been watching this on spanish news and the bbc web site
very frighting for somebody like me.
im not booked until may 26, but if this continuies i will not go
simple, not putting my holiday or life in danger
will go else where
paperboy
Printable View
been watching this on spanish news and the bbc web site
very frighting for somebody like me.
im not booked until may 26, but if this continuies i will not go
simple, not putting my holiday or life in danger
will go else where
paperboy
This is not good , I have friends in Chiang Mai going to Bangkok on Tuesday and what will happen next week ? :pale:
People are dying , even a japanese journalist was killed tonight .
Lets hope it will calm down before Songkran.
You were saying? Obviously some of us are more attuned to what is going on in Thailand than others, albeit from afar. I will still be leaving for BKK on May 7.Quote:
Originally Posted by getyournobout
krobbie
You mean big sissies?Quote:
Originally Posted by paperboy
When people not involved in the clashes start getting killed...that's when it's time to start worrying.
Happening now ... at least 24 killed so far, overnight.Quote:
Originally Posted by Singapore Sexpat
You mean people died who were neither troops or red shirts, and not involved in the protests? Oh, really?Quote:
Originally Posted by Smiles
Touche. Misread. Really.Quote:
Originally Posted by Singapore Sexpat
"18 dead including 14 civilians, 4 soldiers and 825 injured in bloody clashes"
I guess that's an easy mistake Smiles, given that these trouble makers are called civilians and not what they really are. I am not saying that their grievances don't have some merit but I thought they said their party (UDD) was all about democracy? Funny way of showing it. In 9 months they get to vote, surely that is the time to have your say. At least that how it goes in the democracy I live in.
Let's face it. Not all the people are happy all the time but this is not how to achieve your goals. :violent1: IMHO.
krobbie
I think it's just soldiers, protesters and a journalist so far. Not civilians who stay away from the action. As long as you don't get a situation where someone is innocently standing on, say Silom Road where it's nice and quiet, then suddenly a rampaging mob charges through and he gets killed by soldiers chasing them... I would say it's semi-ok to be in Bangkok.
For the soldiers, it sucks they are getting killed and injured by their own countrymen. They're just doing their job. I heard the protesters lit a gas tank, rolled it at a line of soldiers and something like 50 of them were injured in the resulting blast... christ.
As for the protesters, if you're going to be in a mob that's killing, maiming and injuring soldiers, I guess you should be prepared to receive lethal force.
Really?... Then why do all this now? Why not wait 9 months?Quote:
Originally Posted by krobbie
I haven't followed the whole thing very closely so forgive my ignorance.
My understanding (which could be wrong) is that Abhisit came to power via a parlimentary vote, instead of a general election. He went in with the promise of making modifications to the constitution, so they could do the whole democratic thing and hold free & fair elections. It's been six months now, no modifications to the constitution have been made yet, so now the red shirts have grown impatient and pissed off.Quote:
Originally Posted by Beachlover
Geez, six months only? I thought he was in power longer than that. The red shirts should learn to have a little more patience. But also, Abhisit has power until Dec 2011, and legally, doesn't have to hold elections until then. There's no promise of elections being held in 9 months from now.
If you know about and study Thai Political History going back to around the Thammasat Uni Massacre in 1973 which was one of the bloodiest of them all
( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thammasat_ ... r_protests)
you will see that these demo's crop up every so often along with the regular coups. Democracy in Thailand, compared to some other countries is still relatively new, but still very volatile.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of ... since_1973)
I would suspect that if the present demo's really get out of hand then Prem and H.M. will step in as they did in the early 1990's.
Quote:
Originally Posted by sanook
WHO IS THIS VERY STRANGE MAN :dontknow:
are you calling me a big sissie because i dont want a holiday ruined or even killed in thailand.Quote:
Originally Posted by Singapore Sexpat
you need to sort your head out you nutter
paperboy
My understanding at this moment in time is this:
1. BKK is where 95% of the problem is, at the moment
2. The airport is secured by the army
3. Pattaya, Phuket and Koh Samui are free of demonstrations
4. Chiang Mai is the only other tourist destination where I have heard of any protests and for obvious reasons this is to be expected.
