THAILAND: Media the New Battlefield for Reds and Yellows

By Pravit Rojanaphruk - 'The Nation'

BANGKOK, May 18 —Pro- and anti-government radio stations pitched their voices against one another yesterday as a reflection of the fierce battles on the streets of Bangkok.

The Samut Prakan-based FM101.25 radio station received calls yesterday morning from irate red shirts calling on the protesters to burn down the buildings where snipers were waiting to shoot down leaders and other civilians.

"If we have to burn them down, so be it," one caller said.

Another caller said they might have to kill soldiers to defend themselves, adding that the current regime had become "a cancerous tumour" that had to be removed.

Meanwhile, the view of two female hosts at the pro-government FM97.75 could not have been more different. Both urged their fellow citizens to not be too upset about the 30-odd fatalities over the past three days.

"Thirty deaths aren't that many and polls show that people are still supportive of Abhisit," one host told listeners.

"Soldiers are safe and [civilian's losses] are at a minimum. The government is justified in their actions both at local and international levels," the other host said. "Be patient, brothers and sisters. [The military crackdown] is not halfway through and we must be very patient."

Click here for more.