Amnesty's Abuse of Rights Advocacy

March 11, 2017 (Joseph Thomas - NEO) - Alleged human rights advocacy organisation, Amnesty International, has had several of its recent reports called into question regarding the very real possibility that its "advocacy" work is nothing more than politically-motivated attacks on nations targeted by its Western sponsors.

One report published under the titled, "Syria: Human Slaughterhouse: Mass Hangings and Extermination at Saydnaya Prison, Syria," has been revealed to consist of nothing more than opposition accusations and fabricated evidence created on computers in the United Kingdom.

Despite Amnesty International's report concluding that the Syrian government committed "crimes against humanity," the report admits it lacked any sort of physical evidence, including access to the facility in which Amnesty claims between "5,000-13,000" people were systematically tortured and executed.

 Amnesty International, a long-established and internationally recognised rights advocacy organisation, must certainly know better than to draw such conclusions and levelling such serious accusations against another nation without any actual evidence.

Assuming Amnesty knew better, it then appears that the organisation deliberately used its reputation and credibility, along with techniques designed to prey on the emotions of the public, to create a politically hostile climate toward the Damascus government on behalf of the US-European and Persian Gulf state coalition aimed at its removal from power.

While Amnesty's report on Syria is perhaps the most transparent and egregious abuse of human rights advocacy, Amnesty has produced other reports recently exhibiting a similar pattern of deception and lies of omission, preying on public ignorance and emotions, often at the cost of human rights advocacy rather than in defence of it.

Thailand's Turn 

Despite claims that America is posed to pursue a different tack regarding policy in Asia Pacific, the organisations and agencies arrayed by Wall Street and Washington against the region remain in place and very active.

Assisting these networks are organisations precisely like Amnesty International.

In their report titled, "Thailand: "They Cannot Keep Us Quiet": The Criminalization of Activists, Human Rights Defenders, And Others in Thailand," attempts to paint a picture of a draconian dictatorship silencing defenders of democracy and human rights.

Thailand Pushes Back Against BBC Propaganda

December 8, 2016 (Tony Cartalucci - NEO) - Thailand's government has opened an investigation into BBC's "BBC Thai" and its recent activities. It is accused of maliciously slandering Thailand's newly appointed head of state, King Maha Vajiralongkorn in a recent "profile" published in both English and Thai on its website and across social media.

The BBC, known for misleading the public globally, has helped justify devastating wars, political conflict, and the socioeconomic division and destruction of entire nations. While the Western media attempts to portray the BBC's row in Thailand as merely a Thai issue - it is in fact the latest in an extensive global backlash against the monopoly the West has - until now - enjoyed over the media.

The BBC in Thailand 

While the BBC has maintained an office in Thailand for years, "BBC Thai" was created only in 2014, just after the US-backed regime of Thaksin Shinawatra - headed by his own sister Yingluck Shinawatra - was ousted from power amid massive street protests and a subsequent military coup.

Since then, the BBC has worked ceaselessly toward undermining the government, the military, as well as attacking the nation's ancient and revered institutions in an effort to bolster Western-backed opposition fronts.

This includes several notable stunts including the BBC's Jonathan Head visiting the 2015 Bangkok bomb blast scene to tamper with evidence in an effort to undermine the investigation and humiliate investigators as well as the government. Head would confiscate evidence from the scene and carry it to a near by police station - all on camera - in a very public and staged attempt to depict investigators as incompetent. Despite what is a chargeable offense in even the most liberal nations, Thai police attempted to downplay the incident.

During the deluge of leaked documents and emails over the past year, information regarding the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Thailand (FCCT) of which the BBC's Jonathan Head is a senior figure, revealed ties to convicted financial criminal George Soros and Open Society.

Head would flatly deny the accusations first published by Bangkok-based alternative news site "The New Atlas," before admitting to "a one-off media seminar in Myanmar." However, further investigation revealed that the FCCT included in its Bangkok office, and headed by the FCCT's own president - Dominic Faulder - "The Indochina Media Memorial Foundation" (IMMF) whose actives were indeed funded for years by Open Society.

US Policymakers Seek "New Thailand" Amid Asian Pivot

December 4, 2016 (Joseph Thomas - NEO) - With the passing of Thailand's head of state, King Bhumibol Adulyadej, a universally revered cultural and pragmatic leader for the last 70 years, Thailand's enemies see an opportunity in what they perceive as a void in national unity.

Throughout Washington's policy circles, several articles containing analysis have been circulated regarding an opportunity for "change" or a "New Thailand."

The least subtle of these articles is Foreign Policy magazine's "A Chance for Change in the New Thailand: Now that the king is gone, can Thailand’s opposition come together to challenge the ruling military junta?," which in title alone gives away the West's desire to foment the sort of "colour revolutions" and "regime change" it has backed around the world from North Africa to the Middle East to Eastern Europe and even Asia itself.

