The use of scare tactics and the spreading of disinformation are typical symptoms of desperation that simply will not work against the myriads of protesters who have joined the anti-government protests with all their heart and soul.
And intimidation of the media and of some core protest leaders and supporters, such as the firing of gunshots outside the home of former Democrat leader Chuan Leekpai in Trang last week and the throwing of a petrol bomb at the home of a host of the BlueSky TV station early this morning, will only harden their resolve.
I wonder what caretaker Justice Minister Chaikasem Nitisiri was thinking when he issued his stern warning Thursday to people against joining the shutdown Bangkok protest on Jan 13 - that they risk violating several laws with statues of limitation of up to 20 years for supporting the "rebellion" against the government.
So what charges are to be leveled against the people for standing on the road, biking on the road, blowing their whistles, cheering or just walking on the car-free roads? Blocking the traffic, or insurrection?
His warning is no more than "drawing the image of a tiger to scare off the cattle", as an old Thai saying goes. The cattle, in this case the people, are smart and not easily frightened by such an empty threat. They just laugh off his warning, as if it means nothing.
Ask this old lady why she is part of the protest at the Democracy Monument, Mr Minister, says Veera. The answers will surprise you. (Bangkok Post photo)
The minister might have forgotten that his colleague, caretaker Deputy Prime Minister Surapong Tovichakchaikul in his capacity as the director of the Centre for the Administration of Peace and Order, issued a stronger warning earlier. He said that the protesters could face the death penalty for supporting the "insurrection" led by the People’s Democratic Reform Committee (PDRC).
Your excellency, dress up as a protester and pay a visit to the protest site at Ratchadamnoen any evening now or this weekend and you will learn through your own eyes and ears that your warning, or any more from Mr Surapong, will have no impact on the protesters – many of them elderly people, women and young office workers.
You may also wonder why hundreds of kamnan and village headmen in their uniforms are still at Ratchadamnoen and not returning home after caretaker Interior Minister Charupong Ruangsuwan ordered an investigation into their involvement in the protests ahead of disciplinary action against them.
These local administration officials and the protesters at large have already gone beyond the threshold of fear and no longer respect and recognise the government, which they hold accountable for many gross violations of the law, including breaches of the constitution.
The spread of disinformation such as the nonsensical charge made by caretaker Information and Communications Technology Minister Anudit Nakornthap, that the protesters were drugged to boost their morale, has made the minister himself look worse than Bozo the clown. At least Bozo is entertaining.
Your excellency, the protesters don’t need to be doped in any way, even with M150 energy drink. Ask the 80-years-plus grandma seen every evening in front of the stage at the Democracy Monument why she is joining in the protest and whether she is scared, you will be amazed by her answers. That is the spirit of the protesters.
The caretaker government appears eager to invoke a state of emergency and to drag in the military to cope with the Bangkok shutdown and possible violence. But would use of the emergency decree scare off the protesters, or would it harden their resolve?
Just look at the Internal Security Act. Does anyone in Bangkok believe that this law is still enforceable?
I hope that the Bangkok shutdown will be free from violence, and be brief. I also hope that some form of common sense will return to both protagonists in the conflict, the caretaker government and the PDRC, and that they can work out a solution which is beneficial to the country and the people.