Thread: Exclusive: Probe reveals Thai troops' role in civilian deaths

Originally Posted by brouhaha

Originally Posted by StrontiumDog

I was shot at twice.

Link for your description of this, please.

I guess I am not the only one left with doubts. The whole tone of SD was one of questioning the reality, then all of a sudden proclaiming he was targetted in that reality. For a Farang to be targetted was very unusual, to a point of incredulity.

Hmmmmmmmmmmm?

Originally Posted by Rural Surin

Originally Posted by StrontiumDog

^ One lone voice means nothing. There are some on this forum who have questioned my testimony....It is quite ridiculous that they would, but they have (why would I make it up? For what possible reason?).

So a lot of people need to be saying what they saw. Not a few. More people need to come forward and put it out there, in my opinion. Otherwise the events of May 2010 will be diminished and all those who died forgotten, just as they have before. Many times.

Good intentions. Coming forth, even in mass, would be ignored and squelched. Not gonna change anything. That would be the last thing I would want to pursue.....being overtly vocal and persistent. Not in this political climate. You'll find yourself on the disappeared list.

True. Especially for a farang in Thailand.
However, there are many Thais willing to put their lives on the line and possibly pay the ultimate sacrifice for the future of their country and its people.

When it gets to that stage, it becomes more of an underground movement bent on rebellion than just a simple bunch of peasants who need to be whipped into submission. The divisions in Thailand are gradually growing bigger than can be contained by bullets and tanks on the streets. It may be contained for years or even decades by secret police and an allied corrupt judicary, but experience around the world has shown that eventually the top will blow off the pressure cooker of dissent as the oppression grows and the people become more educated.
Thailand is headed down this very road today.

Originally Posted by Calgary

Originally Posted by brouhaha

Originally Posted by StrontiumDog

I was shot at twice.

Link for your description of this, please.

I guess I am not the only one left with doubts. The whole tone of SD was one of questioning the reality, then all of a sudden proclaiming he was targetted in that reality. For a Farang to be targetted was very unusual, to a point of incredulity.

Hmmmmmmmmmmm?

SD posted some good close up photos of the conflict, putting himself in danger in the process. For that he must be considered either a hero or a fool. But he didnt get killed, so he must be a hero.

Had the government snipers got him in their cross hairs he wouldn't be here to talk about it. Shot at, or near, by general troops in order to chase off independent observers is bad enough and pretty scary all the same. Bragging about it only serves to diminish any act of bravery (or foolishness) achieved though.

Originally Posted by Panda

Originally Posted by Calgary

Originally Posted by brouhaha

Originally Posted by StrontiumDog

I was shot at twice.

Link for your description of this, please.

I guess I am not the only one left with doubts. The whole tone of SD was one of questioning the reality, then all of a sudden proclaiming he was targetted in that reality. For a Farang to be targetted was very unusual, to a point of incredulity.

Hmmmmmmmmmmm?

SD posted some good close up photos of the conflict, putting himself in danger in the process. For that he must be considered either a hero or a fool. But he didnt get killed, so he must be a hero.

Had the government snipers got him in their cross hairs he wouldn't be here to talk about it. Shot at, or near, by general troops in order to chase off independent observers is bad enough and pretty scary all the same. Bragging about it only serves to diminish any act of bravery (or foolishness) achieved though.

Gotch Panda. I am glad to see SD's account corroberated. To suggest as he did that unless there is a flood of eye witness reports (given when and to whom is unclear), then there is some doubt about the reality of the thing. Or at least that is the way I read it.

If he was that embroiled in the whole thing, he should be clear and not suggest there is some doubt in the absence of such an outpouring. We get enough of that subtlety from BS reporting of state media.

Originally Posted by Calgary

Originally Posted by Panda

Originally Posted by Calgary

Originally Posted by brouhaha

Originally Posted by StrontiumDog

I was shot at twice.

Link for your description of this, please.

I guess I am not the only one left with doubts. The whole tone of SD was one of questioning the reality, then all of a sudden proclaiming he was targetted in that reality. For a Farang to be targetted was very unusual, to a point of incredulity.

Hmmmmmmmmmmm?

SD posted some good close up photos of the conflict, putting himself in danger in the process. For that he must be considered either a hero or a fool. But he didnt get killed, so he must be a hero.

Had the government snipers got him in their cross hairs he wouldn't be here to talk about it. Shot at, or near, by general troops in order to chase off independent observers is bad enough and pretty scary all the same. Bragging about it only serves to diminish any act of bravery (or foolishness) achieved though.

Gotch Panda. I am glad to see SD's account corroberated. To suggest as he did that unless there is a flood of eye witness reports (given when and to whom is unclear), then there is some doubt about the reality of the thing. Or at least that is the way I read it.

