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Disclosure of report backed



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Disclosure of report backed

ALTHOUGH the disclosure of the Black May 1992 report may affect national
stability, it should serve as a lesson to prevent a similar incident, Army
Commander-in-Chief Gen Surayuth Julanont said yesterday. 

Surayuth re-emphasised his support for the disclosure of the report
compiled by
investigators headed by Gen Phichit Kulavanijaya after being asked if he
thought doing so would affect national stability. 
''Maybe,'' Surayuth replied, ''but the events of May 1992 will be a good
lesson
to us. We have to face the truth so that we can help each other to prevent
such
incidents from happening again.'' 


Dozens of people were killed and many injured when soldiers opened fire on
demonstrators protesting against then prime minister Gen Suchinda Kraprayoon,
who had left the post of army chief to become premier without elections. 


Surayuth said that the pros of disclosing the results of the investigation
would outweigh the cons. 
''This should serve as a lesson so that we can improve and adapt to prevent
similar incidents,'' he said. 
Surayuth said the defence council would tomorrow discuss the decision by the
Defence Ministry's official information committee to make the report public.
Prime Minister Chuan Leekpai, in his capacity as defence minister, will chair
the meeting. 


Surayuth said he himself did not have any details about the information
committee's decision. 
''The defence minister and commanders of the armed forces will have to discuss
the issue. We should reach a decision on Monday,'' Surayuth said. 


Also yesterday Pipop Thongchai, chairman of the Campaign for Popular Democracy
group, welcomed the committee's decision to release the report. 


Pipop said relatives of those killed in May 1992 had been calling on Chuan as
defence minister to release the report to the public but Chuan had lacked the
courage to do it himself. 
''Now permanent officials have made a decision before the political
leadership,'' Pipop said. 


The Nation