Human Rights Watch: Thailand’s Crackdown

It has been roughly one year since the bloodshed on the streets of Bangkok last May, which killed at least eighty people, injured hundreds, and set the stage for severe repression in Thailand. For the anniversary, Human Rights Watch has produced the most comprehensive and insightful account of the events of last May, truly a triumph of investigative reporting.

It will be interesting to see if the Thai government responds in depth to this report. It shows with significant evidence that both the red shirt protestors and the military used excessive force, but that the army also often operated with minimal command and control and in a largely unprofessional manner.