Massacre in Thailand and Obama’s Foreign Policy Stance

When the White House is quiet as protestors are butchered in the streets of Bangkok Thailand, suspicions are raised. Silence often equals complicity. One can only imagine what the U.S.’ response would be to a Venezuelan government slaughter: the U.S. media and Obama would loudly condemn such an act, in contrast to the muted response to Thailand’s blood bath.

The history of U.S.-Thailand relations explains why. During the Vietnam War, the U.S. used Thailand as one of the main “anti-communist” bulwarks in an area that included China, Vietnam, Burma, and other countries that were challenging capitalism.

Thailand was thus transformed into a U.S. client state and given money, guns, and U.S. government intelligence to battle Thailand’s “communists.” This relationship has equaled numerous Thai dictatorships that have a very bloody history, including the shooting of untold numbers of protestors that the Thai government named “communists,” or their modern equivalent, “terrorists.”

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Ten Killed in Thailand as Police Join Red Shirt Protest

Shooting between police and army personnel was also reported at several locations, as policemen joined the side of the anti-government demonstrators.

The emergence of divided loyalties among members of the security services transformed the stand-off with Thailand's Red Shirt opposition into a crisis for the government.'

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State of Emergency Declared in Bangkok

Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva has declared a state of emergency in the capital Bangkok and its vicinity, after protesters stormed Parliament.

The declaration comes after red-shirted supporters of ousted premier Thaksin Shinawatra forced their way into the country's parliamentary compound briefly on Wednesday.

Some lawmakers fled and several senior government figures were rescued by military helicopters.'

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Thai Troops Open Fire on Protesters in Bangkok

Anarchy reigned in parts of Bangkok this morning following the Thai military's pre-dawn raid on anti-government protesters who had blockaded parts of the city.

Thai soldiers in full combat kit used tear gas and fired automatic weapons to clear the red-shirt protesters from the Din Daeng intersection near the Victory Monument in central Bangkok, injuring at least 70 people. Nineteen people were admitted to hospital, four – including two soldiers and two civilians - had gunshot wounds.

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Thailand Admits Abandoning 1000 Muslims At Sea

A Thai naval officer has confirmed claims that ethnic Rohingya boat people from Myanmar, detained along Thailand's south-western coast, have been taken back out to sea and set adrift.The naval officer, who declined to be identified, told Al Jazeera:

"We have to take the engines off the boats or they will come back.

"The wind will carry them to India or somewhere."

Humanitarian groups have accused Thailand of systematically abusing migrants from the Muslim minority Rohingya.

The allegations of abuse came after accounts emerged of a group of Rohingya being beaten before being towed back out to sea after being intercepted off Indonesia.

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Court Ruling Brings Down Thai Government

A court dissolved Thailand's top three ruling parties for electoral fraud Tuesday and temporarily banned the prime minister from politics, bringing down a government that has faced months of strident protests seeking its ouster.

The Constitutional Court ruling set the stage for thousands of protesters to end their weeklong siege of the country's two main airports, but also raised fears of retaliatory violence by a pro-government group that could sink the country deeper into crisis and cripple its economy.
Members of the People's Alliance for Democracy, occupying Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi international airport, cheered and hugged after they heard news of the verdict.

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Thai State Of Emergency

Mr Wongsawat's elected government is struggling for survival amid mounting rumours of a military coup.
The city's second airport, Don Muang, which carries mostly domestic traffic, was closed on Thursday morning after being overrun by anti-government protesters, severing the last air-link between the city of 8 million people and the outside world.
Suvarnabhumi international airport, a major regional hub, has been closed since explosions occurred and protesters overran the control tower on Tuesday.

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