generalspeaking

There Is No Neutrality

In Thailand - briefly war-torn, more permanently torn between its urban yellow-shirt advantaged sophistication and rural and urban working-poor socially disadvantaged a simmering disaffection resembling a guerrilla civil war that will yet come back to haunt the country - fire-bombed buildings cast a cloud of grey-ash bitterness in the mouths of surrendered red-shirts. It has been recounted that a handful of top red-shirt leaders surrendered to police.

And the government imposed another curfew overnight in the capital. Extending that curfew, in acknowledgement of wide-spread and spreading discontent, to nearly a third of the country's 76 provinces. There remain pockets of resistance in the capital. Receding protesters have resorted to hapless surrender, but not before wreaking impotent revenge in destroying many of the capital city's valued landmark area structures. Aligned, of course, with wealthy capitalism.

The Stock Exchange of Thailand, cinemas, banks, television station, and Central World, said to be one of South-east Asia's most extensive shopping centres, fire-bombed, destroyed. The rampage that furious protesters embarked upon gave voice to their determination to be heard, while doing little to advance their cause beyond destroying symbols of inheritance for some, disinheritance for them. Yet the very ferocity of their violence might, after all, open eyes and ears.

Both the yellow and the red declare their devotion of the country's king. Held in such great esteem, but yet not sufficiently so to quell the unrest and the violence. Still, it was the violence, of the government's instructions to the military, to open with live fire on the protesters that led to the surrender of red shirt leaders. "I know this is unacceptable to some of you ... but we cannot stand this cruelty.

"We will exchange our freedom with your safety. We have tried our best." This, then, is temporary. There is no solution in sight, other than to ultimately placate such a large proportion of the population. The administration felt suitable for the yellow shirts is obviously rejected by their adversaries. Who insist they will accept nothing less than a return to true democracy.

The military coup that deposed the leader they support, now living in exile, elevated another political ideologue to leadership, one rejected by those supporting the previous leader. Each of them have been accused of massive corruption. But it was the deposed leader that brought he country out of its parlous financial insecurity and into prosperity. And he had been democratically elected to do that.

His party and his supporters were denied the opportunity to present themselves again for re-election through the military's manipulation of the justice system. Now justice waits.

Labels: Human Relations, Political Realities, World News

posted by Pieface @ Thursday, May 20, 2010