| Party at Prem’s |
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| Written by Daniel Ten Kate | |
| Monday, 23 July 2007 | |
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Clashes in front of a
royal advisor’s house irk the junta
The protest group, known as the United Front of Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD), has held daily demonstrations at a field near Bangkok's royal palace to demand that the coup leaders resign, reinstate the deposed 1997 constitution and hold an election immediately.
On Sunday night, UDD leaders caught police unaware by marching with thousands of supporters to the house of Privy Council President Prem Tinsulanonda, a former army chief and prime minister who is held in high respect by much of the Thai public due to his proximity to the king.
The protesters accused Prem, who was in the compound at the time, of acting as the puppet master behind the coup last September that ousted Premier Thaksin Shinawatra. They called on Prem to resign.
The UDD set up a
makeshift stage in front of Prem's house on Sunday afternoon and made
speeches for five hours or so, according to witnesses and news
reports. But in the evening, after the protesters vowed to
permanently camp outside the residence, riot police attempted to
break up the gathering and arrest the leaders, prompting
demonstrators to hail rocks, chairs, sticks, water bottles and pieces
of broken flower pots at the police, who eventually retreated.
Police, whose numbers had swelled to about 2,000, then made two more attempts to arrest the protest leaders, charging at demonstrators with clubs, pepper spray and tear gas. Each time the demonstrators fought back with fists, rocks, sticks, bottles and anything else they could find.
The melee eventually broke up after tear gas grenades pushed the crowds away. Unsurprisingly, both sides blamed the other for instigating the violence. “A source in the army told us that in the fourth round the military would bring in soldiers with guns to shoot into the air, so that’s why we withdrew from the place,” Weng Tojirakarn, a protest leader, said in an interview. “We didn’t want anybody killed from this event.”
Police said that 200 officers and 70 protesters were hurt in the clashes, several seriously. Authorities confirmed that six protesters were arrested and charged with “causing chaos, obstructing the work of authorities, and damage to state property,” the Associated Press reported. Police were also seeking arrest warrants for eight or so other UDD leaders, including Weng.
It’s unclear why authorities attempted to break up the protest this time as many similar protests had occurred earlier without incident. Some observers said the army may have been spooked by UDD statements that the group would camp out in front of Prem’s house — an unacceptable scenario for generals who swear allegiance to the royal advisor.
Although Prem is supposed to be non-political as a privy councilor, coup opponents blast the 86-year-old for a series of speeches he gave a year ago in which he donned full military garb and said soldiers should be loyal to the king instead of the government. Many observers said the speeches set the stage for the coup.
“We always went before with huge amounts of people but the police never reacted like this,” Weng said. “It shows we hit at the heart of the junta. We hit Mr Prem just to expose that he is the mastermind behind the coup.”
The publicity may provide a spark to a movement led mostly by ex-Thai Rak Rai Party members that was struggling to stay relevant as preparations began for the August 19 referendum and a general election later this year. Bangkok’s middle class has largely supported the coup and the military has blocked rural folk from traveling to the capital to participate in the rallies, as martial law still remains in place in a large part of the country.
“This is the first time the middle class has supported a coup d’etat,” Jaran Ditapichai, a member of the National Human Rights Commission and UDD leader, said on Friday. “We have to work peacefully to stir up the people. We believe that things will change when people realize they want to live a freer life without the military holding the power.”
The melee raised eyebrows in a capital where such clashes are rare even though protests, tanks on the street and even small bombs are quite common. Ever since publisher Sondhi Limthongkul launched a street protest campaign to oust deposed premier Thaksin Shinawatra in November 2005, fears of violence have proved unfounded.
Indeed, the very sight of protestors clashing with police immediately draws comparisons to the Bloody May incident of 1992 in which soldiers started shooting and killing peaceful pro-democracy demonstrators.
Still, it doesn’t appear as if the violence on Sunday night will boost sympathy for the protesters. To the contrary, a headline from The Nation screamed “Anti-coup mob goes berserk.” Investors also shrugged off the incident, with the main index jumping 1.42 percent on the day after falling in early trading.
Coup leader Sonthi Boonyaratglin went to Prem’s residence Monday and apologized for allowing the protesters to come so close to his house. “I met him and said sorry to him this morning for failing to take good care of him,” Sonthi said, according to The Nation newspaper. “He said he did not expect that the protesters would have done that much to him because he has been working for the country for years. Most of all, he loves the country and is very loyal to the monarchy.”
Prasong Soonsiri, the lead constitution drafter who claimed to have helped plan the coup pinned the blame on Thaksin. “These people are being used by wealthy people,” he said, The Nation also reported. “I heard [Thaksin] flew to Hong Kong two days ago. I really wonder why he keeps saying he loves the country—his behavior shows the opposite.”