If he was that embroiled in the whole thing, he should be clear and not suggest there is some doubt in the absence of such an outpouring. We get enough of that subtlety from BS reporting of state media.

Yea, SD is a bit of an an attention seeker. But got got to give him credit for going to the lengths he has to get it.

His claim to be an impartial observer has to be tempered with his obvious bias though.

Sticking your neck out doesnt give anybody any better claim on the truth.

Originally Posted by Panda

Originally Posted by Calgary

Originally Posted by Panda

Originally Posted by Calgary

Originally Posted by brouhaha

Link for your description of this, please.

I guess I am not the only one left with doubts. The whole tone of SD was one of questioning the reality, then all of a sudden proclaiming he was targetted in that reality. For a Farang to be targetted was very unusual, to a point of incredulity.

Hmmmmmmmmmmm?

SD posted some good close up photos of the conflict, putting himself in danger in the process. For that he must be considered either a hero or a fool. But he didnt get killed, so he must be a hero.

Had the government snipers got him in their cross hairs he wouldn't be here to talk about it. Shot at, or near, by general troops in order to chase off independent observers is bad enough and pretty scary all the same. Bragging about it only serves to diminish any act of bravery (or foolishness) achieved though.

Gotch Panda. I am glad to see SD's account corroberated. To suggest as he did that unless there is a flood of eye witness reports (given when and to whom is unclear), then there is some doubt about the reality of the thing. Or at least that is the way I read it.

If he was that embroiled in the whole thing, he should be clear and not suggest there is some doubt in the absence of such an outpouring. We get enough of that subtlety from BS reporting of state media.

Yea, SD is a bit of an an attention seeker. But got got to give him credit for going to the lengths he has to get it.

His claim to be an impartial observer has to be tempered with his obvious bias though.

Sticking your neck out doesnt give anybody any better claim on the truth.

I feel like I've been complimented and insulted all at once. Never mind. Thanks for the nice things that you said.

Originally Posted by brouhaha

Originally Posted by StrontiumDog

I was shot at twice.

Link for your description of this, please.

He was - and he did a good job of reporting from the street a couple of times too. Since then though..well.. ask him about that. He's neutral (cough)

Relatives of april 10 victims still waiting for the truth

Relatives of april 10 victims still waiting for the truth

By Pongphon Sarnsamak
The Nation
Published on April 7, 2011


The truth behind the killings during the bloody military crackdown on protesters on April 10 last year still eludes the relatives of victims, even though it has been almost a year since the day.

"There's been no progress in my son's case," said Samran Wangarm, 51, whose 27yearold son Sawat was shot in the head at Khok Wua Intersection.

"No one is telling me who shot my son," the father of two sons said.

During the past year, Samran and other relatives of the victims have submitted requests to several state security agencies, including the Department of Special Investigation (DSI), to investigate the cause of the death.

So far, there has been no progress in identifying the wrongdoers, Samran said.

He's still feeling the pain of his son's death. He cries every time he goes to the temple to pray for his son.

"It's so hard to forget about it. I was there when he was shot," he said.

Sawat was the red shirt who was seen waving a red flag near the Khok Wua intersection in many videos that showed a man falling down and bleeding heavily from his head.

Samran and his two sons had left Surin in the hope of landing jobs in Bangkok. He was a security guard until his son's death made it impossible for him to keep up with his work schedule.

Sawat, 28, was the first in the family to attend an antigovernment rally held by the Democratic Alliance Against Dictatorship.

According to his father, Sawat was not an aggressive man. Also, he had never joined a political rally until the DAAD started theirs near where he lived in Bangkok in March.

After Sawat went to the rally, he came back to tell his father and younger brother how good it was. He said there was music and the protest leaders talked about social injustice.

After hearing about the rally, Sawat's father and younger brother also joined the DAAD protest.

"Asking for democracy is the cause of my son's death," he said.

Sawat's remains will be taken to a funeral next month along with seven other victims.

"The only thing that I'll do for him is bring his bones back to our hometown and call for a fresh election," he said.

Suwimon Fhungklinchan, 48, said she had been depressed for several months after her 29yearold son Therdsak was killed on April 10.

"I had been sitting in front of my house every day, waiting for him to come back. I was crying for several months and he never came," she said.

"It was the toughest time for me," she added.

Therdsak liked to have fun. He always made his family and friends laugh. He was the breadwinner of the family. Before he died, he had just bought a new house for his parents, but now his mother has to continue paying the monthly instalments.

A funeral was recently held for Therdsak and his remains were cremated. But the investigation result in his case is still inconclusive.

