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Thailand Prepares for Civil War as Bangkok Grows More Menacing

Demon of Light

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Walking around Bangkok, a city of an estimated 12 million people, there are depressing scenes of war readiness: piles of sandbags, razor-wire barricades, menacing men in ski masks, and netting overhead to thwart grenade attacks.


Everywhere there are more and more visible symbols of patriotism and nationalism — on billboards, T-shirts, and television — designed to emphasize the unquestionable unity of the Thai people.

Friends and strangers spoke of civil war, or at least the beginnings of it. It is certainly new to hear Bangkok residents speaking like this, but in truth there has been a civil war in Thailand for nearly a decade. I witnessed its spark, not in the streets of Bangkok but over 500 miles to the south, near the Thai-Malaysian border, back in 2004.

. . .

For years, successive Thai governments have promoted a homogenous "Thai" identity in a country of ethnic and linguistic diversity. Malay-Muslims in the south were forced to give up their language and use Central Thai. The same went for Lao-speaking Thais in the north-east and Lanna-speaking people in the north.

Source: Vice News

The leader of the main opposition party is warning of the risks and emphasizing the need to prevent civil war, but it is not clear if that will be enough. Attempts to remove the current Prime Minister through a politicized court battle, akin to several previous ones that have occurred in lieu of the military coup that ousted Thaksin Shinawatra back in 2006, are being cited by the current government's supporters as cause to begin violent resistance should it come to fruition. Increasingly discussion is about the possibility of the Red Shirts, or Thaksin loyalists who support the current government, effectively seizing control of the north and north east and beginning a violent campaign against any removal of the current leadership. As the Vice News article notes, there is already a bloody insurgency being waged in the south by predominantly Malay-speaking Muslims so any conflict would probably inflame that insurgency and spill over into Malaysia. I would expect the possibility of spill-over in Cambodia as well given the border dispute, large Khmer populations in Thai regions bordering Cambodia, and Prime Minister Hun Sen's harboring of Thaksin and traditional support for the Thaksin loyalists. That would potentially aggravate the domestic situation in Cambodia where there are ongoing protests against Sen's decades-long rule. Given his support from Vietnam, who originally imposed him as leader during its occupation of the country, this means there is additional spill-over risk.
 
Is there a country on this planet not fighting itself or another country?
 
This history of man is the history of warfare.

I get that, and I know things will never change. However, don't you just get a little tired of hearing about a conflict somewhere around the world every time you turn a corner?
 
I get that, and I know things will never change. However, don't you just get a little tired of hearing about a conflict somewhere around the world every time you turn a corner?

Yes, I sure do.

Particularly when someone wants the USA to go in and fix things.
 
The situation in Thailand is nothing new, it has happened in lots of other country's in Asia,it does not matter.
 
Thailand is always preparing for civil war, and it never happens. When I went there 2 years ago, the airport was shut down 2 weeks before I got there, and then shut down again a week after I left. I got lucky I guess.

The Thai people take the threats only so far until their very way of life is threatened and then they stop demonstrating, or the government intervenes.

If they really want civil war then they need to ditch the monarchy and have it out, cause every time they try to do it any other ways, the monarchy intervenes and puts everyone back in their corner.
 
Thailand is always preparing for civil war, and it never happens. When I went there 2 years ago, the airport was shut down 2 weeks before I got there, and then shut down again a week after I left. I got lucky I guess.

The Thai people take the threats only so far until their very way of life is threatened and then they stop demonstrating, or the government intervenes.

If they really want civil war then they need to ditch the monarchy and have it out, cause every time they try to do it any other ways, the monarchy intervenes and puts everyone back in their corner.

It's the Muslims. They keep acting up. And when they do they get slapped back down again because they don't quite have the numbers yet. But they are birthing like rats and someday will have the numbers and then they'll take over Thailand like they plan to do the entire planet.
 
Islam is an antiquated religion and needs to either modernize with the times or be completely eradicated.
There are two types of Muslims, terrorists, and their enablers. They need to fix that if they want to be part of civilized society.

I do not agree with thjis, it is only radical extremists that cause problems the rest are peace lovers.
 
Thailand is always preparing for civil war, and it never happens. When I went there 2 years ago, the airport was shut down 2 weeks before I got there, and then shut down again a week after I left. I got lucky I guess.

The Thai people take the threats only so far until their very way of life is threatened and then they stop demonstrating, or the government intervenes.

If they really want civil war then they need to ditch the monarchy and have it out, cause every time they try to do it any other ways, the monarchy intervenes and puts everyone back in their corner.

I can't be so certain about that. Thailand cannot keep going through this cycle where the people elect a government, that government is ousted by the military or some politicized court case, the government is replaced with one affiliated with the Bangkok elites and then when elections come around the people they ousted get elected again. Something has to give in this situation.
 
Thailand has been having these issues for years now. Their former prime minister was ousted years ago but still is popular among the poor so his supporters keep clashing against the current government.
 
Thailand is always preparing for civil war, and it never happens. When I went there 2 years ago, the airport was shut down 2 weeks before I got there, and then shut down again a week after I left. I got lucky I guess.

The Thai people take the threats only so far until their very way of life is threatened and then they stop demonstrating, or the government intervenes.

If they really want civil war then they need to ditch the monarchy and have it out, cause every time they try to do it any other ways, the monarchy intervenes and puts everyone back in their corner.

As long as the old king is around, that isn't going to happen. His son is maybe a different matter, but it isn't happening now.

The military will back the current government. Which was just reelected. The opposition is acting like sore losers, sure, but that isn't enough for the winners to launch a civil war over.
 
Thailand has been having these issues for years now. Their former prime minister was ousted years ago but still is popular among the poor so his supporters keep clashing against the current government.

? The current PM is the ousted dude's sister, and the charges brought against her are of being overly supportive of (trying to get amnesty for, bring back into the country, etc) him.
 
Islam is an antiquated religion and needs to either modernize with the times or be completely eradicated.

All the Abrahamic faiths have to go for the word to be a better place, if you ask me. Their thought viruses are corrosive to human connection and cohesion.
 
? The current PM is the ousted dude's sister, and the charges brought against her are of being overly supportive of (trying to get amnesty for, bring back into the country, etc) him.
Sorry I forgot to include that that was the reason why the problems began. Its basically two political families arguing as to who gets to be in power.
 
Sorry I forgot to include that that was the reason why the problems began. Its basically two political families arguing as to who gets to be in power.

Huh. Who is the opposition family?
 
As long as the old king is around, that isn't going to happen. His son is maybe a different matter, but it isn't happening now.

The military will back the current government. Which was just reelected. The opposition is acting like sore losers, sure, but that isn't enough for the winners to launch a civil war over.

The opposition acting like sore losers? Why, such a thing would never happen in the USA!
 
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