I am in little doubt that there will, in the years ahead, be a major problem in Thailand, I just dont think that time is now.
Go, stay out of BKK and enjoy your holiday
Equilizer... how long do you think it will be before a photo of your body appears on the home page of Pattaya People with the headline,"American's Body Found Rotting With Maggots After Two Weeks Missing: Believed To Have Overdosed on Prescription Drugs"
Actually Beachlover from what I have been told and observed 'hereforme' aka 'The Equalizer' ( who's real identity we now all know but won't print it openly as it is against forum policy) might not get to overdose. He is also known to mistreat the Thai boys as well as passing farangs so he wouldn't be the first or the last farang in Pattaya to suffer at the hands of a, or some local Thais.Quote:
Originally Posted by Beachlover
here we go
hand bags at the ready again
We could take bet on a few things about Equalizer, Sanook!Quote:
Originally Posted by sanook
- Is his death caused other parties or by self?
- Is his death caused by Farang or Thai?
- Does he make it past June or dies before?
- Will photos of his dead body posted by Pattaya People or Pattaya Daily websites first?
- Will his body be decaying for shorter or longer than 5 days before being found?
Ok, this is getting a bit morbid, but yeah, Equalizer, you get the idea right? Either the drug abuse or your treatment of others will kill you eventually. Get help.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Beachlover
Wow! Thanks...when underlings like you put me on a pedistal! :headbang:
Reliable sources have informed us that 'hereforme' aka 'The Equalizer' is mixing the following medication with alcohol so this little snippet of a medical report is well worth a read and might well explain his unstable mental state:
Xanax and Alcohol Side Effects:
Drinking alcohol while taking Xanax may increase your risk of certain Xanax side effects, such as:
тАвDrowsiness
тАвDizziness
тАвProblems with coordination
тАвUnusual behavior
тАвMemory problems.
Xanax is approved to treat anxiety and panic disorder. Generally, it is best for people with mental illnesses (such as anxiety) to avoid drinking alcohol.
Alcohol may worsen mental illness when taken with Xanax and is often a form of "self-medication." Additionally, people with an alcohol abuse problem may be more likely to abuse Xanax.
Enough said chaps!
There's been at least one non-red-shirt civillian killed so far:
[youtube:2mccicbb]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9dLMdFdiyAE[/youtube:2mccicbb]
Are you referring to the Japanese Cameraman? I wouldn't consider him a "non-participant". He deliberately went in there to film the event. RIP. Very sad.
It's when "non-participants" starting getting hurt that the rest of us should worry.
Quote:
Originally Posted by sanook
Sanook I see you still have not sought help for your condition! WHAT ARE YOU WAING FOR ? :dontknow:
Yes it's sad, but news reports also have said that the Japanese guy was wearing a 'red shirt' similar to the protesters and was right in amongst the riots, not that that justifies a death.Quote:
Originally Posted by Beachlover
Guess he took a risk being in the riot to film... but yeah, wearing a red shirt. Not a good idea. Maybe he didn't realise it.
Sanook I would like to say that now in your time of need...We are with you! :hello2:
I invite any readers who like/love/in any way approve of people such as Equalizer to post their support.
"A star is born"
Yes, that's EXACTLY what I'm saying. There is a ZERO chance of your getting killed in the protests if you don't participate in them. And there is ZERO chance of having your holiday "ruined" if you don't go near them.Quote:
Originally Posted by paperboy
So far it has been contained to Bangkok, although I must admit to avoiding a couple of colors in my wardrobe. I came straight to Pattaya from the airport and so far this trip has gone smoother than the first.Quote:
Originally Posted by Singapore Sexpat
It is not just "contained to Bangkok". It is contained to the protest sites.Quote:
Originally Posted by mlomker
Are their protest sites outside of Bangkok or are you just being an ass?Quote:
Originally Posted by Singapore Sexpat
Yep. They even took over Chiang Mai city hall for a bit.Quote:
Originally Posted by mlomker
Not sure about today, but I know they were pretty pissed off outside of Khon Kaen's city hall yesterday. I would imagine the same goes for pretty near every city in Issan.
