Redshirts Urged Not To Underestimate 'White Masks'

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20 June 2013, 13:36

(20 June) Chairwoman of
the Redshirts main organization dismissed new wave of anti-government protests as the same group of
people in different disguise, but warned Redshirts that they should not be taken lightly
neither.

Ms. Thida Tojirakarn, chairwoman of the National United Front of Democracy Against
Dictatorship (UDD) was speaking at the weekly press conference held at Imperial World shopping mall
in Bangkok′s Ladprao district.

She criticized the the anti-government protesters, who have
adopted Guy Fawkes masks as their symbol, and the so-called former Communist fighters that marched
down Sanam Luang recently asking for a new Prime Minister to be appointed directly by His Majesty
the King.

She said that despite their new symbols and methods, the groups are in fact same,
old people who have been unceasingly campaigning against the legacy of Former PM Thaksin Shinawatra,
whose sister Ms. Yingluck Shinawatra is the current Prime Minister.

Nevertheless, the UDD
chairwoman said the Redshirts should remain vigilant of their activities.

We may deride
their strategy, but we cannot underestimate their tactics, Ms. Thida was quoted as
saying.

She turned to attention to the Redshirts activities, which recently hit headlines for
their visible aggressiveness, like storming the White Masks rally in Chiang Mai province and
disrupting the opposition party′s rally in Lamphun province.

Ms. Thida urged the Redshirts
to conduct regular meetings with their local UDD chapters in order to catch up with timely analysis
of current situations. She stressed that the Redshirts should not resort to their emotion when they
respond to the White Masks.

As for the procedure of handing out compensation money for the
Redshirts who were imprisoned longer than the court′s judgment and those who were kept in prison
long after their cases were dismissed, Ms. Thida said total compensation fund would stand at
19,700,000 baht and would be dispatched to 77 Redshirts.

Rest assured that the UDD is not
abandoning you. Please understand that the legal procedure takes a long time. It can?t be done all
of sudden, Ms. Thida said.

Our correspondent added that there has been rumor that Imperial
World shopping mall might lose its electricity service soon because the mall′s electric bill has
been long overdue. There has been no official statements from the UDD or the Electric Authorities
about the matter yet, however.

Phuket Man Unwittingly Brings Home A Crocodile

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Khaosod English

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20 June 2013, 13:07

(19
June) A man in Phuket province brought home from his nighttime fishing trip what he thought was a
water lizard, only to realize that it was in fact a young crocodile.

Mr. Chari Padtangtanang,
31, who lives in Soi Uthai or Sri Sunthorn district, told our correspondent that around 20.00 on the
night before he went out fishing at a former open mine, now flooded, near The Valley gated
community.

While he was fishing, he said, a creature was swimming nearby. In the darkness,
he thought it was a water lizard so he reached out and try to catch it. The creature then snapped
his jaws at him, but missed its target, and tried to swim away. Mr. Chari said he chased it and,
having beaten it with his wooden stick, managed to carry it home.

When Mr. Chari got
home, he was horrified to know that it was a crocodile he was carrying, and quickly chained it in
his house yard.

News about his catch spreads quickly, bringing the usual crowds of lotto
number hunters who gather around and pray to the crocodile, believing that it might bring them good
luck. Some villagers feed the crocodile with fresh fish. The creature appeared to be in exhausted
condition, our correspondent added.

The type of the 1.2 meter long crocodile is not
immediately clear. Mr. Worrawuth Songyot, mayor of Sri Sunthorn district, expressed him belief that
the crocodile probably used to be someone′s pet and was later abandoned in the
pond.

Pathumthani Vendor Stuck In Water Hyacinth For 2 Hours

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Khaosod English

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20 June 2013, 12:25

(20 June) Rescue workers
in Pathumthani province retrieved a woman who had been entangled in the thick swarm of water
hyacinth for more than 2 hours.

When police and volunteer rescue team arrived at the canal in
front of Sadet Temple, they found Ms. Ladda Srinab, 33, stranded on her boat in the midst of
the canal covered by the water plants. She was approximately 500 meter away from the canal bank,
where large crowds of onlookers stood by anxiously.

Ms. Ladda was
shouting for help, saying that she had been under the sun for a long time and was on the verge of
fainting. The rescue workers dispatched a boat and successfully brought her to the bank. She quickly
emptied bottles of water given to her by the workers.

Ms. Ladda, who works as a grilled
chicken vendor, told police she rows her boat to pick up her sister who lives on the other side of
the canal every morning so they can run the shop together. However, today the sheets of water
hyacinth are thicker than usual, she said.

Eventually she was caught in the plants and could
not row her boat any further. After many attempts to free her boat, she shouted for help from
locals, who in turned called the police. Ms. Ladda added that local authorities should root out
these water hyacinth lest another case might happen in the future.

Water hyacinth is very common sight in rivers and canal throughout
Thailand.

Kalasin Farmer Proud Of Her 'Lucky' White Buffaloes

By

Khaosod English

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19 June 2013, 18:32

(19 June)
Take one look at the herd of buffaloes grazing the grass just outside Nong Jode village in Yang
Talard distric, Kalasin province, and you will suddenly struck by the visible oddity: 3 white female
buffaloes in the midst of their fellow creatures.

