Thread: Investigators fail to identify killers of foreign journalists

Originally Posted by sabang

Originally Posted by Thaihome

Note that what she says is it proof the troops were not "firing into the air".

And 91 people were killed, mostly red shirts, mostly by gunshot.

Go figure.

Indeed. What's most interesting, is the general acceptance and understanding that war produces innocent deaths as applied to civilians - but when "civil conflicts" are examined, that's a different tale.

Originally Posted by Agent_Smith

Wouldn't it be nice if they could invent a professional level camera that could upload photos to a satellite to transmit to another location on the fly? I'm not talking mobile phone cameras, something of better quality that wouldn't need a sat-link truck to send out the photos or even a cell tower nearby. Like an Iridium type technology but for cameras (video and still).

Or maybe there is something like this already but the cost is prohibitive for most photo-journalists. Just a thought anyways.

I would have thought that at the time of the unrest there would have been hundreds of helicopters with video surveillance. As would have been in London or LA, if it had been a serious criminal even. There would have been evidence.

Originally Posted by StrontiumDog

.. police spokesman Pol Maj-Gen Prawut Thavornsiri and Deputy Metropolitan Police chief, Maj-General Amnuay Nimmano were on hand to receive the CD. Both affirmed that the evidence will be submitted to the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) today.

Hope they uploaded to Youtube first in case they 'lose' the CD.

Originally Posted by StrontiumDog

Police have also encouraged the public in possession of any evidence helpful in expediting the investigative process to submit it to the DSI.

..so it can also disappear (and possibly the people who hand it over)

Originally Posted by siamsky

Originally Posted by Agent_Smith Wouldn't it be nice if they could invent a professional level camera that could upload photos to a satellite to transmit to another location on the fly? I'm not talking mobile phone cameras, something of better quality that wouldn't need a sat-link truck to send out the photos or even a cell tower nearby. Like an Iridium type technology but for cameras (video and still). Or maybe there is something like this already but the cost is prohibitive for most photo-journalists. Just a thought anyways. I would have thought that at the time of the unrest there would have been hundreds of helicopters with video surveillance. As would have been in London or LA, if it had been a serious criminal even. There would have been evidence.

Live broadcast TV cameras have been around for years but depend on satellite access and country coverage, commercial satellites that is not military.

As far as helecopter coverage over Bangkok is concerned there was plenty...Government Helecopters!

Thailand isn't like the States / Europe and even if they had news choppers they wouldn't have been allowed to fly over Bangkok at that time and neither would wordlwide live TV cameras have been allowed.

Still never mind we have the Nation and the Bangkok Post impartial reporting!

Originally Posted by StrontiumDog

According to the relatives, the video footage shows nine police officers who witnessed the incident. Based on the evidence, they believed the witnesses could be summoned for questioning.

no doubt the policemen did nothing as they were witnessing their "red" and "blackshirt" brothers committing the crime,

the police inaction during the demonstration was clearly a support for the red and blackshirt terrorists,

after all they all come from the same criminal background and therefore can relate to each other

Originally Posted by Butterfly

after all they all come from the same criminal background and therefore can relate to each other

Good on you papillon still banging your empty drum, shame you can't get into tune with the facts!

Originally Posted by siamsky

I would have thought that at the time of the unrest there would have been hundreds of helicopters with video surveillance. As would have been in London or LA, if it had been a serious criminal even. There would have been evidence.

Problem was when any helicopter flew over the protest area the protestors fired firework rockets at them.

DSI says it will need more time for probe into unrest

DSI says it will need more time for probe into unrest

By Piyanuch Thamnukasetchai
The Nation on Sunday
Published on September 26, 2010

The Department of Special Investigation (DSI) would have to extend the time for its investigation into the 89 deaths during the political unrest in April and May, DSI chief Tharit Pengdit said yesterday.

Tharit said he wanted to find out which groups were behind the deaths, but investigators had results from many different places, so they would need more time. So, the 45-day timeframe would be extended until they found the facts to explain to the public.

