This letter is from an American staying in Thailand.
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Weekend Thoughts About The Intellectual Environment I am Living In

There were protests in the streets in May which resulted in over 100 civilians killed and hundreds wounded - almost all casualties were red protesters. The apologist who supports the military’s killing of the protesters claims that live gunfire came from the red camp. And they claim that even ONE (1) shot fired from the red camp negates the legitimacy of the entire movement. One shot negates the demands of several thousand protesters who had their votes disrespected by the Thai Military in the coup in 2006. Furthermore all protesters therefore lose their human rights, civil rights and ~right to live~. Period. End of discussion. “Scum of the earth be gone with ye!” ALL protesters therefore cannot complain when they are thrown in jail beaten fined harassed and killed. This is the ONE shot justification - followed by wholesale repression and abrogation of rights. Oh my, how convenient. To date this is the only logical justification that this government has offered for its continued existence.

This rationalization - almost universally used by the yellow/monarchist/militarist apologists - is an absolutist, totalist mindset that conveniently disregards the fundamental rights and humanity of those with whom they disagree.This is the party line and this idea is used to intimidate reds, throw all the red leaders in jail and charge them with “terrorism”, and then brand ALL the protesters - including teenage girls, children, my students and old people - as “terrorists” who threaten the very existence of Thailand.

I say to yellows that they should tread lightly because the next time, these same repressive measures will then be easily justified when turned around and used against them. Hahaha. No time for that because they are “the chosen Thais” and they will rule forever. HAHHAHAHA. Kind of looks like a replay of the 8 year Bush minority government program of hysteria and fear.

One month after the killings in Bangkok we are still living peacefully and quietly under a mystical never-ending “State of Emergency” - which allows the current government to make up laws as it goes along. This ~might~ be lifted in parts of the country in the next 2 weeks if all the good little Thai children play nice and pretend to recognize the legitimacy of this government and ignore the stench of all the dead bodies. Call me when that happens.

My opinion is that the Emergency is really a Public Relations Emergency for the current Thai Prime Minister to divert attention from the stinking mountain of dead Thai bodies he helped to create. My suggestion is that he hires “Hill and Knowlton” PR firm out of New York. They are the same group who gave us “Naira” - the daughter of the Kuwaiti ambassador to America - who told an entirely fictional tale of Iraqi soldiers ripping newborn babies from their incubators. That got us Gulf War 1. They also successfully sold Americans on the scary WMD story - that got us Gulf War 2 - which helped to prop up six more years of Bush rule. So you see, all the current government really needs is a better PR team.

Many yellows and their foreign supports cheer every repression and killing, maiming, censoring, removing of rights and so-called “laws” as they magically and randomly appear from thin air with no justification other than maintaining yellow power.

As a foreigner myself I am particularly disgusted with the attitude of these European and North-American foreigners who live here and unashamedly support the bloody killing of Thai people. Many of these ex-pat folks (more than often usually failures back in their home countries) have businesses in Thailand that traditionally were quite profitable because they ruthlessly exploited Thai workers and paid them minimalist wages. For example in my language school - which is owned and run by hyper-yellow British guys - the hard-working woman from Isaan who cleans and takes care of the building and who works 10+ hours per day/ 6 days a week is paid about 5000 baht per month - or $151 per month. This she must use to take care of herself and her kid and mom back in Isaan. The university educated Thai teachers make about $3 per hour. So don’t ask me for any sympathy for these petulant yellow-minded children who stomp their feet and demand special privileges while taking advantage of, threatening, jailing and even killing the very people who made them rich. A bigger pack of morally degenerate leeches I have not found anywhere else on the planet.

Right now Bangkok and the yellow elite are practically at war with the very ground they sit upon and the very country in which they find themselves We’ll see how long this program can be maintained. Make your bets now.

TO MY FRIENDS OVERSEAS

If you have time, please complain loudly and often to the Thai embassy in your home country that the current Thai “government” is out of control and killing, disrespecting and witch hunting its own citizens. A fair national election - and soon - would help quite a bit.

Thank you
Ajarn W
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www.europe-solidaire.org/spip.php

Appeal Against Repression in Thailand

20 June 2010

For more than two months, the Red Shirts have mobilised with decisiveness and purpose in the streets of Bangkok to support their demands of democracy and social justice.

The government led by Abhisit Vejjajiva chose to respond to these demands with violence and repression. It committed a serious violation against human rights when it authorised the use of military hardware to dissolve the demonstrations. The result was extremely serious: there were at least 89 dead and nearly 2000 wounded.

Today, democratic rights are not respected: there are 99 arrest warrants against opponents. The places where most of the detainees are held are kept secret. The government has imposed censorship on the alternative media. The penalties incurred are especially severe: from 3 to 15 years for “lese majesty” to the death penalty for “terrorism”.

The Red Shirts are being treated by the government as if they were “terrorists”. It is a complex movement, but its members are mainly ordinary poor people whose most elementary political rights –like the respect due to the result of an election—have been ignored.

The Thai government can continue to repress the Thai people freely, because its constant violations against human rights have not been confronted by international solidarity and condemnation. We make a call to all progressive and democratic organizations to demand the end of the repression and the respect of fundamental rights in Thailand; to start an international campaign to obtain the freedom of political prisoners and the end of intimidation and inculpation of the Red Shirts.

We demand from the Thai government that it raises the State of Urgency and immediately re-establishes democratic freedoms in the country; that it ends the repression against the Red Shirts and that all prisoners are freed without any delay.

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