An anonymous New Mandala contributor based in Oxford writes:
I’m very sorry to report that I failed to get into Abhisit’s talk this morning [Saturday] at St John’s. I arrived for the talk 15mins beforehand to find that the auditorium was “full” – it appeared that the talk was over-subscribed (we were asked to register beforehand with the Department of Politics), with at least 40 others who were queueing alongside me denied entry into the college…
For what it’s worth, there were about two dozen red-shirted protesters outside St John’s with anti-Abhisit, pro-democracy banners. A pimply Thai undergrad stood guard at the college gate, and meekly remonstrated with people who asked why they weren’t being let in even though they had registered. Some academics from Mansfield College denied entry got agitated, saying stuff like “The only reason we’re not being let in is he doesn’t want to answer our questions. He doesn’t believe in free speech.”
A pamphlet was handed out to people, undersigned by Dr Giles [Ungapkorn], and headed “St John’s should not play host to the Thai prime minister who supports the suppression of democracy”. The closing reads:
A civil war is developing in Thailand and it is a class war between the rich and the poor. The Royalist Yellow-shirts represent the undemocratic elite, while a new Civil Society is emerging from the pro-democracy Red Shirt movement. The Red Shirts are becoming a republican movement, representing millions of Thais. We need to cut down the military’s influence in society, reform the judiciary and the police and to expand freedom and democracy from this grassroots movement … we need to abolish the Monarchy. For it has now become a serious obstacle to freedom and human dignity in Thailand.
9 responses so far ↓
1 Srithanonchai // Mar 16, 2009 at 4:47 pm
“A civil war is developing in Thailand and it is a class war between the rich and the poor.” > Writing this, how can one take Giles (not a “Dr.”) seriously?
2 jonfernquest // Mar 16, 2009 at 4:58 pm
“He doesn’t believe in free speech.”
Thaksin set a record for most defamation cases initiated by a Prime Minister.
LM cases have been pursued under the last several Prime Ministers on both the Thaksin and anti-Thaksin sides.
[A memory the size of a pea, a very smaaallllll pea]
So the Giles pamphlet is now explicitly anti-monarchy, lumping everything he personally dislikes into the same boat and claiming an overwhelming mandate for it in Thailand, all without any proof, typical Giles “scholarship” infantile and delusional, to say the least.
3 Ralph Kramden // Mar 16, 2009 at 10:46 pm
I have a request for Srithanonchai : If Ji is wrong, what is happening in Thailand? How do we understand the events of the period from about 2001? I realise that this is a big question, but I don’t think it is enough to just reject Ji’s position with no argumentation at all.
jonfernquest seems to claim that Giles has just become anti-monarchy. What, then, was the Red Siam manifesto?
4 Ravin Thambapillai // Mar 17, 2009 at 1:44 pm
The Event was full. He was keen to meet with all objectors and attempted to answer Prof Ungpakhorns questions. It was explicitly stated that places were limited and there would be a first come first served basis even for those who had registered. Claims that denial of entry were intentional are absolutely absurd, which, as the President of the Organising society, I can testify.
5 Tarrin // Mar 17, 2009 at 2:21 pm
Many people there was invited by the Thai Embassy… so you know what sort of people were there right?? I saw a kid playing his PSP in that room…. I’m not sure why but that seat could be reserve for someone… you know… more critical than that kid…
6 Ralph Kramden // Mar 17, 2009 at 9:28 pm
Ravin Thambapillai says that it was first come, first served while others say the Thai Embassy invited people and had reserved seats. Which is true?
7 Tarrin // Mar 18, 2009 at 2:57 am
To: Ralph
Well if you look at the picture taken in front of the St. John, there were about 10-20 red shirt standing there and were not allow to go in because seats were reserved.
Here is the link:
http://rspas.anu.edu.au/rmap/newmandala/2009/03/16/abhisits-talk-in-oxford-from-the-inside/
Quote from the article.
“Abhisit’s arrival was greeted by Red Shirt protesters who were waiting for him in front of St.John’s. However, most of the Red Shirts were not allowed to go inside. This is because everyone needed to reserve their place. It was Oxford students (most of them Thai), Thai students from other UK universities, and guests invited by the the Thai Embassy in London, who composed the majority of the audience.”
8 Ravin Thambapillai // Mar 18, 2009 at 10:57 am
Sorry to clarify – the Thai embassy reserved a few of the two hundred seats available. For those not in the Thai embassies party, the places were allocated in a first come, first served basis. This applied to the vast majority of audience members.
9 Ravin Thambapillai // Mar 18, 2009 at 10:59 am
I realise this too requires clarification, apologies.
The embassy list was reserved. For security reasons, we had to have names of people who attended the talk, so people were required to sign up before hand. Around 400 people chose to do so. Of these 400, the 180/190 or so seats in the auditorium were dished out in a first come first served basis. The professors complaining were part of the list of 400.
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