Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H. Res. 1321, expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the political situation in Thailand be solved peacefully and through democratic means. I thank my colleague, Mr. -Faleomavaega, for introducing this important resolution. Beginning in mid-March 2010, anti-government protestors occupied parts of Bangkok for nine weeks. Initially peaceful, the demonstrations and the response from the security forces became increasingly aggressive, eventually spiraling into urban warfare. Most of the protestors, known as the ``red shirts,'' are loyal to former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra who was ousted in a military coup in 2006. On May 3, 2010, the Thai Prime Minister, Abhisit Vejjajiva, offered talks and proposed a ``reconciliation plan'' including an election on November 14, 2010 in an effort to end the political crisis that immobilized Bangkok and killed 88 people and wounded hundreds. Although the violence has subsided, the political divisions remain stark and the threat of more confrontation lingers. Continuous progress has been made on the Thai Government's reconciliation plan. A public forum was convened on June 17, 2010 as a brainstorming session on how to move the process forward. According to the Prime Minister, the views gathered during this public forum reflect visions for both the Thai people and society and were in line with those of the government. Two committees will be set up by the end of June.…”