May 6, 2014 (Tony Cartalucci - ATN) - Veteran journalist and war correspondent Michael Yon has exposed a particularly unpleasant aspect of the current Shinawatra regime - one of its most disfigured propaganda appendages - former Reuters journalist and paid-pen Andrew M. Marshall.
While some question Yon's decision to divert his attention away from his popular coverage of Thailand's ongoing political crisis, Yon points out that many Western media networks regularly defer to Marshall for his "expert analysis." This includes the BBC, CNN, and others, who regularly shape (misshape) the perception of those who otherwise know little or nothing regarding Thailand.
While the Western media finds unprincipled liars like Andrew Marshall ideal "sources" to peddle their agenda, they cannot afford well-intentioned readers discovering their true nature. The Western media perpetuates its grip on any given narrative by posing upon the moral high-ground. This cannot be done when sources regularly mock people and habitually demonstrate a contempt for both decency and the truth.
Others have criticized Yon's recent piece as "ad hominem," claiming that while Marshall is surely despicable as a human being, his "critical analysis" of Thailand's political crisis should not be overlooked. However this "critical analysis" too has been exposed as paid, politically-motivated propaganda.
Regarding 2010 violence between Thaksin Shinawatra's "red shirts" and the government then led by Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, Marshall and Thaksin Shinawatra's paid-lobbyist Robert Amsterdam of Amsterdam & Partners, claim that victims of gunshots caused by 5.56mm rounds were the exclusive work of the Thai Army. This is because, they claim, only the Thai Army employed M16s and Tavors that chambered the 5.56mm rounds.
In particular, the death of Reuters cameraman Hiro Muramoto on April 10, 2010, the first night of deadly violence, was leveraged by Amsterdam and Marshall who went on at length implicating the Thai Army. The same "logic" was applied to Italian journalist Fabio Polenghi who was likewise allegedly killed by a 5.56mm round.
However, from the first night of violence on April 10, 2010, and until the unrest's end later in May, photographs, videos, eyewitness accounts and even admissions from Thaksin Shinawatra's "red shirts" themselves expose that not only were they heavily armed and engaged in firefights with the Thai Army, but were also employing M16 rifles chambering 5.56mm rounds - the same that killed both Hiro Muramoto and Fabio Polenghi.
Yon's must-read piece titled, "Andrew MacGregor Marshall, Former Journalist," reveals Marshall as an immature, vile, attention-seeking narcissist who regularly manufactures controversy and intentionally seeks confrontation to promote what is otherwise unreadable, speculative, or wholly inaccurate and dishonest twaddle passed off as "journalism" or "academia."
Yon cites Marshall's habitual defamation and mockery directed at the elderly, handicapped, and any and all who pose even the most mild opposing views to his stated narrative. In one notorious instance, Marshall mocks a double amputee, referring to him as "the invisible hands," a play on the Thai political nomenclature for various hidden players behind Thailand's political crisis. Marshall defends his insult by baselessly claiming the man is a "terrorist."
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| Image: Thaksin Shinawatra's militants can be seen here clearly deploying both AK-47s and an M16 with an M203 grenade launcher attached below the hand guards. Clearly, those killed and wounded by the M16's 5.56mm rounds weren't solely the victims of military gunfire. More images and video can be found here. |
While some question Yon's decision to divert his attention away from his popular coverage of Thailand's ongoing political crisis, Yon points out that many Western media networks regularly defer to Marshall for his "expert analysis." This includes the BBC, CNN, and others, who regularly shape (misshape) the perception of those who otherwise know little or nothing regarding Thailand.
While the Western media finds unprincipled liars like Andrew Marshall ideal "sources" to peddle their agenda, they cannot afford well-intentioned readers discovering their true nature. The Western media perpetuates its grip on any given narrative by posing upon the moral high-ground. This cannot be done when sources regularly mock people and habitually demonstrate a contempt for both decency and the truth.
