Five years after Thai Red Shirt killings, wounds still fresh

[webfact]

Five years after Thai Red Shirt killings, wounds still fresh
AFP

BANGKOK: -- Five years after a bloody military crackdown on Thailand's pro-democracy 'Red Shirts', relatives of those killed say unrepentant army rulers have failed in their promise to heal the country's deep divisions.

Nongnai remembers the precise moment her younger brother died. The 38-year-old teacher was at work when the call came saying her sibling Attachai Anchalee had been struck by a soldier's bullet just above the heart.

She listened as a friend described the desperate efforts of medics to stem the bleeding and keep her brother's heart going with chest compressions.

"I was on the phone for ten minutes... until he said my brother passed away," she told AFP from her home outside Bangkok, a picture of her brother on the mantelpiece.

"He just stopped breathing."

Attachai, a 28-year-old law graduate, was one of at least 90 people killed during the crackdown on anti-government protesters in April and May 2010.

He was among thousands of so-called Red Shirts loyal to ousted premier Thaksin Shinawatra who took over key intersections in central Bangkok that spring, demanding fresh elections to replace the pro-military appointed government.

The massive protests brought to a boil years of resentment following a 2006 coup that toppled the democratically elected Thaksin, a move that led to his eventual self-exile overseas.

It was the bloodiest episode of Thailand's past decade of political drama, as soldiers flanked by armoured vehicles fought running battles with protesters, leaving the streets strewn with corpses and parts of the capital in flames.

- Excessive force? -

The military's first response to the 2010 rallies came on April 10 when units tried to take a junction controlled by the Red Shirts.

Gun battles broke out between armed protesters and soldiers. By the end of the night more than 20 lay dead, including at least five soldiers and a foreign journalist.

The more comprehensive crackdown that followed from May 13-19 eventually succeeded in clearing the Red Shirts.

But scores were killed inside army-declared "live fire zones" including many unarmed demonstrators, another foreign journalist and two medical volunteers.

Observers and rights groups accuse authorities of using excessive force, killing unarmed civilians as well as armed elements among the protesters.

No soldiers have been convicted of any wrongdoing, although the two civilian leaders at the time are facing an abuse of power probe.

Red Shirts say the lack of convictions lays bare the impunity enjoyed by the military to intervene on behalf of the anti-democratic forces.

The army assault was overseen by a core of ultra-royalist senior officers with the backing of the civilian government. One of those officers, Prayut Chan-O-Cha, was later promoted to army chief.

Last year he led another military coup, this time against the elected government of Yingluck Shinawatra -- Thaksin's sister -- and now holds the dual role of junta leader and prime minister.

Bangkok's royalist elite and their supporters within the military, judiciary and in the south loathe the Shinawatras, but the family's populist policies have won deep loyalty among urban working class voters and farmers in the rural north.

- 'Men in black' -

The army insists it was forced to act against armed protesters in 2010 while Prayut has angrily rejected any suggestion his soldiers targeted civilians.

Observers say many Red Shirt supporters equipped themselves with a range of weapons -- from homemade catapults to fireworks and petrol bombs.

Other small groups of masked figures -- dubbed "men in black" for their dark uniforms -- were also seen among the crowds of Red Shirts toting automatic rifles and firing at soldiers throughout the clashes

Yet academics and rights groups who have studied the crackdown say soldiers made little attempt to differentiate between civilian protesters and their armed supporters.

"It was excessive use of force against protesters," says Puangthong Pawakapan, a professor at Chulalongkorn University who has written a book about the crackdown.

"The idea was to destroy the Red Shirt movement so that they couldn't come back," she says.

Of the 14 inquests carried out so far covering more than 20 deaths, nine found bullets from the military were to blame. In five inquests, the courts were undecided.

- Reconciliation? -

When General Prayut took over last May -- this time following mass demonstrations against Yingluck that were not quelled -- he insisted reconciliation between Thailand's opposing camps would be a cornerstone of his administration.

But Red Shirt supporters say they have seen little of that. Instead their leaders have been detained or silenced, while Yingluck has been banned from politics and is facing criminal negligence charges.

Relatives of those killed say healing the wounds that have torn Thai society apart remains a distant dream while the military stay in charge.

"We know the military are not neutral," said Nongnai, who asked AFP to use a pseudonym out of fear of reprisals.

