The Cardinal T-Square Crisis
Germany Bans Short Selling
Greek Strikes Ahead The Battle of Bangkok: Thailand On Verge of Revolution Or Brutal Crackdown?
The Fourth & Fifth Saturn-Uranus Oppositions
By Theodore White; Mundane Astrolog.S
Θεόδωρος
An Associated Press reporter who followed Thai military troops into the protest camp area witnessed the bodies of two men sprawled on the ground, one with a head wound and other apparently shot in the upper body.
They were the first known casualties in May 19th's assault that began before dawn Wednesday in downtown Bangkok.
Calls for new democratic elections: Thai protesters take to a street half dressed to prove they are unarmed Tuesday, May 18, 2010 in Bangkok. The Thai government rejected a proposal Tuesday for peace talks with leaders of the Red Shirts to end the deadly mayhem gripping Bangkok, saying negotiations cannot start until protesters disperse. Credit/Wason Wanichakorn/AP
The bloodied hand of a dead protester is seen through a red cloth Wednesday, May 19, 2010, in Lumpini Park near downtown Bangkok, Thailand. The body was left at a protest site attacked by the Thai military where some of the most intense nightly gunfire has occurred.
Credit: Sakcahi Lalit/AP
Marching through Bangkok streets, protesters continue to say they seek fresh democratic elections and call for the resignation of the Thai prime minister as well as bringing to justice those who have shot and killed civilians on the streets of Bangkok.
A Canadian journalist is in hospital recovering from serious injuries after being shot three times during a clash between Thai protesters and troops in Bangkok.
Lucky to Be Alive - Canadian shot by Thai military: Red shirt supporters help Nelson Rand, a Canadian journalist working for France's TF1 network, to safety after he was shot three times covering clashes with Thai army soldiers near Bangkok's Lumpini Park on May 14, 2010.
Credit: Adrees Latif, Reuters
Nelson Rand, a Canadian-born correspondent with the France 24 Network, was shot in the leg, hand and abdomen on Friday. They reported he is out of danger after a successful surgery.
Rand, based in Bangkok, is one of the network's two Thailand correspondents.
In his last report before being shot, Rand spoke to France 24 by telephone from Bangkok and described a "chaotic" scene at one of the smaller protest areas occupied by the Red Shirt protesters.
"The soldiers have been trying to clear the avenue for about 45 minutes now," Rand said. "They've been firing tear gas. The protesters have been moving back!"
The 34-year-old Rand, from Calgary, Canada was seriously wounded after he was struck by three bullets in his leg, abdomen and wrist May 14 while reporting on the protests.
His mother Barbara Rand said her son doesn’t know who got him to safety after the shooting, but told his parents by phone, “whoever did saved my life.”
“He’s been in more dangerous situations than this,” his mother said. “One of his comments was, ‘I’m glad I wasn’t in the Burmese jungle when this happened or I wouldn’t be here today.’”
Thailand's Erawan Medical Center said that six people were killed and 101 were injured during the street clashes in central Bangkok on Friday, May 14. Two Thai journalists were also shot in Friday's clashes with no reports yet on their conditions.
An Associated Press photographer said he has seen three foreign journalists shot during the army operation in Bangkok, and one of them appears dead.
The photographer saw the three at a hospital Wednesday, May 19th, a few hours after the crackdown began to clear the protest site in central Bangkok.
One journalist was an Italian photographer shot in the chest. His eyes were rolled back and he showed no signs of life.
A Dutch journalist walked into the hospital with a bullet wound in his shoulder.
The third journalist was a 53-year-old American documentary filmmaker who was treated after being shot in the leg.
The photographer also saw at least seven Thais brought to a hospital. It was not clear if they were dead or unconscious.
The Red Shirts have been protesting in Bangkok's streets for nearly six weeks. Clashes between the protesters and the army have become increasingly violent.
Major General Khattiya Sawasdipol, who sided with protesters, was shot in the head during an interview with the New York Times on the evening of May 13.
Protest guards were seen pouring kerosene over a 10ft high wall that forms one of their main barricades as troops and armored personnel carriers were seen nearby on Silom Road in Bangkok's business district.
Ominous Signs: Thai soldiers take up positions in front of anti-government protesters' encampment May 19, 2010 in Bangkok, Thailand. Thai troops & armored vehicles converged early Wednesday around the barricaded encampment of anti-government protesters in downtown Bangkok and opened fire in what appears to be a final crackdown to disperse them.
Photo: Wong Maye-E/AP
"We're asking everybody to be ready for a crackdown because armoured personnel carriers are beginning to move in (to the area)," Nattawut Saikua, a protest leader, told Reuters.
About 3,000 of the mostly rural and urban poor protestors, who broadly support former premier Thaksin Shinawatra, remain in the encampment in Bangkok's high-end shopping, hotel and diplomatic district, refusing to leave.
They accuse the British-born, Oxford-educated Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva of lacking a popular mandate after coming to power in a controversial parliamentary vote in 2008 with tacit backing from the military, and have demanded immediate elections.
Troops have thrown a cordon around the protest site, a "tent city" at the Rachaprasong intersection, paralysing the heart of Bangkok. Hundreds of women and children have taken refuge in a temple inside the protest area.
The Red Shirts have stockpiled plenty of food, water, and supplies in their encampment since Thursday when troops began an operation to isolate them, sparking several days of street fighting that has killed 39 people and wounded nearly 300 in Thailand's deadliest political violence in 18 years."
"This is D-Day," said one soldier when asked if this was the final push to clear the protest zone. The demonstrators have occupied much of central Bangkok since mid-April to demand the resignation of Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva; the dissolution of Parliament and immediate elections.
Associated Press reporters saw the troops firing automatic rifles from an overpass overlooking the encampment Wednesday morning. Minutes later a massive cloud of black smoke rose from a building nearby.
Groups of soldiers fired from crouching position on the tracks from the elevated tracks of a light rail system that runs over the encampment.
Credit/Stringer for Reuters
An army commander said some Red Shirt protesters were about 200 yards (meters) inside the barricade.
Soldiers extended their blockades around the protest site at dawn Wednesday and used loudspeakers to tell all people to return to their homes. Smoke billowed above the city skyline as a government building was on fire in another part of Bangkok.
At least 39 people have been killed and more than 300 people wounded in seven days of clashes in Bangkok between the protesters and troops. All but one of those killed are civilians who were shot.
Hundreds of troops and police, many armed with M-16 assault rifles, were seen in nearby streets and alleys Wednesday morning.
Three armored personnel carriers were parked in front of the upscale Dusit Thani hotel, across the street from the southern edge of the barricade.
Their machine gun mountain turrets pointed toward the barricade wall of tires and bamboo sticks, and troops crouched behind the vehicles.
Wednesday's troop movement came after Abhisit rejected protesters' unconditional offer to negotiate May 18 and insisted there would be no talks until the dwindling anti-government movement abandoned its encampment in Rajprasong, a ritzy area of central Bangkok."
From the looks of things May 19-20, it appears that a bloodbath is about to take place on the streets of Bangkok.
The operation pits slingshots against military troops heavily armed.
~ The Cardinal Crisis in Thailand ~
Murder By Military on the Streets of Bangkok
From the looks of global transits over Bangkok, Thailand, it is apparent much bloodshed continues to take place.
Thai military troops have reportedly attacked the "Red Shirt" protest camp in downtown Bangkok May 19 after the Thai government rejected talks to end the crisis.
The military operation began before dawn Wednesday with hundreds of police and soldiers moving toward the Rajaprasong protest camp where Red Shirt protesters defiantly set fires behind their barricades.
As the operations started, the Thai government claimed that the army has been "successful in its initial push to clear a protest zone" in central Bangkok.
Thai Government spokesman Panitan Wattanayagorn claimed protest leaders fled the area.
But one of the leaders, Nattawut Saikua, appeared on stage in the protest zone several minutes before Panitan spoke and said he has not fled. Other leaders were reported to be also in the protest zone giving defiant speeches and singing on a stage, as military troops neared.
Channel 9 television station reported that Nattawut and two leaders were still in the protest zone as of Wednesday, May 19th.
Panitan said "our security operation to secure the (protest zone) around Bangkok has been successful."
Thai military troops have reportedly attacked the "Red Shirt" protest camp in downtown Bangkok May 19 after the Thai government rejected talks to end the crisis.
The military operation began before dawn Wednesday with hundreds of police and soldiers moving toward the Rajaprasong protest camp where Red Shirt protesters defiantly set fires behind their barricades.
As the operations started, the Thai government claimed that the army has been "successful in its initial push to clear a protest zone" in central Bangkok.
Thai Government spokesman Panitan Wattanayagorn claimed protest leaders fled the area.
But one of the leaders, Nattawut Saikua, appeared on stage in the protest zone several minutes before Panitan spoke and said he has not fled. Other leaders were reported to be also in the protest zone giving defiant speeches and singing on a stage, as military troops neared.
