Thai 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

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.

-- The Nation 2011-04-07