> So who are these 20 people that were killed? Well 5 were soldiers that were killed from gunshot wounds by the protesters that you're so quick to label as "protesters".

And 15 were killed by troops that the government originally claimed shot only tear gas and rubber bullets...

> Who are these protesters and what are they doing?

People who'd sincerely like to know and hear it themselves can't - because the government is censoring them.

> It is the protestors that are firing live rounds at the police.

The government has already come out and admitted that troops actually fired live rounds directly at protesters. This contradicts earlier government statements that claim that only rubber bullets and not live rounds were fired at protesters.

The only reason the government was forced to admit the truth is because of video footage shot by the foreign media - all footage that was shown on Thai media was critical of the protesters.

> Can't see that being an issue. there's always encryption too.

This is an issue.

Because the majority of Thai internet users (or internet users anywhere, for that matter) don't use encryption. Encryption and rock-solid privacy add-ons are way to complex for most users.

> I'm not saying I like it, but I'll respect Thailand's right to govern itself.

Respecting the Thai peoples' right to govern and the Thai government's right to govern are two very different things. The Thai government's refusal to call for elections shows that it doesn't think the Thai people will agree with it.

Thaivisa.com is blatantly pro-government and anti-Thaksin. They applauded the censorship news.

> I've seen a number of photos of tourists standing on the sidelines watching the riots, unharmed and uninvolved.

A white tourist of unknown nationality was shot in the chest after he screamed "F*** you!" at shooting soldiers. An Italian journalist was shot in the leg. A Japanese journalist was shot dead in the chest. And all of this occurred on Khao Sarn road, a small street packed with cheap tourist hotels and cafes.

> Unless the Thai government has changed policies recently, they probably have fairly little incentive to go after foreign nationals

The Ahisiti Vejjajiva government has gone after the local head of the BBC, an Australian author, a British-Thai professor... The list goes on and one. Anybody that dares criticize the government is liable.

> 2) The government is currently a democrat government which isn't in anyway related to the yellow shirt's political party

The Abhisit Vejjajiva government is a government that implements rampant censorship and has refused to hold elections. It's led by the Democrat Party, but just naming themselves democrats doesn't mean that they are democratic.

One of the Yellow Shirts' leaders is Foreign Minister. The government has delayed the prosecution of the Yellow Shirt leadership team (including the Foreign Minister) for the takeover of the airports for the past two years. That tells me that the Yellow Shirts and the government is in cahoots.

> There's an obvious reason why they're cracking down - there really is rampant misinformation being spread. The stuff that gets published almost always includes commentary by whoever posted it which blames one side or the other based on what they say is concrete evidence that their photos or video provide.

Except that with the censorship decree, the only misinformation getting out to the public is the government's misinformation blaming the protesters for shooting their own people. There's a reason that the incriminating video of soldiers shooting at protesters all came from the international media.

The Royal Thai Army uses a dozen different and incompatible types of assault rifles, and do use large-caliber (>5.56mm) rifles.

No doubt, the economies of scope from earning arms procurement commissions by the generals involved drove those procurement decisions.

I doubt we'll ever know for sure who was behind the shootings. Except that with the government's censorship decrees, we'll only be hearing that the protesters are to blame for the deaths.