…and all this then entitles a group of lunatics to destabilise not only the state mechanisms but also the country’s economy, affecting the lives of the vast majority of people who do not share the PAD’s views in any way and just want to get on with their lives?

The difference between you and me Andrew W. is your willingness to overlook the blatantly corrupt and the patently divisive politics of Thaksin and his proxy Samak, merely because of your constipated faith in the majority vote to emancipate the poor and the marginalized Thai villagers. But I hold the view that these Thai poor and these marginalized Thai villagers are in reality being impoverished, marginalized and used/abused by the very same corrupted democracy without accountability.

Your democracy strictly by the numbers is dangerous Andrew Walker and very oppressing. Any criminal opportunist could easily exploit democracy-strictly-by-the-numbers to turn a Thailand into a Marcos-cursed-Philippines, or, even a Mugabe-hyperinflation-ruined-Zimbabwe. Thaksin almost succeeded . . . His proxy Samak thought he could also try.

And the protests are rapidly spreading in the provinces (Phuket, Haadyai) and civil disobedience started by State Railways of Thailand have infected Thai International Airways. Samak’s proxy days are getting shorter.

Proxy Samak Sundaravej is probably going to be booted out of office just like his boss Thaksin Shinawatra, unless Samak finds the good sense to resign now and limit his disgrace.

That sodomy is perhaps viewed more as a personal crime than a crime against the state allows for Anwar’s return to public life. The opposite can be said of Thaksin - everyone will remember his corruption (guilty or not) because it allegedly affects the state. Few would immediatly think of Anwar Ibrahim’s corruption because sodomy was used to demonise him primarily in UMNO controlled media. Perhaps, if Anwar Ibrahim’s corruption was weighted more heavily in his demonisation, the Malaysian public would have been more focused on the corruption of other UMNO members.

Sondhi Limthongkul said “If we fail this time, we’ll quit and surrender the country to them. When people don’t care about us, we won’t have to care about them. Let others take over the country.” Who is the PAD holding to ransom? Citizens or subjects? At least if Thaksin Shinawatra was holding Thais to ransom, the victims fell into the category of citizen. Instead Thai political development remains stuck on repeat at ‘the pot calling the kettle black’, and will remain so until demonisation, (like the attempts on Samak’s character at the moment) is unneccessary.

No offense, but these types of people (American or not) make me laugh. Welcome to the interweb.