Station raid signals coup: red-shirt leaders

Red shirt leaders Wednesday expressed suspicion that Tuesday's raids on many community-radio stations linked to the red shirts could signal an imminent military coup.

Nattawut Saikua, a key red shirt leader, said the police closure of 13 community-radio stations was an attempt to "close the ears and eyes of the people", adding that he suspected there was a plot to stage a coup.

"There is no reason why the closure must be done now. Why did the police raid target the stations run by the red shirts? It is because they are afraid the radios will spread message against the imminent coup?" he said.

Nattawut also called on the owners of the affected radio stations to sue the authorities for malfeasance.

Fourteen community-radio stations in Bangkok and the surrounding provinces were raided on Tuesday. Thirteen of them were closed for operating illegally.

Those radio stations were also investigated for broadcasting messages deemed offensive to the monarchy and inciting violence, according to national police chief General Wichean Potephosree.

Jatuporn Prompan, another key red shirt leader and an MP of the opposition Pheu Thai Party, yesterday also linked the radio station raids to possible coup.

"Are they trying to provoke the red shirts to take to the streets so that they will stage a coup again?" he said, adding that he expected a coup to take place within Saturday. "If a coup really happens, all of us should gather at the Democracy Monument," he said.

Jatuporn, who was among the leaders of last year's anti-government rally by the red shirts, noted that the radio station raids coincided with the Cabinet decision on the same day to approve the Internal Security Operations Command's request for Bt8.79 billion. "Are they plotting to do something with this money?" he said.