December 17, 2015 (Tony Cartalucci - ATN) - The Nation reports that the Thai government allowed the Foreign Correspondent Club of Thailand (FCCT) to carry out its planned talk featuring various lecturers claiming to represent Thai "academia." The topic ironically was, "Academic Freedom Under the Military."
The Nation would report in their article, "NCPO allows academic freedom seminar to proceed," that:
Decidedly not on the agenda that evening was any mention of the events that led to the coup which brought to power the military-led government.
This includes no mention of the mass murder, terrorism, arson, threats, and weapon stockpiling by groups aided, abetted, and supported by both members of the FCCT and those attending that evening's event.
More ironically, one attendee -Titipol Phakdeewanich - hails from Ubon Rachathani where in 2010 the provincial hall was burned to the ground by terrorist supporters of ousted dictator Thaksin Shinawatra of whom Phakdeewanich is a supporter. Recently, several of the terrorists involved were handed stern sentences, including life in prison, a reminder of the true threat posed to the country and the necessity of the military intervening.
Video: While the Western media attempted to maintain plausible deniability for Thaksin Shinawatra and his "red shirt" supporters, failing to report who was, or even was suspected of being behind a campaign of mass murder and terrorism that left over 20 people dead between 2013-2014, Shinawatra's supporters very publicly called for, then celebrated the death of anti-government protests. The attack in the video above left several dead, including 2 children.
Phakdeewanich is a regular contributor to US State Department-funded Prachatai - a Bangkok-based media organization that to this day does not list its foreign funding for its Thai readers. Phakdeewanich's ties reveal that he is not a genuine or objective observer or commentator amid Thailand's ongoing political struggle, but a highly biased political lobbyist using academia as cover to lend himself and his cause much-needed legitimacy.
Likewise, journalists and media agencies represented at the FCCT have intentionally for years aided and abetted terrorism, mass murder, violence, and corruption carried out by the ousted regime of Thaksin Shinawatra. In 2013-2014 when his supporters were attacking unarmed protesters in the streets, many of the media organizations represented at the FCCT failed to report who was - or even was suspected of being - behind the attacks, and instead attempted to portray the protesters as "militants," even as they were suffering almost daily casualties from pro-Shinawatra death squads.
Many of these "journalists" are in fact based in Thailand and were aware at the time that Shinawatra's supporters were calling for violence almost daily - then celebrating it as it unfolded. In one video, his supporters burst into rapturous cheers when they receive news several protesters were mass murdered in the province of Trat - in an attack that left several dead including two children. Never was this reported by the Western journalists at the FCCT.
Shinawatra's enduring Western support is not unlike that also granted to the regime of Saudi Arabia, whose multitude of egregious offenses and crimes against humanity go unreported, or worse still, covered up, spun, or even justified, by a Western media eager to continue propping up a client regime infinitely loyal to the West.
Academia incapable of taking note of this glaring hypocrisy, or worse still, directly participating in it, are likely not academia at all - but like Phakdeewanich - lobbyists posing as academia just as the members of the FCCT pose as journalists.
The Nation would report in their article, "NCPO allows academic freedom seminar to proceed," that:
A discussion on ‘Academic Freedom Under the Military’ was allowed to be held after National Council for Peace and Order on Wednesday visited Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Thailand hours before the discussion panel took place in the evening.
FCCT was the event's host with three speakers from university lecturer. They were Pongkwan sawasdipak, Ekachai Chainuvati, and Titipol Phakdeewanich from Thammasat, Siam, and Ubon Ratchathani University respectively.
Decidedly not on the agenda that evening was any mention of the events that led to the coup which brought to power the military-led government.
This includes no mention of the mass murder, terrorism, arson, threats, and weapon stockpiling by groups aided, abetted, and supported by both members of the FCCT and those attending that evening's event.
More ironically, one attendee -Titipol Phakdeewanich - hails from Ubon Rachathani where in 2010 the provincial hall was burned to the ground by terrorist supporters of ousted dictator Thaksin Shinawatra of whom Phakdeewanich is a supporter. Recently, several of the terrorists involved were handed stern sentences, including life in prison, a reminder of the true threat posed to the country and the necessity of the military intervening.
Video: While the Western media attempted to maintain plausible deniability for Thaksin Shinawatra and his "red shirt" supporters, failing to report who was, or even was suspected of being behind a campaign of mass murder and terrorism that left over 20 people dead between 2013-2014, Shinawatra's supporters very publicly called for, then celebrated the death of anti-government protests. The attack in the video above left several dead, including 2 children.
Phakdeewanich is a regular contributor to US State Department-funded Prachatai - a Bangkok-based media organization that to this day does not list its foreign funding for its Thai readers. Phakdeewanich's ties reveal that he is not a genuine or objective observer or commentator amid Thailand's ongoing political struggle, but a highly biased political lobbyist using academia as cover to lend himself and his cause much-needed legitimacy.
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| Image: Family members grieve over the loss of two children killed in a terrorist attack carried out by supporters of ousted dictator Thaksin Shinawatra. Not only did the Western press fail to report who carried out this attack and many others like it which left over 20 dead between 2013-2014, they attempted to portray the victims as being "militants." |
Many of these "journalists" are in fact based in Thailand and were aware at the time that Shinawatra's supporters were calling for violence almost daily - then celebrating it as it unfolded. In one video, his supporters burst into rapturous cheers when they receive news several protesters were mass murdered in the province of Trat - in an attack that left several dead including two children. Never was this reported by the Western journalists at the FCCT.
Shinawatra's enduring Western support is not unlike that also granted to the regime of Saudi Arabia, whose multitude of egregious offenses and crimes against humanity go unreported, or worse still, covered up, spun, or even justified, by a Western media eager to continue propping up a client regime infinitely loyal to the West.
Academia incapable of taking note of this glaring hypocrisy, or worse still, directly participating in it, are likely not academia at all - but like Phakdeewanich - lobbyists posing as academia just as the members of the FCCT pose as journalists.