Channel 9 television station reported that Nattawut and two leaders were still in the protest zone as of Wednesday, May 19th.
Panitan said "our security operation to secure the (protest zone) around Bangkok has been successful."
"This is D-Day," answered a Thai soldier to a reporter who asked if this was the Thai military's final push to clear the protest zone in Bangkok. Troops fired M-16 rifles at the scared protesters and shouted, "Come out and surrender or we'll kill you."
An Associated Press reporter who followed Thai military troops into the protest camp area witnessed the bodies of two men sprawled on the ground, one with a head wound and other apparently shot in the upper body.
They were the first known casualties in May 19th's assault that began before dawn Wednesday in downtown Bangkok.
The bloodied hand of a dead protester is seen through a red cloth Wednesday, May 19, 2010, in Lumpini Park near downtown Bangkok, Thailand. The body was left at a protest site attacked by the Thai military where some of the most intense nightly gunfire has occurred.
Credit: Sakcahi Lalit/AP
Marching through Bangkok streets, protesters continue to say they seek fresh democratic elections and call for the resignation of the Thai prime minister as well as bringing to justice those who have shot and killed civilians on the streets of Bangkok.
Pleading for Help: Red Shirt" leader Weng Tojirakarn, center, receives medical supplies and food from the Red Cross for anti-government protesters in Bangkok. AP Photo/Wong Maye-E
Since March, Thai demonstrators calling for new democratic elections have occupied much of central Bangkok demanding the resignation Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva.
On May 19, 20, and 21, transits over Bangkok show the transiting Moon about to conjoin Mars in Leo, and then Saturn by Sunday, May 23. Thick black smoke from mountains of burning tires darkened skies Wednesday.
The burning stench billowed over the skyscrapers of Bangkok, a metropolis of 10 million people, with the eerie sounds of machine gunfire, military vehicles and troops pouring into downtown Bangkok.
The burning stench billowed over the skyscrapers of Bangkok, a metropolis of 10 million people, with the eerie sounds of machine gunfire, military vehicles and troops pouring into downtown Bangkok.
Along with the current Saturn/Uranus opposition, and the coming Cardinal T-Square transits, the transits of this week are powerful, fueled by haste, and impulse. Things are about to get very out of hand if international diplomacy is not accepted by the Thai government.
I continue to forecast that this is just the beginning, and that this response has only made things that much worse to come in the near future.
Amid the violent international news was this surprise coming out of Germany today which is sure to shake up the markets May 19.
~ Bloomberg ~
Germany to Ban Naked Short-Selling at Midnight
by Alan Crawford
May 19, 2010 -- "Germany will temporarily ban naked short selling and naked credit-default swaps of Euro-area government bonds at midnight after politicians blamed the practice for exacerbating the European debt crisis.
The ban will also apply to naked short selling in shares of 10 banks and insurers that will last until March 31, 2011, German financial regulator BaFin said today in an e-mailed statement.
The step was needed because of “exceptional volatility” in Euro-area bonds, the regulator said.
The move came as Chancellor Angela Merkel’s coalition seeks to build momentum on
financial market regulation with lower house lawmakers due to begin debating a bill tomorrow authorizing Germany’s contribution to a $1 trillion bailout plan to backstop the euro.
U.S. stocks fell and the Euro dropped to $1.2231, the lowest level since April 18, 2006, after the announcement.
“You cannot imagine what broke lose here after BaFin’s announcement!,” Johan Kindermann, a capital markets lawyer at Simmons & Simmons in Frankfurt, said in an interview.
This will lead to an uproar in the markets tomorrow," he said. "Short sellers will now, even [early] tonight [May 19] try to close their positions at markets where they can still do so - if they find any possibilities left at all now."
Merkel & Sarkozy
Fighting Back Against Treacherous Speculators?
Merkel and French President Nicolas Sarkozy have called for curbs on speculating with sovereign credit-default swaps. European Union Financial Services Commissioner Michel Barnier this week called for stricter disclosure requirements on the transactions.
Allianz SE, Deutsche Bank AG, Commerzbank AG, Deutsche Boerse AG, Deutsche Postbank AG, Muenchener Rueckversicherungs AG, Hannover Rueckversicherungs AG, Generali Deutschland Holding AG, MLP AG and Aareal Bank AG are covered by the short-selling ban.
“Massive” short-selling was leading to excessive price movements which “could endanger the stability of the entire financial system,” BaFin said in the statement.
The European Union last month proposed that the Financial Stability Board, the group set up by the Group of 20 nations to monitor global financial trends, should "closely examine the role" of CDS on sovereign bond spreads. Merkel said earlier today that she will press the Group of 20 to bring in a financial transactions tax.
Merkel’s ‘Battle’
In some ways, it's a battle of the politicians against the markets and I'm determined to win," said German Chancellor Angela Merkel on May 6th, during meetings in Brussels over the European Debt Crisis. "The speculators are our adversaries," she said angrily.
Germany, along with the United States and other EU nations, banned short selling of banks and insurance company shares at the height of the global financial crisis in 2008.
The country still has rules requiring disclosure of net short positions of 0.2 percent or more of outstanding shares of 10 separate companies.
The disclosure of the rules drew criticism from lawyers who said that they should have been announced well ahead of time.
“The way it’s been announced is very irresponsible, and it’s sent many market participants into panic mode,” said Darren Fox, a regulator lawyer who advises hedge funds at Simmons & Simmons in London.
“We thought regulators had learned their lessons from September 2008. Where is the market emergency that necessitates the introduction of an overnight ban?”
Short-selling is when hedge funds and other investors borrow shares they don’t own and sell them in the hope their price will go down. If it does, they buy back the shares at the lower price, return them to their owner and pocket the difference.
Credit-default swaps are derivatives that pay the buyer face value if a borrower -- a country or a company -- defaults. In exchange, the swap seller gets the underlying securities or the cash equivalent.
Traders in naked credit-default swaps buy insurance on bonds they don’t own.
A basis point on a credit-default swap contract protecting $10 million of debt from default for five years is equivalent to $1,000 a year."
Global stock markets are expected to be very active May 19th in light of the strong moves by Germany.
The entire Greek population is set to stage a 24-hour nationwide strike on May 20, the second major protest against tough austerity measures that was pledged by the Greek government in exchange for billions of Euros in aid.
Meanwhile, today, May 19, Greece will have to tap emergency loans from the European Union to repay 8.5 billion Euros ($10.5 billion) of 10-year bonds.
On May 18, Greece received a much needed EU support to help it meet the debt deadline as it braced for new strikes against austerity measures this week.
"The sum of 14.5 billion euros has been released by the European Commission," the Greek finance ministry said in a statement.
"These funds cover Greece's immediate and short-term loan requirements and obligations," the ministry said, adding that 10 Euro zone members contributed bilateral loans.
The money comes from mostly from Germany and France but it arrives just a day before Greece must pay nine billion Euros on a their maturing 10-year government bond.
This is the debt which threatened the EU's first default and left Greece virtually cut off from financial markets.
Holders of the securities say they will be relieved to get paid but that it would take time before investors would be willing to take the risk of buying Greek bonds that extend beyond the three-year international rescue plan.
Writing about "The Vicious Circle of Debt and Depression - it is a Class War"
Ismael Hossein-zadeh says, "While the debt crises of the weaker European economies such as Greece, Latvia, Lithuania, Spain, Portugal and Ireland have reached critical stages of sustainability, the relatively stronger economies of Germany, France, and the UK are also in danger of debt and deficit crises.
Indeed, according to a recent IMF estimate, even in the more advanced economies of Europe the debt-to-GDP ratio will soon rise to an average of 100 percent."
I continue to forecast that this is just the beginning, and that this response has only made things that much worse to come in the near future.
Germany Bans Short Selling?
Amid the violent international news was this surprise coming out of Germany today which is sure to shake up the markets May 19.
~ Bloomberg ~
Germany to Ban Naked Short-Selling at Midnight
by Alan Crawford
May 19, 2010 -- "Germany will temporarily ban naked short selling and naked credit-default swaps of Euro-area government bonds at midnight after politicians blamed the practice for exacerbating the European debt crisis.
The ban will also apply to naked short selling in shares of 10 banks and insurers that will last until March 31, 2011, German financial regulator BaFin said today in an e-mailed statement.
The step was needed because of “exceptional volatility” in Euro-area bonds, the regulator said.
The move came as Chancellor Angela Merkel’s coalition seeks to build momentum on
financial market regulation with lower house lawmakers due to begin debating a bill tomorrow authorizing Germany’s contribution to a $1 trillion bailout plan to backstop the euro.
U.S. stocks fell and the Euro dropped to $1.2231, the lowest level since April 18, 2006, after the announcement.
“You cannot imagine what broke lose here after BaFin’s announcement!,” Johan Kindermann, a capital markets lawyer at Simmons & Simmons in Frankfurt, said in an interview.