The article makes fundamental mistakes no real geopolitical analysis would make if informing readers was their goal. They are, however, mistakes one would make if they were advocating regime change and needed to create a false pretext with which to justify it.

The article claims:

the waiting game is now over. In a few months at most — following a period of mourning for the beloved king — the dust will settle and a new political landscape will come into being. In this new environment, the democratic opposition will be able to organize and mobilize far more effectively for a return to democratic rule. It will be able to capitalize on the unpopularity of the new king, mobilizing populations who were unwilling to challenge the junta and its royal mandate. It will also be able to unite various groups around common strategies and campaigns, now that the uncertainties of the referendum and the king’s health have passed. These campaigns might target the new centers of power, or use elections as mobilizing opportunities, or focus on uniting both major parties against the junta. 

But of course, this will depend on the ability of civil society groups to bridge their divisions and unite behind a single banner: returning Thailand to democratic governance.

However, the so-called "democratic opposition" Foreign Policy deceptively refers to is in fact simply the supporters of Thaksin Shinawatra, who represent a small and dwindling minority amid Thai politics.

Even in 2011, when Shinawatra's sister took power, his political party garnered the support of only 35% of all eligible voters, failed to win even the popular vote and when in 2014 tens of thousands of protesters took to the streets to call for the resignation of his party from power, he failed to mobilise a street presence even remotely proportional in his own support. 

Shinawatra himself was a categorically undemocratic figure himself who sought to create a single party government, actively eliminated his political enemies both through litigation and through assassinations as well as cultivated a violent street movement used to intimidate and coerce the population. 

Thailand: Careless Journalism Backs a Western Colour Revolution

December 4, 2016 (The New Atlas) - Sputnik International is a Russian-based media platform that has added depth and reach to the alternative media.

It was unfortunate then, to see their article, "Dislike: Thai Activist Arrested for Posting Unflattering Article About the King," which carelessly repeated Western media propaganda regarding Thailand.

Aiding and Abetting Western Colour Revolutions... 

The story involves alleged "activist" Jatupat Boonpattararaksa of the "New Democracy Movement," a US-EU-backed opposition movement meant to create in Thailand the same instability Western-backed "colour revolutionaries" have caused across Eastern Europe and the Middle Eastern and North African region (MENA).

Sputnik cites iLawFX, a US National Endowment for Democracy (NED) and Open Society funded front. 

Jatupat was detained for distributing a BBC Thai article claiming to be a "biography" of Thailand's new king and head of state, King Maha Vajiralongkorn. The BBC biography was rife with disinformation and slander aimed at undermining the new head of state's role in unifying and moving the nation forward after over a decade of political turmoil brought about by the US-European backed government of Thaksin Shinawatra and his sister Yingluck Shinawatra.

The BBC Thai itself was established in 2014 when the Shinawatra government was deposed from power amid massive street protests and a subsequent military coup. It has since sown the same deceptive and subversive disinformation the BBC is know for worldwide.

Sputnik's unfortunate article even goes as far as citing the BBC, as well as the US National Endowment for Democracy (NED) and Open Society-funded front, iLawFX.

The Folly of Repeating Falsehoods 

Sputnik's article reports that Thailand possesses a "draconian lese-majeste law," but fails to note that the majority of jail sentences involve threats of armed subversion or assassination against Thailand's head of state and/or his family. Sputnik also reports that Jatupat has been arrested several times before, but again, fails to note that previous arrests took place under the very same circumstances Sputnik itself often reports on regarding Western-backed "colour revolutionaries" being arrested in Russia, Eastern Europe and across the MENA region.

The West's War on Thailand's Next King

November 29, 2016 (Tony Cartalucci - NEO) - The first fatal mistake Western observers make when attempting to describe Thailand's monarchy is comparing it to European, or worse yet, Arabian institutions. It is neither.

With the passing of the universally revered King Bhumibol Adulyadej and the upcoming coronation of his successor, Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn, Western observers are indulging deeply in this mistake once again - many doing so intentionally for politically-motivated reasons.

Thailand, a nation of nearly 70 million people, and a significant political, military, and economic power in Southeast Asia, remains the only nation in the region to avoid colonization by European powers. It managed this through the leadership of its monarchs and the unity they have historically fostered throughout Thai history.

For nations seeking to subjugate Thailand as a nation and Asia as a region, Thailand's monarchy poses a significant and formidable obstacle to their ambitions - and an obstacle they have worked for decades to eliminate through every means from propaganda to terrorism.

For nations wishing to create stronger ties with Thailand, understanding the importance of this institution, rather than attempting to judge the nation by Western standards, is key.

