On one side of the road
are red shirt supporters…
Patcharapol Panrak
Rayong residents are rebelling against plans to open
a “red shirt village” near the Maptaput industrial estate, accusing
members of the United Front for Democracy Against Dictatorship of sowing
dissension and intolerance in an otherwise-moderate province.
Two community-activist groups protested May 26 at a
ceremony to designate Plaeng as a “red shirt village,” or community
aligned entirely to support the UDD, the red-shirt anti-government
protest movement and fugitive former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra.
After spreading rampantly through Thailand’s
northeast last year, the village campaign has hit resistance as
red-shirted political operatives try to push their agenda southward. A
roadside pavilion at a newly-established red-shirt village in Songkhla’s
Chana District was torched May 15 and hundreds of Phuket residents have
taken to the street in the past two weeks to protest new villages there.
… and on the other side
are Rayong residents who oppose a red shirt village in their town.
Rayong red-shirt movement leaders Thanes Chaanloha
and 80-year-old Yanyong Sawatthaworn claim they hoisted a red banner
over Plaeng as a way to promote democracy, participation in government
policy and fight drugs, but members of the Krabaeng Thong and We Love
Rayong groups say the plan incites dissent, divides people along
color-tinged political lines and could lead to violence akin to the
deadly Bangkok riots of 2010.
Rayong police obviously think the same, as they were
out in force as more than 100 Krabaeng Thong members drove through town
imploring residents via loudspeaker to join them at Yanyong’s
storefront, headquarters of the red-village movement.
There, protestors called on “Uncle Yong” to remove
all traces of the red-shirt allegiance. They claimed the red shirts
disrespect the opinions of village residents who may not support them.
The movement, said group leader Visanu Kaetsuriya, is destructive to
unity and harmony in the province.
Opponents also turned out at the official opening
ceremony later May 26, where 500 red-shirt supporters gathered to swear
their allegiance. Police were on site to ensure the confrontation didn’t
turn violent.
Red-shirt leader Anont Saennan said the red-shirt
village was a symbol of strength for villages and that everyone would
enjoy equal rights. He said the designation would benefit the residents
by allowing it to participate in cooperatives of red villages throughout
the country and promote small- and medium-sized businesses. He denied
the village would create division in society.
There are now more than 12,800 red-shirt villages in
Thailand, mostly in poor, rural Issan, the stronghold of the UDD and the
ruling Pheu Thai government, headed by Thaksin’s sister Yingluck.
Rayong opponent Sombut Tanthonpaibun said, however,
Rayong is different than Issan and a red-shirt village is not needed
here.
