#FYI: Tony Cartalucci Critic -Thailand

PQC: I happen to be an Asian, an ex-Vietnamese who lived through the bloody Vietnam war, and have been just in bad luck to experience different political regimes from the US-lackey South Vietnam to the Communist North after 1975. Since 1983 as I fled Vietnam I have experienced other regimes both in East and West (Thailand, Indonesia, China, Singapore, Taiwan). I did not rely solely on other articles to form my opinion and conclusion, but my own experience and firsthand knowledge.

After 36 years living in the West, (Australia, the USA, and Europe) I have found that many Western intellectuals and journalists have sold their principles for the sake of anti-US-imperialism. They twisted and falsified facts and praised whoever dictators, who were outside of the US-imperial reign. I did not only read these kind of analysis but also met some of them personally. I wrote about this ideological sickness somewhere in this blog.

I wish somehow these anti-imperialists could live through these anti-usa regime as a true local -at least like myself had done as a local anti-war and anti-imperialist- not as a foreign westerner living there with certain privileges. I don’t want to repeat myself. So please read these articles with considering the facts without any prejudice and draw your own conclusion.

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Tony Cartalucci; Just a Lousy Journalist?

18^th April 2011

Tony Cartalucci
Tony Cartalucci has written prolifically on the political turmoil in Thailand. His writing focuses on the International dimension; the foreign interference in Thailand. While there is no doubt that no nation is an island and foreign groups with their own agendas interfere in all nations for their own personal ends, Tony has been very selective in which foreign groups he writes on, what their intentions are and who they work with in Thailand. I write now to expose some of the glaring omissions he has purposefully made and encourage you to ask; What groups does this foreigner in Thailand belong to and what is his agenda?I have been aware of his work for a year now. It started with the tragic events in Bangkok. Protesters were gunned down, soldiers died too, and foreign journalists, nurses and emergency workers were killed too, even delivery boys going about their business were gunned down. Tony, in his article ‘Thailand’s Thaksin Shinwatra, Marxists, and the NWO’, immediately highlighted the incontestable facts that the ousted Prime Minister Thaksin had worked with the Carlyle Group.He writes of the protesters as ‘ignorant’, ‘programmed’ and ‘conditioned with Maoist/Marxist techniques’, a ‘mob’ of ‘communists’ and ‘terrorists’ who will turn Thailand into a ‘corporate fascist bloc’ and have it rolled into ASEAN. ‘Dupes’ and ‘stooges’ led by Thaksin who is in turn led by Western Imperialists. It’s important to point out at this juncture that the red in the Thai Flag represents the Thai people. This is why they have chosen to be a Red Movement, it is not a left wing movement, it encompasses all of the common people of Thailand.Over the period of a year he continued along the same vein and added further incontestable facts to his writing. Thaksin was in the Council on Foreign Relations. The International Crisis Group has worked in Thailand, as has Freedom House and The National Endowment for Democracy. He has also continued with his nationalist ideological writing, praising the currently unelected government and Thai nationalists, while condemning all that they condemn with a fierce and violent passion; Highlighting some realities in Thailand such as the lax approach to enforcing Intellectual Property rights to essential drugs, which can not honestly be attributed to any political faction, and attributing them to the nationalists.What follows is not so much a defence of the Red Movement, it’s purpose is to provide a clearer and truer picture of the situation in Thailand. A response to the nationalist demagoguery of Tony Cartalucci’s contrived and deceptive polemic.Perhaps, we should start with some glaring omissions.
Anand PanyarachunAnand Panyarachun is a former Thai Prime Minister, a regular speaker at anti-Thaksin and anti-Red rallies. He was also a member of the Carlyle Asia Advisory Board. He, however, remained on the board for three years more than Thaksin, who left in 2001. Anand only left when the board was disbanded in 2004. He supported the military coup which ousted Thaksin and was surprised that the international community condemned it. He has sat with George W. Bush at the Global Leadership Foundation. Advised GE and AIG. Is a member of the CFR, UNICEF. The list goes on and on.And so, the first questions arises; Who is more intimately linked with Western interests? Who is ‘handled by Globalist Masters’? Why was Anand surprised by international condemnation of the coup?
Surin PitsuwanSurin Pitsuwan is another opponent of Thaksin and a 2006 coup supporter. “This, in a nutshell, is former Thai foreign minister Surin Pitsuwan’s analysis of recent political upheavals that plagued his country. Speaking at an ‘Asian Voices’ seminar in Brussels, Belgium, the director of Thailand’s Democratic Party believed that democracy did not die in the coup led by army general Sonthi Boonyaratklin, but was, in fact, saved just in time.”“He is currently on the Advisory Board of the International Crisis Group (ICG); a member of the International Advisory Board of the Council on Foreign Relations in New York; He was nominated by the Royal Thai Government and endorsed by ASEAN Leaders to be ASEAN Secretary-General for year 2008- 2012.”
