Subject: Thailand's Situation (May 20's news (2))

From: [email-masked] (Yongyuth Pahirah)
Date: 19 May 92 21:05:40 GMT

(May 20 news)
 
REPORTERS SEE ABUSE AND BEATING OF PRISONERS:

SOLDIERS and policemen yesterday beat up and abused many of the pro-democracy
protesters under detention at Bang Khen Police School. They were seen assaulting
a newspaper cameraman with a rifle butt as he tried to photograph the attacks.
 
  About 2,500 protestors are in detention after being rounded up in the brutal
  crackdowns by the army yesterday and this morning.
 
  Reporters witnessed the beating and the abuse of the detainees at 4 pm
  yesterday during the change of guards, comprising 100 police commandos manning
  the school field. Four photographers from Naew Na, Thai Rath, and Matichon
  newspapers were near the fence to take pictures of the detainees.
 
  But a police commando, spotting the cameramen, ran towards them. The four fled
  but Naew Na photographer Visit Saengmuang stumbled and fell to the ground. He
  was kicked in the chin and hit on his head with a rifle butt. The policeman
  dragged away the unconscious cameraman. He was later taken to Lard Yao prison
  but it was not clear what charge was pressed against him.
 
  On the other side of the school fence, two reporters saw about 1,000 soldiers
  and policemen guarding the detainees. One of the policemen approached with a
  rifle pointed at the reporters and sternly told them to leave the area. When
  told they just wanted to report on what was happening, the policeman barked:
 
``I don't care who you are, just leave this area.''
 
  Reporters looking through the fence saw male detainees being stripped to their
  waists and seated on army trucks under the hot sun, while females were loaded
  on many buses.
 
  After they got down from the vehicles, they had to walk past flanks of
  soldiers and police commandos. When any of the detainees slowed down, they
  were kicked and abused repeatedly.
 
  Throughout yesterday, there were more than 50 buses and military trucks moving
  in and out of the school compound, each loaded with arrested pro-democracy
  demonstrators. Most of them were rounded up at the Royal Hotel yesterday
  morning and were later moved to Lard Yao Prison. The first group of detainees,
  arrested on Monday, remained at the school.
 
  Bail was initially set at Bt50,000 each, but later reduced to Bt30,000 in
  cash. For securities, the amount was reduced from Bt100,000 to Bt60,000 under
  court valuation.
 
  But the relatives of the detainees said valuation was not possible because all
  government offices were closed.
 
  In the evening, an air force security officer read a list of 102 people who
  had been released, but their relatives and reporters saw 10 only emerge from
  the school compound. The officer said the people had been released at the rear
  gate.
 
  Reporters saw that those released had to sign a blank piece of paper handed to
  them by soldiers. A female student refused to sign her name and she was not
  released. The detainees were, however, allowed to telephone their relatives.