
A series of political demonstrations and following unrest occurred in
Thailand
Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...
from 26 March to 14 April 2009 in
Bangkok
Bangkok, officially known in Thai language, Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estim ...
and
Pattaya
Pattaya is a city in Eastern Thailand, the second-largest city in Chonburi province and the List of municipalities in Thailand, eighth-largest city in Thailand. It is on the east coast of the Gulf of Thailand, about southeast of Bangkok, and h ...
against the government of
Abhisit Vejjajiva
Abhisit Vejjajiva (; , , ; born 3 August 1964) is a Thai politician who was the 27th prime minister of Thailand from 2008 to 2011. He was the leader of the Democrat Party from 2005 until he resigned following the party's weak performance in t ...
and the military crackdown that followed. Up to 100,000 people demonstrated in central Bangkok at the height of the protests. The crackdown is also known in Thailand as "Bloody Songkran" (), referring to the Thai holiday of
Songkran, which takes place on 13–15 April.
Background
On 17 December 2008,
Abhisit Vejjajiva
Abhisit Vejjajiva (; , , ; born 3 August 1964) is a Thai politician who was the 27th prime minister of Thailand from 2008 to 2011. He was the leader of the Democrat Party from 2005 until he resigned following the party's weak performance in t ...
, leader of the
Democrat Party, was named
Prime Minister
A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...
, after the
Constitutional Court of Thailand banned then-Prime Minister
Somchai Wongsawat from politics for five years.
In March 2009, Thaksin Shinawatra claimed via video broadcast that Privy Council President
Prem Tinsulanonda had masterminded the 2006 military coup, and that Prem and fellow Privy Councilor members
Surayud Chulanont and
Chanchai Likhitjittha conspired with the military to ensure that Abhisit became Premier. Although there was no proof of Thaksin's charge and Abhisit denied the accusations, thousands of Shinawatra supporters protested in Bangkok in early April, demanding that Abhisit resign as prime minister and that Prem, Surayud, and Chanchai resign from the Privy Council. Thaksin then called for a "peoples revolution" to overcome the alleged aristocratic influences of the Abhisit government. The protests, led by the red-shirted
National United Front of Democracy Against Dictatorship
The United Front for Democracy Against Dictatorship (UDD; , alternatively translated as National Democratic Alliance against Dictatorship), whose supporters are commonly called Red Shirts (Thailand), Red Shirts, is a political pressure group ...
(UDD), expanded to Pattaya, where the
Fourth East Asia Summit was to be held. Violent clashes broke out between the UDD and blue-shirted government supporters affiliated with
Newin Chidchob, leader of the
Bhumjaithai Party
Bhumjaithai Party (BJT; , ) is a major conservative populist political party in Thailand. It was founded on 5 November 2008, in anticipation of the 2 December 2008 Constitutional Court ruling that dissolved its ''de facto'' predecessor, the Ne ...
.
[ The protesters broke into the hotel and forced the summit to be cancelled, causing Abhisit to declare a ]state of emergency
A state of emergency is a situation in which a government is empowered to put through policies that it would normally not be permitted to do, for the safety and protection of its citizens. A government can declare such a state before, during, o ...
in both Pattaya and Chonburi
Chonburi (, , IAST: , ) is the capital of Chonburi Province and, as part of the district Mueang Chonburi District, Mueang Chonburi, the List of municipalities in Thailand, seventh-largest city in Thailand. It is about 100 km southeast of Ba ...
on 11 April.
Popular protests
8 April
The mass protest began with 100,000 demonstrators, supporters of ousted former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra
Thaksin Shinawatra (, ; born 26 July 1949) is a Thai businessman and politician who was the 23rd prime minister of Thailand from 2001 to 2006. Since 2009 he has also been a citizen of Montenegro.
Thaksin founded the mobile phone operator A ...
, were at Government House and the nearby Royal Plaza by the evening.
