Thawil denies order to kill reds in 2010
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There was never an order to shoot down red-shirt protesters in 2010, but security officers had to arm themselves in order to deal with unknown armed men, Thawil Pliensri, secretary of the now-defunct Centre for the Resolution of Emergency Situation (CRES)
Thawil, who was also former secretary of the National Security Council (NSC), said CRES and the government had followed the law and did not use force to disperse red-shirt protesters on May 19, 2010. He said they had only asked the protesters to vacate the Ratchaprasong intersection in order to make way for traffic. He insisted that it was the red-shirt leaders who had decided to disperse the crowds.
He also called on the DSI to deal with the case honestly and not be influenced by the current Pheu Thai government.
“I did not have problems speaking to investigators because all the information offered was factual,” he said. “Though I worked with the political side, I was there to serve the people. Security officers were threatened and disturbances occurred between March 12 and May 19, 2010, which was a long period and affected people’s livelihoods. We must admit that security officers had to carry weapons because an unknown armed group was ready to attack at all times, especially at night. As for the atmosphere of interrogation, investigators were not sweet with me because they needed to gather data.”
The interrogation will likely continue today as Thawil was only questioned for three hours about the inception of CRES and events in March 2010. The topic of the armed “men in black” was not touched upon.
