Updated: Suthep blames everyone else

PPT is not sure if Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban is unable to express himself well or whether he is crystal clear. We recall that he blamed protesters for their own deaths in May 2010 by “running in front of bullets.” He later denied this…. Now he has claimed that “certain politicians” from “certain parties” are shooting themselves.

Huh? In the Bangkok Post, Suthep is cited:

certain parties are plotting shooting or bomb attacks on their own candidates in order to blame rival parties for political gain. Mr Suthep, also caretaker deputy prime minister, yesterday asked police to take extra care in looking into cases of attacks against candidates during the lead-up to the July 3 election. He said certain parties were trying to create a situation such as hiring men to shoot at vehicles driven by their own candidates or throw ping-pong bombs or firecrackers at places where their candidates went before blaming other parties or their main political rivals. He also asked police to investigate whether any men had been hired to carry out such attacks.

Suthep Thaugsuban (Bangkok Post photo)

Maybe the shooters are the missing “men in black” he blames for killing every single person murdered during April-May 2010? Suthep is stretching credulity. At least one Puea Thai Party candidate was shot and hospitalized, and one might wonder why a show shooting would be so dangerously near fatal. We might also recall that at least one Democrat Party politician has been recently targeted.

In the past, shootings in political campaigns have been designed to intimidate candidates and canvassers, often involving police and military. Why should it be any different this time?

Suthep has told police handling cases not to jump to the conclusion that these are “politically motivated.” PPT reckons the police hardly need to be told this. Indeed, even in cases that seem clearly political, police seem reluctant to draw the conclusion. In a recent case, a Puea Thai canvasser and local political leader in the north had M 16 rounds fired at his house following a warning about his political work. The police claimed the attack was not politically motivated….

So what is Suthep doing? He’s fighting hard for his party. The seasoned southern candidate – and politics is not always polite there – knows that the Democrat Party is currently trailing and he knows that there is a residual fear of “armed red shirts,” and this is the image he is trying to conjure, linked to his earlier comments that electing Puea Thai is electing “terrorists.” He’s being consistent. He knows his party needs any boost it can get.

Is it legal? Such a question rarely bothers a politician like Suthep.

Update: A reader points out that at least 123 candidates apparently don’t believe Suthep and have sought police protection while campaigning.

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