This will lead to an uproar in the markets tomorrow," he said. "Short sellers will now, even [early] tonight [May 19] try to close their positions at markets where they can still do so - if they find any possibilities left at all now."
Fighting Back Against Treacherous Speculators?
Merkel and French President Nicolas Sarkozy have called for curbs on speculating with sovereign credit-default swaps. European Union Financial Services Commissioner Michel Barnier this week called for stricter disclosure requirements on the transactions.
Allianz SE, Deutsche Bank AG, Commerzbank AG, Deutsche Boerse AG, Deutsche Postbank AG, Muenchener Rueckversicherungs AG, Hannover Rueckversicherungs AG, Generali Deutschland Holding AG, MLP AG and Aareal Bank AG are covered by the short-selling ban.
“Massive” short-selling was leading to excessive price movements which “could endanger the stability of the entire financial system,” BaFin said in the statement.
The European Union last month proposed that the Financial Stability Board, the group set up by the Group of 20 nations to monitor global financial trends, should "closely examine the role" of CDS on sovereign bond spreads. Merkel said earlier today that she will press the Group of 20 to bring in a financial transactions tax.
Merkel’s ‘Battle’
Germany, along with the United States and other EU nations, banned short selling of banks and insurance company shares at the height of the global financial crisis in 2008.
The country still has rules requiring disclosure of net short positions of 0.2 percent or more of outstanding shares of 10 separate companies.
The disclosure of the rules drew criticism from lawyers who said that they should have been announced well ahead of time.
“The way it’s been announced is very irresponsible, and it’s sent many market participants into panic mode,” said Darren Fox, a regulator lawyer who advises hedge funds at Simmons & Simmons in London.
“We thought regulators had learned their lessons from September 2008. Where is the market emergency that necessitates the introduction of an overnight ban?”
Short-selling is when hedge funds and other investors borrow shares they don’t own and sell them in the hope their price will go down. If it does, they buy back the shares at the lower price, return them to their owner and pocket the difference.
Credit-default swaps are derivatives that pay the buyer face value if a borrower -- a country or a company -- defaults. In exchange, the swap seller gets the underlying securities or the cash equivalent.
Traders in naked credit-default swaps buy insurance on bonds they don’t own.
A basis point on a credit-default swap contract protecting $10 million of debt from default for five years is equivalent to $1,000 a year."
Global stock markets are expected to be very active May 19th in light of the strong moves by Germany.
The Germans are very serious it appears: "To some degree this is a battle between the politicians and the markets," Merkel said in a recent speech in Berlin.
"But I am firmly resolved -- and I think all of my colleagues are too -- to win this battle....The fact that hedge funds are not regulated is a scandal," she said.She added that Britain had blocked previous efforts to do this. "However, this will certainly have taken place in Europe in three weeks," she said with steely eyes May 6 without giving more details.
This May 6th report from the British Telegraph said: "German Chancellor Angela Merkel accused the financial industry of playing dirty.
'First the banks failed, forcing states to carry out rescue operations," she said.
'They plunged the global economy over the precipice and we had to launch recovery packages, which increased our debts, and now they are speculating against these debts.
That is very treacherous,' Merkel said. 'Governments must regain supremacy. It is a fight against the markets, and I am determined to win this fight.'"Greek Strikes Ahead
The entire Greek population is set to stage a 24-hour nationwide strike on May 20, the second major protest against tough austerity measures that was pledged by the Greek government in exchange for billions of Euros in aid.
Meanwhile, today, May 19, Greece will have to tap emergency loans from the European Union to repay 8.5 billion Euros ($10.5 billion) of 10-year bonds.
On May 18, Greece received a much needed EU support to help it meet the debt deadline as it braced for new strikes against austerity measures this week.
"The sum of 14.5 billion euros has been released by the European Commission," the Greek finance ministry said in a statement.
"These funds cover Greece's immediate and short-term loan requirements and obligations," the ministry said, adding that 10 Euro zone members contributed bilateral loans.
The money comes from mostly from Germany and France but it arrives just a day before Greece must pay nine billion Euros on a their maturing 10-year government bond.
This is the debt which threatened the EU's first default and left Greece virtually cut off from financial markets.
Holders of the securities say they will be relieved to get paid but that it would take time before investors would be willing to take the risk of buying Greek bonds that extend beyond the three-year international rescue plan.
Writing about "The Vicious Circle of Debt and Depression - it is a Class War"
Ismael Hossein-zadeh says, "While the debt crises of the weaker European economies such as Greece, Latvia, Lithuania, Spain, Portugal and Ireland have reached critical stages of sustainability, the relatively stronger economies of Germany, France, and the UK are also in danger of debt and deficit crises.
Indeed, according to a recent IMF estimate, even in the more advanced economies of Europe the debt-to-GDP ratio will soon rise to an average of 100 percent."
The Battle of Bangkok
Murder, Mayhem & Death by Military HandA Canadian journalist is in hospital recovering from serious injuries after being shot three times during a clash between Thai protesters and troops in Bangkok.
Credit: Adrees Latif, Reuters
Rand, based in Bangkok, is one of the network's two Thailand correspondents.
In his last report before being shot, Rand spoke to France 24 by telephone from Bangkok and described a "chaotic" scene at one of the smaller protest areas occupied by the Red Shirt protesters.
"The soldiers have been trying to clear the avenue for about 45 minutes now," Rand said. "They've been firing tear gas. The protesters have been moving back!"
The 34-year-old Rand, from Calgary, Canada was seriously wounded after he was struck by three bullets in his leg, abdomen and wrist May 14 while reporting on the protests.
His mother Barbara Rand said her son doesn’t know who got him to safety after the shooting, but told his parents by phone, “whoever did saved my life.”
Barbara & Serge Rand pose for a photograph at their home in Calgary, Canada on Saturday, May 15. They hold a photo of their son Nelson Rand who was shot three times by the Thai military in Bangkok.
Credit: LYLE ASPINALL/QMI Agency
Credit: LYLE ASPINALL/QMI Agency
“He’s been in more dangerous situations than this,” his mother said. “One of his comments was, ‘I’m glad I wasn’t in the Burmese jungle when this happened or I wouldn’t be here today.’”
Canada's Foreign Affairs advised all Canadians against non-essential travel to and within Bangkok because of the political demonstrations and stronger warnings — telling citizens to avoid all travel — have been issued for other parts of Thailand.
The department’s website calls the situation in the capital city, “very volatile with significant potential for further civil unrest, violent clashes and attacks.”
Canadians already in the city are being told to exercise extreme caution, monitor local media closely and stay inside if violence erupts. “We want to get on the first plane we can to get over there, but we’ve been told by Ottawa we shouldn’t go at this point. We want to see him,” she said.
France 24's Cyril Payen, who was at the scene of the clashes in Bangkok, reported that the army was the only side firing.
Thailand's Erawan Medical Center said that six people were killed and 101 were injured during the street clashes in central Bangkok on Friday, May 14. Two Thai journalists were also shot in Friday's clashes with no reports yet on their conditions.
An Associated Press photographer said he has seen three foreign journalists shot during the army operation in Bangkok, and one of them appears dead.
The photographer saw the three at a hospital Wednesday, May 19th, a few hours after the crackdown began to clear the protest site in central Bangkok.
One journalist was an Italian photographer shot in the chest. His eyes were rolled back and he showed no signs of life.
A Dutch journalist walked into the hospital with a bullet wound in his shoulder.
The third journalist was a 53-year-old American documentary filmmaker who was treated after being shot in the leg.
The photographer also saw at least seven Thais brought to a hospital. It was not clear if they were dead or unconscious.
The Red Shirts have been protesting in Bangkok's streets for nearly six weeks. Clashes between the protesters and the army have become increasingly violent.
Major General Khattiya Sawasdipol, who sided with protesters, was shot in the head during an interview with the New York Times on the evening of May 13.
The tense standoff was raised to another level with his death. "I learned that he died this morning [May 17]," said an an official with Bangkok's emergency medical center.
At 58 years of age, the Thai major-general who supported the Red Shirt protesters, also known as "Seh Daeng, was shot in the head by a military sniper on during a live interview with the New York Times near the area where thousands of protesters had been encamped for weeks.
The assassination of Seh Daeng upped the stakes in Thailand. Supporters who earlier were willing to negotiate with the current Thai government have now vowed never to forget the killing of the beloved general who supported their cause.
The outspoken general was in intensive care since the May 13th shooting, which coincided with the exact start of the Thai government efforts to seal off the Red Shirts' protest site by cutting power, blocking roads and allowing military snipers to fire into the streets below from high-rise buildings and luxury hotels.
Shot during media interview: Major General Khattiva Sawasdipol moments after he was shot by a military sniper during an interview with the New York Times on May 13.
As part of their operation, the Thai army warned it would deploy snipers in downtown Bangkok, but denied shooting and killing the general.