Mechai ViravaidyaYet another high ranking opponent of Thaksin who supported the 2006 coup. The BBC quoted Senator Mechai Viravaidya as saying, “I’m delighted he’s gone,”He received money and an award from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation for his work on family planning which saw one of the most rapid declines in fertility in modern history. He also received the UN population award and was appointed UNAIDS Ambassador. As head of Thailand’s largest NGO, he is not alone in coming out in support of nationalists as the vast majority of Thai NGOs are funded by the Thai government and support their funders in their opposition of the Red Movement.
General Prem Tinsulanonda“General Prem Tinsulanonda now serves as the Head of the Privy Council of the King of Thailand, Bhumibol Adulyadej.”“Prem found himself named as a leading player in the Thailand political crisis of 2005-2006. Before and during the mass protest of Thaksin’s supporters, the UDD, Thaksin started mentioning the name of Prem publicly. The UDD leaders harshly blasted Prem for meddling in politics, calling him by using a term of ‘ammatya’ or ‘aristocrat’, as a threat to democracy since he has never been democratically elected.”General Prem Tinsulanonda was Chief Advisor to the CP Group., the largest business conglomerate in Thailand who have a business relationship with the Bush family, until he left after investigations started into financial irregularities. The Carlyle Group announced an acquisition of interests in CP Group for US$175 Million, and General Prem remains embroiled in accusations of financial irregularities as businesses including the Carlyle Group’s CP Group continued to make donations to his foundations.
AbhisitVejjajivaThe current Prime Minister of Thailand, Abhisit Vejjajiva, was named ‘one of 100 Global Leaders for Tomorrow by the World Economic Forum in 1992. In 1998 he became Knight Grand Cordon of the Most Noble Order of the Crown of Thailand and in 1999, Knight Grand Cordon (Special Class) of the Most Exalted Order of the White Elephant. He became unelected Prime Minister of Thailand in 2008.Above are a just a few influential Thai people with links to the same organisations as Thaksin, and more. Tony Cartalucci accuses these organisations of being foreign bodies interfering in Thailand’s domestic politics via Thaksin and the Red Movement.Again the questions arise; Who is more influenced by these foreign interests? Why does Tony only highlight Thaksin’s links and not the links of the enormously powerful and influential opponents of Thaksin?
Omission of the IMFTony Cartalucci has stated that “Thailand’s answer to the IMF, and globalization in general was profound in both implications as well as in its understanding of globalization’s end game.” He credits anti-IMF policies to Thaksin’s opposition and fails to mention that;
“Thailand was a severely compromised democracy by the time Thaksin won the 2001 election on an anti-IMF platform. In his first year in office, he inaugurated three heavy spending programmes that directly contradicted the IMF edicts: a moratorium on farmers’ existing debt, along with facilitating new credit for them; medical treatment for all at only 30 baht (less than a dollar) per illness; and a one million baht fund for every district to invest as it saw fit.
These policies did not bring on the inflationary crisis that the IMF and conservative local economists expected. Instead they buoyed the economy and cemented Thaksin’s massive support among the rural and urban poor.This was the ‘good’ side of Thaksin.”Thailand now has IMF debt increasing under Abhisit. Paying off this debt will inevitably result in less public spending and higher taxes. New taxes are also being introduced such as the Land Tax which is currently going through parliament.The IMF has recently praised Thailand under Thaksin’s opposition for giving public money to private companies.Asia Times noted before the 2006 coup that “Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra was elected in 2001 on a strongly populist economic platform now widely referred to as Thaksinomics. Since that time, Thaksin’s populist policies have succeeded in producing rapid economic growth. The only factor that could derail Thailand’s economy is the remote risk of social instability.”The question has to asked; Were the IMF instrumental in creating this social instability that came about with the advent of the Yellow Shirts who preceded the Red Movement?
American Involvement?It’s interesting to note the events that led up to the final massacre at Ratchaprasong. RSO Randall Bennet from the US Embassy at an on-line meeting wrote,“If anything, the Army has been extremely patient and while being attacked by Red-Shirts with lethal weapons, has responded with rubber bullets to minimize casualties. The Army has not been the aggressor in this case.”On the Sunday morning US Assistant Secretary of State Kurt M. Campbell met Thai government officials and Red Movement leaders. He said that he strongly supported the government and urged the Reds to follow the government’s recommendations.By the afternoon the Thai government stated that it had a secretive new plan to disperse the Reds.On the Monday morning Thai and US governments were distanced by a report published in Thai newspapers.
On the Thursday evening The New York Times interviewed Seh Deang where he was shot by a sniper after which a barrage of bullets entered the protest site killing and wounding many unarmed protesters and culminating in the end of the two month protest calling for fresh elections to replace an unelected government.
