Thailand: 2 years after the May 19 crackdown - some personal (and very short) thoughts
Originally published at Siam Voices on May 21, 2012 On Saturday, thousands of red shirts gathered at Ratchaprasong Intersection in Bangkok to commemorate the second anniversary of the violent crackdown against the anti-government protests on May 19, 2010 by the military. Ninety-one people have lost their lives and thousands were wounded in the clashes - protesters, soldiers, civilians and journalists (notably Fabio Polenghi) are among the casualties. In the past two years there has been hardly any justice and impunity still prevails.
There seems to be a growing discontent among some red shirts over the people they initially supported. Key issues such as lèse majesté have still seen no action from the government of Yingluck Shinawatra. Many see this as a promise from the government in exchange for a shaky détente with the military that allows it to stay in power. Yingluck's brother, the exiled former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, made his regular phone-in to his supporters on Saturday, asking the crowd to put aside calls for solving social inequalities and injustice for the sake (yet again) for national reconciliation - potentially alienating the progressive, pro-democracy wing of the red shirt movement.
In contrast to 2010 and 2011, I have decided not to write a long column on the state of the nation. However, I tweeted a few concise thoughts on Saturday that have gained some response and I thought they would be worth sharing here:
Two years have passed since the bloody May 19 crackdown and very little truth has emerged until today - it's hard to come by anyways!
— Saksith Saiyasombut (@Saksith) May 19, 2012
1973, 1976, 1992, 2008, 2009, 2010 - the cycle of violence and missing impunity goes on, while the truth is sacrificed for unstable harmony
— Saksith Saiyasombut (@Saksith) May 19, 2012
This Thai political crisis is a slow-moving disaster that is too slow for many to be noticed and yet is has grown so huge now. — Saksith Saiyasombut (@Saksith) May 19, 2012
And what's sorely missing is the voice of the young since it is their future we're screwing with - but 'tradition' is keeping them at bay.
— Saksith Saiyasombut (@Saksith) May 19, 2012
The Thai education system is poisoning generations of potential for Thailand to progress, as it produces stagnation - we're falling behind!
— Saksith Saiyasombut (@Saksith) May 19, 2012
The world's watching Thailand's future (at least it can now) - even if you keep hiding under the coconut shell! Get out the hell of it!
— Saksith Saiyasombut (@Saksith) May 19, 2012
One thing that is for certain: Thailand will change, no matter what! But how should be matter of all Thais and not just a few! Over and out!
— Saksith Saiyasombut (@Saksith) May 19, 2012
Saksith Saiyasombut is a Thai blogger and journalist currently based in Hamburg, Germany. He can be followed on Twitter @Saksith and on Facebook here.