Both sides blamed for violence on Thailand's May 19, 2010 crackdown | Prachatai English

Both sides blamed for violence on Thailand's May 19, 2010 crackdown | Prachatai English
Pravit Rojanaphruk, The Natio, September 14, 2012

Commission says 'men in black' may have got cooperation from red shirts
The long-awaited final report from the Truth for Reconciliation Commission of Thailand (TRCT) on the 2010 crackdown, which was obtained in advance by The Nation, shows that the so-called "men in black" had received cooperation from red-shirt guards. It also said that security officers eventually used live bullets, deployed snipers and were likely responsible for the six deaths at Wat Pathumwanaram on May 19, 2010.

The 515-page report appeared to hold both sides responsible for the 90-plus deaths and said the clashes on April 10, 2010, where more than 20 people were killed including Army Colonel Romklao Thuwatham, were seminal in creating a climate of animosity between the red shirts and the Army. The report is scheduled to be made public next week.

The men in black and April 10, 2010

"Both [sides] believe they were victims. The operation by the 'men in black' were very instrumental in creating and elevating the violence with the aim of provoking the Army to use weapons against protesters and wanting to exact the loss of lives," page 184 of the report read.

The TRCT explained that after the night of April 10, 2010, the Centre for the Resolution of Emergency Situation (CRES) had started using the term "terrorist" and had permitted security officials to use live bullets for self-defence. Abhisit Vejjajiva's government created the commission with chairman Kanit na Nakorn personally chosen by the premier.

When Colonel Romklao was unexpectedly attacked and killed by a bomb and some senior officers injured, "it led to the confusing and out-of-control use of weapons by soldiers", the report said. It added that soldiers then used rifles and fired "many" live bullets in the direction of the red-shirt protesters. "Many protesters died from bullet wounds," the report stated, without explicitly linking the deaths to soldiers.

The report links at least one of the "men in black" to Army Maj-General Khattiya "Seh Daeng" Sawasdipol, who would later end up being shot down by an unknown sharp shooter on May 13. The report does not reveal the name of the "man in black" believed to be a close aide of Khattiya. On pages 163 and 164, the report says that somebody saw a group of men in black step out of a white van at 7pm on April 10 near the Democracy Monument only to be "surrounded" and escorted by red-shirt guards toward the direction of the deadly confrontation. The guards "barred people from taking photos and some protesters shouted 'a helping hand is here', but were later prevented from speaking".

The report failed to shed light on who might have killed Reuters photographer Hiroyuki Muramoto that night, but it did point out that the first death on April 10 had taken place in front of the Education Ministry when a red-shirt protester was killed by a bullet from an unknown assailant. This was well before the men in black showed up.

Death of Maj-General Khattiya

The TRCT report said that Khattiya, a key red-shirt ally, was shot in the head by a "high-velocity" but unspecified gun on the night of May 13 with bullets that "probably" came from the Silom Plaza Building, which was "under the control of the authorities since April 18".

Six deaths at Wat Pathumwannaram

After Khattiya was killed, violence escalated on both sides and the TRCT report noted a photograph taken by Agence France-Presse, showing what was later examined by weapon experts to be the shell of a live bullet flying out of a soldier's rifle aiming his gun toward protesters. The report noted on page 208 that security officers shot live bullets from both rifles and handguns.

On May 19, at around 10.50am, the report said that clashes occurred between soldiers and armed men in black who were holed up inside Lumpini Park and stated that some protesters may have been killed when bullets were fired from the park.

As for the six killed at Wat Pathumwannaram on the evening of May 19 after demonstrators had been dispersed, TRCT said that on May 19, some 4,000 people had entered the temple, which had been declared a sanctuary area. A sign stating temple's sanctuary status had been posted since May 17, after peace advocates had managed to have the government agree to the idea. The report noted an eyewitness account saying men in black had been spotted inside the temple compound on May 15.

The report noted that: "At around 6pm [of May 19, 2010] seven soldiers were deployed on the first floor of [BTS] Skytrain track in front of Wat Pathumwannaram and five [soldiers] at the Siam Centre BTS Station. All of them were armed with M16 rifles and live bullets.