Veera Musikapong, Jatuporn Prompan, Nattawut Saikua and Jakrapop Penkair leaders of the National United Front of Democracy Against Dictatorship
The United Front for Democracy Against Dictatorship (UDD; , alternatively translated as National Democratic Alliance against Dictatorship), whose supporters are commonly called Red Shirts (Thailand), Red Shirts, is a political pressure group ...
(UDD) have bulletin "8 April: The Day for Fall of Aristocratic Polity" for Abhisit Vejjajiva
Abhisit Vejjajiva (; , , ; born 3 August 1964) is a Thai politician who was the 27th prime minister of Thailand from 2008 to 2011. He was the leader of the Democrat Party from 2005 until he resigned following the party's weak performance in t ...
resign from the Premiership and that Prem Tinsulanonda, Surayud Chulanont and Chanchai Likhitjittha resign from the Privy Council within 24 hours, otherwise it would announce raising the level of its anti-government protest.
On 04.45 p.m. UDD protesters marched from the residence of Privy Council president Prem Tinsulanonda to the Victory Monument, the city's largest traffic and transport hub, to join about hundred taxi drivers who parked their vehicles blocked roads around the area.
11 April
The protests, led by the red-shirted National United Front of Democracy Against Dictatorship (UDD) expanded to Pattaya
Pattaya is a city in Eastern Thailand, the second-largest city in Chonburi province and the List of municipalities in Thailand, eighth-largest city in Thailand. It is on the east coast of the Gulf of Thailand, about southeast of Bangkok, and h ...
, the site of an ASEAN summit. The taxi-drivers with their cabs, leading supporters of the UDD, were rallied, heading to Pattaya before dawn. Major roads, the gates to Pattaya were blocked. Violent clashes occurred between the UDD and government supporters wearing dark blue T-shirts in the afternoon as the protesters were heading to the site of the summit. There were reports of blue-shirts throwing bombs at the UDD. Since the police failed to halt the rallies, the masses eventually stormed the hotel, the summit building.
The protests caused the ASEAN summit to be cancelled. The security force escorted the foreign leaders, leaving from the hotel by the navy ships and helicopters. The prime minister Abhisit therefore declared a state of emergency
A state of emergency is a situation in which a government is empowered to put through policies that it would normally not be permitted to do, for the safety and protection of its citizens. A government can declare such a state before, during, o ...
in the areas of Pattaya and Chonburi
Chonburi (, , IAST: , ) is the capital of Chonburi Province and, as part of the district Mueang Chonburi District, Mueang Chonburi, the List of municipalities in Thailand, seventh-largest city in Thailand. It is about 100 km southeast of Ba ...
. The protest eventually ended in the afternoon.
12 April
Protesters returned to Bangkok after Arisman Pongreungrong, the protest leader was detained by the police for causing the cancellation of the ASEAN summit.
Suporn Attawong and protesters attempted on the Prime Minister's life and injured his secretary general, Niphon Promphan, and Promphan's driver.
13 April
Thai soldiers in full combat kit fired live rounds and training rounds from automatic weapons to clear protesters from the Din Daeng intersection near the Victory Monument in central Bangkok, injuring at least 70 people. The Army later claimed that live rounds were only fired into the air while training rounds were fired at the crowd. Human Rights Watch
Human Rights Watch (HRW) is an international non-governmental organization that conducts research and advocacy on human rights. Headquartered in New York City, the group investigates and reports on issues including War crime, war crimes, crim ...
confirmed that there are some cases where the Army fired live ammunition directly at protesters. Also on 13 April, Sean Boonpracong, the UDD's official international spokesman, gave a phone interview to Al-Jazeera English, admitting that some UDD protesters used hand guns during street protests though he claimed that the guns are used in defence of the military crackdown. The UDD claimed one protester injured from gunshot wounds sustained during the military's attack. However, the Army later claimed that the wound was not caused by an M-16, the standard Army rifle. Also on Monday the government ordered the blocking of satellite news station D Station, an affiliate of the UDD which, at the time, was broadcasting the clashes. Several UDD community radio stations were shut down and searched upon suspicion of being supporters of the UDD. Violent clashes at numerous locations in Bangkok continued while arrest warrants were issued for Thaksin and 13 protest leaders.
