Udon Red Shirts

Here you find pic from Wensd 19/5 http://s837.photobucket.com/albums/zz29 ... 20cityhal/
What the reeds did or not .......

"they both have immunity as sitting MP's"

Isn't that nice! With things like inactive posts, military immunity, political immunity, political hideaways in Cambodia.......it's no wonder they have the problems they do.

Immunity??? Ludicrous.

Udon has made it back into the international news again. This time concerning the detention and trials of some of those alleged to have burned the government buildings.

In Rural Thailand, an Unappeased Opposition Bides Its Time
By SETH MYDANS
Published: August 31, 2010

UDON THANI, THAILAND — In front of the charred ruins of the municipal hall here, a huge poster carries the photographs of 76 people being sought in an attack on the building three months ago, on the day the anti-government “red shirt” protests were crushed in Bangkok. Only 11 have been caught.

Scores of people are in hiding, many of them sheltered by a mostly sympathetic population. Scores more, arrested at the scene, are being held without bail.

Here in the heart of red shirt country, the government appears to have made little headway in calming or winning over its opponents, and the arrests and detentions illustrate the continuing divisions in the country................

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/01/world ... ss&emc=rss

Anyone who thinks that this situation will be over anytime soon is seriously deluded. Things will never go back to the way they were before. IMHO, we are watching something huge happening re: history, and it's going to change the face of Thailand forever.

Unfortunately, I couldn't agree more because I can easily see Thailand disintegrating all the same lines as Yugoslavia. Many of the same factors in play there are in play here in Thailand. The saddest part of all is that the powers to be are unable/unwilling to read the handwriting on the wall.

I tend to see it different,although i admit I havn't studied the Yugaslovia situation!I always thought was a conglomerate of small Nations and divided much along religious lines,or is that Chec****vokia?

I think this is just political powers grabbing at the power reigns for personal gain.I don't think there will be many changes as the ''Red movement'' is not a movement that really addresses the needs of the majority Isaan population,only the powerbrokers vested interests.The real needs of the base,never gets changed!

Completely agree Mike. The parallels between Thailand and Yugoslavia are uncanny. Let's pray that doesn't happen. I think that the powers that be, are unwilling to look at the big picture in the hopes the whole situation will just go away and things will get back to business as usual. That, quite simply, isn't going to happen. I really love Thailand and I hope things don't get much worse, although I'm not terribly optomistic at this point.

You can easily pull up a history of Yugoslavia on the net. However, for the purposes of this thread I'll give you what I think are the similarities.

1. Both countries were drawn together from a number of diverse formerly independanstates/kingdoms.

2. Both countries were held together by a charismatic figure Tito in Yugoslavia, The King here in Thailand

3. Both countries had/have large groups of people who speak different languages. Thai, Isaan, Chiang Mai, South, Central etc

4. Both countries have/had a Muslim population

5. Both countries have/had major dificulties with corruption inside and outside the government

6. Both countries have/had a small middle class along with a wealthy "upper class" and a poor lower class

7. Both countries have tried to suppress national identities and political dissent.

8. Both countries have/had suppressed public protests.

9 Large sectors of both countries were heavily involved with agriculture

I guess I could go on but I think you should have a pretty decent idea as to what I'm getting at. Yugoslavia did not disintegrate immediately after Tito's death. It essentially began to "unravel" over the course of about 10 years to what you have today.

I suspect Thailand will also take about 10 years to "unravel" upon the passing of the King as I can see no other individual with the same ability/charisma to keep the country united stepping forward. I suspect Mr. Thaksin is also waiting for the same occurence in order to make his comeback.

Quite frankly I hope I'm wrong.

MHO

I do not see great similarity between Yugoslavia and Thailand myself.

1. Thailand is a sovereign country which has existed for many years, and the majority of its ethnic groups have been part of this country for a long time also (Cannot be bothered to check exactly when, but 200 years or more, I am pretty sure). Yugoslavia was never really a country, just a loose federation which existed for just over 70 years; it was always a balancing act. It was formed from the wreckage of the Ist world war (1914-18)/balkan wars (1912) and consisted of Kingdom of Serbia and parts of the Austro-Hungarian empire and the Ottoman empire.

2. Thailand demographically consists of about 85% Thai/lao, plus about 5% malays and 10% other minorities. Somewhere in there are also the Sino-thai. This 85% have similar culture, religion and language. Demographically, Yugoslavia was made up of 9 ethnic groups (not including those making up less than 1%), of whom the Serbs were the largest, making up about 36% of the whole. There were linguistic differences and religious differences based on ethnic origin (serbs mainly Christian orthodox, Croats and Slovenes catholics and Bosnians who were mainly muslim. Many of these ethnic groups were incorporated in Yugoslavia against their will and ran separitist movements, either bought off or crushed by the serbs.

3. During the second world war, Croats and Bosnians often sided with the germans against the serbs in return for autonomy. The serbs did not forget this. Tito was an excellent leader in that he was able to balance these divisions and run a largely peaceful country while he was the president; partially by giving the minorities a share of the power.

4. Milosovitch was a serb nationalist and wanted to run an ethnically cleansed serb state where the Serbs did not have to share power. Slovenia was allowed to secede easily because it had very few serbs. Croatia was allowed to secede but was immediately invaded to seize areas with significant serb populations, croats being expelled. Although this land grab was not successful in the long run, the same was done with Bosnia, including not just expelling non-serbs but also deliberate acts of genocide. Macedonia, also a largely non-serb province, broke off later.

I do not see these religious divisions (other than a small Malay muslim group in the south) or the history of recent open warfare between ethnic groups. We do not see a Thai minority trying to ethnically cleanse their lands to hold on to power, any problems are mainly economic; or due to percieved social class.

The UK also has its minorities, historic and recent, some of whom wish for independance (Irish, Scottish and Welsh), many of whom are also economically disadvantaged. So who are we more like, Yugoslavia or Thailand?

jackspratt wrote:mike after reading your 9 similarities, and then rick's excellent analysis, I would suggest that Thailand far more resembles China than it does (the former) Yugoslavia.

No doubt there will be significant upheaval after the king dies, but this won't be based on ethnic and religious divisions - it will far more a class issue.

I agree,the cultures of the people are quite different,better education and challenging the class system would be the impetus for a Thai revolution that would make any great difference!