Re: BANGKOK: More than 100K at 9pm. Many More Coming. JAMS 50km Long. ArbiSHIT SHITTI
UDD leaders see victory as inevitable
From Phan Fa Bridge to the Ratchaprasong intersection, the red shirt demonstration has grown so strategically and relentlessly that the combined forces of the army and the police cannot deal with them using only riot-control methods.
Honouring the dead Key leaders of the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship make merit at a religious ceremony at their Ratchaprasong stronghold yesterday. They were paying homage to the demonstrators killed in the April 10 bloodshed and other clashes between red shirts and soldiers. Apichart Jinakul
Further undermining the public’s confidence in the government’s ability to pull the country out of this crisis, United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship co-leader Korkaew Pikulthong has claimed that many police officers and soldiers are on its side.
The UDD believes it will eventually defeat the government to pave the way for fresh elections as a means to – in the words of former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra – liberate Thai society from its amataya bureaucratic elite-manipulated democracy.
Their aspirations do not seem so far-fetched if the strategic movements and preparations that led to the establishment of a so-called people’s army are taken into account. From their mobile rallies around Bangkok, their fierce fights against soldiers and the well-organised movement behind their “street bunkers” in the capital’s key business areas, the red shirt protesters have kept the government in a state of anxiety.
Since March 12, the UDD has called on several thousand of its upcountry supporters to join the rally in Bangkok. Supporters were then sent to rally around town to pressure Mr Abhisit into dissolving the House with no fear of security officers.
Two of the heaviest weights on the Abhisit Vejjajiva government are the UDD’s prolonged occupation of the Ratchaprasong intersection and the group’s violent clash with security forces at Khok Wua intersection on April 10, which claimed 25 lives.
The government has so far been unable to put pressure on the UDD. In the eyes of the public, the situation is not under the state’s control, although the government has managed to keep the UDD from entering Silom Road.
“We believe Mr Abhisit will finally retreat to solve the problem,” Mr Korkaew said.``If he doesn’t retreat, considering our preparations, we’re ready to stay here [the Ratchaprasong intersection] forever.”
His group has occupied the area, a prime business and tourism location, for weeks, forcing the shutdown of major shopping centres.
The continued seizure of the area could potentially cost businesses billions of baht.
Retaking Ratchaprasong is a major challenge for the government. The UDD has set up bunkers at six roads around the area. One of them is a spot in front of the King Rama VI Monument at Lumpini Park, which is surrounded by a long wall of sharpened bamboo stakes reinforced with tyres. “These are built to block the state’s attempts to disperse us,” Mr Korkaew said.
Roads behind the bunkers serve as places where the red shirt protesters can hang out and relax, he said.
News updates and speeches from UDD leaders are delivered between 6pm and midnight on the main Ratchaprasong stage. Guest speakers such as former prime minister Somchai Wongsawat and former Thai Rak Thai executive Chaturon Chaisaeng are invited to speak during this time.
During the day, people from upcountry fill the area in front of the stage, while in the evening Bangkokians come to listen to UDD leaders.
The UDD monitors speeches on its stage. Those expressing remarks that risk insulting the monarchy could be barred from the movement entirely.
Surachai Danwattananusorn was axed and later established his own group, Red Siam, Mr Korkaew said.
UDD protesters are also treated well, he said. “We prepare food for at least 10,000 people during the day and make enough to serve between 30,000 and 50,000 people at night.’’
Many red shirt protesters said they joined the rally because the movement promised a new opportunity to solve problems, ranging from economic woes to political and social injustice. “Double standards” is a popular buzzword among the protesters.
“I came here by following my heart. I don’t fear a government dispersal. I could even sacrifice my life,’’ said Eiam Boonpayoong, a 49-year-old bus conductor from Samut Prakan. She attacked the Abhisit government for its inability to manage the economy after closed factories had led to a reduced number of bus passengers.
Wanpen Koprasert, 50, a vendor at a shopping mall, claimed she could not stand the double standards after learning of the slow progress in the prosecution of the People’s Alliance for Democracy, which seized two Bangkok airports in 2008.
``I too will fight to the death. I’ll fight for my children,’’ she said.
Maem, who holds a master’s degree in political science, suggested a way out of the deadlock between the government and the UDD.
``Just dissolve the House and let’s start things over,’’ said Maem, who declined to provide her full name.
BangkokPost