Red Shirts are also alive to the reality that those "who had their hands in the killings have today returned to rule the country," says Pavin Chachavalpongpun, a Thai politics expert at Kyoto University in Japan.

Simmering with anger, the movement remains in lockdown. But relatives of the those killed remain defiant and say they are not finished yet.

As Suriyan Pholsrila, whose husband Chanarong was gunned down on May 15, 2010, puts it: "Silence does not mean defeat."

-- (c) Copyright AFP 2015-05-13

[trogers]

Perhaps these relatives should first come to Bangkok and apologize for burning Bangkok.

[JOC]

Perhaps these relatives should first come to Bangkok and apologize for burning Bangkok.

Exaggerating a little aren't we??

A shopping mall and a half was burned down!!

A shame they didn't manage to burn all Bangkok down. Maybe that would have woken up the feudal masters and made them realize that, their time is well and truly over.

Do not condone violence, but can understand that people can reach their breaking point after time and again having seen their constitutionally cast votes being voided by the army and/or the judiciary.

BTW.........Think for a moment, the system some posters here are supporting, is the very same system, that allowed the young Na Ayudhya to get away with killing nine people with only a slap on her wrist.

All about connecting the dots........................

[DM07]

Perhaps these relatives should first come to Bangkok and apologize for burning Bangkok.

Yeah...because a fracking building really weighs out some human lives!

[trogers]

Perhaps these relatives should first come to Bangkok and apologize for burning Bangkok.

Exaggerating a little aren't we??

A shopping mall and a half was burned down!!

A shame they didn't manage to burn all Bangkok down. Maybe that would have woken up the feudal masters and made them realize that, their time is well and truly over.

Do not condone violence, but can understand that people can reach their breaking point after time and again having seen their constitutionally cast votes being voided by the army and/or the judiciary.

BTW.........Think for a moment, the system some posters here are supporting, is the very same system, that allowed the young Na Ayudhya to get away with killing nine people with only a slap on her wrist.

All about connecting the dots........................

Really? The Bangkok Bank branch next to Big C Rama 4 is still there as evidence for fire and robbery.

Are you an ISIS sympathizer?

Edited May 13, 2015 by trogers

[Freed1948]

Perhaps these relatives should first come to Bangkok and apologize for burning Bangkok.

Exaggerating a little aren't we??

A shopping mall and a half was burned down!!

A shame they didn't manage to burn all Bangkok down. Maybe that would have woken up the feudal masters and made them realize that, their time is well and truly over.

Do not condone violence, but can understand that people can reach their breaking point after time and again having seen their constitutionally cast votes being voided by the army and/or the judiciary.

BTW.........Think for a moment, the system some posters here are supporting, is the very same system, that allowed the young Na Ayudhya to get away with killing nine people with only a slap on her wrist.

All about connecting the dots........................

I don't know where you are coming from with all that, but you need to get your red coloured glasses adjusted.

[Tatsujin]

Perhaps these relatives should first come to Bangkok and apologize for burning Bangkok.

Exaggerating a little aren't we??

A shopping mall and a half was burned down!!

A shame they didn't manage to burn all Bangkok down. Maybe that would have woken up the feudal masters and made them realize that, their time is well and truly over.

Do not condone violence, but can understand that people can reach their breaking point after time and again having seen their constitutionally cast votes being voided by the army and/or the judiciary.

BTW.........Think for a moment, the system some posters here are supporting, is the very same system, that allowed the young Na Ayudhya to get away with killing nine people with only a slap on her wrist.

All about connecting the dots........................

Your quote: "Maybe that would have woken up the feudal masters and made them realize that, their time is well and truly over."

Let's get something straight ... it would have simply been exchanging one set of feudal masters for a newer breed of feudal master that doesn't give a monkey's about anyone or anything except himself. Thaksin doesn't think of or treat the "people" any differently to anyone else in power, he simply has a better publicity machine, a ton of cash he stole from those "people" and a great set of lawyers.

What I take out of this article are these key phrases:

"Gun battles broke out between armed protesters and soldiers."

"Observers and rights groups accuse authorities of using excessive force, killing unarmed civilians as well as armed elements among the protesters."

The "peaceful protestors" were given every opportunity to depart the scene at the time with no consequences for their actions, they refused to do so, and they broke the law by breaking the SoE and curfew that was imposed at the time. Shootings and grenade attacks (the typical "red" modus operandi) were taking place all over Bangkok, people were scared, the city, life and business was severely disrupted, Thailand was put on tourist blacklists, causing untold damage to the country.