The DSI recently released its investigation report on the April 10 crackdown victims, saying that Therdsak's death was caused by unidentified persons.

"What kind of justice are you asking for?" she said.

Santipong Inchan, a 24yearold new graduate, had dreams of becoming a flight attendant. It is a wellpaying job, and he speaks English fluently enough to deal with foreign tourists.

Unfortunately, this dream of his will never be fulfilled because he lost his eye to a rubber bullet during the April 10 clash at Khok Wua intersection.

He has had eye surgery at least four times but still cannot see very well.

Even though he has been receiving Bt3,000 a month from the Ministry of Social Development and Human Security and more compensation from other state agencies, the wrongdoer has still not taken civil responsibility for his blindness.

"I could only file a complaint to the civil court asking for compensation from the wrongdoers as the violence has been brought to an end," he said.

"Nobody from the DSI came and asked me about my case," he added.

Santipong has now become a guesthouse owner and realises that his life still must go on.

Bangkok Post : Let truth out about gunfight at Cows Corral

Opinion > Opinion

LET IT BE

Let truth out about gunfight at Cows Corral

• Published: 8/04/2011 at 12:00 AM
• Newspaper section: News

This Sunday, April 10, marks the first anniversary of the incident at Bangkok's Kok Wua intersection where the red shirts clashed with army troops and at least 24 lives were lost. The bloody confrontation was a sad preview of further violence and lives lost during the week of May 10-19, 2010 around Ratchaprasong intersection in the capital. In total, 91 people died (12 soldiers and 79 civilians) with many hundreds injured. What actually occurred remains elusive and the truth may never come out.


That ain’t me, I didn’t do it: Manop Charnchangthong, 48, speaks at a press conference on Jan 10, 2011 at the Department of Special Investigation. Presented as one of the ‘‘men in black’’, the arrested red shirt activist denied doing any harm to soldiers on April 10, 2010 during the melee at Kok Wua (Cows Corral) intersection near Khao San Road.


But for this nation to be able to progress, politically and economically, it must be able to reconcile. And the basis for reconciliation must be the truth: what happened, who is responsible and accountable, and who ordered what and when. A full, third-party official investigation is needed, witnesses questioned and hard evidence documented, with a final report published for public scrutiny.

The inquiry must target both sides of the conflict: the government and its use of special executive powers through the Centre for the Resolution of the Emergency Situation under the Emergency Decree and subsequently, another body under the Internal Security Act; and the red shirts, its decisions and actions of the core leaders and its armed elements.

The government may argue that all this is already being done with Kanit na Nakorn's government-appointed Truth for Reconciliation Commission. But apart from the fact that Mr Kanit and his respected commission members are not getting cooperation from the authorities, Mr Kanit is on a quest for truth towards reconciliation by identifying the differences and making amends. Although the route taken is commendable, I feel it will not resolve the underlying conflict and injustice but merely postpone it till the next showdown.

Modern Thai political history since the 1932 Revolution and the beginning of Thai democracy under a constitutional monarchy, is one of conflict and confrontation between democracy ant authoritarianism. Clashes and crackdowns have been bloody, not the smooth and peaceful image many history books make it out to be. There usually was no official investigation. The actual facts were glazed over and the truth ignored. Or if there ever was an investigation, the reports were watered down to a minimum _ no wrongdoers were identified, no justice was done and no lessons learnt.

Few Thai politicians write books, especially memoirs, unlike in Western societies. Different points of view are not known and thus no notes are compared in the search for truth.

Some may argue this is a good quality of Thai society. Let's all forgive and forget, bury the hatchet, sweep it under the rug. But in the long run the underlying problem remains and the structural distortion endures. The democratic system lingers in underdevelopment and we find ourselves repeating our mistakes. ("Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it" - George Santayana.)

We have been condemned for the past 79 years of our experiment with democracy. Again and again we have blundered through coups and elected governments, occasional bloody clashes and even reached the thaang tunn or dead-end, to be resolved by those who claimed to be white knights with shining armour, later turning out to be merely opportunists grabbing for power.

Historically, what happened on Oct 14, 1973 is better documented. This is due to the fact that after the bloody uprising, it was followed by a flourishing democracy. But what happened in Oct 6, 1976 _ the coup and counter-coup, the pitting of the "leftist" students against the "rightist" royalists _ and the dark era that followed; though the events of this period are more out in the open, many conspiracies persist.

Strangely, however, both incidents are barely mentioned in school history books.

With new technology and an open society including a freer press, stories about the May 1992 crackdown were more widespread. Notwithstanding, many people remain sceptical: people who went missing in the army crackdown of May 1992 have never been found and popular conspiracies remain, including the notion that the bodies were piled up by the military into a container and dumped in the Gulf of Thailand.

