Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
09CHIANGMAI118
2009-08-03 08:56:00
UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY
Consulate Chiang Mai
Cable title:  

NORTHERN REDSHIRTS, MPS MARK THAKSIN'S BIRTHDAY

Tags:  PGOV SOCI TH 
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VZCZCXRO2981
RR RUEHCN RUEHDT RUEHHM
DE RUEHCHI #0118/01 2150856
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 030856Z AUG 09
FM AMCONSUL CHIANG MAI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 1135
INFO RUEHZS/ASSOCIATION OF SOUTHEAST ASIAN NATIONS
RUEHCHI/AMCONSUL CHIANG MAI 1218
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 CHIANG MAI 000118 

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV SOCI TH
SUBJECT: NORTHERN REDSHIRTS, MPS MARK THAKSIN'S BIRTHDAY

CHIANG MAI 00000118 001.2 OF 002


Sensitive but unclassified; please handle accordingly.

-------------------------------
Summary and Comment
-------------------------------

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 CHIANG MAI 000118

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV SOCI TH
SUBJECT: NORTHERN REDSHIRTS, MPS MARK THAKSIN'S BIRTHDAY

CHIANG MAI 00000118 001.2 OF 002


Sensitive but unclassified; please handle accordingly.

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Summary and Comment
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1. (U) At well-attended events in three northern provinces
organized by several different redshirt groups on July 26,
supporters of fugitive former Prime Minister Thaksin celebrated
his 60th birthday flanked by leading MPs of the opposition Phuea
Thai Party - the successor to Thaksin's Thai Rak Thai (TRT)
party. The gatherings were all peaceful, and there were no
reports of clashes with or interference by police.


2. (SBU) Comment: Nearly 5,000 individuals attended the evening
gathering in Chiang Mai - by far the most at any of the numerous
events. This figure contrasts sharply with the 200 or so
supporters redshirt rallies in Chiang Mai typically draw, and
surprised Consulate contacts, particularly those in intelligence
circles. Our contacts also believe that participants at the
July 26 events were not paid, but rather attended out of a
genuine desire to wish Thaksin well, whereas most observers
believe that rally-goers at other events organized by redshirt
groups were compensated for their participation. The increased
attendance may signal rising popular discontent with the current
coalition government, or it may be a result of the personal
gratitude the populace feels for favorite son Thaksin,
regardless of their political leanings. More than likely, it is
a confluence of both. End Summary and Comment.

--------------
Happy 60th!
--------------


3. (U) On July 26, redshirt groups in three key provinces of
northern Thailand came out in numbers to celebrate the 60th
birthday of their political idol, former PM Thaksin Shinawatra,
who remains a fugitive abroad in the wake of a criminal
conviction. In Thaksin's home town of Chiang Mai, the day
kicked off with five merit making ceremonies held at temples in
various districts, as well as at the site of the former Royal
Flora Garden. Opposition Phuea Thai (PT) MPs, Thaksin
relatives, and community radio station operators were the key
organizers, with MPs Suraphong Towachakchaikul and Surapol
Kiatchaiyakorn leading the way. Four of the five ceremonies
were attended by about 100 well-wishers each, except for the one
in Thaksin's home district, which drew a crowd of approximately

300.


4. (U) Meanwhile, at a prominent temple in the neighboring
province of Lamphun, PT MP Sanguan Phongmanee, a well-known
political science professor at Chiang Mai University, Rak Chiang
Mai 51 (RCM51) leader Phetcharawat Wattanaphongsirikul, and
Thaksin's aunt led 1,200 supporters in a merit making ceremony.
They also encouraged attendees to sign a petition to King
Bhumibol calling on him to grant Thaksin a royal pardon, which
leaders of the pro-Thaksin United Front for Democracy Against
Dictatorship (UDD) say they will deliver on August 7. Thaksin
himself phoned the supporters, who were also provided with 2,492
feet of traditional Thai mulberry paper on which to write
messages to him (Note: 2492 is the Buddhist Era year in which
Thaksin was born, which is equivalent to 1949.) The entire
event was broadcast live on a local pro-redshirt community radio
station.


5. (U) In Lampang Province, three additional merit making
ceremonies were organized at three separate temples, each
attended by 150-200 supporters. Thaksin phoned the participants
at one of the temples. In Chiang Mai, the evening concluded
with speeches by UDD and PT leaders, who took the current
government to task and predicted the redshirts would
successfully achieve their goal of bringing Thaksin back to
power. PT MPs Surapol Kiatchaiyakorn and Sunai
Chulapongsathorn, along with UDD leader Surachai
Danwathananusorn told an audience of some 400 that the current
governing coalition was "misguided" and had illegitimately taken
office, calling it "the brainchild of the three allied forces
-- aristocrats, military and judiciary."

--------------
How Much Cake Can You Eat?
--------------


6. (U) At a separate gathering in front of RCM51's Chiang Mai
headquarters, 2,729 pounds of birthday cake donated by Thaksin
supporters were displayed for the Guinness Book of World Records
in attempt to set a record for the most cake at a birthday
party. PT MP Sunai, the UDD's Surachai, and former Prime
Minister Somchai Wongsawat were the key speakers at this event,
which drew a crowd of nearly 5,000. A concert attended by
nearly 2,000 Thaksin supporters capped the evening, complete
with another Thaksin phone-in, a cake-cutting by former PM

CHIANG MAI 00000118 002.2 OF 002


Somchai , who also addressed the gathering, and the lighting of
61 fireworks.


7. (U) Other speakers at the concert, which was organized by
local pro-Thaksin community radio stations, included MP Sunai
and former Senior Supreme Court Judge Manit Chitchanklap, who
maintained that Thaksin did not commit a criminal offense and
spoke out in favor of the petition seeking a royal pardon for
him. Manit argued that the courts had used "dictatorial" laws
promulgated by the 2006 coup makers to convict Thaksin, and that
the Constitutional Court was applying a double standard in its
handling of separate cases involving redshirts on the one hand
and supporters of the anti-Thaksin People's Alliance for
Democracy ("yellowshirts") on the other.


8. (U) This cable was coordinated with Embassy Bangkok.
MORROW