Hiding behind "freedom" and "democracy," US State Department-funded traitors, lobbyists, and frauds posing as "academics" and "journalists" sign letter of support for continued sedition in Thailand.
March 5, 2015 (Tony Cartalucci - ATN) - Thai PBS reported in a Thai article recently about a statement allegedly signed by "Scholars, Writers and Thinkers." The statement disingenuously claims that Somsak Jeamteerasakul, a lecturer of history at Thailand's Thammasat University, was unfairly dismissed. The statement fails to mention that Jeamteerasakul and others, including the US State Department-funded "Nitirat" group, have abused their academic privileges and have used the university's facilities and resources to conduct political activity on behalf of deposed dictator, mass murderer Thaksin Shinawatra and his corporate lobbyist, Robert Amsterdam of Amsterdam & Partners.
The statement claims:
It never mentions Nitirat's activities, using university facilities as a venue, including the busing in of Thaksin Shinawatra's violent street mobs known as the "red shirts" to fill an auditorium to make Nitirat's seditious activities appear "well attended." The events included at least on one occasion, Thaksin Shinawatra's lobbyist, Robert Amsterdam, who was reserved a front row seat.
Far from "freedom of expression," what these "scholars, writers, and thinkers" are instead promoting is the continued division and destruction of Thai society, driven by foreign interests for the sole aim of overthrowing Thailand's national institutions and replacing them with NGOs, political fronts, and opposition groups beholden to these same interests. Their claims regarding "freedom" and "democracy" are merely the smokescreen they are conducting this campaign of sedition behind.
In reality, these are in no way "scholars, writers, and thinkers," but rather lobbyists, frauds, and paid agents of sedition. There are also a number of unwitting signatories - as this letter was passed through an immense academic e-mail group with the majority simply signing it because it looked and sounded good.
One of these unwitting signatories is clearly Noam Chomsky, who has written entire books about US and Wall Street-driven regime change through organizations like the National Endowment for Democracy (NED), USAID, and private organizations like Open Society. Clearly he doesn't believe a statement serving as a smokescreen for this very campaign of foreign-backed sedition is a cause worthy of support - and simply signed it because he trusted the channel through which it landed in his inbox.
Among those who signed this recent statement with willful knowledge of its content, include Pinkaew Laungaramsri, admittedly a Thai "academic" funded extensively year-to-year by the US State Department via USAID and by convicted financial criminal George Soros' Open Society Foundation. Laungaramsri would call on her foreign sponsors for assistance in the wake of the coup in 2014, fearing her years of sedition had finally caught up with her. Unlike under the regime of Thaksin Shianwatra, whom she and the other signers of this letter seek to return to power, the incoming military-led government did not kill her, and despite her complaints that her "freedom of expression" has been curtailed, she is still clearly complaining openly and shamelessly to this very day.
Others include disgraced bigot, racist, and pervert Andrew Marshall, dismissed from Reuters in 2011 for mocking female victims of the horrific Fukushima disaster in Japan. He would write a lengthy and shockingly shameless defense for himself and his colleague, both of whom were caught in a Reuters chat room joking about "pubic hair" falling from irradiated "jap girls." In addition to his misogynist racism, Marshall would later be caught mocking a double amputee and an elderly woman amid his prolific, daily and vitriolic micro-blogs on Twitter.
Marshall's signature alone on this letter, discredits not only its contents, but draws in all other signatories to share responsibility for his shameless, unacceptable behavior, they apparently condone.
There is also Australia National University's Andrew Walker and Nicholas Farrelly, who maintain the gossip ridden, propaganda clearinghouse, "New Mandala" blog, which has routinely featured the work of both the above mentioned, disgraced Andrew Marshall, and literally, Thaksin Shinawatra's paid lobbyist, Robert Amsterdam himself.
