PAD Siege Broken Surprisingly Swiftly, Bloodily – Finally? Hmm

Finally, in a long overdue, coordinated action to reinstate a basic sense of the rule of law in Bangkok, police fired tear gas Tuesday at several thousand PAD demonstrators attempting to block access by lawmakers to the Parliament building in the Thai capital. With PAD core leader Sondhi talking AGAIN of today being the deciding day and final battle.

Do we discover the first handwriting of Pallop Pinmanee, successor of arrested Chamlong who favors a more unconventional warfare? Not only the Demoocrats immediately accused the authorities of excessive violence and kind of sided with the besiegers by boycotting the house’s policy debate. Police Major General Viboon Bangthamai seemed unimpressed: “I don’t think there are many injuries.”

Looks like the powers that be won’t tolerate anymore civil disobedience disrupting public life – or that’s what they planned. Ever-knowing Bangkok Pundit put it all into perspective: “PAD don’t really want to negotiate and after the arrests (of PAD leaders), The Manager website is back to calling the government, the tyrant government. Chamlong wants to become a “marytr.”

“So will he go on a hunger strike?” Pundit goes on, “- and his arrest, which he almost certainly knew would happen, is a step in achieving that. PAD have been on the backfoot since Somchai Wongsawat came to power and as in the past whenever they are on the backfoot they up the ante.” The Bangkok Post has a round-up about the “up the ante” and the events after 6.30 am.

The next action of the PAD? We’re not about to face the final battle. The authorities will try to confine the angry People Against Democracy to Govt House where they can continue with their diatribes as long as they wish.

Abroad, meanwhile, there’s complete apathy about what happens in Thailand. But not only people abroad scratch their heads about a self-declared über-moral and -ethical movement that to this day actually doesn’t really know what it stands for. Where’s that white paper?

Photos via AP




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October 7, 2008 | Filed Under Politics, Society 

Comments

3 Responses to “PAD Siege Broken Surprisingly Swiftly, Bloodily – Finally? Hmm”

  1. JJ on October 7th, 2008 9.34 am

    Nice police action – and timely. Imagine what would have happened with the same action under Samak?

    Somchai seems to keep his cool. I fear we better have to prepare for some PAD kamikaze action.

    PAD have nothing to lose anymore.

  2. Highly concerned on October 7th, 2008 11.10 pm

    PAD does not want to lose, it only wants to win at whatever cost. Remember Black May 1992? Chamlong was one of the leaders who finally won but at what cost? Does he care how many died during that sad incident?

  3. Tear Gas « Asian Correspondent on October 22nd, 2009 5.23 pm

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