Simply Red: Activist puts people, Not politics, First
Nithiwat Wannasiri once wore yellow, now he's changed colours and says he'd do so again as long as it advances the cause of justice
he Democrat government caused Nithiwat Wannasiri to don a red shirt, but the Pheu Thai administration might cause him to take it off.
In 2005, Mr Nithiwat marched with the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) because he did not like former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra's dictatorial style.
He wanted justice for the massacres in Tak Bai and Krue Sue. Demonstrating against Thaksin was less about corruption or allegations of anti-monarchy activities than it was a desire to see justice for the people whose lives were taken.
He marched again in 2010, even appearing on a red stage on May 19, the day of the final crackdown. Though it was a red stage, Mr Nithiwat insists it wasn't a United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD) stage.
''Not every red shirt is a UDD supporter, '' he says. ''There are UDD red shirts and free red shirts.''
Today, if anyone wants to know about the lese majeste and Computer Crime Act convictions against Ampon Tangnoppakul (''Uncle SMS'') and Thai-born American Joe Gordon, Mr Nithiwat is the person to ask.
''I followed the cases since day one,'' says the 25-year-old.
Bangkok Post Sunday spoke to Mr Nithiwat at the offices of Ampon's lawyers, where he goes daily to help out.
When it comes to the progress of the cases, court records and all the happenings involving the two men who were recently found guilty, Mr Nithiwat humbly says he's an authority. He has written about them on his Facebook page.
In fact, he probably knows the case better than any journalist, having been in the thick of it, passionately so, since day one. Many of those who follow the cases, including journalists, have taken their cue from Mr Nithiwat's writings.
He may be the poster child for reporting in the internet age.
Mr Nithiwat is a college dropout. He didn't like to study much, didn't care for much. To this day, he still doesn't have a proper job.
With his long hair and moustache, he looks like a typically lost and rebellious young man. He did not know what he wanted to do with his life.
''I was never politically conscientious,'' he said.
But Mr Nithiwat was looking for a cause.
He tried to find one by joining the Student Council of Thailand, but it wasn't the right fit.
Today, however, he's found his cause and wants for nothing other than justice for the people.
This is the story of how one government made a red shirt and how another government might lose one.
How did you come to join the red shirts?
It was on April 10, 2010. [When government troops clashed with protesters at Kok Wua intersection resulting in the deaths of 25 people and more than 800 injuries]. That was the first time I told myself I had to put on a red shirt. But I wasn't active at the time. I didn't join the protests. It was on May 10, one month after the killing at Kok Wua, that I went to join the remembrance activities. I thought it was wrong for the authorities to kill people. I wanted justice.
Where were you when the final crackdown took place on May 19?
I was at Bon Kai in Klong Toei [district]. The leaders went up on the stage to announce that it was over. The leaders at the main stage [Ratchaprasong intersection] had surrendered to the authorities. So they told us we were to dissolve our gathering. Everyone was very angry. All that day, we were surrounded by the authorities. They were shooting at us. People were angry and wanted vengeance. They wanted to keep on fighting. They wanted to fight for their brothers and sisters who were killed. The leaders on the stage lost control of the situation. It was madness. I jumped on the stage. I was crying. I tried to calm everyone down. But the people were very angry.
Did that lead to the arson throughout Bangkok?
No, I can tell you right now, the burnings were premeditated. It wasn't us. We couldn't have planned it.
Some seemed to have been premeditated, but some seemed to have been wanton.
That's true. But to my knowledge, we didn't do it.
What happened afterwards?
I decided to flee. Everyone had to flee. The authorities were after us. I went to stay at a friend's house for a month. I was filled with a desire for vengeance. I had never felt like that before.
How do you see Thaksin and the red movement?
Many of us didn't care for Thaksin. To us, he's just another victim of the coup. If we defend his rights, that doesn't mean we have to like him.
What of the accusation that people like you in the UDD were used to serve Thaksin's agenda?
I am not a member of the UDD. I may wear the red shirt, but I am not part of the UDD. There are many red shirt groups. I think red, but I am not red.
What do you mean by 'think red'?
Thinking red is to want justice and equality for the people.
Many would say that you ended up being a tool to further the political agenda of others, that the reds belong to Pheu Thai and that party belongs to Thaksin.
Each movement, red or yellow, was started by people with money. But then the movement expands and other people join in because they have found a common cause.
The cause for us was not to fight for Thaksin _ it was for justice and democracy. All along we have maintained hope that there will be justice and democracy.
Wasn't it democratic when the Abhisit Vejjajiva government offered general elections in November of last year, a proposal the UDD leadership turned down?
Calling for a re-election was the agenda of the movement before April 10. After April 10, after what happened at Kok Wua, there was a different agenda _ to seek justice for those who were killed.
Both Abhisit and Suthep Thaugsuban have recently been called in by the Department of Special Investigation to answer for their roles in last year's events. Would you call this justice?
No. It's just for show. The government [Pheu Thai] only knows how to defend. They don't attack.
So your aspirations didn't materialise with the July 3 elections?
Not exactly. To tell you the truth, I didn't even know the name or the face of the Pheu Thai candidate I voted for. I didn't even look at the party list. I knew I would vote Pheu Thai, because I had hoped that they would stand up for the rights of the people, as they had promised.
Did it turn out as you had hoped?
The opposite happened. They are ready to forget in the interests of reconciliation.
You don't want reconciliation?
Yes, I do. But reconciliation can only be had if the truth is revealed. You can't lie. You can't hide the truth and have reconciliation. I was very disappointed when Thaksin wrote his letter to the red shirts telling us to forgive and forget.
Do you care if he's able to come back if that might be behind the push for reconciliation?
No, because this is not about justice for the people. This is why there are UDD red shirts and free red shirts. There are differences. We only want justice and equality for the people.
Is that why you follow the cases of Ampon and Joe Gordon so closely?
Yes and not just those cases. Those were just the ones that grabbed the public's attention. There are many other cases of injustice against the people.
What's your view on the Pheu Thai Party?
They are not red shirts. Most Pheu Thai MPs are not red shirts. They have their own agendas. They have put up a ceiling limiting what the rest of us can think because they want us to conform to their agendas.
Is that why you criticise MPs, even the red shirts among them, on your Facebook page?
Pheu Thai's main priority is to do for their own people first and leave the rest. But I can understand that.
So in the future, you might not wear a red shirt any more?
It doesn't matter what colour shirt I wear. It might not be red in the future _ the only thing that matters is the fight for justice for the people and equality.
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