By Peter Janssen
DPA
Khon Kaen, Thailand - While red-shirted protestors ran amok in Bangkok last Wednesday, looting stores, breaking into bank branches and setting alight 36 buildings, a less publicized riot was underway in Khon Kaen, in northeastern Thailand, called Isan.
On May 13, hundreds of red shirt sympathizers burned down Khon Kaen City Hall and the office of the state-run National Broadcasting Television. Others attacked the palatial home of government politician Prajak Klaewklarharn.
In the assault on Prajak, who belongs to the Bhumjai Thai Party - a partner in the current coalition government - two protestors were shot dead by guards. Similar outbreaks were reported Wednesday in five other provincial towns, but Khon Kaen's uprising was the fiercest.
Khon Kaen is deemed the north-eastern capital of the red shirt movement, officially called the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD), which launched a mass protest in Bangkok on March 12 to force Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva to dissolve parliament and hold new elections.
The protestors seized Ratchaprasong Road on April 3, turning the once posh commercial district of luxury department stores and five star hotels into a city of tents and makeshift sidewalk shacks, until troops finally dispersed the demonstration on Wednesday.
Hardcore members of the red shirts went on a rampage in Bangkok Wednesday evening after their leaders surrendered to authorities, raising serious concerns about Thailand's long term stability.
With many of the UDD leaders now under arrest, there are fears that the movement could take a more violent turn.
'Now that there are no leaders, the worm has gone underground,' said Yongyut Kongpatimakorn, a red shirt organizer in Khon Kaen, about 350 kilometres north-east of Bangkok. 'You've got a headless body that isn't being told where to throw its fist. What happens next is unpredictable and out of control, but it will not stop.'
Like most red shirt supporters, Yongyut, 74, is an ardent admirer of fugitive former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, whose populist policies implemented during his two terms in office during 2001 to 2006 won him a mass following, especially among voters in Isan, Thailand's poorest region and home to nearly half the population.
Thaksin remains widely revered in Isan as the first prime minister to address some of their chronic problems, such as widespread indebtedness, giving them a sense of political entitlement that was missing before.
For many red shirts the protest in Bangkok was largely about hastening new polls that would bring in to power a new pro-Thaksin government. For Thaksin, who has been living in self exile to avoid a two-year jail term on an abuse-of-power conviction, the protest was a worthy investment.
'Thaksin spent hundreds of millions of baht to sponsor the protest by covering transportation costs and food supplies,' Yongyut said. 'The protestors weren't paid to be there, but they were happy to be getting three free meals a day.'
Now that the UDD protest in Bangkok has been dispersed, the government faces an uphill task in pacifying the red shirts.
'I believe the majority of people in the North-east didn't like to see the violence, the burning of buildings,' said Buapun Promphakping, a social science professor at Khon Kaen University.
'But meanwhile I think they still agree with the demands of the red shirts. They want democracy, they want equality, they don't want the traditional bureaucracy running everything and don't want double standards.'
Abhisit has promised to address some of these issues in the course of five-point reconciliation roadmap he will push through in coming months before holding an election, but given the widespread mistrust he faces in Isan, where his Democrat party has never won an election, there is skepticism that the roadmap can succeed in healing the now deep wounds.
'What will happen in the future is there will be resistance from red shirts, mostly in the North and North-east, but I won't say it will turn in to an insurgency like what we had 30 years ago,' Buapun said. 'That could only happen when you have support form outside countries.'
In the 1970s, the North-east was a hotbed for the Communist Party of Thailand, which had support from communist China.
The communist movement notoriously failed to ignite the passions of Thailand's rural masses. It remains to be seen how deep the red movement has sunk into the countryside, even in Isan.
'As I see it, the UDD leaders just took people from the villagers to die for them in Bangkok,' said Apichai, a former headman at Kam Pla Lai village, about 50 kilometres north-west of Khon Kaen city.
'In this province they don't all love the reds. There are some who love their opponents,' he said.
On May 13, hundreds of red shirt sympathizers burned down Khon Kaen City Hall and the office of the state-run National Broadcasting Television. Others attacked the palatial home of government politician Prajak Klaewklarharn.
In the assault on Prajak, who belongs to the Bhumjai Thai Party - a partner in the current coalition government - two protestors were shot dead by guards. Similar outbreaks were reported Wednesday in five other provincial towns, but Khon Kaen's uprising was the fiercest.
Khon Kaen is deemed the north-eastern capital of the red shirt movement, officially called the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD), which launched a mass protest in Bangkok on March 12 to force Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva to dissolve parliament and hold new elections.
The protestors seized Ratchaprasong Road on April 3, turning the once posh commercial district of luxury department stores and five star hotels into a city of tents and makeshift sidewalk shacks, until troops finally dispersed the demonstration on Wednesday.
Hardcore members of the red shirts went on a rampage in Bangkok Wednesday evening after their leaders surrendered to authorities, raising serious concerns about Thailand's long term stability.
With many of the UDD leaders now under arrest, there are fears that the movement could take a more violent turn.
'Now that there are no leaders, the worm has gone underground,' said Yongyut Kongpatimakorn, a red shirt organizer in Khon Kaen, about 350 kilometres north-east of Bangkok. 'You've got a headless body that isn't being told where to throw its fist. What happens next is unpredictable and out of control, but it will not stop.'
