The New Atlas : US-Funded Agitators Overplay Hand

US-funded protests aim at ruining Thailand at China's expense, not handing "victory" to opposition.

October 15, 2020 (Tony Cartalucci - ATN) - So few protesters showed up at yesterday's "major" US-funded anti-government rally that protest leaders were left exposed, alone, and easily arrested between 4-5am. The protest was effectively over before making it through its first night of what was claimed would be a "month long" protest.

Attempts on October 13 and earlier on October 14 to obstruct Royal motorcades including one incident where a car carrying the Thai King's wife and 15 year old son was blocked by protesters who threatened its occupants - was a desperate move seeking to attract attention and escalate Thailand's political crisis.

It was a major miscalculation - one of many that has steadily contributed to the protest movement's increasing unpopularity - and provided the Thai government with a legitimate excuse to declare a state of emergency and end the protests once and for all.

Despite this - US-funded fronts including Prachatai, ilaw, Thai Lawyers for Human Rights, and Isaan Record are still encouraging agitators to gather in downtown Bangkok to obstruct a central commercial area already struggling because of COVID-19. It remains to be seen who will take over leadership of the protests with most core leaders now detained and if any major protest beyond a symbolic gathering will materialize this evening.

The protest leaders have demonstrated extraordinarily poor judgement and leadership throughout their protest campaign - not unlike other US-funded agitators such as in Hong Kong, China. Since their movement is ultimately directed by foreign interests seeking more to agitate China and those doing business with it than actually deliver "victory" to the protesters themselves - the protesters were always seen as expendable - with chaos always more preferable than building a genuine, constructive, and sustainable opposition.

Western Media's Growing Impotence Can't Save US-funded Agitators

While the Western media and the US-backed agitators lining opposition parties in Thailand will decry early morning security operations as "violent" and violating "human rights" - video clearly shows police demonstrating extreme patience, using only riot shields and bare hands against protesters attempting to assault them as they cleared the protest site.

If the concerted well-funded propaganda campaign organized by the West and US-backed opposition groups in Thailand couldn't build up a successful opposition movement - continued disinformation, protests, and complaining after this latest major failure will only compound waning Western influence and that of its Thai proxies.

The opposition will undoubtedly continue creating instability in Thailand when and where it can - but because of the fundamental flaw of depending on a waning West and opposing a rising China - they are ultimately doomed to failure.