politics? Remember money is the Lord of Life in this country.
By the way, I spoke with one Thai couple from Samut Prakarn on the 20th of May and they told me that they had been paid 100,000 baht each for attending the red shirt rallies in Ratchaprasong. Wait, come to think about it they actually took the money from a local branch of Bangkok Bank on the 19th. Hey, in a capitalist world if one performs a service well then one must be fairly compensated, right?
Before I forget, the inclusion of Father Joseph Maier’s letter in the post is definitely a broken mirror. What does it prove? After reading his “gospel” of sanctimonious effervescence, it just reinforced my opinion about this modern day personal Jesus. Here is a man who complains about the Red Shirt Rebellion and its attendant violence resulting in the closure of bars (Patpong) and nighttime working mothers having no customers to shag for a fistful of baht. I guess he is of the opinion that the sex industry serves a utilitarian purpose by contributing to the development and growth of the slum economy.
What he fails to mention is that Klong Toey is indeed Red Shirt territory not because of any love for Thaksin but rather because the community tends to loathe government and State authority. Yet this self-marketed saint preaches nothing but hypocrisy. He castigates the UDD for its blatant use of money to lure the downtrodden masses – urban and rural poor – to join a nefarious movement but then turns around and jumps at every opportunity to fill the coffers of his NGO by massaging the egos of the powerful and corrupt. I should know for I have worked with the man on a number of projects for his Mercy Center and it’s always about the money and rubbing elbows with the Bangkok elite. Guess who has bestowed royal patronage upon the Human Development Foundation? I wonder how much merit this person has gained from performing such a benevolent act.
Lots of comments and pieces scattered across the media world on the anger of defeated red supporters and what it will mean. Yet there is little covering the increased anger towards the reds. That will mean that it won’t only be Abhisit worrying about cooks spitting into his food (some moronic comment from a PTP representative of the people (sic)). It is no surprise to see some PTP MPs particulalrly form certain areas lying low right now as the PTP label is currently as toxic in many places as the Dem one is in CM or KK.
It has also led to reds who describe themselves as red but not red like that meaning not mad violent murdering arsonists with machine guns, grenades and petrol bombs, so there is an opportunity for some moderate in the red or even non-red centrist to tap into this leaving Thaksin and assorted feudal ammart allies and the third generation henchmen that are probably now being activated complete with lobotomies to fight it out with red siam for the hearts of the extremists in the true believers red cult.
I am amused by those who seem to think it is BKK upper middle class versus everyone else. I’d say travel the country and you’d pretty soon realize it isn’t anything like that. In fact even in northern Thailand which I know well it is easier to find neutrals than reds. Still must not let that kind of thing get in the way of a good meme peddled by lazy analysts, red operatives, Thaksinistas, lazy journos and academics who want facts to fit their theories. By the way if that commonly held but laughable belief were true it would be all over by now as the upper middle class and elite number less than one million and at least half of them are red heads or Thaksinistas. Still again must not let a few facts get in the way of a nice theory.
Chamlong above must be a piss-off red anarchist (another one of those Red-Till-Dead?).
The Chamlong I knew was a general, was a gentleman, was a highly respected governor of Bangkok, was an abstentious devoted Buddhist, was a royalist, and (the chapter in his life I didn’t like) a lawless yellow shirt leader who believed the means justified his end.
I was not making any threats against Abhisit, I was just calling it the way I see it. Jeez! Can’t you yellow shirts engage in political discourse without going off the deep end? Has this now become another unmentionable topic? It’s an established fact that Abhisit couldn’t travel upcountry to Phetchabun (let alone into places in the heart of red shirt country like Udon Thani and Khon Kaen) before March 13th. After Gen. Seh Daeng was assasinated, it has become a near certainty that there are still enough of his supporters on the loose with the means and the motivation to try to shoot Abhisit. And I don’t think that desire to kill him will lessen over time.
(BD: Argh these polarizations, but this ain’t no yellow platform here Arthurson.)
Agreed. I originally typed “can’t you Thai guys” but changed it because I didn’t want to appear racist. But maybe I should let my prejudice show and come out of the closet and say that it is nearly impossible for Thais to engage in political debate without escalating it into a shouting match. A Brit friend of mine (an Abhisit admirer) and I were having such a debate at dinner in a restaurant on Monday night, May 31st. Afterwards his Thai wife told him he shouldn’t argue like that in public. He said: “We weren’t arguing, we were having a political discussion.” To which she responded: “Thai men couldn’t do that.”
I’m not sure Abhisit’s position is stronger now.
His indecisiveness has angered quite a lot of people who now would rather look for someone else. These people percieve it more as a red defeat rather than Abhisit’s victory.
Still, his overall support is big and comfortable enough for him to pay less attention to politics and more to actual governing.
Arthurson is also right because you need only one sniper and a small support team to stage an assassination attempt.
Having said that, Abhisit is not by any means weak, he simply has got deadly enemies.
The fact that he can’t go to Udon or Khon Kaen is a problem for the reds’ image, not Abhisit’s.
They can’t demand elections and threaten lives of the opposing politicians at the same time, that plays nicely into Abhisit’s hands and his pre-conditions for holding elections.
Somehow I think reds would prefer having a shot at his life than a shot at the ballot box. They might ask for elections only to draw him out in the open.
Again more loonies coming forward to defend the reds and TaxSin. Ordinary Thais, very quiet, know what is what and who is who.
They know TaxSin looted their country and still wants to be dictator, funded the reds and encouraged burning, looting and murder.
Super-rich TaxSin is a criminal “Buy a Coup” guy. Hey I heard another super-rich guy was planning on a Pacific island coup because his wife wanted a warm country to run.
Anyone who thinks Father Joe tells lies and is otherwise wrong about the red’s riots, is either a stupid jerk or someone being paid to blog positives about the reds.
Watch out for that Mr. Amsterdam, hired by TaxSin to get TaxSin back in control. Amsterdam is lawyer slime, but he does know how to hire people to do blogs favorable to his client.
Watch out for false bloggers on the payroll … like in China, too.