The opposition Pheu Thai Party yesterday kicked off its multimedia exhibition featuring the red shirts' "pain and big losses" caused by the government's dispersal of their protest at Rajprasong intersection exactly two months ago on May 19.
In a speech opening the "Seven Days and Seven Pains of the People" exhibition at the Pheu Thai headquarters, party leader Yongyuth Wichaidit said that while political gatherings were normal anywhere in the world, the use of violence was "cruel and harsh against campaigners for democracy".
Other senior party figures and Yongyuth, who is not an MP, wore black to the ceremony, and walked through a door that was painted with red to depict bloodshed. Yongyuth said the exhibits were aimed at conveying pain and death caused by the crackdown.
Red-shirt supporters and relatives of protesters who were killed or injured also attended the launch of the exhibition, which runs until Sunday. They burned incense sticks to pay homage to the dead.
The exhibition includes pictures taken during the crackdown as well as a model of the killings at Pathum Wanaram Temple, which the red shirts blame on soldiers. The exhibition was set against a recording of gunfire and continuous release of the smell of gunpowder and sulphur.
Pheu Thai plans to take the exhibition to other provinces.
Ninety people - including soldiers, policemen and journalists - were killed and more than 1,000 others injured during the 10-week-long red-shirt rally.
The government, preferring to call the military-led operation a "tightening of the protest area", said the security forces did not actually disperse the protest but simply set up containment around the protest site. Casualties mostly took place when armed men among the red shirts fought with soldiers or fired at innocent protesters to blame the deaths on the military, the authorities said.
Abhisit said yesterday: "Facts should not be distorted in a bid to create further divisions and more political problems. I have seen attempts to do exactly this, and I want political parties to be responsible at a time when the country needs to solve problems based on truth and cooperation."
When asked if those attempts would affect his plan for an early election, Abhisit said the opposition should help create an atmosphere that is favourable to a vote. "If they do the opposite, the opportunity for an early election will be gone."
Also yesterday, Pheu Thai declared its call for "seven things to stop and seven things to rush", which the party said would help "bring back justice and happiness".
Deputy leader Plodprasop Suraswadi said the things to stop included rules that damage democracy, the state of emergency, threats to "lovers of democracy", and division in society. Among the things that needed to be rushed were protecting people's rights, disclosing the truth about the May 19 incident, doing away with double standards, and ensuring economic and social equality.