As Thailand struggles for Peace

Currently, a curfew has been imposed from 8pm to 6am tomorrow. This curfew is supposedly to be a time where police officers, army personnels and other CRES officials (Centre for the Resolution of the Emergency Situation) use this 10 precious hours to "restore peace and order" in restricted areas. We'll have to wait and see what happens tomorrow. 


Questions run in people's minds right now. Will this curfew really help? Will peace ever be achieved here? I purposely used the word 'achieve' because it is true, effort is needed. Everyone is publicly expressing their thoughts and feelings towards this issue. Even feelings of hatred are expressed in such a manner that insults a certain group of people. Even if everything ends tomorrow, people and their prejudice will not go away. Sabotages will occur. Criticism will arise and probably most criticism will be based on "I'm educated and you aren't!"


What has Thailand come to? What happened to the Land of Smiles? Some just want to literally disown themselves from this country right now. Why so? To me, it's probably because people fear that a war might arise... A war that is needless. A war that will not help anyone. A war that will hurt the entire nation. This war would not necessary be a physical war but probably a war of thoughts and words. A war that could create a greater damage to not just the physical beings but probably all the elements of a human being: heart, body, mind and soul. 


Nevertheless as people of this country and of the human race, we should hope and pray and more importantly work together towards a common understanding, PEACE. It isn't impossible to create peace especially with the current situation right now where everyone has the same desire... The desire to live together harmoniously without any bloodshed.

Don't we all just want Peace?

Where is Thailand headed? With no signs of either parties giving in, this violence could be longer than most had thought. Latest updates confirms 22 dead and almost 180 injured in just two days of violence and maybe there could be more but unknown. Today, the army has said that it will begin to "take all measures and pressure" the red shirts to end the rally. This could mean more violence is expected and most probably more lives being lost. 

When would both parties come together to sit and compromise? Neither would give in, so what happens now? Everyone shall die? The country shall lose its citizens? 

Looking at it, both parties have very similar views towards the matter. Both want peace, democracy, justice and freedom. But the measures they take to attain them aren't very justifiable. But then again, who am I to say what is and what isn't justifiable. 

Here are some words by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá  years ago which I think it's still very relevant to the current situation in Thailand, nevertheless of the world too.    

"...War is made for the satisfaction of men’s ambition; for the sake of worldly gain to the few, terrible misery is brought to numberless homes, breaking the hearts of hundreds of men and women! .... There is nothing so heart-breaking and terrible as an outburst of human savagery!"

So yeah, as much as violence or war may seem to be helping all of us gain something in a way, it basically does not. It hurts people and kills hopes.What would help us unite again is basically love and understanding. According to Abdu’l-Bahá,

"... When a thought of war comes, oppose it by a stronger thought of peace. A thought of hatred must be destroyed by a more powerful thought of love." 

So when will the people stop and come to an understanding? Are we all forgetting that Thailand is a country which comprises people, an entire population of 62 million and not just those who are in the fight right now? I'm not going to mention who's right and who isn't. The fact is that I don't know myself. But now isn't the time to try to prove who's wrong. Now is the time to create peace. Maybe Thailand will only come back up again when it goes way down down down and maybe then it would realize that this isn't what it wants. 


I hope and pray that Thailand will be united again. And I'm sure everyone else would say the same no matter which party you may be in, or which region you may come from... We just want peace. 


Here is a video I found http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=1416726932472

Freedom of the Press?

Well, I'm currently taking courses that are considered pretty "sensitive" in Thailand. What was so intriguing to me was the fact that these magazines and reports that I get from my lecturers are so in detail about certain issues such as Human Trafficking and stuff. And what surprised me more was the fact that under every sub-heading of these matters, there is an example of Thailand, the current problems on these issues which take place in Thailand. And what amazed me most was the fact that these magazines and reports cannot be found in Thailand. They're either not published or not for sale.


So what can we learn from this? Thailand doesn't want its people to know the matters that aren't so humane that is taking place in the country which partly shows how unaware the people here are about what's going on within their country. It all links back to the argument whether Thailand has Freedom of the Press. Half of the news about certain issues are not published entirely. People have no clue of what's happening! We're all becoming ignorant, don't you think?