Crackdown anniversary

One of the many unanswered questions about last year’s clashes between protesters and troops that killed more than 90 people and injured over 1,800 is who started a fire at a mall in central Bangkok.

What remains is a 30-metre corrugated iron wall masking the remnants of the mysterious arson attack a year ago - a reminder of Thailand's struggle to tame a crisis that many fear could turn violent again during elections.

The country’s election battle got into full swing on Thursday as a mass opposition rally to mourn protesters killed in a military crackdown a year ago underscored simmering political tensions.

About 15,000 red shirts rallied near the site of the crackdown, to mark its first anniversary. They waved flags and held placards calling for justice for those killed. Relatives of the victims said they were still waiting for answers from the authorities about who was responsible for starting the fire and other violence.

Conspiracy theories

Conspiracy theories abound over the motives and identity of the arsonists. However, police probes and a state investigation into the violence have largely been inconclusive and tainted by allegations of political interference, while independent fact-finding panels have also failed to unearth what exactly happened.

The “Red Shirts” were widely blamed for the fire that raged for more than 10 hours at Central World, Southeast Asia’s second-biggest shopping mall. Many saw it as a final, desperate act of an unruly mob hired by exiled former premier Thaksin Shinawatra wanting to take back power. But the fact that the mall was set on fire long after the military had seized control of the protest site has not been explained, raising questions of whether the military-backed government of Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva had a hand in the incident.

'Excessive and unnecessary lethal force'

A study published this month by the New York-based rights watchdog Human Rights Watch blamed both sides for last year's violence, criticizing the military for "excessive and unnecessary lethal force" and the Red Shirts for encouraging rioting and harboring black-clad militants who fought the army.

"There has been some legal movement against demonstrators but no honest self examination or holding to account by the authorities and officials involved," said Benjamin Zawacki, a researcher at London-based Amnesty International. "So far, none of the root causes have been addressed."

An estimated 800 demonstrators were detained under emergency laws following the violence, and more than 130 are still in jail, unable to pay bail. To date, 22 have been convicted of offences while no state officials have faced charges, according to the Thai government’s Truth for Reconciliation Committee of Thailand.

Author: Sherpem Sherpa (Reuters, AFP)
Editor: Anne Thomas