Except for academic interests and political buffs, the general public are not properly informed nor taught the lessons of these bloody incidents and the root causes of the conflicts.

More recently, violence in the three southern provinces for the past eight years is full of stories of abuse of power under the Emergency Decree. The Tak Bai and Krue Se incidents were investigated but no one was made fully accountable or properly punished. Countless other episodes have cut deep into the feelings of the local Muslims, who still feel they are not treated fairly by the state mechanisms.

As with the deep South, the protest of the red shirts last April and May, and the grim crackdown that followed, cannot be allowed to remain a lingering doubt and unresolved mystery.

A year has passed. Countless eyewitness accounts and and forensic evidence have been collected and collated. But so far the only blame has been the political rhetoric bandied about between the government and the red shirts. Why does the government not release the details of the findings? Who killed two honorable soldiers from both sides in the middle of the nation's capital: Col Romklao Thuwatham on the government side, died on April 10, and Maj Gen Khattiya Sawatdiphol or Seh Daeng of the red shirts on May 13? What circumstances caused the death of two foreign journalists, Hiroyuki Muramoto on April 10 and Fabio Polenghi on May 19?

Who were the manipulators and how much control did the government have over the various incidents? Not all 91 deaths can be blamed on the red shirts or the mysterious "men in black." The military, the politicians and the leaders of the red shirts must all be held accountable. All allegations must be investigated. And let the judicial process take its course. We cannot simply walk away from the crime scene. The conflict is too deep and healing will take place only after the truth has been revealed. It may be a bitter medicine, and many involved including politicians and ranking officers may have to be punished and jailed.

But it is a step we all have to take in order to move forward and not be caught in the unending loop of coups, elections and violence. For if justice is not served, then conflicts, present and future, will be fought out on the streets, not in the courts or parliament. Internationally, without the rule of law, Thailand will lose its credibility and become a political basket case.

Everything begins with the truth. Without truth, there is no justice, and without justice, no peace.


Suranand Vejjajiva served in the Thaksin Shinawatra cabinet and is now a political analyst.

Originally Posted by SteveCM

Everything begins with the truth. Without truth, there is no justice, and without justice, no peace.

indeed, the problem is neither the government or the reds want the truth, too happy to stay in the mud area so they can manipulate their followers and play on it for political gains

quite cynical those reds,

^^^ It's so strange SteveCM, no one has bitched at you for posting opinion pieces or complete pieces from The Bangkok Post...which I have had to tolerate for over a year...over and over and over again.

So strange huh?

Also when you post blog pieces, no one bitches at you either..!

It's amazing...

^ There's a caveat? That's pushing things a little...

Freedom of expression mate....

Already addressed the bitching with the biatches. As you say, the bitching has abated for now....

I wasn't having a moan in your direction, just pointing out something for the 'audience'. I believe it is called irony.

It also exposes the true reasoning/motives of those who embarked on a witch hunt.

Cheers!

Express away - people will make of it what they make of it. The "caveat" clearly relates solely to expecting me to bother with a reply.

Originally Posted by StrontiumDog

^^^ It's so strange SteveCM, no one has bitched at you for posting opinion pieces or complete pieces from The Bangkok Post...which I have had to tolerate for over a year...over and over and over again.

So strange huh?

Also when you post blog pieces, no one bitches at you either..!

It's amazing...

Not really that amazing, SD. At least you understand what SCM's poltics and beliefs might be. Unlike those who say {and promote} this and that, yet in their hearts are something else. Those are the jokers whom one has to wonder who really benefits?

Bangkok Post : The long, Agonising wait for justice

The long, Agonising wait for justice

One year on, families of troops and red shirts killed in the April 10 clashes say they search in vain for closure. As a state inquiry into the mayhem stumbles, victims are suing the state for injury and loss of life

• Published: 10/04/2011 at 12:00 AM
• Newspaper section: News

Families of two victims of last April's clashes with the red shirts have finally given up hope of justice, cremating the bodies of their loved ones in despair of the government ever finding or punishing the culprits.


WITHOUT ANSWERS: Members of the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship and their relatives say that red shirt protesters were gunned down by security forces at Khok Wua intersection last year.

Two bodies of red shirt demonstrators killed last April 10 _ Toedsak Fungklinchan, 29, and Saming Taengpeth, 49 _ were finally cremated on Sunday and Tuesday last week, respectively.

Their relatives had kept the bodies for almost a year, hoping that authorities would be able to find out who killed them and bring the wrongdoers to justice.

With the inquiry into the clashes having made "no progress", they have now cremated the bodies regardless.

