Prida Tiasuwan, chairman of the listed jewelry-trading Pranda Group, has long been a staunch advocate of the cause of the People’s Alliance of Democracy and a major faction of Thai civil society groups.  Now with the Siam Samakkhi (United Siam) group, he recently gave an interview with Matichon Online, reflecting his thoughts about Thai politics.

The Siam Samakkhi group was launched in April 2009 and consisted of, among others, Gen Somjate Bunthanom, former head of the secretariat of the Council of National Security which ousted the Thaksin government in 2006, appointed senators Prasan Maruekkhaphithak and Somchai Sawangkarn, and Parinya Sirisarakarn, member of the National Human Rights Commission. 

Prida is described by Matichon Online as an associate of former Prime Minister Ananda Panyarachun and civil society leader Prawase Wasi, and was among the first businessmen to talk about corporate social responsibility with Sulak Sivaraksa over 10 years ago. 

He has been a supporter of Thai civil society and NGOs, advocating community rights and the 1997 People’s charter. 

Although he brought food for the yellow shirts at their rallies, he insisted that he was not a financier of the PAD. 

In the interview, he said that it had been almost 80 years since the absolute monarchy was overthrown, and during this period the military ruled for about 50-60 years, and then capitalists took over in the last 20 years.

During the 60 years, unlike capitalists, the military still had to listen to the people.  The first time that the military came to learn that they could not do anything they liked was on 14 Oct 1973, which was a shift to democracy in Thailand, he said.

After the semi-democracy under Gen Prem Tinsulanonda in the 1980s, Thai democracy became fully-fledged, but under the rule of capitalists.  The good side of this capitalist rule is that the capitalists have to listen to, depend on and use the people to protect themselves, but these ‘evil capitalists’ acquire people’s votes through populism which is unhealthy for the people and destructive to the country in the long run.

Just look at what happened in 1997 as a lesson, he said.

His company Pranda Jewelry had to sell 25% of its shares to foreign investors at very cheap prices just to survive.  So he decided to come out to fight [the capitalists’ rule] with the People’s Alliance for Democracy to prevent such an economic fallout from happening again.

He admitted to Matichon Online that the PAD had weakened to a certain extent.  It is like any civil society organization, which is formed without anybody being the boss or subordinate, and with no payment.  So nobody can control the others.  In the case of seizing the airports [in late 2008], for example, it was not an idea of the leaders.  He himself did not agree with it.

However, at that time, some PAD supporters [who agreed with the idea of seizing the airports] even pointed fingers at Gen Chamlong Srimuang, calling him a coward.  They were outraged and had been in a fighting mood since the death of Bow, or Angkhana Radabpanyawutthi, who was killed during clashes with police on 7 Oct 2008, Prida said.

When the PAD demonstrators gathered in front of Government House, which they had not planned to enter, politicians were smart as the iron gates were not locked.  Those who were near the gates under the hot sun just leaned against them until the gates were flung open, and they then went in to sit on the cool lawns.  The PAD had clearly decided that they would not enter the premises and would just stay at the bridge, he said.

He insisted that the seizure of the airports was led by the PAD masses, and the leaders only had to follow suit.

He was a strong supporter of the so-called People’s Charter (1997), which, he admitted, enabled Thaksin Shinawatra to take such a firm grip on power.  The idea behind the charter, he said, was to create a strong government as he and others saw that problems came from those ‘scoundrel’ politicians who constantly destabilized government after government almost to the point that nothing ever got done.    

Now, however, he still considers Thaksin a threat to the country, because Thaksin made use of populism which would eventually lead to an economic disaster like the 1997 crisis. 

He denied that he had been a financier of the PAD.  He just helped with whatever was necessary, including food and some money.

‘It’s not me alone.  People who joined the rallies also put money in the donation boxes.  I may have more money than the average person, so I just helped more.  Please don’t say that I’m a financier,’ he said.

Regarding Section 112 of the Criminal Code, or the lèse majesté law, he said that eventually Thai society needed to discuss seriously how to amend and improve it, because it had been used as a tool for political persecution.

‘I agree with Worachet Pakeerut of the Nitirat group in several points, but some of the group’s proposals are too naïve.  I don’t believe that these academics have been paid to do what they have done.  I believe that they are sincere, but some of their points are not appropriate.’

‘Now I’m with the Siam Samakkhi group.  I agree that Section 112 has to be changed in some aspects, whether it’s the way it’s managed or whether the number of years’ penalty should be reduced. I have to choose the way I will go.  Although I don’t see everything in the same way as other people, now we have to be united, as we see that the major problem of this country is Thaksin.  We agree on this, so we dismiss other [minor] problems, and are focused on the immediate threat,’ he said.

According to staunch anti-Thaksin newspaper Thai Post, Prida sponsored a 10-day trip to Egypt in Feb 2009 for leaders of NGOs who had actively participated in PAD rallies, including Piphob Thongchai, Somsak Kosaisuk, Suriyasai Katasila, Suriyan Thongnu-iead, Banjong Na-sae, Veera Somkwamkhid (who is now imprisoned in Cambodia), etc.   

Front row from left: Suriyan Thongnoo-ied, Somsak Kosaisuk (fourth), Piphob Thongchai’s wife (eighth), Veera Somkwamkhid (half seen coming from the right)
Second row from left: Somkiat Pongphaiboon (fourth, core PAD leader), Prasan Maruekkhaphithak (sixth, appointed senator), Suriyasai Katasila (eighth), and Piphob Thongchai (furthest to the right, core PAD leader).
 

Prida, according to Thai Post, would take these activists abroad to ‘open their eyes’ on people’s movements in other countries once a year.

On 7 April 2010, before the first fatal clash between red shirts and the military under the Abhisit Vejjajiva government on 10 April, Suriyan Thongnoo-ied, Secretary General of the Campaign for Popular Democracy, succeeding Suriyasai Katasila, posted a poem on his OK Nation blog, urging the Abhisit government to wage war against the thuggish and evil red shirts.