# There's Rioting in Our Streets, Part 3 **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [November 27, 2013, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theres-rioting-in-our-streets-part-3/674919 "2013-11-27T15:26:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 23
**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2014, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theres-rioting-in-our-streets-part-3/674919/441 "2014-05-27T04:20:22Z")
I guess what I don’t understand about this entire crisis is why I should be so happy the Red Shirts are gone. I mean, I understand that they were responsible for a bunch of nasty stuff and they’re corrupt as hell, but it seems like their opponents are a bunch of upper class twits and anti-democratic military officers who don’t seem like a great bunch of people themselves. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2014, 4:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theres-rioting-in-our-streets-part-3/674919/442 "2014-05-27T04:46:43Z")
The lesser of two evils. Much, much lesser. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2014, 8:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theres-rioting-in-our-streets-part-3/674919/443 "2014-05-27T08:16:44Z")
Taylor Swift has pulled an Eric Clapton and canceled her concert that was to be performed on June 9. Her Asian tour starts on June 4, and the scheduled stops were Jakarta, Manila, Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur and Singapore, in that order, but now Bangkok’s been tossed out of the mix. The tickets here were already sold out too. The curfew _may_ have had something to do with that, so maybe it’s here to stay for a while. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2014, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theres-rioting-in-our-streets-part-3/674919/444 "2014-05-27T15:31:58Z")
New and improved curfew! Midnight to 4am, starting Wednesday. It’s Tuesday night now, so does “starting Wednesday” mean midnight to 4am Wednesday morning? Probably not. It’s only about 10:30pm Tuesday night here, and the Expressway is looking pretty deserted. ---
**Author:** ![Ale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@Ale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ale)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2014, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theres-rioting-in-our-streets-part-3/674919/445 "2014-05-27T16:17:21Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > New and improved curfew! Midnight to 4am, starting Wednesday. It’s Tuesday night now, so does “starting Wednesday” mean midnight to 4am Wednesday morning? Probably not. It’s only about 10:30pm Tuesday night here, and the Expressway is looking pretty deserted. I think it’s actually until 5 AM. Not much difference for me for the ending times, but I’ve been working late this last few weeks and it makes it difficult to have the time to buy some necessities after work before the shops close at 8 or 9. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2014, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theres-rioting-in-our-streets-part-3/674919/446 "2014-05-28T00:06:56Z")
No, the Post and others are reporting 4am for the new curfew. [Midnight to 4am](http://www.bangkokpost.com/most-recent/412082/new-curfew-midnight-4am). ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2014, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theres-rioting-in-our-streets-part-3/674919/447 "2014-05-28T01:45:37Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > No, the Post and others are reporting 4am for the new curfew. [Midnight to 4am](http://www.bangkokpost.com/most-recent/412082/new-curfew-midnight-4am). Damn, I’ve been in plenty of bars from midnight to four. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2014, 7:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theres-rioting-in-our-streets-part-3/674919/448 "2014-05-28T07:57:56Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > Damn, I’ve been in plenty of bars from midnight to four. What a coincidence. So have I! 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2014, 9:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theres-rioting-in-our-streets-part-3/674919/449 "2014-05-28T09:17:25Z")
Late Wednesday afternoon, and Facebook has been blocked in Thailand. Millions of teenagers are going through withdrawal. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2014, 10:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theres-rioting-in-our-streets-part-3/674919/450 "2014-05-28T10:12:34Z")
Well, now there’s a question about whether Facebook is being blocked or if there’s a technical glitch. The junta is reportedly saying “technical glitch,” and the wife’s niece is able to access Facebook but only on certain devices. So who knows. ---
**Author:** ![septimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/septimus/32/410_2.png) [@septimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/septimus)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2014, 10:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theres-rioting-in-our-streets-part-3/674919/451 "2014-05-28T10:28:07Z")
Facebook was shut down just for a few minutes with a warning about too much political discussion. The brief shutdown is presumably a warning of possible longer shutdown. The censoring infrastructure seems to have been improved. Banned sites used to redirect to a page at the Ministry of Communication and Technology which took aeons to load. Now banned sites give a quick warning response, albeit nonsensically worded. [betfair.com](http://betfair.com) is one of the banned sites in Thailand, for those who want to experiment. I can still access it with Tor browser. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2014, 10:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theres-rioting-in-our-streets-part-3/674919/452 "2014-05-28T10:30:57Z")
