Red shirts cancel rally/Authoritarian Abhisit

The Bangkok Post (29 August 2009: “No red shirt rally on Sunday”) reports that the leaders of the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD) have cancelled their protest rally.

Under huge pressure and threats from Abhisit Vejjajiva and his Democrat Party-led government, Veera Musigapong and other leaders said that they were concerned that “if the mass red-shirt rally takes place, the Democrat-led government would take this opportunity to incite unrest to justify the use of force to crackdown on the protesters.” They rally on 5 September, but said that “if the government imposes the Internal Security Act during the timeframe, the rally will be also postponed.”

Again making PPT’s case that the Democrat Party under Abhisit is learning to love authoritarianism, the Bangkok Post (29 August 2009: “PM won’t revoke security law”), Abhisit refused to “revoke the imposition of the Internal Security Act in Dusit district even though the red shirts had cancelled their planned mass anti-government rally on Sunday.” Abhisit insisted that the ISA would ”be further maintained to ensure peace and order.” He also said that “internal security units next week to discuss measures to control red shirt rally as UDD leaders said they would stage anti-government protest on September 5.”

Yet again, democracy and human rights are under threat  in Thailand.

But it gets worse: The Nation (30 August 2009: “Security law may be extended: PM”) reports that Abhisit is now considering keeping the ISA declaration in place. “Abhisit said Cabinet would decide at its meeting on Tuesday whether to extend imposition of the law…”.

The prime minister, beginning to sound increasingly like he is sees suppressing red shirts as a victory, seems to ignore human rights. But, then, the use of this law, repeated urged by acting spokesman and so-called expert on military security Panitan Wattanayagorn, is why the military junta and its puppet government had it passed in huge haste prior to the end of its term in power following the 2006 coup.

It is ironic that a party named the “Democrat Party” is taking Thailand on this path. Where are the defenders of human rights? Still sitting around in their yellow shirts, perhaps? True defenders of human rights would deplore the government’s actions no matter what their color preference.

Meanwhile, UDD sources said Thaksin Shinawatra had phoned Veera “many times voicing concern about the red shirts’ safety and that they would fall into a ‘trap set by the government’.”

Update: For the ever bizarre Sopon Ongkara story on the cancellation of the rally, see his “op-ed” in the Nation (1 Spetember 2009: “Red shirts face setbacks due to bad leadership”). When Sopon sees failure for the reds, a contrary line is pushed by Veera Prateepchaikul at the Bangkok Post (31 August 2009: “The cat and the mouse”).

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