Veel militairen willen geen geweld gebruiken tegen de demonstranten. Zoals Baco al aangeeft zijn er genoeg militairen die het eens zijn met de roden. Deze militairen worden de zgn. ‘watermeloenen’ genoemd, zij zijn rood van binnen.
PM Abhisit is gewoon niet in staat dit land te regeren. De hele wereld kijkt op dit moment met verbazing naar de situatie in Thailand en hoe dit zo verschrikkelijk uit de hand loopt…
Inside the Red City
**For more than 40 days and nights, the Ratchaprasong intersection was a well-barricaded fortress **
Published: 16/05/2010 at 12:00 AM
Newspaper section: Spectrum
When the red shirt leaders decided to occupy the Ratchaprasong intersection on April 3, no one expected that this large commercial district in central Bangkok, with exclusive shopping malls and five-star hotels, would be closed for long. It is estimated that shops in the area have lost up to 300 million baht a day during the red occupation.
The red shirt protest has also affected hundreds of other small businesses located within a three square kilometre area. Many small shops face bankruptcy and closure, with thousands of employees losing their jobs and livelihoods.
So how did this “Red City” in the heart of the capital come to be, with its own infrastructure and services able to feed and accommodate tens of thousands of protesters every day?
Thousands of red shirt supporters from all over Thailand - as well as Bangkok - filled the primitively fortified Ratchaprasong rally area and adjacent roads, transforming it into a fortress.
Major roads were barricaded to control access, and people and vehicles were searched by red shirt guards and even ex-paramilitary rangers wearing dark uniforms.
Also, hundreds of vendors thronged the area, selling all kinds of goods, making it one of the largest open-air markets in the country.
Spectrum visited the red shirt encampment almost daily since the occupation of Ratchasprasong began to try and document an important aspect of Thai history, irrespective of which side of the political divide people were on. Our aim was simply to observe and talk to the people involved with the Red City; not only the leaders and “hard men”, but also the “little people”, the majority, who made it function.
BIG BROTHER: Red shirt protesters redirected CCTV cameras overlooking the area.
For the average person, the Ratchasprasong rally site could be accessed via only six major entrances protected by one, two or even three barricades built from sharpened bamboo poles, tyres, sand bags, barbed wire, metal pipes, stones, concrete blocks and in some cases inflammable material.
With the exception of the barbed wire and tyres, you felt that you were entering an ancient fortress. Stern-looking red guards, some wearing helmets and holding radio transceivers, manned the fortifications against government forces should they have attacked.
Everyone, including foreigners, entering the red zone was frisked, with all motorcycles and random vehicles searched. When challenged on why they believed they had a right to do this, the guards answered that it was a security precaution to prevent weapons and explosives being brought to the site.
According to one government official - who didn’t want to be named - the number of protesters in the Ratchaprasong area fluctuated between 15,000 to over 100,000 each day.
WIDE SUPPORT: A flag-waving monks inside the red shirt camp. PHOTOS: MAXMILIAN WECHSLER
“The crowd increased a lot after April 14, when the red shirt leaders ordered them to move from the original rally site at Phan Fa to Ratchaprasong. The evacuation of people and equipment went quickly and orderly as the government did nothing to stop them moving,” he added.
Spectrum observed that attendance at Ratchaprasong was always higher in the evenings and lower in the mornings, a possible indication that Bangkok residents joined the rally after work. The hundreds of passenger cars and pick-up trucks parked around central Bangkok were gone by 2am, as local protesters had usually gone home by then. Bangkokian red shirts also differed from the upcountry red shirts in their appearance and behaviour.
When asked how they could live in the open, a middle-age man who came from Si Sa Ket by bus to the rally with his wife and daughter replied: “This is what we are used to in our village, so we feel at home. In fact, it is better here because we get free food and drink and can go around Bangkok during the day and see places which we couldn’t normally otherwise. At night we listen to the speeches.”
His family, as with others from the provinces, were very friendly, hospitable, with some even offering to share their food. It seemed to Spectrum that these people were genuine protesters, claiming to be fighting for democracy, unaware of the danger if the government decided to use the military to crack down on the rally. But others interviewed said that they were ready to fight with bare hands and die for the cause, as they had nothing to lose. These views were not only aired by the red guards, but also ordinary people.
IN LINE: People queued to register as members of the UDD.
It should also be mentioned that the red shirts were well organised and had strong financial support. To feed and look after thousands of people is a costly undertaking. Despite military and police checkpoints erected on major roads to Ratchaprasong, large trucks with food, water and other supplies were able to enter the area.
This was a constant mystery during the occupation - how were the red shirts able to move goods, machinery, food and other items so freely under the noses of both the police and military?
