Posted on 09/20/2006 3:54:59 AM PDT by excludethis
> I guess maybe I don't understand at all <
Boy, you can say that again. And again. And again. And again. And again. And again. And again, ad infinitum.
Ok here is a Lurker that is coming out...lol
I really do appreciate the boots on the ground reporting much more than the msm. Killjoy, Keep up the good work and keep us informed if any new info comes out.
CD
And how DID the Thai's manage to stay out of the Vietnam war? I never realized until just a few years ago just how smack dab in the middle of it all they are. And how does Laos manage to wrap all the way around Thailand? Seems like an untenable geopolitical subdivision.
> Thailand was aligned with the Axis in WWII. <
Yes and no:
They were occupied by the Japanese on December 8, 1941, and were told by the invaders to declare war on the US and her allies "or else."
So they declared war, in order that their country not be totally pillaged and raped by the invaders -- whose troops had committed unspeakable atrocities in China.
But the Thai Ambassador in Washington refused to deliver the formal Declaration of War to the US gov't. Never happened!
Things remained this way until Japan's surrender, at which point the Thai government rescinded the Declaration of War. So the USA never ruled or declared "officially" that Thailand was an enemy during the War. What's more, there were never any hostile engagments between US and Thai forces, naval or military.
Moreover, almost from "day one" after the Japanese takeover, there were friendly elements in the Thai government who provided a constant stream of intelligence to us and our allies.
Then in 1944, the OSS was able to parachute a number of agents into the Kingdom, many of whom were sheltered by friendlies in the Thai army and police, plus by Thai Christians in the tribal regions of the north.
Interesting enough, there's still a fair amount of anti-Japanese sentiment in Thailand as a result of the occupation. Even people who weren't alive during the War will repeat family stories about ill-treatment at the hands of the Imperial Army.
In any event, it's quite a fascinating story, which unfortunately is little known even by military history buffs in the USA.
I was being gentle.
;oP
I have following the violence in Thailand's south for years. There is much on it on LGF. When I want to search for stuff there, I type "LGF" and the word I'm searching for in Google's search engine, then I get threads from previous years. They have killed schoolgirls, shopkeepers, monks... A horrible problem, which the media doesn't care about since it can't be used to bash the US or Bush or Christians or Israel...
Here's a few links on the jihad in Thailand. 2 years+, with the media disinterested. http://littlegreenfootballs.com/weblog/?entry=16326_Religion_of_Decapitation_in_Thailand&only
http://www.littlegreenfootballs.com/weblog/?entry=16425_Another_Beheading_in_Thailand&only
http://littlegreenfootballs.com/weblog/?entry=11347
http://www.littlegreenfootballs.com/weblog/?entry=18791
The appeal for talks with insurgents came a day after bombs in 22 banks across the province of Yala exploded almost simultaneously, killing a retired official, and injuring 28 people... Since the renewed flare-up in January 2004 of a decades-old separatist insurgency, Thaksin Shinawatra, the prime minister, has promised to shower the troubled region with money to accelerate economic growth...Yeah, and I'm sure that'll work.
"like about 2400 years under the current reigning dynasty!"
That would be "about 240", right? King Bhumipol Adulyadej [Rama the Ninth] is the Ninth of the Chakri Dynasty. The first of the Chakri Dynasty took power afte a coup against the King, whose name was . . . Taksin.
The danger of islam is it is decentralized and relentlessly patient. There isnt a "Hitler" to lightning rod the forces of freedom.
> That would be "about 240", right? <
Correct. My mistake!
Knock me over with a feather. Perhaps the coup leaders desire a "constitutional amendment". To implement Sharia. Color me not stunned.
Zig for great justice!
Keep telling yourself this. Boiled frog.
Coups are a way of life in Thailand.
1932-1940 3 coups
1941-1950 3 coups
1951-1960 4 coups
1961-1970 0 coups
1971-1980 3 coups
1981-1990 2 coups
1991- 2 coups (including the current one)
Democracy is still a work in progress
Quotes of Sonthi Boonyaratglin
"Thaksin is a Thai and a fellow countryman and there will be no problem should he decide to return. We are like brothers,"
"The army will not get involved in the political conflict. Political troubles should be resolved by politicians. Military coups are a thing of the past."
Sorry I didn't explain it more at the time but it was about 2am here and I needed to get some sleep.
After Thailand was invaded on December 8, 1941, the country was under intense pressure from Japan. Thailand didn't have much of an Army and was in no position to resist so they ended up signing a treaty with Japan. Thailand was forced to declare war on the Allies although the Thai Ambassador in the US refused to make it official in Washington.
Instead the Thai Ambassador in Washington worked with the OSS to start up the Free Thai movement which sent Thai students in the US back to Thailand to start a resistance movement.
After the war France and the UK wanted to split up Thailand but the US refused to let them do it because of the great work of the Thai resistance movement. If you are interested, I suggest picking up a copy of: Thailand's Secret War: OSS, SOE and the Free Thai Underground During World War II (Cambridge Military Histories) by E. Bruce Reynolds
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