Whilst I respect everyone's right to peaceful protest, this wasn't peaceful ... it was armed, it was violent, it was angry, it was disruptive, and it was handled badly ... primarily because the Thaksin-controlled Royal Thai Police refused to do anything about it from day 1, delaying a response and escalating the situation beyond control before the Military could do anything about it.

Thaksin achieved exactly what he intended, encouraged and funded with this "protest" and illegal occupation of Bangkok.

Personally, if I'm "protesting" and I see "armed elements" mixing in with ordinary protestors, if I've received countless warnings to disperse, if I've ignored the SoE and curfew, if I've ignored the fact that it subsequently became a "free fire zone" etc etc, well, I'd have to take responsibility for my own actions for being there. In this case, it meant death for some.

[robblok]

Perhaps these relatives should first come to Bangkok and apologize for burning Bangkok.

Exaggerating a little aren't we??

A shopping mall and a half was burned down!!

A shame they didn't manage to burn all Bangkok down. Maybe that would have woken up the feudal masters and made them realize that, their time is well and truly over.

Do not condone violence, but can understand that people can reach their breaking point after time and again having seen their constitutionally cast votes being voided by the army and/or the judiciary.

BTW.........Think for a moment, the system some posters here are supporting, is the very same system, that allowed the young Na Ayudhya to get away with killing nine people with only a slap on her wrist.

All about connecting the dots........................

The driver that killed the chillean cyclist also came off with a slap on his wrist and he was a lo so truck driver. Its all about connecting the dots.

Had the redshirts not allowed those men in black in their midst and shooting at the army and would not have used bombs and such things would have gone totally different. Remember the was an agreement and then all of a sudden the dear leader rejected it.

Also never forget the protest only came shortly after Mr T. his asserts were frozen.. not after the coup.. no coincidence of course.

Then after 20 death.. (5 of those army) the protestors still did not leave.. they were warned.. they stayed.

This was not all the army's fault.. this was Thaksin coming back on an agreement (because he did not get his money back) So he and the PTP have blood on their hands too.. and the protestors were not innocent themselves.

The army used excessive force.. it was a pefect storm of bad things.. but to blame only the army is crazy.

At least this article spoke about the blackshirts.. the PTP said there were no blackshirts. (they wanted to rewrite history)

[TVGerry]

They came to Bangkok for a fight. Their masters urged them to bring bottles of gasoline to burn the place down. They were given ample warning to leave the area before the crackdown. And now they're blaming the army when they started the fight.

[lovetotravel]

This is wrong on so many levels. First, it's not up to just the army rulers to heal this country's deep divisions. It's also up to the politicians that started all this in the first place. All so they could enrich themselves. This was never about the general population. Though they want you to think that's so. These comments are directed towards both political parties.

I sure feel sorry for those who lost their lives, on both sides. But if you go into a situation like this, you know what you're getting into. Shots being fired, some already have been killed. And not to mention the precedent that's been set by so many violent and deadly protests over this country's recent history. Most on both sides were paid to be there.

The massive protests brought to a boil years of resentment following a 2006 coup that toppled the democratically elected Thaksin, a move that led to his eventual self-exile overseas.

A coup that toppled an extremely corrupt PM? I'd have a hard time risking my life for a billionaire on the run.

Excessive force may have been used. We're basically talking about a war zone here. If you don't want a war, stay home. Many demonstrators who were there were fully prepared for war. And armed with weapons. Hard to convict the army for trying to take back the city for those who just want to get on with their lives in safety.

If politicians abided by the law, none of this would have happened. Politicians need to be held accountable to the people for their actions. Not be above the law, like is the case here now.

Again, how about the red shirts going over to the opposition with open arms and start the reconciliation themselves. A journey of a thousand miles beings with one step. Lao Tzu.

[h90]

Perhaps these relatives should first come to Bangkok and apologize for burning Bangkok.

Exaggerating a little aren't we??

A shopping mall and a half was burned down!!

A shame they didn't manage to burn all Bangkok down. Maybe that would have woken up the feudal masters and made them realize that, their time is well and truly over.

Do not condone violence, but can understand that people can reach their breaking point after time and again having seen their constitutionally cast votes being voided by the army and/or the judiciary.

