Red Shirt village

Nong Hu Ling is a village in the northeastern part of Thailand, surrounded by paddy fields and jungle. Here, in the Province of Udon Thani, the people are openly showing where their loyalties lie: In the middle of a eucalyptus grove there is a huge banner that reads: "Red Shirt village for democracy."

The Red Shirts are mainly supporters of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra who was ousted in 2006 by the military. Last year, the Red Shirts initiated mass protests in Thailand’s capital, Bangkok. They demanded that PM Abhisit Vejjajiva dissolve the parliament and call for snap elections. Abhisit, say his critics, came to power illegally thanks to political intrigue and with the backing of the military.

Bloody clashes

Last year’s protests, which were peaceful at first, ended in bloody clashes with the military. On May 19, 2010, Thailand’s army finally broke up the demonstrations with force. 91 were killed and almost 2,000 were injured in April and May that year.

Kongchau Chaikang, head of Nong Hu Ling village, had attended the rallies with his wife, along with half of the village’s inhabitants. After the protests ended and the villagers returned home defeated, they were afraid to wear any red clothing, though the northeastern part of Thailand is a stronghold of the Red Shirt Movement. They were afraid that the military and the government would persecute them. The memory of last year’s violence is still very clear in his mind says Kongchai Chaikang: "All leaders and supporters of the Red Shirt Movement in this village said they don’t want to organize any more mass protests. If we were to go to Bangkok ever again we would have to be very careful."

Open supporters

At least 320 villages in Udon Thani and the neighboring Khon Kaen Province are openly supporting the Red Shirts. The movement also known as the "United Democratic Front against Dictatorship" (UDD) is signaling that their cause is not dead yet. On the contrary, they are strengthening both their regional and local networks. Arnon Sannan is the Secretary General of the UDD in Udon Thani Province. He says, after losing the struggle in April and May 2010, "we are now trying to bring together all Red Shirt groups in Udon Thani to maintain our unity through new ways."

The situation is still tense in Thailand as the Buddhist kingdom is gearing up for elections. The "Democrat Party" under PM Abhisit has a serious contender for power: the Phue Thai Party, also known as the Party for Thais, which is backed by the Red Shirt movement. Abhisit’s main rival in this race is Yingluck Shinawatra, the sister of ousted politician Thaksin Shinawatra.

A unified Thailand

Some questions remain in the deeply divided country: are the two rivaling parties going to accept if the opposition wins the majority? And, will the election process be free and fair? Without a free election, national reconciliation is in jeopardy, says Niyom Piwfai, one of the Red Shirts’ leaders. Niyom says "if the elections are democratic then nothing stands in the way of reconciliation. The villagers who are supporting the Red Shirts also want a unified Thailand."

Whether this will actually happen is uncertain. Skeptics are convinced the election is only going to be a reprieve from the political conflict.

Author: Nicola Glass / zr
Editor: Sarah Berning