Monday, January 11, 2010

Growing numbers of red-shirt demonstrators led by the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD) are rallying in front of Privy Councillor Surayud Chulanont's vacation residence in Nakhon Ratchasima. They accuse him of encroaching on Khao Yai Thiang forest reserve.


The protesters began arriving on Sunday night and fresh arrivals swelled their numbers this morning to more than 1,000.

Anti-government group leader Suporn Atthawong said on Monday morning that the group's supporters would not resort to violence or trespass into former prime minister Surayud's residence during the rally in Nakhon Ratchasima's Pak Chong district.

The UDD claims the Democrat-led government of Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva is guilty of double standards for overlooking Gen Surayud's case, Many vllagers at Khao Yai Thiang had been charged over trespassing in the forests and forced to leave their land.


"If the government refuses to take any action, the red-clad army may move their mass rally to Bangkok," Mr Suporn warned.

Another UDD core member Sombun Khunthongthai said over 1,000 red-shirts from Pathum Thani will join the rally in front of Gen Surayud's home.

All red-shirt supporters from Pathum Thani had offered to pay for the buses to carry them to the protest, Mr Sombun said.

About 700 policemen have been deployed around Gen Surayud’s house. The main route around his home is heavily congested due to the protest.

The police chief inspector in charge of overseeing the red-shirt rally, Pol Lt-Col Rakpong Buathien, said there was no violence or unrest during the rally last night. Police would continue keeping a close watch on the situation.

"There are more than 1,000 people at the rally already and the number is expected to increase as more buses loaded with red-shirt supporters continue to arrive on Khao Yai Thiang," he said.

The rally was scheduled to end on Tuesday morning.

Gen Surayud earlier said he was willing to comply with the law regarding his controversial land ownership and would follow the Attorney General's decision that his residence encroaches on the forest reserve.

Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban affirmed that blue-shirt protesters will not gather to confront the red-shirts on Khao Yai Thiang.

The blue-shirt group of Bhumjaithai Party de facto head Newin Chidchob was formed to clash against the UDD when the red-shirts disrupted the Asean Summit in Pattaya in April last year.

Mr Suthep urged the red-shirts to rally under the rule of law and not to hurt innocent people or scurity officials.

There had been no reports of any protesters breaking the law so far, he said.

He did not know how long the protest would last, but he did not foresee any need for the army to send troops to the area at this stage.

Police who were deployed there do not carry weapons, he said. They have only batons, shields and handcuffs.

Forestry Department chief Somchai Piansathaporn said a new committee has been set up to look into the Khao Yai Thiang land controversy.

Mr Somchai said the committee comprises representatives of the Forestry and National Park, Wildlife and Plant Conservation departments. The committee was set up following an urgent meeting of the two departments on Monday.

He said the committee is to investigate how Gen Surayud managed to acquire a 14-rai block of the land which was originally intended under a 1975 cabinet resolution to be allocated to landless farmers. The resolution allows landless villagers to use the land, in a forest reserve, for farming without the right to sell it to other people.

Mr Somchai said after the prosecution office for Nakhon Ratchasima's Sikhiu district decided not to indict Gen Surayud and three other people on land encroachment charges for lack of intention the Forestry Department sent a letter on Dec 22 last year to the office requesting an explanation. The prosecution office had not yet replied, he said.

The Forestry Department would send another request to the office, he said.

Mr Somchai said the inquiry committee would also suggest measures to be taken to get the land back. The measures, if agreed on, would be applied to cases of illegal occupation of forest reserves throughout the country, involving about 45,000 people and more than 5 million rai of land, he said.

The committee is due to complete its work in 60 days.

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