APSN | On this 19th September why aren't the generals in jail?

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On this 19th September why aren't the generals in jail?

Red Thai Socialist - September 18, 2011

Panel calls for review of laws on criticism of Thai monarchy - Agence France Presse. September 17, 2011
Thai cabinet extends emergency rule on south - Agence France Presse. September 13, 2011
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Thai government seeks royal pardon for Thaksin - Bloomberg News. September 9, 2011
Thailand's premier succeeds in playing a careful game - Asia Sentinel. September 5, 2011

Giles Ji Ungpakorn – On the 5th anniversary of the 19th of September military coup in Thailand, General Sonti Boonyaratgalin should be facing charges of staging an illegal coup and tearing up a democratic constitution. General Prayut Junocha should also be facing charges of ordering the killings of nearly 90 unarmed pro-democracy demonstrators last year. But this is not happening because we do not have equality, freedom and justice in Thailand and we do not have a government that respects the Red Shirts who voted for it in the first place.

Peua Thai Party may have won the election in July, but the repressive ruling class is still all powerful. The army continues to intervene in politics and society, the judiciary has not been reformed and the King still acts as the figure-head to give legitimacy for the opposition to real democracy, with the draconian lhse majeste law as back-up. Peua Thai is clearly in the process of reconciling its differences with the Military.

The major forces behind the 19th September 2006 coup were anti-democratic groups in the military and civilian elite, disgruntled business leaders and neo-liberal intellectuals and politicians. The coup was also supported by the Monarchy. The King maintained his long stance of failing to defend democracy by not criticising the coup. He allowed the soldiers to sport yellow royalist ribbons on their uniforms and he allowed the coup leaders to be photographed with him in order that the soldiers could claim that the coup had "royal approval". What all these pro-coup groups had in common was contempt and hatred for the poor. In their view, "too much Democracy" gave "too much power" to the poor electorate and encouraged governments to "over-spend" on welfare. This is a statement we hear today from the neo-liberals in Europe who defend unpopular austerity policies in order to save the rich and the bankers.

It is the courage, tenacity and sacrifices of the Red Shirt movement in the face of barbaric military violence that has kept the culture of Democracy alive in Thailand. It is this that gave Yingluk's Peua Thai Party its overall majority in the recent elections.

Yet on the 5th anniversary of the 19th September coup we see the Yingluk government treating the heroes of the Red Shirt movement with contempt. For her government, the Red Shirts are just "dust under their feet". The Prime Minister has toured the flood affected areas side by side with General Prayut, the Butcher of Rajprasong. This act is part of rebuilding legitimacy for the Military and spitting in the face of Red Shirts.

So instead of General Sonti Boonyaratgalin facing charges of staging an illegal coup and tearing up a democratic constitution, instead of General Prayut Junocha facing charges of ordering the killings of nearly 90 unarmed pro-democracy demonstrators last year, we see the Peua Thai government bowing down before the Military. Added to this, we see government ministers pledging to increase the use of lese majeste.

Progressive Red Shirts should realise that this is not a "Red Shirt" government. The only reason for voting Peua Thai at the election was to slap the Military and the Democrat Party in the face. The time has come to organise independently of the royalist elites, the Military and Peua Thai and wage an all-out battle for freedom, Democracy and social equality.