During this crucial transitional period, it is important for nations seeking closer relations with Thailand to avoid repeating the torrent of disinformation intentionally put out by the Western media as part of its calculated "pivot to Asia" in which it seeks to undermine regional strength and reassert Western domination by tearing down political leaders and institutions that stand in its way.

The Thai Monarchy 

Thailand's monarchy - officially a constitutional monarchy - stretches back seven centuries, with the current dynasty reigning for over 230 years. It has developed and currently rules as a uniquely Thai institution with its own history and its own social contract with the Thai people. Contrary to disinformation spread by the increasingly discredited Western media and the circles of lobbyists that have infiltrated and tainted their ranks, the reverence, loyalty, and respect Thai people view this institution with is real.

US Media Weaponizes "Economic Outlooks"

November 22, 2016 (Tony Cartalucci - NEO) - Thailand is currently undergoing a sensitive period with the passing of the nation's long-lived, revered head of state, King Bhumibol Adulyadej. Indeed, the mood across the country is somber, however, the actual business of the nation continues on with many Thais realizing that moving forward is the best way to honor their late king.

And despite Thais continuing to work, factories continuing to produce, agricultural goods continuing to be cultivated, processed, and shipped domestically, regionally, and internationally, the Western media - driven by corporate-financier and political special interests - has attempted to upend confidence in the Thai economy by suggesting that somehow toned-down entertainment venues will overturn the entire economy.

And some in the Western media have attempted to claim the one year of official mourning in Thailand could even affect the rest of Asia.

But back in reality, sound economic fundamentals and actual political stability determine a nation's positive economic outlook - and Thailand possesses both.

The Financial Times in an article titled, "Can Thailand’s economy handle a year of mourning?," claims that:

Many Thais are putting off weddings, vacations and other “joyful events” as the country begins a one-year period of mourning. This is in addition to a 30-day ban on “entertainment” that has forced infamous bar districts, like Bangkok’s Soi Cowboy, to pull down their shutters out of respect for the late king. Although some bars have resumed operations with workers dressed all in black, the nighttime landscape of the capital remains dramatically quiet. 

Even after the entertainment ban is lifted, it is hard to say how quickly the nation’s mood will bounce back.

While Thailand is noted for its tourist and entertainment venues, they contribute a relatively small percentage (9-16% of GDP) to Thailand's overall economic activity. Most tourist destinations in Thailand continue to operate as normal. And while the nation's more infamous entertainment industry is indeed expected to see a downturn, the total number of people employed by it represents at most, only 0.5% of the nation's total workforce.

Islam in Thailand: Myths, Facts, and Opportunism

November 8, 2016 (Tony Cartalucci - NEO) - Muslims have lived in and around Thailand - and before that, Siam - for centuries. They have contributed significantly to Thailand's long history as a nation, from Malay Muslims moving up into central and even northern Thailand over the centuries, bringing their unique form of Islam with them, to Persian Muslims arriving in the 17th century and integrating themselves into business and ruling circles through trade and marriage.

Today, Muslims comprise as much as 12% of the Thai population and have become part of the sociocultural and economic fabric of the nation. Their restaurants, businesses, and mosques are scattered across the country side-by-side Buddhist and secular businesses and institutions. Tolerance and mutual respect are hallmarks of this coexistence between people who identify themselves first as Thais, and second as members of their respective faiths.

Contrary to popular belief, of Thailand's 7.5 million Muslims, only 1.4 million reside in the nation's southernmost violence-racked provinces. However, in the south, Muslims represent over 70% of the population and observe cultural and political identities standing apart from Muslims throughout the rest of the nation. They do not see themselves as "Thais" first, but rather still as Malay.

These three southern most provinces - Yala, Pattani, and Narathiwat - and their unique circumstances, are a result of a regional power struggle stretching across centuries and includes more recently, attempts to use this region as a buffer between Thailand and British Malaya (now modern day, independent Malaysia).

Over the centuries, these three provinces once known as the Pattani Kingdom, have vacillated between a track of integration and assimilation within Thailand, to separatism and violent rebellion against it.

US Attempts to Shame Asia for "Caving to China"

October 24, 2016 (Tony Cartalucci - NEO) - It is becoming clear that US influence - despite its "pivot toward Asia" - is waning across the Asia Pacific region. Washington has suffered geopolitical setbacks in virtually every nation in Asia Pacific, including those now led by regimes it has meticulously organized, funded, and backed for decades. It is also waning, however, among those nations considered long-time and crucial US allies.

This includes Southeast Asia's Thailand, whom the US repeatedly reminds the world has been Washington's ally since the Cold War and America's war in Vietnam, and allegedly, even before that.

