I See Red When I See Yellow

Thailand’s so called new politicians standing for – for what exactly? – once again made it possible that the kingdom featured the headlines of CNN. Citizens hunting down citizens with batons, machetes and glowing metallic eyes.

While red shirts were protesting peace- and cheerfully at a Bangkok rally despite torrential rains – it’s always pouring when the reds gather, understand? – the yellows provoked martial law. And again are sure that they do the right thing.

Despite appeals from the country’s leadership that they’re actually fighting for an absurd cause the yellows engaged villagers and security forces in battles along the Thai-Cambodian border. Many got hurt, but none arrested.

Again. This is no red publication. The exiled man’s anew assertion that he could bring the country back to glory because without him Thailand risks becoming a failed state, this may please a few reds. But not Thailand’s silent majority.

The exiled man’s stubbornness and a yellow mob standing for anarchy and contempt are an easy explainer why Thai people are forced away from politics. The exiled man wants it again all, while the yellow leadership shows no leadership at all:

They distanced themselves from the marauding mob demanding that the government should talk with them directly. Again, this is a strictly hierarchical, cultish movement. Nothing at the bottom is done without the top’s blessing.

By turning the countryside into a bucolic battle zone they not only discredit nation and crown. Hate only deepens. But look!

The yellows obviously try to distance themselves from their own. They didn’t even wear yellow, but instead of tried to look like locals and farmers. So you could always blame the local ignorants for triggering unrest.

The country needs more of such yellow subversion for the sake of a clearer verdict on election day, whenever that will be. But in a country where the blind can see more clearly than the seeing with all their turning a blind eye to, in such a country the blame game, spinning and twisting of facts will go on as long as there’s partial accountability.

Come on yellows, show us more of that true color of yours you’re obviously ashamed of to show now.

And the great divide becomes more and more partial.




Sphere: Related Content

Related posts on absolutelyBangkok.com:

  1. The Yellow-Green Party
  2. Yellow & Red As Political Weapons
  3. Alarmism: An Open Letter
  4. Reds Fizzle Out After Marching To Govt’s Tune
  5. White
  6. Red Letdown
  7. Brave New Thailand

September 20, 2009 | Filed Under News & Media, On Our Own, Politics, Society 

Comments

6 Responses to “I See Red When I See Yellow”

  1. Andy on September 20th, 2009 8.42 am

    Totally agree with you @ this moment. Totally silly and egoistic on both sides! Guess our current PM Abhisit (I have so much hope in him – where else do you guys see hope here?) is sending out a clear signal on his TV Show this morning, by wearing a shirt with red and yellow stripes!

    Stop this nonsense please, both!!

    Nice header, but I prefer to say:

    I “also” see red when I see yellow.

  2. Chdarat on September 21st, 2009 10.45 am

    Me too, I see no differentiation!

    There is no love for the country from both sides so it will be nice if they stop referencing that and just come clean.

    We are right back where we started, medieval Thailand where the landowners rule!

    Stop be stooges for some rich and powerful.

    Think about this lovely country, the potential, our future and consider what you’re doing!

  3. BangkokDan on September 21st, 2009 11.02 am

    I’m still pretending to see encouraging signs of Thai people asking and working for change. But had a quite depressing talk with a student yesterday who poured cold water all over me.

    The leading generation to come, said he, simply follow their dads.

    BangkokDan

  4. Jaded on September 21st, 2009 6.06 pm

    I have left Thailand for a month and, talking to friends working in the investment and development banks, a new Thailand story has definitely taken root in their consciousness. Immediately prior to the events of last weekend several analysts circulated notes on the upcoming disturbances in Thailand. It’s perfectly obvious that the financial markets have now priced in a risk of revolution and/or military dictatorship premium to future and present Thailand investments. Or to put it another way, it matters little to the money men whether the sources of instability wear yellow or red. What concerns them is that beyond a certain point instability takes on a momentum of its own. At this point everyone knows what the trigger for large scale social unrest is likely to be. What the market is now pricing in is the likelihood that when that time comes, the red and yellow organizations will be in a strong position to escalate their respective campaigns and destabilize the already fragile Thai state. One theory going around is that the repeated use of the ISA is an attempt by the military to create an opportunity to crush the red movement before it gains any more revolutionary momentum. If through provocation or some other mechanism, “sufficient” unrest was visible at a single demonstration, these conditions might allow them to inflict a crushing and exemplary defeat along the lines of 1992 or 1976. The gossip going around in European banks last Friday was the by absenting himself the prime minister was washing his hands of any responsibility for what might happen next.

    With the benefit of hindsight these rumors can be seen as overly hysterical and catastrophic in their tone but, and this seems to be a general perception now, the normal sources of foreign investment in Thailand are on high alert and expecting the worst …

    There was a great deal of talk about what might potentially occur in Thailand last weekend. And, as far as I could tell, the people involved had no difficulty making a distinction between the relative potential of yellow and red to be a source of instability. I just got off the phone with someone who manages Thailand and Cambodia for their institution. Knowing something of the history of recent Thai unrest they suggested that the yellows are being maintained as a deniable paramilitary force to be brought into direct conflict with the reds to precipitate what they referred to as the inevitable crackdown. If that’s true then you can see the yellow’s weekend excursion to the border as a training exercise. Newin’s triumphant acquittal today might be another piece of this puzzle. The theory goes that when sufficient pieces have been rearranged, the yellow and perhaps the blue forces will be maneuvered into direct conflict with the reds. If this analysis is correct then the difference between the colours is quite obvious …

  5. BangkokDan on September 21st, 2009 7.02 pm

    Quite a sinister assessment Jaded.

    The majority of Thais remains uncommitted. While, interestingly, there is no (more) student movement involved …

    The reds have learned to keep their cool. They’ll succeed if they master the waiting game. Currently, that may sound odd, the yellows seem under more pressure.

    BangkokDan

  6. bosunj on September 21st, 2009 7.12 pm

    Sinister. Good word to describe banksters and their machinations.

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