Here are some examples: After a threat by the Centre for the Resolution of the Emergency Situation (CRES) to disconnect the electricity supply to the Ratchaprasong area at midnight on May 12, the red shirts brought in more generators, transported to the area by large trucks equipped with a crane.
They also brought in material to build new roofing, equipped with lights on both sides of Ploenchit Road, from Chidlom to the Witthayu Road intersection, in case people were forced to move. At the same time, the red shirts also strengthened fortifications at the intersection.
SIGNING UP: The registration process involved ID checks and being photographed.
One red guard posted there said: ‘‘If the CRES orders the electricity cut in this area; then the British, Swiss, US and other embassies located in the area will be without power as well.’’
The speed and skill with which the red shirts built the barricades and other structures was very impressive.
When the police ordered them to remove the barrier blocking the entrance to Chulalongkorn Hospital, they did so within minutes. However, they very quickly built an even longer one along the road. A six-wheeled truck arrived from nowhere, loaded with tyres that were unloaded in minutes. Sharpened bamboo poles were arranged in the tyres, barbed wire was added and the new fortification was ready within a day. A day later it was reinforced with concrete blocks.
Another achievement was the erection of a 60m radio antenna for Ratchaprasong Community Radio FM 106.80 on April 15, after the Abhisit government blocked most of the other red shirt media outlets. One man, without any safety equipment, climbed up and down, joining sections of the antenna that were hoisted up by other workers. The antenna was constructed and secured within a few hours and broadcasting started two days later.
FROM ACROSS THE SEA: One of the foreigners who joined the red shirt protesters.
How they could transport and assemble everything next to Ratchadamri Road without anyone noticing is a mystery.
To see dozens of mobile toilets opposite Siam Paragon, the most exclusive department store in the country, or at Peninsula Plaza was unbelievable, as were the showers and open toilets for men located in front of CentralWorld.
Within a few days, the Red City also became a huge market where you could buy almost anything, from fake Louis Vuitton and Chanel wallets for 100 baht each, to shoes, glasses, toys and toiletries, and the red shirt’s trademark clothes, flags, stickers, hats and scarves, and other items.
It was disturbing to see some red shirt vendors selling caps bearing five-pointed red stars and clothes with the image of the late communist revolutionary Che Guevara. Some red shirt guards and other people were even wearing them.
When Spectrum told them that Guevara was an Argentine-born Marxist revolutionary who sought to overthrow Latin American governments by force and replace them with communist regimes, they heard it for the first time. However, some guards said that some of their leaders had links with the communists.
WELL-CONTROLLED: Red shirt guards receive orders outside Siam Paragon.
Other vendors sold Chinese-made binoculars for 50 baht, which went up in price after rumours spread on April 9 that military snipers were hiding in high-rise buildings around the red shirt encampment. The red shirt guards were using binoculars to scan tall buildings, which contributed to the panic.
Many vendors were selling VCDs showing violent events from Thailand’s recent past. The protesters didn’t buy anything, but watched the scenes on TV sets installed by the vendors. One vendor said that the most viewed and sold was a VCD of the April 10 bloodshed near Democracy Monument.
Other facilities available to the red shirt demonstrators included pharmacies where anyone could obtain free medicine, whether they were members of the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD) or not, people offering foot massages and even a barber’s, although these two services were not free.
Possibly a more important development for politics in this country was watching people _ mostly from the provinces _ queue from morning until night to sign up with the UDD. Every applicant had to show their ID card before being given an application form to complete. They were then photographed with a UDD logo and received a membership card shortly afterwards. All membership data was recorded on computers.
TIGHT SECURITY: All motorcycles are searched before entering the camp.
One UDD official registering people claimed on April 12 that almost two million people had joined the UDD nationwide. A month later the same official said membership had increased to about 2.5 million, but this information couldn’t be verified.
The official said anyone, even foreigners, could join the UDD, provided they showed a passport. Age was of no concern, and the joining fee was 50 baht.
But there was some fun in the Red City, albeit with a political message.
Not far away from the UDD centre on Ratchadamri Road, some enterprising people had opened several old-fashioned carnival stalls. For 20 baht, you had the chance to throw three tennis balls at cans bearing images of Abhisit Vejjajiva and his deputy Suthep Taugsuban. If you knocked them over, you won a prize such as a pillow. You could also play the same game with a catapult.
WELCOME RELIEF: Some of the portable toilets outside Siam Paragon.
As for the crowd’s behaviour, the red shirts behaved well as far as Spectrum observed, and followed instructions from the guards without question.
