Focus on Ratchaprasong

The red shirts turned the Ratchaprasong area into a mass planking site yesterday as the Democrats said it was their turn to rally there on Thursday.

Red shirt demonstrators play dead yesterday in what they called a ‘‘mass planking’’ exercise to evoke memories of last year’s crackdown on anti-government protesters at Ratchaprasong Intersection in Bangkok. JETJARAS NA RANONG

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Democrats defiant on Ratchaprasong rally

Campaign gathering to highlight UDD actions

POST REPORTERS

The Democrat Party has vowed to press ahead with its plan to hold a large campaign rally in Bangkok's Ratchaprasong area on Thursday.

Despite escalating criticism by the red shirt United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship, party leader Abhisit Vejjajiva affirmed yesterday that the plan was still on.

Mr Abhisit said he did not understand why the Pheu Thai Party was against the party's plan to hold the rally in Ratchaprasong.

He added that Ratchaprasong was a public place which everyone had the right to use.

However, unlike the red shirts, the Democrats will not block the roads and will closely coordinate with authorities concerned to make sure that residents and the public will not be affected by the rally, he said.

The party's planned campaign activities in the Ratchaprasong area were not aimed at stirring up unrest, nor at creating disunity among people with different political preferences, Mr Abhisit added.

Ong-art Klampaibul, a Democrat party list candidate, said that the rally will not be staged in the middle of the road, so it will not affect traffic flow in the area and cause congestion.

However, Mr Ong-art said the main reason the party chose Ratchaprasong for the campaign rally was to remind voters that this was the location of the main stage for last year's red shirt protest which damaged the country's reputation so severely.

Natthawut Saikua, a UDD core leader and a Pheu Thai list candidate, on Saturday criticised the Democrats for what he described as a "malicious tactic" to discredit their opponents ahead of the July 3 election.

He said the Democrat Party should continue with its reconciliation efforts rather than seek to reopen old wounds for the families of those killed and injured in last year's political unrest in Bangkok.

The red shirts set up their main stage at Ratchaprasong intersection during their lengthy demonstration to try to oust the Abhisit administration last year.

Ultimately 92 people lost their lives in the unrest, with dozens killed in Ratchaprasong and adjacent areas during the government's final crackdown on the protest on May 19.

UDD chairwoman Tida Tawornseth yesterday said that the red shirts would not disrupt the Democrats' Ratchaprasong rally.

Pheu Thai's No.1 list candidate Yingluck Shinawatra said she believed the public would pass its own judgment and she would neither support nor object to the Democrat Party's rally plan.

She said all her party would do is answer any accusations raised by the Democrats in the rally.

demonstrators – people who march with other people in public to show that they support or oppose something ผู้ชุมนุมประท้วง
mass – large numbers จำนวนมาก
planking – an activity that is currently popular in which people lie flat on their stomachs with their arms at their sides and have a photo taken
evoke – to bring a feeling, a memory or an image into your mind  ทำให้ระลึกความหลัง,  ทำให้ระลึกถึง
memory – something that you remember from the past; the ability to remember information, experiences and people ความจำ
crackdown – strong action that someone in authority takes to stop a particular activity การใช้กำลังเข้าปราบปรามของเจ้าหน้าที่
intersection – a place where roads, lines, etc., join or cross each other สี่แยก
defiant – refusing to obey or respect a person or rule แสดงการท้าทาย, ไม่ยอมทำตาม, ไม่เชื่อฟัง
rally – a large public gathering of people to support someone or to protest against something การชุมนุม
campaign – a planned series of activities designed to persuade voters to vote for a particular candidate or political party การรณรงค์หาสียง
gathering – a meeting when many people come together as a group การรวมตัว, การประชุม
highlight – to stress; to made something more noticeable  เน้นย้ำ
United Front for Democracy Against Dictatorship (UDD) – the group originally formed to demonstrate against the 2006 coup and which supported the Somchai Wongsawat government against the PAD and which is now leading the fight against the current government. They are known for wearing red shirts แนวร่วมประชาธิปไตยต่อต้านเผด็จการแห่งชาต
vow – to make a formal and serious promise to do something สาบาน, ปฏิญาณ
escalate – to become much more serious or much worse ทำให้เพิ่มขึ้น, ทำให้มากขึ้น
criticism – comments that show that you think something is wrong or bad การวิจารณ์
affirm – to say or show that something is true ยืนยัน, รับรอง
public – providedfor the use of people in general  ที่เป็นของสาธารณะ
block – to stop someone or something from moving through or along something else  ปิดกั้น, กีดขวาง
coordinate – to organise the different parts of a job or plan so that the people involved work together effectively ประสานงานกัน
authorities – people who have the power to make decisions or enforce the law เจ้าหน้าที่ผู้มีอำนาจ
concerned – involved in something, or affected by something เกี่ยวข้องกับ ที่สัมพันธ์กับ
residents – people living in a particular area ประชาชนผู้อยู่อาศัยในบริเวณ
aim – purpose; goal เป้าหมาย จุดมุ่งหมาย
stir up – to make someone feel upset or angry ก่อให้เกิดความขุ่นใจ
unrest – angry or violent behaviour by people who are protesting or fighting against something สถานการณ์ที่ไม่สงบ
disunity – a lack of agreement between people การขาดความสามัคคี,การแตกแยก
preference – something that you want or like most ความต้องการ
party-list – a system that gives each party in an election a number of seats in relation to the number of votes its candidates receive ระบบสัดส่วน, ระบบปาร์ตี้ลิสต์
candidate – a person who is trying to be elected ผู้สมัครรับเลือกตั้ง
stage – to organise an event or activity จัด
(traffic) congestion – roads that are very crowded with vehicles รถติด
remind – to make someone think of something they have forgotten or might have forgotten เตือนความจำ
location – where someone or something is ที่ตั้ง,ทำเล
reputation – the opinion people have about how good or bad someone or something is ชื่อเสียง
severely – very seriously อย่างรุนแรง
core leader – one of the most active or most important leaders of a group แกนนำ
malicious – having or showing hatred and a desire to harm somebody or hurt their feelings มุ่งร้าย, ปองร้าย, ประสงค์ร้าย
tactic - a planned way of doing something ยุทธวิธี
opponent – someone who is competing against you ฝ่ายตรงข้าม
reconciliation – a new and friendly relationship with someone who you argued with or fought with การทำให้ปรองดองกันอีก,  การสมานฉันท์
wound – an injury in which your skin or flesh is damaged บาดแผล
injured – hurt in an accident or attack ซึ่งได้รับบาดเจ็บ
oust – to force to leave a position of power  ขับออกจากอำนาจ
administration – government รัฐบาล
ultimately – finally, after a series of things have happened ท้ายที่สุด, ตอนสุดท้าย, ในที่สุด
adjacent - very near, next to, or touching ติดกัน
disrupt – to interrupt something and prevent it from continuing by creating a problem ได้รับการกระทบกระเทือน  ถูกทำให้หยุดชะงัก
judgment – an opinion that you have after thinking (carefully) about something การตัดสินใจ, การพิจารณา
object – to disagree with คัดค้าน
accusation –a statement that someone has done something wrong or illegal even though this has not been proved ข้อกล่าวหา