Parties unite to remember Black May, warn of military’s political power

Yesterday, representatives from three major political parties attended a memorial event to honour the lives lost during the Black May 1992 incident, which took place 31 years ago when a military-led government suppressed demonstrators. The event was held at a memorial on Ratchadamnoen Road.

Chaithawat Tulathon, secretary-general of the Move Forward Party, was present at the event and stated that the incident taught people about democracy and the extent of the military’s influence in politics. He expressed concern that there had been no military reform following the incident, leaving the possibility of the military returning to the political scene in the future.

Chaithawat also mentioned that many lessons from the violent incident, in which the military cracked down on anti-government protesters, had not been fully learned, as investigation reports were never released. The military-led government at the time, headed by coup maker and prime minister Gen Suchinda Kraprayoon, clashed with demonstrators who demanded a return to democratic rule and an elected prime minister. The official death toll was 44, with 1,728 injuries and 38 people missing, although some believe the actual number of deaths was higher, reported Bangkok Post.

Cholnan Srikaew, leader of the Pheu Thai Party, said that Bloody May was another example of people struggling amidst political crises to achieve full democracy. He added that the recent general election results were a clear example of the public using their power to oust a military-led government.

Thai Sang Thai Party leader Khunying Sudarat Keyuraphan drew parallels between the current political situation and the events of Bloody May, stating, “Our politics are always stuck with coups. It is like a car stuck in the mud. We need to accelerate our engine to free the car from mud as quickly as possible.”