Red shirts on trial

Marwaan Macan-Markar refers to a “landmark political trial begins on Monday when leaders of an anti-government protest movement, known as the ‘Redshirts,’ will be hauled before a Thai criminal court to face alleged terrorism charges.” 19 red shirt leaders will face the court and almost all of them have been kept jailed since 19 May.

A red shirt lawyer says: “There has never been a case like this before in Bangkok…. It is unclear how the court will proceed with this case.” The first step seems to be the submission of a list of witnesses.

Marwaan notes that the Abhisit Vejjajiva regime’s claims to be a democratic administration (see here and here) is looking rather flimsy: “The nexus between the government and the powerful army has also undermined the Abhisit administration’s claims to upholding democratic values…”.

The government’s terrorism charges have been criticized by legal experts like Somchai Preechasilpakul, a former dean of the law faculty at Chiang Mai University as has the political nature of the trial which is seen to have resonances with the Bangkok 18 of 1976-7. Red shirts see only political charges by a repressive government that wants to crush the movement.