With reference to Amnesty International’s statement dated 17 May 2010 entitled “Thai military must halt reckless use of lethal force”, Ms. Vimon Kidchob, Director-General of the Department of Information and Foreign Ministry Spokesperson, issued the following statement.
The Royal Thai Government categorically refutes the allegation that Thai security officers have been “deliberately firing live ammunition at unarmed people”.
The Thai authorities have made clear the rules of engagement, formulated in accordance with international standards, to which all officers — police, military and civilian — involved in the operations during the prolonged protests have strictly adhered. With regard to the use of live ammunition, the incidents on 10 April 2010, in which a number of security officers and protesters lost their lives due to attacks by weapons of war used indiscriminately by armed elements infiltrating among the protestors, prompted the authorities to adjust their instructions to prevent casualties which could ensue should there be head-on confrontations between security officers and protesters. Hence, in addition to using live bullets as warning shots by firing into the air and for self-defence, the officers may use live bullets to retaliate against clearly identified individuals armed with weapons, who might otherwise cause harm to officers and members of the public. Also, with a view to preventing casualties due to such close confrontation, shotguns may be used against armed groups and terrorist elements approaching security units to prevent them from causing harm to others, and in this case, security forces would only aim below the knee level. And under no circumstance would these weapons be used on women and children. There is thus no intention to take lives or cause unnecessary harm. This position on the part of the authorities has been made clear to the public.
Second, the Royal Thai Government has consistently exercised utmost restraint. What AI called “Operation Rachaprasong” was aimed at cordoning off the main protest area to pressure the protesters to end their demonstrations without the use of force or moving into the Ratchaprasong area proper. Be that as it may, since the operations started on 13 May, the security officers manning the check points around the cordoned areas had been attacked by armed elements using war weapons, including M 97 grenades over sixty times, live ammunition and hand grenades — in addition to improvised weapons often mentioned in the media. Such attack had also caused losses and damages to innocent people in those areas. The officers were thus compelled to respond and protect themselves and others.
As the events have unfolded, it is clear that the armed elements among the protesters have been willing to inflict harm on anyone. Even as the protest leaders have called for the protests to end, with some of them turning themselves in to the police, and many other protesters being facilitated by the authorities with regard to their safe journey home, there remain hard core protesters causing havoc in the city, which has made it necessary for the Government to impose curfew to ensure safety of the public as the officers are working to control the situation.
The Royal Thai Government is committed to protecting the safety and security of the public, Thai and foreign, and to restoring normalcy in Thai society. The authorities have conducted their operations with transparency, with members of the media, both domestic and international, able to report upon the security force’s operations. In this regard, the Government is also open to scrutiny and stands ready to be accountable in accordance with the law. In addition to the investigations led by the Department of Special Investigation and a fact-finding committee to gather evidence related to the incidents occurring during the demonstrations, the Prime Minister has stressed as one element of his five-point roadmap the need to establish facts about violent incidents, which has caused apprehension among the public and could deepen the division and hatred. He regards this as necessary for all concerned in these incidents as well as the society as a whole. At the same time, the Government also stands ready to cooperate with inquiries by independent agencies such as the National Human Rights Commission.
For further information, please contact the Press Division, Department of Information, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Tel.02-6435170, Fax.02-6435169, E-mail: div0704@mfa.go.th