City recovers, but pain lingers

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More than 130 red shirts remain jailed

Published: 19/05/2011 at 08:51 AM
Newspaper section: News

A year after the May 19 crackdown, more than 130 red shirts who resisted the military are still behind bars. Their bail requests have been repeatedly denied by the courts.

BEFORE: Clouds of black smoke engulf the Ratchaprasong intersection a year ago today as arsonists set fire to tyres and buildings following an army operation to remove red shirt protesters. THITI WANNAMONTHA

Most of the detainees, especially those in the northeastern provinces of Mukdahan, Ubon Ratchathani and Udon Thani, were charged with arson of state properties.

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About the author

: Writer: Achara Ashayagachat; Position: Reporter

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johninbkk
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Discussion 39 : 21/05/2011 at 09:02 AM39
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raimund D38 - Is this the peaceful PAD protesting you are referring to?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KNhLI3LDgzQ
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raimund
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Discussion 38 : 20/05/2011 at 05:25 PM38
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Disc 27 Bula Behind the rallies and demonstrations by the PAD were anger, hurt, pain, frustration over the mis-management and corruption by Thaksin's government.
Dutchboy ,when I was student we also occupied university buildings (which is no terror),but we never burnt them down (this would be terror). The selling of SHIN shares was illegal too. Look around you and you see only illegal things happen in Thailand. No helmets, police asking for bribes, prostitution etc.
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johninbkk
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Discussion 37 : 20/05/2011 at 06:44 AM37
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englishbob D14 - "There was slight damage government house in terms of graffiti."
Sure, if you consider pipe-bombs planted throughout the compound as graffiti:
http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/local/9375/small-bomb-raises-govt-house-safety-fear
And does graffiti really cost 18 million baht? (charges were dropped)
http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/local/9465/pad-charged-over-damage-to-govt-house

To make things clear, burning buildings and shooting unarmed people are crimes, and those specific individuals who committed these crimes no matter their shirt colors should face a court of justice and receive the applicable punishment for those crimes.
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abbub
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Discussion 36 : 19/05/2011 at 07:34 PM36
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LEK: in 2006 a group of people carried out an armed revolt against the constitution of Thailand and against the country's democracy. That group committed an illegal act. It turned its arms against the people and overthrew a democratically elected government.

That group is the military. Backed by the PAD.

Admitting their guilt they forced the new government to write into the constitution that the military would be immune for their illegal putsch.

How can you expect the people to respect the laws of the land when the military breaks them at will and never pays the consequences?

The two main culprits who have, by their own admission broken the laws are the military and PAD. All consequent RE-action against these illegal acts is understandable.
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abbub
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Discussion 35 : 19/05/2011 at 07:23 PM35
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ENG #14: "@johninbkk Your constant comparisons of PAD and UDD are becoming ludicrous."

In a a sense I agree with you. the PAD were a thuggish minority that helped the military topple three elected governments whereas the red shirt/UDD people are the victims of the 2006 coup. The PAD and military hold ALL responsibility for all the violence and chaos that followed the ILLEGAL 2006 coup.

The people have a right, maybe even a duty to protest against oppression.

One thing I observe is the pro-military apologists here consistently whine about bricks and mortar being destroyed but not about the lives lost. In fact it reflects very well their political stance: Property; money, and; wealth count. Not the people.

MEME: "the protests were illegal".....SO WAS THE MILITARY COUP!
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rpt777
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Discussion 34 : 19/05/2011 at 07:22 PM34
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RE: D32 First let me say that I do not want Thaksin back,I loathed the man and his dishonesty was never in doubt in my mind. Having said that, a democratic system has to be based on law and order and a proper legal structure that is evenly applied and favors NO ONE. The military was not elected, and should not have any role at all in government, either forming it or removing it to suit their needs. And They should have no role in the courts, either forming them or removing them to suit their needs. I think you are nearer to seeing the problem than most. When people feel that even they win the election and even they are in the majority and that the system is so stacked and corrupted against them, no other option is left to them but violence as a last resort.
I do not believe that the people feel the military, the police, or courts nor the party of the elite is fair to them nor offers them any justice.
I believe the coming elections will prove my point that democracy is not alive and well in Thailand. The poorly veiled will of the military will prevail.
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chybyk
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Discussion 33 : 19/05/2011 at 06:32 PM33
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Let's not forget that whatever unrest Thailand has witnessed since september 2006 including the burning of Bangkok in 2010 are the consequences of a plot that unseated a democratically elected prime minister. I am not a prophet of doom, but I am warning that the worst is yet to come if the root cause of this unrest is not redressed. Silencing the opposition may not be the solution. If the austing of Thaksin is entirely a military intervention, it would be different but the issue is that it was masterminded by the civilians, the so-called bangkok elites. The poor people will continue to see the 2006 coup as an action to maintain class structure.
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wantmyony
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Discussion 32 : 19/05/2011 at 06:10 PM32
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Its very sad some wants to live under the rule of dictorships like Libya, this is because they are born and lived in those military controlled countries, this is the only way of living they know. But for someone who came from advanced democratic countries they know its wrong for the country to be ruled by military and rule of law is very important. As you can see some argue for more military rule because they do not want freedom, while others want democratic rights because its universal. Thai people have to decide for themselves what they REALLY want for next 5 years.
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dutchboy
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Discussion 31 : 19/05/2011 at 05:42 PM31
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D29, No, I am not overlooking that.

Nowhere in my posts (here in the Bangkokpost articles and in the Forum) you will find that I am endorsing what the UDD did last year.

However, reading the vast majority of the comments here most are demonising UDD without regard for anything else.

My post was simply to clarify that the law has been broken before by both the Militairy and the PAD (coup & airport).

And please, don't mention that the coup was necessary to apprehend "the criminal" Thaksin. If that's the case, why did the militairy inform him and his family and supplied a plane to get them, with a lot of posessions out of the country.

If Thaksin needed to be arrested, they had every change. Truth is, they don't want him here (the militairy that is). I am sure he is guilty of a certain level of corruption, but I am not convinced about the court verdict about this (politically motivated sounds about right).
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johncat1
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Discussion 30 : 19/05/2011 at 04:55 PM30
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The actions of the Red Shirts did not really hurt the government.
They hurt the normal Thai people.
Were the Stores, Shopping Malls, Businesses etc etc...
Government owned ?
NO they belonged to private companies and individuals.
So who were the Red Shirts really attacking ? Because it certainly did not look like the government.
The actions of the Red Shirts inconvenienced the government, but it destroyed the lives of many innocent Thais, and cost them millions if not billions of Baht.

It looked more like a violent class war with the Reds trying to destroy the more fortunate Thais.
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