There’s no doubt that the most exciting time to read Thailand blogs is during a crisis. It was the same when the coup happened and there was just as much buzz when the Bangkok bombs exploded. When it kicks off in Thailand, bloggers jump to action, debate ensues and people interact.

With the crisis in Bangkok in a state of limbo, one thing I’ve noticed is that some people are drawing lines in the sand and composing an image of two sides: on one side is the People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD) while on the other is the Samak government. Although the showdown is between those two groups, for the general public it’s not as simple.

For those who support the PAD it may well be that they are also against the Samak government, but it doesn’t work both ways. When I wrote my earlier post condemning the actions of the PAD, I wasn’t stating my support of the Samak government. It’s not even about the lesser of two evils. The PAD is not a political party in opposition to the government – it’s just a mob.

I made a few comments on Twitter and other places about how I hoped Samak would not resign. I was also skeptical about the so-called rumors that spread about his impending resignation. If Samak is to call it quits, it should not be from pressure by the PAD. The PAD has in many ways exposed some of the frailties of Samak and his government, but that is not justification enough for Thailand’s elected prime minister to step down.

Opposing PAD and hoping Samak weathers this particular storm does not mean supporting the government in general. The real question is, are PAD’s actions justified? If they are not then expecting Samak to step down as a result of what the PAD has done is the same as supporting PAD in the first place.

If the prime minister were to step down every time a group of radicals gets together and tries to hold the country to ransom, what’s to stop it happening whenever this country elects a new government?

Although I’ve spent the majority of the past week lazing about on Bali’s beaches, I’ve been following the events in Thailand loosely. From an outsider’s point of view, it just looks like chaos. All I can see is a group of radicals trying to overthrow an elected government. The economy, tourism, the wellbeing of the people of Thailand – how is this for the benefit of the country?

I have no qualms with people protesting the legitimacy of the government – if people have gripes then they should be free to voice their concerns – but threatening to bring the country to a standstill (water, power, transport, strikes) is something else entirely. By taking over television stations and airports, the People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD) has not only stood in opposition of Thailand’s government, but of the foundations of Thai society.

Law and order? It’s gone out the window as the PAD makes its bid to ruin the country. People have a right to protest; they don’t have a right to do what the PAD has done. Where will it end? The need to do what PAD is doing should come from a collective desire to improve the lives of the people of Thailand, but in the 21st century, when people’s lives benefit from a stable economy and political climate, this kind of action is self-defeating.

You have to look at how the public will benefit. What will people gain from the PAD taking to the streets? By PAD’s logic, anything goes and all is fair in the name of achieving political goals, so what’s to give the average guy in the street any incentive to support the PAD over the government that was voted in?

And what about those who oppose the PAD? They’ve seen that there is no order to contain what is happening. Their own uprisings against the PAD are thus legitimatized by the new rules that the PAD has brought to the table. This isn’t about what’s fair and what’s just anymore; it comes down to brute force muscling into politics because the basic framework of the country doesn’t fulfill the needs of the PAD.

People need to wake up and stop supporting the PAD because if the current situation worsens, it’s going to cause damage that will be very difficult to repair.

From listening to the conversations of foreigners in Indonesia, it’s as if people think that this kind of state is the norm for Thailand. “They do this every three or four years,” was one comment I overheard.

For anyone concerned about traveling to Thailand, despite the State of Emergency, the country is not engaged in all-out civil war. Thailand is still safe.

Is this a coup?

Thoughts: What the hell are the guys from PAD trying to prove with all of this? With every update that I read, PAD increasingly comes across as a bunch of lunatics. Is this supposed to win the hearts of the people? It’s an ugly, ungraceful attempt to do something, but it’s unclear exactly what the goal is here. I think PAD is shooting itself in the foot here. The reports of NBT staff being held hostage are most disturbing.

Story: The People’s Alliance for Democracy is seizing, or attempting to seize, National Broadcasting Television stations around the country. Update: Sondhi has said they have complete control of NBT, although NBT is trying to continue its broadcast. PAD says that it is giving NBT back to the people after the government used it for themselves.

