Reopening The Bitter Wounds Of 2010 Strife: Bangkok

[webfact]

BURNING ISSUE

Reopening the bitter wounds of 2010 strife

Avudh Panananda

The Nation

BANGKOK: -- The government, the opposition Democrat Party and the Army are engaging in a strange interplay which could put the reconciliation process in jeopardy.

A most contentious issue at the centre of the interplay is the 2010 political strife.

While they are paying lip service to bringing about reconciliation, key players are actually gearing up for reprisal instead of mending fences and showing forgiveness.

The red shirts have consistently been on the hunt for culprits responsible for the bloodshed. It is plain that the reds want two Democrats - then prime minister Abhisit Vejjajiva and his deputy prime minister Suthep Thaugsuban - to be held accountable as overseers of the Centre for the Resolution of the Emergency Situation.

After the Pheu Thai-led government came to power a year ago, the red shirts did not make real headway in chasing after Abhisit and Suthep. They seemed to have generated a lot of noise, however.

Last month, the government made a bold decision to second more than 50 police investigators to the Department of Special Investigation in order to expedite special probes into those killed in the political violence.

No government leaders stepped forward to explain the true motive for why they had suddenly intervened and tried to help the red shirts in settling their old scores.

Speaking in his defence, Suthep offered his theory on the government intervention. He said the government simply wanted to pressure the Democrats into dropping their opposition to the reconciliation bill, seen as a whitewash for fugitive former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra.

Despite the government building a case to prosecute him, Abhisit remains unwavering in his opposition to Thaksin.

Remarks by Suthep and Abhisit are clear that the Democrats will not allow Thaksin to elude his punishment regardless of the consequences.

Deputy Prime Minister Chalerm Yoobamrung and DSI investigators too are explicit about their search for fresh evidence to implicate the two Democrats in the bloodshed.

What Chalerm sees as fresh evidence, Suthep views as a rewrite of history to frame him and Abhisit.

As DSI investigators scramble to get ex-soldiers to change statements on their involvement in crowd control, Army chief General Prayuth Chan-ocha has joined the fray.

If the statements given by soldiers deployed to rein in the red shirts in 2010 are any indication, then the government will never succeed in building a case against Suthep or Abhisit.

Those statements are in line with the crowd control operations as executed by the Army and the CRES. For the past few weeks, Prayuth has lost his cool because he sees attempts to get the ex-soldiers to recant statements as a direct affront to the Army.

Even though the government leaders, particularly Chalerm, have assured that the soldiers would not be held accountable for the bloodshed, no one can really predict how events will play out if the red shirts are to have their way in dictating their version of the 2010 mayhem.

To safeguard the military's integrity, the Army chief has become an unwitting ally of the Democrats. He openly criticises the DSI. He has initiated police proceedings accusing red-shirt lawyer Robert Amsterdam of libel. He is also engaging in a fight to resist the government meddling in the military line-up.

As long as the government is determined to carry out revenge for the red shirts, this will push the Democrats and the Army into an opposing corner. And the political divide will persist.

-- The Nation 2012-08-21

[OzMick]

History is written by the victors. The re-write begins after political change, though it's better to wait until the witnesses have departed.

[chuang]

Why is the army afraid off if they are dammed sure they did not shoot those innocents....

[saltandpepper]

Why is the army afraid off if they are dammed sure they did not shoot those innocents....

I am not sure that those who fear the most are among the army.

As for your comment about shooting innocent,............. well, you know....

[Nickymaster]

Why is the army afraid off if they are dammed sure they did not shoot those innocents....

Is the army afraid? Who are the innocent?

[Moruya]

One thing is for sure. All the parties involved should shut the hell up and let the enquiry progress.

[waza]

Seems everything has gone by the way, cabinet reshuffle, election promises, charter change, reconciliation and running a government. All the PTP and redshirts energies are directed towards getting their convicted criminal leader amnesty, by any means necessary. This article indicates that this evil union of PTP cabinet of corrupt millionaires and the redshirts terrorist, are trying to rewrite history to manufacture evidence to falsely implicate the Democrat Party leadership in crimes against humanity. Then to use that manufactured evidence to blackmail Abhisit and Suthep to stop their opposition to Thaksin after their attempt to buy them and sideline them failed. Blackmail, bribes, threats and violence these are the currency of the PTP, Thaksin and Redshirt coalition, its good to see two heros standing up to the strong arm tactics of these thugs and criminals.

Edited August 21, 2012 by waza

[ianf]

Yes and the poster who refers to Abhisit as a 'Hero' speaks wisely.

We all know that the reds raided army premises and stole uniforms, live rounds and weapons and when the DSI states that the live rounds that killed some people were identical to those used by the army, then the answer is obvious and simple. And when people saw soldiers in areas that they deny occupying, then the answer there is simple too. When we see that a few of those killed were soldiers of The Queen's Guard and they were amongst the first killed, then we know something is up.

Make no mistake, there is a huge anti-democratic movement that is desperate to finger Abihsit and countenance the immediate return of the paymaster. When history is written about this dark period in Thailand's existence I have no doubt that people will be astounded that the masses could have been taken in so easily. In Chiang Mai they continue to invest on behalf of Thaksin and his financial cronies. There's even a huge new red shirt building going up near the moat.

I believe, as I always have, that there are more horrors to come and Thaksin will be the flag bearer for a country that will descend into atrocities similar to those we have seen in a neighbouring country. Thaksin doesn't care who or what he bulldozes in order to achieve his ultimate goal. He is not a democrat. He is a dictator. He is highly manipulative and very very dangerous.

[Anon999]

Why is the army afraid off if they are dammed sure they did not shoot those innocents....

They are afraid that the soldiers statements will be changed by fair means or foul. Forget the fair means. Not only would it change history it would also create a great deal of problems in the army and most certainly precede a dictatorship in this country. That would additionally make the army subservient to the PTP or whatever name it wants to call itself.

[tominbkk]

I saw the 'innocents' threatening to petrol bomb bangkok, derail the skytrain, blockade major parts of the city, install blackguard snipers to pick off whoever would be best to pick off politically. Throw pigs blood on private homes, attempt to kill the prime minister by attacking his car, allow renegade soldiers to wreak havoc, hold their babies up to be shot by soldiers, set fire to businesses, bus in the poor to put them up for slaughter, raid markets and kill vendors trying to protect their property, pledge allegiance to overthrow the elite. some innocents!!!

[thaicbr]

The Reds should lay the blame were it deserves to be at Thaksin Shinawatra's feet. Because if he hadn't of initially bankrolled the protest and organized no opposition from the police and then vetoed the agreement to leave and disband the rally that had been organized by Abhisit and the Red rally leaders, then they would not have been any need to send in the Army.

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