National United Front of Democracy Against Dictatorship

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National United Front of Democracy Against Dictatorship

Type	Pressure group Political group
Founded	2006 in names 'Democratic Alliance Against Dictatorship' (DAAD)
Staff	Veera Musikapong (President) Nattawut Saikua (Spokesman/Secretary General) Charan Ditthapichai Dr. Weng Tohjirakarn (Leader of UDD Peace Unit) Jatuporn Promphan
Area served	Thailand
Focus	Dissolve the aristocratic polity
Website	http://www.uddthailand.com/ and http://uddtoday.ning.com/

The National United Front of Democracy Against Dictatorship (UDD) (Thai: แนวร่วมประชาธิปไตยต่อต้านเผด็จการแห่งชาติ; นปช.), whose supporters are commonly called "Red Shirts", is a political pressure group, or according to the Thai government, a terrorist group, in Thailand, opposed to the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD). Notable UDD leaders include Veera Musikapong, Nattawut Saikua, Charan Ditthapichai and Dr. Weng Tohjirakarn. The UDD allies itself with the For Thais Party, which is currently in opposition to the coalition government. The UDD claims that Abhisit Vejjajiva's government took power 'illegitimately', backed by the Thai Army and the judiciary. It calls for the Thai Parliament to be dissolved so that a general re-election can be held. They accuse the country's elite — the military, judiciary, certain members of the Privy Council, and other unelected officials — of undermining democracy by interfering in politics.^[1] The UDD is composed of both rural and urban supporters, and although the movement receives support from former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, not all UDD members support the deposed Prime Minister.^[2]

Contents 1 History 2 The UDD as the PAD's Opposition: 2008 Clashes 3 2009 unrest 3.1 Pattaya 3.2 Bangkok 4 2010 protests 5 References

[edit] History

The UDD first formed in 2006 to oppose the military government and the military coup, which overthrew Thaksin 5 weeks before scheduled elections. UDD organized anti-government rallies during the military government's rule in 2006-2007 and opposed the military's 2007 constitution. The UDD stopped protests after the 2007 general election, which the People's Power Party won. In response to violent anti-government PAD rallies and the Yellow Shirt seizure of Government House in May 2008, the UDD organized counter demonstrations, which would sporadically result in injuries and deaths. After Abhisit Vejjajiva came to power, the UDD led major anti-government rallies in April 2009 - which led to violent clashes with military forces - and in March and April 2010. On 3 April 2010, the group began a mass rally in the central business district of Bangkok.

The UDD calls for the replacement of the Ammatayathipatai (อำมาตยาธิปไตย, aristocratic polity) - the system in which palace insiders, the military, and bureaucrats effectively ignore the popular mandate - with an electoral democracy. One of the UDD's favorite targets is Prem Tinsulanonda, the President of the Privy Council. The protests urge the immediate resignation of Prem from the Privy Council. Due to its insistence that palace insiders stop interfering in politics, the UDD has been criticized by the PAD as being an 'anti-monarchist', and even a 'republican' movement, and many websites and other media sympathetic to the UDD have been shut down under Thailand's strict lese majeste laws. UDD leaders and supporters have been jailed under the same laws. It also calls for the replacement of the 2007 constitution, which was drafted by the military, with the 1997 Constitution.

[edit] The UDD as the PAD's Opposition: 2008 Clashes

UDD supporters have been the anti-PADs since the 2006 coup, when they accused the PAD of supporting the coup. From then on, clashes between supporters of the two groups took place from time to time, such as the clash in Udorn Thani in July 2008. The red-shirted UDD supporters attacked a PAD rally, injuring several PAD supporters. A PAD meeting in Chiangmai, the bastion of Thaksin Shinawatra, was also disturbed.

Before daybreak on 2 September 2008, the UDD supporters rallying at Sanamluang decided to attack the PAD demonstrators gathering on the Makkhawan Rangsan Bridge at Ratchadamnoen Klang Avenue. The ensuing clash left several injured on both sides and one dead on UDD side, causing a weak state of emergency in Bangkok.^[3] The military was called to secure the situation, but not to disperse the demonstrators. The UDD was then seen by the public as the main adversary of the PAD, the red/yellow rivalry becoming significantly evident.

[edit] 2009 unrest

In March 2009, Thaksin Shinawatra claimed via video broadcast to a UDD rally that Privy Council President Prem Tinsulanonda masterminded the 2006 military coup, and that Prem and fellow Privy Councilor members Surayud Chulanont and Chanchai Likhitjittha conspired with the military and other members of the 'Ammatayathipatai' (อำมาตยาธิปไตย - aristocratic polity) to ensure that Abhisit became Premier. Although Abhisit denied the accusations, thousands protested in Bangkok early April demanding that Abhisit resign from the Premiership and that Prem, Surayud, and Chanchai resign from the Privy Council.^[4] Thaksin called for a "peoples revolution" to overcome the alleged aristocratic influences of the Abhisit government.