Saowanee T. Alexander is also a signatory, as well as a contributor to the US State Department funded propaganda outlet, "Prachatai," which has consistently deceived readers regarding its foreign funding for years, and has only once, under tremendous pressure, admitted that it has received millions of baht a year from NED, USAID, Open Society, and other foreign NGOs to carry out its work attacking Thailand's independent institutions and promoting the political machine of Thaksin Shinawatra.
Also a signatory and frequently contributor to the deceptive, opaque US-funded propaganda operation, Prachatai, is Thongchai Winichakul. Winichakul's resume is perhaps a good example of the sort of people signing to letters such as this. A lifetime of non-achievement, simply writing books no one reads and giving talks no one really pays attention to - simply adding to the constant din found inside the West's echo chamber of lies and deception aimed at creating the illusion of "democracy" and "freedom" behind which they hide their agenda of corporate-financier hegemony.
Backing Terrorism, Mass Murder, and Dictatorship in the Name of "Democracy"
Indeed, we see how the veil of "academia" is draped over the malicious, compromised agenda of special interests. We also see the sort of vile, dishonest, anti-social personalities that attempt to hide amongst the ranks of international "academia," writing and talking for the sole purpose of sowing division and confusion across society, and doing little else of practical use for humanity.
This is clearly a collection of pro-Shinawatra interests. But who exactly is this man, Thaksin Shinawatra, and his political machine, these "scholars, writers, and thinkers" are so eager to defend?
Considering this, and a double bombing carried out after the coup, that Thaksin Shinawatra himself is the worst human rights violator in Thai history, and that his political movement consists of thugs, dupes, and terrorists who have literally ended the lives of thousands and who openly express a desire to violently overthrow the Kingdom of Thailand, it is particularly shocking to see either the intentional dishonesty of "international academia" claiming the coup that by necessity intervened to end this decade plus of carnage was "unjust," or the unfathomable immaturity and naivety in believing that a military coup is "never" justifiable, even in the face of mass murder and unhinged despotism as demonstrably carried out under the regime of Thaksin Shinawatra.
The pedantic complaints issued in this recent letter by "scholars, writers, and thinkers" using "freedom" and "democracy" as a fig leaf with which to support despotism, barbarism, division, and chaos, is easily forgettable. What should be retained is how the West and its proxies abuse and in fact truly endanger real academia and freedom of expression, in support of the most vile and unacceptable people and movements on Earth today.
Examining the clearly biased, compromised interests who have signed the letter, we see not an impartial defense of freedom of expression, but rather the use of freedom of expression to hide a biased self-serving agenda behind. Upon the long list featured above of crimes, atrocities, and fraud carried out by this biased, self-serving agenda, this letter and its attempt to mislead, can be added.
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| Image: Somsak Jeamteerasakul literally leading Shinawatra's "red shirts." |
The statement claims:
Over nine months after Thailand’s 12th military coup since the end of the absolute monarchy in 1932 was launched by the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO), 238 scholars, writers and thinkers, issued a call in support of academic freedom in Thailand in solidarity with colleagues inside the country who did so the week before. Catalyzed by the summary firing of prominent historian Dr. Somsak Jeamteerasakul by Thammasat University, they note that there has been a sharp decline in protection of freedom of expression in Thailand since the coup. They are critical of the summary dismissal of Dr. Somsak and comment that it is an example of alignment between the NCPO and Thammasat University.
It never mentions Nitirat's activities, using university facilities as a venue, including the busing in of Thaksin Shinawatra's violent street mobs known as the "red shirts" to fill an auditorium to make Nitirat's seditious activities appear "well attended." The events included at least on one occasion, Thaksin Shinawatra's lobbyist, Robert Amsterdam, who was reserved a front row seat.
Far from "freedom of expression," what these "scholars, writers, and thinkers" are instead promoting is the continued division and destruction of Thai society, driven by foreign interests for the sole aim of overthrowing Thailand's national institutions and replacing them with NGOs, political fronts, and opposition groups beholden to these same interests. Their claims regarding "freedom" and "democracy" are merely the smokescreen they are conducting this campaign of sedition behind.
