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35th anniversary of 6th October blood bath

Red Thai Socialist - October 4, 2011

Giles Ji Ungpakorn – In the early hours of 6th October 1976, Thai uniformed police, stationed in the grounds of the National Museum, next door to Thammasat University, destroyed a peaceful gathering of students and working people on the university campus under a hail of relentless automatic fire.

At the same time a large gang of ultra-Right-wing "informal forces", known as the Village Scouts, Krating-Daeng (or "Red Gaurs") and Nawapon, indulged in an orgy of violence and brutality towards anyone near the front entrance of the university. Students and their supporters were dragged out of the university and hung from the trees around Sanam Luang; others were burnt alive in front of the Ministry of "Justice" while the mob danced round the flames. Women and men, dead or alive, were subjected to the utmost degrading and violent behaviour. One woman had a piece of wood shoved up her vagina. Hopefully she was already dead. Village Scouts dragged dead and dying students from the front of the campus and dumped them on the road, where they were finished-off. A young man plunged a sharp wooden spike into the corpses while a boy urinated over them. Not only did the state's "forces of law and order" do nothing to halt this violence, some uniformed members of the police force were filmed cheering-on the crowd.

On the morning of the 6th October 1976, the police force of the Thai State committed a political crime by crushing the student movement at Thammasat University with weapons of war. The crushing of the student movement on this occasion was without any legitimate reason. In addition to this, the police cooperated with Right-wing gangsters who had gathered outside the university to oppose the students. In doing so, they allowed innocent people to be murdered in the most barbaric manner at Sanam Luang, opposite the Temple of the Emerald Buddha and Wat Mahatart.

The actions of the police and Right-wing mobs on 6th October were the culmination of attempts by the ruling class to stop the further development of a socialist movement in Thailand. The events at Thammasat University were followed by a military coup which brought to power one of the most Right-wing governments Thailand has ever known.

All sections of the Thai ruling class are responsible for this crime. Those responsible include top military and police officials, politicians and the monarchy. All have blood on their hands. No one has ever been punished.

That is why we must bring to justice the generals and politicians who killed un-armed Red Shirts in Bangkok last year. Otherwise we can never have democracy, human rights or justice in Thailand.

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