From the vantage point of a fly on the wall looking at the events in Bangkok by Thaksin’s Red Shirt protesters, you would have to admit there are some serious questions about the mental states of the Red Shirt leaders. Some of their latest actions are now being driven by their survival instincts. The Red Shirt leaders have clearly realized that they too have followed their convicted fugitive Icon Thaksin Shinawatra past the point of no return.
It is a wonderful blend of hype, psychotic motivation, sheep mentality and failure to think things out that the world is watching unfold in Thailand with the Thaksin supporting Red Shirts. What the world sees is a group of people looking to ignore laws, court rulings and acting in violet ways that includes killing their own. In fact just by reading the preceding highlighted sentence one can easily conclude that there are some mental health issues going on with this group of people.
Their Icon Thaksin is clearly suffering from a variety of mental health conditions that make him dangerous to others. Many of his personality traits that include arrogance, self perceived grandeur, feeling laws and rules are for others, ignoring the opinions and views of others have clearly been transferred to the leadership of the Red Shirts. The one difference that is triggering the survival instincts in the Red Shirt leaders is Thaksin is insulated with loads of money and very far away from the occupation site in downtown Bangkok, and they are not. Also Thaksin is not looking at the business end of loaded military weapons that have been given the OK to shoot if threatened.
The Red Shirt leaders have figured out there are 4 possible outcomes with 3 that really suck and only 1 that offers a reward. The three that suck include, being jailed for life, leaving Thailand for the rest of their lives, and being killed fighting or executed for terrorism or treason. Because of this extreme and overt displays of arrogance are shown so as to bolster self confidence in the light that they possibly are at the end of the dance with the devil.
Some of those displays are stopping vehicles of all types searching for government reinforcements or whatever, intruding into peoples private affairs, making threats and so on. At the same time they are offering people a glimpse of what Thailand would be like if Thaksin was ever to get back into power where everyone will live in fear for even hinting at challenging Thaksin’s supreme authority.
Looking at the suspended military general that is now calling himself the leader of the forces that will fight the government, he has his own set of mental health problems that make him just as dangerous as Thaksin. It is generally assumed that he is directly involved with the Black Shirts and is not shy about pulling the trigger. Every act of violence against anti Thaksin forces over the past few years his name has come up as being involved or making open threats of violence against them that shortly there after materialize.
Take your pick of Hollywood movies that characters like this are depicted, and you will also have a good idea of what things would be like. Although Hollywood movies are often fictional events, characters are taken from real life models to provide a sense of realism. In all cases the leaders inside the Red Shirts have shown dangerous behavior towards others who do not share their views. Some are clearly more violent than others but that is an ambiguous statement. Each has found their own self defined role inside the Red Shirts based on their personality traits. The violent are acting out their personality in a lawless manner and people are dying and so on. Take your pick of any dangerous mentally ill Hollywood character, and you will easily find them inside the Red Shirt leadership at some level from the Lieutenants on up.
Unfortunately it is these types of people Thaksin must surround himself with to survive in Thailand. This is no different than any other ruthless dictators of the present and past. Iran, Iraq, Burma and North Korea are just some examples. The leadership in those countries have displayed psychotic behavior and the world sees the human suffering that comes of it.
It’s called war Richard. This has been brought upon the Thai citizens with equal influence from both sides. Your beloved Yellows and the military drawn up 2007 constitution bears just as much blame as the actions of the Reds.