Invasion of "red" villages in the South
Unlike the Northeast and the North which are regarded as the home bases of the red shirts, the southern region has always been regarded as the political turf of the Democrats and off-limits to the red shirts.
No longer. The South has been penetrated. At least 14 “red” villages have been established in Tambon Bukit, Cho-I-Rong district of Narathiwat. An official ceremony to officiate the opening of the “red” villages took place on May 5 at Bukit railway station and presided over by United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship chair Mrs Thida Thawornseth, her husband and Pheu Thai’s list MP Weng Tojirakarn, and Mrs Daranee Kritboonyalai, a former “hi-so” socialite who has turned an avid red-shirt follower.
More than 1,000 red-shirt followers, many of them waring red hijabs or head scarfs, attended the ceremony out of a population of about 14,000 in Tambon Bukit.
As an official recognition of the new status of the 14 “red” villages, a sign was given to each village by Mrs Thida to declare that they have become democratic and are against dictatorship of all forms.
How come Tambon Bukit has become the turf of the red shirts?
Mr Sama-ae Satapor, the chair of Bukit tambon administration organization (Or-Bor-Tor), said that the majority of the people in Tambon Bukit were supportive of Nee-aris Jetapiwat, former Narathiwat MP and a failed candidate of Chart Thai Pattana party. Nee-aris is also a nephew of former Narathiwat MP Kuseng Yawor Hasan.
Sama-ae explained that many people in Tambon Bukit turned reds because they did not support the Democrats but not all the residents in the 14 “red” villages were red-shirt followers.
He went on saying that the red-shirt supporters in the 14 villages had been quietly mobilizing but they did not join the anti-government protests in Bangkok two years ago although they cheered the red-shirt protesters in front of their television sets. “But after the Pheu Thai party won the last election in a landslide, we were approached by the UDD to have our villages declared “red” villages. We discussed the offer and then agreed to accept the offer,” he added.
A rough survey by Isra news desk showed that there were many other people in the three southernmost provinces who do not like the Democrats but who have supported the UDD but they are not ready yet to form “red” villages.
The Democrats have won nine out of 11 parliamentary seats in the last election with the remaining two each won by Bhumjaithai and Matuphum. But in the constituencies which were won by the Democrats, both the Pheu Thai and Chart Thai Pattana candidates were defeated by a narrow margin.
In Yala’s Constituency 2 for an example, Pheu Thai candidate Sukarno Maha, younger brother of Wan Muhanad Nor Matha, lost to the Democrat candidate by a few hundred votes. In Narathiwat’s Constituency 3, Nee-aris was defeated by Ramree Mama of the Democrat party by about 2,000 votes.
As a matter of fact, the southernmost region is not the political turf of the Democrats. This was proven in the election in 2007 when the Democrats won five of the 12 seats under contest. The Tak Bai massacre which took place during the Thai Rak Thai government has changed the political landscape since then.
But Sama-ae Satapo, chair of Bukit tambon administration Organisation, maintained that political affiliation had nothing to do with the unrest situation in the region.
However, the establishment of “red” villages in Narathiwat has baffled quite a few people in the region. Mahama Yuhari Latehnoring, chair of Juab tambon administration organization in Cho-I-Rong district, admitted that he had no clues in advance that 14 villages in the district would turn red. He insisted that the people in the region didn’t want any more problem and they just wanted peace.
But Mrs Padeeya Beetaebulae, head of the women’s group in Kok Po district of Pattani, disagreed with the “red” villages establishment. She said that people of diffirent political colours or ideals should be able to co-exist peacefully.
She said that the establishment of “red” villages would further widen the political divide.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Thanks : Photo from AFP