Thais Protest against Government, PM Vows to Stay

The streets of Thailand's cities have been so full of demonstrators that the country's parliament held an emergency session yesterday to try to diffuse the tensions. Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej vowed to keep the reins of power. He called Sunday's joint session of the upper and lower houses to get lawmakers' opinions on how to restore political peace as the protesters, led by the right-wing People's Alliance for Democracy, continued to threaten chaos around the kingdom. The PAD suggested the way forward was for him to resign.

Abhisit Vejjajiva, leader of the PAD, said, “Dissolving Parliament is a way for the government to show responsibility.” His colleague in the PAD, Jurin Laksanavisit, stated, “If he [Mr. Samak] still holds onto office, the problems of the country will escalate.” It is hard to see how it could escalate. The PAD's supporters began its occupation of the Government House compound last Tuesday. Effectively, it has besieged the government.

Mr. Samak is determined to tough it out, though. “I am sure that I love this country as much as anybody,” he said. “But I love democracy much more, more than anyone who told me to resign.” He has received the support of all six parties in his coalition, which hold a combined two thirds of the lower house's seats.

The International Herald Tribune noted, “The alliance accuses Samak's government of corruption and of serving as a proxy for former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who was ousted a 2006 military coup. Thaksin recently fled to Britain to escape an array of corruption charges. The alliance's anti-Thaksin demonstrations in 2006 helped spark the bloodless coup. The army's influential commander, Gen. Anupong Paochinda, has vowed that the military will not stage a coup.”

The recipe for deadlock with continuing instability is clear. If the military won't intervene to break the PAD's siege of the government's buildings, and if the parliament is under the control of Mr. Samak, there is no way to resolve the matter. Under circumstances like these, violence is likely to increase, and at some stage, one side will go too far. Thailand deserves better.

© Copyright 2008 by The Kensington Review, Jeff Myhre, PhD, Editor. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written consent. Produced using Fedora Linux.

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