No, I am simply pointing out that all of Bangkok is not a war zone, as might be implied by a statement such as "the problem is contained to Bangkok".Quote:
Originally Posted by mlomker
It is actually limited to a very specific, very easily avoided protest area. Life outside of those small areas are nearly completely unaffected. And completely safe.
PS: do you have to be so rude?
"just" ??Quote:
Originally Posted by Beachlover
When the troops are firing live rounds (not blanks) over the protesters heads, (or so they say), then anyone in the area up to around 3 kilometres away could be shot - that's not "semi-ok" with me, and its certainly not "ZERO chance", SS. It happens regularly where "celebrating" involves firing live rounds into the air.
..... and mlomker (long time no see!) there are protest sites outside Bangkok. Pattaya's is located on North Pattaya Road outside City Hall; generally small and loud but peaceful with minimal police presence, they nevertheless closed North Pattaya Road and access to Beach Road from there and from the Big 'C soi for a while last night.
..... oh, and krobbie, although to me the "reds" are no better or worse than the "yellows", it is probably worth mentioning that the offer to hold elections in 9 months only came some time after the protests started.
Looks like I need to do a bit more reading. Thanks for that. Now I think of it, the yellows only came in after the airport sit-in. It was about October/November last year. Crikey. As much as I like PM Abhisit, he better get cracking on those reforms.Quote:
Originally Posted by Gone Fishing
WEe will see what today brings. It is a holiday (of sorts) in BKK and Songkran starts tomorrow. Hardly a case of "Happy Songkran".
Cheers
Krobbie
Plenty of farangs seem to - possibly more than the Thais do, in spite of his being the third biggest spender on advertising in Thailand (more even than Toyota). That's a lot of spin!Quote:
Originally Posted by krobbie
Safe to say I know nothing about Thailand and their uprising. My experience with mobs was at university and when the US was protesting for "peace" during Vietnam, and the action of groups of excited protesters, especially in the proximity of groups with alternate opinions, is so unpredictable it seems consideration of employment in Thailand isn't a great idea. Some people on the ground are probably completely comfortable and probably almost no one gets hurt, but perception is reality, not news or eyewitness reports (this is what I manipulate for a living) and 5 or 6 bad uTube videos and a couple days of social network media and people will think Thailand is having WWIII. Don't know that'll happen -- we have it here in the U.S.
I was in the capitol city of my state during Vietnam & was surprised that so many people found guns. "We" blew up one building, killed about 10-11 students, trashed the downtown completely and scared the hell out of the residents, many who left. I don't know the Thais but I know they are as unpredictable as anyone else, and it does not seem that this fracas even has boundaries yet, let alone clear objectives for mediation.
I don't even know what the battle is about but it is likely no one's going to be going to Thailand for "medical tourism" (I would be going for a related job) but obviously people will be going to India & Malaysia for awhile (med tourism is supposedly a fairly large part of the Thai economy). The Thai economy was already faltering (as is the U.S.) so tourists, medical or not, avoiding a country with a civil disturbance of whatever magnitude would be likely to kill property values, tourist dollars, international business, retail, restaurants, etc. And since Thailand seems in the middle of its disagreement there's no telling what will happen. America is having a much worse political time with an ultra-right wing racist party (Tea Party) making up about 20% of the population and advocating killing most of the federal government and successfully disrupting govt programs, like unemployment, healthcare, senior care, all of which are out of money and the Congress can not contribute more. It all sucks but chances are things will turn out OK at some point; it's what happens after these things. But chances are also it'll be years. Good luck to those in the area and I wish you a better outcome than I see in the U.S. I may try Saudi Arabia.
You're going to go and live in Saudi Arabia instead of Thailand just because of this crisis? I think you might want to get your head checked.
Thailand has had this kind of thing happening for many decades now. It fluctuates. Residents and expats just deal with it. Like in California you have to deal with earthquakes.
Don't let it put you off, especially if the alternative is such a hole (come on TOAT/FF... sing it... it's your favourite topic :blackeye: ).