As the Thai government works to navigate the nation through global post-COVID-19 economic turmoil, protesters promise only more chaos.
September 26, 2020 (Tony Cartalucci - ATN) - The so-called "pro-democracy" protests in Thailand have finally, and fully exposed themselves, their true purpose, and their "vision" for Thailand's future as have their sponsors.
Several fundamental issues face the protests and their legitimacy starting with their "3 demands" and ending with their US government funding.
The Hypocrisy of the 3 Demands
1. The Current Government Must Resign? The anti-government protesters demand that the current government step down.
Despite being a "pro-democracy" protest, protest leaders are demanding that the ruling party step down from power despite having soundly won the popular vote during the 2019 elections and building the largest coalition government.
A small group of violent, loud agitators making demands of an entire nation who did not vote for them or approve of their demands - seems much more like dictatorship than those refusing to immediately meet such demands.
Despite claiming to "fight for democracy," the anti-government protesters are in fact trying to disenfranchise the majority of those who voted in 2019 - over 2 million of which picked the ruling party over Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit's Future Forward - now Move Forward Party - and over half a million more having picked the ruling party over fugitive billionaire Thaksin Shinawatra's Pheu Thai Party.
While the protesters complain that the elections were "rigged" they have presented no evidence of this and subsequent local elections closely monitored by the opposition itself has seen similar results where voters consistently rejected them.
As things stand now, the opposition simply can't win an election. Their street protests which primarily consist of Thaksin Shinawatra's highly unpopular violence-prone "red shirts" is only hurting their public image further. This is probably why they've made a second demand - to have the Thai constitution rewritten.
2. Rewrite the Thai Constitution? Despite losing elections, the anti-government opposition presumes to demand the entire nation rewrite the constitution.
Leading the charge is a US government-funded front calling itself "Internet Law Reform Dialogue" or "iLaw" who spent over two months collecting signatures at every opposition rally - big or small, every major university campus, the offices of other US government-funded opposition groups, outside mass transportation hubs, and even through a mail-in drive.
Despite Thailand's nearly 70 million strong population, iLaw failed to reach even 100,000 signatures before September 19, its own deadline picked to coincide with the opposition's failed "major rally. "
The rewritten constitution aims to allow Thailand's billionaire-led opposition to better manipulate elections and the political system to seize back power. The current constitution includes an appointed Senate who ensures nominees of fugitive Thaksin Shinawatra cannot become prime minister. This change successfully prevented Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit from becoming prime minister in 2019 after being handpicked by Thaksin's Pheu Thai Party as their nominee.
While the "pro-democracy" protests claim this is unfair - a fugitive attempting to run the country remotely is illegal, undemocratic, and a danger the rule of law necessary for anything resembling real democracy to actually exist.
3. Stop Harassing People? While the third demand by anti-government protesters is for the government to "stop harassing people," the story of these ongoing protests including their activity in the streets and online - has been one of they themselves harassing and attacking anyone and everyone who disagrees with them.
From vandalism and physically assaulting security personnel at protests themselves, to threatening the children of the Thai prime minister, to attempting to destroy the lives financially and publicly of anyone who disagrees with them - Thailand's "pro-democracy" protests are clearly following in the footsteps of the US-funded mobs in Hong Kong who eventually resorted to extreme violence against their opponents.
READ MORE: US-Funded Agitators in Hong Kong Back Thai Protests
Rather than debate those they disagree with, the protesters whose own "3 demands" include ending harassment - depend heavily on "cancel culture," mockery, intimidation, and attempts to censor those who disagree with them.
Their most recent protest which failed to gather even 500 people - took place in front of Thailand's Parliament building. The mob defaced and vandalized the surrounding grounds and screamed at members of parliament for not immediately heeding their demands and instead scheduling a month to consider them - including the rewriting of the entire Thai constitution.
A loud, violent minority demanding the entire nation to be transformed according to their and their sponsors' designs baying at elected representatives backed by far more than the meager turnouts at these rallies - is the embodiment of harassment and anti-democratic behavior.
If the protesters themselves don't take their own 3 demands seriously, why should anyone else?
Last and Most Significant - the Protest's Foreign Funding
The US government via the notorious National Endowment for Democracy (NED) funds virtually every aspect of the ongoing anti-government protests. The US does this specifically to destabilize Thailand and roll back its growing ties to China - a nation the US has made no secret about wanting to confront, encircle, and contain the rise of.
US government funding includes the protest's core leaders like Anon Nampa who work for Thai Lawyers for Human Rights (TLHR) listed on the NED's official website under the "Union for Civil Liberty." On the UCL's own website, TLHR can clearly be seen listed at the bottom as a member. In previous US NED disclosures, TLHR was mentioned by name as a recipient of US government money through the UCL - archived here.
US government funding also goes to media organizations like Prachatai - listed on the US NED's website under the "Foundation for Community Educational Media." Prachatai's executive director Chiranuch Premchaiporn is also a "fellow" of the National Endowment for Democracy. Other opposition media outlets funded by the US government and listed on the US NED's own website are The 101 Percent and the Isaan Record.
One can only imagine the US response if a foreign government attempted to fund organizations inside the US to rewrite the US Constitution and specifically so foreign-backed politicians could more easily take positions of power.
Finally, even organizations bringing people to physical protest rallies are being funded by the US government. This includes the "Assembly of the Poor" - listed on the official US NED website as "Thai Poor Act."
A look at any protest leader or supporter's social media accounts and the above mentioned US-funded organizations make up nearly half of their daily posts. The other half is made up of sharing media produced by Thaksin Shinawatra's VoiceTV network and Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit's Matichon/Khaosod network.
Mixed in are other foreign organizations like Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, and other fraudulent fronts posing as rights advocates, abusing their platforms to promote political interference inside of Thailand - as well as foreign media organizations like Reuters and AP as well as foreign state media organizations like the BBC, Al Jazeera, and AFP.
It must be remembered that this significant foreign support - foreign support that without which these protests would not exist - is aimed specifically at undermining and even reversing Thai-Chinese relations. China is Thailand's largest trade partner, investor, source of tourism, arms supplier, and a key partner in important infrastructure projects - the reversal of which would have a negative impact on almost every aspect of its economy and development.
On these grounds alone the core leadership of Thailand's protests are openly engaged in foreign-funded sedition aimed at undermining Thailand's sociopolitical and economic stability - a serious crime in any nation.
Despite accusing the current government of being a "dictatorship" and protesters ignoring the fact that it was elected into power - the current government's soft-handed approach to the protests and its seemingly endless patience for their disruptive activities proves which side is interested in stability and moving the nation forward, and which side isn't.
While the current government is working on policies to move Thailand through recovery from the global COVID-19 economic implosion - all the protesters can promise is more threats of disruption come October if their hypocritical demands aren't immediately met.
A small group of violent, loud agitators making demands of an entire nation who did not vote for them or approve of their demands - seems much more like dictatorship, than those refusing to immediately meet such demands.
