Let’s end the vicious cycle of violence

A lot of things can happen now, after Thais voted yesterday to decide whether the controversial draft charter will become the country’s new Constitution. The last thing Thailand wants, though, is a new wave of political violence, which can set the clock further back for many years. The bad news is, the prospects for a new round of turbulence are real, whether the document clears the public referendum or not.
The country has been associated with regular bloody political turmoil for a long period. It happens every few years. We all remember the October bloodshed when yellow-shirted protesters fighting against the Somchai Wongsawat government died. There were the Pattaya riots that disrupted an international summit and an angry mob that used bricks to smash cars of political leaders. The red-shirt uprising in 2010 paralysed downtown Bangkok and culminated tragically in what was the closest to a civil war as we had seen. There were gunfights. Grenades exploded at mass transit stations. Shopping malls were set on fire. Police were helpless and criticised by some for tacitly siding with protesters.
Then another uprising erupted two years later by people on “the other side”, leading to a coup that overthrew a government supported by the red shirts. During the prolonged protests, roads were blocked. Bombs exploded at rally sites. Killings took place in broad daylight. Again, police were accused of taking sides. Again, they were seemingly on the opposite side of the military.
The coup against the Yingluck government was proclaimed as an attempt to end the vicious cycle, although many critics believe the power seizure was itself part of the cycle. Polarised Thais see the coup differently. Some welcome the “end of violence”, while the others think the coup was a form of political violence itself. It doesn’t matter which side is right. What really matters is what happens after tomorrow.
No matter what happens to the draft charter, a large number of Thais will not be happy, and the situation can be all but ripe for flesh violence. It is everyone’s duty to prevent Thais from killing Thais again. By “everyone” is meant every single ordinary citizen. The political conflict has spread far beyond people who are legally armed, like police and soldiers. Many of the killings over the past few years were not committed by soldiers or police, but zealous political activists or hired mercenaries.
All killings, either by the state or its opponents, could take place because of one big factor – the distorted moral standards of Thai people. Certain killings were tolerated while others were not, and the double standards gave both haters and the powers-that-be virtually a licence to kill. People kill other people because they know that while their action would be condemned by some, praise or tolerance will definitely come from somewhere. It’s this kind of mindset that has been feeding the appetite for blood of many political animals.
A political episode ended yesterday but a new one has just begun. Nothing is written concretely yet for this new episode, so the man of the street must take the initiative. People have been expecting that the passage or rejection of the charter draft will bring about big changes. The truth is that real changes have to come from them. It won’t be easy, but if motivation is needed, it’s the certainty of many more years in the political doldrums if new violence occurs. All Thais can at least begin by denouncing all kinds of violence, no matter who is responsible. Who knows? Perhaps, real reconciliation can begin this way.