Appearance can be deceptive

Wednesday, October 08, 2008

Appearance can be deceptive

October 8, 2008

An uneasy lull has returned to the City of Angels after a day of bloodletting on the streets which left two people dead and 443 injured, including four who lost one of their legs or arms from what suspected to be bomb explosions. The only incident today is that hundreds of People's Alliance for Democracy supporters marched from their protest site to the Ministry of Foreign Ministry to protest against Prime Mininister Somchai Wongsawat who was scheduled to brief Bangkok-based foreign diplomats about the dramatic event yesterday.

Is this a lull before a storm? We will soon find out just as many of us in this Land of Smiles has found out that somebody's words of wisdom that ''Appearance can be Deceptive'' has never been more true. How gullible we are that we had been led to believe that someone so gentle, soft-spoken and appeared to be accommodating like Prime Minister Somchai could turn out to be so heartless, ruthless and merciless.

We should have known before. In fact, Mother Nature has taught us not to trust some brightly-coloured plants or animals because they may be poisonous. Carnivorous plants lure insects to their death with their bright colours or strong scents. Brightly-coloured frogs too are deadly dangerous and should be left untouched.

The prime minister was totally unemotional and showed no remorse when he delivered his policy statement to the parliament. Meanwhile outside the parliament, anti-riot police unleashed salvo after salvo of tear gas into the crowd of protesters. Dozens of protesters were injured at the time of the policy announcement.

Yet after finishing with his solo policy announcement, the prime minister still had the nerve to plead for reconciliation for the benefits of the country. How pathetic and indifferent he was? But not just the prime minister, the rest of the cabinet members and members of the parliament from the coalition parties appeared to share the same attitude. All of them were safe and sound in the confine of the parliament. They were totally ignorant that each time that the access to the parliament was to be opened to let them in and out meant that the police had to lobbed dozens of tear gas at the protesters in order to disperse them. And in the process of so doing, some of the protesters were injured.

Unfortunately, the scene inside the parliament during the policy announcement was completely overshadowed by the street bloodletting. A lot of people has missed the interesting scene although relatively less dramatic. It was the battle of rhetorics between one female senator, Ms Rosana Tositrakul and a pack of wolves from the People Power party.

The iron lady feared by many state enterprises for her stiff resistance against privatisation took to the floor to interrupt the prime minister while the latter delivered his policy statement without first asking for a permssiion from the parliament president. She kept on talking despite protests from the other legislators and an order from the parliament president for her to leave the chamber. At one point during the heated arguments, she was surrounded in the middle of male MPs with one intimidating-looking PPP member kept pointing his finger a few inches from her face. Lucky for her, there was no untoward incident and she was led out of the chamber with her husband by her side.

Theorically, the government now can start functioning after the policy announcement. But for how long? How many weeks or days from now?

Read comment

Comment 1

David date : 10/10/2008 time : 19:24

Police in Thailand are murders. They are the most corrupt in the world. They are drug dealers. They are arm dealers. Sometimes - if situations allow - they rape girls from poor neighboring countries who come into Thailand to search for job illegally.

Police in Thailand are burglar who even ask for about 20 bahts or a small lipo bottle.

It is easy to spot whether someone is Thai police or not. Their faces are not like ordinary people. They are ugly and like they feed everyone in Thailand.

Comment 2

Vic

date : 14/10/2008 time : 01:39

K. Veraa, please do not start on a new subject unless you're sure that you can follow through...

Comment 3

wichai

date : 17/10/2008 time : 18:01

It seams to me that you praise that kind of the female senator, Ms Rosana Tositrakul action on that day.I don't think it proper for the senator to use that kind of words and that way of acting.However,we have different view and I don't think what PAD and all their supporters both a political party and senators is good for this country.They make a new crises for Thai society. The crises of the torn the nations and no way to solve this problem. Thailand will rip up by their hands. This kind of crises never been happened in our country before. Nowaday people was separate into three sides and they can not compromise. Why this situation happen? Who make it ? Please try to learn and check you will know if you not lie on yourself. I love my country and need the same way of conciliation to Thai society not this kind of angry and separate people into sides like this. Please stop to ruin and destroy this beautiful country by your words and reasons.

Comment 4

BeachBum

date : 21/10/2008 time : 05:05

Appearance can be deceptive .. that is true for the PAD leaders as well. For someone who appears to be nice and follows the buddhist way of life but, in fact, has never been satisfied when things don't go his way. Then he lead people to death, creates chaos in the country.

It's true for PAD leaders who keep saying that what they are doing is to save the country and for monarchy and for the real democracy! But what we are seeing is someone doing thing for their own benefit. Someone who are driving our beloved country to despair.

It's true for Democrat Party leader who appears gentle and soft-spoken and makes people believe that he is on people side. In fact, what he wants is just to be a PM.

What are these people have in common is that they are trying to do everything to achieve their goals at other people's and our country's cost!

Comment 5

date : 05/11/2008 time : 17:53

How strange, do the PM need to show remorse? The people of Izan and the North have been insulted, called dumb, uneducated, they are told that they should be given less than one vote a person. The Plebs Against Democracy has shown no remorse towards thousands of poor students which lessons are disturbed by them. They have guards with knives, sticks and pistols roaming free in Bangkok. They attacked radio and tv stations, and caused irrefutable harm to Thailand her name and the economy. NO remorse from the Chamlong Mafia. May I remember you that in many countries you get less prison term for a murder than for trying to overthrow a democracy or making it impossible for elected officials to do their work? So high time to come back to earth. It must be tough for you and the PAD to see that Obama has won. Supported by the classes that are called dumb by their supporters. A man with the same policies as Thaksin (universal healthcare, affordable schooling, tax cuts for the poor, tax increases for the rich). The game is called democracy and you are allowed to change the rules so is the PAD but only if they forma political party muster enough votes to change the constitution. Not by asking the military to rape it.

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