Once the DSI had obtained all ballistic test results and autopsy reports, investigators would speed up interviews of soldiers who were there and check the evidence and witnesses presented by Pheu Thai Party.

DSI deputy director general Colonel Narat Sawettana, who leads the investigation team on these cases, said after he met with Police Lt-General Wiroj Pao-in, who led the Pheu Thai probe into the 89 deaths and offered to give its information to the department, the DSI needed to take information from all sides to prevent criticism they only took data from pro-government people.

Narat said Pheu Thai with close ties to the red shirts may have useful information for the investigation, but he had not got any details for a list of witnesses from the opposition party yet. He said Pheu Thai was worried about the safety of witnesses and some feared they may be locked up if they came out to give details to the DSI.

Narat said the agency had thus said clearly that it would ensure justice to all sides and no bullying. It even offered to put any frightened witnesses onto a protection scheme.

Meanwhile, a mock public hearing on the killings during the April-May unrest was held yesterday at Thammasat University, where people who were injured and relatives of those killed gave information to academics, who acted as a hearing committee. The panel members included Kritaya Archavanitkul, Chaiyan Ratchakul, Somchai Preechasilpakul, Kasem Penpinant, Sawatree Suksri, and Benjarat Sae-chua.

The organisers sold tickets for Bt2,000 for VIP seats and any price for general tickets, in a bid to raise funds for lawyers for red shirts held in jail.

Santipong Inchan, who lost the sight in one eye after being hit by a rubber bullet during clashes with troops on April 10, said soldiers threw tear gas at the protesters at Phan Fa Bridge and deployed in lines to force them out. He said the first row of soldiers carried batons and shields but later rows had heavy weapons while protesters only had water bottles, rocks and packs of fermented fish. He urged the government to own up for what it did and accept the truth.

Thongchai Hemwiang, who sustained a gunshot to his hip during a "zone-tightening" operation near Lumpini Park, said that after hearing gunshots from the park he went with a group of journalists to observe and was shot in the hip along with a foreign journalist.

He said the bullet retrieved from his hip had a yellow lead head and that the injured were unarmed Bon Kai residents - not red-shirts.

Nation photographer Chaiwat Pumpuang, who was shot in the leg, said he wore a clear journalist symbol and was standing opposite to the troops when he was shot.

Chaiwat said he didn't see protesters around Rajprarop Road carrying weapons but he saw giant firecrackers lit against the demonstrators. He also saw a coffin in army truck but he didn't see if there was a corpse inside. Police never interviewed him throughout his two-month stay in hospital and he was only told that a high velocity bullet hit him. Chaiwat said he would file a civil lawsuit for compensation

2Bangkok.com - Almost like being there






From KhaoSod, September 26, 2010
The caption reads: The gun track - DSI authorities go up on the BTS Skytrain track and uses a laser gun to test the gun track that pointed to the Pathumwanararm Temple during the red-shirt rally dispersal. It was found that the gun track is exactly related to the bullet traces on the ground.





From KhaoSod, September 26, 2010
The caption reads: Evidence - DSI authorities from the team investigating the death of six people at the Pathumwanaram Temple checked and collected evidence left on the BTS Skytrain where soldiers were on standby during the rally dispersal. The team found cartridges of the HK gun and water bottles that were left.

http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/poli...for-red-shirts

Olive branch for red shirts

New army chief plans to meet relatives of killed protesters

• Published: 1/10/2010 at 12:00 AM
• Newspaper section: News

Newly appointed army chief Prayuth Chan-ocha is planning trips to the North and the Northeast to visit relatives of red shirt protesters who were killed in the April-May rallies.


Army commander-in-chief Anupong Paojinda, left, hands over authority to his successor, Gen Prayuth Chan-ocha, at a ceremony yesterday at the army headquarters in Bangkok. CHANAT KATANYU

Well known for his opposition to the red shirts, Gen Prayuth's surprise plan forms part of his policy to patch up differences with United Front for Democracy Against Dictatorship supporters.

The visits are intended as a gesture to reach out to members of the red shirt movement and to project a new image for Gen Prayuth, who has been viewed as taking a hard-line stance against the group, sources close to him said.