Supporters of Thai Maj. Gen. Khattiya Sawasdiphol pay last respects at his funeral Monday, May 17, 2010, in Bangkok. Gen. Khattiya, the military strategist of the Red Shirts, succumbed Monday to a gunshot wound from a sniper attack last week. Red Shirts offered peace talks to end raging street battles in Bangkok but was rejected by the Thai government. Credit: AP Photo: Vincent Yu
In the three days since his shooting, many more civilians have been shot by Thai military snipers, and it is reported that one member of the military has also died in clashes that erupted between Red Shirts and troops on the fringes of the demonstrators' camp.
Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva accused the now assassinated Major-General Seh Daeng - who was suspended from duty in January - of trying to prevent an end to the demonstrations.
But the major-general, a high-profile Red Shirt supporter, had been able to wander freely in and out of the demonstrators' encampment and meet with journalists despite being "wanted" by the Thai government.
Authorities accused Seh Daeng of involvement in a series of what they say were "unexplained attacks" in Bangkok.
Sah Daeng he said he was not involved, and spent his time inspecting the barricades of fuel-soaked tires, bamboo poles and razor wire that he had ordered erected to protect the protest zone.
Key Red Shirt leader Jatuporn Prompan announced Seh Daeng's death on stage at the demonstration site, where thousands of protesters stood in tearful homage.
'Although he was a general of the army he fought for democracy with us,'" Jatuporn told protesters."
It still remains unclear which Thai military snipers shot and killed the general.
"Hundreds of mourners turned out for the funeral on Monday of a renegade general allied with "Red Shirt" protesters who was shot dead last week, in a ceremony that mingled cheers, tears and rage.
Major-General Khattiya Sawasdipol, known as Seh Daeng, or "Commander Red", was shot in the head on Thursday night during an interview with a foreign reporter near to where thousands of anti-government protesters have been camped for weeks.
"I loved Seh Daeng. He was fair and just," said a mourner named Panitha at the traditional Buddhist funeral, paid for by the royal family, at a pagoda in Bangkok's historic district, hours after his death in hospital aged 58.
The crowd cheered the arrival of their slain hero, dressed in his trademark camouflage jungle hat, then began weeping as the service commenced.
The mood later turned to rage as mourners tore apart bouquets sent by the Thai military command and a pro-establishment television station.
The outspoken general had been in intensive care after the shooting, which coincided with the start of a government effort to seal off the Red Shirts' protest site by cutting power and blocking roads.
As part of the operation, the army had warned it would deploy snipers. However the military denied shooting the general and it remains unclear who shot him.
In the three days since his shooting, 34 civilians and one member of the military have died in clashes between Red Shirts and troops on the fringes of the demonstrators' camp.
Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva had accused Seh Daeng -- who was suspended from duty in January -- of trying to prevent an end to the demonstrations."
At 58 years of age, the Thai major-general who supported the Red Shirt protesters, also known as "Seh Daeng, was shot in the head by a military sniper on during a live interview with the New York Times near the area where thousands of protesters had been encamped for weeks.
The outspoken general was in intensive care since the May 13th shooting, which coincided with the exact start of the Thai government efforts to seal off the Red Shirts' protest site by cutting power, blocking roads and allowing military snipers to fire into the streets below from high-rise buildings and luxury hotels.
Shot during media interview: Major General Khattiva Sawasdipol moments after he was shot by a military sniper during an interview with the New York Times on May 13.
As part of their operation, the Thai army warned it would deploy snipers in downtown Bangkok, but denied shooting and killing the general.
In the three days since his shooting, many more civilians have been shot by Thai military snipers, and it is reported that one member of the military has also died in clashes that erupted between Red Shirts and troops on the fringes of the demonstrators' camp.
But the major-general, a high-profile Red Shirt supporter, had been able to wander freely in and out of the demonstrators' encampment and meet with journalists despite being "wanted" by the Thai government.
Authorities accused Seh Daeng of involvement in a series of what they say were "unexplained attacks" in Bangkok.
Sah Daeng he said he was not involved, and spent his time inspecting the barricades of fuel-soaked tires, bamboo poles and razor wire that he had ordered erected to protect the protest zone.
Key Red Shirt leader Jatuporn Prompan announced Seh Daeng's death on stage at the demonstration site, where thousands of protesters stood in tearful homage.
'Although he was a general of the army he fought for democracy with us,'" Jatuporn told protesters."
It still remains unclear which Thai military snipers shot and killed the general.
~ Agence-Press France Reports May 17 ~
"Hundreds of mourners turned out for the funeral on Monday of a renegade general allied with "Red Shirt" protesters who was shot dead last week, in a ceremony that mingled cheers, tears and rage.
Major-General Khattiya Sawasdipol, known as Seh Daeng, or "Commander Red", was shot in the head on Thursday night during an interview with a foreign reporter near to where thousands of anti-government protesters have been camped for weeks.
"I loved Seh Daeng. He was fair and just," said a mourner named Panitha at the traditional Buddhist funeral, paid for by the royal family, at a pagoda in Bangkok's historic district, hours after his death in hospital aged 58.
The crowd cheered the arrival of their slain hero, dressed in his trademark camouflage jungle hat, then began weeping as the service commenced.
The mood later turned to rage as mourners tore apart bouquets sent by the Thai military command and a pro-establishment television station.
The outspoken general had been in intensive care after the shooting, which coincided with the start of a government effort to seal off the Red Shirts' protest site by cutting power and blocking roads.
As part of the operation, the army had warned it would deploy snipers. However the military denied shooting the general and it remains unclear who shot him.
In the three days since his shooting, 34 civilians and one member of the military have died in clashes between Red Shirts and troops on the fringes of the demonstrators' camp.
Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva had accused Seh Daeng -- who was suspended from duty in January -- of trying to prevent an end to the demonstrations."
The British Telegraph Reports May 18 the situation is beginning to look very bad ~
BANGKOK-- "A leader of the Red Shirted protesters called on supporters to fight the army, saying he feared an imminent offensive on their protest site occupied by thousands in the heart of Bangkok's commercial district for more than six weeks.
Protest guards were seen pouring kerosene over a 10ft high wall that forms one of their main barricades as troops and armored personnel carriers were seen nearby on Silom Road in Bangkok's business district.
Photo: Wong Maye-E/AP
About 3,000 of the mostly rural and urban poor protestors, who broadly support former premier Thaksin Shinawatra, remain in the encampment in Bangkok's high-end shopping, hotel and diplomatic district, refusing to leave.
They accuse the British-born, Oxford-educated Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva of lacking a popular mandate after coming to power in a controversial parliamentary vote in 2008 with tacit backing from the military, and have demanded immediate elections.
Troops have thrown a cordon around the protest site, a "tent city" at the Rachaprasong intersection, paralysing the heart of Bangkok. Hundreds of women and children have taken refuge in a temple inside the protest area.
The Red Shirts have stockpiled plenty of food, water, and supplies in their encampment since Thursday when troops began an operation to isolate them, sparking several days of street fighting that has killed 39 people and wounded nearly 300 in Thailand's deadliest political violence in 18 years."
~ Early Wednesday, May 19, Associated Press reported ~
BANGKOK – "Thai troops and armored vehicles converged early Wednesday around the barricaded encampment of anti-government protesters in downtown Bangkok and opened fire in what appears to be a final crackdown to disperse them."This is D-Day," said one soldier when asked if this was the final push to clear the protest zone. The demonstrators have occupied much of central Bangkok since mid-April to demand the resignation of Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva; the dissolution of Parliament and immediate elections.
Associated Press reporters saw the troops firing automatic rifles from an overpass overlooking the encampment Wednesday morning. Minutes later a massive cloud of black smoke rose from a building nearby.
Groups of soldiers fired from crouching position on the tracks from the elevated tracks of a light rail system that runs over the encampment.
An army commander said some Red Shirt protesters were about 200 yards (meters) inside the barricade.
Soldiers extended their blockades around the protest site at dawn Wednesday and used loudspeakers to tell all people to return to their homes. Smoke billowed above the city skyline as a government building was on fire in another part of Bangkok.
At least 39 people have been killed and more than 300 people wounded in seven days of clashes in Bangkok between the protesters and troops. All but one of those killed are civilians who were shot.
Hundreds of troops and police, many armed with M-16 assault rifles, were seen in nearby streets and alleys Wednesday morning.
Three armored personnel carriers were parked in front of the upscale Dusit Thani hotel, across the street from the southern edge of the barricade.
Their machine gun mountain turrets pointed toward the barricade wall of tires and bamboo sticks, and troops crouched behind the vehicles.
Wednesday's troop movement came after Abhisit rejected protesters' unconditional offer to negotiate May 18 and insisted there would be no talks until the dwindling anti-government movement abandoned its encampment in Rajprasong, a ritzy area of central Bangkok."
From the looks of things May 19-20, it appears that a bloodbath is about to take place on the streets of Bangkok.
The operation pits slingshots against military troops heavily armed.
