Mamuang16

Statement by Phue Thai Party regarding the alleged discovery of war weapon at assembly site

Reference is made to the government and CRES's press conference and statement that there has been discovery and collection of numerous war weapons from the UDD and the protesters in Rachaprasong area.

Phue Thai Party wishes to state that the statement made by the government is predictable and is what the Party has all along anticipated that the government is trying to justify the violent crackdown on the peaceful protest by heavily armed soldiers with war weapon. The government is trying to paint the picture that the protesters possessed weapon and are terrorists. The said statement by the government and the CRES is contrary to the facts and reasons as follows:

1. The core leaders of the UDD had, on rally stage, publicly told the protesters on the night prior to the 19th of May 2010 that there had been discussion in the CRES's meeting that war weapons should be planted at the rally site to implicate and incriminate the protesters that they used offensive war weapon. The anticipation and prediction of the UDD leaders mysteriously and suspiciously becomes a reality.

2. If the protesters had had those war weapons, why they had not used them on the previous days and on the day on which they were cracked down violently by the soldiers? Why did they leave those weapons unused?

3. The protesters had known in advance of the potential crackdown and dispersal and had anticipated that the government would try to use the weapons to implicate them in the terrorist charges. It goes against logic that the protesters would have left those weapons behind.

4. The UDD had taken the journalists, local and foreign, to inspect and examine the rally site for weapon and none was found.

5. Since the beginning of the protest on March 12, 2010, over sixty people died, four of which are government officers and the rest are civilians. None of the dead civilians had weapon.

6. The search and discovery of weapons was one-sidedly conducted by the government after the crackdown and dispersal of the protest and was not witnessed by neutral party.

7. No fingerprints are collected to collect evidence in accordance with the forensic science.

Phue Thai Party is extremely concerned about the fact that the government and the CRES are trying to use the weapons allegedly discovered to justify and incriminate the protesters as terrorists despite the fact that the government's conclusion and theory are contrary to the facts and reasons as stated above. We hereby urge and call upon the government to investigate and examine the cases fairly and straightforwardly.

Stopping Thailand's endless battle of the yellow and red shirts

Thursday, April 15, 2010

THE LATEST political crisis in Thailand is a particularly tragic instance of political blowback. Three times in the past four years, Thais opposed to the populist movement of Thaksin Shinawatra precipitated the downfall of democratically elected governments by creating chaos in the streets of Bangkok. Now the current government, backed by that same alliance of the middle class, business and traditional elites, has itself been cornered by the same tactics.

Last Saturday, the Thai army, which refused to act against the anti-Thaksin "yellow shirts" even when they shut down Bangkok's international airport, tried to disperse the pro-Thaksin "red shirts" from their month-old street camps. The result was the worst political violence in two decades, with 23 protesters and soldiers killed -- and a retreat by the security forces. That leaves the government of Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva with few options other than what he and his coalition should have embraced in the first place: free elections.

Neither side in Thailand's class-based political conflict is a paragon of democracy. Mr. Thaksin, who now lives in exile, was a bad prime minister from 2001 to 2006. He violated press freedoms and allowed massive violations of human rights by security forces. The root of Thailand's years of conflict, however, is the unwillingness of the old establishment to accept that Mr. Thaksin has the support of the country's majority. After a military coup removed the populist leader in 2006, his supporters easily won the election that was eventually held in December 2007. After two more prime ministers were forced from office by demonstrations and questionable court rulings in late 2008, Mr. Abhisit brought the anti-Thaksin forces to power without calling a new election. He has resisted holding one since, for the obvious reason that Mr. Thaksin's supporters probably would win once again.

Mr. Abhisit is now suggesting that he could call an election at the end of this year. That stall is dangerous and unlikely to work. The army commander suggested Monday that it might be necessary to meet the protesters' demand that the parliament be dissolved and a new election called immediately. Meanwhile, Mr. Abhisit's party is under threat of being forced from office by a court order -- just like the past two pro-Thaksin prime ministers.

