US losing ground on Thai social media over Syria attack
IN this world of digital era, social media is playing a more crucial role. What is happening in the latest US attack in Syria has been of the great interest among the people, Thais included. And it seems the US has been losing in the information warfare in the social media here judging from what gurus have posted on their pages lately.
The US Tomahawk missile attack was made following bomb attack in Syria’s rebel-held territory of Idlib Province, where it was accused that chemical weapons had been used by Syrian Government, killing lots of people there.
The CNN reported: “US military and intelligence officials told CNN that Syrian planes dropped bombs at the time and place that the chemical attack was reported to have happened. A US official said radar intelligence followed the radar track of regime airplanes and the infrared heat signature of the bombs.”
And according to NYT, it took President Trump just 63 hours to order the missile attack against Syria on April 7. He assembled his National Security Council on his plane, some by secure video link, as the generals made the case that President Bashar al-Assad of Syria had to learn there was a price to pay. Two hours later at his resort in Palm Beach, Fla., Mr. Trump gave the order to unleash 59 Tomahawk cruise missiles at Al Shayrat airfield in western Syria, where the chemical weapons attack originated. His generals had given him the option of delaying a day, but Mr. Trump chose not to wait. It had been only 63 hours from the chemical attack to the American strike.
Thanong Fanclub, a news personality page on Facebook with over 165,000 followers, alleged that what Trump had done has been influenced by Bush and those who really have influence in the Republican Party and his decision on the attack was not his wish.
The chemical attack was “arranged” just two days before the visit of Chinese leader Xi Jin Ping and the US missile attack against Syria, which had been made without consultation or permission from the UN Securities Council and/or permission from the Congress, is to send a strong message to Xi that if he did not move to control the behavior of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, this type of attack could happen there anytime.
To put more weigh on Thanong Fanclub as to Trump’s action has not been done from his own initiative, another Facebook page, Plok Plerk Thorarat, a news/media page with over 60,000 followers, pointed out that in August and September 2013 during the Obama Administration, Trump used to tweet something like this: “The President (Obama) must get Congressional approval before attacking Syria – big mistake if he does not!” and “AGAIN, TO OUR VERY FOOLISH LEADER, DO NOT ATTACK SYRIA – IF YOU DO MANY VERY BAD THINGS WILL HAPPEN & FROM THAT FIGHT THE US GETS NOTHING!”
Another point supporting that the chemical attack might have been “arranged”, Pat Hemasuk, a Facebook page with over 80,000 followers, pointed out that the White Helmet, known as a volunteer organization in Syria which has been accused of helping Islamic militant supported by the West, had been at the bombing site. He pointed out that they and other NGOs who had been pictured helping those affected by the chemicals were not properly wearing protective gears against the deadly chemicals, which could kill them within 20 minutes.
In summary, the chemical bombs and the missiles attacks were well planned and arranged by the US, they alleged. The US action came without a clear investigation as to who really used the chemical bombs and without seeking approval from its Congress.
Some of those Facebook pages also picked up RT report on that Bolivia delivered an epic blow to the US at the emergency UN Security Council meeting last Friday, reminding everyone of the disastrous weapons of mass destruction lie peddled by the US as a pretext to invade Iraq. Speaking at the emergency meeting to discuss the United States’ missile strikes against Syria on Thursday, Bolivian Ambassador to the United Nations, Sacha Llorenti, criticized Trump’s decision to take unilateral action against Syria, which he described as being “an extremely serious violation of international law.”
Llorenti reminded the council of what transpired on Wednesday February 5, 2003, when then-US secretary of state Colin Powell “came to this room to present to us, according to his own words, convincing proof that there were weapons of mass destruction in Iraq.”
Llorenti held up a photograph of Powell taken on that day, when he held up a model vial of anthrax to demonstrate the dangers posed by Saddam Hussein and his alleged stockpile of weapons of mass destruction. “I believe that we must absolutely remember these pictures and that we were told that there were weapons of mass destruction in Iraq and this was the motivation for an invasion,” he said. “After this invasion, there was 1 million deaths, and it launched a series of atrocities in that region.”
“Could we talk about ISIS if that invasion had not taken place? Could we be talking about the series of horrendous attacks in various parts in the world had that invasion, this illegal invasion not taken place?”
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Top: US warships in the Middle East. Photo: AFP via BBC
By Kowit Sanandang
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