The sources said Gen Prayuth had yet to set the timing of his visits and the nature of his meetings with the relatives of those killed.

Among the 91 people killed, five were demonstrators from the North and 20 from the Northeast.

The sources said Gen Prayuth had assigned the newly appointed 2nd and 3rd Army commanders _ Lt Gen Tawatchai Samutsakhon and Lt Gen Wanthip Wongwai _ to coordinate his visit.

The army had already sent staff to meet with local red shirts and more senior officers, especially Gen Prayuth, would pay visits to the relatives of those killed to extend condolences and talk to them.

Officially taking the top job as the 37th commander-in-chief of the Royal Thai Army today, Gen Prayuth vowed at a ceremony yesterday that, in taking over from Anupong Paojinda, he would perform his duty to the best of his ability.

"I will develop the army so that it can carry out its mission as the key protector of the nation's sovereignty and the crown."

He takes office amid a spate of bombings, with the emergency decree still in place in Bangkok and a few other provinces. The tense situation is likely to continue during his term.

The army, which laid low for years after the disgrace of Black May in 1992, re-entered the political arena when it staged the coup on Sept 19, 2006, that toppled the Thaksin Shinawatra government.

Gen Prayuth was then a deputy commander of the 1st Army. He led his troops in supporting the putsch alongside Gen Anupong.

He has stood side by side with Gen Anupong from the beginning of their military careers, during negotiations inside a military camp that led to the formation of the Democrat-led coalition government, the crackdown on red shirt protesters in April last year and the operation to reclaim Ratchaprasong in April and May this year.

It seems inevitable that Gen Prayuth will have to keep at least one foot in politics to prevent former prime minister Thaksin from returning to power. That means the army must team up with the ruling Democrat Party or any other parties that can help its political battles.

Gen Prayuth is known for his combative approach, for being decisive and for his fierce opposition to the Thaksin regime and the red shirt movement.

His stance against Thaksin and the red shirts hardened after some splinter groups in the red shirt movement were accused of trying to overthrow the royal institution.

The new army commander is recognised for his loyalty to the monarchy. He has served Her Majesty the Queen since he was a young officer. He is expected to protect and promote the royal institution now there have been alleged attempts to abuse it for political gains.

Gen Prayuth will reach his retirement age in 2014. His remaining time in military service is long enough to protect the throne during these politically tumultuous times.

Army insiders believe that with Gen Prayuth as chief, anything _ even a coup _ is possible if the army feels it may lose control over politics and be at a disadvantage against its enemies.

"No one would want a coup if the nation is peaceful and free of unrest," Gen Prayuth said recently.

Although he expressed a wish to bring his soldiers back to the barracks and stay away from politics, Gen Prayuth realises this will be difficult.

"I will try to step back from politics, be clear of it and leave it with the government so that soldiers can do their military work. But if the nation has not returned to order, the military as a mechanism of the government must help build order first," he said.

Gen Prayuth has solid back-up _ his former classmates from Class 12 of the Armed Forces Academies Preparatory School control key army units. They are also considered hawkish. They include Gen Dapong Ratanasuwan, the army chief-of-staff who played an important role in plotting the crackdown on the red shirts.

The presence of a bloc of combat-oriented officers in force-controlling positions sends a strong message that the army is now ready to cope with all kinds of political situations. That means national reconciliation may be of a lower priority.

Originally Posted by StrontiumDog

It seems inevitable that Gen Prayuth will have to keep at least one foot in politics to prevent former prime minister Thaksin from returning to power. That means the army must team up with the ruling Democrat Party or any other parties that can help its political battles.

Well, the mouthpiece of the 'approved' sectors of the Thai Establishment can hardly be accused of subtlety now can they?

Originally Posted by StrontiumDog

That means national reconciliation may be of a lower priority.

You don't say.

To state the obvious, that article is either lying, or it is solid proof that Thailand is not the least bit a democracy as we speak. The Army 'will have' to keep one foot in politics because of an elected PM now in exile? So obviously the 'purpose' of the 'judiciary' is merely to provide cover for the democrats, kleptocrats, PAD and military.