The only publicised incident of bad behaviour occurred on the first day of the occupation, when an 18-year-old man was arrested for driving his Porsche into several red shirt motorcycles parked near the Ratchaprasong intersection. In another incident witnessed by Spectrum on April 10, an intoxicated red shirt protester fell into the fountain of a five-star hotel. A red shirt guard radioed for medics who arrived shortly afterwards and took the man away. They attempted to stop people, including Spectrum, from taking photos of this incident.
But it was quite sad to see children, some only toddlers, dressed in full red outfits at the rally. Children of this age do not understand what is going on and should not be used in such a way. Spectrum also noticed monks among the red shirts, some were signing up for the UDD, some were blessing people and some even waved red flags.
WELL-FED: Red shirt supporters receive free food.
Despite warnings from Thai and foreign governments to their nationals not to venture to the rally, those who did, including officials from various embassies in Bangkok, were shocked by the size of the area occupied by the protesters and the numbers involved.
Several foreigners joined the red shirts and became actively involved in their struggle. One, who claimed to be British, said he was ready to fight for them. He was seen and photographed facing the riot police on April 10. There were at least two other foreigners _ one from Australia and one from France _ who gave anti-government speeches from the main stage.
One foreign journalist said that despite an almost carnival atmosphere, Ratchaprasong was a very dangerous place: ‘‘In this highly politically situation, there’s a strong possibility of a bomb attack. It’s actually a very dangerous place to move around. That’s why I am equipped like this’’ he said referring to his flak jacket and helmet.
HEAD-TO-HEAD: A red shirt barricade in front of the Royal Thai Police HQ.
A few foreign tourists who wandered into the area, mainly out of curiosity, didn’t like what they saw. One from the US, when asked by Spectrum if this would be allowed in New York or Washington replied: ‘‘Absolutely not.
The police would disperse them very quickly and this would also be done in London or in Moscow.’’ He then asked: ‘‘Do they have a permit to be here, because in the US if you want to organise a demonstration you need one beforehand.’’
He was also shocked to see mountains of rubbish and open-air toilets close to where people slept and ate.
The red shirt guards who searched people entering Ratchaprasong didn’t mind being photographed and seemed to know what was going on around the area, such as where soldiers and police were located. They claimed to have constant surveillance of the surrounding areas by motorcycle riders who reported on every movement, especially of the military.
The red shirts also had a ‘‘red army’’, which included men and women wearing helmets and ready to fight. They were briefed and given instructions every time there was a rumour of an attack.
SPIRITUAL ADVICE: Red shirt guards with one of the monks inside the camp.
One of them proudly showed a helmet and body armour taken from a soldier during the April 10 fighting. With the exception of baseball bats, catapults, sharpened bamboo poles and other primitive weapons, no other weapons, such as firearms, could be seen. Some red shirt guards and rangers wearing dark uniforms said they didn’t carry guns, but they pledged to fight any government attempt to invade the area.
When told that thousands of people can’t go to work or do business because of the occupation, they promptly answered: ‘‘What about the 55 million poor people upcountry who have nothing?’’ And that’s where such discussions tended to end.
Red shirt leaders usually gathered and sat at their press centre behind the main stage at the Ratchaprasong intersection. They didn’t appear to be protected by body guards. Anyone could have access to them provided that could access the press centre, which was not difficult.
After a rumour spread that some of the red guards would set fire to CentralWorld and Siam Paragon if Ratchaprasong was attacked, at least one car dealer quickly moved all the vehicles from its showroom.
This threat was repeated by a guard on May 12, only hours before the threatened power cut. He said: ‘‘If they cut off the electricity then we will light the area by setting CentralWorld ablaze. If they don’t switch it on the next day then we’ll do the same with Siam Paragon.’’
ALL THE FUN OF THE FAIR: A carnival stall provides some light relief.
MEDICAL CARE: One of the site’s free pharmacies.
*Bron: Bangkok Post / www.bangkokpost.com *
Ook op een van de foto’s hierboven zien we, zoals de laatste weken wel vaker te zien was, een farang tussen de demonstranten staan. Deze farang steunen dus de roodhemden.’
Wat is jullie mening daarover ? Vinden jullie dat je je als farang met deze interne Thaise politieke situatie mag bemoeien ?
Wat me daarnaast ook tegenstaat, zijn mensen die hun kinderen, soms nog erg klein, meenemen naar de rallysite…
Nooit of te never Dit kan alleen verkeerd uitdraaien.
Ooit heeft hij de Th bureaucratie (visa, enz) nodig, dit zijn meestal gelen en wat als ze hem herkennen.
Het hoort gewoon niet.
MVG Frank
Media asked to help bring children out
Published: 16/05/2010 at 01:48 PM
Online news: Breakingnews
The Centre for the Resolution of the Emergency Situation (CRES) has invited representatives of the media to accompany security officials and NGO personnel to enter the Ratchaprasong area to convince the elderly, women and children to leave the site by 3pm tomorrow, said CRES spokesman Col Sansern Kaewkamnerd in a TV pool broadcast.
