Thai Red Shirts urge govt to probe deadly unrest

Thailand's "Red Shirt" opposition protest movement on Monday urged their triumphant political allies to "find the truth" behind last year's bloody military crackdown on their mass rally. Nattawut Saikuar, one of the Red Shirt leaders, said that now the opposition Puea Thai party had clinched the vote, attention should focus on bringing to justice those responsible for violence that left more than 90 people dead. "During the election campaign, political parties have to present their policies to people, but once they become the government, it's the government's job to find the truth," he told reporters in Bangkok. The Reds are broadly loyal to fugitive ex-premier Thaksin Shinawatra whose sister Yingluck Shinawatra is set to become Thailand's first female premier following a sweeping poll victory on Sunday. The Reds' demonstration to topple the elite-backed government brought Bangkok to a standstill in April and May 2010, drawing an estimated 100,000 people at its peak until it was broken up by soldiers firing live rounds. The country's worst civil unrest in decades also left 1,900 people injured and several major buildings in central Bangkok were set on fire. Following Sunday's poll win, Thaksin's party vowed not to "seek revenge" over the clashes in an attempt to avoid alienating other key players, such as the military. In a report in May, Human Rights Watch (HRW) accused the army of using snipers and crushing civil disobedience with disproportionate force. Thai analyst Thongchai Winichakul said the military would be concerned about "whether they would be investigated and possibly punished" by the new government over the political violence. "They want a deal to avoid punishment," said Thongchai from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in the United States. During its campaign, Puea Thai said it wanted an amnesty for politicians who have been charged or convicted, a move that would pave the way for Thaksin's return. The divisive former billionaire tycoon was ousted in a 2006 coup and currently lives in Dubai to avoid a jail term for corruption. He also faces terrorism charges in relation to the unrest in Bangkok last year.