Washington's Waning Influence is Based on Floundering Fundamentals  

However, in reality, Thailand has incrementally dismantled American influence over it, and has diversified its trade and cooperation with a large variety of nations - including China - as a means of depending on ties with no single nation in particular.

US Seeks to Exploit Thailand's Transition to Destabilize Asia

October 21, 2016 (Tony Cartalucci - NEO) - The passing of Thailand's King Bhumibol Adulyadej marks a historical, cultural, and geopolitical event of yet unknown proportions. His time as Thailand's head of state spanned decades, and the stabilizing progressive nature of his reign has transformed Thailand into an economically and culturally significant center of power within Southeast Asia and in Asia itself.

With his passing, the Western media, long attempting to undermine him in life, took the opportunity to defame him in death, claiming he resided over a "divided" nation bound to unravel with his passing.

They also took the opportunity to defame and distort the character of King Bhumibol Adulyadej's heir, Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn.  Despite the baseless gossip and speculation about the Prince's private life, his public life has been marked with distinction in service to the nation, serving as a special forces operator in combat along Thailand's borders, a trained pilot, and a regular figure presiding over public functions.

Like his father, the Prince's role in Thai society is not determined by the Western media and the perception they dishonestly try to foster before their intentionally ill-informed audiences, but by the Thai people themselves. And during the days of mourning following the late King's death, it has become abundantly clear that the vast majority of Thais are committed to preserving their ancient institutions, understanding them by far more deeply than the Western media has presented.

Undeterred, the West, and the United States specifically, seeks an opportunity to disrupt and destabilize Southeast Asia as a means of disrupting China's growing influence in the region as well as Beijing's growing ties to its regional neighbors.

Already cultivating opposition fronts and faux-nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) region wide, funded by the US State Department itself, the US believes that Thailand is experiencing a vulnerable moment of weakness it can use to create a domino effect of destabilization across the entire region.

Why is the Passing of Thailand's King a Big Deal?

Image: Thailand's King Bhumibol Adulyadej.

October 16, 2016 (Tony Cartalucci - NEO) - The passing of Thailand's head of state, the 88 year old King Bhumibol Adulyadej, marks a historically significant event in Thailand's history. For most Thais, they have known only one king their entire life - King Bhumibol Adulyadej.

The significance of Thailand's monarchy to Thai people is difficult for Westerners to understand. Unlike Western monarchies who rule from above, Thailand's monarchy has historically ruled through service to the people. It is in recognition of this service that drives hundreds of thousands of Thais into the streets of Bangkok to participate in the beginning of funeral rites this week.

The depth and scope of this service includes not only the political boundaries and stability the monarchy provided when politicians and political parties clashed within the nation, but also service in driving long-term infrastructure projects regarding irrigation, energy, and agriculture shortsighted politicians refused to pursue.

Many aspects of Thai agriculture, from the introduction of new crops to the concept of cooperatives and localizing rice mills, were introduced through initiatives promoted and funded by the Royal Family itself. King Bhumibol Adulyadej's royal palace in Bangkok was many years ago converted into a demonstration and training center where today, foreigners and Thais alike can augment their skills and diversify their economic activity.

Politically, the monarchy's ability to reside above contests of political power and the deep respect Thais hold for the institution, creates a set of boundaries that have prevented dangerous - even violent political struggles - from expanding into the sort of destructive conflicts seen previously in neighboring Cambodia or currently expanding across the Middle East.

For Thailand's enemies who seek to undermine political stability or overthrow Thailand's political order, their primary obstacle and thus target has always been the nation's revered, powerful monarchy. The passing of Thailand's Bhumibol Adulyadej presents a perceived vulnerability Thailand's enemies will undoubtedly seek to exploit to weaken Thailand and thus by doing so, disrupt regional stability.

Thailand's Importance to Southeast Asia 

Thailand is a prominent Southeast Asian nation, home to 70 million people, a dynamic and diverse economy ranging from agriculture to manufacturing, and remains the only nation in the region to have eluded Western colonization.

It has played a pivotal role throughout history, leveraging colonial powers against one another before the World Wars, a battlefield during World War 2, a contributing  factor to France's loss of Indochina and host to US military forces during the Vietnam War.

Since the conflict in Vietnam, Thailand has slowly and incrementally pivoted away from its role in US regional hegemony toward a more balanced place in the region.

Thailand: The Truth Before the Storm

Before Western lies begin, what you need to know about this critical moment for Thailand.


October 13, 2016 (Tony Cartalucci - NEO) - Thailand is a pivotal nation centered amid Southeast Asia and commanding a prominent economy with a large population. It played a pivotal role during the US war in Vietnam, but has since then incrementally diverged from serving US hegemony in Asia.

