Troops called in to rescue students at 'Ram'
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Thousands of students stranded at university after gunmen fire on campus
Several thousand students stranded in Ramkhamhaeng University (RU) after it came under attack by unknown gunmen yesterday were escorted off the campus in Bang Kapi district by troops a few hours later.
Earlier in the day, gunshots were heard as the death and injury toll from clashes between protesting students and red shirts rose. Three people were reported dead and 58 others injured. Many victims sustained gunshot wounds.
The Democratic Alliance against Dictatorship (DAAD) cancelled its gathering at the Rajamangala National Stadium near the campus yesterday morning in the wake of casualties on both sides.
It remained unclear who was responsible for the shootings.
A double-decker bus was set alight yesterday afternoon in front of the stadium. An inspection later revealed a body inside in the bus.
RU president Wutisak Lapcharoensap confirmed that, as of press time, the situation at the campus had eased and gunshots were not being heard anymore.
“The stranded students have been evacuated.” Soldiers remained on guard at the campus to protect its property, he said.
While he thanked soldiers for extending help, he criticised police for not stepping in at the time of crisis. Wutisak said he tried to seek assistance from police earlier.
According to RU students, they initially rallied against the amnesty bill. Then one day, a red-shirt guard slapped a demonstrating female student in the face and got engaged in a heated dispute. Later, they found someone had destroyed the image of King Ramkhamhaeng, the emblem of RU, and suspected the red shirts were responsible.
As a result, tension between the red shirts and RU students escalated to violence on Saturday night.
Yesterday, soldiers handed out bullet-proof vests to students during the evacuation.
The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) dispatched 10 buses to the campus to help with the evacuation.
RU will suspend its classes and all activities till tomorrow (Dec 3).
Prof Somkid Lertpaitoon, who heads the Council of University Presidents of Thailand (CUPT), lamented that Education Minister Chaturon Chaisang showed up on the red-shirt stage on Saturday without trying to stop the unfolding violence.
Somkid is also the rector of Thammasat University (TU).
He said out of concern for TU staff and students’ safety, TU will close all their campuses today.
Somkid said he would ask the CUPT to consider the suspension of all classes from December 5 to 10.
CUPT has 27 higher-education institutes as its members.
As of press time yesterday, at least 10 universities including Chulalongkorn and Mahidol decided to close today.
‘Hotbed of activism’
Established in 1971, Ramkhamhaeng University (RU) has significantly raised Thais’ access to higher education. Everyone is welcome. Applicants do not need to sit any entrance exam. For normal programmes, tuition fees are also relatively low.
To poor families, RU offers them a bright hope.
Students are not required to attend classes, for as long as they can pass exams. So, many students can work and attend RU programmes at the same time.
RU graduates have contributed to the country’s development in various fields during the past several decades.
RU is considered a hotbed of student activism. Many of its former student leaders have come to play a key role in Thailand’s politics. Among them is a red-shirt leader Jatuporn Promphan.
