Hypocrisy: US Destroys Syria While Propping Up Cambodian Dictator

US funds terrorists to overthrow Syrian government based on "humanitarian concerns," while US President Obama to lend legitimacy to "dictator-for-life" Hun Sen of Cambodia with upcoming visit.

Tony Cartalucci
AltThaiNews
November 10, 2012 

The US President shaking hands with Cambodian dictator Hun Sen in 2010.

The United States and its allies have maintained that their commitment to supporting militants operating inside of Syria is based on "humanitarian concerns" and in helping "oust a dictator." The US has recently handpicked the Syrian opposition, and has pledged funds and logistical support to help arm militants who have, since 2007, been identified as sectarian extremists affiliated with Al Qaeda, not secular "pro-democracy" "freedom fighters."

This was first exposed by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Seymour Hersh in his 2007 New Yorker report titled, "The Redirection: Is the Administration's new policy benefiting our enemies in the war on terrorism?"

In the report it specifically stated:

Atrocities Made to Order

How Wall Street & London Manufacture Tragedy to Sell War & Regime Change.
by Tony Cartalucci

May 29, 2012 - In the wake of the Houla massacre in Syria, and evidence exposing the West's initial narrative of Syrian troops "shelling to death" around 100 people to be categorically false, people are struggling to understand just what happened. The Guardian has chosen to post unverified witness accounts produced by the Free Syrian Army, seemingly custom tailored to refute evidence brought by Russia to the UN Security Council. The BBC has admitted that only "most" of the accounts they've received implicated what they "believe" were Syrian troops, or pro-government militias - and by doing so, imply that some did not and have told a different account.

As the window of opportunity closes for the West to exploit the bloodshed at Houla, the Western media is increasingly backpedaling, retracting, and being caught in a crossfire of their own lies and propagandizing. BBC was caught initially using years' old photos from Iraq for their Houla coverage, while papers and networks across the board have had to adjust their narratives entirely as each new piece of verified evidence emerges.

What is known is that Syrian troops were engaged with armed militants of the "Free Syrian Army" (FSA) in and around Houla. Syrian troops, as they have been doing throughout the conflict, were using artillery and tanks to target heavily fortified rebel positions from a distance. During or shortly after this exchange, militants began entering homes and killing families with knives and small arms fire. The FSA and Syrian opposition claim the militants were pro-government militias while the government claims they were foreign-backed Al Qaeda terrorists, known to be operating throughout the country. What they weren't, by all accounts, were Syrian troops.

A recent "editorial" out of the Globe and Mail claims that Russia's position that opposition forces were involved in the massacre is "laughable." However, this is divorced from not only reality, but also from a complete understanding of modern 4th generation warfare. From Venezuela to Thailand, Western backed opposition groups have triggered unrest and used it as cover to pick off members of their own movement, to then blame on the targeted government and compound any given conflict until a critical mass is reached, and a targeted government is toppled..

A Historical Example: Bangkok, Thailand 2010 

Wall Street-backed former-Thai Prime Minsiter Thaksin Shinawatra, a close associate of the Bush family with connections ranging from before, during, and after his term in office, was ousted from power in 2006 by nationalist forces for abuses of power. Thaksin had worked as a Carlyle Group adviser, sent Thai troops to aid in Bush's invasion of Iraq, attempted to implement a free trade agreement with Wall Street's Fortune 500 without parliamentary approval, hosted CIA torture facilities, and prosecuted a "war on drugs" that saw some 2,500 Thais extra-legally executed in the streets, most of whom were later determined to have nothing to do with the drug trade.

Since his ousting in 2006, he has received support from a myriad of prominent US lobbying firms including fellow Carlyle member James Baker and Baker Botts, Bush administration warmonger Robert Blackwill of Barbour Griffith & Rogers, and Neo-Conservative PNAC signatory Kenneth Adelman of Edelman. 

With this backing, Thaksin has led an increasingly violent bid to return to power through a "red" color revolution constituting of a large political machine operating in Thailand's northeast provinces and a personality cult called the United Front for Democracy Against Dictatorship (UDD). 

In April of 2010, Thaksin mobilized thousands of UDD members to paralyze Thailand's capital of Bangkok in retaliation to a court seizure of billions of his ill-gotten assets. On the night of April 10, 2010, when riot troops moved in to disperse the protesters, militants clad in black opened fire on Thai troops.

