The people of Thailand inspires us into action to struggle and further promote our rights and freedoms...People themselves need to act - time for dependency on politicians and political parties must end...
The' We Walk...Friendship/Solidarity' of the ordinary people of Thailand has concluded today(17/2/2018). Congrats to the people of Thailand in your quest for justice, human rights and democracy. - See their PUBLIC STATEMENT ISSUED 17/2/2018 below.
Of interest also, is the fact that the Courts stood strong and justly recognised the people's right to freedom of assembly. The Courts have spoken - and hopefully, the government will listen to the Courts, and drop all charges against the 8, and the many others involved in solidarity peaceful assembly in other parts of Thailand...
The Supreme Administrative Court has upheld the lower court’s ruling protecting "We Walk" marchers. The ruling, read by the Central Administrative Court on Thursday afternoon, instructs the police chief. to order the commanders of Police Regions 3 and 4 not to block or obstruct their gatherings and to provide them with conveniences and security until Saturday, the last day of the march. - Bangkok Post, 15/2/2018(Follow link to read full report)
See earlier relevant posts
Public Statement
We walk Friendship Walk
“A roadmap to democracy by the people”
17 February 2018
To
all comrades of ‘We walk Friendship Walk’, all of those who have walked
on foot with us, the folk who have shown their solidarity with us,
those who have expressed opinions, those who have asked about our
wellbeing, those who have greeted us along the way, those who have
brought us supplies and food, those who have offered us accommodation
and money, we have eventually arrived at our destination.
We have walked over 450 kilometers starting from 20 January until 16 February 2018, 28 days and more than 800,000 steps.
Our
start was plagued with obstacles. Surveillance has been imposed on us
as if we were criminals. Charges have been pressed against us in an
attempt to prevent us from exercising our constitutional rights. We were
deprived even with places to sleep as the hosts had been subject to
pressure from the authorities. But instead of deterring us, such
obstacles have simply galvanized us making us even more determined and
unwavering to nurture more friendship and to befriend more people on the
road of friendship.
Our
friendship walk has shown how democracy can still be relished on the
road by the people. Amidst the callous crackdown, the looting of our
voting rights, we were made aware that many friends along the way share
with us the same ideas. And they shall rise up to uphold popular
democracy; their voice shall never fade away from the road.
Legal
actions have been maliciously taken against those gathering on the
Skywalk in front of the MBK Shopping Mall in Bangkok of the MBK39 to
demand elections. It has led to 39 persons being taken to court for
violating the Head of the NCPO Oder no. 3/2558. Such a SLAPP case has
also been brought against friends of the We walk Friendship Walk, the
villagers at Doi Thevada Village, Tambon Sob Bong, Phusang District,
Phayao. 14 of them have been charged for violating the Head of the NCPO
Oder no. 3/2558 as a result of their showing solidarity with us. We,
members of the We walk Friendship Walk, want to extend our solidarity
and well wishes to all comrades who have taken to the street to uphold
their rights and freedom of expression and public assembly. We want to
demonstrate how such rights can be exercised under whichever ruling
system we find ourselves in.
This
friendship walk is also a litmus test to Thailand’s judicial system
under the military rule as we have been granted an injunction from the
Administrative Court. As a result, competent officers of the public
assembly law are bound to provide us protection and to facilitate out
walk for its entire route. The Court’s decision has surprisingly yield
friendlier gesture from the police. We would like to thank our police
brothers and sisters who have made their best to ensure our peaceful and
uninterrupted walk.
We,
however, condemn interventions by other administrative officers,
security officers and military officers who have been persecuting and
harassing us all the way during the walk. Plainclothes officers have
been dispatched to follow and monitor us. Such officers have concealed
their identities and affiliations, unlike the police. Pressure has been
put on sisters and brothers who have come out to show their solidarity
with us. The officers have gone to their homes and threatened their
families. Last but not least, we regret the role of Khon Kaen University
which instead of offering a space to make voices of the community heard
to serve the spirit of the university, has turned its back on the
people and their community.
Throughout the entire route and through every firm stem taken we left behind enduring hopes and inspirations
We
aspire and dream of a society in which people from all walk of life,
from cradle to grave, shall be accorded with basic welfares and rights,
equally among themselves. All people should be entitled to health
security and attain quality of living, equally. The universal healthcare
scheme must be left intact and people must not be required to help pay
for the medical bill.
Such
noble scheme must not be desecrated and people must not be made
downtrodden population who simply have to wait for a scrap of social
relief and merit making. Everyone should be treated equal human beings
and everyone must have access to some kind of security. It must be
guaranteed that every one of us earns enough to provide for ourselves
and our families and to live a dignified life in our old age.
