Under Thida, will the UDD leopard change its spots? | Bangkok Post: opinion

THINK PRAGMATIC

With most of its leaders jailed, on the run or granted conditional release on bail after the military crackdown on the March-May bloody protest by red shirt supporters in Bangkok, the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship has been virtually leaderless and in disarray, like a rudderless ship which is also minus a captain.

Despite the leadership problem, red shirt supporters still manage to occasionally stage rallies to highlight alleged double standards and the deaths of their fellow protesters during the protests, particularly the six victims at Wat Pathum Wanaram - thanks to such die-hard red shirt supporter as Sombat Boonngarm-anong, former editor of the banned Lai Jood magazine, who has been organising peaceful rallies every Sunday.

The UDD was established after the 2006 coup that ousted the government of then prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra to oppose military dictatorship - the Surayud government which was formed by the coup makers - Privy Council president Gen Prem Tinsulanonda whom the group accused of pulling the strings behind the coup and the formation of the Abhisit government two years ago and also the People's Alliance for Democracy. Its original leaders have mostly been radicals, perhaps with the exception of Veera Musikhapong, the group's chairman, who was regarded as less radical than the rest of the pack which included Jatuporn Prompan, Natthawut Saikua, Jarun Dittha-apichai and Weng Tojirakarn.