Bangkok 'Ram' students who sought to get home were targeted

[webfact]

POLITICAL VIOLENCE
'Ram' students who sought to get home were targeted
Pongphon Sarnsamak
The Nation

BANGKOK: -- Victims of the recent political clashes in several parts of Bangkok have described the violence that has taken place this month.

The first flashpoint was at Ramkhamhaeng University on the night of November 30.

The second scene was close to Government House on December 1-3 when anti-government protesters tried to enter and seize Government House and the Metropolitan Police Bureau headquarters.

The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration's Erawan emergency medical service said that as of this Thursday, at least 64 people had been injured in clashes near Ramkhamhaeng University and four people died. About 12 of the injured were admitted to hospital.

A further 220 people were injured during confrontations between anti-government demonstrators and police near Government House and the Metropolitan Police Bureau. Of these, 11 were admitted at hospitals.

Yesterday, the Erawan emergency centre reported that three people had been injured in two clashes near the anti-government demonstration near the Finance Ministry and Khok Wua Intersection in Banglamphu. They were sent for medical treatment at three hospitals - Rajavithi, Vachira and Klang.

A 46-year-old man had what looked like a gunshot wound to his arm, a spokesman at the centre said. He was sent from the anti-government rally at the Finance Ministry to Rajavithi Hospital.

Two other people were sent from Khok Wua Intersection with injuries after a clash between a motorcycle gang and anti-government protesters.

A 35-year-old man, who was sent to Klang Hospital, had a ragged wound on his right hand and finger. And an 18-year-old, who was sent to Vachira Hospital, had a stab wound to his left rib.

A rescue team from Rajapipat Hospital, who took the two men to the hospitals, reported a loud explosion near Khok Wua Intersection.

Kaew (not his real name), 23, who was shot in the right knee, said he was in Ramkhamhaeng University throughout the night on November 30. He could not get out of the building because he heard a loud explosion and the sound of gunshots near the university.

But at 7am on December 1 - last Sunday - he decided to run out of the building, as he wanted to go home.

At that time, there was an announcement to warn students and other people inside the university not to go out of their buildings. When he did, he was shot in his right knee, then sent to Rajavithi Hospital.

Meanwhile, Chai (not his real name), 23, also was shot in his lower leg while inside "Ram" University at 7am on Sunday.

He said the gunshot came from an elevated road in front of the university.

Like Kaew, Chai was inside the university all night on November 30 as he heard gunshots and explosion throughout the night.

"Actually, I really wanted to go home on November 30 but I could not because my younger brother did not want to go home. So I decided to stay with my brother, but we could not get out of the building as explosion-like sounds and gunshots occurred throughout the night," he said.

At 7am on Sunday, he decided to get out of the building to go home and was shot in the leg when he reached the university gate.

Nan (not her real name), 52, said she joined the battle between anti-government protesters and police at Chamai Maruchet Bridge. She was hurt by tear gas at 2pm on Sunday while hiding from street clashes under the library at Rajamangala University of Technology Phra Nakhon.

She said she saw some tear-gas canisters thrown from a building in Phitsanulok Road near the confrontation site.

She was sent to a mobile medical unit near the protest site, but is now being treated at Ramathibhodi Hospital for the wound to her right hand.

Number of victims

The total number of casualties from political turmoil in Bangkok from November 30 to December 6:

Injured: 289

Injured with live bullets: 8

Treated: 25

In ICU: 4

Deaths: 4

Source: Public Health Ministry and Bangkok Metropolitan Administration's Erawan emergency medical service centre.


-- The Nation 2013-12-07

[Dibbler]

I was at a shopping centre close to Ram University last Sunday morning. A crowd gathered to watch a procession of students coming from the direction of the university about midday. They were high school children being escorted by armed soldiers. When your children have to have a military escort to come home safely, or get shot trying to leave their campus alone, that is a sign that things have gone very badly wrong in society.

[JRSoul]

Intimidation and violence against anti-Thaksin protesters has been a recurring theme over the last 7-8 years. Who benefits?

[Emptyset]

I was at a shopping centre close to Ram University last Sunday morning. A crowd gathered to watch a procession of students coming from the direction of the university about midday. They were high school children being escorted by armed soldiers. When your children have to have a military escort to come home safely, or get shot trying to leave their campus alone, that is a sign that things have gone very badly wrong in society.

They were RU students being evacuated, not high school students. I guess govt gave the OK for military to escort them. Not sure why. Seems like it was a PR victory for the military when it's something the cops should've been doing. But you're right about something going 'badly wrong' in society...

[Thaddeus]

I was at a shopping centre close to Ram University last Sunday morning. A crowd gathered to watch a procession of students coming from the direction of the university about midday. They were high school children being escorted by armed soldiers. When your children have to have a military escort to come home safely, or get shot trying to leave their campus alone, that is a sign that things have gone very badly wrong in society.

They were RU students being evacuated, not high school students. I guess govt gave the OK for military to escort them. Not sure why. Seems like it was a PR victory for the military when it's something the cops should've been doing. But you're right about something going 'badly wrong' in society...

Yes society is damaged, let's hope it isn't beyond repair.

The reason why the RTA were performing that task is probably the same as why the army were out in numbers and helping people during the floods of 2011, whilst by some accounts the police were trying to charge for their services.

[seminomadic]

I was at a shopping centre close to Ram University last Sunday morning. A crowd gathered to watch a procession of students coming from the direction of the university about midday. They were high school children being escorted by armed soldiers. When your children have to have a military escort to come home safely, or get shot trying to leave their campus alone, that is a sign that things have gone very badly wrong in society.

Just think, this need to have a military escort for students and teachers is a daily reality for residents in the deep south and has been for nearly a decade.