~ The Cardinal Crisis in Thailand ~
Murder By Military on the Streets of Bangkok
May 2010
By Theodore White; Mundane Astrolog.S
Urban Warfare: A heroic Thai Red Cross Medic dashes down a city street to avoid military gunfire in downtown Bangkok May 15. People are reported dead with unknown numbers injured by military weapon fire. Thailanders issue distress calls to the United Nations and international community amid their demands for democratic elections and the resignation of Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, who has vowed to use the military against his own citizens. Two rescue medical workers have already been killed. It is not known if the young man in the photo above is one of them.
Once again, I am sad to report that the global transits continue to show the strong inclinations of the Cardinal T-Square Transits.
Once again, I am sad to report that the global transits continue to show the strong inclinations of the Cardinal T-Square Transits.
This next installment of the Cardinal T-Square Crisis features Southeast Asia, and the nation of Thailand, which, according to some accounts, is now on the verge of civil war.
Here is the latest as of late Sunday night, May 16th from the BBC.
This post contains disturbing images out of Thailand, so if you are not able to stomach the scenes then please do not view them.
Here is the latest as of late Sunday night, May 16th from the BBC.
This post contains disturbing images out of Thailand, so if you are not able to stomach the scenes then please do not view them.
What is going on? I keep hearing this from nearly everyone these days. From economic crisis in the world, to social unrest, Wall Street intrigues, and international tensions from the weight of the global economic crisis ~ people are ticked off and hitting the streets in droves.
The fourth Saturn/Uranus opposition began April 26, and is now active. The fifth, and last opposition of both planets relative to the Earth is July 26. This last opposition is on the Aries/Libra axis, where the previous four were on the Pisces/Virgo axis.
The fifth opposition is part of the Cardinal T-Square configuration this summer in the northern hemisphere.
This is also a strong seismic month, and I expect another large magnitude earthquake to occur as well. I would urge ministers and their governments to tone things down, or the entire world will get very upset.
These are not world transits to take lightly, and they can have far-reaching consequences not expected by even the most experienced policymaker.
I urge caution, wisdom, and prudence. The international community is going to have step up on this one, or things are about to get way out of hand.
If some have been worried about Greece sparking off things globally, you haven't been paying attention to Thailand.
If some have been worried about Greece sparking off things globally, you haven't been paying attention to Thailand.
So, if any of you so-called "leaders" out there reading this. Please, lead, and wisely?
The fifth opposition is part of the Cardinal T-Square of June, July & August holds great cardinal energies and inclinations showing disastrous events all based on opposing forces: the "old" and "outworn" stubbornly refusal to give way against the demands of the "new" who call for fresh change.
These, and other nations continue to see unrest, so, at this time in history, it is time for those who are wise, prudent and who believe in fairness to step forward for the benefit of serving justice, and common humanity.
These are surely heady times, and I continue to say that true leaders always step up to the plate when things need calming down. This year is one of those times.
Would love to see more strong diplomatic effort out there. This is the time to shine, isn't it? That's what we get paid for, yes?
These, and other nations continue to see unrest, so, at this time in history, it is time for those who are wise, prudent and who believe in fairness to step forward for the benefit of serving justice, and common humanity.
These are surely heady times, and I continue to say that true leaders always step up to the plate when things need calming down. This year is one of those times.
Would love to see more strong diplomatic effort out there. This is the time to shine, isn't it? That's what we get paid for, yes?
One region of the world of civil unrest I've been watching for some time is in the nation of Thailand.
Latest reports are not favorable, nor are the global transits. Some say Thailand is on the verge of revolution.
Latest reports are not favorable, nor are the global transits. Some say Thailand is on the verge of revolution.
The hard-line of the Thai prime minister and the fractured Thai military shows outside influences, particularly from Burma, inside the Thai government, and elsewhere. What these guys don't get are the transits. They "think" they are getting one thing, to reach their self-interested and evil goals, but, world transits gives them something else quite entirely.
That's why I love & fear the Immortal God and why I'm on the winning team. Momma did not raise a fool.
Would you believe Burmese generals actually try to read astrological transits and run their government with their ephemeris? Yes, it is true. They are real spooky about it. Weird like. The problem is that they only see what they want to see.
That's big no no in mundane astrology. Just see what's there. No projections from thyself, thank you very much.
All they have to do is to read the signs in the heavens. Correct interpretation is one thing. Confusing matters with one's own ideology, no good self-interest, greed, corruption and sensitive personal sensibilities is quite another.
I tell you the truth: The Immortal God sees, hears, and knows all that you do. Just whom do you think regulates the global transits?
Here's a flash from the past and a prophecy. The year, 1983 - David Bowie in Bangkok seeing a spiritual man who can cleanse him. This is 27 years ago.
Anyhow, I digress. It is apparent the Thai military is not wholly united, and some Thai soldiers have joined forces with their own people against a government they say is illegitimate, and murderous. Thai civilians who are called the "Red Shirters" are the majority of average everyday Thai folks calling for democratic elections.
They are young, male, female, old, poor, and fed up with how they are treated. They want fresh, free elections. Why shoot and kill your own people if you are indeed a democratic nation?
That's why I love & fear the Immortal God and why I'm on the winning team. Momma did not raise a fool.
Would you believe Burmese generals actually try to read astrological transits and run their government with their ephemeris? Yes, it is true. They are real spooky about it. Weird like. The problem is that they only see what they want to see.
That's big no no in mundane astrology. Just see what's there. No projections from thyself, thank you very much.
All they have to do is to read the signs in the heavens. Correct interpretation is one thing. Confusing matters with one's own ideology, no good self-interest, greed, corruption and sensitive personal sensibilities is quite another.
I tell you the truth: The Immortal God sees, hears, and knows all that you do. Just whom do you think regulates the global transits?
Here's a flash from the past and a prophecy. The year, 1983 - David Bowie in Bangkok seeing a spiritual man who can cleanse him. This is 27 years ago.
Anyhow, I digress. It is apparent the Thai military is not wholly united, and some Thai soldiers have joined forces with their own people against a government they say is illegitimate, and murderous. Thai civilians who are called the "Red Shirters" are the majority of average everyday Thai folks calling for democratic elections.
They are young, male, female, old, poor, and fed up with how they are treated. They want fresh, free elections. Why shoot and kill your own people if you are indeed a democratic nation?
World transits show today, Sunday, May 16, and Monday, May 17, are significant days astrologically where should diplomacy fail, then there could easily be further and much more innocent bloodshed should the international community not step up. This week is also important for the markets.
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton shakes hands with Thailand's Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva at Government House in Bangkok July 21, 2009. photograph: REUTERS/Sakchai Lalit/Pool
I am rooting for Hillary Clinton. Let's give her all the support our Secretary of State needs in these times and this Thailand crisis. May our prayers also be with President Barack Obama as he faces the international and global challenges.
We are all certain the White House and State Department both step up to the plate and get the United Nations off its duff, shall we?
Each day where this situation is not resolved, is a day closer to the powerful cardinal inclinations of June, July & August.
However, I do not think it will be that long before this all gets out of hand. It has already started...
I am rooting for Hillary Clinton. Let's give her all the support our Secretary of State needs in these times and this Thailand crisis. May our prayers also be with President Barack Obama as he faces the international and global challenges.
We are all certain the White House and State Department both step up to the plate and get the United Nations off its duff, shall we?
Each day where this situation is not resolved, is a day closer to the powerful cardinal inclinations of June, July & August.
However, I do not think it will be that long before this all gets out of hand. It has already started...
Slingshots & Swords: Red Shirts battle it out with the Thai Military on the city streets of Bangkok, Thailand.
One of the reasons why I forecasted last year that travel is unfavorable in 2010-2011 is because of the Saturn/Uranus opposition, as well as the square to Pluto in tropical Capricorn.
The configurations of the outer planets are transpersonal, in that they affect millions of people worldwide who may never have imagined they would be caught up in popular rebellions, or being on the scene of a potential break out of civil war.
The Cardinal T-Square Transits are fueled by pent-up anger over months and years which demand change. The forces that resist change or negotiation therefore are forcing clashes and conflict.
This is not a wise strategy with the global Cardinal Crisis transits.
The situation in Thailand is unstable, much like that of Greece, and other regions, and, as world transits creep towards the Cardinal transits of summer. I continue to forecast that it is wise to stay close to home this summer as travel is unfavorable overall ~ especially overseas.
But if "overseas" is your home, what to do?
The Cardinal transits show event looking to get worse if international diplomacy and common sense does not prevail ~ because it is obviously not calm out there people.
But if "overseas" is your home, what to do?
The Cardinal transits show event looking to get worse if international diplomacy and common sense does not prevail ~ because it is obviously not calm out there people.
"The current situation is almost full civil war," said one of the Thai protest leaders, Jatuporn Prompan.