Page 62 of Human Rights Watch's "Descent into Chaos (.pdf)" report stated:

"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."

HRW, an otherwise dubious organization, only conceded to this a full year after the events unfolded and only in the face of irrefutable photographic and video evidence captured and broadcasted by both professional and amateurs local and foreign journalists. This included videos and photos of militants armed with both AK-47's and M-16's. Previously, Thaksin's Western backers and his opposition leaders had tried to blame all deaths resulting from the M-16's 5.56mm rounds squarely on the Thai military, including the high-profile death of Reuters cameraman Hiro Muramoto. With proof that opposition militants were also firing 5.56mm rounds, this political leverage was negated. 

However, the most chilling aspect of the April 10, 2010 violence was an incident involving the premeditated murder of a pro-Thaksin protester by Thaksin's own mercenaries - recorded on tape and extensively photographed, then shamelessly and relentlessly used as propaganda to this very day. The incident took place on April 10, 2010, the same night Reuters cameraman Hiro Muramoto was killed, and gives us immense insight into how Western-backed unrest will take advantage of chaos it itself creates to then purposefully kill both protesters and government troops to escalate tensions and violence while undermining the legitimacy of a targeted government.

In a YouTube video (WARNING: EXTREMELY GRAPHIC) recorded by Thaksin propagandists, protesters can be seen facing off against troops to the left of the screen with other protesters seeking cover as fire is exchanged between militants and troops. In the center of the frame, a very conspicuous man is seen carrying a tall red flag with his attention fixated on men directing him into position. He moves in steps, almost as if posing for a picture with his attention focused on the men directing him. Behind him, with his hat turned backwards, appears to be a spotter shadowing the flagman's moves and flashing a series of hand signals to the men on the left directing the flagman.





Images: Frames taken from the video with annotations describe the events that unfolded shortly before and directly after Thaksin mercenaries intentionally killed one of their own protesters. The final image eventually made it onto the cover of Thaksin propaganda magazine, "Voice of Taksin." (click images to enlarge)

....

Men in the upper left of the screen can be seen waving the flagman into position as they tell other protesters to "get down" before a shot is fired taking off the top of the man's skull. As protesters panic and run off camera, the spotter moving with the flagman calmly stands above the dead man and waves in a photographer who takes the infamous pictures that would soon be featured on the cover of Thaksin's propaganda publication, the "Voice of Taksin." It must be remembered that the video camera was fixated on this otherwise insignificant flagman the entire time leading up to the gruesome event, to specifically capture the entire, premeditated murder.


Image: A censored version of the very explicit "special" cover of Thaksin propaganda magazine, "Voice of Taksin," featuring a man killed not even a minute ago. The flag he was conspicuously waving just moments before lays across his chest and was most likely handed to him to aid mercenary snipers in targeting him. The original cover with translations can be found here. (WARNING: EXTREMELY GRAPHIC.) The editor of "Voice of Taksin" has since been arrested and imprisoned for his role in the 2010 violence - however Western "human rights" fronts including US-funded Prachatai maintain that he is a "political prisoner" and a "human rights activist." Note: on the bottom of the magazine cover a "free" CD is offered featuring video of the gruesome staged murder of this unfortunate man.

....

This horrific, cold-blooded demonstration of the callous, murderous nature of these so-called "pro-democracy" movements sowing chaos from Tunisia to Thailand, and certainly including Syria, illustrates the full depths of depravity from which the global elite and their proxies operate. Behind the thin veneer of revolutionary "singing tomorrows" is a heartless, craven killing machine as eager to dispose of its most adamant supporters as it is inclined to eliminate its most reviled opponents. What was just described has played out not only repeatedly in Thailand, but all across North Africa and the Middle East as well as during previous attempts by the West to oust Hugo Chavez in Venezuela. 

Back to Syria

The Free Syrian Army has been regularly engaging in armed combat with government troops and now more than ever, are better equipped with communication equipment, weapons, cash and logistical support from the West and the Gulf States. Just as Thaksin's gunmen were able to draw Thai troops into a conflict used as cover to commit manufactured atrocities to be used as propaganda against the Thai government, militants in Syria have already demonstrably employed similar tactics. In 2011, "mystery gunmen" would regularly start firefights during protest rallies identical to the one in Bangkok, firing on both Syrian troops and protesters, with both sides describing elusive "rooftop snipers."