And Facebook is back up. Phew! The junta is denying it was responsible. (Actually, I’m not even on Facebook and couldn’t care less.) ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2014, 10:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theres-rioting-in-our-streets-part-3/674919/453 "2014-05-28T10:35:22Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > And Facebook is back up. Phew! The junta is denying it was responsible. > > (Actually, I’m not even on Facebook and couldn’t care less.) Sounds like a case of one hand not knowing what the other hand is doing. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2014, 10:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theres-rioting-in-our-streets-part-3/674919/454 "2014-05-28T10:36:57Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > Sounds like a case of one hand not knowing what the other hand is doing. Expect the junta to get blamed for a bunch of stuff in the coming days. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2014, 10:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theres-rioting-in-our-streets-part-3/674919/455 "2014-05-28T10:43:28Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > Expect the junta to get blamed for a bunch of stuff in the coming days. And some of it will be their fault. After all, there’s bound to be some screw-ups and miscommunications in a military operation of this scale. Probably some colonel saw something he didn’t like on Facebook, overreacted and ordered the whole thing shut down; half an hour later a pissed-off general called him and told him not to do that kind of thing again without his permission. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2014, 10:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theres-rioting-in-our-streets-part-3/674919/456 "2014-05-28T10:50:27Z")
> [@septimus](#): > > Facebook was shut down just for a few minutes with a warning about too much political discussion. The brief shutdown is presumably a warning of possible longer shutdown. More likely that some colonel saw something he didn’t like, overreacted, and ordered that the whole thing be blocked. His general probably called him a few minutes later and ordered him to turn it back on. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2014, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theres-rioting-in-our-streets-part-3/674919/457 "2014-05-29T02:20:34Z")
The military is doing a good job so far. [They’re moving quickly to weed out any Thaksin links among the police](http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/politics/412363/police-shake-up-cuts-ties-to-thaksin). And besides shortening the curfew to midnight-4am, they’re considering lifting it entirely at popular tourist destinations. Viva la Junta! Meanwhile, the [decade-old violence in the deep South persists](http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/security/412370/pattani-hospital-blast-injures-10), with almost no one noticing. This sort of thing happens every single day and has since January 4, 2004, but it’s far enough away that it can be swept under the rug. ---
**Author:** ![ShibbOleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@ShibbOleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShibbOleth)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2014, 12:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theres-rioting-in-our-streets-part-3/674919/458 "2014-05-29T12:25:55Z")
Saw a link this morning for a petition to remove Kristie Kenney as the US Ambassador to Thailand. Seems unlikely to happen, but apparently some people in Thailand feel that she’s out of touch with the real situation. > [@](#): > > Remove Kristie Kenney as Ambassador to Thailand > Now is more important than ever for the US to receive accurate information regarding the situation in Thailand. Kristie Kenney should be removed as the Ambassador to Thailand. Her disconnect with the true political situation is obvious by her spread of misinformation and the resulting actions. The countless acts of unprofessionalism, well documented in her never-ending Twitter selfies, reflect negatively on her position and the American people as a whole. The United States deserves professional representation to restore credibility to the American people in the region and provide an accurate assessment as the situation unfolds. Feel free to sign if you feel that way. > **[The White House](https://www.whitehouse.gov)** > > President Biden and Vice President Harris promised to move quickly to deliver results for working families. That’s what they’ve done. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2014, 12:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theres-rioting-in-our-streets-part-3/674919/459 "2014-05-29T12:57:56Z")
What do you think of that, **Siam Sam**? ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2014, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theres-rioting-in-our-streets-part-3/674919/460 "2014-05-29T14:04:38Z")
Well, _I’m_ not signing that petition. And I doubt it will come to anything. She’s a very nice lady, and what these people are complaining about is beyond me. What is she supposed to do except spout the standard American line anyway? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theres-rioting-in-our-streets-part-3/674919.md?page=22) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theres-rioting-in-our-streets-part-3/674919.md?page=24)