As of now, Thailand has clearly and decisively performed its own "pivot" away from Washington and toward a diverse portfolio of alternative ties, including with Beijing and Moscow. Its military inventory has been incrementally transformed from housing aging American hardware to Russian, Chinese, Middle Eastern, and even Swedish weapon systems. It also is increasingly cooperating closer with China regarding economics and regional security, a role the US has presumed a monopoly over for decades.

In fact, Thailand has diverged so much so that its political stability has now become the regular target of US efforts to undermine it. This includes through economic and sociopolitical attacks, as well as through covert means up to and including terrorism.

The key to Thailand's political stability, despite fierce infighting between rival special interests and political camps throughout the nation's ancient history, has been the nations much revered and unique monarchy. Knowing this and seeking to undermine stability in Thailand, and thus undermine yet another ally of Beijing and Moscow, the United States through its media has pursued a campaign of disinformation to attack and destroy the monarchy, hoping Thailand emerges exponentially weaker after the current head of state, King Bhumibol Adulyadej, passes on from advanced age.

The True Nature of Thailand's Monarchy

Unlike Western monarchies, Thailand's historically possesses an entirely different social contract between its head of state and the people. Despite superficialities cited by dishonest Western commentators to portray the Thai people as subservient - like prostration and a prayer-like gesture known as a "wai" - much of the symbolic respect Thais exhibit toward their king is identical to that which they exhibit toward their own parents, including both prostration and the "wai."

Image: Thai prostration is a sign of respect, not submission.

Both the monarchy itself and its "subjects" see themselves as a large family and a living sociocultural expression of Thai culture and history. The role Thailand's king has served historically to rally and unite the Thai people has contributed to the fact that Thailand is the only nation in Southeast Asia to escape European colonization - and is perhaps another reason why the West is so determined to eliminate this institution.

The Western media intentionally exploits both culturally differences between East and West as well as their audiences' general ignorance to paint Thailand's institutions in the most negative light possible.

An Institution That Serves, Not Merely a Throne to Sit 

The kings of Thailand have historically served the role as living founding fathers - for 800 years - pushing the nation forward through difficult transitional periods politicians were unable or unwilling to navigate the country through themselves.

This includes the abolition of slavery, a period of technological modernization similar to Japan's Meiji Restoration, and the current king's lifetime of work toward promoting socioeconomic self-sufficiency to combat encroaching globalization and the immense debt and disparity it sows.

US Hypocrisy: Preaching Human Rights, Inviting Mass Murderers as Guests

October 12, 2016 (Joseph Thomas - NEO) - On October 6, Los Angeles' Loyola Marymount University invited ex-Thai prime minister, Thaksin Shinawatra to give a talk on the subject of “The Secret of Reducing Poverty and the Rich-Poor Gap: The Power of Political Will." The Los Angeles Loyolan newspaper in an article titled, "Los Angeles LoyolanVisit from former Thai PM causes controversy," reported that:

There is, however, some controversy regarding his visit. Shinawatra governed Thailand from 2001 to 2006 until a military coup pushed him out on accounts of corruption, abuse of office for personal gain and several other convictions. 

According to LMU’s Asia Media website, Shinawatra was exiled from Thailand in 2006 and is considered a fugitive by many. He is widely criticized by Thai students, families and citizens across the country. Because of this, Shinawatra’s presence on campus this Thursday sparked controversy among Thai students at LMU. 

The students interviewed asked to be kept anonymous due to fears about personal safety when stating their opinions on the former prime minister.

Thai students in California were right to fear for their safety. While in power, Shinawatra mass murdered upward to 3,000 people, including thousands during a 90-day "drug war" in 2003, over 80 protesters in a single day in 2004 and a wide range of political opponents and activists.

After being ousted from power in 2006, Shinawatra would deploy heavily armed militants in Bangkok in 2010 and again in 2013 and 2014 in a violent bid to seize back and hold political power. Over 100 would die during the violence.

The West's Weaponisation of Corruption Indexes

October 9, 2016 (Joseph Thomas - NEO) - For the Southeast Asian state of Thailand, overcoming corruption could be one of several essential steps required to fully tap the human and natural resources this already influential ASEAN state has benefited from for centuries. However, to tackle corruption, the nation must first define what it is, and what it hopes to achieve by confronting and overcoming it.

Currently, the focus unfortunately appears to be on addressing Thailand's score upon the so-called Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) put out by alleged nongovernmental organisation (NGO), Transparency International.

Transparency International Leverages CPI as a Geopolitical Weapon 

Despite describing itself as an NGO, Transparency International's funding is dominated by the governments of the United States and the European Union.

