Boonjong: No order to join PAD rally

Published: 12/11/2009 at 11:38 AM
Online news: Breakingnews

The Interior Ministry had not ordered provincial governors, kamnan (sub-district chiefs) and village headmen to lead their people to join the mass rally by the People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD) in Bangkok on Sunday, as alleged, deputy minister Boonjong Wongtrairat said on Thursday.

The ministry had only ordered local officials to make it clear to local people that the PAD had a constitutional right of assembly, he said.

“The government’s decision not to invoke the Internal Security Act to deal with the yellow-shirts is not because it has double standards. It is because the planned demonstration is aimed to protect the high institution, not to create social division like those of the red-shirts," Mr Boonjong said.

The PAD said in its statement on Tuesday that it would stage a major rally on Sunday to show dissatisfaction with Cambodia's appointment of Thaksin Shinawatra as economic adviser and Thaksin's comments about the monarchy in a ninterview with The Times online.

Asked about the pro-Thaksin United front for Democracy against Dictatorship's plan for a fund-raising concert at Bonanza in Khao Yai of Nakhon Ratchasima province, the minister he said the UDD leaders have the right to organise any event as long as it is not in violation of the law.

A core leader of UDD Jatuporn Promphan last month announced the red-shirt group would hold a fund-raising concert at Bonanza on Nov 14 to raise funds for rallying against the Democrat-led coalition government.

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a concerned Khmer in Phnom Penh

Discussion 17 : 12/11/2009 at 10:29 PM17
euh what did he refer to as HIGH INSTITUTION?
did he simply mean MONARCHY or JUDICIARY ?
and why protection? is there any threat so far in thailand to both institutions?

and the red shirt's demo about democratic elections, one man one vote, and illegal coups are not important at all???

no comment.
This Gusted

Discussion 16 : 12/11/2009 at 10:18 PM16
Khunandre Australia, discussion 9, one more piece for thought.

In your homeland, the PAD would certainly have been banned by the court a long time ago, for its violent nature and openly anti-democratic program. Didn't know that? It's not too late to get informed. No reasonable, well-informed, peace and democracy loving person will dare support the PAD.
Bubba

Discussion 15 : 12/11/2009 at 08:48 PM15
KHUNANDRE: besides the reply you already got, the first person ever to be killed during this period was a UDD supporter some thug from the PAD shot in the throat. I am pretty sure about this.

Your idealization of the PAD an pacifist moms and dads neglects the facts.

It was seen on TV when the PAD kidnapped a police officer and forced him into the back of a small car.

Many during the October violence had their pockets filled with ping pong explosives.

One of their vehicles, parked near a UDD office blew up accidentally, killing an ex-police officer from Buriram who was a PAD supporter.

You can dig deeper if you like but something tells me you prefer floating on the surface when it comes to the PAD.
SD

Discussion 14 : 12/11/2009 at 08:14 PM14
"...The ministry had only ordered local officials to make it clear to local people that the PAD had a constitutional right of assembly, he said..."

If this is not the government promoting the rallies, then I think they have their own personally dictionary to fit what ever they want to mean when they want.

Seems all of the current gov are using this dictionary. .... INCREDIBLE!!!!
This Gusted

Discussion 13 : 12/11/2009 at 07:24 PM13
Khunandre Australia, discussion 9, I truly hope you have not been in the Kingdom for a long time, which could, to a certain extent, explain you being completely misinformed. You may want to read some information about the situation on the websites of leading Australian, English, American or French (AFP) news agencies. No doubt you will regret what you have just written.

Or your comment is either a (sick) joke, or your level of judgement is below zero, in which cases I should petty you.

To Boonjong and his ministry, and to all fools, I say: it takes more than a fool to fool the masses.
between the lines

Discussion 12 : 12/11/2009 at 07:14 PM12
@Khunandre Australia

Oh no the PAD never closed down 2 International airports,occupied government house,carried firearms and bombs. They also never fought with rural(THAI) villagers,police and military soldiers while trying to invade another country's legal territory. When conflict did happen on a major scale with the police it wasn't the PAD MEN that tried to push all the women(young and old) to the front lines. OOPS!ROFL! It was the PAD that did these things.

So please I am asking you nicely as a human being don't be sooooo 1 sided as both RED and Yellow have made many mistakes. Hey we all make mistakes because we are human!
Civ

Discussion 11 : 12/11/2009 at 06:33 PM11
K Boonjong should be recommended for his clarity
Vic

Discussion 10 : 12/11/2009 at 06:18 PM10
khunAndre: The reds have never closed down two airports, they have never left tens of thousands of tourists stranded, they have never occupied a public building for several months, etc. etc.

No matter who you side with, some level of objectivity should be the basis for comments.
In general I find the yellows to be pretty brainwashed, considering how EDUCATED they are.

I believe that anyone neutral in this conflict finds the actions of the government to be pro-PAD.

Any statements from the PM ensuring that he works to reconcile the nation is only window dressing.
I would hate to think that he actually believes his own statements. If that is the case, maybe he needs to go back to Oxford and take some courses is logic and psychology...
Khunandre Australia

Discussion 9 : 12/11/2009 at 03:50 PM9
The yellow shirts had never brought a gas tanker in any village ans treated to blow it. They had never killed people in any market. They had never physically attacked a Thai PM. They had never caused riots as the red shirts did during Songhran time. That is the difference between the Yellow and the Red.
LoneVoice

Discussion 8 : 12/11/2009 at 03:14 PM8
Surely the calibre of government officials must be better than this?

"No, no, we did not order provincial governors to lead people to join PAD's protest ... but oh yes, we ordered them to tell people that PAD has its constitutional right to assembly."

You mean the Thai people do not already know this and have to be reminded? And the governors have to be further ordered to remind the people?

This is so lame! Don't the ministry have things to do to occupy its free time?

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Boonjong: No order to join PAD rally