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Campaigners dispute Black May repor



Subject: Campaigners dispute Black May report

Local & Politics 

     Campaigners dispute Black
     May report

     ACTIVISTS yesterday disputed the
     summarised report on the Black May probe
     results, which blamed the violent incident on a
     third party. 

     Adul Khiewboriboon, chairman of the
     Committee for the Relatives of the May 1992
     Heroes, said that there were only two parties
     involved in the incident: the ruling government
     of the time and the protesters. 

     ''We don't know which group of people the
     report refers to as the third party. But it
     appears they have put the blame on the
     protesters. The people on Rajdamnoen
     Avenue during the incident were all on the
     opposite side of the powers-that-be,'' he
     said. 

     Adul's son was killed by security forces in a
     crackdown that followed a mass protest
     against coup-maker Gen Suchinda
     Kraprayoon's rise to the premiership. Scores
     of protesters were killed and many others
     injured. 

     The eight-page report summarises the
     findings of an investigation conducted in 1992,
     shortly after the incident, by a Defence
     Ministry team headed by privy councillor Gen
     Pichit Kullavanija. 

     Speaking at a panel discussion held at the
     Royal Hotel, Adul said he believed the military
     crackdown on protesters was intentional, and
     not to the contrary as stated in the probe
     report. 

     Dr Sant Hatirat, one of the protest leaders,
     told the meeting that he believed it was ''the
     first party'' -- those who ordered the
     suppression on protesters -- that was
     responsible for the incident. 

     He said the torching of a police station and
     other government agencies near the protest
     site was well planned to serve as an excuse
     for the powers-that-be to order the
     crackdown. The report blamed the fiery
     events on the third party. 

     Chaturon Chaisaeng, secretary-general of the
     New Aspiration Party, said at the discussion
     that the blame on a third party could distort
     history, just like similar incidents in the past. 


     He called on the government to unveil the full
     version of the investigation report. 

     The Nation