A year after the deadly clashes between red shirt demonstrators and security forces on April 10, relatives of the victims still grieve while they continue their struggle for justice.

Twenty six people _ five security personnel and 21 civilians _ were killed when an operation to "reclaim" the red shirt demonstration sites on Ratchadamnoen Avenue was launched.

Since investigations into the deaths have stalled, relatives of 15 of the protesters killed and one of the injured in the April 10 clashes have decided to file civil suits against three state agencies _ the ministries of finance and defence and the Royal Thai Army.

In the case, filed on Friday with assistance from the 111 Thai Rak Thai Foundation, the plaintiffs demand 39.8 million baht in compensation for injuries and loss of lives.


NO REGRETS: Santipong Injan, 25, lost the sight in his right eye after being shot by a rubber bullet on April 10.

Santipong Injan, 25, an injured red shirt demonstrator, is one of the 16 plaintiffs.

The English graduate from Mae Fah Luang University lost his right eye after being shot with a rubber bullet while taking part in the demonstration.

"I'm undecided whether to forgive the person who did this to me. I need somebody to stand up and take responsibility for the mayhem," he said.

Mr Santipong said he was shot at 5pm while he was washing tear gas from his eyes at Phan Fa Bridge.

Mr Santipong had to shuffle between Vajira Hospital, a specialist eye clinic and his Wongsawang residence before he could get used to a single eye.

He was offered a job at the pro-red shirt Voice TV channel as a translator but the doctor warned that working with a computer could be harmful to his remaining good eye, so he decided to look for another job.

He and his girlfriend instead recently launched a business in Hua Hin.

Despite the ordeal, Mr Santipong remains optimistic about his life.

"My parents and I keep consoling each other. At least I lost my eye for a noble cause," he said.

If he could go back to that day, Mr Santipong said he would still be there to fight alongside fellow red shirts.


CAN’T BRING HIM BACK: Thankamol Khamnoi, 29, shows a picture of her 23-year-old brother Kriengkrai Khamnoi, who was shot at Ratchadamnoen Nok Avenue on April 10.

"I do not regret being there. It's the government which should be regretful and responsible for the losses," he said.

Thankamol Khamnoi, 29, lost her brother Kriengkrai Khamnoi, 23, who was shot about 3.30pm on Ratchadamnoen Nok Avenue.

She said her brother and other protesters believed there would be no violence as the government had said that troops would use only shields and batons to control the crowd.

Ms Thankamol said she should have heeded the warning from a soldier relative, who told the family a few days before that soldiers would use real weapons to disperse red shirt protesters.

Kriengkrai died that evening at Vajira Hospital from bullet wounds.

Ms Thankamol angrily rejects authorities' claims that there were black-clad militants among the protesters.

"My brother was killed in broad daylight. His friends dragged him out of the military zone.

"There is no evidence of men in black," she said.

She was also upset by the state's handling of her brother's case, which is not on the Department of Special Investigation's list of special cases.

"Why does the DSI not link my brother's deaths to the military? How could it not be a result of the military crackdown when he was killed in broad daylight?" she said.

Kriengkrai's parents were still grieving over the death of their only son, who was cremated at a temple in his hometown in Roi Et's Phanom Phrai on April 14 last year.

Kriengkrai's family has received 400,000 baht from the Labour Ministry; 50,000 baht from the Royal Household Bureau; 100,000 baht from former prime minister Somchai Wongsawat; 100,000 baht from the Justice Ministry; and another 50,000 baht from the red shirts.

Another prominent case that has not yet been resolved was the death of Reuters cameraman Hiroyoki Muramoto, who was killed at Khok Wua intersection on April 10.

Reuters yesterday issued a statement saying it was discouraged that the circumstances of his death are still unknown a year later.

"Hiro's family and Reuters colleagues deserve to know how this tragedy occurred and who was behind it," said Stephen Adler, Reuters editor-in-chief.

The UDD will hold a mass rally at the Democracy Monument today to mark the first anniversary of the April 10 tragedy.

Bangkok Post : Scarred by sight of thais killing thais

Scarred by sight of thais killing thais

• Published: 10/04/2011 at 12:00 AM
• Newspaper section: News

Maj Gen Walit Rojanapakdi still has vivid memories of a bloody attack in which almost 10 grenades were fired at him and his troops.


RECOVERY: In this file photo, Maj Gen Walit Rojanapakdi, who was injured during the April 10 clashes, uses a cane while walking. Now, he can walk without support.

The attack occurred in front of Satriwittaya School on Din Sor Road on April 10 last year.

