Rally fizzles out amid safety fears

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Rally fizzles out amid safety fears

Boonlert says authorities inciting violence

Published: 24 Nov 2012 at 00.00
Newspaper section: News

Pitak Siam leader Boonlert Kaewprasit ended his anti-government rally and his own brief political career on a drizzly Saturday afternoon after a day of high drama and scattered violence.

A Pitak Siam protester holds up a tear-gas canister that police had fired near the Makkawan Bridge on Saturday morning.

Addressing an estimated 20,000 supporters from the Royal Plaza stage, he asked them to disperse peacefully.

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musashi
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Discussion 159 : 24 Nov 2012 at 20.55159
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Boonlert's honeymoon is over.

No amount of face-saving excuses by him, Sondhi, Chamlong or AV is going to help.

It's time Boonlert and Sondhi face treason charges for publicly inciting a rebellion and a coup.

Electoral politics based on meritocratic democracy is here to stay.
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heartie
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Discussion 158 : 24 Nov 2012 at 20.48158
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I said it before on this site, that these protest organizers needed to make sure they provide 'good' security at these events! I guess they never will learn! I've seen scores of videos from similar events in history and they aren't for the faint-at-heart. Things commonly turn violent and even deadly.
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android
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Discussion 157 : 24 Nov 2012 at 20.35157
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Discussion 129 bob : the next general election in 2015 will tell you how many people want to topple the current government.
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soltair
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Discussion 156 : 24 Nov 2012 at 20.31156
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Funny how the Reds are manipulating here again, is this how you won the election? Give it a rest, try to be honest, it's so obvious.
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genii
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Discussion 155 : 24 Nov 2012 at 20.25155
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If the protestors has stuck to Boonlerts plan for a peaceful rally then he would not have to be trying to save face blaming the government for the actions of a few that obviously were not in his control. Boonlert made the right decision and it is obvious he wanted nothing to do with what was going on.
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drsmith
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Discussion 154 : 24 Nov 2012 at 20.17154
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This General is smart enough to forecast where Thailand is heading. For the rest of those less educated, wait until the very last minute when the markets crash and Thailand goes Bankrupt. Did Thailand forget the great Thai Financial Crash of 1997 (severe financial over extension) so soon? I believe the greed of this administration will have the Army forced to get involved long before the government completes it's term. But like most other uneducated countries, sometimes the sky has to fall on your head before you will admit there is a problem.
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bikeme
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Discussion 153 : 24 Nov 2012 at 20.16153
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Welcome to Thaksinland ... thou shall say nothing unless it is praise of me ... thou shall complain only against the opposition ... thou shall be sheep under my thumb ... praise be me for I am thaksin. So sad that democracy was trampled in Thailand.
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supermax
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Discussion 152 : 24 Nov 2012 at 20.10152
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Today is the beginning of a new thai political story.
The UDD/PTP power show their dictatorial attitude in preventing a democratic demonstration by closing many ways to go to the meeting point.
Fortunately for Chalerm/Sukumpol/Pracha the "Pitak Siam" was weak and not well organised, but this movement of today is a reality...
What is going to happen tommorow will be more interestins the DEM MPs'll bring a lot of secret attacks...
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drsmith
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Discussion 151 : 24 Nov 2012 at 20.07151
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"However, the Pheu Thai government used the muscle of appointed provincial governors to enforce dozens of checkpoints along highways leading to the capital". Is this Democracy or Communism? There are too many conflicting reports in this article. The police say the rally could expand, others say the majority of people blocked from attending. Very poor reporting on an important event. The news needs to deal with the facts and not print two completely different stories.
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ozinthai
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Discussion 150 : 24 Nov 2012 at 20.04150
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If the PT Government was serious about"DEMOCRACY" they would not have run scared and implemented the ISA or told the police to build razor wire barriers to prevent people from reaching the rally to express their opinion in this democratic land the PT party, UDD and Red Shirts say they want! They would not have pressured the many provincial governors and police to delay and prevent the many free thinking Thai from reaching the rally. The PT Government are not serious about "democracy" they are serious about bringing back the "puppet master".
Why is this person still free and being able to influence a country,its economy, government and peopl
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