Pitak Siam rally hopes to oust govt

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Pitak Siam rally hopes to oust govt

Organiser Boonlert wants to see a coup

Published: 24 Oct 2012 at 00.00
Newspaper section: News

A planned rally on Sunday by the Pitak Siam (Protecting Siam) group may become a sustained protest to expel the Pheu Thai-led government, core organiser Gen Boonlert Kaewprasit says.

The retired general said he would have staged a coup by now if he was in a position to do so, claiming the country is being run by a "puppet government".

"I'd love to see a coup because I know this puppet government is here to rob the country. Several sectors of society can't take it anymore. If I had the power a coup would have been staged by now," he said.

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elvis
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Discussion 29 : 24 Oct 2012 at 08.2229
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@Khunbj D25,

You are obviously not aware that the current government is the same clique that has always run the show in this country. Or are you suggesting that the PT is made up from steelworkers, farmers and poor miners?
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pointoffew
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Discussion 28 : 24 Oct 2012 at 08.1728
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spiceman, discussion 20, once again you fail to see what this is all about: inciting to overthrow the government, not through elections by the military. Even in "your" beloved USA, that is enough to land you in court.
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onlyasking
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Discussion 27 : 24 Oct 2012 at 08.1327
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If he use the rally to instigate voilence/coup against the government he will be over stepping the boundaries of free speech. If he uses the rally to instigate people to launch a protest campaign like before the 2006 coup, one should ask if that is what Thailand needs at present. If he however use this as a means to mobilise voters for the next election in 3 years it is his democratic right to do so. With the decreasing power of the yellow shirt movement he is aiming at establishing an alternative to the the yellow shirts which makes him an political opportunist.
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pitanu
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Discussion 26 : 24 Oct 2012 at 08.1026
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Dangerous thoughts. As much as I disagree with this government a coup is not the answer, they were elected, and we have to abide by that. The country has suffered enough, and now the people are suffering because of years of political / economic instability.

If there Pitak Thai has any evidence of wrongdoing, please use all proper legal channels, do not sink as low as Thaksin.
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khunbj
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Discussion 25 : 24 Oct 2012 at 07.4525
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Well at least he is honest about wanting to make a coup, that is probably the closest you can get to democracy when having a military mindset. Unfortunately for the retired general this government is getting more popular by the day and the military seem to be happy and even helpful these days ... It is understandable, that a certain part of society that used to rule country for generations and ran the country so badly that it caused the economic crises in Asia in 97 , is desperate to get back into power, and since winning an election is not possible as the majority prefers the present government...then hoping for a new coup is the only hope (
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David

Discussion 24 : 24 Oct 2012 at 07.4524
Is there any poor generals in Thailand???

Wondered how much general's salary compare with their lifestyle, can anyone buy him mirror plz
from iPhone application.
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Renaissance
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Discussion 23 : 24 Oct 2012 at 07.3923
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Obviously a coup won't solve the problem. The trouble seems to be that the majority of voters love corruption; they love one of the most corrupt leaders which the country has perhaps ever had; they are silly enough to sell their vote to corrupt people, especially if their party offers silly populist schemes like free gifts at a supermarket; and the Opposition isn't really any less corrupt. Maybe Thailand just has to collapse under the weight of corruption before Thais realize that perhaps corruption isn't in their interests after all. Hopefully, the Thais will wake up soon to what is happening to them.
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rfukata
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Discussion 22 : 24 Oct 2012 at 07.3522
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can this retired general and his cronies run this country any better? rather than thinking about military
intervention, stripping democracy, why doesn't this general help draw up some strategic military
strategies to tackle the southern problem and issues? I guess he has none.
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hangover
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Discussion 21 : 24 Oct 2012 at 07.3121
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My goodness, only 7 am but there have been so many responses to this report about Boonlert.

Who is this guy? Most likely he is only a front-man and the big actor is watching the reaction in the number of attendance in this Sunday rally. My estimate is that they can mobilize not more than 2,000 people. Both Sonthi Lim and Chamlong the yellow shirts have lost their credibility and can no longer attract crowds so the big actor selected Dr. Tul, which also failed. The latest choice is this guy Boonlert. So good luck mate.
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spiceman
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Discussion 20 : 24 Oct 2012 at 07.2920
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Khun Bula #11, arresting people for expressing their opinions, including an outrageous one like this? You can't have it both ways, OK? What happens to Freedom of Speech, as guaranteed under Democracy? Come-on, has he burned down any shopping malls or city halls or raining down M-79 grenades on innocent people's heads?
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