KSaron,

There has been no diversion. You can talk whatever you like. But we have been talking almost non stop, and then what? I want to change the atmosphere a little by talking about this issue which very close to our heart: the political stability of a nation. Where the war of class breed vast and deep root of resentment that can be detrimental to the nation.

But Ksaron, there are 21 killed and over 900 people wounded. Who ordered this crack down? Was it the army acting on its own sovereignty or from the PMO? Don't take me wrong, I favor the law and order of society to protect the innocence and to serve to majority.

However, all Vicheychiva has to do is to trust his team and himself and call an election and stop using Gordan Brown excuses(because Brown is calling election in May). If he win, he is the man and would stop all the bitching from the red shirt for good and would at the same time put a stop to all the insanity about Taksin...But if he loses, then he should know what and where he should be doing with his life, as civilized and educated man.

It is that simple.

KSaron,

REally?

I did not know you are such an ultra-idealist. Lolz

Christian God tried it, he failed, right from the beginning. In frustration, end up killing lots of Christians along the way. Finally he sent Jesus, he too was killed.

Mohammad tried it, to the opposite end of the spectrum, he too failed, now span out of control all over the places, into La Qada, Jihadists, Mujaheddin, and so on.

Buddha tried it, can only bring people to somewhat center(the middle path), to identify and recognize, then trouble shoot the root cause and thus reduce the suffering, but far from solution.

And here you are claiming to have found solution for everything, BUT what is this solution? Is getting rid of Hun Sen THE solution?

If in fact that is  in your mind, you are one hell of an ultra-idealist that needed to be grounded, my friend. 

I simply love that book. Great to see you here again, Agent. Thought you forgot Khmerwitica, not that Khmerwitica should hold your loyalty. I'm just saying. :-)

Anyway, I believe change does not simply happen over night. There is a gradual process. Everything takes time and skills and yes, the big, big dinero. Who says money isn't everything? For what it's worth it sure moves the world somewhere, if not in circle.

With the bookclub, I think many people are busy with schools among other things in life. Who knows? If the coordinator is initiating things again, I'd sure hop on the band wagon again. You can count on that. It is like the idol contest. I think many people are very busy. Unlike last season where there were more participants, making it more lively.

Cheers.

I think to deny hipocracy doesn't exist in self is false. There is a certain amount of it, I am sure. Well, with the Thai, I am sure they can handle their situations. But, it doesn't hurt much, is it, to acknowledge that they are having problems as well? Our problems still exist. Don't worry. It won't go away any time soon. For that, I am sure we all should be content.

Love that book. It just to show how hypocrite human beings are. LOLz

And how about 1984 by George Orwel: We are all equal, but some are more eqaul than others.

Thank you, my dear.

Huh, why did you call me "smartypant"? I'm neither smart nor stupid, although I feel more of the latter right now because I don't quite understand what are you trying to say here in some part of your post. Can you simplify what you stated such as: What is this survey  of a group of ill-informed pretending to be well-informed people have to do with change or the ideals of no class?

I agree change is not an overnight thing & develops with each iterations. Case in point, the ideal of having no-class in society and the clash between classes have existed since the beginning of human civilization & still ongoing. I just don't see an end to it & a viable solution to it because we exhausted all solutions. Personally, I felt communism was the solution (the last iteration or 'natural' evolution) to a no class society but it doesn't appear that we're ready for that and the means to get there is nothing but bloodshed. In case of democracy, the rich will always control the voting power (& power itself) of the masses as long as there is a class system.

KW doesn't need to be loyal to me, all I ask is not to have everyone join together to ban me or anyone else for having a disagreeing viewpoint no matter how naive or wrong it is,  because a different viewpoint can shed light to whether it solidifies your own viewpoint or make it weaker.

Yes again I agree change is slow/gradual, and with each iterations, it can be better, at least when you're creating a product. But unlike a product, the changes we want in human civilization tend to be filled with bloodshed. I'm all for change really, but what we've done so far and are doing, is it heading to the right direction or are we going to be back to square one? Cambodia is a good or should I say a 'bad' example of going back to where we were, or some may argue worse state...and in all likelihood, it looks like it'll repeat itself.

