The situation in Bangkok seems to be pretty nasty, with the Red Shirts etc. There is light at the end of the tunnel though, most protesters have surrendered after the Army stormed their camps with APCs. So whose side are you on? Red Shirts or Government? (P.s, are the red shirts the poor fighting for power over the rich, or the rich wanting to go back to when they were rulers oover the poor? I get conflicting answers. :/)

In the previous round of troubles the Yellow Shirts protested against the government of Thaksin Shinawata and he was eventually ousted from government and accused of corruption. The Red Shirts support Thaksin Shinawata and accuse the current government of corruption. I don't think either government are poor (Thaksin was rich enough to buy Manchester United - before his assets were frozen). Don't know about their supporters but doubt many of them on either side are well off.

This might help clear away the confusion over the righteousness of either side: Debating the Crisis in Thailand: Is Red Shirt Movement a Genuine Grassroots Struggle, or Front for Ousted Ex-PM, Billionaire Tycoon?

Quote:
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AMY GOODMAN: Giles Ji Ungpakorn, can you describe what is happening right now in Bangkok and what the Red Shirts want?

GILES JI UNGPAKORN: By the way, my name is Ji.

Well, what the Red Shirts want is democracy, because the present government was installed by the military, and it’s actually the fruit of a military coup in 2006 and various judicial coups. So, demanding fresh elections, demanding proper democratic elections is perfectly legitimate. And even though they have been occupying the center of Bangkok for two months, it’s only a shopping center and a site for luxury hotels, yet the government has deployed snipers and assassination squads. And since the beginning of April, they’ve actually been responsible for sixty-seven deaths and thousands of injuries. And really, the time has come for the government to order an immediate ceasefire and for them to enter into genuine talks with the Red Shirts.

AMY GOODMAN: And what about the latest developments, Ji, the offer of the Red Shirts to participate and the government saying no?

GILES JI UNGPAKORN: Well, the Red Shirts have made repeated offers to negotiate with the government, and the government really wants to shoot its way to a victory and to stay in power through the use of force.

You also have to realize that this government has brought about the worst censorship ever in Thailand. It censors all the internet, the media, in all shape and form. They even attack Facebook and everything else.

So the two things that they’re using to stay in power are censorship and brutal force. And they’re not prepared to actually offer the chance of the people to actually make a decision about who should run the country and in what way.

AMY GOODMAN: Philip Cunningham, I had said you’re in Japan; you’re now in Ithaca, New York. But can you give your observations on what’s happening in Thailand right now?

PHILIP CUNNINGHAM: Yes. You know, as a poet Gil Scott-Heron said, he famously said that "the revolution will not be televised." And it’s being televised, but it’s not a revolution. What we see in Thailand, I think, is a sham revolution, and I think it’s something stirred up primarily by the billionaire tycoon in exile, who you mentioned. There are real grievances. There are real poor people. There are fault lines, and in sensitive areas in Thailand, which are very easy to provoke. It would sort of be like Rockefeller funding riots in the ghettos, if he had somehow been arrested and sent into exile or something like that. I mean, it’s a really strange situation. It’s a hugely tragic situation. The people are dying. They’re dying for a billionaire tycoon in exile. It doesn’t make sense.

Does Thailand need democracy, the kind of socialism that Ji has been working for? Yes, I think that would be fine. But it has to be peaceful, and the Red Shirts are not peaceful.
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Am I the only one who thinks of Star Trek whenever anyone mentions the "Red Shirts"?

Who does the king side with?

Dear All,

I'm Thai citizen leaving int Silom, Bangkok. (close to the protest settlement)

I could confirm that Red Shirts isn't the poor fighting. They have ammunition you might notice it from picture from the news. Do they fight for Democratic? I don't think so. If yes, They fight shouldn't relate to Taksin. And local people know that many of them (not all) fight for money. They receive daily paid.
At the end result, The leader was arrested. So what? Red shirt start burning the city ( 31 building burned), most of them are banks and departments store. They broke the glass and stole valuable stuff from them too. You might check the news.

Both Red and Yellow shirt have business evolve for the protest. Is it possible that 1000 or more people don't need to work for like 100 days? having stage to speech food and water supply. They have some profitable organization to support.

In Thailand, we have the problem of "Enforcement of law", example.
Yellow shirt protest by closing airport for a month, and the leader don't even punish yet. The judge declare that Taksin's wife avoiding TAX for sale stock, and need to imprison since last year, up to now she still traveling around.
So this will result of a lot of corruption, selling stuff to government with out corruption is impossible, you might not be able to sign any single contract here. That why business want to evolve in protest.

About Taksin, you might read his biography and consider how he become rich.

Best Regards,
Neon