<p><em>[This is the text of the presentation made by Nick Nostitz at the launch of his&nbsp; Red vs. Yellow, Volume 2: Thailand&rsquo;s Political Awakening in Bangkok yesterday.]</em></p>

<p>Democratic Alliance Against Dictatorship (DAAD) co-leader Weng Tojirakarn was recently released on bail after nine months in jail on charges of terrorism after the red-shirt uprising last year ended in a deadly crackdown on May 19. Here, Weng speaks to The Nation's Pravit Rojanaphruk about his time in prison, politics and internal divisions within the red-shirt movement.</p>

<p>22 red shirts held in prison in Udon Thani have been denied bail, while 6 red shirts in Mukdahan have been granted bail to receive treatment for mental illness.</p>

<p>&lsquo;Those who were killed here were like brothers and sisters, so I don&rsquo;t want them to be forgotten.&nbsp; At least, it should be remembered that people were killed here, not just at Ratchaprasong and Phan Fah,&rsquo; said a red shirt at Bon Kai on Rama IV Road.</p>

<p class="MsoNormal">Somphan Phuthajak, 39, was shot in the back during the unrest on 15 May last year, was hospitalized for two weeks, and took another 4 months to recover.&nbsp; She has received 2,800 baht in medical compensation from the Rights and Liberty Protection Department of the Ministry of Justice.</p>

<p>Santipong Injan, who lost his right eye during the clash on 10 April last year, has been denied visa by the British Embassy in Bangkok on grounds of the lack of sufficient fund, despite a formal invitation to attend a panel discussion held by an independent body at the House of Lords. The mother and brother of Kamonkade Akkahad, a volunteer nurse who was killed at Pathum Wanaram Temple on 19 May 2010, have also been denied visa for the same reason. However, here is his speech he has prepared for the occasion:</p> <p><em>Correction: the event, entitled 'Human Rights in Thailand', was held by Baroness Prosser of Battersea ( Deputy Chair of the <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Equality-and-Human-Rights-Commission/111147332239704">Equality and Human Rights Commission</a>), at the House of Lords on 2 Feb.&nbsp; Other panelists invited included Elisabetta Polenghi (the sister of the murgered Italian photographer), Editor in Chief of Reuters David Schlesinger, Bangkok-based independent journalist Andrew Buncombe and Kwanravee Wangudom from People's Information Center: April - May 2010 (PIC).</em></p>

<p>A Thai red shirt held in prison shares with Prachatai the story of Conor David Purcell, Australian, and Jeff Savage, a Briton, who were arrested for their involvement in the red-shirt rallies in April and May 2010 and deported to their home countries last year.</p>

<p>As heard among many red shirts: &ldquo;We are ready and waiting for the word&rdquo;, ready for bringing about regime change through a democracy &ldquo;revolution&rdquo; (การปฏิวัติ), inspired by the recent events in Tunisia. The problem to most red shirts is that there are few real options remaining in the current repressive situation created by the governing regime. A &ldquo;democratic revolution&rdquo; is a mass movement which wishes to replace undemocratic and unelected regime with a democratic system of governance.</p>

<p>Sombat Bun-ngam-anong has received a second indictment for violating the Emergency Decree.</p>

<p>The public prosecutor has decided to drop the case of a red-shirt vendor who was arrested and charged with selling flip-plops bearing the picture of the Prime Minister&rsquo;s face in October last year on grounds of insufficient evidence. </p>

<p><em>Fear of lese majeste law may keep discussions very one-sided</em></p> <p>With the setting up of the Students Centre of Thailand (SCT), university students will most probably become more politically active, and perhaps even put issues about the monarchy institution up for debate.</p>

<p>Small leftist groups such as Social Move often get ignored alongside the bigger political actors, such as the yellow and red-shirt movements, and rarely get media exposure. Their ideological commitment is clear, however. Key Social Move member Saowalux Pongam talks to The Nation's Pravit Rojanaphruk about the left and politics. Excerpts:</p> <p><strong>What is the political standing of Social Move?</strong></p>