Reds aim for 30,000 villages next year

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Reds aim for 30,000 villages next year

Published: 26/12/2011 at 05:51 PM
Online news: Local News

Supporters of the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD) on Monday announced a project to set up more red-shirt villages with a target of 30,000 red-shirt communities nationwide next year.

The announcement was made by Prasong Boonpong, chief adviser of the Confederation of Red-Shirt Villages for Democracy of Thailand, at a hotel in Muang district of Udon Thani.

Mr Prasong was accompanied at the press conference by Anont Saengsawang, the confederation secretary, Atthachai Anantamek, Daranee Kritboonyalai, and deputy chairmen of the confederation from all regions.

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mitrapaap
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Discussion 40 : 14/02/2012 at 01:21 PM40
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What ever the purpose of declaring a village to be a red-village is (and I really ignore it), what is it that they can do after having it declared a red-village that they could not do by just leaving it a Thai village?

Maybe some red-shirts here could clearly explain this?
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spiceman
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Discussion 39 : 29/12/2011 at 05:35 AM39
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Khun Abbub #38, it seems like we have one group of people who vote for a living, while the rest of us have to work for a living. I think that is what the main purpose of the "Red Villages" is, which is to secure parliamentary power for Thaksin & his PTP. I would have no problem with it at all if Thaksin chooses to exercise that power for the common good of the country, instead of enriching himself left and right, which happens to be the case.

Anyway, do you know why villagers in the South don't feel the need to have their villages renamed, "Yellow Villages?"
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abbub
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Discussion 38 : 28/12/2011 at 06:42 PM38
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Spiceman hi, please:

- "so-called "Red Villages" is just a way to hold the villagers captive to certain political ideology?"

So what do you think has been happening until now? The country folk have been accepting it all for decades and now, they get there collective vote stolen by the military. They have had enough.

- "Both PAD and UDD are grass-root organizations"

I think herein lies the problem. You equate a group that could just muster 1.7% of the Bangkok vote (their stronghold) with a group that represents possibly half the country's voters. I do not know by which yardstick you measure but the PAD is hardly a grass roots movement and does not represent the common folk.

- "PAD has proven itself to be operating independently from any political party, while UDD is just a militant wing of Thaksin's PTP."

The PAD was backed by the military, without which they could not have brought down two elected governments. The UDD is far more than TS's militants. And the sooner they detach themselves from him (those that are loyal, and not all are) the better.
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lek
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Discussion 37 : 28/12/2011 at 06:12 PM37
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To add to what jacksprat #25 wrote: The village headman (together with his henchmen) treats his village as his personal fiefdom; the villagers little more than serfs. No government aid or goods get through without the overlord getting his cut. Thaksin has cleverly evolved a system whereby these village chiefs swear an oath of allegiance to him in return for promises of extra jam. Those who have studied European history of the middle ages will appreciate the structure. The Red Village project merely confirms the situation.
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spiceman
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Discussion 36 : 28/12/2011 at 08:04 AM36
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Khun Abbub #32, I am afraid the concept of "plantation" has come to Thailand. Do you think these so-called "Red Villages" is just a way to hold the villagers captive to certain political ideology? Both PAD and UDD are grass-root organizations, representing two opposing groups of people, aiming at protecting each ones' economic interests. However, PAD has proven itself to be operating independently from any political party, while UDD is just a militant wing of Thaksin's PTP.

And do you know why villagers in the South don't feel the need to have their villages renamed "Yellow Villages?"
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spiceman
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Discussion 35 : 28/12/2011 at 07:48 AM35
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Khun Fungus #31, and did you know how PADs came about? If PM Thaskin (back then) didn't ban Sonthi Limthongkul's "Meung Thai Rai Sub Da," from the air, Sondhi wouldn't need to take his program live ("Son John"), giving birth to the PAD Movement as we know it today.

UDD Movement was created by Thaksin to counter PAD on the streets. However, PAD operates independently from any political party, while UDD is just a militant wing of Maw's Power in various reincarnation.

You raise a very good question on how we can go back to just being Thais? Well, my answer is when Thai people witness the second coming of Jesus Christ, I suppose. And they all will realize that "Vanity of vanities, all is vanity..."
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mr.meldrew
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Discussion 34 : 28/12/2011 at 01:24 AM34
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@abbub D32: Thaksin funded and created the reds, they are Thaksin's army. Without him they would be non-existent. They will not detach away from him because they couldn't and wouldn't be allowed even if they knew how. I don't believe they are communists, but a few of their leaders are. They are just ordinary people being used and abused by money and power hungry people using any and all types of tactics including terror, communist and even now Nazi ploys.

You foolishly believe this is a peoples movement but it's just another abuse of the people and it's destroying a country.

30,000 villages being brain washed, can that create unity? No, only more divide and bloodshed.
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howell
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Discussion 33 : 27/12/2011 at 09:54 PM33
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@abbub. 'The one thing they must do and will, in time IMO is detach themselves from Taksin...'

How can they they ? He funds and defends them, they are his army.
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abbub
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Discussion 32 : 27/12/2011 at 07:17 PM32
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The so-called red shirts organizing is the way forward for the country. It is grass roots citizen action-groups taking back the power stolen from them over eight decades, usually by military intervention. Even when they finally win elections the military steps on them.

For those commenters frothing at the mouth about this (understandably so, because they just cannot see the people finally waking up to the atrocious submission to which they have been subjected for so many decades) the red shirts have nothing to do with "Communism", no matter how much you would like to make it appear so for propaganda purposes. Or you are just parroting what you hear from other propaganda.

The one thing they must do and will, in time IMO is detach themselves from Taksin and the almost as-meaningless-as-the-Democrats PTP.
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fungus
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Discussion 31 : 27/12/2011 at 06:34 PM31
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The real shame of this is that colored shirts were non existent in Thailand just a few years ago. It all started with the PAD and their street protests against Thaksin. One could say the protests of this small group gave the coup makers their needed prompting to make a move and only weeks before a general election.

The PAD, the coup makers, and the PAD again took the rest of the country to their limit in tolorance so the UDD and Reds were born. This is where we stand now. What will it take to go back to just being Thai?
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