Former Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva has strongly dismissed allegations that he was involved in the crackdown on the Red Shirt protests in 2010 during his lecture at Chulalongkorn University, following a protest by a group of students.

The incident occurred on Sunday (2 November) when the former PM was invited to give a lecture on public policy at Chulalongkorn University’s Faculty of Political Science. A small group of students challenged his role in the 2010 Red Shirt crackdown.

In an effort to demand justice for the victims, students held up banners during the event including one suggesting he was the one who ordered the crackdown. Abhisit sat down and debated with the students, highlighting his innocence.

Abhisit referred to the case where Tharit Pengdit, the former Director-General of the Department of Special Investigation, filed charges against him for ordering the killing, asserting that the Supreme Court acquitted him of all charges.

Meanwhile, in a counter suit filed by Abhisit and former Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thuagsuban, Tharit was later sentenced to prison on charges of abuse of power and malfeasance stemming from his investigation of the 2010 crackdown against the Red Shirts.

The former PM noted that he could do no more than fulfil his core accountability, which was to allow the judicial process to take its course, and that this was the reason he opposed an amnesty bill proposed by former PM Yingluck Shinawatra.

"Isn't it strange? The persons who accused me of being a murderer were ready to raise their hands to grant me amnesty, but I refused. If I were not innocent, why wouldn't I go along?” said Abhisit. 

The former PM further mentioned the use of weapons within the Red Shirt protests, where he explained that he did not accuse the protesters, but referred to the armed group known as the Men in Black operating behind the scenes.

He noted that it was the only incident where state officials were killed by weapons, which led to the protest being deemed unconstitutional. He also accused the armed group of escalating the situation.

Abhisit added that the assassination of Major General Khattiya ‘Seh Daeng’ Sawasdipol and the six deaths at Pathum Wanaram Temple did not result from his order, reiterating that his orders for the crackdown were explicitly to avoid casualties, and he has never avoided accountability.

Abhisit also reiterated that he had nothing to do with the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) or the so-called Yellow Shirts.

When asked about the reason Abhisit was invited, the event's organizer, Chaiyan Chaiyaporn, a Political Science lecturer, argued that since former PM Thaksin Shinawatra, few PMs have been truly independent decision makers, and that former PM Abhisit was the best choice.

Previously, the Faculty’s student union publicly questioned the appropriateness of inviting Abhisit to lecture on public policy when in their view, he had demonstrated a failure and neglect of public accountability regarding the 2010 Red Shirt crackdown.

In 2010, Red Shirt supporters staged protests in Bangkok to demand that then PM Abhisit dissolve parliament and hold an election. During the crackdown, the military used live ammunition against the protesters. Between 10 April and 19 May 2010, 99 people were killed and over 1200 were injured.

At the time, Abhisit was alleged to be the one who pulled the strings behind the deadly crackdown. “... and unfortunately some people died,” were Abhisit’s words during an interview with BBC World News about the live ammunition used during the 2010 crackdown.

Since then, no individuals who were responsible for the death of the Red Shirt protesters have been brought to justice.

In response to Abhisit, Natthawut Saikua, former leader of the Red Shirt movement, argued that the Criminal Court has never ruled that Abhisit was innocent, but rather determined that the case was not within its jurisdiction, citing that the case was under the Supreme Court for Persons Holding Political Positions.

In the case of the Men in Black, who were accused of being an armed group firing on state officials during the protest, the Supreme Court ruled to acquit all of them.

Abhisit was elected an MP in 1992 under the Democrat Party and became the youngest MP in parliament at 27.

After serving as the Democrat Party leader for 14 years, Abhisit resigned from both leader and MP positions in 2019 after the Party faced a devastating defeat in the general election, and he decided to leave the Party following the 2023 general election, when the Party secured the lowest number of seats in its history, with only 25 MPs.

Abhisit returned to the Party after the former leader Chalermchai Sri-on resigned on 12 September. He was overwhelmingly re elected as Party Leader during the Party’s general assembly on 18 October.