Police Chief Seripisut Temiyavet said Monday that anti-coup protestors will no longer be allowed to leave Sanam Luang, the park they frequently occupy near the palace. In addition, after Sunday’s fight protest leaders vowed to continue fighting.
“We are very careful about our protests and every time we say we must follow a nonviolent line strictly,” said Weng. “Once we start using a violent method we will lose because the other side has guns and the law. We don’t have either.”
But despite the talk of peace, he acknowledged that emotions run high in mob situations and violence could erupt at any time. With one battle over, the next one doesn’t seem very far away.
Comments
(8)
Skeptic
written by Trin , July 31, 2007
The video clips are pretty much the same as the local medias. Apart from the biased views of the commentator, the deal is pretty much the same. How can we judge whether what he said was a true story or just a fabrication?
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You may say that I am misguided but then it'll be your job to correct me... report abuse
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Party at Prem’s
written by TA , July 30, 2007
The true story: http://ptv1.bravehost.com/clip...ndum1.html -- But, it was not cover by local media.
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http://i13.tinypic.com/5zlem50.jpg http://ptv1.bravehost.com/clip_hot/violet_memorandum1.html report abuse
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written by Nattaya S. , July 27, 2007
How can i send pictures of innocent people were wounded by Thai army and police that day to you? Which they claimed this people (old man, woman and child) attacked the police first.
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Have AsiaSentinel seen recent pictures of Prem?
written by Athitaya , July 25, 2007
Recently, there is series of picture of Prem spreading over the internet society in Thailand. In the picture, Prem is greated by a group of local college, including teachers and students.
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He stopped by and picked up the flower from a student in the posture acting like the royal family members! Some students even "krab" (highest respecting position in Thai) I'm not big fan of Thai royal but this is not right. report abuse
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Innocent Victims Under Tyranny
written by Samson Na Bangsai , July 25, 2007
Thank you all international correpsondences to report this event as it happened. As stated in the other comments above, Thai TV and newspapers are controlled and biased. So pls allow me fill in the other side of the story which was absent from all local media.
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************************* Police Drew First Blood: Sunday July 22, 2007. Ten thousands of protesters led by UDD (United Front of Democracy Against Dictatorship) marched to the house of Prem Tinsulanonda, the true mastermind of Sep 19 coup. The passage were heavily blocked same as 2 weeks ago, but this time the parade for democracy was determined. People used only their bare hands to push obstacles out of the way, some as heavy as a water vehicle. This action was denounced as violence by the Thai authority under Sonthi's junta, despite that the trucks should not be there in the first place. The massive crowd eventually reached their distination in front of Prem's Bahn See Sau and decided to settle there for public demonstration. The demand was for Prem to resign from Head of Privy Council. Thunderous voice of the people, however peaceful, shook the tyrant enough that he could no longer stand it. So when darkness came, order was given to police commando unit to tackle the crowd, without any warning. Their target was to arrest the UDD leaders on the truck, a task that seemed easy for them at first. They did not expect that the protesters were brave enough to get in the way, protecting the leaders as well as showing their absolute rights to stand on any Bangkok street as citizens. After futile attempts to push through civilians, the commandos brutally used excessive force, applying batons and tear gas bombs on innocent citizens indiscriminately. The victims count exceeded 100, many of them are old people, women, and even young children. The crowd got angry and fought back to defend themselves using anything they could find on scene. Some threw objects to keep the police force away. Sad and shameful enough, what the state-controlled TV showed to local audience was only that throwing part from the crowd. They kept repeating it over and over to misguide viewers that the UDD protesters were violent and created unrest, so the police had to dissolve them by force. Announcers seemed to follow given scripts strictly. "It was ridiculous," one who watched the news posted on internet "A news reporter said a man poked a chair on a police, while the accompanying video was showing it the other way around." Nevertheless, pictures circulating over the net told a different story. Blood-soaked bodies were carried away from the danger zone. Women suffered from tear gas. A picture showed an old man surrounded by commandos, who was using only his umbrealla to guard against them. Another victim in hospital suffered severe brain damage that he could not remember even his own name. Next evening, the UDD revealed more video clips on big screens that made tears run down most eyes watching them. No other way to describe this except plain barbaric. An old woman with bandage on her head was spotted among the crowd and was asked to share her moment. She was so old and cripple that it took almost 5 minutes before she could make her way from the front row up on stage. This was just another one "ruthless mobsters" who were reported as hostile and dangerous by the police. While many Thais are still oblivious to what is going on in this country because of the coverup, we urge the whole world to witness the brutality of this military junta and its regime . This is just the beginning, as more and more people are willing to sacrifice their lives for democracy. Our hope is left with international media and all human rights societies to help report the truth and act against such brutality ***************************** report abuse
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Chairman, Union for Civil Liberty
written by Danthong Breen , July 25, 2007
Thank you for a balanced and measured comment on the events before the house of General Prem on Sunday evening. It contrasts greatly with the completely misleading headline of the Nation newspaper which you quote. The word 'mob' used in reporting protests is pejorative and unjust. Predictably the 'Nation' report has given rise to a swathe of hysterical letters supporting the distortion.
