This protester will back at Democracy monument today with many thousands more to decide on the next step to kill the amnesty bill and possibly the current government as well. PATIPAT JANTHONG.
By Terry Fredrickson
This will be day of a non-stop political marches, rallies and ultimatums, the Senate will take up the controversial blanket amnesty bill and the International Court of Justice will give its ruling on the Thai-Cambodian dispute over Preah Viharn.
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Brace yourself
A crowd of somewhere around 50,000 red-shirts in Muang Thong Thani made it clear the Yingluck administration will not go undefended. PATTARAPONG CHATPATTARASILL
Police are understandably concerned over a day that presents non-stop challenges, with the potential of violence always present.
With all anti-amnesty, anti-government political groups gearing up to escalate their protests and pro-government red-shirts vowing to defend the Yingluck administration, the possibility of confrontation is real.
Add to that the Senate debate on the amnesty bill and the International Court’s scheduled ruling on the Preah Vihear temple dispute and we are sure to have a day to remember.
I’ll have coverage throughout the day, but let’s begin with what we have to “look forward to”.
The day begins with an approximately 9am march by protesters of the People's Army Against the Thaksin Regime from the Phan Fa Lilat Bridge to three undisclosed locations. Later in the morning, former People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) leaders will hold a press conference on the political situation.
At 10am, the Senate is scheduled to begin its deliberations on the blanket amnesty bill The Senate is expected to reject the bill and send it back to the House of Representations which is not good enough for the Democrats who, in an ultimatum, are demanding the bill be killed altogether by 6pm.
The noon hour is once again going to be a noisy one with whistle blowers gathering, not in one, but four areas of the city (Silom, Asoke, Saphan Khwai, and the Ratchadapisek area) before marching to Ratchadamnoen Avenue.
At four o’clock the city could get very quiet as the International Court of Justice (ICJ) begins the reading of its ruling on the Thai-Cambodian dispute over the Preah Vihear temple, an event broadcast live on national television. The Prime Minister is expected to react in an address to the nation at 7:30pm.
Before that, however, the Democrats and thousands of anti-amnesty protesters swelled by busloads of upcountry participants, will consider their next step, assuming the 6pm ultimatum is not met.
All the while the red-shirts will be watching closely for any attempt to overthrow the government. Yesterday, they proved they are still a major force with a large rally in Muang Thong Thani. Estimates of the crowd ranged from 50,000 to 100,000.
Vocabulary
address: a formal speech - คำปราศรัย
administration: the government of a country - รัฐบาล
all the while: throughout a period of time; at the same time, meanwhile -
amnesty: a situation in which a government agrees not to punish, or to no longer punish, people who have committed a particular crime - การนิรโทษกรรม
approximately: used to show that something is almost, but not completely, accurate or correct - โดยประมาณ
assume: to accept something to be true without question or proof - ทึกทักเอา, คิดว่าเป็นจริง,
bill: a proposal for a law - ร่างกฎหมาย
blanket: affecting or aimed at everyone or everything equally, even when this is not sensible or fair - ครอบคลุม, กว้าง
brace: to get ready for something unpleasant - เตรียม
broadcast: to send out a programme on television or radio - กระจายเสียง,กระจายข่าว
challenge: something that needs a lot of skill, energy, and determination to deal with or achieve - สิ่งที่ท้าทาย, การท้าทาย
concerned: worried about something - มีความกังวล
confrontation: a situation in which people or groups are arguing angrily or are fighting - การเผชิญหน้า
consider: to give careful thought to something before making a decision - พิจารณา
coverage: the reporting of news and sport in newspapers and on the radio and television - การรายงานข่าว
current: of the present time - ปัจจุบัน
debate: a discussion in which people or groups state different opinions about a subject - การอภิปราย, การโต้วาที, การถกเถียง
defend: to prevent something from failing or being damaged or destroyed - ปกป้อง, ป้องกัน
deliberation: considering or discussing something - การปรึกษาหารือ
demand: to ask for something very firmly - เรียกร้อง, ต้องการ
dispute: a serious disagreement - ข้อโต้แย้ง
escalate: to make something increase in amount or strength; to make larger; to scale up; to ramp up - ยกระดับ; เสริม
estimate: an amount that you guess or calculate using the information available - ประมาณการ
gather: to come together in a group - รวมกลุ่ม, รวมตัวกัน, จับกลุ่มกัน, ชุมนุม
gear up: to prepare yourself, or to prepare something for an activity or event - เตรียม (บางสิ่งเช่น เครื่องจักร) ให้พร้อมสำหรับ
House of Representatives: the main lawmaking body in Thailand, consisting of 500 members - สภาผู้แทนราษฎร
live: happening now, i.e., not recorded earlier - ถ่ายทอดสด
location: where someone or something is - ที่ตั้ง,ทำเล
look forward to: to feel happy and excited about something that is going to happen - รอคอย
monument: a statue or building that is built to honour a special person or event - อนุสาวรีย์ หรืออนุสรณ์สถาน
overthrow: to force a person or government out of power - โค่นอำนาจ
PAD: People’s Alliance for Democracy; the union of several groups protesting against the Samak, Somchai and Abhisit and now Yingluck governments and which staged large protests against the Thaksin government as well - พันธมิตรประชาชนเพื่อประชาธิปไตย
participant: someone who takes part in something - ผู้เข้าร่วม
potential: possible - ความเป็นไปได้
press conference: an official meeting where someone makes a formal statement about a particular issue or event to journalists and answers their questions about it - การแถลงข่าว
protester: someone who shows that they disagree with something by standing somewhere, shouting, carrying signs, etc - ผู้ต่อต้าน, ผู้ประท้วง
prove: to use facts, evidence, etc. to show that something is true - พิสูจน์
rally: a large public gathering of people to support someone or to protest against something - การชุมนุม
range: to have an upper and a lower limit in amount, number, etc - ผันแปรภายในขอบเขตหนึ่ง
react: to respond as a result of something that happens - มีปฏิกิริยาตอบโต้
regime: a government that controls a country, especially in a strict or unfair way - รัฐบาลที่ขึ้นมาปกครองโดยการยึดอำนาจ
reject: to not accept something - ปฏิเสธ ไม่ยอมรับ
ruling : a decision by a court of law - คำตัดสิน คำชี้ขาด
scheduled: planned to happen at a particular time or day - ตามตารางเวลา
Senate: one of the two groups of politicians who make laws in some countries, for example in the US, Australia, Canada and Thailand - วุฒิสภา
situation: all the circumstances and things that are happening at a particular time and in a particular place - สถานการณ์
swell: to increase in size or number - เพิ่มจำนวน, เพิ่มขนาด, เพิ่มปริมาณ
ultimatum: a statement that orders someone to do something and threatens to punish or attack them if they do not - คำขาด
undisclosed: not reported publicly - ไม่เปิดเผย
upcountry: areas outside of the Bangkok area; connected with an area of a country that is not near large towns - ต่างจังหวัด, ที่อยู่ในชนบท, ที่อยู่ห่างไกลจากเมือง
violence: physical force with the deliberate intention of causing damage to property or injury or death to people - ความรุนแรง, การใช้กำลังทำลาย
vow: to make a formal and serious promise to do something - สาบาน, ปฏิญาณ
whistle: a small metal or plastic tube that you blow to make a loud high sound, used to attract attention or as a signal - นกหวีด
