Pallop Pinmanee

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Pallop Pinmanee on the cover of Khom Chad Luek newspaper.
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Pallop Pinmanee on the cover of Khom Chad Luek newspaper.

General Pallop Pinmanee is a retired Thai military officer. As commander of the Southern Peace Enhancement Center, he ordered an attack against insurgents in the Krue Sae Mosque. Later, while deputy director of the Internal Security Operations Command, his driver was found driving around the residence of Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra in a car containing 67 kilograms of explosives. He was immediately dismissed from his position. Pallop is married to Khunying Naruedee Pinmanee.[1] He has a son and two daughters.

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[edit] Early life and career

Pallop was born in 1936. He graduated from Class 7 of the Chulachomklao Royal Military Academy. There, he developed a close personal friendship with classmate Chamlong Srimuang.[2]

He took part in special guerrilla warfare missions in Laos from 1966-1967. In 1968, he was appointed chief of the Special Thai Ranger Army (which carried out clandestine, anti-North Vietnam operations in Laos and Vietnam) for one year.[3] He then headed the army's assassination team. He was appointed a Senator by the military regime in 1979, and became Commander of the 19th Infantry Regiment in 1980. He also played a role in operations in the Thai-Cambodian border from 1986-1987.[4]

Pallop has been involved in several coups.[5] Along with other members of Class 7 of the Chulachomklao Royal Military Academy (who nicknamed themselves the "Young Turks"), he helped topple the elected government of Seni Pramoj after the massacre of 6 October 1976. He also took part in the coup against the government of Tanin Kraivixien in 1977. During the Prem government, the Young Turks tried to seize power on 1 April 1981. When it became apparent that the royal family was behind Prem, the coup collapsed and Pallop went into exile in Laos to escape punishment. He was jailed in Laos for two months. Pallop later admitted that he was the mastermind behind a series of assassination attempts against General Arthit Kamlang-ek, commander of the Army under Prem.

Pallop was eventually rehabilitated and retired from the Royal Thai Army with the rank of full general in 1996, but was later appointed deputy director-general of the Internal Security Operations Command.

[edit] Krue Sae mosque incident

Pallop Pinmanee was appointed commander of the Southern Peace Enhancement Center to deal with the insurgency in southern Thailand. On 28 April 2004, more than 100 militants carried out attacks against 10 police outposts across Pattani, Yala and Songkhla provinces in southern Thailand.[6] 32 insurgents retreated to the Krue Sae Mosque, the holiest mosque in Pattani. A seven hour stand-off ended when Pallop Pinmanee, the most senior Army commander on the scene, ordered an all out assault on the mosque. All the insurgents were killed. He later noted that "I had no choice. I was afraid that as time passed the crowd would be sympathetic to the insurgents, to the point of trying to rescue them."[7]

It was later revealed that Pallop's order to storm the mosque contravened a direct order by Defense Minister Chavalit Yongchaiyudh to seek a peaceful resolution to the stand-off no matter how long it took.[8] Pallop was immediately ordered out of the area, and later tendered his resignation as commander of the Southern Peace Enhancement Center. The forward command of the Internal Security Operations Command (ISOC), which Pallop headed, was also dissolved. A government investigative commission later found that the security forces had over-reacted. The Asian Centre for Human Rights questioned the independence and impartiality of the investigative commission. In 3 May 2004 during a Senate hearing, Senator Kraisak Choonhavan, noted that most of those killed at Krue Se Mosque were shot in the head and there were traces that rope had been tied around their wrists.

The incident resulted in a personal conflict between Pallop and Defense Minister Chavalit, who was also director of the ISOC.[9] Pallop later demanded that the Defense Minister stop any involvement in the management of the southern insurgency.[10]

[edit] Opposition to Thaksin Shinawatra

Pallop is a noted critic of Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. During protests in early 2006 against Thaksin, Pallop noted that “as a real friend and former classmate from military school, I fully support Chamlong (Srimuang) in his move (to oust Thaksin).”[11] He also threatened Thaksin with a military coup if Thaksin did not resign from the premiership.[12]

[edit] Assassination plot against Thaksin Shinawatra

Pallop was sacked from his position of ISOC Deputy Director after Lieutenant Thawatchai Klinchana, his driver, was found driving a car containing 67 kilograms of explosives around the residence of Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. Metropolitan Police Bureau commissioner Lt-General Wiroj Jantharangsee noted that the explosives in the car were completely assembled, equipped with a remote unit sensor and ready to be detonated, and would have a blast radius of around one kilometre.[13] Pol Major Kamthorn Ooycharoen, head of the police bomb-disposal squad at the scene, also noted that the bomb was live and ready for detonation.[14] The bomb was composed of sticks of a remote control unit, M-8 military fuses, TNT, C4 plastic explosives, and nine plastic containers containing ammonium nitrate fuel oil (ANFO).[15][16]

Pallop denied all involvement, noting that "If had wanted to do it, I would have done it more subtly...In my career, I have lead death squads. If I had wanted to kill him, the Prime Minister would not have escaped."[17][18][19] He also claimed that "the explosives were being transported, they were not assembled to be detonated."[20]

[edit] References

  1. ^ Bangkok Post, General urges two-pronged attack, 15 January 2006
  2. ^ Sutin Wannabovorn, "Thai Ruling Party Lawmakers Sour on Thaksin", 21 February 2006
  3. ^ Bangkok Post, "A controversial figure", 25 August 2006
  4. ^ Bangkok Post, "General urges two-pronged attack", 15 January 2006
  5. ^ Bangkok Post, "A controversial figure", 25 August 2006
  6. ^ The Nation, "Shattered by horrific events", 29 April 2006
  7. ^ The Nation, "Southern Carnage: Kingdom Shaken", 29 April 2004
  8. ^ Asian Centre for Human Rights, "Killings At Pattani's Krue Se Mosque And A Cover Up Enquiry"
  9. ^ Wassana Nanuam, "Panlop to face trial for the storming of Krue Se mosque"
  10. ^ Wassana Nanuam, "Security conflicts erupt in open"
  11. ^ Sutin Wannabovorn, "Thai Ruling Party Lawmakers Sour on Thaksin", 21 February 2006
  12. ^ Bangkok Post, "Panlop: Military coup possible", 27 February 2006
  13. ^ The Nation, 'Bomb plot to kill Thaksin foiled', questions linger, 15 August 2006
  14. ^ The Nation, "Explosives 'live and ready for detonation'", 26 August 2006
  15. ^ Bangkok Post, "A controversial figure", 25 August 2006
  16. ^ The Nation, "Explosives 'live and ready for detonation'", 26 August 2006
  17. ^ http://nationmultimedia.com/2006/08/25/national/national_30011902.php The Nation, 'If I was behind it, PM would be dead', 25 August 2006, Retrieved 25 August 2006
  18. ^ Bangkok Post, "Thaksin escapes bomb, fires Gen Panlop", 25 August 2006
  19. ^ The Nation, "Army officer arrested in alleged car bomb attempt is Pallop's driver: police", 25 August 2006
  20. ^ The Nation, "'If I was behind it, PM would be dead'", 25 August 2006

[edit] Further reading

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