A PHUKET red leader has emphasised the safety of Phuket and the lack of violent incidents in the movement's history on the island.

Believing that rewards are now being offered for the arrest of some red provincial leaders, the Phuket red chose to keep his identity and whereabouts secret. But he talked to Phuketwan.

''Reds on Phuket have never made trouble for the island or for tourists on Phuket,'' he said. ''We have talked to the governor and the chief of police every time we have planned a meeting. We believe in democracy, but quite often, the yellow shirts have interfered with our right to meet and talk.

''We have never blocked the airport.'' [Yellow shirt Peoples' Alliance for Democracy supporters invaded Phuket airport in August 2008.]

There were about 3000 members of the red group on Phuket, he said.

''Our group does not support former premier Thaksin,'' he added. ''But Khun Thaksin's case does show how Thailand can have double standards.''

He said that he and other Phuket protesters had made the trip to Bangkok for the 10-week protest, with some reinforcements coming and some protesters returning to Phuket.

''We do not have real democracy here,'' he said. ''There is always someone behind the government. A good government would have real power. There should be no need to ask the people behind you what to do.''

Thailand's history showed there were many prime ministers who had been pushed aside. Thaksin, however, had chosen to fight.

''If the government sees out its full term of office before there is a national poll, something else could happen to prevent a poll,'' he said. ''Thailand could go for as long as five years without an election.''

The PM's five-point road map had been drawn up by the government, not in collaboration with the red shirts, he said, so it was not a joint effort from the start, the way it should be.

''The government should determine a place where the red shirts can hold legitimate public protests,'' he said. ''We need to have a voice, an outlet for our viewpoint.

''I am very worried that some of my colleagues may be persecuted for their beliefs. The government chooses to forget the red shirts and worries instead about shopping in Bangkok.

''This is very dangerous for Thailand's future. It will make people resentful. Deny people the opportunity to say what they think, and they become more willing to die for their cause.''

The red leader is now attending to his own businesses on Phuket. What went wrong in Bangkok, Phuketwan asked him.

''Everything seemed to change early in the morning on May 19,'' he said. ''The message was that we were prepared to talk, but the army trucks arrived before the message got to the PM.''

He admitted the existence of a radical ''black hand'' but the scale of the hidden weapons cache involved had been greatly exaggerated by the government, he said. Most of the ''weapons'' had been fashioned from bamboo, he said.

''If we had had grenade launchers, there would have been many more army casualties.''

What about the incident where the live grenade was left in a paper bag hanging from the front gate of the ASTV (yellow) office in Phuket City?

''This was certainly not something our group did,'' the Phuket red leader said. ''It's interesting that the first telephone call went straight to a bomb-control policeman's mobile telephone number, not to the191 emergency number.''

In any case, he said, the grenade was heavily wrapped in tape to prevent the firing pin being accidentally removed.

He said he was on stage the day that the protest ended in confusion and attacks on Bangkok landmarks. The government had been selective in taking some of the video clip comments out of context, he said. Red shirts were not terrorists, he said, and to accuse them all without evidence was unfair.

What did you get from this protest, Phuketwan asked.

''I got friends,'' he said. ''Many of the people involved have their own money. But we didn't realise the government would be so unmoved by our actions. Our people were deeply affected by what the government did.

''Thailand is such a wonderful place,'' he added. ''Good food, great weather, good life.

''If the government gives the reds a chance to be heard, the country will grow and prosper. Unless there is a fair and open debate, there will continue to be corruption and double-standards.''