Thida Thavornseth

Thida Thavornseth (Thai: ธิดา ถาวร เศรษฐ, RTGS: Thida Thawonset, pronunciation: [ t ʰ ː t ʰ ída ǎ ː ː wɔ NSE ː t]; born January 25, 1944 in Surat Thani ) is a Thai microbiologist and political activist. She is a retired university lecturer. Since 2010 she has been the chairman of the United Front for Democracy Against Dictatorship (UDD ), which is colloquially known as a movement of the " red shirts ".

Life and career

Thida Thavornseth has completed a study at the pharmaceutical faculty of Chulalongkorn University. She is married to the doctor Weng Tojirakarn, which, as it is politically active. Thida took part in the mass protests for democracy in October 1973, which led to the overcoming of the military dictatorship, like. Well in the protests of the student movement against the return of the dictators in October 1976 that triggered the massacre at Thammasat University and a return to military rule Thida and Weng joined the banned Communist Party of Thailand and fled into the mountains, where they were hiding during the next six years. In May 1992, she took part in the protests against the military junta appointed by the Prime Minister Suchinda Kraprayoon, which were received as "Black MAY" in the story.

Although she was a critic of ousted Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra before she joined the UDD, a mass political movement, which has close Thaksin. The UDD is fighting against the influence of the military and royalist circles since the military coup of 2006, against injustice and for a fundamental change in the power structures in Thai society. After the violent upheavals of the " red shirts " from March to May 2010 and the violent crackdown by the military in April and May and the arrest of the key UDD leaders, including her husband, Thida was on December 1, 2010, Chairman of the United Front for Democracy Against Dictatorship appointed. Thida is assessed as moderate leader, the force as a means of political action basically rejects.