It’s also interesting to note the presence of Americans, such as Michael Yon, at the protest telling the protesters to give up and go home.“After some shooting started, this guy with weapons T-shirt and a firework stopped me and asked me to email him his photo. Interesting that part of his email address was “M203,” which is a 40mm grenade launcher similar to M79. I emailed him a photo and asked him to go home.”
Who is Tony Cartalucci?Tony Cartalucci doesn’t reveal much about himself beyond being a Bangkok based writer. Further information on him can only be deduced from his writing or gleaned from the comments sections of his articles.According to various comments, if they are to be believed, he has been a US Marine and conscientious objector;“while I was in the Marine Corps – I never killed children, nor anyone not armed. Eventually, when I woke up, I refused orders and spent a month in solitary confinement in defense of my convictions. I am not proud of what I did as a Marine and I have dedicated my life to make reconciliation for what I’ve done.”By looking at his writings and the reader’s comments we can deduce that he is an American living in Thailand, supporting the Thai Nationalists.
Thailand’s NationalistsThai Nationalists have completely dismissed Wikileaks as a whole. This may be due to the fact that leaks purported to reveal that some nationalists planned on killing dozens of their own followers in order to gain sympathetic support and demonise the Red Movement. Other leaks placed the spotlight on the nationalist leadership committing Lese Majeste.The Thai Patriots Network have ex-communists within their ranks and have called for an uprising against elected governments as a whole along with an invasion of Cambodia to seize Angkor Wat.“Elected politicians create more economic and social problems, and more threats to people’s freedom, … ‘We must stand up and be united. On the day that we mobilize our people, we have to come out in full force. Soldiers, police, and government officials should stand up for the good of the country. When the day comes, everyone must come out to make changes ourselves. We have to cooperate and help ourselves first, and angels and gods will help us.’The current government is now paying communist rebels 500 million THB, fulfilling a promise given by General Prem Tinsulanonda.Despite communists morphing into nationalists, government supporters morphing into government opposers and all of the constant change in Thai loyalties they still seem to remain loyal to American money. Tony Cartalucci states that;Abhisit’s “government … has been steadily distancing itself from free-trade with the US, ignoring US calls to enforce “intellectual property,” and pursuing a more protectionist policy in regards to the West and its unraveling economy.”The hyperlink he provides is four years old and Thailand has always been lax on intellectual property rights regardless of whether leaders were elected, unelected, military juntas or even Thaksin himself. I wonder if Tony noticed that the article he linked to told of how Thaksin’s unelected predecessors were working directly with the Clinton Foundation. Perhaps not. Be assured though, if Thaksin was in anyway involved with the foundation, it would have been labelled an untrustworthy New World Order foundation.Regardless of whether or not the Clinton Foundation is good or evil, the fact remains that Tony’s point is contrary to this more recent article highlighting closer free-trade links with the US;“The recent road show to the US held by Thailand Board of Investment (BOI) showed the country received confirmation from giant American investors of their investment expansion projects, according to Minister of Industry Chaiwuti Bannawat who led the road show.”
Article 112Thai Nationalists naturally claim to love their royal family and illustrate their love by accusing people of Lese Majeste, and even sedition. Article 112 of the Thai Constitution protects royalty from criticism and insult. The Lese Majeste law could see those whose body language is deemed to be insulting to Thai Royalty imprisoned for decades. Cases of Lese Majeste have increased by 13,000% since the 2006 coup, and internet censorship and monitoring has also increased enormously most probably due to the movement against Article 112, which is currently growing exponentially.
Just a Lousy Journalist?This article has only skimmed the surface of the situation in Thailand. It could continue indefinitely, but this writer presumes that enough evidence has been presented to readers. It concludes that Tony Cartalucci’s writing on Thailand can not be trusted as objective descriptions of western interference in Thailand. They are, in fact, polemics against Thaksin and the Red Movement within which he presents carefully selected facts to suit a partisan argument against a section of the Thai people who have genuine grievances against their establishment. Those readers who believe in a New World Order hell bent on global corporate rule and depopulation may wish to continue research into such things as live Polio vaccines being administered by the current regime in a country that hasn’t had a case of Polio for over 50 years. Or, perhaps the lax approach the regime has towards drinking water, including bottled water, being unfit for consumption due to the high levels of fluoride and other pollutants.And remember what Roosevelt alluded to, human history has always seen the rich and powerful taking advantage of the poor and the weak and they killed whole swaths of people before the word eugenics was ever dreamt up.In regards to Tony Cartalucci, who seems only to parrot what Thai members of the ICG, CFR and other globalist organisations say, it is suggested that if he is so concerned with foreign interference in Thailand, maybe he should consider stopping his own interference and stop his association fallacies.