In reality, these are in no way "scholars, writers, and thinkers," but rather lobbyists, frauds, and paid agents of sedition. There are also a number of unwitting signatories - as this letter was passed through an immense academic e-mail group with the majority simply signing it because it looked and sounded good.
One of these unwitting signatories is clearly Noam Chomsky, who has written entire books about US and Wall Street-driven regime change through organizations like the National Endowment for Democracy (NED), USAID, and private organizations like Open Society. Clearly he doesn't believe a statement serving as a smokescreen for this very campaign of foreign-backed sedition is a cause worthy of support - and simply signed it because he trusted the channel through which it landed in his inbox.
Among those who signed this recent statement with willful knowledge of its content, include Pinkaew Laungaramsri, admittedly a Thai "academic" funded extensively year-to-year by the US State Department via USAID and by convicted financial criminal George Soros' Open Society Foundation. Laungaramsri would call on her foreign sponsors for assistance in the wake of the coup in 2014, fearing her years of sedition had finally caught up with her. Unlike under the regime of Thaksin Shianwatra, whom she and the other signers of this letter seek to return to power, the incoming military-led government did not kill her, and despite her complaints that her "freedom of expression" has been curtailed, she is still clearly complaining openly and shamelessly to this very day.
Others include disgraced bigot, racist, and pervert Andrew Marshall, dismissed from Reuters in 2011 for mocking female victims of the horrific Fukushima disaster in Japan. He would write a lengthy and shockingly shameless defense for himself and his colleague, both of whom were caught in a Reuters chat room joking about "pubic hair" falling from irradiated "jap girls." In addition to his misogynist racism, Marshall would later be caught mocking a double amputee and an elderly woman amid his prolific, daily and vitriolic micro-blogs on Twitter.
Marshall's signature alone on this letter, discredits not only its contents, but draws in all other signatories to share responsibility for his shameless, unacceptable behavior, they apparently condone.
Saowanee T. Alexander is also a signatory, as well as a contributor to the US State Department funded propaganda outlet, "Prachatai," which has consistently deceived readers regarding its foreign funding for years, and has only once, under tremendous pressure, admitted that it has received millions of baht a year from NED, USAID, Open Society, and other foreign NGOs to carry out its work attacking Thailand's independent institutions and promoting the political machine of Thaksin Shinawatra.
Also a signatory and frequently contributor to the deceptive, opaque US-funded propaganda operation, Prachatai, is Thongchai Winichakul. Winichakul's resume is perhaps a good example of the sort of people signing to letters such as this. A lifetime of non-achievement, simply writing books no one reads and giving talks no one really pays attention to - simply adding to the constant din found inside the West's echo chamber of lies and deception aimed at creating the illusion of "democracy" and "freedom" behind which they hide their agenda of corporate-financier hegemony.
Backing Terrorism, Mass Murder, and Dictatorship in the Name of "Democracy"
Indeed, we see how the veil of "academia" is draped over the malicious, compromised agenda of special interests. We also see the sort of vile, dishonest, anti-social personalities that attempt to hide amongst the ranks of international "academia," writing and talking for the sole purpose of sowing division and confusion across society, and doing little else of practical use for humanity.
This is clearly a collection of pro-Shinawatra interests. But who exactly is this man, Thaksin Shinawatra, and his political machine, these "scholars, writers, and thinkers" are so eager to defend?
- In the late 1990's, Thaksin was an adviser to notorious private equity firm, the Carlyle Group. He pledged to his foreign contacts that upon taking office, he would still serve as a "matchmaker" between the US equity fund and Thai businesses. It would represent the first of many compromising conflicts of interest that would undermine Thailand's sovereign under his rule.
- Thaksin was Thailand's prime minister from 2001-2006. Has since dominated the various reincarnations of his political party - and still to this day runs the country by proxy, via his nepotist appointed sister, Yingluck Shinawatra.
- In 2001 he privatized Thailand's resources and infrastructure including the nation's oil conglomerate PTT - much to Wall Street's delight.