BTW.........Think for a moment, the system some posters here are supporting, is the very same system, that allowed the young Na Ayudhya to get away with killing nine people with only a slap on her wrist.

All about connecting the dots........................

no several buildings and shops in that area were burnt out, even 2 weeks later there was a lot smell in the air. Also many shops looted.

[trogers]

Perhaps these relatives should first come to Bangkok and apologize for burning Bangkok.

Exaggerating a little aren't we??

A shopping mall and a half was burned down!!

A shame they didn't manage to burn all Bangkok down. Maybe that would have woken up the feudal masters and made them realize that, their time is well and truly over.

Do not condone violence, but can understand that people can reach their breaking point after time and again having seen their constitutionally cast votes being voided by the army and/or the judiciary.

BTW.........Think for a moment, the system some posters here are supporting, is the very same system, that allowed the young Na Ayudhya to get away with killing nine people with only a slap on her wrist.

All about connecting the dots........................

no several buildings and shops in that area were burnt out, even 2 weeks later there was a lot smell in the air. Also many shops looted.

Naahh...it's the work of a third hand...

[mikemac]

Perhaps these relatives should first come to Bangkok and apologize for burning Bangkok.

Exaggerating a little aren't we??

A shopping mall and a half was burned down!!

A shame they didn't manage to burn all Bangkok down. Maybe that would have woken up the feudal masters and made them realize that, their time is well and truly over.

Do not condone violence, but can understand that people can reach their breaking point after time and again having seen their constitutionally cast votes being voided by the army and/or the judiciary.

BTW.........Think for a moment, the system some posters here are supporting, is the very same system, that allowed the young Na Ayudhya to get away with killing nine people with only a slap on her wrist.

All about connecting the dots........................

JOC, stop being such a hypocritic. In one paragraph you say "A shame they didn't manage to burn all Bangkok down." and in the very next one you say that you "Do not condone violence". ??????

And you will probably regret one day mentioning the hi-so girl who caused the deaths of those nine people and comparing that incident to the "the system some posters here are supporting". So soon after the truck driver in Korat killed the Chilean cyclist, and actually did receive a slap on the wrist.

Was that a hi-so / Na Ayudhya truck driver, by chance ?

[Baerboxer]

As usual AFP ignore everything that led up to the final violent confrontation.

Pro democracy red shirts - <deleted>. They are paid to protest, and some paid to commit violence on behalf of a criminal and his gang. A criminal who discovered manipulating political systems can be more lucrative than fiddling tax and creating business monopolies.

AFP never mention that Thaksin was ousted from a caretaker PM role he re-occupied illegally having previously dissolved parliament. Or the time delay between when he was ousted and the 2010 insurgency. Or the fact that the insurgency seems to have happened when a large amount of Thaksin's assets were seized.

[trogers]

As usual AFP ignore everything that led up to the final violent confrontation.

Pro democracy red shirts - <deleted>. They are paid to protest, and some paid to commit violence on behalf of a criminal and his gang. A criminal who discovered manipulating political systems can be more lucrative than fiddling tax and creating business monopolies.

AFP never mention that Thaksin was ousted from a caretaker PM role he re-occupied illegally having previously dissolved parliament. Or the time delay between when he was ousted and the 2010 insurgency. Or the fact that the insurgency seems to have happened when a large amount of Thaksin's assets were seized.

Someone got paid to slant the news?

[gamini]

Perhaps these relatives should first come to Bangkok and apologize for burning Bangkok.

Exaggerating a little aren't we??

A shopping mall and a half was burned down!!

A shame they didn't manage to burn all Bangkok down. Maybe that would have woken up the feudal masters and made them realize that, their time is well and truly over.

Do not condone violence, but can understand that people can reach their breaking point after time and again having seen their constitutionally cast votes being voided by the army and/or the judiciary.

BTW.........Think for a moment, the system some posters here are supporting, is the very same system, that allowed the young Na Ayudhya to get away with killing nine people with only a slap on her wrist.

All about connecting the dots........................

They were trying to overthrow a democratically parliament elected government . Which had nothing to do with the army. So why do you write all this nonsense about thier constitutionallly cast votes being voided by the army. Of course Taksin and the red shirts did not like the way the vote went and did everything to try and destroy the government. But I guess you must be one of these red shirt asupporters still spewing Taksins propaganda.