Thaksin, as a convicted felon, cannot run for political office anyway. Then again, neither can Newin Chidchob, everyones favourite turncoat, who along with (also banned) Suthep has emerged as probably the most powerful figure in Thai 'politics' that does not wear a uniform.

Spare a thought for Mark. He has been exposed as a wiener, a political and moral Coward of the lowest order. How he can live with himself I do not know- he'd be best off becoming a Monk, or a katoey. For that matter, if his alma mater Oxford has any real pride they should strip him of his degree.

Quite an interesting article here-


Wiggle room and Double Standards for the Democrat Party
September 30th 2010




Wriggle room and double standards for the Democrat Party

As the saying goes, a picture paints a thousand words.

The simple answer is that it says what a minority cabal of people who have undemocratically (not to mention illegally and immorally) usurped political power in this country do not want the people of Thailand to be able to read. So nothing new there.

The humour is provided by the fact that the article only states the bleedin' obvious, the headline says it all anyway, and the predictable Censorship provides farcical confirmation. Hey, at least I can still laugh at it. I think a heightened sense of the Absurd is a prerequisite for intellectually 'surviving' this country. Either that or the somewhat enviable ability to be able to invoke in oneself a state of total Denial.

Originally Posted by sabang

Thailand is not the least bit a democracy

Correct

Originally Posted by Mid

Originally Posted by sabang

Thailand is not the least bit a democracy

Correct

So how do you explain an elected Parliament? A Parliament made up off the virtually the same members that were in place when there was a government you considered a democracy?
TH

Thaihome should Thailand actually meet your definition of a democracy then good day to you .

So what is your definition? I am talking about the current situation, not history.

TH

Democracy is a political form of government in which governing power is derived from the people, either by direct referendum (direct democracy) or by means of elected representatives of the people

fail to see where coups or elected (sic) representives changing colour are mentioned there .

Thailand is Nowhere near a democracy .

Sad fact is the Amart pay lip service to the concept to gain the benefits ...........

hey ThaiHome does this shit happen in a democracy ?

https://teakdoor.com/thailand-and-asi...t-airport.html (Suvarnabhumi - Zone 2 Parking Lot at Airport Closed off by Armed Men)

Originally Posted by Mid

...Sad fact is the Amart pay lip service to the concept to gain the benefits ...........

The sad part is you have fallen hook, line, and sinker for a propaganda ploy cynically paid for and designed to appeal to western liberals and their naive, knee jerk sympathies to a carefully portrayed under-dog with a big bad enemy trying to hold them down.

As I have told you many, many times. You need to look at who is really “paying lip service to the concept to gain the benefits”.


TH

Originally Posted by StrontiumDog

"No one would want a coup if the nation is peaceful and free of unrest," Gen Prayuth said recently.

Reason enough for him to lose his job, be stripped of all rank, kicked out the army and put through the legal process. His view that Thailand 'needs' coups is illegal, fullstop.

He has no right to any opinion about politics, at any time, ever. Simple.

Originally Posted by Mid

hey ThaiHome does this shit happen in a democracy ?

https://teakdoor.com/thailand-and-asi...t-airport.html (Suvarnabhumi - Zone 2 Parking Lot at Airport Closed off by Armed Men)

That is a business dispute, is it not? Taking place by the way outside the terminal the turnoff for which is before the police barricades.

Your naïveté is sometimes amazing. You often seem to me as if you a 12 year old.
TH

Originally Posted by Thaihome

a business dispute

with private military

Originally Posted by Bettyboo

Originally Posted by StrontiumDog

"No one would want a coup if the nation is peaceful and free of unrest," Gen Prayuth said recently.

Reason enough for him to lose his job, be stripped of all rank, kicked out the army and put through the legal process. His view that Thailand 'needs' coups is illegal, fullstop.

He has no right to any opinion about politics, at any time, ever. Simple.

I actually agree with you. Would be very good if the Senior Military would shut up.
TH