Houla appears to simply be on a much larger scale, involving militants most likely not affiliated with local FSA fighters or the Syrian government, but foreign elements just as the Syrian government has claimed. Just as in Bangkok where protesters were taken as much by surprise as Thai troops at the arrival of Thaksin's militants, FSA fighters, Houla residents, and Syrian troops all seem baffled as to who exactly committed the atrocities.

And amongst all the finger pointing, it is the politically-motivated haste by the US, UK, France, Israel, and the Muslim Brotherhood to condemn the massacre, baselessly blame the Syrian government, and cry in unison for military intervention that is by far the most incriminating evidence yet as to who was really behind the bloodbath. Cui Bono? To whose benefit? NATO and its Middle Eastern proxies have made it abundantly clear it was to their benefit.

Clearly there is the distinct possibility that a third party took advantage of a prolonged engagement between the FSA and government troops in Houla, to manufacture a very real atrocity. With so few facts in hand, it would be the height of irresponsibility to lay blame on anyone so squarely that punitive actions are leveled.  So while the Globe and Mail berates Russia for suggesting that "the blame must be determined objectively," it is by far, without debate, the most sensible course of action to take. If the West laments the distrust it now suffers, it has only itself, and its long history of running death squads in exactly this manner, to blame.

Color Revolution's Mystery Gunmen

Editor's Note: The picture to the left features a UDD militant carrying numerous seized weapons including an M-16 and several Tavors. While wounds consistent with 5.56mm rounds have been squarely blamed on the Thai Army, it is quite clear that at some point during the clash, UDD militants verifiably had 5.56mm chambered weapons in their possession. Here is an article with a photograph of the same man on the UDD/Red Shirt stage after the deadly April 10 clashes.

Cui Bono?
by Tony Cartalucci

Bangkok, Thailand April 24, 2011 - Imagine you are an embattled regime fighting against a rising tide of foreign-funded protesters. The entire world is watching, one nation is already under creeping foreign invasion for "waging war against his own people," your nation has been warned that it is next and has been on a 20 year waiting list for regime change, and your opposition is gathering to bury dead protesters from a recent clash with security forces. What do you do?

Stage concealed snipers in multiple buildings and randomly shoot at mourners ensuring a very public, internationally sensationalized bloodbath that will unequivocally escalate both the protests and international pressure? Bashar al-Assad's regime hasn't ruled Syria for so long because they were careless or foolish. And while regimes could stay in power decades ago through unyielding brutality, often sanctioned by tacitly complicit western partners, regimes today realize the value of finesse and accountability in a new age of humanitarian-justified imperialism.

AlJazeera's article, "'Nine killed' at Syria funeral processions," once again relies solely on eyewitness accounts, many of which are claimed to be "anonymous," to tell the story of a brutal Syrian government crackdown. After AlJazeera's blatant lies and exaggerations during the Egyptian protests, rivaled only by BBC's intellectual dishonesty, these reports must be taken with a grain of salt. However, as with the recent massacres in Yemen and previous funeral processions in Syria, protesters cited mysterious snipers, assumed to be government forces, on rooftops randomly shooting at mourners gathered around the country. The government maintains that "an unknown "armed group" on rooftops shot at protesters and security forces."

AlJazeera also included in the article a report from one of their correspondents on the ground who stated, "[People marching on an overpass] were met with a hail of gunfire, many people certainly wounded directly in front of us, cars turned around, and I can tell you it was an incredibly chaotic scene, and it seems as though pretty much everyone down here in the southern part of the country is now carrying weapons. It is unclear who was firing at whom, that's part of the confusion ... but clearly a very violent incident now being carried out here in the south of the country." Though cryptic, it seems to corroborate the government's assertion that they are not the only ones with guns.

A Reuters report recently quoted a "rights activist" in Syria saying of the violence, "today we will have the funerals, we are worried that during the funerals more blood will be spilt which will provoke more protests and more death. This is becoming like a snowball and getting bigger and bigger every week. Anger is rising, the street is boiling." During the next demonstrations more are likely to be killed, funerals will be held, mystery gunmen will show up shooting mourners and the cycle continues repeating itself, some might hope, until enough anger and momentum creates conditions within the Assad regime to force it to step down or invites armed insurrection and foreign intervention as seen in Libya and in the Ivory Coast.