We
aspire and dream of a government with policies that refrain from
dismantling our food security and to provide for assurance that every
people is able to live and rely on themselves. We shall not be enslaved
by the food industry that has taken away our land, our plant varieties
and our livestock, while promoting the use of chemicals in agriculture,
illegal technologies and fishing tools that are destructive to natural
resources. The food industry has also endeavored to develop marketing
mechanisms and prowess that makes livelihood of small people vulnerable.
Small scale farmers and ordinary people must be entitled to the right
to preserve their plant varieties to grow their own food and to freely
exchange and sell them to other people without being controlled and
subjected to the monopolization of the investors and multinational
corporations since all the plant varieties and natural resources belong
to none, but us all.
We
aspire and dream of a peaceful life in which the environment and
community right are not in peril. No laws shall be promulgated to make
an exemption to the enforcement of city and town planning ordinances to
pave the way for the construction of waste-to-energy power plants and
the Special Economic Zones (SEZs) teemed with polluting factories that
wreak havoc local people’s and community’s health and quality of life.
Environmental protection laws must not be subjected to modification to
pave the way to an onslaught of industrial development projects based on
the change made on rules and regulations to allow Environmental and
Health Impact Assessment to be approved so fast and without public
participation. Eventually, people’s voices must be heard and they must
be a part of the effort to manage their own community and resources.
We
aspire and dream of a society in which a democratic constitution is
well established based on public participation. This should have led to
an enabling environment in which people can exercise their rights and
freedoms, can communicate, express themselves and participate in free
and fair elections. It is our hope and aspiration to stand on our own
feet and to live a dignified life. We shall press ahead with the effort
to have all the repressive Orders and Announcements revoked including
the Head of the NCPO Oder no. 3/2558, the Head of the NCPO Oder no.
64/2557, the latter of which has been used to forcibly evict the poor
from the forest and their farmland.
It
is our hope and aspiration to promote the four pillars that have
prompted us to organize the ‘We walk Friendship Walk’. They are the four
basic political and social necessities essential for building movements
against projects, policies and laws that are unfair. The four basic
political and social necessities permeate in all our actions.
We look for connecting with each other since we all look forward to making possible a peaceful and sustainable society.
We
look for connecting with each other to unfold nascent political and
social work which ‘deepens the connections of people and community in
their political struggles’.
Amidst
the crises stemming from a government led by coup-makers, not an
elected government, when absolute power has been relentlessly wielded
without checks and balances, corruptions have been rampant, while
scrutiny and accountability leave much to be desired. We live in a
country where the rulers are being questioned, where doubts about their
integrity are bountiful. Yet, none of the rulers have shown their
responsibilities to address such doubts. Instead, they have made no
intention to hide their desire to cement their power hoping to stay on
in power for a long time. Still, we have
the hope and the aspiration that with our two arms and two legs, we
shall continue to walk on the road of friendship; this is just a first
step of such long lasting friendship.
On behalf of the People Go Network Forum composed of five people’s networks including;
1. The people’s network for state welfare and people for universal healthcare
2. The alternative agriculture and food security network
3. The natural resource, the environment and community rights network
4. The network of academics and lawyers that monitors the
Constitution, democracy, elections and violation of freedoms and rights
5. The Four Region Slum Network and network of the homeless
Being
concerned with and caring for the crises that wreaked the country, we
have decided to start walking to show our power. The “Friendship Walk”
is an attempt to reclaim our right to participate in decision making and
self-determination. It provides a chance for groups, organizations, and
networks to make known to public their lack of security in life, how
they have been deprived of rights and welfares, how they have been
deprived of their rights to natural resources, how their food security
is being compromised, how their political rights are restricted and most
importantly, how their rights, freedoms and humanity are being
denigrated.
All of us
are members of the We walk Friendship Walk. Through walking, we nourish
friendship that connects us all among those whose opinions can be
diverse. We invite us all to come and share your problems, to express
yourselves, to enhance our mutual understanding and to have a free
exchange without belittling each other. It is a walk to enhance our
quality of life. It is a walk to assert people’s right and people’s
participation in all fronts of national development.
And
we declare this is just a first step. Our hope and aspiration for a
beautiful world are crystal clear. We shall collectively chart our
future. We shall turn our backs to the center of power and move toward
the rural sector. And to make their first step firm, we declare;
“Power
must belong to the people”. And we hope that a “second step” shall be
taken everywhere since “democracy cannot exist without people”.
Last
but not least, with our firm belief in the power and rights and
freedoms of the people, Down with Dictatorship! Long live Democracy!
With our trust in the power and rights and freedoms of the people
The People GO Network Forum
We walk Friendship Walk
17 February 2018
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