Somsak Jeamtheerasakul’s analysis and observations of the current situation.  Translated and shortened by Prachatai English.

The government’s use of force to crack down on the red shirts at Rajprasong now seems practically inevitable, as does the collision course taken by Thaksin and the red-shirt leaders, including the possible use of the black-clad men who are the latter’s secret weapons.

Police visited the red-shirt FM97.25 MHz community radio station in Samut Prakan province's Samrong area yesterday afternoon to warn the 300 red shirts protecting the station they were breaking the emergency decree and could face up to two years in prison as well as Bt40,000 in fines.

On-line political writer Wattana Sukwat, one of the many writers having their content blocked or deleted by the ICT Ministry under emegency rule said the removal of his 200 or so articles is not just undemocratic but akin to deleting his on-line identity.

"I am a like matrix removed [in the Hollywood movie 'The Matrix'] and no longer exists [in cycber space] ," he said yesterday (Thursday).

On 20 April, Col Sansern Kaewkamnerd, CRES and army spokesperson, said that all CRES intelligence sources had reported that a group of terrorists among the red shirts were preparing weapons including grenades, Molotov cocktails, sharpened wooden rods in the form of spears and arrows, wooden sticks with nails, and acid.