If other protesters want to leave the site, they will be welcome, but must not be armed. They will be provided free transport home.
The government has also announced a curfew in the restricted areas, but not throughout Bangkok. The curfew will keep ordinary citizens out of the restricted areas, so that security forces will not confuse them with “terrorists”.
*Bron: Bangkok Post / www.bangkokpost.com *
Reds to ask for help from HM the King
Published: 16/05/2010 at 12:57 PM
Online news: Breakingnews
Jatuporn Prompan, a core leader of the United Front for Democracy Against Dictatorship, said at the Ratchaprasong intersection rally site that the UDD plans to ask for help from His Majesty the King, reports said.
He said that the red shirts will continue rallying against the government even if the Centre for the Resolution of the Emergency Situation (CRES) declares a curfew.
“It’s time to ask for help from the beloved father of the nation in the same way as happened in May, 1982, when the King stepped in to stop the bloodshed”, Mr Jatuporn stated.
He condemned the government for ordering the killing of unarmed red shirt protesters.
Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva had early Sunday morning said the government might instate a curfew to avoid further casualties.
*Bron: Bangkok Post / www.bangkokpost.com *
Nee, het gebied rondom Sukhumvit is momenteel nog steeds veilig. Daar is niks te merken van welke onrust dan ook.
Even dubbel plaatsen, staat nu namelijk ook in de nieuwssectie.
Een overzichtskaart van waar het onheil zich allemaal afspeelt. Handig voor wie op korte termijn moet beslissen alsnog af te reizen etc.
http://maps.google.co.th/maps/ms?hl=…fafbb87b0951c0
Het wordt iedere dag voorzien van een update, via MAP: http://bit.ly/9rlioz
Paul
Op deze sites wat foto,s en verslagen van gisteravond uit Bangkok:
Bron:Rec travel asia
Theo
Alles is voor mij onbegrijpelijk geworden, een leider van de roodhemden welliswaar een wat radicale splinter wordt door zijn kop geschoten, demonstratie’s die niet meer in de hand te houden zijn, een regering die dit niet meer in de hand heeft, dan alleen maar nog een oplossing… alles stelt me teleur van welke kant of kleur dan ook, dat het in een tijd als dit zo moet gaan.
Net gehoord op de radio!
Ze ( de regering ) vragen de roodhemden dat kinderen en vrouwen het kamp verlaten, maar de vrouwen zeggen dat ze dan beschoten gaan worden.
Zie ook berichtje uit de BKK Post hierboven… Zou dat het teken zijn dat de grote crackdown eraan zit te komen ???
Het is al een inktzwarte bladzijde in de geschiedenis en het wordt alleen maar zwarter.
Hoe meer slachtoffers hoe meer haat tegen de daders, hoe meer kans op radicale groepen die doorgaan tot het bittere eind.
zal haast na de toespraak van pm kan het bijna niet anders zal helaas weer aardig wat doden opleveren
Dit zal dan te gek voor woorden zijn, dan zie ik persoonlijk geen verschil tussen Myanmar(Birma) of Thailand meer, dan gaat er toch een hoop schuil achter een glimlach.
Dank je wel! Ik heb gisteren ook China Airlines hierover gebeld en zij gaven aan dat in geval van gevaar omboeken met bijbetaling mogelijk is. Ik hoop voor ons maar ook voor de Thai zelf dat dit niet nodig zal zijn!:chin:
Net gehoord op radio.
De roodhemden willen onderhandelen maar leger moet zich terugtrekken en VN moet bij de gesprekken betrokken worden.
Hebben ze toch een gezonder verstand dan iemand die stelt “vrouwen en kinderen” het gebied verlaten maar misschien oordeel ik te snel wat er dan staat te verwachten…
Zonet gehoord regering denkt er nog aan vrouwen ,kinderen en !!!bejaarden!
Willen ze nu wel weer onderhandelen ??? Dacht net gisteren gehoord te hebben dat onderhandelingen met de regering niet meer van toepassing waren ???
Een van de eisen van de roodhemden zodat ze de rally zouden stoppen was dat vice-PM Suthep zich zou aangeven bij de politie. Dit heeft hij niet gedaan, maar hij heeft zich gemeld bij de CRES waar hij zelf een hoge functie heeft. Hierop is besloten om door te gaan met de rally en geen onderhandelingen met de regering meer aan te gaan.
Volgens mij zijn de leiders van de roodhemden het ook steeds minder met elkaar eens en onstaan er scheurtjes in de top…