[edit] Pattaya

The UDD protests expanded to Pattaya, the site of the Fourth East Asia Summit. Violent clashes occurred between the UDD and blue-shirted government supporters brought in by coalition partner Newin Chidchob.^[5] The protests caused the summit to be cancelled, leading Abhisit to declare a state of emergency in the areas of Pattaya and Chonburi on 11 April. The protest voluntarily subsided in the afternoon of the same day. Legislation authorizing emergency decrees was originally pushed through Parliament in 2005 by the Thaksin government, provoking charges of authoritarianism at the time by Abhisit.^[6] Under the state of emergency, gatherings of more than five people were prohibited and the press was not permitted to present news which could incite worry.^[7]

[edit] Bangkok

As the week-long Songkran (Thai New Year) holiday began, protests escalated in Bangkok. On 8 April 2009, 100,000 UDD demonstrators, rallied at Government House and the nearby Royal Plaza by the evening.^[8] The government decided to declare the State of Emergency in Bangkok and surrounding areas, and military forces were brought into the capital.

Fighting erupted between anti-government protesters, government supporters, and the general population.^[9] At a demonstration in front of Prem's residence, a yellow shirted driver plunged her car into a crowd of UDD protesters injuring several before driving away; she was not arrested.^[10] Abhisit denounced the UDD protesters as "national enemies".^[11] Abhisit also issued a red shirt decree that empowered the government to censor television broadcasts.^[12]

In the pre-dawn of Monday 13 April, Army soldiers used tear gas and fired live and training rounds to clear protesters from the Din Daeng intersection near the Victory Monument in central Bangkok, injuring at least 70 people.^[13][14] The Army later claimed that live rounds were only fired into the air while training rounds were fired at the crowd. However, Human Rights Watch confirmed that there were some cases where the Army fired live ammunition directly at protesters.^[15] The UDD claimed that dozens of protesters died from gunshot wounds sustained during the military's attack.^[16][17] However, the Army later claimed that the wounds were not caused by an M-16, the standard Army rifle. Also on Monday the government ordered the red shirt blocking of satellite news station D Station, an affiliate of the UDD which, at the time, was broadcasting the clashes. Several community radio stations were shut down and searched upon suspicion of supporting the UDD.^[18]

On 21 April, Abhisit declared a "media war" designed to attack the UDD. He also announced the public distribution of millions of VCDs documenting the government's views on the unrest. At the time, the government's emergency and censorship decrees were still in place.^[19][20] The state of emergency, but not the censorship decree, was lifted on 24 April.^[21]

Soon afterwards, Abhisit revoked Thaksin's ordinary passport (Abhisit had revoked Thaksin's diplomatic passport shortly after taking office) and issued warrants for dozens of other protest leaders.^[22]

According to government figures, over 120 people were injured in the unrest, most of them UDD demonstrators.^[23] At least one UDD red shirt protester injured from gunshot wounds sustained during the military's attack in Din Daeng, although the Army claimed the wound was not caused by their standard firearm. The UDD claimed that at least 6 demonstrators were killed in the unrest and their bodies hauled away by the military, although the Army rejected the claim.^[24] The dead bodies of 2 UDD protesters were found floating in the Chao Phraya river, their hands tied behind their backs and their bodies badly beaten, although police had yet to conclude whether their murders were politically motivated.^[25] Abhisit aide Satit Wongnontaey claimed that Red-shirted protesters shot a person dead and injured two others when residents of the Nang Lerng Market came out to criticise the protesters; however, no arrests were made and there was a lack of evidence to back his claims.^[26] The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration estimated that it had incurred 10 million Baht (approximately 300,000 USD) in property damages, including 31 damaged and burned buses.^[27] But, the Federation of Thai Tourism Industry estimated that the damage to the tourism industry could be as high as 200 billion Baht (6 billion USD) and resulting in 257,000 jobs lost.^[28]

[edit] 2010 protests

Abhisit's government expected major UDD-led unrest immediately following the announcement of the Supreme Court's verdict on Thaksin Shinawatra's asset seizure case, despite the UDD's announcement that they would not protest the verdict. Major protest suppression measures were enacted, and security was ramped up throughout the nation. Despite the government's warnings, the UDD did not protest the verdict but instead announced that they would hold a large scale protest in Bangkok on 14 March calling for elections.