More specifically, as listed on Transparency International's own website, its funding comes specifically from the US State Department, the European Commission, the US State Department's National Endowment for Democracy (NED) and controversial Open Society, chaired by convicted financial criminal George Soros.

Such funding presents an alarming conflict of interest, considering that these are the same interests who, in Thailand and across the rest of ASEAN, have worked actively to overthrow governments and undermine local institutions, seeking to overwrite them with organisations and institutions promoted by and serving foreign interests via NED and Open Society specifically.

Thus, Thailand's score on the CPI is more a result of politically-motivated interference in Thailand's internal affairs than it is an honest appraisal of the nation's corruption. Thailand's low score and pressure placed upon it by the West to improve this score results not from genuine concern regarding corruption, but instead from the fact that the current government successfully ousted a regime sponsored by and working for Western special interests.

Why is a Hong Kong "Activist" in Bangkok?

Joshua Wong's arrest at a Bangkok airport is portrayed as a slight against "democracy," yet the US-funded and backed agitator undermines his own principles of "self-determination" by meddling in another nation's politics. 

Joshua Wong.

October 5, 2016 (The New Atlas) - Thai PBS in its article, "HK democracy activist Joshua Wong detained in Bangkok," would claim:

Wong, 19, famed for his galvanising role in the city’s 2014 pro-democracy “umbrella movement”, was held as he landed at the airport late Tuesday, his party Demosisto said in a statement, citing a Thai student activist, Netiwit Chotipatpaisal, who was due to meet him. 

Wong was invited by Thai student activists to take part at an event marking the anniversary of a military crackdown in October 1976. 

Demosisto “strongly condemns the Thai government for unreasonably limiting Wong’s freedom and right to entry, and requests the immediate release of Wong,” the statement said.

What Thai PBS fails to mention is that Joshua Wong and his party, "Demosisto," are US-funded and directed, and represent Western interests attempting to subvert Chinese control over its own territory of Hong Kong, as well as undermine national sovereignty across the entire Asian region.

Indeed, the entire "Occupy Central" movement, also referred to as the "Umbrella Revolution," was led by US-backed opposition figures, including Joshua Wong, Benny Tai and Martin Lee, the latter of which was literally in Washington D.C. lobbying for backing just months before the 2014 protest began.

West Backs Dangerous Myanmar-style Attempt to Divide Thailand Along Religious Lines

(George Soros chairs & funds the Crisis Group)

August 23, 2016 (The New Atlas) - Matthew Wheeler of the International Crisis Group (sometimes referred to as ICG or simply, the Crisis Group), recently wrote an editorial in the New York Times titled, "Can Thailand Really Hide a Rebellion?" The editorial took a coercive tone, with its final paragraph appearing almost as a threat, stating:

It would be shortsighted and self-defeating of the generals running Thailand to insist on dismissing these latest attacks as a partisan vendetta unconnected to the conflict in the south. They should recognize the insurgency as a political problem requiring a political solution. That means restoring the rights of freedom of expression and assembly to Thai citizens, engaging in genuine dialogue with militants, and finding ways to devolve power to the region.

Wheeler's editorial intentionally misleads readers with various distortions and critical omissions, mischaracterising Thailand's ongoing political crisis almost as if to fan the flames of conflict, not douse them as is the alleged mission of the Crisis Group.

Wheeler's recommendations to allow violent opposition groups back into the streets for another cycle of deadly clashes (which have nothing to do with the southern insurgency) while "devolving power" to armed insurgents in the deep south appear to be a recipe for encouraging a much larger crisis, not resolving Thailand's existing problems.

Wheeler never provides evidence linking the bombings to the insurgency or provides any explanation as to why the insurgency, after decades of confining its activities to Thailand's southern most provinces, would escalate its violence so dramatically. Wheeler also intentionally sidesteps any mention of evidence or facts that indeed indicate a "partisan vendetta."

Instead, his narrative matches almost verbatim that promoted by the primary suspects behind the bombings, ousted former-Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra and his political supporters.

Wheeler's distortions include an intentional omission of the scale of violence Shinawatra and his followers have carried out in the past, as well as the political significance of the provinces targeted in the recent bombings in connection to Shinawatra's conflict with the current ruling government, not the insurgency's,

The provinces targeted represented political strongholds of anti-Shinawatra political leaders and activists, all of whom have no connection at all to the ongoing conflict in Thailand's deep south.

Crisis Group is Covering up an Engineered Buddhist-Muslim Conflict

More alarming are Wheeler's attempts to cite growing tensions in Thailand's northern city of Chiang Mai between Buddhists and Muslims as evidence, he claims, of the real dimensions of Thailand's conflict. Wheeler is attempting to claim Thailand is experiencing a potential nationwide religious divide, separate from Shinawatra's struggle to seize back power.