When I look at this Thailand issue, these peasants who are fighting for 'fairness', I can't help but think they're being used by the upperclass citizens to gain power. After all is said and done, with innocent dead people, the upperclass will be the winners & they'll be in the same situation. It's just a hopeless battle. I know with my mentality, kings and queens would still rule this world today, but has that really changed? Maybe only in name, we're still slaves to the kings and queens of the upperclass today, working day by day just to eat. Heck, I think we work harder in modern times than we did in ancient times despite technology promises of making 'people' work less while 'machines' work more, I'm guessing we're the machines they were talking about .

Sometimes, I scare myself that I can be hipocritcal. It is an humbling experience. Then, I get to be more enlightened. Truth is very paradoxical. I wouldn't trade the attainment of Truth for the world. If anything, it is my life-long pursuit.

I like your last paragraph. It resonates so soundly of George Orville's The Animal Farm. Not that you'd be interested in the book club, but you should be on it. That book speaks to everyone from various backgrounds of life and it is quite amazing how it manages to pack all those punches in one hundred pages. He was quite a genious, IMO.

Anyway, bringing the subject back to hipocracy...I hate to see sufferings. Invoking the Prophecy does not mean I condone violence or, pray for destruction of one group or class of people. It is to instill a certain kind of awareness that there is something else that can be considered beyond the obvious. While the world is in chaos, what is this seamless link that is driving the puppets of races and ethnic groups to tearing each other relentlessly?

It is an attempt to understand the struggles that are going on around the world, especially in the SE Asian Hemisphere, for me. Depending on the topic of interest, one tends to delve too deeply into anyone subject as to be irritated with a minor distraction. This is understandable. I view politics and religion as interchangeable. They are separate from each other and yet, related. Yet, I'm more lenient toward religion and found religion to be more of a solution than politics. It is because of my nature and also my superior understanding of religion more than politics. Those who are not, found alternatives with respect to what they're lenient toward to. While that is the way it is, there is no reason why we cannot talk. Although, I admit. It is hard to disprove something that is mostly in beliefs. While that is true, everyday, I see the truth surfacing with every vistige of belief. And, it fuel my resolve to continue my plight to bring awareness, especially of the Khmer's.

Voicing an opinion online has so many drawbacks that can be perceived. A person may view you as some kind of goodie-two-shoe who maybe born yesterday and a girl to boot, with no manner by interjecting religion into politics and too thick-faced or stupid to see that her loud mouth is a nuisance (no forum on religion). At any rate, it is really a double-edged reward for me. On one hand it is mentally distressing. On another, it is quite therapeutic. I don't know which is better. Having not quite been certain of either, I see myself still pursuing life online.

I understand that as long as I can behave and not lash out invectives, where one if not a couple people had goaded me to such brink, I would be safe from a lynching by the mob, I think. I think, Agent, you should have nothing to worry about where voicing your opinions in a civil manner is concerned. And, you have proven thus. In various aspects pertaining to viewpoints, etc., you have been quite neutral. That is no cause for lynching, either.

Hi SS,

I'd like to modify my earlier input. Upon further investigation, my initial interpretation was not correct. It turned out that "sdach sor touch sterng" refers to a "tall thin white king" sovereign over 3 nations...This is more closer to mean Ho Chi Minh who sovereign over 3 nations including Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia. It is the present. Of course, people can differ in this opinion. I'm just correcting what I thought earlier where 1st, I have not heard of the phrase and this is a follow up. Second, I thought white could mean purity and not necessarily the color of the skin.

Also, another correction with my additional statement earlier pertaining to Kos Kohk Thloak as "Tonle Muok Buon". There is a lake with such physical feature in Cambodia in Phnom Penh. Figuratively, it is another way of referring to Cambodia as a country. Instead of 4 nations battling there as I'd initially interpreted, it is not correct. It is "Muck taeng Pram-bei", meaning 8 Nations will battle each other/convene in that country over natural resources. Khmer, for what it looks, has abundant natural resources. One that is already discovered recently is the oil deposits where, although it is signed over to Vietnam, Thailand wants a piece of the pie for it borders their territory.

Muck Taeng Pram-Bei...These stand for powerful nations. They include, USSR(communism), USA (democracy), China(communism), Vietnam, Thailand, Korea, Japan, India.

