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DaffyDuck
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(nice URL)
Not much different than what's going on in the USA:
Meanwhile, Denver authorities were busy early Tuesday processing about 100 people who were arrested when police officers and protesters clashed about a mile from the site of the Democratic National Convention.
The confrontation erupted Monday night as police in riot gear tried to disperse a crowd of about 300 people that was disrupting traffic near the Denver City and County Building.
Police said they were forced to use pepper spray when members of the crowd, some carrying rocks, rushed a police safety line. But one protester said officers charged the protesters with no warning.
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Bangkok Girls : Meet Attractive Thai Girls
Posted on: 10:19 am on Aug. 26, 2008
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China Sailor
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But its not Chicago '68.
I wanna see Chicago '68 again...
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Bangkok Women : Meet Sensual Bangkok Women
Posted on: 2:53 pm on Aug. 26, 2008
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CalEden
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What is the latest on the demostration front? This mornings Wall Street Journal states "Protests Paralyze Bangkok, Threaten Premier's Rule". And no news from the LOS members.
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Thai Girls : Meet Sexy Thai Girls
Posted on: 7:47 am on Aug. 27, 2008
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China Sailor
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From CNN's 'In The Field' blog:
When a revolution is not a revolution
Posted: 905 GMT
BANGKOK, Thailand — If this were any other country, I’d say I’d just witnessed a revolution. But this is Thailand, and things aren’t quite as they seem.
Protestors gather inside the compound of Thailand's Government House on Tuesday in Bangkok.
The normal check-list of the overthrow of a government seems to have been fulfilled.
Tens of thousands of protesters? Check. Occupying state run TV station? Check. Climbing over the railings of the Prime Minister’s office and staging a mass sit-in? Check. Major roads blocked? Check.
But despite all the turmoil in Bangkok, it’s still far from clear whether the People’s Alliance for Democracy really have the momentum and numbers to oust the government.
The truth is they are well supported among the middle-class and traditional elite of Bangkok, but go outside the city to the countryside, especially the north-east and many hate the PAD.
The PAD wants the overthrow of Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej. Samak is the self-proclaimed proxy for ousted billionaire Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. I asked Samak once whether that was true once and he snapped back “What’s wrong with that?”.
And that’s the problem. Many of the same people who managed to get Thaksin kicked out after months of mass protests, which culminated in a military coup in 2006, are now demanding that Samak goes as well.
They feel cheated that having got rid of one leader who they say was corrupt and on the make, they’ve been saddled with another.
Of course both Samak and Thaksin strenuously deny they have done anything wrong, but the fact that Thaksin and his wife have been indicted on multiple corruption charges and have jumped bail to Britain hasn’t exactly helped his cause.
No charges have been filed against Samak, but his association with Thaksin, a man effectively on the run, is tainting his entire administration, which is being branded as a Thaksin puppet government by the PAD.
But as I sweated my way through another PAD rally last night in the searing tropical sauna of Bangkok, I tried to find out who all the protesters would have Samak replaced with.
The answers seemed muddled and vague. As they munched on spicy Thai snacks, (no political movement can function here without seriously good fast food!), they told me they know they want to get rid of Samak, Thaksin and all their cronies, but the problem is they don’t seem to know what will happen when they do.
The leader of the PAD Sondhi Limthongkul has told me that the entire political system needs to be changed, and says that perhaps Thailand isn’t ready for full democracy, because of the endemic corruption. So is it the People’s Alliance for Democracy or the People Against Democracy?
It must be remembered that Thaksin won two landslide elections, and a third which wasn’t contested by the opposition. Samak’s party also won the last election in December, albeit by a narrower margin, but made their allegiance to Thaksin clear. The PAD’s argument is that the votes were bought and the system is corrupt, hence the current deadlock.
What’s critical now in all this is how the Royal Thai army will react. They staged the coup that got rid of Thaksin, but it seems incredible that they would stage yet another coup to get rid of another democratically elected leader.
The fundamental problem with the current stand-off is that a powerful minority in Bangkok doesn’t agree with the government that the vast majority outside Bangkok have elected.
Putting claims of vote-rigging aside, Thaksin and therefore Samak to a lesser degree, are both hugely popular. Until the PAD can offer an alternative which rivals that popularity, overthrowing another government would seem only to undermine the dysfunctional democracy here.
Seems like business as usual to me. I still plan to be in BKK next week...
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Bangkok Girls : Meet Sexy Bangkok Girls
Posted on: 8:19 am on Aug. 27, 2008
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IBFarang
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Indeed business as usual. Unless you need to get around near were they are protesting that is.
Even if the shit hits the fan it likely won't last long, and then we can all get our pictures taken again with Thanks and troops with guns.
All this makes for good fun winding up the ladies of the night as many of them are pro-Taksin and anti-PAD.
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Bangkok Girls : Meet Attractive Thai Girls
Posted on: 10:19 am on Aug. 27, 2008
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ThaidUp
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Quote: from CalEden on 10:21 pm on Aug. 27, 2008
What is the latest on the demostration front? This mornings Wall Street Journal states "Protests Paralyze Bangkok, Threaten Premier's Rule". And no news from the LOS members.
Seems like the WSJ has succomb to National Enquirer style jouralism.
The reason you have not heard from LOS members is that it is business as usual.
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Bangkok Women : Meet Beautiful Thai Girls
Posted on: 4:29 pm on Aug. 27, 2008
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DaffyDuck
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Quote: from ThaidUp on 7:03 am on Aug. 28, 2008
Seems like the WSJ has succomb to National Enquirer style jouralism.
Don't say that too close around China Sailor -- I mean, you would be insulting an honorable and 'vetted' source of information, because they have a legit name.
I mean, whoever cared about facts, or that the WSJ is now owned by Rupert Murdoch... It's a great sounding name, so much be a trustworthy source...
All that aside, the WSJ has been giving in to senstionalist 'journalism' since the Murdoch take-over. The recent "Is Obama too thin to be President" embarassing article was also from the WSJ.
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Bangkok Girls : Meet Attractive Thai Girls
Posted on: 9:46 pm on Aug. 27, 2008
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ThaidUp
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Well it seems that this whole event is backfiring against the PAD. In fact, PM Samak is looking like a real calm and collect leader. Doh!
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Thai Girls : Meet Active Thai Girls
Posted on: 10:09 pm on Aug. 27, 2008
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DaffyDuck
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Well, I guess Samak should send them a Thank You message.
Seriously screwed up strategy by the PAD leaders. Idiots, as always.
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Thai Women : Meet Matured Thai Women
Posted on: 8:16 am on Aug. 28, 2008
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thailife
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coup is all but over, just the urine and shit will be in the bushes until the rain comes and washes it all away.... these guys really f***ed up..... faile coup.... now where do you hide.... revenge always comes in thailand, not right away, but it will come......
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Bangkok Girls : Meet Attractive Thai Girls
Posted on: 8:25 am on Aug. 28, 2008
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