The Nation, July 22, 2000
ACADEMICS and activists fear the Kingdom may be drifting
towards a situation such as that which led to the October 6, 1976
massacre, when right-wing forces violently crushed democratic protests and
plunged the country into a dictatorship.
"The violence committed by the state and the harsh
words coming from the state's mouth have been witnessed and heard before
in October [1973] and May [1992], before Thais started killing other
Thais," Kasien Tachapira, political scientist from Thammasat
University, said yesterday at an urgent meeting at Chulalongkorn
University to seek a solution to the Pak Mool dam conflict.
Kasien said he feared that ethnic politics and hyper
nationalism were being played up.
He said he had seen a report in Thai Rath, the
largest-circulation Thai daily newspaper, quoting special-branch police
commissioner Yothin Mattayomnant as saying that there were Laotian
infiltrators among the Pak Mool demonstrators. Other newspapers have
alleged that Japanese non-governmental organisations are funding the
protesters.
"The state wanted to make Thai people mistrust each
other," Kasien added. "This is a repetition of the past."
Jaran Ditthapichai, a lecturer in politics at Rangsit
University, said he feared that if the protesters were not satisfied after
the cabinet resolution on Tuesday, the situation might lead to a seizure
of Government House that could turn nasty and violent.
Amorn Amornratananont, secretary-general of the October
Network, a group of former October 1973 and October 1976 activists, said
the government's decision to send an organised mob to counter innocent
protesters was reminiscent of the October 1976 incident which had led to a
violent confrontation.
An open letter to the public signed by 202 academics
from 15 universities nationwide condemned the government for resorting to
violence. It also urged the Chuan administration to resolve the conflict
by following the recommendations of the neutral committee established by
Deputy Prime Minister Banyat Bantadthan and chaired by Banthorn On-dam.
Eight Thai-studies experts from the United Kingdom, the
United States, Australia and Canada sent a letter to the Thai prime
minister urging the government to drop all charges against the protesters.
They also called on the Thai government to show
political accountability for the violence. Meanwhile 169 non-governmental
organisations met yesterday and called for the government to dissolve the
House of Representatives immediately because it no longer had a mandate to
govern. They also called for all Thais to wear black in protest against
the government until the House was dissolved.
The crowd outside Government House has grown to 3,000 as
more sympathisers from other provinces join in.
In a separate development, representatives of labour
unions nationwide will meet tomorrow at the Royal Hotel to discuss the
future of the Thai Durable Textile (TDT) union.
On June 22, 200 female workers were beaten up by 100
hired thugs who entered the factory. The violence lasted 10 minutes, and
police eventually managed to arrest only one man, who was later released
without being charged.
Union leaders and labour academics described the assault
at the factory as a barbaric act that infringed labour rights as well as
women's rights.
Like the police crack-down on the Pak Mool
demonstrators, they said, such brutality only set back the Kingdom's
human-rights standard to its darkest age.
BY SUBHATRA BHUMIPRABHAS,
PENNAPA HONGTHOUNG, and
PRAVIT ROJANAPHRUK