Massive protests against the Shinawatra government (Thai) have spread to all sectors. Pic heavy

[grantcart]

Medical professionals and public health personnel take part in a march Monday from Pathumwan to Asoke intersections, supporting the call for reform before an election. They were joined by Suthep Thaugsuban, secretary-general of the anti-government People's Democratic Reform Committee.

Farmers from the Central Region

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/specials/nationphoto/show-new.php?pageid=0&id=&pid=16771





FOR THE FIRST TIME in a week-long rally demanding immediate payment for rice sold under the government pledging scheme, farmers in Phichit yesterday joined supporters of the People's Democratic Reform Committee (PDRC) to block the provincial city hall and prevent civil servants from performing their duties.

Farmers from Phichit and nearby provinces blockaded Bung Narang district office on Sunday evening, while those blocking a key junction in the district agreed to make way for traffic and moved to join protesters at the district office.

The farmers and members of the PDRC padlocked the city hall and were continuing a blockade as of press time last night.

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/696674-farmers-plan-protests-against-the-government-for-rice-payments/

Farmers from Thaksin's home region join the protests



Farmer leader Kittisak Ratanawaraha, president of the Network for Northern Farmers, said now farmers from Phichit, Nakhon Sawan, Sukhothai, Kamphaengpet and Phitsanulok are prepared for the next move to block the highway after they did not receive money from the bank as they were earlier promised.

He said instead of calling for money, now farmers will press for the ouster of the caretaker government.

He said farmers will block the Asian Highway from Phitsanulok to Nakhon Sawan at Yaek Po-ngam intersectin in Bung Narang district on Friday.

Some farmers from Phichit were paid but many were not after they were told that the bank has been allocated merely180 million baht.

Meanwhile farmers in some northeastern provinces were also paid for their rice today.

A total of 40,000 farmers in Maha Sarakham province in the Northeast sold rice to the government under the rice-pledging scheme. Now 10,000 of them were paid but the rest were not paid yet.

(Details on the failure of the Rice buy back scheme - and the missing hundreds of billions here:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/111646869

Farmers from the North East - where the Red Shirts have their deepest support - show declining support for Shinawatra



Ban Thung Yai farmer Saeng Srisomrod, 65, is now one of those now questioning their loyalty to Pheu Thai after the amnesty bill fiasco. He said red shirts were still fighting for justice over the 2010 crackdown under the Democrat-led government. ''If you [the current government] don't respect us, we have no reason to be faithful to you.''What will happen if Pheu Thai becomes really powerful one day and you have the right to kill anyone and get away with it? That's what we think is going to happen if the government passes the amnesty bill. That is why we lost our faith in Pheu Thai for a while.''

http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/politics/390310/support-bleeds-away-from-the-heartland.

Pictures from the Seven different Occupation Squares established in Bangkok. It is estimated that 1 in 4 residents in Bangkok have physically participated in protesting at one of the protest sites. From various locations in Bangkok











This is the location where this man threw a grenade that injured 3 dozen protestors

This is the video showing him throwing the grenade;

Thai anti-government protesters hold a candle vigil for the protester killed during yesterday’s bomb blast on the sixth day of the ‘Bangkok Shutdown’ on January 18, 2014 in Bangkok, Thailand. An explosive device went off during an anti-government protest march, wounding dozens and killing one. Explosions and gunshot incidents have been happening as the protesters have stepped up their activity with daily marches in the on-going attempt to oust the government of Thai PM Yingluck Shinawatra. (Image source: Getty Images/Paula Bronstein)

[grantcart]

1. morning kick

[cinnabonbon]

2. This fills me with hope.

I just hope that they'll be safe. Protesting is dangerous.

[grantcart]

3. Ironically the tape of the person throwing the grenade has probably

saved a couple hundred lives.

Those that were considering taking such orders are reconsidering their fate.


Thai police are doing a very good job actually. They found and arrested this hit team that was equipped with silencers on their way to a demonstration site:

http://www.bangkokpost.com/breakingnews/389876/navy-officers-mingling-with-protesters-while-following-drug-suspects

One of the ironies is that their 'cover' story is that they were investigating importation of drugs from the border (at the protest site and had IDs for student members of the protest committee with them) while the government has already taken credit for the eradication of drug abuse in the kingdom

A police officer shows a pistol equipped with a silencer seized during the arrest of three naval special warfare officers on Thursday.

The men were detained at a road checkpoint in Bangkok after police found three pistols, ammunition, a bullet proof vest and other items in their vehicle, which also had false number plates. Official navy SEALs plates were found inside the vehicle, reports said.

mrs grantcart and other relatives attend several protest sites daily.

[ChisolmTrailDem]

4. Those are a brave and noble people. Americans? Meh, not so much. nt

[Egalitarian Thug]

5. K&R #5. Gunfire and even a grenade, but no military crackdown.

No government enforcers attacking citizens, no city-wide lockdowns (you know like they do in prisons and American cities)...

Imagine that...

[FarCenter]

6. Not sure about Thai politics, but isn't it the more right forces doing the protesting?

I thought that the leftists were in government?

The ones who staged a coup against the Prime Minister's brother's previous government were certainly right wing.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/People%27s_Alliance_for_Democracy

The People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) (Thai: พันธมิตรประชาชนเพื่อประชาธิปไตย also called the National Liberation Alliance - กลุ่มพันธมิตรกู้ชาติ, Thai Patriots Network or the Yellow Shirts - เสื้อเหลือง - was originally a coalition of protesters against Thaksin Shinawatra, the former Prime Minister of Thailand.[1] Its leaders include media-mogul Sondhi Limthongkul and Major General Chamlong Srimuang. The PAD was a chief player in the Thailand political crisis of 2005 to 2006, the 2008 crisis, and the Cambodian–Thai border stand-off. The PAD consists of mainly of royalist upper and middle-class Bangkokians and Southerners, supported by some factions of the Thai Army, some leaders of Democrat Party, and members of state-enterprise labor unions.[2][3]