Abhisit increased security measures to suppress the 14 March protests. In the days prior to the protest even more checkpoints were set up to inspect protester caravans from entering Bangkok, especially from coming from UDD strongholds in the North and Northeast, with orders to detain any protester with weapons. A government/military situation room for monitoring the protest, officially called the Peace-keeping Operations Command, was established at the 11th Infantry Regiment in Bangkhen.^[29] Pro-government elements in the Northeast issued threats to deter people from leaving for the capital.^[30]

Abhisit claimed to have received intelligence that there was a terrorist threat of sabotage taking place on 14 March. The UDD denied Abhisit's allegations and dared him to reveal any evidence backing his claims. Suthep claimed that the UDD protesters planned to "besiege government offices and residences of important figures, like Privy Council President Prem Tinsulanonda."^[31]

On 9 March, Abhisit imposed the Internal Security Act from 11–23 March.^[32][33] A 50,000-strong security force was deployed on Bangkok.

As of Friday 12 March, police and military checkpoints set up along all main routes leading to Bangkok to inspect UDD protesters for weapons being carried into the capital. The police issued a warning that bus operators transporting people to Bangkok without official permission could have their concessions revoked.^[34] Five bombs exploded in Surat Thani, a Democrat Party stronghold, in the early morning of 12 March. Nobody was injured or killed. It was not clear who was behind the bombings. No arrests were made.

The protests on Sunday 14 March were the largest in Thai history, and were peaceful.^[35] However, Thailand's free-to-air TV channels, all controlled by the government or military, claimed that there were only 25,000 protesters in the main protest site at Phan Fah Bridge.^[36] On Tuesday, UDD protesters announced that they would be collecting 10 milliliters of blood from volunteer protesters and pouring the blood in a symbolic sacrifice at Government House and other sites in Bangkok.^[37] These public blood rituals were a highly effective publicity stunt and drew widespread attention to the protests. However, critics have said that the UDD’s association with blood tarnished the movement’s efforts to keep its campaign ‘clean’ and may have discouraged potential supporters.^[38]

Negotiations between the protesters and the government failed to result in a resolution of the situation. On 27 March, protesters marched to seven locations in Bangkok where Army troops had been stationed in preparation for a crackdown and convinced them to withdraw. There were dozens of bombings in Bangkok during the weeks of the protest, with nobody claiming responsibility and no arrests made. A Porsche was rammed into protester motorcycles at Rajprasong intersection, injuring several. In a separate incident, a woman rammed her car into a crowd of protesters, but drove away before she could be arrested.^[39]

Abhisit declared a state of emergency on the evening of 8 April. Troops barricaded the uplink station for the Thaicom satellite to prevent it from airing People Channel, a popular TV station sympathetic to the UDD. Protesters surrounded the station in the afternoon of 9 April. Tear gas was fired into the crowd, prompting the protesters to storm the station and the troops to withdraw.^[40][41][42]

On 10 April, the protests turned violent, when government troops approached the red shirt encampment and fired live ammunitions at some protesters.^[43] Twenty-five people were killed in the confrontation, with more than 800 people injured.^[44][45] Tensions continued to grow, as pro-government rallies started to appear alongside the anti-government ones. On 22 April, a series of explosions in Bangkok killed at least one person and injured more than 85 others, including four foreigners. At least some of the explosions were caused by grenades, which the government claimed were fired from the Red Shirt encampment.^[46][47] On 28 April, Thai security forces and anti-government protesters clashed on the outskirts of Bangkok, with troops firing both over and then directly into a crowd of Red Shirts to keep them from expanding their demonstrations. At least 16 protesters were wounded and one soldier was killed.

Jatuporn Prompan, Nattawut Saikua and other Red-Shirt leaders, surrendered themselves to police to prevent further bloodshed during the violent military crackdown on 19 May 2010.^[48] In the aftermath of this attack 27 buildings were set ablaze in Thailand's capital, Bangkok. The Thai military largely quashed the protesters there, but pockets of resistance still remained as of Thursday May 20th.

As of May 14, 2010, the American, British, and Dutch embassies announced that they would be closing due to the increased violence, and would not open until the violence had ended. ^[49]

[edit] References

v • d • e 2005–2006 Thai political crisis Main events Timeline Key persons and organizations Prelude 1997 Constitution of Thailand South Thailand insurgency Thaksinocracy Weekly Thailand Report Incident Corruption in the Suvarnabhumi Airport project Sale of Shin Corporation to Temasek Holdings Main events Finland Plot August 2006 Bangkok car bomb 2006 coup d'état Elections February 2005 April 2006 October 2006 (cancelled) December 2007 April 2006 March 2006 February 2006 January 2006 December 2005 Thaksin Shinawatra Prem Tinsulanonda Military junta Sonthi Boonyaratglin Saprang Kalayanamitr Ruangroj Mahasaranon Interim civilian government 2006 Interim Constitution 2007 Constitution of Thailand People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) Sondhi Limthongkul Chamlong Srimuang Somkeit Pongpaibul Somsak Kosaisuuk Pipob Thongchai National United Front of Democracy Against Dictatorship (UDD) Weera Musikapong Jatuporn Prompan Jakrapob Penkair Nattawut Saikua Kokaew Pikulthong