14 April
Surrounded by the military, many protesters eventually gave in on 14 April 2009, ending the violence. As the troops encircled the major location of the demonstration, near the Government House, demonstrators agreed to end their activity. The government confirmed the peaceful measure towards the protesters, free transport were provided for taking the protesters back to their home in the provinces. The demonstration ended 'officially' and peacefully in around noon time.
Aftermath
According to government figures, over 120 people were injured in the unrest, most of them UDD demonstrators. At least one UDD protester injured from gunshot wounds sustained during the military's attack in Din Daeng, although the Army claimed the wound was not caused by their standard firearm. The UDD claimed that at least 6 demonstrators were killed in the unrest and their bodies hauled away by the military, although the Army rejected the claim. The dead bodies of 2 UDD protesters were found floating in the Chao Phraya River
The Chao Phraya River is the major river in Thailand, with its low alluvial plain forming the centre of the country. It flows through Bangkok and then into the Gulf of Thailand.
Etymology
Written evidence of the river being referred to by the ...
, their hands tied behind their backs and their bodies badly beaten, although police had yet to conclude whether their murders were politically motivated. On 11 September 2009, The House-appointed committee in charge of investigating the unrest has completed its report saying no death inflicted by crowd control.
Abhisit aide Satit Wongnontaey claimed that Red-shirted protesters shot a person dead and injured two others when residents of the Nang Lerng Market came out to criticise the protesters. The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration
The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) is the local government of Bangkok, which includes the capital of Thailand. The government is composed of two branches: the executive (or the Governor of Bangkok) and the legislative (or Bangkok Metro ...
estimated that it had incurred 10 million Baht (approximately US$300,000) in property damages, including 31 damaged and burned buses. But, the Federation of Thai Tourism Industry estimated that the damage to the tourism industry could be as high as 200 billion Baht and resulting in 257,000 jobs lost.[http://www.thailandoutlook.com/thailandoutlook1/top%20menu/investor%20news/Daily%20News%20Summary?DATEDAILY=Monday,%20April%2020,%202009 ]
See also
* Constitution of Thailand
The Constitution of the Kingdom of Thailand (; ) provides the basis for the rule of law in Thailand. Since the abolition of the absolute monarchy in 1932, Thailand has had 20 charters or constitutions. Many changes followed military coups, ref ...
* 1973 Thai popular uprising
* 1976 Thammasat University massacre
* 2005–06 Thai political crisis
* 2006 Thai coup d'état
The 2006 Thai coup d'état took place on 19 September 2006, when the Royal Thai Army staged a coup d'état against the elected caretaker government of Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. The coup d'état, which was Thailand's first non-constitu ...
* Public opinion of the 2006 Thai coup d'état
* 2008 Thai political crisis
* 2010 Thai political protests
* 2010 Thai military crackdown
* 2013–2014 Thai political crisis
The 2013–2014 Thai political crisis was a period of political instability in Thailand. Anti-government protests took place between November 2013 and May 2014, organised by the People's Democratic Reform Committee (PDRC), a political pressur ...
* 2014 Thai coup d'état
* 2014 interim constitution of Thailand
* 2019 Thai general election
Nineteen or 19 may refer to:
* 19 (number)
* One of the years 19 BC, AD 19, 1919, 2019
Films
* ''19'' (film), a 2001 Japanese film
* ''Nineteen'' (1987 film), a 1987 science fiction film
* '' 19-Nineteen'', a 2009 South Korean film
* '' D ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:2009 Thai Political Unrest
Political history of Thailand
2009 in Thailand
Political Protests
2009 riots
Riots and civil disorder in Thailand
Protests in Thailand
Rebellions in Thailand