Boonlert’s Boondoggle

Retired Thai General and extreme royalist fruitcake Boonlert Kaewprasit has goose stepped into the political spotlight and possibly something else.  

General Boonlert Kaewprasit

As the organizer of a pro-military coup movement, he has his fascist crew called Pitak Siam leading a parade of virtually all the ugly Nazi-like groups in Thailand against the democratically elected government.

These groups include the Group of 40 Senators, Dr. Tul’s multi-colored group/Network of Citizen Volunteers Protecting the Land, the Siam Sammakhi nutjobs, Network of Monarchy Protection Volunteers, and even Santi Asoke’s Dhamma Army. I suppose we can call this a “movement” if we associate the word “bowel” with it.

General Boonlert's latest numbskull plan is to try to mobilize at least 1 million people to gather at the Royal Plaza next weekend in an attempt to topple the government by triggering a military coup.  

Why do these idiots bother to organize and participate in mass demonstrations?  After all, they can vote (although they don’t believe in voting), and public opinion surveys convey their views on public issues. A mass demonstration symbolizes something more than popular opinion to governments, to other citizens and to the demonstrators themselves. When citizens assemble, they signal an intensity of commitment, a tangible collective strength that is absent in the voting booth or on the poll-taker’s clipboard and the more “massive” the demonstration, the more intensive the signal.

With apologies to the Military, Democrats, and the Privy Council, the most massive and wackiest of all the fascist groups in Thailand is the People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD). They have “opened the floodgates”… or to be more sensitive to the Thai flood victims last year and more descriptive of the PAD followers, they have “opened the cattle gates.”

The Grand Poobahs of the PAD have cancelled the group’s political activities (hate speeches, terrorism, propaganda, etc…) for the weekend of Nov 24-25 to allow its supporters to join Boonlert’s pro-coup rally planned by the Pitak Siam group.  Maj-Gen Chamlong Srimuang, a PAD core leader and fanatical nut job, announced that PAD leaders will not take part in the Pitak Siam rally, but will give it moral support and that “rank and file supporters could take part at their own discretion, as is their right under the constitution.”

I think the irony is lost on the PAD. Even though their name suggests that they are “for democracy”, they support military coups against a democratically elected government. They’re proud to exercise their constitutional right to protest, albeit to overthrow the same constitution which gives them that right.

Nevertheless, even with the addition of the PAD members, will this be enough paste-eating morons to make Boonlert’s fascist dream come true of rallying a million pro coup supporters? Does Boonlert have a snowball’s chance in Bangkok that there will be 1 million people at the Royal Plaza?

One million people is a “shoot the moon” number by Boonlert and is simply unreasonable.  For one thing, it’s physically impossible to cram that many idiots in an area the size of the Royal plaza. Boonlert is obviously unaware of how much space is required to hold 1 million or even 100,000 demonstrators. 

Firstly, he needs to know the area of the space he plans to have his fascist rally. The Royal Plaza does look like a large area. Of course, there’s the large King Rama V Equestrian Statue which takes up some space (BTW, for those "looky loos" who will attend:  if there is PAD around you should avoid the area near the statue based upon past history). There is also the need for some of the area to be taken up by a stage and a segregated VIP area. Also, some of the area will be taken up by things like medical stations and “PAD think tanks” (in the US, we more commonly refer to them as “porta potties”). 

PAD Think Tanks

I’m going to be generous, though, and state that the Royal Plaza offers an area of about 140,000 square feet for a mob (yes, I looked it up). 

Bangkok's Royal Plaza

Next, he needs to know about crowd density. Near the front of a rally, people may stand shoulder to-shoulder and belly-to-buttocks. One person per 2 square feet is about the density of a packed elevator or sky train car, leaving hardly any space to wriggle through. Packed elevator rides are mercifully brief, but rallies last much longer. People shift their weight, twist and turn, sit and even walk around.

Further away from the stage, 2.5 square feet per person is akin to each person standing on the front page of “The Nation” newspaper. Toward the side and rear edges of a gathering, 5 square feet per person gives each the equivalent of two pages of “The Nation” newspaper, allowing slow passage through the crowd with repeated apologies. On the gathering’s margins, 10 square feet per person allows passage by zigzagging through at a measured pace without touching anyone.

The following table gives values for the “mob” capacity of some familiar spaces.

So even if the mob at the rally were crammed in close together and stood more or less perfectly still, they would at best only hit only 56,000.  And if these fascists think that they can fit one million of their ilk in the Royal Plaza then they must have their head up each other’s asses.

Wait a minute!!! "Heads up each other's asses." Now there’s an idea to fit more fascist yellow shirts into Royal Plaza by "going vertical" and increasing the number of people which can fit in a confined area. 

These Thai generals may be smarter than I give them credit for...  Not!

Queen for a Day

Earlier this week the democratically elected Prime Minister of Thailand, Yingluck Shinawatra, was on an official visit to the United Kingdom where she was given an audience with Queen Elizabeth. 

“It was a great honor to be granted such an audience by the Queen of England,” the PM said. Speaking on behalf of all Thais, she congratulated Queen Elizabeth on her Diamond Jubilee, marking 60 years on the throne.

This must make the former PM, Abhisit Vejjajiva, very jealous.  Abhisit, who was not democratically elected as PM but rather was installed into that office by the Thai military, visited the UK during his term but wasn’t granted a royal audience.  And he’s even a British citizen!

I doubt the Queen grants too many audiences to heads of government who murder their own people protesting wanting elections.

Abhisit must not be feeling too happy nowadays. The International Criminal Court Prosecutor, Fatou Bensouda, was in Bangkok recently talking to the Foreign Minister about the possibility of the ICC looking into the 2010 massacre of innocent civilians by the Abhisit regime.

