Latest news with #ArmyGeneral
New York Times
11 hours ago
- Politics
- New York Times
Suchinda Kraprayoon, Thai Leader Who Set Off Bloody Protests, Dies at 91
Suchinda Kraprayoon, a prime minister of Thailand who seized power in a military coup, then violently cracked down on pro-democracy protests in 1992, events that came to be known as Black May, died on June 10 in Bangkok. He was 91. His death, in a hospital, was reported by the Thai News Agency. Mr. Suchinda's brief tenure as prime minister, from which he resigned in humiliation after just 48 days, was a pivot point in modern Thai history. His leadership was considered such a disaster that it quelled the military's appetite to overtly interfere in government for more than a decade, an unusual interlude in a nation long dominated by the armed forces. A charismatic Army general who became a short-fused politician, Mr. Suchinda was the nation's supreme military commander in February 1991, when he helped engineer a bloodless coup against a civilian government, some of whose ministers were notorious for corruption. It was the 17th military coup or attempted coup in Thailand in six decades. After the coup, Mr. Suchinda publicly promised that he would not take the job of prime minister, yet he did just that in April 1992, after being nominated by a pro-military coalition in the legislature. Opponents called his appointment 'Suchinda's second coup.' Tens of thousands of protesters flooded the streets of Bangkok beginning on May 17. Troops loyal to the government sprayed the unarmed crowd with automatic rifle fire. The lobby of the Royal Hotel in the city's historic center became a makeshift surgical ward, where at least 10 people were reported to have died on one given night. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Daily Mirror
15-05-2025
- Sport
- Daily Mirror
Ex-Man Utd hooligan names best stadium where 'anything happened'
Former Manchester United hooligan Tony O'Neill, who was once known as 'the general' in the Red Army firm, has revealed his favourite away day in London A notorious ex- Manchester United hooligan has revealed his favourite London away day. Tony O'Neill was once dubbed Britain's toughest hooligan and 'the general' of the Red Army firm. Delving into his experiences on the Webby and O'Neill YouTube channel, part of his 'Fan Culture' series, he explained: "We had tricky situations but London was always the main focus for United. Every time United were playing there, I would always get there, it would be very rare that I would miss London games because anything could happen. "Euston (Station) was always the main focal point and that is why the Red Army in London was hated because when the Red Army travelled you could not control them. "We could trust each other and there were some dangerous places to go, and I always say the night games are dangerous to go - and I had some dangerous night games." Once considered a public menace at football grounds, Tony found himself behind bars three times over football-related brawls, with police branding him 'Target Kilo'. His penchant for violence started in the 1970s and his last offence came in 2001. Since hanging up his hooligan boots, he has penned the titles Red Army General and The Men in Black and taken to lecturing students about choosing a better path in life. Tony spent his youth embroiled in skirmishes with rival supporters across London, clashing with fans from clubs like West Ham, Millwall, Chelsea, and Arsenal. Yet, out of all the confrontations, one particular group remained firmly etched in his mind. Despite fierce rivalries with Arsene Wenger's Arsenal and Chelsea under Roman Abramovich's it was another away day that stood out for him. He explained: " Tottenham was my favourite ground. Going there in 72... unbelievable! It is the best ground for a young lad. But going forward throughout my life, Tottenham was always my favourite ground, anything could happen there, it was just great." Tony later found himself on the payroll providing security at Gary Neville's Hotel Football and has even chatted with the ex-United skipper on his channel numerous times. In reminiscing over earlier times, he also named the notorious Chelsea Headhunters, labelling them a "violent mob". Despite this, to truly illustrate the sheer scale of football hooliganism in the '70s, he pointed out: "They (Chelsea) weren't the only violent mob, virtually every big club in the first division had violent mobs up and down the country - and it was uncontrollable. "And I can't really put into words how uncontrollable it was, every weekend it was happening up and down the country." In 1977, the British government and the Football Association took drastic action to try and stem football violence by making all away matches ticket-only and barring match day ticket sales. However, Tony was skeptical about the effectiveness of these measures, saying: "It has never worked. They haven't got a clue. It is a disease. It is there. It gets passed down generation to generation. Liverpool Man United. It is a disease. The hatred gets passed down. Leeds Man United, gets passed down. That's the way it is. Millwall West Ham, gets passed down. You can't avoid it. It will always be there." Despite admitting that things have evolved over the last couple of decades, he reminisced about his earlier days as a fierce young man, claiming: "That was the society we lived in, the 70s was wild, absolutely wild, there was so much freedom. "People got everywhere and the police and government just could not handle it." After sharing the footage, one Tottenham supporter recalled: "Spurs v United at WHL was always something to look forward to back in the day, United always brought a big and good firm." Another stated nostalgically: "Spurs was always the big London games for United. Spurs v United used to attract bigger crowds than when we played Arsenal."