Like most red shirt supporters, Yongyut, 74, is an ardent admirer of fugitive former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, whose populist policies implemented during his two terms in office during 2001 to 2006 won him a mass following, especially among voters in Isan, Thailand's poorest region and home to nearly half the population.
Thaksin remains widely revered in Isan as the first prime minister to address some of their chronic problems, such as widespread indebtedness, giving them a sense of political entitlement that was missing before.
For many red shirts the protest in Bangkok was largely about hastening new polls that would bring in to power a new pro-Thaksin government. For Thaksin, who has been living in self exile to avoid a two-year jail term on an abuse-of-power conviction, the protest was a worthy investment.
'Thaksin spent hundreds of millions of baht to sponsor the protest by covering transportation costs and food supplies,' Yongyut said. 'The protestors weren't paid to be there, but they were happy to be getting three free meals a day.'
Now that the UDD protest in Bangkok has been dispersed, the government faces an uphill task in pacifying the red shirts.
'I believe the majority of people in the North-east didn't like to see the violence, the burning of buildings,' said Buapun Promphakping, a social science professor at Khon Kaen University.
'But meanwhile I think they still agree with the demands of the red shirts. They want democracy, they want equality, they don't want the traditional bureaucracy running everything and don't want double standards.'
Abhisit has promised to address some of these issues in the course of five-point reconciliation roadmap he will push through in coming months before holding an election, but given the widespread mistrust he faces in Isan, where his Democrat party has never won an election, there is skepticism that the roadmap can succeed in healing the now deep wounds.
'What will happen in the future is there will be resistance from red shirts, mostly in the North and North-east, but I won't say it will turn in to an insurgency like what we had 30 years ago,' Buapun said. 'That could only happen when you have support form outside countries.'
In the 1970s, the North-east was a hotbed for the Communist Party of Thailand, which had support from communist China.
The communist movement notoriously failed to ignite the passions of Thailand's rural masses. It remains to be seen how deep the red movement has sunk into the countryside, even in Isan.
'As I see it, the UDD leaders just took people from the villagers to die for them in Bangkok,' said Apichai, a former headman at Kam Pla Lai village, about 50 kilometres north-west of Khon Kaen city.
'In this province they don't all love the reds. There are some who love their opponents,' he said.
13 comments:
I want AH Apichai to tell me how the poor people in Isan love their opponents who are rich and spoil and they only want the poor people in Isan to do what they said?
The Isan people must love themselves first before they can love their opponents who are rich and the filthy elite born with privilege of Bangcock because the Isan people must demand and help themselves first and no one will do for them!
Isan people are the most discriminated people of all Thailand excluding the Muslim in Southern Thailand! Isan people just want democracy, equality, and no double standards!
To succeed, Isan people need the support of China, whether they like it or not.
How ironic 11:50 your assessment is. How can Isan succeed in demanding for democracy by getting support from a communist?
did you think?
12:12AM
You have to look at the broad picture: Bangkok(rich elites) and Isan(poor peasants), you are only the foot soldiers in a battle between US and China.
This is a good analysis of the political situation in Thailand by Peter Janssen. People in Isan including Thai, Loa and Khmer ethnics are poor people and are treated as second class citizen by Bangkok elite rich ruling classes (the military, the millionair PAD leader Mr Limthongkul, the military, and to a certain extend the Thai royal family). When these Thai provinces outside of Bangkok raised up against these Thai elites and joint the red shirts protests for real democracy they got shot and killed. I believe that they cause suffered a setback but will never die.
Can our goverment helps Khmer Isan too, their our blood too try to enourages them.
Isan people needed Hun Sen for help, isan people must joint their own blood people..cambodian!!
The notion that Isan is poor is now 30 years out of date.
Really: in 2010, Isan cannot be described as poor.
Compared to Laos or Cambodia, Isan is wealthy.
If you actually live and work there, you will meet very few people in Isan who cannot afford food, shoes, and shelter.
There are probably more *truly poor* people in Bangkok than Isan (though there are also more rich people in Bangkok, obviously).
PAD, the yellows shirts will dominated and continue to control Red Shirts and treated "Red shirts" people as a low class...not second? Red shirts people must continue to fight, the same thing with people of Yala in the southern...
Abhishit and his Gov't must taken out..!!!!!!
To 8:18AM
You are bullshitting too much! Now you go to Isan and take a picture of the everyday life of the Isan people and show it to the world just to prove what you said is true!
8:18 AM,
The word "poor" was used by the reporter, politician or the wealthy people.
Reporters use this word to get attention of the readers.
Politician use it to get support from those poor people.
Wealthy people use it to look down on other people.
Ther are plenty of homeless around the world, including the US. What do you call those type of people ?
There are people who live in the city slum, have enough food to eat but not a good place to live.
In Cambodia, if you are a farmer, the city folk call them poor. The farmer have land to farm and have enough food to eat, they might not have car or motor cycle, but they work only three to six months per year, so go figure.
Still poor..!
Isan people are dark skin people in Northern Thailand, they also discriminated by Chinese-Thai people. Isan is Laotian descent originated from muang Lao as you know they are many different dialogue. Isan music is not Laotian music. Morlum and Luk-Thung are Isan music most popular is Thailand. Isan related languages Laotian, Phuan, Nyaw and Khorat.
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