Maj Gen Walit, then commander of the 2nd Infantry Division (Queen's Guard) based at Fort Burapha Phayak (Tiger of the East) in Prachin Buri, had led several thousands of troops to reclaim areas occupied by red shirt demonstrators led by the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD) on Phan Fa Bridge and part of Ratchadamnoen Avenue.

The events of that day are seared in his memory after he lost his key man Col Romklao Thuwatham, the division's deputy chief-of-staff in a grenade attack.

Col Romklao was discussing with fellow officers whether to withdraw troops from the area when a grenade went off at Khok Wua intersection, close to Satriwittaya School.

The colonel was killed and 12 other commissioned officers injured.

One of the injured officers was Col Kriengsak Nanthaphothidej, another unit commander with the division, who suffered serious brain injuries caused by M79 shrapnel. Col Kriengsak's wounds have healed, but his health is not as it was.

Maj Gen Walit was also seriously wounded by grenades fired at him and his troops. Now, he can walk without the support of a cane, but he still cannot run.

"A doctor told me I don't need physical therapy, but I am not sure if I will ever be able to run again. I am just happy that I can walk," said Maj Gen Walit.

For the first three months, he was under the care of Phramongkutklao Hospital as his right leg was broken in three places.

He underwent six months of physical therapy before he could walk once more.

"Troops were not allowed to use live bullets. Only some senior military officers carried guns with live bullets, but most soldiers carried only batons and shields.

"We never thought there would be a group of 'men in black' armed with weapons to attack us," said Maj Gen Walit.

If he could turn back the clock, he said he would not want to carry out that mission.

"I don't want to fight Thai people. Soldiers are ready to fight our enemies regardless of where they are. But last April we had to fight fellow Thais," he said.

"I didn't want to be in that situation. But I had no choice but to follow the command from my superiors," he said.

"I will never forget it for the rest of my life. I feel hurt that my grenade wounds were the work of other Thais. Physical pain is not as severe as mental pain," said the major-general.

Her Majesty the Queen visited him and other injured soldiers at Phramongkutklao Hospital a few days after the violent clashes.

The Queen expressed concern for their health. Maj Gen Walit has now been appointed deputy 1st Army commander, which will pave the way for him to become the next 1st Army commander.

As the man in charge of crowd-dispersal operations, Maj Gen Walit was a target of red-shirt hatred. A year previous, he had been assigned to deal with protests elsewhere, including the Asean summit in Pattaya which the red shirts stormed on April 1, 2009; and the Songkran riots at Din Daeng intersection in Bangkok on April 12-13 the same year.

Bangkok Post : One year ago: When red protests turned bloody and 26 died

One year ago: When red protests turned bloody and 26 died

• Published: 10/04/2011 at 12:00 AM
• Newspaper section: News

Today marks the first anniversary of when last year's anti-government protests turned deadly, with 26 people killed and more than 800 injured as security forces clashed with red shirt demonstrators.

The bloodshed unfolded after four weeks of building tensions since the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD) kicked off its "million man march" on March 12 to oust the Abhisit Vejjajiva government.

The government had declared a state of emergency on April 7 after UDD co-leader Arisman Pongruengrong led red shirts to break into parliament.

Many believed the imposition of the emergency decree would help ease tensions, but two days later the protesters stormed the Thaicom satellite broadcasting station in Pathum Thani to demand that the red shirt's television channel, PTV, be reconnected.

The government had shut down PTV and its related websites on April 8, claiming the broadcast material was aimed at inciting unrest.

On the afternoon of April 10, Kwanchai Praipana, another UDD co-leader, led supporters to lay siege to the headquarters of the 1st Army to block soldiers from leaving the building. The soldiers then used high-pressure water hoses and tear gas against the protesters to force their way out.

Soldiers equipped with riot gear managed to push protesters back from the 1st Army building to Makkhawan Rangsan bridge on Ratchadamnoen Nok Avenue, where the UDD had been rallying.

The red shirts there found themselves outnumbered by the soldiers, since most of their fellow demonstrators had moved to the main rally site at Ratchaprasong intersection.

The Ratchaprasong protesters then joined those at Ratchadamnoen Avenue in an attempt to help push the soldiers back to Misakawan intersection.

A helicopter dropped tear gas on to the protesters but the craft was shot at and some soldiers on board was injured. The airborne operation was called off.

Confrontations between soldiers and protesters at Khok Wua intersection continued until about 9.10pm, when UDD co-leader Natthawut Saikua told the red shirts to withdraw after Korbsak Sabhavasu, the PM's secretary-general at the time, contacted him to confirm that soldiers had agreed to a ceasefire. The protesters complied by 9.30pm.

At 11.25pm, Mr Abhisit appeared on television, expressing his regret for the losses.

