Thailand: A full-blown military dictatorship

Pictured: Bangkok, May 21, 2010. Photo by Chaiwat Subprasom.
By Giles Ji Ungpakorn
May 26, 2010 -- Make no mistake. We have a full military junta in Thailand with Abhisit Vejjajiva acting as a “democratic” mask. The repression and censorship is worse than even after the October 6, 1976 coup. More people have been killed by the army than in any previous repression. It is worse than during the Sarit dictatorship era in the 1960s and the reason is that the regime is trying desperately to suppress the biggest mass movement for democracy in Thai history. Hundreds are being rounded up. There is widespread censorship. The regime is increasingly looking like China, Burma or North Korea.

The Thai military junta, headed by Abhisit Vejjajiva, is now responsible for at least 88 deaths since April 10. It has heavily censored all media and internet sites. It is afraid of the truth and free debate. All this is to avoid elections and to cling to power. Abhisit, the military and his conservative royalist cronies are dragging Thailand back to the dark ages and the middle-class NGOs and most academics are supporting this cause. The National Human Rights Commission is helping to prosecute the pro-democracy United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD). NGO senator Rosana and her band of right-wing friends were calling for the army to slaughter the Red Shirts.

Today the Thai junta blocked the independent internet newspaper Prachatai once again and banned all Red Shirt publications. Many people who are in jail are being threatened with the death sentence. While hundreds of Red Shirts are in custody for demanding democracy, the fascist yellow-shirted PAD [People's Alliance for Democracy, who shut down the international airports in late 2008, have had any proceedings against them delayed ... yet again.

And what about the king? Many people may remember the Buddhist monks who chanted for peace at the Victory Monument just before the army moved in to kill civilians at Rajprasong on May 19-21. Compare that with the total silence of the king and the support for the junta shown by the queen and the crown prince. What a useless and parasitic life these aristocrats live!

The junta’s success in clinging to power by murdering the people is merely success built on sand. They can kill hundreds and imprison thousands, but they will never win the hearts and minds on the people. Thailand will never be the same again.

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Police general Wanchai Srinuannat, chairperson of the Thai National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) committee on Rights in the Justice System, has urged the public to make complaints to the NHRC about being affected by the Red Shirt protests in Bangkok. The NHRC will then bring prosecutions against the UDD.

Abhisit's government and the military sent tanks and snipers in to crush the Red Shirt pro-democracy demonstration. The NHRC has refused to confront the actions of the government, whether on state violence or on blanket censorship. The NHRC has also refused to take up the issue of lese majeste, which is used to imprison government opponents.

So-called independent bodies like the NHRC were all stuffed with junta supporters after the 2006 military coup. This, together with the installation of the Democrat Party government and PM Abhisit, are part of the expansion of power by the military and royalist elites. The Senate is half appointed and the constitution was written by the military.

This is the regime supported by the middle class, the local NGOs and most academics.

[Reprinted from Links international journal of socialist renewal. Giles Ji Ungpakorn is a Thai socialist currently in exile in Britain. He is a member of Left Turn Thailand and maintains a blog at http://wdpress.blog.co.uk/.]