100 police deployed pedestrian bridge to stop the commemoration of anti-coup suicide

About 100 of police officers on Friday have been deployed at the “Uncle Nuamthong Pedestrian Bridge” since around 7am to prevent democracy lovers from commemorating the suicide of the taxi drivers, who hanged himself at the bridge to protest against the 2006 military coup. 
 
The police said under the martial law, imposed all over the kingdom, no one is allowed to hold anti-coup activity, including this one -- related to the coup eight years ago. 
 
Nuamthong Praiwan’s first attempt to suicide was in 30 September 2006 when he drive his taxi into a military tank, but he survived. Later on 31 October 2006, he hanged himself at the bridge in front of the headquarter of Thai Rath newspaper on Vibhavadi Rangsit road. His suicide note stated that he wanted to prove to a high ranking army officer who said that no one would die for their ideology. 
 
Seven student activists from the Thai Student Center for Democracy (TSCD) came to lay a wreath at the bridge, but was stop by the police. The students then started its plan to observe a moment of silence for an hour, but the police stop them and ‘invited’ them for negotiation which lasted for about 90 minutes. In the end, the students were not allowed to lay the wreath and were accompanied to taxis back to their universities. 
 
Anon Nampha, a red-shirt lawyer, was allowed to lay a wreath at the bridge after about negotiating with the police for 30 minutes. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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