Mutiny is punished in civilised society

Even if the “men in black” were in fact drawn from the Army, the police, rangers, or any other regular unit, they were still clearly and effectively positioned to fire their weapons at the government forces whose responsibility it was to keep law and order at Ratchaprasong. In any culture, that is called mutiny, the crime treason, and the penalty the most severe on the books. 

Likewise there is no society in the world in which military or civilian commanders of government forces would be condemned for having returned fire directed at them, whatever the source.

The case against the Ratchaprasong mutineers, if so they were, is simple. They fired their weapons in the direction of the designated civil authorities, in the middle of a city inhabited by commuters, shop owners, parents, children, nurses, teachers, old people, students, street cleaners, taxi drivers, sales girls, cooks, window cleaners and repair men. And, as it happened, full of red-shirted demonstrators conveniently placed by someone in the crossfire. All of these people were citizens who had a right to that minimum of civil protection provided by the government, including the Army. Any argument to the contrary is pure spin, and serves the interests of only one person.

If you want to hear that spin at its most servile and most cynical, listen to Robert Amsterdam’s high-paid drivel.

Lung Kip

Chiang Mai