<p>Surachart Bamrungsuk, political science lecturer at Chulalongkorn University, wrote about the red shirts&rsquo; movement in his column in Matichon Weekly, Apr 24, 2009.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">Surachart says the crushing of the red-shirts by military force was not unexpected.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">&nbsp; </span>And such use of force was not the result of the collapse of the ASEAN Summit, but was due to the fact that the red shirts politically and socially pose a threat to the middle-class and the elite.<o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p>In the present political crisis in Thailand, it is shocking that most Thai NGOs have disgraced themselves by siding with the Yellow Shirt elites or remaining silent in the face of the general attack on democracy. It is shocking because NGO activists started out by being on the side of the poor and the oppressed in society. To explain this situation, we must go beyond a simple explanation that relies on personal failings of individuals or suggestions that NGOs have &ldquo;underlying bad intentions&rdquo;, or that they are &ldquo;agents of imperialism&rdquo;.</p>

<p>&nbsp;<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: arial; font-size: 13px; ">&quot;We want to complain about a missing husband. He left home to join the Red Shirts and went missing.&quot; &quot;He went missing on the day the army broke up the mob?&quot; &quot;No. On the day the police summoned him.&quot;</span></p>

<p>&nbsp;The Nation, 21 April 2009:<br /> The government will launch a publicity campaign at home and abroad to counter the propaganda of the red shirts, PM&rsquo;s Office Minister Satit Wongnongtoey said on Tuesday.&nbsp;&ldquo;The media war will be designed to counter the smear campaign of the red shirts and explain the true situation to the international community,&rdquo; he said.</p>

<p>Following the anti-government protests, the Thai government has begun to crack down on the opposition media. <em>Sinfah Tunsarawuth </em>asks if the heavy-handed tactics will incite further chaos.<br /> &nbsp;</p>

<p>Instant charges have been laid against the UDD leadership (whereas the PAD leaders have suffered months of torment waiting to know what they will be chargedwith) and some of them are being held without bail (whereas the PAD leaders have the worry of having to walk about in public places not knowing what dangers lurk out there).&nbsp;</p>

<p>A lot of my friends and colleaques are in agreement that in order to realize the country's true democratic potential, Thailand needs a formal transition towards a truer more 'popular' form of democracy based on the needs and desires of the majority.<br /> &nbsp;</p>

<p style="line-height: 150%;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="line-height: 150%; font-family: Tahoma,sans-serif; color: black;">Thammasat University&rsquo;s political science academic says in his article in Prachatai that he disagrees with a common saying often heard during the past couple of years of political unrest that, &lsquo;Without bloodshed, this is not going to end,&rsquo; or, &lsquo;There must be a bloodshed, so this will end.&rsquo;</span></span></p>

<p>James Hookway, The Wall Street Journal - The battle for Bangkok showed signs of subsiding Monday as Thailand's army took a firmer stand against rioting antigovernment protesters, while exiled former leader Thaksin Shinawatra backed away from his earlier call for a full-scale revolution and instead urged peaceful protests.</p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: &quot;Tahoma&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;">First, a disclaimer. Our young, good-looking, English-educated Prime Minister has a Masters Degree in economics from Oxford, whereas your columnist, er, &hellip; well, I&rsquo;m English-educated.<span> <br /> </span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size: 10pt">An unconfirmed April 1^st report in Matichon says that foreigners in Thailand must seek prior permission from the Ministry of Culture if they intend to post material on a website while they are in Thailand.<span>&nbsp; </span>This new regulation also covers contributions to an internet forum or blog.</span></p>

<p><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: &quot;Tahoma&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">HIV/AIDS organizations around the world have reacted with predictable outrage and incredulity at the Pope&rsquo;s latest comments on the use of condoms as a way of preventing HIV infections.</span></p>