Perhaps this is an overly cynical analysis, as it may just be a coincidence that two regimes, Syria and Yemen, were forced into tenuous positions and just so happened to both grievously miscalculate and deploy snipers to randomly shoot at protesters, further agitating them, and inviting further scorn and pressure from the globalists, eager to oust them. But even mainstream media stories seem to pick up on the fact that these "massacres" do more harm than good and do not serve Assad's best interests.

The Sydney Morning Herald article title, "Bloodbath New Threat to Assad" is clear enough. It states that the recent crackdowns have left the regime "staggering." Additionally, it invited "stern" criticism from Obama stating, "'instead of listening to their own people, President Assad is blaming outsiders while seeking Iranian assistance in repressing Syria's citizens through the same brutal tactics that have been used by his Iranian allies.'' Ironically, Assad's assessment that protests are foreign-funded is spot on and Iran's crackdown was also against foreign-funded subversion.

Of course this is not the first time mystery gunmen have showed up at foreign-funded color revolutions to provoke further unrest or attempt to extort a resignation from a government. There is one instructive example where not only is evidence available, but confessions as well. That this example is also a foreign-funded color revolution lends credence to the possibility that these mystery gunmen in Syria and Yemen are provocateurs following a similar playbook, seeking to escalate violence and unrest until regime change is achieved or foreign intervention is justified. By studying this example, we can better discern the cryptic, unverified reports coming from the increasingly violent "Arab Spring," and possibly take this grisly tool out of the hands of the corporate-financier oligarchs.

Mystery Gunmen Revealed

After days of trying to goad Thai security forces into a violent crackdown on globalist Thaksin Shinawatra's red shirts, protest leaders literally called on their own rank and file to donate blood to be spilled on key government buildings throughout Thailand's capital of Bangkok. This grisly display would foreshadow protest leaders' plans, unbeknown to even their own followers. On April 10, 2010, after the Thai military shut down Thaksin's propaganda network, protest leaders brought 200 men to the gates of Bangkok's 1st Army Region base and tried to storm the facility. The leaders must have realized that storming a military facility has a universally high probability of provoking the use of deadly force. The Thai military however, dispersed the protesters with water cannons and rubber bullets.

The bizarre "blood" drawing protest preceding the April 10, 2010 gunfight.

The decision was made to disperse the protesters at Bangkok's "Democracy Monument" that night. After nightfall, riot troops and protesters faced off in close quarters before troops began to advance while firing blanks into the air. A similar operation a year earlier led by the same commanding officer, Colonel Romklao, dispersed protesters without fatalities (the only fatalities were two civilians gunned down by protesters). This time around, intent on a bloodbath, a group of mysterious gunmen intervened with a combination of grenade attacks and sniper fire that killed Colonel Romklao and 6 other soldiers. Troops immediately fell back in disarray while protesters were divided in confusion and adulation. The mystery gunmen weaved through the protesters firing sporadically at Thai troops who returned fire. In total, 23 would die.

The initial grenade and sniper attack, explained accurately by France24. Indeed soldiers were firing back as they withdrew. For a more detailed look from the protesters' side, please watch the Thaifaq 5 part video series covering the April 10 incident.


CNN's coverage: Despite other admissions in foreign press from protest leaders themselves, CNN leaves viewers with an intentionally ambiguous message. CNN's biased reporting should come as no surprise, but when called on it by an outpouring of anger from the Thai public they conceded that indeed there were armed elements amongst the protesters.


Aljazeera footage featuring the "mystery gunmen" with AK-47s.

The protesters were entirely unaware of the gambit, while security guards amongst the protesters appear to have been given compartmentalized orders to keep the protesters kettled in before the attack came. It is unlikely that even the security guards knew the attack was coming, as many immediately rushed in to protect fallen soldiers from aggressive protesters, while gun battles continued elsewhere. There were also most likely members of the militant group amongst the protesters directing fire toward Colonel Romklao and his command unit, as laser markers were seen fixated on the soldiers right before the incoming sniper fire hit.

