Tuesday, January 21, 2014

Thailand: Regime Cites Own Terror Campaign as Pretext for "Emergency Decree"

After weeks of terrorism aimed at protesters, the regime of Thaksin Shinawatra has declared the protests as "violent" in another stunning indictment of its illegitimacy to lead the country.  


Image: What remains of a grenade thrown into an "Occupy
Bangkok" march on Friday, killing 1 and maiming 39. The
regime is now instituting an "emergency decree" claiming
that protesters, not the regime's own terrorists carrying
out the attacks, are violent, and must be dealt with. 
January 21, 2014 (ATN) - The anti-regime "Occupy Bangkok" campaign is now moving through its second week, occupying 7 permanent encampments across the capital of Thailand, augmented by daily marches and blockades of government buildings. After sporadic drive-by attacks on protesters, leaving many injured and even dead, the violence escalated last Friday when a grenade was thrown into a peaceful march - only 30 meters from protest leader Suthep Thuangsuban. One was killed, and nearly 40 others maimed. The attacks have continued, with nightly shootings, and another daytime double grenade attack on Sunday

Just the day before the first deadly grenade attack, TIME Magazine would report in its article, "Bangkok Shutdown: Yingluck Supporters Prepare to Fight for Democracy," that: 
As Thailand’s anti-government protests enter their fourth day, observers say prospects for violent confrontation are increasing, with reports of government supporters stockpiling weapons in case of Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra’s ouster. 
According to the Bangkok Post, radical members of the Red Shirts — diehard champions of Yingluck and her notorious brother Thaksin Shinawatra — are readying a cache of arms in case the 46-year-old premier is forced from office by either military or judicial intervention. 
The paper quoted a Red Shirt source as saying “There are strong anti-coup and anti-court sentiments among the red-shirt mavericks who are familiar and experienced with weapon use.”
Police loyal to the regime have also made overt threats, claiming they were preparing an armed campaign against protesters if elections were delayed in a systematic pattern of violence that have become the notorious hallmarks of Thaksin Shianwatra's regime - leaving no doubt as to who is behind recent attacks. 

Astonishingly, after conducting a concerted campaign of terror against Occupy Bangkok protesters, the regime is now issuing an "emergency decree" prohibiting gatherings and inviting in draconian tactics to deal with those who defy the decree. Thailand's English paper The Nation would report in their article, "
State of emergency announced," that:
The caretaker Cabinet announced the state of emergency for Bangkok and some parts of nearby provinces, which will last 60 days. 
The state of emergency was announced on TV by caretaker Deputy Prime Minister Chalerm Yoobamrung. It will take effect on Wednesday. 
Chalerm said the government had to invoke the emergency decree to announce the state of emergency because the protests by the People's Democratic Reform Committee had turned violent. 
He said the demonstrations were not peaceful as PDRC leaders said.
The regime is essentially using its own pre-announced terror campaign as a pretext to institute the decree, while shamelessly accusing the protesters of being "violent," despite all attacks having been targeted at the protesters themselves. It is a stunning indictment of both the danger and illegitimacy of unelected dictator Thaksin Shianwatra and his nepotist proxy regime. 

While the West continues providing rhetorical cover for the regime across its global-spanning media machine, it will likely expand both acts of covert terrorism and overt violence carried out by police to overrun protesters and cling on to power.