What ought to be clear by now is that anti-democratic tactics, from military intervention to street barricades to convenient court edicts, will not end Thailand's turmoil. The only solution is for both sides to accept that elections should decide who governs Thailand -- and that both winners and losers should respect basic political and civil rights.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/conte...0041404391.html

The political battle becoming dirtier by the day

By Supalak Ganjanakhundee

The Nation

Published on April 22, 2010

Thais appear to be keen on expanding the ongoing conflict instead of containing it, with many different colour-coded groups emerging to confront the red-shirt protesters. Such confrontation would only orchestrate violence, if not a civil war.

Initially, the current political stalemate was only meant to be a conflict between Abhisit Vejjajiva's government and former PM Thaksin Shinawata's supporters. Now, unfortunately, lots of issues are being raised and more and more people are getting involved.

For instance, middle-class Bangkokians - at the end of their tether over the chaos caused by the red shirts - decided to take to the streets in multicoloured shirts last week to express their dissatisfaction. Some of them had minor clashes with the red shirts near Lumpini Park, while others had a bit of a fracas on Silom Road.

The multicolour group was born along the same lines as the red shirt's arch foe, the yellow-clad People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD). Their demands are the same - disperse the protesters.

In fact, it is no secret that leaders of the multicoloured group used to be members of the PAD movement, which brought down the red-influenced governments of late Samak Sundaravej and Somchai Wongsawat in 2008 before putting Abhisit at the helm.

The right-wing PAD has given the government a week to bring down the red-shirt movement, otherwise the group - which now calls itself a royal guardian - will take things into its own hands.

The yellow-shirt PAD is accusing Thaksin's red-shirt supporters of trying to bring about a "regime change" in which the Kingdom of Thailand becomes a republic, with Thaksin as its first president.

Although the red shirts' demand for a new election is nothing strange in a democratic society, Prime Minister Abhisit is subscribing to the PAD's belief and echoing accusations that the reds are committing "acts of terrorism" to bring about a "great change" in Thailand.

On Tuesday, an unknown group of people put up stickers on Silom Road saying that the red-shirt group wanted a new Thailand with Thaksin as president. A move like this suggests that the right wing and elitist forces are employing old tactics to label the opponents as anti-monarchists.

The anti-monarchist accusation in Thailand is powerful enough to destroy anybody. The institution of monarchy has been firmly established in the Kingdom for a long time. Stringent laws protect the monarch from the slightest of criticism and if anybody gets accused of lese majeste, it is hard for them to escape.

On October 6, 1976, student activists in Thammasat University were massacred just because they were accused of being anti-monarchists. Many politicians, including the red-shirt leader Veera Musigapong and some members of the ruling Democrat Party, have had bitter experiences related to the lese majeste law.

The stickers on Silom Road prompted an immediate denial from Thaksin, with the red-shirt leaders declaring on Tuesday that it was a dirty political game. They know the power of anti-monarchy accusations.

However, if Abhisit and his government are gentle and fair enough, they should be able to limit the conflict and stop a third hand from using this sensitive issue to make things worse.

Calling the protesters terrorists and turning a normal political protest into a national security issue and a threat to the revered institution, is uncivilised and unfair. Besides, such tactics will only make the problem more complicated and difficult to resolve.

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/home/2010/04/22/politics/The-political-battle-becoming-dirtier-by-the-day-30127632.html

An article about this question here:

http://www.prachatai.com/english/node/1670

Don't drink and drive

Otherwise Som Na Na

Does somebody have any information about the family of Manit Pewklieng who is dead in Bangkok the first of may 2009?If yes, could you send a private message ?Thanks

I live in Kut Kao Pun, 50 km of Amnat but Ubon province.

I live in Ubon also but the police didn't ask me nothing. Are you sure of your information?

Hello everybody

How can I send picture to the forum?