[seajae]

shot with army grade weapons, the fact that ballistics never actually showed they were fired by the army though never comes into it, even when they state that blackshirts were also carrying military grade weapons the ballistics are left hanging. Either side may have shot the protesters we will never know. As for her son, he was a terrorist by his actions, he was supporting a violent red shirt terrorist attempt under thaksins orders, she should be going after him, he is the one that started this for his own personal gains. The only pity is that they never actually got to shoot all the red leaders as they were busy hiding behinds their supporters and getting them killed instead. People justice then demand thaksins return in chains to face court for his actions in causing al this sh*t

Edited May 13, 2015 by seajae

[scorecard]

And again AFP writes twisted rubbish which is way less than truthful and severely lacking in balance.

[givenall]

One on Thai friend says about revenge, flange generally forget quickly and move on, chines forgot after 10 years, but thais never forget or forgive

[scorecard]

<script type='text/javascript'>window.mod_pagespeed_start = Number(new Date());</script>

Perhaps these relatives should first come to Bangkok and apologize for burning Bangkok.

Exaggerating a little aren't we??

A shopping mall and a half was burned down!!

A shame they didn't manage to burn all Bangkok down. Maybe that would have woken up the feudal masters and made them realize that, their time is well and truly over.

Do not condone violence, but can understand that people can reach their breaking point after time and again having seen their constitutionally cast votes being voided by the army and/or the judiciary.

BTW.........Think for a moment, the system some posters here are supporting, is the very same system, that allowed the young Na Ayudhya to get away with killing nine people with only a slap on her wrist.

All about connecting the dots........................ alt=coffee1.gif width=32 height=24>

The hI so girl was tried and the initial conviction and very limited sentence was during the yingluck era, not the junta era.

Edited May 13, 2015 by scorecard

[waitforusalso]

The reds were 100% justified to be protesting & mighty upset that their vote had been stolen time after time, by the scheming courts, army, elite & Democrat party. Bombing and burning is a common response by the disenfranchised and in many cases throughout history reactions have been much more violent than we saw from the red shirts in 09/10.

The facts are that the Democrat coalition was put together by Anupong in his army residence. Talk of parliamentary election is a complete farce. The people clearly expressed their wishes at the voting booth, every time they were allowed .

This coup has done nothing more than postpone the violence. The PTP supporters are quite aware of what is going on & as soon as the muzzle is lifted & an election is called they will express their opposition to the coup by voting in PT yet again. And then....yes we know.....

[Mr Somtam]

Everybody here is always talking about Thaksin but the truth is the people are just sick and tired of the hiso elite that is denying them their rights and robbing them blind. They will listen to anyone who promises them more freedom and money.

I for one am really afraid that there will be civil war in Thailand in this decade. If there is I just hope all the blood will lead to a more equal and just society, where money and family names mean a lot less... And all people have the same rights and possibilities.

[rametindallas]

Five years after Thai Red Shirt killings, wounds still fresh

Peace TV and a propaganda mill will do that.

relatives of those killed say unrepentant army rulers have failed in their promise to heal the country's deep divisions.

The NCPO has been in power less than a year and they expect healing in the face of Thaksin's propaganda machine? This is why Article 44 and bans on political gatherings need to continue until we stop seeing news article like this.

crackdown on Thailand's pro-democracy 'Red Shirts'

Those protesters were not in Bangkok because they were fighting for 'democracy'; none of them even knew what 'democracy' is. They were there because the 'Paymaster in Dubai' was providing free transportation and a Bt. 500 daily stipend for them to be there. It was a hired mob attempting to overthrow a genuinely democratically elected government. These people had been and still are being brainwashed to believe Thaksin's side of the story.

I wonder how much Thaksin's representatives had to pay AFP to get this piece of propaganda published.

[Alwyn]

Perhaps these relatives should first come to Bangkok and apologize for burning Bangkok.

Exaggerating a little aren't we??

A shopping mall and a half was burned down!!

A shame they didn't manage to burn all Bangkok down. Maybe that would have woken up the feudal masters and made them realize that, their time is well and truly over.

Do not condone violence, but can understand that people can reach their breaking point after time and again having seen their constitutionally cast votes being voided by the army and/or the judiciary.

BTW.........Think for a moment, the system some posters here are supporting, is the very same system, that allowed the young Na Ayudhya to get away with killing nine people with only a slap on her wrist.