"I am not sure how this conflict will end. "
In the Red Zone: Calling themselves freedom fighters, the "Red Shirts" of Thailand along with tens of thousands of Thai citizens camping out through sit-ins in Bangkok's central Shopping District stand off with calls for democratic elections.
The Bangkok Post reports May 16 that ~
"Various groups are looking for an external hand like the United Nations (UN) to do something in light of the continuing crackdown against the red-shirt anti-government protesters.
Some 40 students and labor activists will file an appeal letter to the UN office in Bangkok tomorrow morning as the UN secretary-general has issued a statement of concern over the deteriorating situation in Thailand.
Student’s Federation of Thailand member Suluck Lamubol said a number of young people from various youth groups and a group of Tri-Arm (laid-off workers from lingerie-producing Triumph Company) would seek the UN assistance in resolving Thailand’s crisis.
Ms Suluck, one of the three SFT members who were called by the Centre for the Resolution of the Emergency Situation (CRES) on May 2 for questioning about the alleged plot against the monarchy, said students would call for the UN rapporteur and international community to condemn the Abhisit government and push international pressure to stop all violence and serious damages executed by the ruling administration.
United Nations Secretary general Ban Ki Moon issued his second statement this morning (BKK time) since April 22 violence, calling for both protesters and the government to avert bloodshed and resume talks.
Meanwhile, the Asian Centre for Human Rights (ACHR) also called on the government to immediately stop the military operations against the protesters, return to negotiation table with the Red shirt protesters and establish accountability for the indiscriminate killings of the civilian protesters.
It said in its statement May 16 that more than two dozen red-shirt protesters have been killed and 600 red-clad protesters were injured by the Thai military since May 14 this year.
The New Delhi-based ACHR also released the photos of dead bodies lying on the Ratchaprarob street and the names of the 16 victims ~
1. Mr.Innphang Teatwong Age 32 (Kluaynamthai Hospital)
2. Mr.Sanae Ninlearng (Kluaynamthai Hospital)
3. Mr.Piyaphong Kitiwong (Police Hospital)
4. Mr.Prajuab Siraphan (Police Hospital)
5. Mr.Somsak Silarak (Police Hospital)
6. Miss Santhana Sappasri (Phyathai1 Hospital)
7. Mr.Chaiyan Wannajak (Phramongkutklao Hospital)
8. Mr.Boonthink PanSili (Ramaclinic Hospital)
9. Mr Kitiphan Kanthod (Rajavithi Hospital)
10. Mr.Sornkaisri Maungpoon (Rajavithi Hospital)
11. Mr.Phan Kamkong (Phyathai2 Hospital)
12. Male Unknown name (Phyathai2 Hospital)
13. Male Unknown name (Rajavithi Hospital)
14. Mr.Samorn Maithong (Phyathai2 Hospital)
15. Male Unknown name (Rajavithi Hospital)
16. Mr.Thipneat Jearmphon (Rajavithi Hospital)
2. Mr.Sanae Ninlearng (Kluaynamthai Hospital)
3. Mr.Piyaphong Kitiwong (Police Hospital)
4. Mr.Prajuab Siraphan (Police Hospital)
5. Mr.Somsak Silarak (Police Hospital)
6. Miss Santhana Sappasri (Phyathai1 Hospital)
7. Mr.Chaiyan Wannajak (Phramongkutklao Hospital)
8. Mr.Boonthink PanSili (Ramaclinic Hospital)
9. Mr Kitiphan Kanthod (Rajavithi Hospital)
10. Mr.Sornkaisri Maungpoon (Rajavithi Hospital)
11. Mr.Phan Kamkong (Phyathai2 Hospital)
12. Male Unknown name (Phyathai2 Hospital)
13. Male Unknown name (Rajavithi Hospital)
14. Mr.Samorn Maithong (Phyathai2 Hospital)
15. Male Unknown name (Rajavithi Hospital)
16. Mr.Thipneat Jearmphon (Rajavithi Hospital)
“The actual number of those killed will never be known as the Thai army personnel carried away many dead bodies and did not acknowledge them,” said ACHR director Suhas Chak.
Caught in the Act: Thai government military snipers were captured on film shooting and killing civilians on the streets below from the roofs & windows of high-rise buildings and from five-star hotels of Bangkok.
“The assassination attempt on General Khattiya Sawasdipol, known as Seh Daeng, and the subsequent killings of many unarmed protestors calls for investigation by the United Nations,” said Mr Chakma, who early this month was touring the Ratchaprasong protesting site.
Sniper Attack During New York Times Interview: General Khattiya Sawasdipol, known as Seh Daeng, was shot in the head by a Thai military sniper in downtown Bangkok. The general was being interviewed by Thai and American journalists when he was shot on May 13.
Latest reports has him on life support, barely hanging on for his life.
Latest reports has him on life support, barely hanging on for his life.
~
BANGKOK – "The health of a renegade Thai general allied with anti-government "Red Shirt" protesters deteriorated Sunday after he was shot last week in their Bangkok rally site, said a hospital official.
Major-General Khattiya Sawasdipol, known as Seh Daeng, was shot in the head Thursday night [May 13] during an interview with the New York Times and other journalists near the area where thousands have been rallying against the government for the past two months.
"Seh Daeng's condition is not well, he has low blood pressure and kidney failure. Doctors are keeping a close watch on him," Vachira hospital director Chaiwan Charoenchokthawee told AFP.
The general, 58, was unconscious and given a low chance of survival when he was rushed for treatment.
The shooting of the outspoken general coincided with a government effort to seal off the protest site by cutting power and blocking roads. As part of the operation, the army had warned it would deploy snipers.
Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva had accused Seh Daeng, who was suspended from duty in January, of trying to prevent an end to the demonstrations.
But the high-profile Reds supporter had been able to wander freely in and out of the demonstrators' fortified encampment, and to meet journalists despite being wanted by the police.
He challenged that if the UN can investigate the assassination of former Pakistani Prime Minister Ms Benazir Bhutto, “there is no reason as to why it cannot investigate the attempt to assassinate General Khattiya Sawasdipol.”
- {Warning: Graphic Images > Read about & see Nick Nostitiz's harrowing day in Bangkok here: "In the Killing Zone."
Protests against the killing in Thailand have begun. In Australia, protesters call to "stop the killing."
Reports from several westerners in Bangkok have depicted a very tense, uneasy calm as of May 16th.
Reports from several westerners in Bangkok have depicted a very tense, uneasy calm as of May 16th.
Two Australians, some of the most straight-forward people you will find in the world (got to love those Aussies) are in Bangkok & described what's going on around them ~
Australian Caught in the 'Red Zone': Tori Anderson from Perth says things are building up towards a big confrontation May 16-17. Stay tough & hang in there Tori.
Credit: BBC
"It was a sleepless night last night in Bangkok. All night I heard gunfire and bombs exploding. I live five minutes from the Red Zone and it was a scary night to be in this city.
Gunfire and explosions continued throughout the night and into the morning. There are periodic blasts now.
On Friday [May 14] I went down to see what was happening and was caught in the crossfire - a truly frightening experience.
There are soldiers everywhere and I assumed with the huge army presence I may be safe. But the protesters began throwing things at the army and they started shooting back.
I had to run down the side of a building to gain cover. I waited for the firing to stop then I ran back home and haven't left since.
I'm a development worker and have lived in Pakistan and Afghanistan but I feel more worried right now. The atmosphere is really tense because there is such a build-up of soldiers and weapons.
Protesters battle Thai government: hand-to-hand combat on the streets of Bangkok
Many roads are blocked off and taxi drivers have stopped taking people in this area. There is barbed wire everywhere.
It's going to get messy for sure tonight. Many people I know here are thinking of leaving Bangkok. Everything is building up to a big confrontation tonight.
Let's hope that this will be over soon and this peaceful city can continue to thrive."
"I'm imprisoned in my apartment very close to where the protests are happening.
There is just one apartment building between me and the confrontation.
I have no intention of leaving the building in the near future. I looked in my fridge just now, and for the first time in my life I'm thinking about rationing my food.
On my way home on Friday, at around 1600, I was abandoned by my taxi driver...
He saw roadblocks ahead and realized we were close to the clashes. He left me in the car and ran off!
I walked out amid a hail of gunfire. It took a couple of minutes for me to realize what was going on...
Eventually I found someone on a motorbike to give me a lift close to my home in the central Sathorn District.
But close to my home I was blown off my feet by what must have been a huge petrol bomb!"
The shooting and bombings were non-stop for about an hour with rifle fire hitting an office building next to me. I can also see the burning tires...
It's now getting dark and it feels like the calm before the storm...."
There is a sense of uneasy calm now. But there is the anticipation that the government forces will move against the protesters tonight [May 16].
Gunfire and explosions continued throughout the night and into the morning. There are periodic blasts now.
On Friday [May 14] I went down to see what was happening and was caught in the crossfire - a truly frightening experience.
There are soldiers everywhere and I assumed with the huge army presence I may be safe. But the protesters began throwing things at the army and they started shooting back.
