BANGKOK BURNING: FROM MY CONDO 2
UPDATE: 5.55PM
The smoke has gotten worse and I now understand the source is likely to be in the vicinity of the Ministry of Education on Rajadamroen Avenue where five buses have been set fire. The mean the smoke from these fires is at least six miles from my condo - maybe more.
1 comments:
I was in Bangkok and upcountry during the uprising and subsequent crackdown in May of 1992. What I found interesting was the incredible amount of misinformation bandied about in the media. On the first day of the military response, a Red Cross official who was supposedly an eyewitness told the BBC of "thousands dead". What he was seeing was the streets littered with bodies, which were in fact uninjured protesters being held by the military. The result was years of hand-wringing about the "missing" thousnads. Independent groups seeking an answer later determined that the "missing" numbered in the tens, and most of those were simply people who didn't want to be found. The official death toll was 52.
Listening to the BBC this morning, I listened first to Thaksin, then Abhisit. What was interesting was the line of questioning became harsh when Thaksin claimed that Abhisit was not elected. Not towards Thaksin: The BBC reporter was harshly questioning Abhisit, asking him about this charge of him not being elected. Abhisits' voice rose as he countered, "I am elected! I am an MP!"
In a parliamentary system, any MP can become Prime Minister with a majority vote of their fellow MP's. It's how Thaksin become Prime Minister, it's how Abhisit became Prime Minister.
I think the primary issue here is that many Thai's don't understand their own system of government, and so are easily misled by mouthpieces. On the other hand, many of those in higher society are limited in their ability to accept criticism, warranted or not.
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