Despite repeated insistence by the government that no red-shirt protesters were killed during the two-day crackdown, the Student Federation of Thailand (SFT) and some political activists remained unconvinced. They set up a centre for missing protesters yesterday.
 
They suspect dozens of protesters from the Democratic Alliance Against Dictatorship may have been killed and their bodies hidden some-where. The group urged people who have any information to contact them.
 
"We believe the government intends to cover up facts," said Suluck Lamubol, SFT secretary-general.
 
Suluck said she and her peers had spoken to several protesters and many claimed up to 60 people may have been killed. "They said people were shot dead and the soldiers had removed and hidden [their bodies].
 
"There are dead people. Mainstream media has refused [to report] or have been told not to report," she said, holding up pictures of soldiers aiming their M-16 rifles horizontally.
 
However, Suluck admitted that the claim of deaths was still "a rumour".
 
The Army has insisted blank bullets were fired to scare away rioters and that troops had mostly fired into the air.
 
The SFT is supported by a number of activists including Sombat Boon-ngam-anong, who has joined the group as an adviser. Sombat has years of experience in searching for missing people for non-government groups.
 
Vipa Daomanee, a Thammasat University |lec-turer at the College of Social Innovation, |who is also part of the new centre, said the group had no political objective but wanted to help |those who may have been affected by the crackdown.
 
When asked if the group would accept the government's version of the truth if they eventu-ally failed to come up with substantive proof in three months, Vipa said: "We will report it hon-estly whether we can or cannot prove it."
 
Chainarin Kularb-um, coordinator of the group, urged cameramen and reporters to sub-mit any proof or material they may have cap-tured.
 
The centre will be based at the October 14 Memorial on Kok Wua intersection and will be open from 9am to 5pm every day. People can reach them by calling (083) 812 5659.
 
The opposition Pheu Thai Party said yesterday it had also received complaints from many people that relatives were missing after the protests. Party spokesman Prompong Nopparit said the party would collect names of those allegedly missing and ask for an official investigation by relevant agencies.