I had to run down the side of a building to gain cover. I waited for the firing to stop then I ran back home and haven't left since.
I'm a development worker and have lived in Pakistan and Afghanistan but I feel more worried right now. The atmosphere is really tense because there is such a build-up of soldiers and weapons.
Many roads are blocked off and taxi drivers have stopped taking people in this area. There is barbed wire everywhere.
It's going to get messy for sure tonight. Many people I know here are thinking of leaving Bangkok. Everything is building up to a big confrontation tonight.
Let's hope that this will be over soon and this peaceful city can continue to thrive."
A British man, John Taylor from London, describes his experience ~
"I'm imprisoned in my apartment very close to where the protests are happening.
There is just one apartment building between me and the confrontation.
I have no intention of leaving the building in the near future. I looked in my fridge just now, and for the first time in my life I'm thinking about rationing my food.
On my way home on Friday, at around 1600, I was abandoned by my taxi driver...
He saw roadblocks ahead and realized we were close to the clashes. He left me in the car and ran off!
I walked out amid a hail of gunfire. It took a couple of minutes for me to realize what was going on...
Eventually I found someone on a motorbike to give me a lift close to my home in the central Sathorn District.
But close to my home I was blown off my feet by what must have been a huge petrol bomb!"
The shooting and bombings were non-stop for about an hour with rifle fire hitting an office building next to me. I can also see the burning tires...
It's now getting dark and it feels like the calm before the storm...."
Another Australian, Tony Prehn, from Sydney, Australia says ~
"Our apartment is between two of the protest fronts and there was a constant peppering of rifle shots and explosions throughout the afternoon.
There is a sense of uneasy calm now. But there is the anticipation that the government forces will move against the protesters tonight [May 16].
We left the apartment briefly this afternoon. The streets are very quiet but there is a heavy military presence - and we are not in the most volatile area.
There are armed soldiers on every corner with M16 rifles and walkie-talkies.
There are armed soldiers on every corner with M16 rifles and walkie-talkies.
There are few foreigners or locals around. The hotels have signs advising tourists not to leave the buildings tonight...
The protesters seem to have broken into two factions - moderates who are happy to sit and wait, and a more aggressive bunch.
We are not really sure that the government has the resolve to end this stand-off."
Cardinal Crisis 2010 Transits:
Asia Heats Up?
Revolution in Thailand?
- March 14: Red-shirts converge on Bangkok, hold first big rally, occupy government district
- March 16: Protesters splash their own blood at Government House
- March 30: A round of talks with the government ends in deadlock
- April 3: Red-shirts, civilians and families occupy Bangkok Shopping District
- April 7: Prime Minister Abhisit orders state of emergency
- April 10: Troops try to clear protesters; 25 people are killed & hundreds injured
- April 22: Grenade blasts kill one and injures 85 near protest hub; each side blames the other
- April 28: Policeman shot in clashes in northern Bangkok
- May 13-14: 16 killed in Bangkok clashes
- May 15: Eight more killed in street battles
- May 16: ominous weekend, curfews & evacuations
Update: Sunday, May 16, 2010
REUTERS--May 16, 2010--Bangkok --"The comments came minutes after the Thai government moved back from imposing a curfew in Bangkok as fighting raged in two areas of the city of 15 million people, trapping panicked residents and raising the risk of a broader civil conflict.
"We call on the government to cease fire and pull out troops. We are ready to enter a negotiation process immediately," Nattawut Saikai, a protest leader, told supporters. "We have no other condition. We do not want any more losses."
The government's immediate response was that no conditions should be attached to negotiations.
"If they really want to talk, they should not set conditions like asking us to withdraw troops," said Korbsak Sabhavasu, the prime minister's secretary-general.
"It's a positive sign but if there is going to be a talk, there has to be more detail.
"But they cannot make demands if they want to negotiate," said Sabhavasu.
{Does that strike anyone else as odd? How can one negotiate without any demands? It's only the Klingons who don't take prisoners? Right?}
This curfew would have been a rare for Bangkok, well known for it healthy, robust nightlife. Still, Thai troops with M-16 rifles, shotguns, and military snipers continue to fire live rounds to disperse people armed with Molotov cocktails, rocks, homemade slingshots, fireworks, crude rockets, and handmade pistols.
Credit: Manish Swarup/AP
Photograph: Apichart Weerawong/AP
"We cannot retreat now," Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said in a televised statement on Saturday, May 15th.
The heaviest fighting was taking place in the Bon Kai area of Rama IV, a major artery to the business district. Troops and snipers fired machine guns as protesters hurled petrol bombs and burned walls of kerosene-soaked tires to camouflage themselves.
One protester was shot in the head by a military sniper, a Reuters witness said.
By afternoon, as clashes intensified, a grenade was tossed at troops, who responded with gunfire that scattered the demonstrators into nearby alleys, the witness said.
"I will stay here. We will not flee," Jatuporn Prompan, a protest leader, told supporters in their 3.5 sq-km (1.2 sq-mile) encampment where at least 5,000+ people remain, including women and children, barricaded behind walls of tires, poles and concrete.
The protesters had been demanding the resignation of the British-born, Oxford-educated Abhisit, who they accuse of colluding with Thailand's royalist elite and meddling with the judiciary to bring down previous elected governments.
Buddhist monks gather at Victory Monument to chant prayers for peace. Some women, children and the elderly were said to be trickling into a nearby Buddhist temple for safety from the indiscriminate Thai M-16 automatic rifle,machine gun, and deadly sniper fire. photograph: David Longstreath/AP
Cardinal Crisis in Thailand
Despotic Power of a Prime Minister Who Raises the Stakes?
Thai civilians take cover as soldiers open fire. Photograph: Nicolas Asfouri/AFP/Getty Images
The government says it is seeking "cooperation" with protest leaders to dispatch Red Cross workers and other human rights volunteers to persuade people to leave. Soldiers can shoot if protesters come within 36 meters (120 ft) of army lines, said army spokesman Sansern Kaewkamnerd, adding more soldiers were needed to establish control.
Analysts and diplomats said the military appears to have underestimated the resolve of thousands of protesters barricaded in district of luxury hotels and shopping malls for six weeks.
Thousands of protesters were massing in a separate area in working-class Klong Toey area near the fighting on Rama IV. A new protest site would vastly complicate attempts to end the protests and resolve a crisis that has battered the economy.
As Bangkok braced for more unrest, many residents stayed indoors or hoarded food and other supplies from grocery stores. "We don't know how much longer this nightmare is going to last and how far it will spread," said Panna Srisuwan, a Bangkok resident waiting in line at a supermarket. "I am stocking up for the rest of the week."
Civilians have been shot at and killed by military snipers positioned on the tops of office towers, high rises, and luxury hotels as men, women and children scurry for safety down on the streets.
No soldiers have been identified in the official tolls that show 25 people killed and 215 wounded with casualties rising.
Two Rescue Medical Workers have also been reported killed.
Five Journalists have been shot, though one was not wounded because the bullet deflected off his flak jacket.
Near Victory Monument, where clashes took place May 15, an innocent young man walking down the street was shot in the head and killed by a sniper's bullet, a Reuters witness said.
He did not appear to be a protester.
He did not appear to be a protester.
The government says many protest leaders now face "terrorism charges" that carry a maximum penalty of death ~ raising the stakes in a two-month crisis that has paralyzed parts of Bangkok, stifled Southeast Asia's second-biggest economy and decimated tourism.
Thai civilians, who have adopted red as a protest color and broadly support ousted premier Thaksin Shinawatra, set fire to vehicles and hurled rocks at troops who set up razor wire across deserted roads on Saturday in Bangkok's business district.
The U.S. Embassy has offered to evacuate families and partners of U.S. government staff based in Bangkok on a voluntary basis, and urged its citizens against travel to Bangkok.
The government's strategy of starving protesters out of their encampment was shows signs of having an effect. Supplies of food, water and fuel were starting to run thin as the red shirt delivery trucks were being blocked. But they said they still had enough to hold out for days."
The U.S. Embassy has offered to evacuate families and partners of U.S. government staff based in Bangkok on a voluntary basis, and urged its citizens against travel to Bangkok.
The government's strategy of starving protesters out of their encampment was shows signs of having an effect. Supplies of food, water and fuel were starting to run thin as the red shirt delivery trucks were being blocked. But they said they still had enough to hold out for days."
The BBC reported May 15 ~
"Thai protesters have stood their ground in Bangkok, defying a vow from PM Abhisit Vejjajiva to use the military to stop them toppling his government.
One protest leader said Thailand was close to "civil war" after clashes in Bangkok between protesters and soldiers that have left more than 24 people dead.
Mr Abhisit is set to impose a curfew in Bangkok and has postponed the new school term in the city for a week.
Thai people say Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva does not represent them and they call for new elections. He is said to have ordered the evacuation of foreigners, a military curfew and a military assault on downtown Bangkok where thousands of civilians have staged open-air protests and sit-ins demanding fresh democratic elections for the last two months.
