Wow. Way over my head. I can’t understand a line of this. Your intellect amazes me.

Andrew: “The Democrats have never won a majority and haven’t been the biggest party in the Thai Parliament since 1992.”

Peter: “have you heard of coalition governments?”

Andrew: “The inescapable fact is that Abhisit/Democrats are reviled by large parts of Thailand”

Peter: “does that mean there’s nobody but redshirts in the Northeast?”

Peter: “And support for this government is on the wane, whether you approve or not.”

I would strongly suggest not bothering with Peter anymore, Andrew. You simply can’t debate people who argue against things you never even said, who claim authority based on time, and who rebuke impartiality and opinion stated as fact, then pepper their own posts with exactly that which they decry.

[Edited for bad grammar]

Basic facts? Please. I’m pretty well-read on the history of Thailand, having come here first during Thanom’s dictatorship, and having worked in 2005 in tsunami relief in a government office under Thaksin’s government–during which time I read a book on Thaksin–and saw how little the supposedly populist government itself was doing to help the victims of the tsunami. Don’t give me words like “indisputable” and “inescapable fact.” Those show what blinders you have on. You’re right about the Dems never having a majority, but have you heard of coalition governments? And “large parts of Thailand,” does that mean there’s nobody but redshirts in the Northeast? That would be incorrect. And support for this government is on the wane, whether you approve or not. Let’s agree to disagree. I would just urge you to open your mind and look at some things people on the “other side” are saying. I personally don’t have a “side,” and I think that’s wiser.

Peter, you seem to be unaware of the most basic facts. The Democrats have never won a majority and haven’t been the biggest party in the Thai Parliament since 1992. That’s simply indisputable. Abhisit has never won any kind of election – assuming power because a court dissolved the democratically elected party of government and the army held a gun to the head of the remaining MPs and demanded they form a “coalition” with Abhisit is not something that will ever resemble a democratic “election”. Abhisit’s assumption of power in 2008 was widely and accurately described as a ‘judicial coup”.
The Thai people have decided on multiple occasions they want the Thaksin-led political project to form their government.
If others want to oppose Thaksin they should do so democratically not by shooting at voters, strangling voters, beating voters, boycotting elections and whipping up hate.
The inescapable fact is that Abhisit/Democrats are reviled by large parts of Thailand due to their involvement in the deaths in 2010, by their assumption of power despite having no democratic mandate and by their arrogant dismissive disdain for millions of ordinary Thais.

Yeah, the home made rocket launchers being fired from atop red shirt barricades endangered no one. What a piece of shyt you are.

Come on, man. This is Thailand. Are you seriously using the fact that there were no convictions to say nobody on that side did bad things, like starting fires or killing people? Well, where were the convictions on the other side for you “100 civilians?” But I guess for you, that argument doesn’t work both ways, right? Of course it was a mess, and bad things were done. But who ordered bad things done? I think most of the bad things were done by rogue elements and thugs on both sides, though I do believe the redshirts actually WANTED martyrs. The leadership wanted people on their own side to die. They came very close to reaching a compromise agreement, but it was quite clear that Thaksin nixed it. The government itself had nothing to gain from killings, and I don’t believe the government itself wanted any. But it was definitely not a one-sided affair. If you don’t know what i saw (I never used the word “witnessed,”) in 2010 then I submit that you didn’t spend a lot of time around the barricades or listening to what has to be characterized as hate speech coming from the stages and piped to all locations in red territory. I’m not going to post videos, but they are certainly out there.

Liar and hacker, plain and simple. Possibly not even in BKK at all. Anyone here can visit a rally and see how broad your lies are in less then 1 second. Koon ngo.

I’m not sure what you “witnessed” in 2010 has any bearing whatsoever on the political content of 2014 but it is beyond any doubt that almost 100 civilians were shot in Bangkok in 2010 and not one was ever proven to have been armed or engaged in acts that would endanger life. Not one. The PDRC/Democrat rallies espouse extreme violence in an open attack on democracy and the rule of law. If you want to support that fascism, that’s your choice, but others quite rightly will raise their voices against it.

I’ve been to the rallies many times and they are not “parties”. They are scary, weird and the speakers engage in relentless racist, misogynistic hate speech.

Now you have fully identified yourself as a hack. As I have been to the rallies many times. Party is what they are. So hack away with your lies elsewhere.