Arrogance of top brass is breathtaking

Your report on Army spokesman Sansern Kaewkam-nerd’s testimony to a House of Representatives committee quotes him as stating troops did not shoot protesters in April and May 2010, but shot into the air, and that troops were most unlikely to have been involved in the shootings at Wat Pathumwanaram. This is despite all the eyewitness and video testimony which contradicts these claims, not to mention evidence given to the DSI by Army personnel. 

Officers confirmed that they were indeed stationed on the Skytrain tracks above the temple, and did shoot into the compound because they thought they had come under fire from that direction.

The fact that a senior military officer can still make these assertions highlights yet again the arrogance and sense of impunity within certain sections of the armed forces.

Robin Grant

Bangkok