- By Stingray, Thai Intel’s national security journalist
A Thai Minister, Chalerm, of Yingluck’s Pheu Thai Party, for the past few weeks have been making statements on the progress of police investigations into the crack-down that killed about 100 protesters and civilians-but here in Thailand, the news was mostly, covered up by the Thai flooding crisis and Abhisit’s government corruption news.
The latest from Reuters, is of a Chaleam making statements on a killed Reuters cameraman, Muramoto.
- But when the Thai army chief, Prayuth, as Twittered by Bangkok Post’s national security journalist, said that for some Pheu Thai Party MPs to take new evidence to the International Criminal Court (ICC), on the crack-down being a crime against humanity, as, quote: “Not the right move since Thailand has its own justice system, but do whatever you want” did the implication of the Thai police investigation became clear-that namely, there are new evidence appearing.
The ICC move, complicates the situation for Prayuth.
- Prayuth and Yingluck, where Yingluck is close to the Red Shirts who lead the protest that saw the crack-down, have been working closely together, with Prayuth, throwing most of his energy to help Yingluck.
The latest Prayuth utterances, comes after the Abhisit’s government crack-down unit, former spokesman, told the police that the crack-down is the result of an order bu Abhisit, the then Thai prime minister and Suthep, his security chief-in a move most observer said was to put a distance between the Thai military as only following order, and those who are ultimately accountable, being Abhisit and Suthep.
- As for Abhisit and Suthep, responding to news that the Pheu Thai Party was going to the ICC with new evidence, ridiculed the move by saying “Public Tax” money can not be used on the trip to the ICC, and reiterated, that all killed during the crack-down, was done against those that carried weapons and that the Thai military only got order to fire against protesters, quote: “In self-defense.”
However, many victim of the crack-down were in fact, civilians, and not Red Shirts protesters-and several journalist were also killed. Abhisit and Suthep, maintains that the Red Shirts protesters or the Black Shirts, were responsible for the civilian death and the journalist.
- The following is from Reuters:
Thai minister “certain” military killed Reuters cameraman
By Pracha Hariraksapitak and Panarat Thepgumpanat
BANGKOK | Tue Nov 29, 2011 8:27am EST
(Reuters) – Thai investigators have clear evidence that the military was responsible for the death of Reuters cameraman Hiro Muramoto during political violence last year, a deputy prime minister said on Tuesday.
Witness testimony confirmed, with certainty, that the bullet that killed the 43-year-old Japanese national was fired by a soldier, Chalerm Yubamrung told reporters.
“For certain, the death was caused by a government official because we have witnesses who state that they saw the event when it happened,” he said following a meeting with Japan’s ambassador to Thailand.
“The direction in which the bullet was shot was confirmation that it came from the government officials’ side,” Chalerm said.
Muramoto was killed by a high-velocity bullet wound to the chest while covering clashes between anti-government “red shirt” protesters and troops in Bangkok on April 10 last year.
He was among 25 people, including several soldiers, who died that night in one of the worst bouts of political violence in Thailand in decades. Unidentified gunmen dressed in black clothes and balaclavas were seen among the demonstrators.
Chalerm’s comments followed the issue on Monday of a police summons for former prime minister Abhisit Vejjajiva and former deputy prime minister Suthep Thaugsuban to answer questions related to the April-May unrest, during which 91 people were killed and more than 1,800 wounded.
The evidence stated by Chalerm concurs with witness accounts in a leaked copy of a preliminary investigation by the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) seen by Reuters last December, which said the shot came from the direction of troops.
A witness was quoted as saying he saw “a flash from a gun barrel of a soldier,” then watched Muramoto fall to the ground after he was shot while filming security forces.
ABOUT-FACE
The issue of whether the military was behind Muramoto’s death is sensitive in a country where the armed forces are extremely powerful and deeply politicized.
DSI Director-General Tharit Pengdit issued a statement on February 27 that contradicted the initial findings, saying the bullet came from a type of rifle not used by soldiers that day.
But in September, the DSI pressed for a new probe into the case, a dramatic reversal from its earlier stance.
Chalerm said he told the ambassador during Tuesday’s meeting that the probe would soon be concluded and there would be no political intervention in the proceedings.
“I expressed to the Japanese ambassador: ‘Let us be certain as regards our investigation. There will be no intervention’,” he said.
The head of the probe, Police Major-General Anuchai Lekbumrung, told Reuters that work on the case was continuing. It had yet to be sent to public prosecutors and Suthep and Abhisit would be questioned on Friday, he added.
Tharit told Reuters on Tuesday the DSI and the police were in agreement on the findings reached so far and believed there was sufficient evidence to show Muramoto was killed by a gun fired by a soldier.
The protracted investigation appears to have picked up pace since Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra took office in August after her Puea Thai Party‘s resounding victory over Abhisit’s Democrat Party, which was in power at the time of the unrest.
Yingluck is the sister of ousted former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, the figurehead of the red-shirt protest movement long opposed by the military and Thailand’s establishment.
(Additional reporting by Natnicha Chuwiruch; Writing by Martin Petty; Editing by Alan Raybould and Raju Gopalakrishnan)
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