"It is about time they went home. Their presence has obstructed our work and their shacks on our property and outside Government House are an eyesore." He denied the allegation that the Egat supporters had used guns or set fire to the shacks. Mr Boonlert said reports from Egat's local office indicated that police were present when the fight broke out but were unable to intervene and the cause of the fire could not be established. Egat executives, he said, had not been informed of the actions of the guardians in advance. Members of the Assembly of the Poor, however, accused Egat of "masterminding and supporting the hoodlums" to force an end to the protracted protest. They accused local police of "conspiring with Egat's supporters" by turning a blind eye to the pre-dawn attack against mostly children and the elderly who were left to tend the largely empty protest village because most young people were protesting in Bangkok. However, the local police denied the accusation. Pol Maj-Gen Bamrung Sukpanich, deputy commander of Ubon Ratchathani police, said the protesters had barred them from the site during the brawl, and police observed developments from outside because of the on-going confusion. However, police yesterday deployed units to separate the two sides to prevent further violence. Protest leaders yesterday filed a complaint with police to investigate the incident and act against the raiders. Sompong Wiangchan, a protest leader, said damage had yet to be assessed but each shack, plus contents, was worth between 20,000 and 30,000 baht. She demanded Egat pay for the damage. In Bangkok, a group of dam protesters filed a petition with the Senate. They suspected some state security agencies helped plan the raid because the strategy involved tactics designed to provoke the protesters. Senator Chermsak Pinthong, who accepted the petition, said there was ground to believe Egat officials were behind the attack because of the systematic way in which it was conducted. "The Pak Moon problem has dragged on for several years but I have yet to see PM's Office Minister Savit Bhodivihok [who oversees Egat] show any clear stance in solving it. This is tantamount to lending support to Egat to employ violence against the Assembly of the Poor protesters," he said. Mr Chermsak asked that Egat stop the use of violence in solving the problem and that police act against the raiders. He said he would submit the matter to the Senate panels on administration, justice, and human rights. |
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