He was also found recently to have evaded the mandatory Thai military draft and was stripped of his fake rank.

Perhaps, Abhisit could go over to Prem Tinsulanonda’s house where they could dress up and play “meet the Queen”. 

A Fascist Dinosaur Herds Yellow Cattle

The Royal Turf Club of Thailand is a horse racing stadium. But on Sunday, October 27th, there wasn’t an equine event scheduled.  Instead it was more of a bovine event led by a group of fascists calling for yet another coup in Thailand.

Although protests like this are nauseating to me, I do believe in free speech.  I have always felt that even the most repugnant ideas should receive the same freedom of expression as more accepted ones.  And freedom of speech should be less a "free marketplace" of ideas than it is a playground.  And the best way to dispense with unpopular ideas is to let them roam free, so they can have their asses kicked up and down the jungle gym by the cool ideas.

And healthy democracies usually handle these types of protests.  Unfortunately, democracy hasn’t been healthy in Thailand since the last coup six years ago.  That one didn’t work out too well, I’m not sure why these bozos think a new one would.

The rally was organized by the newest fascist group in Thailand called Pitak Siam, or Protecting Siam, led by retired General and fruitcake Boonlert Kaewprasit.

And true to the old saying, “fascists of a feather flock together (and I'd like to tell Boonlert to get the flock out of here).” There were many other anti-democracy groups represented. A New Mandala article stated that several second generation People’s Alliance for Democracy leaders, members of the Group of 40 Senators, General Pathompong Kesornsuk, Dr. Tul, and several groups allied with the Siam Sammakhi network, such as Boworn Yasinthorn, leader of the “Network of Monarchy Protection Volunteers” were in attendance. Santi Asoke’s Dhamma Army even organized the food (vegetarian pa thang ko shaped like swastikas).

And guess who also attended? None other than Prasong Soonsiri, organizer of the last coup.

He seems to pop up at all kinds of fascist events.  If we go back a few years, we can see him with Sondhi Limthongkul in 2009 when they launched their so-called political party.

Who knows what other fascist events we may find Prasong at if we looked hard enough?

Oh dear.  Let’s go way, way, way, back and see if we find him.

Just as I suspected! One dinosaur unfortunately survived extinction – Tyrannosaurus Sux.

Mythical Men in Black

On September 17th 2012 the TRCT (Truth for Reconciliation Commission of Thailand) released their final report about the 2010 pro-democracy protests in Bangkok which resulted in the military crackdown and the deaths of 92 people, mostly unarmed civilians.

The TRCT was implemented on July 17th 2010 by the illegitimate government of then Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, who also ordered the military to kill the protesters.  Thus, the impartiality of the Commission immediately comes into question.  The members of the group were selected by Dr. Kanit Na Nakorn, the chairman of the Commission, who was asked by the government to form the TRCT.

Also, former Attorney General Dr. Kanit Na Nakorn’s ties to the Democrats are far too obvious to serve as an “independent” investigator into Abhisit’s and Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban’s role in the massacre.  

In the early 1990s, there was a land scandal in Phuket known as  Sor Por Kor 4-01. Basically, a land reform program by the Democrats (administered by the Deputy Agricultural Minister Suthep Thaugsuban) was turned into free giveaway to rich Democrat party members.  Kanit's brother-in-law was one of the party faithful who allegedly received the land illegally. But Kanit made the “controversial” decision, over some strenuous objections from ex-judges and legal scholars, that there was not enough evidence of criminal intent to prosecute rich families for taking land meant for poor people.

A similar result occurred when the military junta from the 2006 coup picked Kanit to investigate who in authority could be held responsible for the killings in the infamous drug war.  Kanit concluded that there was not enough evidence to prosecute anyone.

So if there was a list of who could effectively whitewash the Democrats and the military then Kanit was at the top of it.  He certainly had the tools and the talent and the credentials.

 

This time, however, there was plenty of evidence in the 2010 massacre so Kanit and the TRCT had to manufacture a scapegoat.  Enter the mythical “Men in Black.” Not a group of lost Johnny Cash impersonators but according to Kanit and the TRCT, armed militants in the red shirt camp.

Of course, Kanit and the TRCT could present no evidence that they actually existed because they didn’t exist.  But that didn’t stop the imaginative speculation by Kanit and the TRCT. 

I just wonder where Kanit could have gotten this bizarre, lunatic inspired notion of armed men in black. 

Never mind, all becomes clear.

Just one more thing… How can anyone believe a fact finding commission headed by someone who resembles the nearsighted Mr. Magoo?

What Men in Black?

The Final Report by the Truth in Reconciliation Commission of Thailand (TRCT) offers neither truth nor reconciliation.

There is no substantive proof given that there were any armed militants or “men in black” among the red shirt democracy protesters. Yet, the report goes out of its way to turn blame away from the military and government authorities to these mysterious figures.

To the TRCT and others, even the possible existence of “men in black” legitimizes the mass killing of innocent and peaceful protesters by the Thai military which, incidentally, has a very long and well documented record of slaughtering unarmed civilians.  

The TRCT report stated that the army used a whopping 117,923 bullets in their 2010 massacre.  And make no mistake about it, it was THEIR massacre.  They caused it starting back in 2006 when they decided that the people’s choice of government wasn’t acceptable to them.  

But evidently none of these 117,923 bullets struck any men in black.  Not one.  However, nurses, reporters, and children weren’t so lucky.  Over 80 unarmed civilians were killed and thousands wounded.  

And for what reason?  To sustain the position of an unelected, unpopular and undemocratic government for a few more months.