Update: For the red shirt press release on the protest and road map, see here.
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AsiaNews.it (11 May 2010) reports that a group of 43 Asian non-governmental organisations (NGOs) have written the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Thailand, “urging the government to avoid violence to end the political crisis that has paralysed the country for the past two months. They are concerned about the tense situation, and strongly condemn the recent violence in the streets of Bangkok, calling on both sides to find ‘a peaceful solution’.”
The letter “called on the authorities to respect international legal standards and establish an independent panel to look into the violence of 10 April, which left 25 dead and more than 900 injured in Bangkok. Likewise, they criticised the government for blocking ten satellite TV stations and websites, which in their view constitutes a step backward in the country’s democratic development, this despite the authorities’ use of emergency law, which naturally restricts certain rights.”
It is reported that several NGO leaders met with red shirt leaders and urged them to “engage the government in peaceful talks.” Indian-based Peoples’ Vigilance Committee for Human Rights leader, Lenin Raghuvanshi, told the leaders that the “international community is watching very closely developments,” adding “nothing and no one will ever justify or condone the use of violence.”
The NGO leaders also urged the Thai government to “respect international standards.”
Political Prisoners in Thailand 