The Beginning of Red-Shirts

After the landslide victory of Pheu Thai party, led by Yingluck Shinnawat that look to be the first female prime minister of Thailand. Even before the cabinet formed, before all the MPs’ status endorsed by Election Commission, the public is starting to see the rift among Red-shirts sub-fractions. This morning (July 8^th), @can_nw tweeted the story of the beginning of red-shirts….. this will make you see a clear picture of the fraction within the red-shirts core leaders.

Red-shirts started from Thaksin's supporters, “Kon Rak Thaksin” (which is mean ‘Thaksin lover’… sound a bit too kinky, isn’t it?) formed by Shinnawat HaBoonPaat and Mochit cabby group in early 2006.

At the time, Shinnawat was operating Taxi community radio to encounter the gathering of anti-Thaksin group, People Alliance for Democracy (PAD). Then Shinnawat, babysitted by Shupong Teetuan, presented "Democracy doctrine" through the rally at Jatujak park. While Shinnawat was leading rally to fight PAD, Weng Tojirakarn was on PAD's stage criticizing Thaksin's state enterprises reformation policy.

Shinnawat Haboonpaat

In April 2006, "Poor People Caravan" from the north and the northeast had joined Shinawat's gathering at Jatujak park. The group led by Kumta Kanboonjan, MeaSa-Ing, and Kuanpetch Ponerum. The group, supported by Newin, had allied with "Taxi love Thaksin" group and became “Democracy Protection Federation” (the name of federation might be different, no information of name in English found)

In Mid-2006, Kwanchai Praipana formed Thaksin supporter group called "U-don lover club," which was not under Newin.

After the coup on Sept 19, came many independent anti-dictatorship groups, which also include Weng Tojirakarn and his fellows.

In May 2007, Weng asked Shinnawat group, Kwanchai group and "Rak Thaksin" group to form People Alliance Against Coup D'etat (I said DAAD in my tweet, my apology for the mixed-up). In the same time, Weera, Jatuporn, Jakkrapob and Korkeaw was forming Satellite television called “PTV,” and started its gathering at Sanam Luang royal park (Thung Phra Men). The Media call them ‘PTV mob.’

Weng Tojirakarn on UDD (red-shirts) stage in 2010

While two sides of the politics campaigning on Canstitution 2007, more people has joined PTV and hence become the Democratic Alliance Against Dictatorship (DAAD).

DAAD changed their name to be UDD, which stands for United Front for Democracy Against Dictatorship, after the general election in 2007 and start exercising the political rally to drive out ‘Elite Proxy’ government in 2009-2010.

From many different ideologies of many fractions, but all groups carry the same goal of UDD. That is why there are so many conflicts right after Pheu Thai party won the election in 2011.

The very first group of people that started the red-shirts at MoChit has all split up on their political paths. Shinnawat though, still stand as Thaksin supporter. Shinnawat was a taxi driver that form Taxi Co-operative and Taxi community radio, he has definitely less ‘Social Capital’ than Weng and Tida Tojirakarn.

Weng and Tida Tojirakarn are the anti-dictatorship front-liners since 1973. They played important roles in Thai Revolution party, which now resigned.

Tida Tawornset (wife of Weng Tojirakarn, currently acting UDD leader)

The different in ideology make Shinnawat not familiar with the concept and the procedure of Tida’s Centralized Democracy. So Shinnawat refuses ‘jungle people,’ but he wants a lawyer like Kanin BunSuwan to replace Tida as UDD leader.

All-n-all, @can_nw doesn’t believes there will be a break-up among red-shirts. During the ‘honeymoon period,’ reds would understand reds the best…. But of course, the future is unpredictable.