Thousands of men, women and children continue to stage sit-ins and live in Bangkok's central Shopping District since March 2010 calling for new democratic elections.
Children of the families of protesters are given name tags as they seek shelter in a Buddhist temple.
Photograph: Damir Sagolj/Reuters
Photograph: Damir Sagolj/Reuters
The fighting flared as the army moved to isolate a fortified protest camp.
Thousands of people who say Mr. Abhisit came to power undemocratically remain behind makeshift barricades of rubber tires, sandbags and bamboo stakes in the Ratchaprasong commercial district. People have been making homemade sling-shots to defend against military soldiers.
David Against Goliath: Thai people use homemade sling shots & fireworks to defend against the military-grade weapons of Prime Minister Abhisit's divided forces.
The protesters are known as Red shirts, after the color they have adopted. They say they want prime minister Abhisit Vejjajiva to step down and make way for new elections.
Here, in this unbelievable clip, see young Thai men take on military armor that wandered into their neighborhood.
Here, in this unbelievable clip, see young Thai men take on military armor that wandered into their neighborhood.
Army Prepared?
Credit: Reuters
In a televised address on Saturday, Mr Abhisit said the army would not back down in its operation to clear the protesters.
"We cannot leave the country in a situation where people who don't obey the law are holding hostage the people of Bangkok, as well as the center of the country," he said.
"We can't allow a situation where people set up armed groups and overthrow the government because they don't agree with it."
Mr Abhisit has said that a few armed "terrorists" are among the protesters.
A wounded child is helped after being shot during clashes between Thai army soldiers and anti-government protesters in central Bangkok May 16, 2010. Credit: Damir Sagolj/Reuters
Protesters run for cover as they reinforce their barricade
Photograph: Barbara Walton/EPA
An army spokesman said the military was planning to enter the protesters' camp if they did not disperse, but gave no timetable.
"There is a plan to crack down on Ratchaprasong if the protest does not end," said the spokesman, Col Sunsern Kaewkumnerd.
"But authorities will not set a deadline because without effective planning there will be more loss of life."
The BBC's Chris Hogg in Bangkok says the army's actions are like squeezing a balloon full of water - they are just pushing protesters into a different part of the city.
This graphic shows why:
Black smoke drifted into the air over Bangkok on Sunday morning but the streets were mostly quiet after three days of fierce battles that saw soldiers fire live rounds and rubber bullets at protesters who threw stones, petrol bombs and shot back fireworks in return.
The army has declared "live fire" zones in some areas as it attempted to cut off the camp from supplies and reinforcement.
Some 170 people have been injured since the latest violence broke out on Thursday, and 27 people have been sent to jail, each given six-month sentences. All the fatalities have been civilians.
More than 50 people have been killed and at least 1,500 wounded in total since the protests began in mid-March, Thai officials have said.
Despite claims by the Thai government that the situation was under control and its soldiers had only fired in self-defense, army snipers have been accused of targeting protesters armed with little more than slingshots and civilians trying to get out of the line of military firepower in an urban environment.
More than 50 people have been killed and at least 1,500 wounded in total since the protests began in mid-March, Thai officials have said.
Despite claims by the Thai government that the situation was under control and its soldiers had only fired in self-defense, army snipers have been accused of targeting protesters armed with little more than slingshots and civilians trying to get out of the line of military firepower in an urban environment.
credit: Damir Sagolj/Reuters
Footage from Bangkok on Saturday showed red-shirts dragging gunshot victims to safety.
The violence escalated May 13 after a renegade general who supports the protests was shot in the head by a sniper.
Gen Khattiya Sawasdipol, better known as Seh Daeng (Commander Red), is in a critical condition and hangs on to life as late as Sunday, May 16, according to
Gen Khattiya Sawasdipol, better known as Seh Daeng (Commander Red), is in a critical condition and hangs on to life as late as Sunday, May 16, according to
National Divisions?
The clashes have raised questions about the stability of Thailand, Southeast Asia's second-largest economy.
Photograph: Rungroj Yongrit/EPA
"The current situation is almost full civil war," said one of the protest leaders, Jatuporn Prompan. "I am not sure how this conflict will end."
Photograph: Nicolas Asfouri/AFP/Getty Images
Many of the protesters are from poor rural areas in northern Thailand where support is still strong for former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who was ousted in a 2006 coup.
They say Mr Abhisit was put into power in a parliamentary vote by an alliance of the Bangkok elite and the military and want him to dissolve parliament and call fresh elections.
He had offered polls in November - but the two sides failed to agree a deal because of divisions over who should be held accountable for a deadly crackdown on protests last month.
Mr Thaksin has called on the government to withdraw troops and restart negotiations. He is living abroad to avoid a jail term on a corruption conviction."
Asia Heating Up?
Crisis in Thailand: The smell of thousands of rubber tires burning amid widespread clashes in Bangkok is sure to have effect on world markets.
Mundane transits show the Cardinal T-Square Transits are also prime to affect Asia just as the rest of the world.
For instance, Indonesia. The BBC again reports May 16 that ~
"Indonesian security forces say they have uncovered a militant plot to assassinate the president and kill foreigners in a Mumbai-style attack.
They say the plan was to strike during an Independence Day ceremony on 17 August, and declare an Islamic state.
The militants also planned to take over hotels and kill foreigners, they said. The announcement came a day after three suspected militants were detained in the latest in a series of anti-terror raids.
Police said the men were linked to a militant training camp discovered in Aceh in February. Dozens of suspected Islamists have been detained since then and a number killed.
Indonesian Assassination targets?
The announcement, by National Police Chief Bambang Hendarso Danuri, came at a briefing on raids by carried out by the authorities since the discovery of the Aceh training camp.
"They planned to attack and murder state officials at the 17 August celebrations," he said.
Great. This is in August, at the height of the Cardinal Crisis Transits. I continue to urge prudence, calm, and deliberate diplomacy, with teeth, to ease these tensions globally. Do not say I did not forecast and warn about the inclinations of these world transits.
Militants planned to kill Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, according to police.
"There, they saw all of the state officials as assassination targets, including the state guests attending the ceremony. They believed that this would help them create a state ruled by Shariah law," he added.
"Their plan was also to launch attacks in Jakarta against foreigners - especially Americans - and attack and control hotels within certain communities, imitating what happened in Mumbai," he said.
The Mumbai attacks in 2008 left 174 people dead, nine of them gunmen. The militants attacked two luxury hotels, a train station and a Jewish center.
The discovery of the Aceh camp raised fears that terror networks re-emerging in Indonesia.
Security analysts say the events show that there is still support for extremism in Indonesia despite the efforts of police to clamp down."
Clashes in Kyrgyzstan?
BBC -- Kyrgyzstan's interim government issues Warning
May 15, 2010 -- "Kyrgyzstan's interim government has promised to bring to justice those responsible for Friday's deadly clashes in the southern city of Jalalabad.
Deputy leader Azimbek Beknazarov said that allies of Mr Bakiyev would be closely monitored.
The violence was the worst since Mr Bakiyev was deposed last month.
He addressed a group of people who had gathered in front of the regional government headquarters - the scene of fierce fighting on Friday between supporters and opponents of the interim authorities.
Mr Beknazarov said that the interim government was keeping a close eye on the main allies of the ousted president. He also said that many people were now armed and as many as 2,000 weapons were in circulation.
In Friday's clashes, supporters of the interim government regained control of the government headquarters, which had been seized by their opponents a day earlier.
They later marched towards the home village of the ousted president and set fire to the deserted homes of some of his relatives.
It is not clear where Mr Bakiyev's supporters are now. A representative from the committee to protect Kurmanbek Bakiyev told the BBC that they wanted the interim authorities to stop the persecution of the deposed leader's relatives and allies."
Global Transits
I have been forecasting for some time that the global events are configured to the inclinations of the planets. We can see this at work throughout history, as people are given the choice to do good or evil, for the transits incline, but do not compel.
Nonetheless, it is quite obvious to anyone, and one does not have to be a mundane astrologer to get this, or know it, that people want positive change, and intend to get it.
The world transits clearly show that into the months ahead, unless people and their representatives in government meet as common sharers in the world's wealth, then they will meet in opposition. This is now beginning to happen.
I urge calm, prudence, patience, compassion and understanding. Those who continue to avoid these ways are clearly the antagonists and troublemakers.
In normal transit times, one might be able to skate over people, but in these times, with these particular world transits, that is impossible to do. And, it will be so for quite some time to come, according to global transits.
In normal transit times, one might be able to skate over people, but in these times, with these particular world transits, that is impossible to do. And, it will be so for quite some time to come, according to global transits.
Again, I urge communication and dialogue rather than conflict, and compassion rather than taking of lives with weapons.
As I've said before, foretold is forewarned. The world transits do not play.
Let's work & pray for Peace.
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