Indonesian solidarity with the democracy struggle in Thailand
Solidarity protest at the embassy of Thailand, Jakarta, Indonesia, May 25, 2010. Another slideshow below. Made with Slideshow Embed Tool.
Democracy and humanity for the people of Thailand
Jakarta, May 25, 2010 -- Since March, the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD), also known as the Red Shirts, began a massive protest against the Abhisit Vejjajiva government. A government that came to power not through democratic elections but installed by the military and endorsed by the monarchy.
The Red Shirts’ main demand is that PM Abhisit resigns and hold a fresh, democratic election. After receiving numerous threats from the regime, last Friday (May 14) Abhisit used fully armed soldiers to violently disperse the Red Shirts. A “Live Firing Zone” was set up by the military to legalise the violence they do. Unbalanced fights broke out in the street of Bangkok, the centre of the Red Shirts' protest.
The military
repression in Thailand has cost dozens of lives and thousands of injuries,
because of the use of live bullets and other forms of violence. The systematic
violence by the state against civilians, in any form, cannot be justified.
Moreover, the reason for the violence is to uphold an undemocratic regime
installed by the military.
We strongly condemn
the Indonesian government for not taking a clear position or taking the
international initiative to respond the situation in Thailand. Moreover,
Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (SBY) received a visit from
Thailand's Foreign Minister Kasit Priomya, one of Abhisit’s righthand men, on April
29, 2010. Receiving the visit without making any criticism shows the position
of the Indonesian government that ignores (or silently supports) the murdering
of the people of Thailand. We strongly condemn the silence of the regional and
international bodies (ASEAN and the United Nations) over this matter.
The problem in
Thailand is not only a conflict between two elites (Thaksin Shinawatra and
Abhisit Vejjajiva) an excuse which many people use to say that this should be
left as an internal affair of Thailand. Millions of Thai people have openly
declared a strong willingness to fight for their democratic rights. This
willingness has been proved with heroic self-sacrifice. With their
political action, the Red Shirts have shown that they are supporters of
democracy, social justice and the ideas and universal practice of human
civilisation. Military repression will not solve the problem and instead create
a protracted social conflict.
Seeing that situation
above, we declare our position and demand as follows:
- For the international
community to immediately take decisive step to stop the military violence
against the people of Thailand.
- Stop supplying weapons
to the Thai army.
- Pressure the Thai
government to stop the violence and restore democracy, with a concrete measures
of immediate democratic elections.
- The King of Thailand
must take responsibility for the violence perpetrated by Abhisit’s regime. A
regime that ruled over the blessing of the King of Thailand.
- Condemn the rise of
militarism and repressive action by the military that has developed in South
East Asia.
- Demand that the ASEAN
Inter-government Human Rights Commission act responsibly on the gross human
rights violations that have occurred in Thailand.
We make this statement
as an appeal to the Indonesian people’s movement to build solidarity for the
people of Thailand struggling to free themselves from the oppression of the
military and Abhisit’s regime.
Signed by:
Working People
Association (PRP)
People’s Democratic
Party (PRD)
Confederation Congress
of Indonesia Union Alliance (Konfederasi KASBI)
Indonesian National
Front for Labour Struggle (FNPBI)
National Student
League for Democracy (LMND)
Indonesian Poor People
Union (SRMI)
Confederation of
Nusantara Syndicalist (KSN)
Student Committee of
University of Indonesia (KM-UI)
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