Thai media need to become more independent and mature if we are ever going to have peace in Thailand. The media need to tell the truth, whatever the truth is. The problem is off course the lese majeste laws and we cannot break them but other than that there is no law forbidding the media from telling the truth. In time, maybe the lese majeste laws will vanish as the Thai media grows wiser but first it needs to grow bolder.
Thai media need to stop telling lies about the recent events in Bangkok and try to tell what is really going on. They need to demand answers from the different sides and not only keep publishing what given to them like a good dog. You can see most of the reports just nod their head to the person they talking to instead of asking them questions. We cannot expect ASTV and People Power Channel to tell us the whole truth because they are so bias already but the rest of the media need to keep in the center.
When the Thai media reports that, the army is shooting in the air you can see on the BBC that the soldiers aiming at the Red Shirts with live and rubber bullets. The fact that they used live rounds is clear since they managed to kill one of their own in friendly shooting. The Thai army clearly is in need of proper training on how to use riot gear properly; with the right training, you can control even the English hooligans.
The new media on Facebook, Twitter and blogs will soon take over the mainstream media since they can submit news faster and without any approval. When this happen the Thai established media would just look stupid saying something completely different. People will get angry when they see they been duped and anger leads to more hate and confusion and that is not what we need in Thailand.
When I told my maid today that a solider probably killed another solider she was so surprised she have heard on Thai TV that it was the Red Shirts that killed him. She also saw the pictures on the BBC when soldiers fire in the crowd and she was so angry when they in Thai media say that rubber bullets not kill.
Well they only care about the center in Bangkok the rest should just provide rubber and rice
What is happening now is less violent than the 10th of April but is not less scary.
I’ve been expecting a wide spread escalation country side after the army crackdown on the red shirt at rachaprasong.
In fact, it’s happening even before that. It currently looks like the government has no control on the northern provinces.
It does look like the movement is loosing steam in Bangkok. But this is the yellow/pink/no color/ government stronghold. The reality is very different.
Thailand is slowly turning into a country with rogue provinces. The police do not want to control the red shirt because they are siding with them too.
The army despite what is being said by the government is divided. At least the lowest level of the army has the red color at heart. Those who do not express it, I’m pretty sure do not think less.
There seems to be no good end in sight. It might not be spectacular but it will slowly drift to a divided country.