Looks like we're going to get off lightly here in BKK this protest season.

Edited December 7, 2013 by seminomadic

[tingtongteesood]

Nice to see some truth come through all the crap.

[Denim]

Intimidation and violence against anti-Thaksin protesters has been a recurring theme over the last 7-8 years. Who benefits?

But to put things in perspective .............. how many protesters were gunned down by the military in 2010 ? Is that intimidation and violence or did they deserve to be shot ? Worth considering also is that while those protests were happening, similar ones were happening in Greece against the Greek government. However, it did not sanction the shooting of protesters. As it is, Abhisit wants Yingluk to accept responsibility for things she is responsible for but he himself will not admit to any responsibilty for the shootings he sanctioned.

I pity the Thai voters. No good choices for them. One side is as bad as the other. Still, on the bright side, if Suthep gets his way, they won't need to bother with voting any more. All that will be taken care of and we will be able to see a new bunch of pigs at the trough.

[hellodolly]

Intimidation and violence against anti-Thaksin protesters has been a recurring theme over the last 7-8 years. Who benefits?

But to put things in perspective .............. how many protesters were gunned down by the military in 2010 ? Is that intimidation and violence or did they deserve to be shot ? Worth considering also is that while those protests were happening, similar ones were happening in Greece against the Greek government. However, it did not sanction the shooting of protesters. As it is, Abhisit wants Yingluk to accept responsibility for things she is responsible for but he himself will not admit to any responsibilty for the shootings he sanctioned.

I pity the Thai voters. No good choices for them. One side is as bad as the other. Still, on the bright side, if Suthep gets his way, they won't need to bother with voting any more. All that will be taken care of and we will be able to see a new bunch of pigs at the trough.

What are you nuts or some thing. The red Shirts certainly were in 2010. To put things honestly the Thaksin paid protestors fired on the army first. Not exactly a bright lot you are throwing in with. The only reason the army was there was because the Thaksin controlled police force where to busy collecting tea money for no helmets to be bothered with an armed mob.

We won't mention the honest hard working citizens in the transportation terminal the red shirts fired on. Oop's I guess I did.

When you get a little wiser you will learn that honesty is better than perspective.

[Mackie]

It's just beggars belief how persistent some people here are in repeating their lies about 2010 and continually keep silent about red mobsters attacks on Thai army and killing of their own soldiers.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2010_Thai_political_protests

According to the Erawan Bangkok Emergency Medical Service Center, 25 people were killed in the clashes. The dead included Japanese cameraman Hiro Muramoto, 10 protesters, nine civilians and five uniformed soldiers.[67][68] The Center noted more than 800 people injured.[69] Autopsies revealed that 9 out of the 10 dead protesters died due to gunshot wounds.[70] The military noted that the uniformed soldiers killed died from cerebral edema (swelling of the brain) after being hit on the head by thrown rocks.[71] Following the clashes government troops withdrew.[66]

Furthermore, those lunatics stormed the hospital and terrorized personnel.

On 30 April, more than 200 Red-Shirt protesters[94] forced their way into Chulalongkorn Hospital, which was close to the main protest camp, searching for soldiers theu claimed were hiding there. No soldiers were found in an hour of searching, during which time nurses were threatened and many patients frightened.[94] The next day, some 600 patients were evacuated to hospitals far from the protest site. UDD leader Weng Tojirakarn, himself a medical doctor, apologized for the assault on the hospital, calling it "inappropriate" and "unreasonable".[95] Reuters described the incident as "a clumsy storming of a hospital that raised questions over whether the movement is losing direction".[94]

Finally,more than 100,000 people lost their jobs because of red mob terrorism. How on earth anyone in the right frame of mind can justify their actions?

As of 2 May, as many as 100,000 people have lost their jobs, gone bankrupt, or both, as a result of the protests shutting down Bangkok.[96] The government is planning on providing special assistance for those affected.[96]

The actions taken by the "Red-Shirts" were described then by newspaper form Abu Dhabi The National as more than that of merely protesting but even as "insurrection.".[97] However, the number of protesters was decreasing and rumors spread that the protesters were financed by former PM Thaksin in to get his conviction revoked

[trucking]

The flip side of this story paints a different picture :

A Ramkhamhaeng Diary: an Eye Witness Account :

http://www.prachatai.com/english/node/3778

[Mackie]

The flip side of this story paints a different picture :

A Ramkhamhaeng Diary: an Eye Witness Account :

http://www.prachatai.com/english/node/3778

But you surely know that prachatai is NGO funded by foreign countries which have their own vested interest in Thai affairs. For example,the US State Department funded Freedom House, which is chaired by Kenneth Adelman - Thaksin's paid lobbyist and also supports Prachatai. How credible is that?

[hellodolly]

The flip side of this story paints a different picture :

A Ramkhamhaeng Diary: an Eye Witness Account :

http://www.prachatai.com/english/node/3778

What a load of B S. did you read the article.

The group of teenagers only held the area of Intersection 10 briefly. After the Red Shirts retreated, and I heard the strains of “in 5 minutes, we will meet” … not long after that, a group of people who were the front line of the fight against the teenagers passed. They appeared to be grown men and wearing red jackets and black shirts (the men in black?). Some people wore motorcycle helmets, they had been the front lines for the Red Shirts. But I also saw women, women who were angry, standing in front as well.

It goes on to say that they beat on the windows in the shop they were in for a couple of hours but could not break the glass. How many internet shops have glass windows that strong? He makes it sound like for most of the time the protesters either side tried to break in to the one shop but could not. He did at one point indicated there was a group wearing yellow shirts. He tried to make it sound like it was them.

In short the whole article looks like some thing a fiction novelist would write.