- In 2003, he would commit Thai troops to the US invasion of Iraq, despite widespread protests from both the Thai military and the public. Thaksin would also allow the CIA to use Thailand for its abhorrent rendition program.
- Also in 2003, he initiated what he called a "war on drugs." Nearly 3,000 were extrajudicially murdered in the streets over the course of just 90 days. It would later turn out that more than half of those killed had nothing to even do with the drug trade. In this act alone, Thaksin earned himself the title as worst human rights offender in Thai history, and still he was far from finished.
- In 2004, he oversaw the killing of 85 protesters in a single day during his mishandled, heavy-handed policy in the country's troubled deep south. The atrocity is now referred to as the "Tak Bai incident."
- Also in 2004, Thaksin attempted to ramrod through a US-Thailand Free-Trade Agreement (FTA) without parliamentary approval, backed by the US-ASEAN Business Council who just before the 2011 elections that saw Thaksin's sister Yingluck Shinawatra brought into power, hosted the leaders of Thaksin’s "red shirt" "United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship" (UDD) in Washington DC.
- Throughout his administration he was notorious for intimidating the press, and crushing dissent. According to Amnesty International, 18 human rights defenders were either assassinated or disappeared during his first term in office. Among them was human rights activist and lawyer Somchai Neelapaijit. He was last seen in 2004 being arrested by police and never seen again.
- Also throughout Thaksin's administration, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) claimed in its report, "Attacks on the Press 2004: Thailand" that the regime was guilty of financial interference, legal intimidation, and coercion of the press.
- Since the 2006 coup that toppled his regime, Thaksin has been represented by US corporate-financier elites via their lobbying firms including, Kenneth Adelman of the Edelman PR firm (Freedom House, International Crisis Group,PNAC), James Baker of Baker Botts (CFR, Carlyle Group), Robert Blackwill (CFR) of Barbour Griffith & Rogers (BGR), Kobre & Kim, Bell Pottinger (and here) and currently Robert Amsterdam of Amsterdam & Partners (Chatham House).
- In April of 2009 gunmen would fire over 100 rounds into the vehicle of anti-Thaksin activist, protest leader, and media mogul Sondhi Limthongkul in a broad daylight assassination attempt. He was injured but survived.
- On April 10, 2010, heavily armed professional militants deployed by Thaksin Shianwatra and his "red shirt" front targeted and assassinated Colonel Romklao Thuwatham who was at the time commanding crowd control operations near Bangkok's Democracy Monument. Thaksin's "red shirts" would go on to clash with the military for weeks before ending their riot with mass city-wide looting and arson.
- In August of 2013, businessman and outspoken Thaksin opponent Ekkayuth Anchanbutr was abducted and murdered.
In addition to this, Thaksin Shinawatra has constructed what he calls the "United Front for Democracy Against Dictatorship" (UDD) also known as the "red shirts." It is the militant wing of Shinawatra's political machine and through campaigns of mass murder, assassinations, and other forms of political intimidation, it has gone far in granting Shinawatra the impunity he has, until now, enjoyed.
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| Image: While Shinawatra and his Western backers claimed violence in 2010 was the result of a brutal, unprovoked military crackdown on "unarmed" protesters, in reality Shinawatra deployed some 300 armed mercenaries onto the streets to augment his "red shirt" supporters. Weeks of gun battles involving the above pictured "men in black," would result in 92 deaths. |
- In 2008, red shirts shot/hacked to death by machetes an opposition community radio host's father, after pro-Thaksin radio hosts mobilized supporters to surround his house and the father attempted to flee. Regime demagogue, Kanyapak Maneejak (DJ Aom), when asked about the incident during a "City Life Chiang Mai" interview, claimed, "the reds there all came following their hearts."
- In 2009, in addition to large-scale street violence visited upon Bangkok which saw two shop keepers shot while trying to stop red shirts from looting their businesses, red shirts would violently disrupt an HIV/AIDS awareness march organized by homosexual & public health activists. "Out in Perth" reported in their article, "Chiang Mai Pride Shut Down by Protests as Police Watch On," that organizers were locked inside a building while red shirts began throwing rocks and yelling abuse through megaphones. Police looked on until organizers decided to call off the event.
