Oct 6 massacre survivors slam 'Samak's lies'
Protesters condemn 'distortion of history'
ACHARA ASHAYAGACHAT
Former students and relatives of those killed during the violent suppression of the Oct 6, 1976 student uprising at Thammasat University condemned Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej yesterday for distorting historical facts. About 200 former students, victim's relatives and academics rallied at the October 14 Memorial yesterday.
They took Mr Samak to task for stating in a recent interview with CNN that only ''one unlucky person'' was killed.
Phol Phanatham, a former student, showed a police forensic document which recorded 48 deaths on Oct 6.
''There had to be more deaths, as relatives of the lost people did not dare report to police at that time for fear of being labelled communists,'' he said.
Suthachai Yimprasert, a Chulalongkorn University history lecturer and student activist in the mid-1970s, said historical facts should not be distorted by any person in power.
The Oct 6 crackdown was a brutal crime committed by the state against innocent people led by students protesting against dictatorship, he said.
''There was systematic provocation of royalists that led to the massacre. It was a narrow-minded and ignorant reaction of the Thai elite towards those who thought differently,'' he said.
''Sadly, our nation still has a tendency to refuse those who do not think the same way as the mainstream.''
Lek Wittayathorn, mother of a Ramkhamhaeng University student who was killed, said she was saddened to hear Mr Samak repeatedly say that only one person died.
''While I was looking for my son, I saw people strangled at Sanam Luang. I later found my son's body at the Police hospital.
''How could there be only one death, as Mr Samak said?'' she said.
As prime minister now, Mr Samak needed to take responsibility, Mrs Lek said.
''How can a leader of our country lie to the people and hurt the feelings of the parents of those who died?''
Orissa Airawanwat, former secretary-general of the People's Vocational Front of Thailand, said Mr Samak was at the core of the anti-student movement.
He had been instrumental in provoking the rightist ideology since Oct 14, 1973 through a military radio programme, the former Bangkok Technical College student said.
Kongjeth Promnumpol, chairman of the group Relatives of the October Heroes, said people of the October generation did not expect Mr Samak to apologise.
''We just want Thai society not to forget that a brutal massacre was committed against unarmed and innocent students and democracy lovers by those who were afraid of losing power through democratisation,'' said Mr Kongjeth.
Bangkok Post Feb. 18, 2008