The Unintended Fallout Of May Crackdown; Thai Opinion

[webfact]

BURNING ISSUE

The unintended fallout of May crackdown

By Pravit Rojanaphruk

The Nation

One year after the bloody military crackdown on the red-shirt protest that ended on May 19, its unintended consequences that still reverberate today.

Those among the established elite who thought a bloody suppression of their opponents - which led to 92 deaths on both sides, but mostly red shirts, and left more than a thousand injured - had succeeded should rethink.

Red shirts are now even more critical, energised and full of angst against the old established elite who they believe have orchestrated all the political manipulations from behind the scenes over the years, but especially since the 2006 military coup.

If anything, with tomorrow marking the first anniversary of the crackdown, many red shirts appeared more resolved to fight on, not just for their political idol, ousted and convicted former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, but for equal political and social rights, and for the loved ones whom they lost on the streets of Bangkok a year ago.

A year after the deaths, not a single case has been solved. Not a single person has been put on trial. And frankly, nobody expects the end of impunity any time soon, with the military now carving a greater role with a bigger budget in its self-appointed task of defending national security and the monarchy.

By now a large part of the anger and resentment have been channelled underground because of laws restricting freedom of political speech such as the Computer Crime Act and lese majeste law. With strings of arrests under both laws over the past year, red shirts have learned to speak about politics through the use of metaphors, coded words and innuendo.

And with red-shirt leaders such as Red Power editor Somyos Phrueksakasemsuk and Surachai Sae-darn in jail under the lese majeste law, many red shirts, rightly or wrongly, have become fully convinced that they do not truly enjoy equal political rights or the right to express their views and convictions.

This writer has never witnessed so many people exhibiting such a level of anger and hatred against the established elite and harbouring a heartfelt sense of double standards and political injustice since he began working with this newspaper nearly two decades ago.

The red shirts may not be sure if they can fully trust Thaksin's Pheu Thai Party, but they feel they have no choice but to entrust their fate, and their votes, in its hands.

Shortly after the May crackdown last year, Thai society saw the emergence of Red Sunday leader Sombat Boon-ngam-anong (aka Bor Kor Lai Jued) as a political player who staged innovative and peaceful gatherings and activities in defiance of the emergency decree. When he was briefly detained without charge, Sombat became even more visible. Today, his often-updated Facebook status is like a virtual political school, operating non-stop and educating middle-class reds.

Another unintended consequence of the continued crackdown is the greater international attention paid to those affected by draconian laws. Prachatai.com director Chiranuch Premchaiporn and Thammasat University historian Somsak Jiamteerasakul are two examples.

Late last year, Chiranuch, who is in charge of the left-leaning and red-shirt-sympathising Prachatai.com, was charged under the computer-crime law for not removing quickly enough alleged lese majeste comments that she didn't make herself. She faces a maximum combined 50 years of imprisonment. Prachatai.com is now an international poster boy for the struggle for freedom of political expression in Thailand.

Similar unintended consequences befell red-shirt historian Somsak, who was last Thursday propelled to the front page of the International Herald Tribune after he was charged under the lese majeste law because of two of his articles. The paper described him as an "obscure" historian. Not any more.

Society is very complex, and when actions not accepted as fair are committed, they often lead to unintended consequences.

-- The Nation 2011-05-18

[WinnieTheKhwai]

Excellent.

By now a large part of the anger and resentment have been channelled underground because of laws restricting freedom of political speech such as the Computer Crime Act and lese majeste law. With strings of arrests under both laws over the past year, red shirts have learned to speak about politics through the use of metaphors, coded words and innuendo.

This comes natural now to this forum's participants, too. The ones who manage to stick around anyway. Not just in direct politics, it's important to phrase things just right at the risk of going to jail.

[virtualtraveller]

Bold and valid statement. Though I'll add that the failure to hold anyone accountable or reveal the whole truth is symptomatic of Thailand as a whole, applying in many instances to many bigger tragedies that have cost more than 91 lives. Start with the policing of the state, and lack of accountability of law enforcement officers.

I also think the public should be demanding a separate investigation into the intentions of the UDD leadership during their peaceful protest and why it overstepped its rights and responsibilities. I for one have not had a single answer as to who is going to foot the bill for the enormous economic loss, and the indirect fallout on public health as a result of the Ratchaprasong episode.

[hyperdimension]

The red shirts may not be sure if they can fully trust Thaksin's Pheu Thai Party, but they feel they have no choice but to entrust their fate, and their votes, in its hands.

That is a sad state of affairs. They will allow a criminal megalomaniac dictator to lead them because they don't want the status quo, and there is no other alternative. They may have more to complain about if Thaksin does eventually grasp power again.

Why can't they promote some other person to lead them, one who is not aligned with either the "establishment" or Thaksin, and even better if he or she is vocally against both? I think it's because Thaksin has enough cash to throw around to push such people out into obscurity so that it is he who will get a hold of the power.

[laocowboy2]

Excellent indeed - and thoughts that are not expressed enough.

The military/old guard elite appear to be engaged in a "whack a mole" strategy - push down any (non-party) individual whose comments become too prominent. As anyone who has sufferd from moles will know, another pops up immediately somewhere else. In the case of these mild dissident voices, all the crude pressures do is to further disseminate their views - and raise questions in even the minds of the apolitical neutrals about the way the country is going.

If (as I fear) the results of the election are either inconclusive or annoy the military, look forward to further cycles of "crack-downs" and reactions. The already weakened fabric of the body politic risks being torn apart - and then we have Syria.

Excellent.

By now a large part of the anger and resentment have been channelled underground because of laws restricting freedom of political speech such as the Computer Crime Act and lese majeste law. With strings of arrests under both laws over the past year, red shirts have learned to speak about politics through the use of metaphors, coded words and innuendo.

This comes natural now to this forum's participants, too. The ones who manage to stick around anyway. Not just in direct politics, it's important to phrase things just right at the risk of going to jail.

[mccw]

If anything the reds and pt have lost support after their discraseful actions and PT party knows it. That's why they are trying to reign in the more extremist reds and uneasy about certain candidates but obviously mr t still wants them as a hovering threat to call on if he needs them. Probably after they loose the next election he'll dish out sum more cash and attempt another insurrection. Shame on him and the rest of them.

[jdinasia]

Any chance that this will stop people crying about The Nation? Nah ......

regarding ....

A year after the deaths, not a single case has been solved. Not a single person has been put on trial. And frankly, nobody expects the end of impunity any time soon, with the military now carving a greater role with a bigger budget in its self-appointed task of defending national security and the monarchy.

Nobody on ANY of the sides have been put on trial.

Having read the Oath of office for the Thai military --- and the fact that the Thai military budget , although it has gone up considerably after Thaksin was booted, is in line with other regional countries with similar GDP's, just makes some of the article quite off the mark.

The writer of this opinion piece is only dealing with one side of the story --- but he does it well. It is a decent (very slanted, but decent) article. He fails to address the rising hatred of the red leadership and violent redshirt practices, but that wasn't on his agenda