Others have criticized Yon's recent piece as "ad hominem," claiming that while Marshall is surely despicable as a human being, his "critical analysis" of Thailand's political crisis should not be overlooked. However this "critical analysis" too has been exposed as paid, politically-motivated propaganda.
Regarding 2010 violence between Thaksin Shinawatra's "red shirts" and the government then led by Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, Marshall and Thaksin Shinawatra's paid-lobbyist Robert Amsterdam of Amsterdam & Partners, claim that victims of gunshots caused by 5.56mm rounds were the exclusive work of the Thai Army. This is because, they claim, only the Thai Army employed M16s and Tavors that chambered the 5.56mm rounds.
In particular, the death of Reuters cameraman Hiro Muramoto on April 10, 2010, the first night of deadly violence, was leveraged by Amsterdam and Marshall who went on at length implicating the Thai Army. The same "logic" was applied to Italian journalist Fabio Polenghi who was likewise allegedly killed by a 5.56mm round.
However, from the first night of violence on April 10, 2010, and until the unrest's end later in May, photographs, videos, eyewitness accounts and even admissions from Thaksin Shinawatra's "red shirts" themselves expose that not only were they heavily armed and engaged in firefights with the Thai Army, but were also employing M16 rifles chambering 5.56mm rounds - the same that killed both Hiro Muramoto and Fabio Polenghi.
Chief among the official accounts of the 2010 violence is Human Rights Watch (HRW)'s report (p.62) "Decent into Chaos" which claimed (emphasis added):
The rest of his "work," includes speculative twaddle about Thailand's royal family, of which there is absolutely no way of verifying, and is instead simply propaganda designed to undermine Thailand's institutions while covering for and fueling the agenda of Thailand's enemies. It isn't just Marshall that Yon is exposing, but the character, methods, and motivations that constitute those currently supporting the Shinawatra regime - an important, however unsavory, aspect of the current political crisis unfolding in Thailand.
"As the army attempted to move on the camp, they were confronted by well-armed men who fired M16 and AK-47 assault rifles at them, particularly at the Khok Wua intersection on Rajdamnoen Road. They also fired grenades from M79s and threw M67 hand grenades at the soldiers. News footage and videos taken by protesters and tourists show several soldiers lying unconscious and bleeding on the ground, as well as armed men operating with a high degree of coordination and military skills."Marshall intentionally sidestepped this evidence to peddle a politically-motivated narrative that suited his agenda, and that of his employers, exposing not only his character as despicable, but his "profession" as despicable as well.
The rest of his "work," includes speculative twaddle about Thailand's royal family, of which there is absolutely no way of verifying, and is instead simply propaganda designed to undermine Thailand's institutions while covering for and fueling the agenda of Thailand's enemies. It isn't just Marshall that Yon is exposing, but the character, methods, and motivations that constitute those currently supporting the Shinawatra regime - an important, however unsavory, aspect of the current political crisis unfolding in Thailand.
Also worth mentioning, is the fact that Marshall is currently based in Cambodia, despite being a citizen of the UK. His daily work exclusively focuses on defaming Thailand's head of state and attacking the political enemies of Thaksin Shinawatra. It should be noted that Cambodia is used as a base of operations for Thaksin Shinawatra's political machine, including many who have fled from Thailand, evading charges related to violence, murder, terrorism, treason, and sedition. While Marshall claims to be a champion of "democracy," he is based in a nation that has none, ruled by dictator-for-life Hun Sen, who has recently and quite violently suppressed anti-government demonstrations just months ago.
Marshall turning a blind eye to this abuse by the regime currently hosting him, is both tacit complicity and an indictment for what he and others supporting Thaksin Shinawatra's bid to retake power in Thailand truly stand for.
Marshall turning a blind eye to this abuse by the regime currently hosting him, is both tacit complicity and an indictment for what he and others supporting Thaksin Shinawatra's bid to retake power in Thailand truly stand for.