- Also in 2009, Bangkok's English paper, "Bangkok Post" would publish a report titled, "Rak Chiang Mai 51: A pride or a disgrace for Chiang Mai?" which would describe in detail the red shirts' methods of violence and intimidation.
- In 2010, Thaksin Shinawatra deployed some 300 heavily armed mercenaries to augment "red shirt" mobs in Bangkok. Armed with M16s, AK47s, M79s, hand grenades and other small arms, they assassinated an army colonel, killed soldiers, bystanders and even protesters among their own ranks in reckless firefights that spanned several weeks and climaxed in a campaign of mass arson across the capital. In all, over 90 would die.
- During the most recent political crisis in 2013-2014, red shirts have frequently surrounded the homes of opponents, threatening and intimidating them from speaking out against the regime. This includes the home of Chiang Mai's Cultural Council president, teachers and parents of Regina Coeli College, and violently attacking a peaceful protest held at Chiang Mai University's art museum and again during a march held several weeks later.
- They have threatened to kidnap and/or kill Thai Royal Army Commander-in-Chief Gen Prayuth Chan-ocha's twin daughters.
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| Image: Weapons seized in 2014 that were staged throughout the country by the Shinawatra regime for the purpose of triggering a violent uprising. While in reality "civil war" was never a prospect, Shinawatra and his foreign backers sought to carry out a campaign of terrorism that could be spun as such. |
- On the eve of February 2014 general elections, the "red shirts" carried out a brazen broad-daylight assassination of NGO worker, activist, and protest leader Sutin Taratin.
- Regime militants also carried out a grisly attack in the eastern province of Trat that left scores maimed and a five-year old girl dead and a similar attack carried out in Bangkok that left many maimed along with a woman and two children killed.
- Multiple M79 grenade attacks were carried out on the office of the National Anti-Corruption Commission in northern Bangkok in conjunction with a blockade carried out by the regime's "red shirts." The blockade was aimed at obstructing criminal proceeding against then prime minister, Yingluck Shinawatra. Regime supporters would be arrested for possession of AK47s, M79 grenade launchers, and RGD-5 hand grenades, the latter two with lot numbers matching those used in previous attacks across the city.
- An accidental discovery was made by police of a white Mazda parked outside the resort of Shinawatra regime MP Sitthichai Kittithanesuan, containing AK47s in the backseat. The car was owned by an "adviser" to a regime minister.
- Regime militants carried out an M79 grenade attack and drive-by shooting on Bangkok's Democracy Monument on May 15 that killed 3 and left dozens more injured.
Considering this, and a double bombing carried out after the coup, that Thaksin Shinawatra himself is the worst human rights violator in Thai history, and that his political movement consists of thugs, dupes, and terrorists who have literally ended the lives of thousands and who openly express a desire to violently overthrow the Kingdom of Thailand, it is particularly shocking to see either the intentional dishonesty of "international academia" claiming the coup that by necessity intervened to end this decade plus of carnage was "unjust," or the unfathomable immaturity and naivety in believing that a military coup is "never" justifiable, even in the face of mass murder and unhinged despotism as demonstrably carried out under the regime of Thaksin Shinawatra.
The pedantic complaints issued in this recent letter by "scholars, writers, and thinkers" using "freedom" and "democracy" as a fig leaf with which to support despotism, barbarism, division, and chaos, is easily forgettable. What should be retained is how the West and its proxies abuse and in fact truly endanger real academia and freedom of expression, in support of the most vile and unacceptable people and movements on Earth today.
Examining the clearly biased, compromised interests who have signed the letter, we see not an impartial defense of freedom of expression, but rather the use of freedom of expression to hide a biased self-serving agenda behind. Upon the long list featured above of crimes, atrocities, and fraud carried out by this biased, self-serving agenda, this letter and its attempt to mislead, can be added.