"It was discovered that officers aimed at and shot in the direction of Wat Pathumwannaram.

On the first-floor Skytrain track, two .223 bullet shells were discovered and they had been fired from the same gun.

What's more, a senior monk at the temple said he had seen a number of soldiers on the Skytrain track and had heard my gunshots fired around the front of the temple at dusk.

"It is highly likely that this was the cause of the deaths and injuries around Wat Pathumwananram," the report concluded, adding that one soldier told the TRCT that he had fired into the temple because there was an armed man in black on a tree inside the temple.

An M16 was later discovered inside the temple, the report added.

Thai court begins Japanese cameraman inquest | Bangkok Post

Thai court begins Japanese cameraman inquest | Bangkok Post
Achara Ashayagachat, May 21, 2012

An inquest into the death of a Japanese cameraman killed during the clash between the military and anti-government protesters on the night of April 10, 2010 began on Monday morning.

Yusuke Muramoto, 43, the only brother of Reuters' cameraman Hiroyuki Muramoto, testified in the Bangkok Southern Criminal Court where the inquest into two other deaths from same incident also began.

The court was first advised that Mr Muramoto had a team of lawyers appointed to represent him.

Yusuke Muramoto, the brother of Hiroyuki Muramoto (Photo Achara Ashayagachat)

Mr Muramoto, together with three members of the Japanese Embassy, then broke off for a private discussion outside the courtroom with the prosecutor and the defence lawyers and Wichit Suksriplang, a manager of the 111 Foundation.

The public prosecutor, acting as a petitioner for the inquest, told him they had no problem with the appointment of a team of lawyers to assist.

The four lawyers - Manit Jitjunglub, Jumroon Kaewjumnong, Peera Limjarean and Jessada Chundee - were already at the court for the relatives of the other two cases.

Mr Wichit explained to Mr Muramoto that the lawyers had volunteered to represent him in court so that he did not have to be present in the room all the time. Mr Wichit noted the inquest still could not bring the culprit to justice. Another step was needed, but this was a pre-requisite, he said to the Japanese delegation.

The public prosecutor returned to the court again and asked it to merge all of the files of the three deaths into one inquest. The two-member judging panel adjourned for half an hour before returning and denying the request on the grounds that the death of the foreign journalist should be treated separately.

The inquest into the death of Hiroyuki Muramoto, 44, began with his younger brother providing general information to the court.

He said he learned about his brother's death via the internet around midnight of April 11, 2010 while he was in Japan.

Right after hearing the news, Muramoto's parents and his widow flew to Bangkok to identify the corpse and bring the body back home for religious rites.

The public prosecutor asked why the younger Muramoto, not the parents or wife, had come to testify in the court. Mr Muramoto said his parents were old and his sister-in-law had to take care of two children.

"We would also like to know about the facts. What happened then, and who killed Hiro," Mr Muramoto told the court through a translator.

During his lawyers' cross-examination, Mr Muramoto said he learned his brother was killed during the clash, but a judge had recorded that the cameraman was killed during the government crackdown.

He said he did not what weapon killed his brother. He only knew that his brother was shot while carrying his camera and doing his job as a Reuters' cameraman.

He said his brother worked for Reuters for about 15 years and had covered many other assignments other than in Bangkok. He conceded that governments in many countries in general did not provide protection and care for the media.

The lawyers asked if he had tried to get information from Reuters about the incident. He said he did but Reuters told him they could not yet identify who killed his brother. He also sought information from other sources but no one so far has been able to clearly explain it.
Throughout their quest for details, the Muramoto family has been assisted by the Japanese Embassy in Bangkok, he told the court.

The court set the next hearings for July 2 with 56 other witnesses. Mr Muramoto is to fly back to Japan on Tuesday.

There was a lot of Japanese media present for the inquest, but none from Reuters. Tida Tavornseth, Dr Weng Tojirakarn and other red-shirt supporters were also present.