Thailand Gets the Libya-Syria Treatment

August 14, 2016 (Tony Cartalucci - NEO) - Just as the Western media attempted to hide the true nature of violence unfolding in Libya and Syria during the opening phases of the so-called "Arab Spring," it is now attempting to do likewise regarding the Southeast Asian country of Thailand.

Between August 11-12 and within a 24 hour period, several bombs detonated in four separate regions of Thailand including Trang, the resort city of Hua Hin, Phuket, and Surat Thani. Several deaths were reported and dozens were maimed as shrapnel tore through their bodies.

The Western media was quick to blame the violence on southern separatists - however - that low-intensity conflict over the course of several decades has never ventured into any of the areas recently struck. There also is a matter of no motive existing for such a drastic escalation.

What the Western media intentionally is omitting, however, or ambiguously referring to dozens of paragraphs down within their respective reports, is that the primary suspects are instead the US-backed opposition headed by ousted ex-Prime Minster Thaksin Shinawatra, his Pheu Thai political party (PTP), and his ultra-violent street front, the United Front for Democracy Against Dictatorship (UDD), also known as "red shirts."

They possess the means and the motive, and the targets and timing also all point to them.

The areas hit are all strongholds of anti-Shinawatra sentiment, including areas with leadership who helped oust his sister, Yingluck Shinawatra, from power in 2014. Hua Hin also serves as a second residence to the nation's highly-revered king who also serves as head of state.

The timing coincided with Thailand's Mothers' Day, which is also a day Thais celebrate their royal institution. Shinawatra and his followers have spent years attempting to undermine and overthrow this institution, seeking to replace it with a political dynasty headed by Shinawatra's family.

The attacks also take place just days after a democratic referendum overwhelmingly approved a new national charter that all but ended any prospects of Shinawatra returning to power.

Finally, there is also the matter of Shinawatra's enthusiastic use of violence and terrorism as political tools, on a scale much wider than ever seen in the nation's troubled southern region.

Thailand's Bombing: Likely Suspects

August 12, 2016 (The New Atlas) - Bombs rocked two tourist destinations in Thailand yesterday, in Trang and in the coastal city of Hua Hin. Several people are reportedly dead and many more are injured. The bombings have now been splashed across international headlines, likely at least temporary damaging Thailand's tourism sector, one of several likely objectives behind the attacks.

The most likely culprits are forces linked to ousted former-Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, his political party Pheu Thai and his street front, the United Front for Democracy Against Dictatorship (UDD or "red shirts").

Shinawatra and his supporters suffered a significant defeat just days ago in a pivotal national referendum which saw the passing of a new charter that would all but end his party's prospects of returning to power.

In the past, when Shinawatra's forces have felt politically cornered, they have violently struck back. The move will harm the nation's economy, undermine the government's ability to maintain peace and stability, give the more radical elements of Shinawatra's movement a boost in morale and send a message to Shinawatra's opponents to come back to the table for talks rather than continue one with the systematic dismantling of his political party.

Shinawatra's History of Violence 

Shinawatra has a history of excessive violence, having led a "War on Drugs" in 2003 that leftnearly 3,000 people dead in under 90 days. The following year, Shinawatra would put down a protest in Thailand's troubled south, killing in excess of 80 people in a single day. Throughout his time in power and after being ousted amid a 2006 military coup, Shinawatra has systematically kidnapped, assassinated or otherwise "disappeared" his political opponents.

(Shinawatra's red shirts in 2009)

In 2009 he would organise protests in Bangkok which eventually unravelled into an orgy of looting and arson. Two would die, shot down by Shinawatra followers armed with pistols.

The following year, Shinawatra would again put protesters in the streets. This time he would augment them with approximately 300 heavily armed militants brandishing M16s, AK47s, hand grenades, M79 40mm grenade launchers and even rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs).

In-Depth: "Yes" Vote Corners Thailand's Opposition, Foreign Backers

August 8, 2016 (The New Atlas) - Thais took to the polls yesterday voting overwhelmingly in favour of a new national charter organised under the military-led interim government.

The interim government has attempted to restore peace and stability to the country since coming to power in 2014. Prior to 2014, Thailand has suffered nearly a decade of unprecedented political corruption, conflict, violence and instability under the influence of former-Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra and his political party, Pheu Thai.

The new charter aims to further restrict the abuse of power possible under previous frameworks by introducing a more rigid system of checks and balances between elected and appointed members of government.

Voter turnout reached nearly 60% and despite attempts by Shinawatra supporters and the Western media to question the legitimacy of the vote citing "low voter turnout," it should be noted that the percentage of eligible voters to vote "yes" on the referendum matched closely to those in 2011 who voted for Shinawatra's Pheu Thai Party.