In his address, broadcast from the Centre for the Administration of Peace and Order at the 11th Infantry Regiment in Bang Khen, Mr Abhisit said: "Judging by the unrest over the past few days, the government has no choice but to enforce the law by trying to retake the public area from the protesters. Authorities have stuck to the rules of engagement in this operation.

"Live bullets were used only in two cases _ for warning shots and for self-defence."

Twenty six people _ five soldiers and 21 civilians _ were killed in the April 10 incident. Among the victims were Japanese cameraman Hiroyuki Muramoto and Col Romklao Thuwatham, deputy chief of staff of the 2nd Infantry Regiment.

Political observers felt that Mr Abhisit's resignation was inevitable after the protests turned deadly. That had been the fate of former prime ministers Thanom Kittikachorn and Suchinda Kraprayoon when anti-government rallies in 1973 and 1992, respectively, resulted in deaths.

But within hours of the April 10 clashes, several online media sources posted video clips of armed black-clad men firing at soldiers from the side of the red shirts.

Many people then believed the red shirts had the assistance of a militant group and instead of condemning the government's use of force, they supported the action against the demonstrators, which were ostensibly aimed at preventing further violence.

Two days after the clashes, Mr Abhisit told the public that authorities were working on separating the "terrorists" from the demonstrators.

This work, and the protests, dragged on for over a month more until May 19, 2010, when decisive crackdowns were launched to end the rally and reclaim public areas occupied by the UDD.

Originally Posted by StrontiumDog

But within hours of the April 10 clashes, several online media sources posted video clips of armed black-clad men firing at soldiers from the side of the red shirts.

Many people then believed the red shirts had the assistance of a militant group and instead of condemning the government's use of force, they supported the action against the demonstrators, which were ostensibly aimed at preventing further violence.

Two days after the clashes, Mr Abhisit told the public that authorities were working on separating the "terrorists" from the demonstrators.

This work, and the protests, dragged on for over a month more until May 19, 2010, when decisive crackdowns were launched to end the rally and reclaim public areas occupied by the UDD.

Facts ignored and history generally being re-written by the Post in its usual pro-Abhisit-establishment sympathetic way.

From the blog world.....

Thank you for the whitewash, Thailand | Asian Correspondent

By Siam Voices
Apr 10, 2011 12:19PM UTC

By Dan Waites

“Thank you, Thailand” was the headline on the front of yesterday’s edition of The Nation above an “exclusive interview” with Japanese ambassador to Thailand, Seiji Kojima. The story opened as follows:

The Japanese ambassador to Thailand has these special words for the Thai people: “A friend in need is a friend indeed.”

That the sentence was uttered in Thai further underlined the heartfelt gratitude Ambassador Seiji Kojima shared with his compatriots towards the Thai people in the wake of the March 11 earthquake and the subsequent devastating tsunami.

All very well. But on another timely issue Kojima has no reason to be thanking Thailand: the investigation into the shooting of Japanese Reuters journalist Hiroyuki Muramoto. Today is the first anniversary of Muramoto’s death. Shortly before 9pm on April 10, 2010, a day in which 26 people were shot dead in Bangkok, the 43-year-old cameraman was hit by a high-velocity bullet. He died of massive bleeding before he reached the hospital.

A farewell service for late Reuters cameraman Hiro Muramoto held in Tokyo last year. Pic: AP.


We still don’t know who killed Muramoto. His family still don’t know who killed him. And given the highly suspect way the Department of Special Investigation is handling the probe into his death, it doesn’t look like we ever will.

Here was The Nation in December last year:

Documents supposedly leaked from the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) appear to place the blame for most of the deaths in the April-May military crackdown firmly on the military.

The set of documents, purported to be investigation reports by the DSI, covered the deaths of 16 people killed in demonstrations between April and May. The reports conclude that the deaths of at least 13 of these victims were “likely caused by soldiers” deployed and acting on duty.

The reports, obtained by The Nation from a reliable source who asked not to be identified, were cross-checked and confirmed as being authentic by at least one witness, German photographer Nicolas Nostitz, who was interrogated by the DSI.

The 10 case reports covering 16 deaths include a DSI conclusion that the death of Japanese photographer Hiroyuki Muramoto of Reuters News Agency on April 10 “likely occurred from the actions of Army officer(s) acting on their duty”.