It was quite clear a highly trained, well prepared third party was involved, and unlike in Syria and Yemen where few foreigners venture and fewer cameras seem to be sending back footage, both foreign and domestic, amateur and professional footage caught the melee on tape. Initial blanket denials by protest leaders quickly became piecemeal confessions as footage of these "men in black" filtered out.

International spokesman for the protesters, Sean Boonpracong, told Reuters elements of the army were with their movement, including the black-clad mystery gunmen that took part in the April 10 bloodbath. He stated, "They are a secret unit within the army that disagrees with what's going on. Without them, the black clad men, there would have been a whole lot more deaths and injuries." The suspected leader of these gunmen, renegade general Khattiya Sawasdipol, known as "Seh Daeng," further damned earlier denials by admitting to commanding 300 armed men trained for ''close encounters'' and carrying M79 grenade launchers, before withdrawing his comment in later interviews.

From April 10, until the widespread arson that marked the end of the protests on May 19, daily and nightly gun battles, grenade attacks, and sniper fire would claim the lives of 91 people. This included 9 soldiers and police, a woman killed by an M79 grenade attack, and at least one protester who died of smoke inhalation while looting a building fellow protesters lit ablaze. The remaining 80 deaths included journalists, bystanders, medical workers, and protesters caught in crossfire. While protester to this day attempt to portray these events as a massacre of "91 protesters," it is quite clear that the military was up against an armed wing working amongst the protesters, admitted by members of the protest leadership themselves.

To explain why such a bloodbath was necessary, Sean Boonpracong after admitting the mystery gunmen were working on his movement's behalf, gave another breathtaking confession in an April 24th interview. When asked why protest leaders had turned down a government offer to hold fresh elections in 9 months, he responded by saying that after the April 10 incident they felt Prime Minister Abhisit's hands were "tainted with blood" and that it would be best if the Thai Parliament was dissolved. He continued by stating the protest's demands had changed to immediate dissolution as well as PM Abhisit's leaving the country.

After admitting an armed wing participated in the April 10 bloodbath protest spokesman Sean Boonpracong gives us insight into the rationale behind the highly orchestrated carnage that took place that night.

If these demands sound familiar, that is because they are the same exact demands made by every single globalist-funded, fueled, and directed color revolution, starting with Eastern Europe's Orange and Rose revolutions, the current "Arab Spring," and now of course the red shirt revolution in Thailand. The Thai government ultimately refused these ochlocratic demands and restored order to the country.

Conclusion

Quite clearly, through this vivid example complete with brazen admissions, we can see how "mystery gunmen" fit into the overall mechanics of a color revolution. Their violence serves two purposes; to create enough chaos and bloodshed to force a government to step down, or to justify escalating anger and violence amongst the unsuspecting regular rank and file protesters. In Syria, we see these mystery gunmen fulfilling just this role. In Thailand, red shirt leaders have warned often that should the government fail to yield to their demands, a guerrilla war might begin. As we have seen in Libya and the Ivory Coast that is the next logical step, with foreign intervention not far behind.

Color revolutions are like micro-nations unto themselves. They have their own leadership, support base, ideology, and finances. Just as a nation's leadership exploits its soldiers as pawns toward personal gain, so too do color revolutions. Just as the soldier is unwittingly sent into harms way, so too are these protesters. Would they suspect their leadership of drawing them into a trap for personal gain? Could these "rights activists" who are on record being funded and directed by foreign interests in Syria be leading their followers into trap after trap to increase the cycle of violence to a crescendo capable of ousting Assad from power? It certainly appears that way. As Bangkok's mystery gunmen have proven, it is certainly not without precedent.

Understanding the components of the globalists' color revolution makes it more difficult for them to foist it upon local populations as well as pass it off throughout international media. At the very least, by understanding how they work, we ensure we never fall prey to this deadly, nefarious gambit. Real solutions don't spring forth from a ballot box, the destruction of our cities, or a protest placard. They are derived through education, self-sufficiency, and pragmatic, technical solutions. People should resist the urge to be politicized and divided and instead focus on building up their local communities on a foundation of economic and political independence. Ultimately by doing this, we can prevent entirely the grotesque spectcles now unfolding from Tunisia to Thailand.