In 2011, the Western media characterised what was essentially only 35% of eligible voters backing Shinawatra's party, as a "landslide victory."

A possible explanation as to why the Western media favours Thaksin Shinawatra and has exhibited double standards in its reporting on Thailand, lies in the fact that Shinawatra had for years eagerly served US-European interests while in power. Today, Shinawatra exists as a convicted criminal living in self-exile to evade a two-year prison term and a raft of pending criminal charges, according to the London Guardian.

US Has Long-Favoured Shinawatra's Return to Power  

Wikileaks would reveal the US Embassy in Bangkok depicting Shinawatra as a stalwart ally of both Washington and Wall Street who genuinely believed he had a "special relationship" with America's political establishment.

Case Study: How Amnesty International Turns Predators into Victims

August 6, 2016 (The New Atlas) - Amnesty International strongly condemned tomorrow's referendum regarding Thailand's new charter aimed at moving the nation forward after over a decade of political chaos and now two military coups, the most recent having been in 2014.

Thailand's The Nation would report in an article titled, "Amnesty International questions reliability of referendum," would claim:

The Amnesty International has questioned the reliability of the Sunday referendum, pointing out it will be held under “chilling climate” when the people cannot speak their minds freely. 

In its press statement issued Friday, the Amnesty International said the referendum is taking place "against a backdrop of pervasive human rights violations that have created a chilling climate". It said the Thai authorities have arbitrarily arrested scores of people, have cancelled or disrupted peaceful assemblies and took off the air a television station in recent weeks. 

It said these incidents were just the most recent undue restrictions on the rights to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and association.

However, what Amnesty International does not say is that the arrests were not "arbitrary," and instead targeted supporters of ousted former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, now a convicted criminal living in self-exile to evade a 2 year jail sentence and a raft of other pending criminal charges, according to the London Guardian. 

Amnesty also fails to mention that the "peaceful assemblies" and the "television station" they referred to are also both organised and run directly by Thaksin Shinawatra and his political forces.

Amnesty International, based in the United Kingdom, would likely find it difficult to defend a political party in England run openly by a convicted criminal living abroad who regularly organised attempts to subvert state power including through the use of armed terrorism.

So one wonders why Amnesty International obfuscates the fact that this is precisely what Shinawatra has done in regards to Thailand, and why Amnesty believes arresting and disrupting the activities of those involved in such subversion amounts to "pervasive human rights violations"rather than the impartial application of the rule of  law.

Amnesty International's Convenient Omissions 

According to Wikileaks, the US Embassy itself noted a string of terrorism carried out by the supporters of Thaksin Shinawatra leading up to and in the wake of the first military coup aimed at ousting him and his political forces from power in 2006.

In one cable titled, "Thai Government Ascribes Bombings to Political Opponents," the US Embassy in Bangkok would admit:

Many observers will find it plausible that Thaksin or his supporters may have orchestrated bombings in order to discredit those who overthrew him. During the last two years of Thaksin's administration, there were numerous incidents in which bombs were placed at Bangkok sites associated with Thaksin's opponents...

In the cable, at least 5 separate incidents were listed.

Since then, Shinawatra has deployed violent mobs into the streets on a number of occasions, the most notable of which occurred in 2009, 2010, and between 2013-2014.

(For now over a decade, Thailand opposition groups (called "red shirts") have repeatedly depended on Western human rights advocates to pressure the government into allowing widespread protests which then are inevitably used as cover for armed violence. Today, Amnesty International is attempting to reignite the violent cycle once again.)

Thai Vote This Sunday Will Further Weaken "Thaksin Forces"

August 5, 2016 (The New Atlas) - Australian-based lecturer of Southeast Asian history, Dr. Patrick Jory, once wrote during Thailand's 2013-2014 street protests against embattled Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, that it was"getting closer to game over" for Thailand's traditional institutions, and that the initiative was held by what he called, the "Thaksin forces."

In hindsight, Jory's flawed and uninformed analysis seems almost comical. Had he truly assessed the strengths and weaknesses of Thailand's opposing camps, rather than tallied up the perceived authority and legitimacy each side held, he might have seen the critical weaknesses of his so-called "Thaksin forces," and the likelihood that they, not Thailand's institutions, were in grave danger. 

With this Sunday's charter vote coming up, that danger is deepening even further, allowing Thailand's institutions to restore both a balance of political power, and something resembling peace and stability most Thais now desperately crave.

The Weakness of the Thaksinists 

In the 2011 elections which led to Thaksin Shinawatra's sister, Yingluck Shinawatra coming to power, a meagre 35% of the eligible electorate would cast votes for Shinawatra's Pheu Thai Party. In fact, Pheu Thai failed to secure even a popular majority during the election.