(Person) Percentage - Sabanci University Research Database

The Asian Media & Mass Communication Conference 2010 Osaka, Japan
gathering since 12 th March 2010 and it called for the Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva
had to dissolve the parliament and announce new elections.
The UDD was composed of mostly rural supporters with some Bangkok
supporters as well. The rally was located around Phan Fa Lilat Bridge on
Ratchadamnoen road. The protesters used different ways such as the rally around
Bangkok and the donation blood for splashing blood at the entrances to Government
House, Democrat Party and Abhisit’s home to pressure the government.
Negotiation between the government and the UDD occurred continually but
they fail, so the Centre for the Resolution of the Emergency Situation (CRES) had to
order soldiers to tighten Rachapasong Intersection area on 14 th -18 th May. Clashes
between soldiers and the red-shirted UDD supporters caused the death and injured of
both soldiers and the red-shirted UDD supporters. On 19 th May, soldiers tighten the
area for the last time at Rachapasong Intersection and the UDD then announced to
stop protesting and the UDD leaders then surrendered to police officers. This caused
many UDD supporters did not satisfy with this and they made riots and commit arson
many places around Thailand. Therefore, government had to announce a curfew
banning the public from leaving their houses in several provinces across the country.
Using People Channel satellite TV to communicate with the community
broadcast information to rural UDD supporters. People Channel raised the topic of the
inequality of society, so the supporters could be stirred up easily which the inequality
had come in all time.
According to the situation, it was the political situation which made Thais
broke into two groups, the yellow-shirt and the red-shirt. The red-shirt protests
marched into Rachapasong Intersection which was the city center and the important
business area more than a month. Consequently, red-shirt protest area was to be
restricted and the red-shirt then announced disperse the rally and it had many severe
riots in Bangkok. Form during several months, online communities had been
established in many political groups such as government supporting, red-shirt
supporting and the impartial group for the harmony. They reported situation in the
protest area and gave opinion on the situation broadly.
Working group and university students in Bangkok which was the center of
the protest had to stay in their residence because the government declared the State of
Emergency. Government agencies and private sectors also announced to close for a
week. In addition to tracking news on television, newspapers, radio and the Internet
was another way to keep track of the news from both media in country and outside
country. They could comment on political situation in millisecond. Besides, the
impartial group could make appointments to show their voices and power at public
places over several weeks until the situation started to unravel.
From the political gatherings in the past, on 14 th October 1973, university
students were the leader to anti-government. According to The Black May in 1992,
the most middle class in Bangkok were in opposition to government. Besides, in
2010, the red-shirt protesters who were from the rural area claimed that they did not
receive the justice and there was a double standard in society. From those severe
political crises, political role of university students gradually reduced since the event
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