Given that Thai soldiers are believed to have fired as many as 117,923 bullets during the red-shirt protests, that conclusion wouldn’t be surprising. Another report from Reuters on the leaked DSI reports, had earlier said: “The report quoted a witness who said Muramoto collapsed as gunfire flashed from the direction of soldiers. Thailand’s government has not yet publicly released the report into his death despite intense diplomatic pressure from Japan.”
But there was intense pressure coming from other places, too. Three months later, here’s the Bangkok Post:

The army is breathing a sigh of relief after a Department of Special Investigation (DSI) report concluded troops were not responsible for the death of a Japanese cameraman during last year’s red shirt protests.

However, the relief may be short-lived, amid claims that the army chief of staff paid the DSI head a visit to complain about an initial department finding which claimed the opposite _ that soldiers should in fact be blamed for Japanese cameraman Hiroyuki Muramoto’s death during the rally at Khok Wua intersection on April 10 last year.

The DSI is likely to face questions about why it changed its stance, though DSI director-general Tharit Pengdit yesterday stood by the latest report, saying it was based on scientific and forensic findings. He also denied meeting the army chief of staff.

The weapons report, which he did not release, found that the Reuters News Agency cameraman was shot dead with an AK-47 rifle while covering the clashes.

In that case, troops could not be blamed for the death, said the report, because they carried different weapons.

Mr Tharit said Muramoto’s body was found with AK-47 bullet wound patterns. Soldiers had not used the weapon, he said.

The sudden change of heart came after a police forensics expert, Amporn Jarujinda, examined photographs of Muramoto’s body, concluding that the wounds were from AK-47 bullets. “It took me an hour to figure it out,” he told a news conference. The DSI had been working on the case for six months when its preliminary findings implicating the Army were leaked. Six months of work, undone by the fresh insights of one man. And what convenient insights they were!

At least 90 people died during the 10-week red-shirt protests, the vast majority of them civilians. I’m not suggesting the Army was responsible forevery single one of the deaths. But the preposterous idea now being peddled by the Army and the government is that the troops did not kill a single one of these people . Numerous eyewitness accounts suggest troops were firing deliberately at unarmed protesters (see this disturbing video, for example). Suthep Thaugsuban, Thailand’s deputy prime minister, has said that if anyone died, it was because they ran into the bullets (see Bangkok Pundit here and Saksith at Siam Voices here). You read that right.

Indeed, news recently surfaced that Suthep is planning to publish a book on the protests entitled “Our Thailand: Don’t let anybody burn it again” (“ประเทศไทยของเรา อย่าให้ใครเผาอีก”). The book will be based on Suthep’s speeches during last month’s censure debate, in which he defended the Army against the opposition’s accusations using information provided to him by a team of military officials. Krungthep Thurakij newspaper reported Suthep’s introduction to the book as follows (my translation):

This book has been composed from the record of a speech in Parliament to explain to the opposition about the rioting and terrorism that happened in Thailand between 2009 and 2010, particularly the violent events from April 10 to May 19 in 2010. Some groups of politicians are trying to distort the truth to incriminate the government and the army as the perpetrators. It will be released on April 6 at the Democrat Party.

People all over the world can see clearly for themselves which group brought damage to the country – from starting protracted protests, to damaging important economic areas, to invading and agitating the conditions of sick people in hospital, to planning to burn important places in Bangkok and other provinces. The idea was to create chaos only in order to seize political power and find a way to let a fugitive convict avoid punishment when he had done wrong, and to throw the crime onto the army and the government using shameless distortion.

Did somebody just say “shameless distortion”?

It’s funny that Suthep chooses to summon “people from all over the world” as witnesses to the dastardly deeds of the red shirts. This is the man who is refusing to allow foreign election observers at the next election, saying: “I don’t respect farangs. We don’t have to surrender to them.” Still, it will be interesting to see how Suthep’s masterwork deals with the question of who shot the people who died. Will he repeat his “running into bullets” claim? Or pin the deaths on the standard deus ex machina, the “men in black”?

Even the most blinkered cheerleader for the establishment can see that these investigations have turned into a sham. But the government has no choice other than to keep peddling its absurd version of events. The real power in this country – the Royal Thai Army – won’t have it any other way. It was heartening to see Thais show so much compassion for the Japanese this past month. Will the government demonstrate the same level of compassion for Muramoto’s family, by giving them justice? And will it, for that matter, show the same for the families of the Thais who were killed? The answer is becoming pretty clear.


Dan Waites can be contacted at jamesdanielwaites[at]gmail.com or followed on Twitter: www.twitter.com/danwaites.

Originally Posted by SteveCM

“Our Thailand: Don’t let anybody burn it again”

A master of irony, is Suthep.

Originally Posted by sabang

Originally Posted by SteveCM

“Our Thailand: Don’t let anybody burn it again”

A master of irony, is Suthep.

"Thailand is our property: Don’t let anybody burn it again, at least not before we get a chance to insure it.”