News Analysis
SOME 80 leaders of the Peoples' Alliance for Democracy are to be charged over the invasion and occupation of Bangkok's two most important airports back in 2008. Thailand's government is, it seems, finally committing to the concept that the law should be applied equally to all.
If red leaders are arrested and charged over the occupation of parts of Bangkok earlier this year, then certainly yellow leaders should have been charged over the occupation of Suvarnabhumi and Don Mueang airports.
Now the question must also be asked: Will anyone ever be charged over the invasion and blockade of Phuket International Airport in August, 2008?
Phuket's present problems with Thailand's tourism turn-off began back then, on Phuket. The whole horrible affair, which saw all flights halted over three days, was quietly put to one side and forgotten . . . except by the PAD.
A couple of months later, the same yellow shirts sauntered through security at Thailand's largest international airport and brought air travel to a halt for more than a week. Almost as an afterthought, they did the same a little later at Don Mueang.
Now, we ask, what about Phuket? This was the first illegal action that triggered the idea that airports could be occupied without penalty in Thailand. And so it proved . . .
The Democrat-led government has made a habit of taking belated action against protests. Earlier this year, the reds were allowed plenty of time to settle behind their barricades in Bangkok. Instead of moving immediately to clear the streets, to keep Bangkok commerce functioning, the government allowed the protest to fester.
Now, two years on, the government finally takes the action it should have taken in the days and weeks following the 2008 airports invasion.
PAD leaders have often spoken out against corruption and their new political arm aims to be corruption-free. But those other ''c words,'' complacency and conceit, should also not be forgotten.
Should one international airport blockade be tolerated, while the second and third cases are not?
In the interests of one law for all, the proper course of action should be for the leaders of the 2008 Phuket airport invasion to surrender themselves to police today.
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When the Phuket Airport 'invasion' commenced, I was working as a volunteer tourist police officer within the airport boundary, and so I was able to get an 'on-the-spot' view of what was going on, including taking photos as these events unfolded.
My strongest recollection is leading about 20 elderly foreign tourists along the beach, in an attempt to help them to reach their taxis, (since the main airport entrances were blocked by the demonstrators).
These foreign tourists, several who were suffering from the effects of heat and the long walk towards NaiYang beach, were stopped by PAD demonstrators at the airport boundary.
Despite my personal pleas (in Thai and in police uniform), that these innocent, elderly tourists should be allowed to pass, they were not allowed to proceed. It was only when one elderly German tourist started to suffer heart pains that they finally relented.
That's what I remember of the PAD demonstrators. It does not encourage me to forget those events and I hope that legal action is brought against these people who tarnished the image of Phuket
Simon Luttrell
Posted by Simon Luttrell on July 12, 2010 09:03