“Before commencing its mass rally, the People’s Alliance for Democracy issued a statement at 5.45 am on Wednesday vowing to shut down the government.” (The Nation)

“The Thai police prepared Monday for a major anti-government demonstration planned for Tuesday, with tens of thousands of people expected to take to the streets. There was speculation that protesters might try to occupy the prime minister’s compound.” (IHT)

“The People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD), a motley group of royalist businessmen and academics, is hoping to draw “hundreds of thousands” of people to Tuesday’s rally outside Government House, their latest attempt to unseat the elected government. Police say they are expecting only up to 35,000.” (Reuters)

“It will be the day we change Thailand through the people. Our position today is much clearer than over the past 90 days.

“If we don’t do it, the monarchy might collapse. That’s because soldiers and civil servants haven’t earnestly protected the country, the nation and the monarchy.” (Sondhi Limthongkul speaking to the Bangkok Post)

“At 8.30 am, the People’s Alliance for Democracy renewed the raid of NBT station and disrupted the broadcasting. Protesters were seen breaking down the police barriers and rushed to the office building and the broadcasting station. They shut down electricity to disrupt the broadcast. In the pre-dawn raid earlier, police arrested 80 armed men involving in the raid.” (The Nation)

“Today is the people’s revolution day, so we want NBT to stop broadcasting,” NBT chief Surayont Hoontasan quoted one of the protesters as saying. (Reuters)

“Apart from blocking the main road to the South, the People’s Alliance for Democracy protesters also blocked the roads linking to the North and Northeast.” (The Nation)

More from AB and BP.

That’s geek speak. It means that One-Two-Go is in serious trouble. I thought that it was too extreme for an airline to cease its operations for two months. On the same day as One-Two-Go planned to halt its service, the airline has been hit hard by a 30-day flight suspension.

Civil Aviation Department Director-General Chaisak Angkasuwan told a press conference, “All defects must be solved within 30 days. In case of negligence or incomplete action, the department can further suspend the service or revoke the licences. The department will file criminal suits against their pilots, inspectors and the companies in two weeks.”

Most interesting is this:

The department will also suspend the licences of One-Two-Go’s seven pilots - six Indonesians and one Venezuelan — due to false documentation. Two Thai pilots have also suspended for 30 days on a similar charge.

One-Two-Go will apparently come back as a regular airline — maybe.

A lot of people will be very happy with this news.

Full story on Nation.

There are only three budget airlines in Thailand: Nok Air, Air Asia and, of course, One-Two-Go. This week, One-Two-Go announced it will not go anywhere for 56 days, effective from this Tuesday. This news doesn’t come as too much of a shock. As Andrew spotted, One-Two-Go chief Udom Tatiprosongchai “told the Bangkok Post that he was seriously pondering whether to ground the airline temporarily on mounting cost pressures and a poor business outlook”.

This is bad news for anyone who travels within Thailand and it goes beyond just One-Two-Go. Nok Air has certainly been feeling the pressure, as have Air Asia and even “smooth as silk” Thai Airways.

The common complaint among all airlines is the rising cost of oil. Each of the airlines has been cutting back routes in an attempt to save money. I know that tourism in Thailand has taken a bit of a knock in recent weeks, with visitor numbers not as high as was anticipated.

For an airline to simply cease operations for two months is rather extreme. Coincidentally, in today’s Sunday Times there is an article about families of the victims of last year’s September 16 air crash, which saw 90 people killed when a One-Two-Go aircraft crash landed at Phuket International Airport.

Lawyers representing the families of the British and American victims are seeking £125 million in compensation, citing lax safety practices as responsible for the crash.

One-Two-Go has found it hard to weather the storm after the air crash last year and there is also a website, www.investigateudom.com, calling for a full-scale investigation into the airline and its CEO, Udom Tatiprosongchai.

There are a lot of damning accusations being made against One-Two-Go and this cessation of flights may be an indication that the airline is in serious trouble.