Thai pro-government activist shot dead

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/apr/23/thai-pro-government-activist-shot-dead

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A pro-government activist who opposed a law punishing critics of Thailand's monarchy has been shot dead in the capital, Bangkok.

Kamol Duangphasuk was shot by gunmen on a motorcycle in a restaurant car park. "At this point, we have no idea who the gunmen were or what the motive of the attack could be," police said.

Kamol, a poet also known as Mainueng Kor Khuntee, was a member of the Red Shirt political movement that supports the prime minister, Yingluck Shinawatra, and her brother Thaksin.

Thailand has been plagued by political strife since Thaksin was ousted from office in a 2006 military coup after demonstrators accused him of corruption, abuse of power and disrespect for King Bhumibol Adulyadej. Since then, Thaksin's opponents and supporters have contended for power, staging sometimes violent street demonstrations.

Kamol was a strong opponent of Thailand's lese-majesty law, under which anyone who defames the country's monarchy can face up to 15 years in prison. A newly formed vigilante group has threatened to hunt down people who oppose the monarchy, describing them as trash.

Kamol's poetry had a hard political edge, and he advocated that the Red Shirts organise in a military fashion to protect Yingluck's government. Yingluck faces court rulings that could force her from office in what her supporters call a judicial coup.

The judiciary is seen as part of the Thai establishment, which has long been hostile to Thaksin. Thaksin's supporters believe that the country's elite felt their privileges threatened by Thaksin's popularity, especially among rural and underprivileged citizens who benefited from his populist programmes.

More than 20 people have been killed and over 700 hurt since November in violence related to ongoing anti-government protests.