Anything short of lynching is acceptable

Korkaew Pikulthong, Pheu Thai list MP, has defended the harassment of the leader of the opposition at a Democrat rally last weekend. A red-shirt mob used bullhorns to tell Abhisit not only to shut up but get out of the province. Korkaew’s argument, like that of another Pathum Thani red-shirt leader, Putthipong Kotthamkhun, is that the people have every right to be angry. They cannot forgive Abhisit for giving the command to shoot scores of their friends and family members at their rally two years before, so that they can do anything they want as long as they don’t lynch him. 

Presumably, Korkaew also feels that the red shirts who tried to drag Abhisit out of his car and beat him up on two separate occasions the year before Ratchaprasong should have got the job done. They must also believe that breaking into the Asean+6 Summit in Pattaya while shouting, “Get Abhisit!” was fully justified, even though Abhisit hadn’t yet “murdered” anybody.

Obviously, these red-shirt leaders have information that hasn’t yet been made public or presented in court, because Abhisit is still allowed to sit as an MP. Indeed, as far as I know, Abhisit is not under indictment for anything, though he has testified a number of times in court under oath, whereas red-shirt MPs Korkaew, Nattawut and Jatuporn are all out on bail on serious charges. 

Furthermore, many of us saw with our own eyes just what did take place at Ratchaprasong, and we know that Korkaew, Jatuporn and Nattawut will eventually be tried not only for inciting violence at their rallies but for threatening to burn the whole country down. 

In Korkaew’s favour I will say this: he wasn’t able to see what actually happened at Ratchaprasong very well because he was on the stage at the time. The line of sight was obviously not very good. The cordon of sharpened bamboo stakes and flaming car tyres, many of them giving off a lot of smoke, made it difficult to get a good view of things on the outside. Even more limiting, the only information Korkaew had to go on was the account of things he was delivering in his own words at the time, and at terrific volume. It’s a wonder he could even hear himself think!

Lung Kip

Chiang Mai