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[Plus]

Politically mature voter base - yes, count Bangkok and urban centers, or count social groups like academics and middle class. Thaksin's base has been shrinking to uneducated and brain-washed, generally poor segments of society.

I'm not saying that academics or middle classes can't be brainwashed, but there are degrees of political insanity.

Let's not get too distracted. If the bombers don't get what they want from elections, and it's most likely they won't at the moment, there's no garantee that they stop their campaign.

It would be even worse if they DO get elected.

It's not about elections or democracy - they are killing people!!!

[Shoeboat]

Terrorism is becoming somewhat of a trend, is there anywhere left in the world where one can just live in peace without greed?

[aaaaaa]

Plus, on 2007-01-03 23:47:16, said:

...... If the bombers don't get what they want from elections, and it's most likely they won't at the moment, there's no garantee that they stop their campaign.

It would be even worse if they DO get elected.

It's not about elections or democracy - they are killing people!!!

all signs and analysts' predictions are  - that it will be so, and that it will only get even worse:


EDITORIAL
Blasts shatter hopes for reconciliation

Quote

Sunday's bombings indicate that the battle between the old and new regimes is set to worsen in 2007.

National reconciliation is becoming even harder now. Over the next two to three months, we can expect more political volatility and possibly some violence as it will not be possible for this deep political conflict and confrontation to be resolved amicably. The stakes are very high and getting higher and higher for both, those in charge now, and the old regime. Thailand will face greater political risks over the medium term. The Surayud government will be subject to greater public pressure. The transition to democracy will be met by protests from vested interest groups. Moreover, the Surayud government can't afford to let its economic policy be derailed like the errors of the wholesale capital controls to rein in baht speculation.


Paying the price will be the tourism sector, which is being hit by the bomb blasts in the capital. The bombings might also take a toll on investment at a time when confidence is still recovering after the September 19 coup. Overall, Thailand's gross domestic product will have to shave off its growth to take into account the slowdown of business activities amid the gloomy political climate.

TRT counter-challenges present government:

Quote

The Thai Rak Thai Party yesterday challenged Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont and the Council for National Security (CNS) chief Sonthi Boonyaratglin to swear that they do not organise the bombs in Bangkok to overshadow reports of allegations against them.

http://www.nationmul...al_30023243.php



army bosses are challenged heavily to solve Souht problem, although I don't know is it ONLY in English newspaper or same kind of mood as easily expressed in some other Thai newspapers too:

Quote

Time for military to deliver in South

Armed forces have run out of excuses for their failures in fighting the insurgents and protecting the public.

Even casual observers can see that since the outbreak of violence in January 2004, the insurgents have gained the upper hand over the 300,000-strong military....

In the meantime, the demoralised military is too bogged down by incompetence and a general lack of professionalism to develop effective strategies and tactics to combat the insurgents. All of this adds up to an unwillingness to fight.


It is a disgrace for the military that incompetent commanders continue to make inane excuses for delayed reinforcements, including the fear that militants might strew the roads with spikes that will leave military vehicles with flat tyres. Soldiers, for fear of falling into traps, also never give a chase to the insurgents, who enjoy unimpeded freedom of movement. The military always finds convenient excuses to avoid putting its troops in danger. It may be true that the Thai public has never had high expectations of the armed forces, but surely no self-respecting member of the military wants to be accused of cowardice.

Earlier this month, the Defence Ministry, which complained bitterly about scarcity of resources during the nearly six years of former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra's rule, asked for a budget of Bt115 billion in 2007 - an almost 50 per cent increase over fiscal 2006 - and no lawmakers raised any objections.

It took Privy Council President Prem Tinsulanonda to remind the armed forces that all soldiers have made a solemn vow to defend the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Thailand with their lives.

With a dramatic increase in its budget, the military is running out of excuses not to put up a fight against insurgents. The raging insurgency in the deep South has been identified as the greatest threat to national security. As such, it calls for the armed forces to prove they are serious about the military oath they have taken to defend the country against its enemies and to make the ultimate sacrifice if it comes to that.

http://www.nationmul...on_30023142.php


all this gives a lot of doubts regarding - what's going on actually nowdays in LOS and who and why did all these bombings.

Edited by aaaaaa, 2007-01-04 00:31:50.

[Artfullmover]

Maybe it was the country people who set off a few bombs to make a statement about their dispeasure of what Bangkok/ Thailand has become.

Remembering a lot of them came to town a while back and had a good look around and the bombs were not set for a maximum death count. They would not be that dumb to make it a full out attack on tourist either as they have seen first hand what the authorities have dished out on the war on drugs and do have a great fear the police and the armed forces.

I conceede this is far fetched but why stop only with the other rumors getting around.

[blaze]

Plus:

In an earlier post referring to the car bomb, you stated
"General consensus is that Thaksin made it up to elicit sympathy to himself.
Are you going to revise that now? "

Now you state,
"Look how popular Iraq war was three years ago, how everybody believed in WMD and 9/11 connection. "

In both cases general consensus was deemed evidence of fact.
And if general consensus was wrong in the case of WMD, surely you will grant that general consensus could be wrong re the car bomb.

Edited by blaze, 2007-01-04 06:59:59.

[pap]

londonthai, on 2007-01-03 07:41:12, said:

maybe not here - but the usa government is responsible for 99% of bombs and milions of people dieing every year because of it policies. Don't hate america - hate the oppressive state

I always love this logic.  Instead of blaming the people that blow up the bomb lets blame someone else.  Sorry the logic is flawed. The last person who can stop the killing is the person who actually does the killing yet they choose not to stop.  Bombing in the name of peace.  How is this different thatn what the US government does? Why not hold accountable those that made the choice to kill innocent people.  

Brilliant deductive reasoning.  This is not to say the US governments policies are any good but no matter how messed up the US government is they aren't the last ones who could have stopped the killing.  So lets absolve everyone instead of holding people accountable for their own actions.  That will make a better world.  (Thats sarcasm by the way)

Cheers.

[Jai Dee]

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