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There are two principles to follow: Firstly, the right of people to protest in the current period of frustrated democracy. Secondly, the obligation on all sides to prevent recourse to violence. Meanwhile, the truth of the matter is still not evident and independent investigation is required on how the violence began. All that said, the violence which occurred is still minor on a world scale and should not be exaggerated. Following is a comment issued by the Union for Civil Liberty Declaration concerning the avoidance of violence during a conflict of opinion During a protest by the Democratic Alliance Against Dictatorship (DADD) at the home of Privy Council President Prem Tinsulanonda in the Thewes district of Bangkok, there occurred violent clashes between police and demonstrators. Alleging the part played by General Prem in organizing the military coup of 19th September 2006, protestors called for his resignation. As a result of the clashes which took place in the late evening of Sunday 22nd July, according to news media, 106 persons were injured. The Union for Civil Liberty (UCL) maintains that the holding of non-violent protest to make known a political viewpoint is a civil right and a fundamental component of the democratic system. It is the duty of government to assure that the right of citizens to exercise this right is respected at all times, whether their action is against or in support of government, or to express other political opinion. It is a matter of great regret that the protest on 22nd July last could not enjoy such a right to free expression due to the action of the police in blocking the protest march to the residence of General Prem in the Thewes district. The action angered some participants in the protest leading to the use of force and many casualties both among the protestors and the police. To avoid the recurrence of such violence, perhaps on an even larger scale, the Union for Civil Liberty submits the following proposals: 1. Appoint a committee of persons acceptable to the public to investigate the events which occurred on the evening of the 22nd July for presentation to the Government and to the public. 2. Take court action against those who have acted illegally, whether the police or the protestors, in order that justice be done and human rights be protected. Statement issued on 23rd July 2007 Union for Civil Liberty report abuse
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Thai people are being brainwashed by local medias
written by Athitaya , July 24, 2007
Thank you again for writing this article. It's obviously true that the thai media reported that the demonstrators sparked the violence. But the fact is, there were 4 attempts to capture the leaders, first time & second time, there's nothing serious because the force is only policemen. The third is really most violent one. Hundreds of "men wearing commando uniform" who were waiting in the dark alley next to Prem's residence suddenly came out fast after throwing tear gas and they ran like a rhino toward to people. Some old women got stepped over, they just hit, and hit...to the people. Then they tried to arrest Mr. Noparut, one of the leader of White Dove Group, who was standing on top of a pickup truck. He got hit by a rock thrown by a "policeman" then was dragged down. Imagine, he got attacked by many feet & batons and then dragged inside the Army House Wives' Club nearby. Later he's in hospital with handcuffed.
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Many people got serious injured, broken head, got passed out. etc. Now they blamed the protesters. No one cares of the casualties..only pointing "you're problem of nation!" I don't know what to say..but this is really sympathy for Thai people who got brainwashed by the elites report abuse
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Clashes erupted Sunday
night between police and anti-coup protesters in front of the house
of a top advisor to King Bhumibol Adulyadej, prompting the junta to
clamp down on public protests ahead of a referendum on the draft
constitution scheduled for August 19.
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On the other hand, Thaksin did try to give some tangible benefits and hope to these poor people. He too may have benefited from his policies, but the cost to the Thai people, of any corruption was far less than the cost of keeping the Monarchy in their "protected" position of luxury and massive wealth and power, with nothing to show for the expense.
It has been claimed that the recent actions of those demonstrating against Prem and the Military Junta are a deliberate attempt to damage the Monarchy. IF the violent actions which have been reported were their work, can anyone blame them? It is impossible to fight for their freedom and democracy in any way which is acceptable to that part of society who condemn them. The law, the military and the police are all weighted against them. Whilst violence is a very undesirable way, history has shown that it is the only way that the people in general can ever rid themselves of what they don't want.
It is quite clearly a battle between those who support Thaksin and his attempts to bring Thailand into the 21st century and those who support the king. The latter include many who have been brainwashed into thinking the monarchy is 'infallible' and must be respected.
One way to solve the current polarization of divisions in Thailand would be to stop the persecution of Thaksin. If the king cares so much about the people, then let him order the cessation of hostilities by his lackeys, allow Thaksin to return and work together with him to bring about a just and fair solution. My understanding is that the king is above politics and should not get involved. However, he is in this up to his neck, and must realize so. The way things are going, is just like the days when Communism was appealing to the masses. Let us hope that a repeat of such days can be avoided.