No end in sight for Thai deadlock

Thu, 06/12/2008 10:18 AM  |  Headlines

More than two weeks since supporters of the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) took their anti-government protests to the streets of Bangkok, the conflicting camps have failed to reach a compromise, sending the country into another political crisis. Many fear this could prompt the military to launch another coup, reminiscent of the September 2006 move to unseat then prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra. The Jakarta Post's Abdul Khalik is in Bangkok to cover the protests. Following are his reports.

"Thaksin!" "Get out!" "Samak!" "Get out!"

NIGHT RALLY: More than 10,000 supporters of the People’s Alliance for Democracy block the road outside the UN building in Bangkok. (JP/Abdul Khalik)

The more than 10,000 protesters who gathered in front of the UN building in Bangkok on Monday evening yelled anti-government slogans, demanding that Thai Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej step down and that former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra stop meddling in Thai politics.

The protesters, led by the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD), were camping out on the street for the 15th day in a row and gave no sign of giving up despite clear indications from the prime minister that he would not bow to their demands.

"We will stay on the street until Samak quits, no matter how long it takes," Wang Chai, an employee of a contractor firm in Bangkok, told The Jakarta Post while attending the demonstration.

Like many other protesters, Wang Chai rushed along Ratchadamnoen Nok Street from his office to the rally. But almost half of the protesters have chosen to build makeshift shelters and sleep on the street to step up the pressure on the government.

Police have had to close one of the Thai capital's main thoroughfares since the protest began on May 25, drawing complaints from Bangkok residents about traffic congestion resulting from the blockade.

The backdrop of the protesters' main stage is painted yellow -- the color of the monarchy -- and features a cartoon of Thaksin sitting on Samak's head with a money bag in his left hand and a cocktail glass in his right; Samak is gobbling up a map of Thailand.

The stage is flanked by numerous banners with anti-government slogans, including one that reads: "Purge the Thaksin regime and the puppet government".

The protest started when the PAD demanded the resignation of Cabinet minister Jakrapob Penkair for alleged lese majeste (contempt of the monarchy) and the withdrawal of the Samak government's plan to amend the military-backed 2007 constitution.

The PAD accused the government of trying to use the constitutional amendment to whitewash corruption charges leveled at Thaksin.

But after Jakrapob Penkair resigned and Samak withdrew his plans to amend the constitution, the PAD demanded the Samak government resign altogether because, it said, the government was acting as Thaksin's mouthpiece and had failed to tackle many of the country's problems.

The PAD, which consists of several opposition groups, including one led by media mogul Sondhi Limthongkul, is the same coalition that spearheaded the protests preceding the coup against Thaksin in September 2006. Thaksin returned to Bangkok earlier this year after months in exile.

But Samak vowed Sunday he would not resign, saying there was nothing wrong with the government.

"In the current situation, the present prime minister, which is me, is assuming responsibility. If there is any mistake, we will all be able to see it. And is there any mistake? No, there is not," he was quoted as saying by English-language daily The Nation.

Samak's People's Power Party (PPP) won the post-coup general election last December before forming in January a coalition government with five minor parties.

Despite the accusations against the Samak government, many experts agree the victory of the PPP in the military-administered election proves that Thaksin remains very popular among the kingdom's vast rural population for introducing during his tenure a slew of social welfare programs, including the 30-baht medical care scheme for the poor.

"We love Thaksin. I don't know why some people don't like him. I think he has been successful in bringing us prosperity," Champawan Phanya, an owner of a small shop in Bangkok, said.

Many experts here also agree that a clear battle line has been drawn between the camp of the Bangkok elite, along with royalist groups and elements of the military, and that of the Samak government backed by the rural masses.

Observers have expressed concern the tense situation could spin out of control as the protests gain momentum, effectively inviting the military to stage yet another coup.

Former Thai prime minister Anand Panyarachun expressed fear the political division was beyond reconciliation and was too hard to overcome because of the level of mistrust between the two camps.

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