Quote:People's Alliance for Democracy leader Pipop Thongchai on Friday threatened to lay seige on Parliament if the government went ahead to rewrite the Constitution.

Pipop said today's PAD's rally at Parliament was just a dress rehearsal for a showdown on August 18, the date for charter debate planned by the government.

Thousands of PAD-led protesters joined the procession from Makawan Rangsan Bridge, the PAD's main rally site, to Parliament.


The PAD closed the road from the Makawan Intersection to the Intersection at the Royal Plaza at 2 pm.

It set up teams of guards, armed with baseball or golf clubs, sticks and iron bars, at each intersection.

Sirichai Maingarm, chairman of the Egat Labour Union, said about 2,000 workers of several state enterprises' unions would join the rally in the evening and would remain at the rally ground throughout the night.

Here is some food for thought.

If the PAD arms themselves with baseball or golf clubs, sticks and iron bars are they any better than the "thugs" in Ubon Thani? The only answer is NO they are also thugs.

They have closed the road from Makawan Intersection to the Intersection at the Royal Plaza that the Police have asked then no to because of a royal motorcade. Does that make them Royalists? Answer is NO again they are not they just use the guise to attract participants.

lukamar Wrote:If the PAD arms themselves with baseball or golf clubs, sticks and iron bars are they any better than the "thugs" in Ubon Thani? The only answer is NO they are also thugs.

What a "hasty" conclusion: if you arm yourself for defense when attackers are likely to be armed and threatening you, you're a thug??? Just lay down your head and get hurt by undemocratic people who don't respect their fellow citizen's right to peaceful assembly??? It's not about being armed, it's about using arms for attack. You cannot deny a person's right to defend himself even with arms, if the attacker is armed as well. If the police had shown in Udon Thani that they will and can protect the peaceful assembly, this might be another question. It's the PAD's duty to take meassures to protect the people they invite to their assembly, if the police doesn't or can't.

Let's talk a little about this hardly noticed benevolence of the thai government to grant free rides on the 3rd class of public transportation and special busses. Nice move to win people's hearts to get elected again? Or clever move to stay in office? Lots of people from Isaan (Udonthani, Mahasarakham, Buriram, Korat etc.) are using this free transport now to seek their fortune in Bangkok, make more money there by joining the demo (said to be 500 Baht a day) . . . and . . . well maybe you just guessed it! try to get caught by a TV camera and become a star being in the first line of a demonstration yelling and screaming for . . . well guess again! Up to 1,500 Baht a day.

Now what do the peaceful protesters have to fear . . . the violent thugs from . . . transported by the benevolent and impartial government for free to the central place of action.