Some Culprits Do Not Wear Red Shirts

I was looking at some of jottings of mine in the recent past and I came across this from just over a year ago :

I’m leaving for Thailand tomorrow just in time for the Asean Summit as is my Prime Minister Kevin Rudd. The only difference is that I’m coming in an observer capacity while Mr. Rudd is a participant.

I’ve been witnessing the turmoil from afar but as things are coming to a head I want to see historic events unfold while embedded with the coloured shirts.

I’ve got a bit of a dilemma in so far as what colour shirt to wear…Red is a shirt I’m not happy with as it brings me back unhappy memories and Yellow has connotations which suggest cowardice.

Of course I’m not a coward, if I was I would not be going there. What with those “clappers” armed demonstrators only the brave would risk getting within slapshot of them.

I hear as from tomorrow they’ll be armed with high velocity water guns just to scare the hell out of anyone on a motorcycle. Needless to say I’ll be abstaining from those two wheelers and seeing that the taxi drivers are busy blockading major roads, I only hope the sky train isn’t too crowded or noisy.

Apparently Mr. Thaksin is spending around baht 50 million to keep stirring the pot and seeing how many billions he’s wanting back which are frozen, it’s chickenfeed.

My guess is that in typical Thai style the red shirted idealists will take a break to go home and chuck water with gay abandon with the extra money in their pockets burning a hole only to be satisfied by some Thai whisky burning a hole in their guts.

Come next Tuesday most of them will have such a hangover that only a few stragglers will make it to the ramparts.

Next week will be so bloody hot and the population of Bangers will be so fed up by then that any more shenanigans by people in any coloured shirts will be justifiably arrested or worse. Not before time IMO. If the claret starts flowing the only shirt colours worn will be either black or white. Ah and orange too, monks are always ever present at cremations.

Hmm… I said “justifiably arrested”, didn’t I? If only! Had the police done that maybe we wouldn’t be having so many funerals now! There are many people who are justifiably responsible for this mayhem but the
police is right up there on top of the list. As of now there are demonstrations in Greece and it’s the police that are handling it and not the Army!

How did the reds manage to set up their camps in Rajsprasong and move in their infrastructure? How did they manage to transport thousands of tyres without the police noticing? How did they obtain and erect their wires and barriers and bamboos and stock
of fuel without the police turning a blind eye? While the Government is arresting the red shirt militants who’s arresting the police?

Ah I see, it’s the police who are arresting the reds while they themselves have some sort of immunity?

If this government is serious about law and order they should put the broom through their so called “law enforcement”.

We all know that the police are a corrupt entity, you only have to drive a car in Bangkok and it’s pretty obvious. One can overlook this “small” inconvenience and treat it like a road tax and life goes on. But life didn’t go
on for those who died in this mayhem and the police have a lot to answer for! There’s no way that a Government can function without proper law enforcement. You can’t lock down a city / country with curfews back and forth and have
thousands of Army doing what the police should be. You may as well have military rule then. In perpetuity.

The police should be reorganised and given decent salaries (they even buy their own guns) and corrupt policemen should be investigated and charged. Even if it’s a majority of them, we’re talking about culture/ethics change. The citizens
of Thailand must be made safe and have an impartial police force they can trust. What we have now is a police Mafia. Criminals in uniform. Not unique in the world mind you, some South American countries are faced with similar problems.

This episode and chaos after the army brings it to a close should give the PM an excuse to reform the police force. Does he have the guts to do the right thing or is he going to be just arresting reds and let the rest get away with it?

If he does not it’ll be just more of the same the next time any coloured shirts rise up again.