Cambodia is not included for Cambodia is too busy hiding in the woods and praying to the gods for help. Hehe

Is it kill baby kill, in Bangkok?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/8685051.stm

Let's hope for a stable and non aggressive Thailand. The destable Thailand can jeopardize the balance of power in the region(considering the resurgence of Vietnam in recently years), which can in turn be precarious for Kampuchea's future. Which would mean more pressure on China to stake out even more interest in the region to slow down such movement from the east.

Let's hope that Vicheychiva set the date for an election as soon as possible, stabilize the country and work to stabilize its border, and normalize the relationship with Kampuchea, to respectfully realize our mutual intersest and the utmost importance of a peaceful co-existence of our two nations.

^ They will continue to kill their own people by shooting them in the head...
No different from Cambodia, Afganistan, Iraq, Africa or elsewhere...

Hi!

Leaders of the anti-government protests that have paralysed the heart of Bangkok for weeks have surrendered, after troops stormed their barricades.

At least five people have been killed in the gun battles in the Thai capital, and the demonstration leaders said they did not want anyone else to die.

But some of the so-called red-shirt protesters vowed to fight on.

Fires were started across the city, including at the stock exchange, banks, a huge shopping mall and a TV station.

The Thai government imposed a night-time curfew and ordered television channels to broadcast only official-sanctioned programmes.

Pockets of resistance

In the north-east of the country, a town hall in Udon Thani was set on fire and another, at Khon Kaen, was wrecked.

In Bangkok, the main protest stage area was empty.

Four protest leaders were seen on TV arriving at police headquarters.

Before he was led away, Jatuporn Prompan said from the stage: "I apologise to you all, but I don't want any more losses. I am devastated too," reports news agency Reuters.

The leaders earlier urged supporters not to give up the fight for political change.

Army spokesman Col Sansern Kaewkamnerd labelled them as terrorists.

Defiant protesters attacked shops and property and there were reports of looting.

One of South East Asia's biggest shopping malls, Bangkok's Central World Plaza, was gutted by fire.

Protesters started a fire at the offices of a TV station, Channel 3, while staff were inside, said fire department officials.

Government spokesman Panitan Wattanyagorn told the BBC that pockets of resistance remained in a number of places.

"We will initiate operations throughout the night in several areas in order to stabilise the situation in several places," he said.

'D-Day'

The military said the operation had been halted to allow several thousand protesters to leave the rally zone.

An Italian photojournalist was among the dead and dozens were wounded as demonstrators and army units exchanged fire.

AT THE SCENE

Continue reading the main story

Alastair Leithead, BBC News, Bangkok

The main area at the heart of the commercial district is completely deserted. This morning there were women dancing and people on stage giving speeches.

All those hundreds of people who were in this main part of the protest site have gone.

People have set fire to buildings. There's a lot of smoke over the city, burning piles of debris.

Someone just told us there were very emotional scenes when the leaders came and said, "it's all over", and told people to go home.

But some hardline red-shirt protesters were holed up in an over-head railway station and they were clashing with the military.

A Dutch, American and Canadian journalist were among scores of people injured.

The assault began on Wednesday morning with soldiers in armoured vehicles smashing through the bamboo-and-tyre barricades, as helicopters circled above.

The military used loudspeakers to warn beforehand of the impending assault on the fortified encampment, which extends for several kilometres.

"This is D-Day," one soldier was quoted as saying by the Associated Press news agency.

Troops armed with M-16 rifles marched through the central business district, as thick black smoke from mountains of burning tyres billowed over skyscrapers.

They stormed the Lumpini Park area, where demonstrators fled, leaving scattered shoe, overturned chairs and hanging laundry.

The violence follows six days of clashes around the camp, triggered by a government operation to seal the area and the subsequent death of a renegade general who backed the protests.

Continue reading the main story Protests: Eyewitness account Bangkok clashes: Map

About 40 people have been killed since last week.

The red-shirts have been protesting in Bangkok since 14 March, occupying the shopping district, forcing hotels and shops to close.

They are a loose coalition of left-wing activists, democracy campaigners and mainly rural supporters of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra.

They are demanding fresh polls because they say the government - which came to power through a parliamentary deal rather than an election - is illegitimate.

Mr Thaksin has lived abroad since he was ousted in a 2006 coup and convicted of conflict of interest.