The white buffaloes have been talk of the
town in the village for years now. The trio belong to Ms. Tong Phuchalerm, 50, who was walking by
the herd as they munch the grass.

Many Thais believe that anything white is lucky. The
belief is reflected on the White Elephants, considered to be auspicious symbol of Siamese kings for
centuries, and recent news about villagers worshiping a white toad out of conviction that it would
bring them good luck. These white buffaloes are no different.

Ms. Tong said she and her
family have been farmers for many years, and have always kept buffaloes for work in the rice field,
especially when she needs to plough the field. Other families in the village own buffaloes, too, but
she is well known because her family only employed white buffaloes. She said she only owned 3 white
buffaloes now, having handed out the rest to her relatives.

White buffaloes are rare, and
they are mongkol (auspicious) for my family. We have never had money problem and our crops
have been good, Ms. Tong said, before adding that merchants have offered tens of thousands of baht
for the white buffaloes, but she always refused, despite her humble career of a farmer.

Apart
from magical powers the white buffaloes supposedly granted to her – including but not limited to
good health and enhancement of her baramee (mystical aura) – she also intends to preserve the
rare animals for younger generations to behold.

Of her precious white
buffaloes, she said they are very obedient and ?well-behaved?. For example, the buffaloes always
leave their droppings on the same spot everyday, which is in front of their pen, contrary to other
buffaloes that simply leave their droppings everywhere,, Ms. Tong said.

She′s aware that
soon the image of buffaloes gracing the rice fields might be a thing of the past, as Thai farmers
are increasingly adopting tractors and motorized ploughing machine instead of their buffaloes, but
she insists that she would not abandon the old ways for the new.

Buffaloes are true friends
of farmers, Ms. Tong said, heir droppings are excellent fertilizers for the rice, and they helped
eat all the unwanted weeds that would have been shelter for poisonous
snakes.

Army Officer Insists To Court Japanese Reporter Killed By 'Blackshirts'

By

Khaosod English

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19 June 2013, 16:11

The military during their standoff with Redshirts near Democracy Monument, 10 April 2010

BANGKOK – An army officer whose unit was involved in the military crackdown on Redshirts protesters around Ratchadumnern Avenue on 10 April 2010 testified to the court that the military were not responsible for the death of a Japanese reporter on that day.

He also told the court that the reporter, Mr. Hiroyuki Muramoto, who was employed by Reuters at the time, was likely shot to death by armed elements of the protesters known as the "Blackshirts."

The military operation on 10 Apri 2010 was authorized by then-PM Abhisit Vejjajeeva in order to disperse thousands of Redshirts who were camping along Ratchadumnern Avenue and Ratchaprasong Intersection in Bangkok, demanding fresh election and protesting many perceived grievances such as the lack of democracy in the country.

26 people, mostly civilians, were killed throughout the operation on 10 April 2010.

Today, a military officer with the rank of Major who commanded a battalion stationed in Prachinburi province gave his testimony to the Criminal Court in Bangkok as part of the inquest to find who was responsible for deaths and injuries during the violence in April-May 2010. The court has asked Khaosod not to publish the name of the witness, citing the need to protect the witness' privacy and personal safety.

The witness told the court his unit was ordered into position at Ratchadumnern Avenue around 09.00 am on 10 April 2010. His battalion was reportedly equipped with riot shields, batons, and shotguns loaded with rubber bullets. He said M-16 rifles and their ammunition were stored on battalion′s trucks.

The witness said on 11.00 am he received the order to retake the positions around Democracy Monument and Phanfa Bridge from the protesters. He claimed that the order explicitly instructed the soldiers to treat the protesters as innocent civilians, and firearms would be used only for 'self-defense' or when the protesters started attacking public properties.

According to his testimony, as his force made its way to their destination, Kok Wua Intersection near Khaosarn Road, they met resistance from "no more than 500" Redshirts who used sharp objects to repel the soldiers. He said 2 soldiers under his command were injured by gunshots fired from Redshirts' position.

"The Redshirts were constantly provoking us," the witness said.

The witness added that the resistance became stiffer as evening approached. He claimed that the soldiers were attacked by iron bars, wooden sticks, firebombs, fireworks, fire extinguishers, and even some handfuls of pepper chilli. He insisted that some soldiers were beaten by the protesters.

Around 7.30-7.40 pm, according to the witness, 14 M79 grenades were fired from the Redshirts' position in Kok Wua Intersection toward the soldiers' line near Khaosan Road. He said he saw 4-5 men clad in black and balaclava, and armed with AK-47 and M-16 rifles, firing at the soldiers. The witness told the court that 33 out of 150 soldiers in his unit were injured by such weapons, including himself.

He said he did not see the moment when Mr. Hiroyuki was shot, but added that he was certain the "Blackshirts" militia shot him because the armed men were known for their "precise shooting skill" and the Japanese was shot in the left side of his chest, a critical spot in the body.

The witness went on to claim that his unit was not authorized to use live ammunition on that day. The Redshirts killed and injured "were not the doing of the military", he said.

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