I'm in full agreement with those who believe General Anupong [Paochinda]should be dismissed as Army chief. In a more mature democracy, he would have been relieved of his command and probably charged with treason.
He has shown repeated inability or unwillingness to enforce government decrees meant to contain red shirts, allowing armed mobs to brazenly and repeatedly challenge basic laws of civilised society and become a magnet for terrorists and violent criminals for hire.
He has endangered the lives of millions of citizens of Bangkok, who essentially have become hostages to violent thugs who will stop at nothing to destroy this government and the very democracy of Thailand.
As if that's not bad enough, Anupong has stabbed the government in the back by siding with red-shirt demands for early House dissolution, interfering in politics on the side of a violent mob to save his own neck while refusing to properly support the government he is supposed to serve, [and] hypocritically alleging that the Army should not be involved in politics.
Anupong claims he doesn't want to see Thais fighting Thais - a funny claim if you place it next to footage of red shirts attacking unarmed soldiers and following the wounded into hospital wards to continue their vicious assaults. I wonder how the Army chief's words resonate with soldiers who put their lives on the line for this country and suffer the consequences.
It seems that according to Anupong, Thais should not fight Thais - unless they're red shirts: then they can attack whatever and whoever they want, at will.
For all this, Anupong is a traitor to his people and country, an enemy of freedom, democracy and the rule of law. He needs to go. Now.
Bangkokdave
BANGKOK
Democrats have to face the music
Although I am a Democrat supporter, I like to call a spade a spade. Whenever I read of the Bt258-million donation from TPI Polene, which was not reported by the party as required by law, and the spending of Bt29 million on "advertising" via a hardly known advertising company, I smell a rat. Don't blame the Election Commission chief for one's own doing. My question to the chief is: Why did it take you so long to pass on the recommendation to the public prosecutor?
To accuse the EC chief of malfeasance is somewhat odd when out of due care he took the votes of all the EC members as the basis for his decision, even though he personally believes the Democrat Party is innocent. His recommendation was based on personal judgement but helped by other members of the EC's board. It is only the party's mentor who has come out with arguments that the donation was made to two executives who should be the culprits, not all the executive members and its entity, the Democrat Party.
Songdej Praditsmanont
Bangkok
Citizens help oppose the red blockade
The Abhisit government is at its wit's end over how to deal effectively with the red-shirt protesters who are illegally occupying Rajprasong intersection - each day breaking one law after another.
If you carefully study a map of Bangkok, Rajprasong is situated in the exact centre of the city. It is like the heart of a living body. If the heart fails, every other part fails too. And the body dies.
The red-shirt leaders know full well that, once they are attacked by government forces, all they have to do is tell the mobs to break into the malls in the area and loot and burn everything inside.
PM Abhisit should call on all Bangkokians to help him deal with the situation. There is no better way than to ask society to help.
All he has to do is remind us: don't ask what the country can do for you; ask what you can do for the country.
Chavalit Van
Chiang Mai
Like lambs to the slaughter
The red shirts' relationship with their idol Thaksin Shinawatra is easily summed up in an old German saying, Nur die allerduemmsten kaelber waehlen ihren metzger selber - for which I found an English rhyme going like this: Only the most stupid of calves votes for their butcher to cut them in halves.
Womble
Bangkok
Demo burns away monastic discipline
Amazing that no one wrote about the participation of Buddhist monks in the red-shirt demonstrations.
As is clear, the red shirts are far from being peaceful, and one wonders about the participation of monks in these violent demonstrations. Is this according to the tenets of the Buddha?
I even saw a picture in the Thai press of five monks sitting together with a small fire in front of them, praying for the demise of Abhisit. Are the red shirts not considered as Buddhists?
Buddhism in Thailand is losing terrain daily; no wonder if monks are allowed to behave like this. Only the immediate defrocking of these monks can save the face of Buddhism.
Egon
Bangkok
