The Progressive Movement organized on Tuesday an online panel discussing the culture of impunity of state-sanctioned violence in Thailand led by Thanathorn Jungroongruangkit via Facebook.
The panel compared the Bangkok protest crackdowns of May 1992 and May 2010 to a documentary film about the 1965-1966 anti-communist purge in Indonesia called, “The Look of Silence.”
Guest speaker at the panel, Dr Puangthong Pawakapan said that “To end this culture [of impunity], we must be able to bring the perpetrators to justice, but we are only able to do so if we have democracy. If we are able to get the military out of politics, we will need to make this issue very clear.”
The perpetrators of both crackdowns have not been prosecuted.
“This is a struggle of remembrance, where one side is trying to erase the memory of events such as October 6, 1976, or May 2010, so people will forget about it while using narratives of unity,” said Thanathorn.
The discussion panel was in remembrance of the crackdown of the red shirts between April to May of 2010.
The Progressive Movement are using the hashtag, #ตามหาความจริง or find the truth, in order to raise awareness on the issue. They have been shining lasers at the most violent areas of the crackdown, such as Wat Pathum.
“The Look of Silence” is a documentary about bringing the perpetrators of the anti-communist purge of 1965-1966 to meet with the family of the deceased.