There are prudent, intelligent and level-headed people in Thailand. Concerned with the heightened border conflicts between Thailand and Cambodia, the Joint Private-Sector Committee comprising the Federation of Thai Industries (FIT), the Thai Chamber of Commerce (TCC), and the Thai Bankers’ Association (TBA) has called on the government to cope with resolving the current tensions and hostilities through diplomatic means.
Government? What government? Oh, that government – which does not seem to be favoured by the real powers that be anymore. By right, a military coup should be a last resort. It’ll take some time to polish off the rust on the tanks or they won’t look good on CNN. But this time, the royal card can’t be played anymore. Plan B? Send the Yellow Shirts out to stir up some trouble at the border and make the government look soft and incompetent in the face of the “enemy”. If they refuse to step down, at least there would be some support for a military coup by the nationalists and bunch of idiotic followers.
So what’s new? These days, people all over the world from Egypt to Jordan have been removing undemocratic and unruly rulers through equally undemocratic and unruly means. In Egypt, all it took were a Facebook page and a bunch of unemployed or seriously underpaid intellectuals to spark an anti-Mubarak movement. Fortunately, the US is not implicated – at the moment. The good thing that can come out of this revolution is that Egypt may not need to suck up to the US anymore. The bad thing is that it may end up to be another Iran. Let’s keep our fingers crossed for a middle path.
Not in Thailand, a supposedly Buddhist country. As recent as last week, generals on both sides have met and agreed on a ceasefire. Cambodian generals said on TV that they were not very sure if the Thais were sincere. True enough, Cambodians reported fresh incursions into their territory and they opened fire. The Thai generals responded by saying that Cambodia fired first and declared that they would not engage in peace talks with Cambodia anymore.
With the door shut, Cambodian PM Hun Sen called for the UN and ASEAN to mediate. The generals refused. No talks. Just retaliation. The government must have shocked the Thai-speaking world when they too announced to the people that they will not negotiate with Cambodia anymore. These apalling statements triggered some UN and ASEAN “action” and some “clarification” was in order. But in order not to contradict the generals too much, the government announced that they would not want the UN and ASEAN to intervene but want the matter to be resolved bilaterally through diplomatic means. The right hand is pulling, the left hand is pushing. Which way will Thailand go? In circles, I guess.
Someone suggested that the PAD protestors in Bangkok should be sent to the border and be put in the same bomb shelters as the locals. Maybe then, they’ll change their minds. Maybe not. Local leaders at the border are disgusted with the PAD and announced that they are not welcome there. These folks occupied the airport and brought the country’s economy on its knees to get rid of a government they didn’t like. They brought this government to power and now they are trying to bring it down as well because they are becoming too Thaksin-like with their projects that benefit the peasants and commoners, “neglecting” the elite. Will these folks ever be satisfied and do they have any respect for the choice of the electorate at all? I don’t think so. So why should such a thorn in the flesh be allowed to have everything its way while the Red Shirts got gunned down?
Because not everyone in Thailand sees the PAD (and their backers) and the current government as the culprits who played the Cambodian card to gain political mileage, only to see it backfire on the government and the people now. Some actually feel that the Cambodians have no right to imprison the 2 Thais who have deliberately entered Cambodian territory (proven by video evidence) just to test the patience of the Cambodians. Some feel offended when you praise the Burmese or Laotian people or say that Pagan in Myanmar is more impressive than Sukothai. Some even see a twisted conspiracy theory.
“Hun Sen very bad. He want be king. Thaksin very bad. He want be king. Thaksin caused this problem. He no conscious (sic).”
OK…. but I thought Thaksin was at peace with Cambodia. His political enemies were the ones who started this war.
“Hun Sen very bad. He want be king. Thaksin very bad. He want be king. Thaksin caused this problem. He no conscious (sic).”
Er….
“Hun Sen very bad. He want be king. Thaksin very bad. He want be king. Thaksin caused this problem. He no conscious (sic).”
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