All about connecting the dots........................

Really? The Bangkok Bank branch next to Big C Rama 4 is still there as evidence for fire and robbery.

Are you an ISIS sympathizer?

wow... What on Earth does this guy having an opinion on something that happened 5 years ago lead you to ask that question? Or even mention ISIS come to that? Are you suggesting that anybody who has an opinion that isn't matching your own is an ISIS sympathizer?

[ThaiUser]

I don’t believe for a moment that the author of the article had reconciliation on the mind when writing it and was more inclined to put fuel into the remnants to get the fire started again.

Anybody speaking of armed protesters and referring to a demonstration that is supposed to be based on rules, which are well established and governed by laws in democracies, hasn’t a glimpse what the roots of the problems are in Thailand. That also applies to the events that have been broadcasted worldwide when a different group of protestors invaded the main police station in Bangkok only this time we had a government that subscribed to a different political colour.

As long as we in Thailand don’t understand what democracy actually means we don’t deserve it! We will repeat the errors and mistakes of our past and feel justified to use violence to bring down a government that hasn’t got our vote.

Our problem is an educational one and the fact that we don’t talk about the wrongs we committed in the past, and that includes all governments I have watched for over 20 years from abroad and the ones I had to live under when returning to Thailand. Taking our political parties and the so called well educated elite we notice that they all talk about democracy but for each of them the meaning is obscured by their inability to consider compromise, which is essential in a democracy.

Before Thailand can achieve democracy it will have to change her educational system and start teaching children how democracies function. That violence to express dissent is not a democratic expression but the first step on the road to anarchy.

[dragonfly94]

Perhaps these relatives should first come to Bangkok and apologize for burning Bangkok.

Not Bangkok, just part of central world owned by the rich types behind one coup after another and who crap on the rights and freedoms of ordinary Thais.

[scorecard]

<script type='text/javascript'>window.mod_pagespeed_start = Number(new Date());</script>

Five years after Thai Red Shirt killings, wounds still fresh

Peace TV and a propaganda mill will do that.

relatives of those killed say unrepentant army rulers have failed in their promise to heal the country's deep divisions.

The NCPO has been in power less than a year and they expect healing in the face of Thaksin's propaganda machine? This is why Article 44 and bans on political gatherings need to continue until we stop seeing news article like this.

crackdown on Thailand's pro-democracy 'Red Shirts'

Those protesters were not in Bangkok because they were fighting for 'democracy'; none of them even knew what 'democracy' is. They were there because the 'Paymaster in Dubai' was providing free transportation and a Bt. 500 daily stipend for them to be there. It was a hired mob attempting to overthrow a genuinely democratically elected government. These people had been and still are being brainwashed to believe Thaksin's side of the story.

I wonder how much Thaksin's representatives had to pay AFP to get this piece of propaganda published.

'The redshirts were fighting for democracy'

That's the mother of all dishonest / misleading statements this year.

[rubl]

The reds were 100% justified to be protesting & mighty upset that their vote had been stolen time after time, by the scheming courts, army, elite & Democrat party. Bombing and burning is a common response by the disenfranchised and in many cases throughout history reactions have been much more violent than we saw from the red shirts in 09/10.

The facts are that the Democrat coalition was put together by Anupong in his army residence. Talk of parliamentary election is a complete farce. The people clearly expressed their wishes at the voting booth, every time they were allowed .

This coup has done nothing more than postpone the violence. The PTP supporters are quite aware of what is going on & as soon as the muzzle is lifted & an election is called they will express their opposition to the coup by voting in PT yet again. And then....yes we know.....

Indeed we know as the OP mentions

"Yet academics and rights groups who have studied the crackdown say soldiers made little attempt to differentiate between civilian protesters and their armed supporters.

"It was excessive use of force against protesters," says Puangthong Pawakapan, a professor at Chulalongkorn University who has written a book about the crackdown."

[rubl]

Perhaps these relatives should first come to Bangkok and apologize for burning Bangkok.

Not Bangkok, just part of central world owned by the rich types behind one coup after another and who crap on the rights and freedoms of ordinary Thais.

Plus about 34 other locations in Bangkok, plus a lot of looted ATMs, 7/11's and so. All justified by some.

[LuckyLew]

They were just pawns in a game of chess

The were holding the city and country hostage

Some never went home

som nom na