Conspiracy, Crime, Conflict: A Normal Week In Thai Politics

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Conspiracy, crime, conflict: A normal week in Thai politics

By Tulsathit Taptim

BANGKOK: -- "What appears to be" can be fascinating enough in itself. A group of red-shirt hardliners, many of whom got to know each other on the streets of Bangkok during the recent political turbulence, refused to just go home and lick their wounds after May 19. Instead, they came together to cook up a sinister plot: Let's send a loud message, literally, to the government, to show it, and the rest of Thailand, how hurt we are, they told one another.

A bomb was made - powerful enough to make headlines but not lethal enough to kill. They put it on a cart, covered it with rambutans, and wheeled it to the vicinity of the Bhum Jai Thai Party's headquarters on June 22. Then the bomb went off prematurely, wounding the conspirator tasked with delivering it to the final destination. Two other accomplices, who were positioned nearby, fled. So did two "masterminds", who crossed the border into Cambodia the following day.

The two alleged accomplices were immediately captured inside Thailand, while the two masterminds were arrested by Cambodian authorities last Saturday. The two were dutifully sent back to Thailand on Monday.

A logical crime story? Yes. Believable? That depends on who you are. Even the simplest incidents are not what they seem in Thailand. There have to be doubters, conspiracy theories, and allegations of a set-up or cover-up.

So, we have two more versions of what happened. The first, advocated by red-shirt leader Jatuporn Promphan, portrays the couple arrested in Cambodia as Thai government agents who had been neatly planted in our neighbouring country to look out for other key red-shirt members believed to be hiding there. Jatuporn suggests that the couple's deportation is Phnom Penh's way of saying, "Here, take them back. We know what you're up to."

Jatuporn's scenario is obviously far more dramatic than "what appears to be". This theory requires the first captured suspect to sacrifice himself by bearing the brunt of the explosion. It was his serious injury that prevented him from escaping, and it was his arrest that supposedly caused the couple to panic and flee to Cambodia.

The second alternative follows "what appears to be" until the time the couple were arrested. This theory does not dispute the notion that all the accomplices are red shirts, but rather, it depicts them as expendable soldiers who had to be used as sacrificial offerings to the Thai government in order to save other fugitives.

According to this theory, the couple was doomed because they left immigration departure records at the Thai-Cambodian border. Since they were wanted for alleged terrorism, it left Phnom Penh with no choice. Harbouring Thaksin Shinawatra is one thing; giving sanctuary to foreigners named by captured alleged saboteurs as their masterminds is another.

"We were betrayed," the couple said. Police quoted them as saying they were lured out of their Siem Reap hotel room thinking they were about to meet some well-known red members, only to walk straight into the hands of Cambodian police waiting with handcuffs.

Cambodia surely will not like this cynical theory, and may not be totally pleased with the muted thank you from the Thai government. Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva suggested on Sunday he would love to see with his own eyes the captured suspects before making any comment. Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban, when asked how the arrests and deportations would help improve frozen diplomatic ties, welcomed the development but urged reporters not to get ahead of themselves.

Renounced as government spies by Jatuporn, thrown out of Cambodia and considered terrorist suspects by the Thai authorities, in addition to being named masterminds of the Bhum Jai Thai bomb attack by their alleged accomplices, the couple was understandably in tears on Monday. But, ironically perhaps, they have also been trying to distance themselves from the other suspects, whom they claim only received accommodation from them and nothing else.

The only "apparent" facts so far are that all the suspects are certifiable red shirts who took part in the recent rallies and who stayed briefly together before the homemade bomb went off near the Bhum Jai Thai headquarters. Whether or not the couple was turned into government spies or whether the reds sacrificed them to protect more important people are the normal puzzles that are a part of our political life.

As for Cambodia, it will have to live with a bilateral political reality that its leader Hun Sen has helped create. It's a reality marked by extreme mistrust, conspiracy theories and the old adage that no good deed goes unpunished.

-- The Nation 2010-07-07

[TheLaughingMan]

What truly offends me and my sense of right and wrong is the red shirts terrorists crying foul over being "betrayed" into the hands of the police. UHM Thats what happens when you try to bomb and kill people retard!

[givenall]

What truly offends me and my sense of right and wrong is the red shirts terrorists crying foul over being "betrayed" into the hands of the police. UHM Thats what happens when you try to bomb and kill people retard!

I have no sympathy for anyone of them. They had a great chance to join the political system, when it was offered to them before they went on the rampage. I would think the arrogant of their mastermind, Mr. T. who really believed he can destroy the government alone with the Thailand reputation.

Know they know the whole failed scheme was for the benefit of Mr. T not the Red Shirt of the Thailand poor

[asiawatcher]

If only some of the arrests could be actioned within Thailand on those remaining at large under Police protection but I suppose any arrest is better than none - amazing how fast Thai police can act when it is inconsequential.