Student protests in Thailand

[handdrummer]

The only way, that I can see, to change things in Thailand, is for all the political parties, and there are way too many of them, to form a coalition under one name and encourage their followers to vote for it.
As long as there are so many opposition parties the vote will remain fragmented and the incumbents will always win.
Protests make the protesters feel good and accomplish nothing.
As long as the govt. has an army and more and better weapons, protesting will be fruitless.
For examples see: Belarus, Russia, Hong Kong, Brazil, Venezuela, Cuba, etc.

[hhinner]

Widespread protests in Bangkok today. Anutin, King Power, Thamanat among those targeted.

Original peaceful protests months ago clamped down on violently at Sanam Luang and Pathumwan started the intensification. Now the protestors are highly mobile going from place to place by car and motorbike.

How far will things escalate? Will P have to shutdown Bangkok after all, being the only way to stop mobile protests? He could always quit - that might work.

[buksida]

The protests have gone way beyond just students now so, yes, it may well escalate. Locking them down and using police brutality will only add fuel to their fire.

Viva la Revolución!

[handdrummer]

The protests have gone way beyond just students now so, yes, it may well escalate. Locking them down and using police brutality will only add fuel to their fire.

Viva la Revolución!

Today one of the protesters tried to throw a firecracker type object, didn't let go quick enough and burned his fingers off, so police brutality isn't needed.

[caller]

Duplicate, sorry. Didn't realised I had posted.

[caller]

A gaggle of Thai Police v solitary woman.

[Thailightzone]

I understand and have read the Thammasat Student Union protestors demands. But I must say the protest at Din Daeng that I watched live tonight was just a bunch of bored, unemployed teens wanting to burn off some testosterone and vent their understandable anger at life today - but I doubt a single one of them had a true understanding of politics or the true objectives - it was just a night of fun as they threw pyrotechnics and did wheelies on their bikes. In fact the police were quite restrained.

Now the protests to watch out for are the university students, faculty, and people of note. Like it or not these are the future leaders of Thailand.

Of course the deep roots, funding, organisation of these protests and demand for change can be argued endlessly.

[Big Boy]

Oo-er, this video made tonight is going to raise a few eyebrows:

[HHTel]

It's all over Thai news. No doubt the international press will pick it up.

[caller]

The protesters need to start shooting back.

[handdrummer]

The protesters need to start shooting back.

That would be height of stupidity. Would you put your life on the line by shooting at a cop?
As it is, the police have confiscated home made guns and "ping pong bombs"

The protestors, as usual, are just tools for those who want to be politicians. In interviews, on the street, with some protestors, none of them knew what they were protesting about. Some said they don't want to wai anyone. Well, there's no law that says you have to wai anyone other than the King and family and how many protesters have met or will ever meet the King? Others said they want democracy but when asked what democracy is, they fumbled around and couldn't define it.

If those who want to rule were capable of intelligence, they would form a coalition of all the way too many parties, and encourage their followers to vote for that party. As long as there are so many parties, the vote will be split and the incumbents will always win. Of course there's too much ego for that to happen.

This protest will accomplish nothing positive and the more violence escalates the more it will turn the average person against them.

I understand the frustration. I was in the US at the end of the 60's and during the Rodney King riots and they amounted to nothing positive. The only way to change a society is through the ballot box or revolution and revolution is not going to happen here. When schools restart, things will quiet down and the rich boys will go back to their classrooms to prepare to take over their father's business's.

[europtimiste]

The protesters need to start shooting back.

AGREE

[HHTel]

The only way to change a society is through the ballot box

Would agree in most other democracies. However Cha-cha-cha drafted the constitution in such a way that he can't lose. The senate for example are appointed, not elected, by himself.

[Big Boy]

There's probably a lot of frustration setting in amongst the police with night after night of protests, but they need to step back and take a careful look at themselves. Another video posted yesterday showing police officers having to be dragged away from a floored motorcyclist who they are kicking.

[caller]

The only way to change a society is through the ballot box

Would agree in most other democracies. However Cha-cha-cha drafted the constitution in such a way that he can't lose. The senate for example are appointed, not elected, by himself.

Yes, the ballot box and elections mean nothing here. We have army coups, judicial coups (removing pm's), staged coups, forced disappearances and exile.

There is no peaceful way to make change.

Handrunner. The Wai comment wasn't meant to be taken literally. It's meaning was that they would no longer bow to the elites, as taught.