Tony Cartalucci
Protesters are fighting against a loud,
violent, and well connected minority led by Thaksin Shinawatra and
backed by Wall Street. January 14, 2014 (ATN) - Even at face value, Eric Sommer's (under the pen name David Marx) op-ed on Russia's RT is full of factual errors that call into question both his premise and his conclusion. The opinion piece titled, "Thailand's political crisis: The inside story," contains such blatant errors it is a wonder it was published at all:
- Sommer claims there are "80 million Thai people," when in fact Thailand's population is only between 65-70 million.
- Sommer calls protest leader Suthep Thaugsuban, former "vice-president." In fact, Suthep Thaugsuban was deputy prime minister, as Thailand is a parliamentary constitutional monarchy in which there are no "presidents" or "vice presidents." It appears Sommer is not even aware of what form of government Thailand practices.
- Sommer also repeatedly claims the vast majority of Thais stand behind Thaksin Shinawatra and his political machine. The final tally conducted in 2011 by Thailand's Election Commission showed that Thaksin Shinawatra's proxy political party received 15.7 million votes out of the estimated 32.5 million voter turnout (turnout of approx. 74%). This gave Thaksin's proxy party a mere 48% of those who cast their votes on July 3rd (not even half), and out of all eligible voters, only a 35% mandate to actually "lead" the country.
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