Archive for November 2008
Stranded pilgrims leave Bangkok airport for hajj
AP 11/30/2008
(Bangkok)-More than 450 Muslim pilgrims stranded at Bangkok’s besieged international airport for four days were bused Sunday to a military base where they were to board a plane for the hajj.
Sen. Anusart Suwanmongkol said buses transported the pilgrims from Suvarnabhumi airport to the U-Tapao naval base, about 90 miles (140 kilometers) southeast of Bangkok. There, they were to board an Iran Air flight arranged by the Iranian Embassy to Saudi Arabia.
“We are going to Mecca. There is only Allah,” said Mohammad Rosi, one of the 459 pilgrims, before he boarded his bus.
The pilgrims arrived in Bangkok from Thailand’s Muslim-majority southern provinces on Tuesday, hours before anti-government protesters took over Suvarnabhumi, forcing the country’s main gateway to shut down.
A separate group of 250 Thai Muslims left Friday from Hat Yai in southern Thailand without coming to Suvarnabhumi.
The 459 in Suvarnabhumi had remained stranded in the airport as the government and protesters debated about how to get them to Mecca. Several attempts fell through, partly due to fears by Iran Air that U-Tapao would also be overrun by protesters, preventing its plane from leaving.
The hajj is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for most Muslims, who save up for years to go on the pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia.
Thai Muslim leaders had warned that a failure to help the pilgrims reach Mecca by a Monday deadline could damage relations between predominantly Buddhist Thailand and Saudi Arabia. It also could have further damaged the Thai government’s credibility in the country’s south where an Islamic insurgency has flared since 2004.
More than 3,300 people, mostly civilians, have been killed in the violence. Attacks have generally taken the form of drive-by shootings and small-scale bombings intended to frighten Buddhist residents into leaving the predominantly Muslim area.
Muslims in the three southern provinces of Yala, Pattani and Narathiwat accuse the central government of discrimination, especially in jobs and education.
Associated Press writer Chris Blake contributed to this report
Thai protesters seek police protection
People Power Party are here
ByThomas Fuller
IHT 11/30/2008
BANGKOK: Protesters illegally occupying Bangkok’s two airports and the prime minister’s office pleaded for police protection Sunday after an explosion wounded about 50 of them, four seriously.
Chamlong Srimuang, a former army general who is one of the protest leaders, met with the chief of police in Bangkok to request that police officers join protesters in patrolling the besieged prime minister’s office, where the explosion took place, Thai media reported.
The meeting came amid growing fears of violence between protesters and government supporters, who held a demonstration Sunday in the heart of Bangkok.
But the meeting between Chamlong and the police also underlined the demonstrators’ impunity in carrying out their illegal sit-ins, which have stranded more than 100,000 travelers both inside Thailand and in neighboring countries that rely on Bangkok as a hub.
Suchart Muenkaew, the Bangkok police chief, said that the 20-minute meeting with Chamlong helped “loosen the tension and mistrust between us.” Thai news Web sites carried photos of Chamlong sitting at a table with smiling senior officers.
In October, Chamlong and eight other leaders were arrested for inciting unrest for the raid and occupation of the prime minister’s office but were released on bail. A police request to revoke their bail was rejected by the attorney general’s office Friday, reinforcing the widely held notion in Thailand that the protesters have powerful backers among the Thai elite.
Foreign governments have grown increasingly impatient with the closure of the airports, which has severed commercial air travel to the capital. All air cargo, including international parcels and mail, destined for Bangkok has been suspended since Wednesday, when Suvarnabhumi Airport was besieged by protesters and shut down.
The U.S. State Department has called the airport seizures “not an appropriate means of protest” and urged protesters to “to walk away from the airports peacefully.” European Union ambassadors in Bangkok issued a statement Saturday that called the protests “totally inappropriate.”
The Thai government is using a military base, U-Tapao, to fly foreigners out of the country, but the airport’s limited facilities – the terminal can accommodate only 400 people – has caused chaos among passengers, some of whom have required medical treatment for heat exhaustion, according to Thai press accounts.
The police issued a second warning Sunday to protesters to disperse from the two airports but continued to maintain that they hoped to end the standoff through negotiation.
More than 2,000 members of the country’s security forces, including some naval and army units, are on standby around Suvarnabhumi airport. Protesters clashed at least twice with security forces at checkpoints near the airport Saturday, disabling 10 police vehicles and prompting the forces to retreat.
The Thai police remained conciliatory. “We are ready to talk,” said Lieutenant General Chalong Somjai, the police officer in charge of Suvarnabhumi, a giant complex that serve as a transportation and commercial hub for Southeast Asia. “We are trying to bring this to a peaceful conclusion,” he said in a news conference Saturday.
On Saturday, the Thai airport authority said Suvarnabhumi would be closed until at least Monday evening, dashing hopes for a quick resolution of the national crisis. But even that timetable seemed optimistic late Sunday, with protesters well entrenched in the airport terminal.
Self-appointed security guards in the besieged airport have blocked access roads with stacks of luggage trolleys, razor wire and a fire truck.
Some protesters are armed with metal rods or golf clubs as they guard the entrances to Suvarnabhumi. Sondhi Limthongkul, a protest leader who addressed his followers Saturday, also appeared to confirm that the group had firearms when he threatened to shoot at the police if fired upon.
“If they come, we will not open the door,” he said. “If they shoot us, we will shoot back.”
Dozens of aircraft are stranded on the tarmacs at both Bangkok airports, Suvarnabhumi and Don Muang, the domestic airport.
“I am most concerned about the aircraft, especially the foreign ones,” said Sereerat Prasutanon, the director of the airport authority, on Saturday.
The Thai prime minister, Somchai Wongsawat, has stayed out of Bangkok since Wednesday, possibly because he fears a military coup. Rumors of a coup persist, but many analysts say they believe that will be unnecessary: the government may be dissolved by court order this week.
Thailand’s constitutional court is expected to rule on a voter-fraud case that could disqualify Somchai from office and disband his political party.
Veera Musikapong, the leader of the Red Shirts, a pro-government group, said the case, which has been speeded through the courts, was politically motivated. “It is obvious that there is interference with justice,” Veera told The Nation newspaper. “It was well planned, and this is a concealed coup.”
In the two years since Thaksin Shinawatra was ousted as prime minister in a military coup, a series of court rulings have banned Thaksin and his allies from participating in politics. Thaksin’s political party also was disbanded, but many of its members then joined the People Power Party, which Somchai now leads.
If the People Power Party is dissolved by court order this week, its members are prepared to join yet another party called Pua Thai, which has been readied in recent weeks for that purpose.
Anarchist robs Democracy
Demagogue King, Comrade Lin Mingda
People’s Alliance for Democracy Announcement 26/2008
on
The Ultimatum for the Prime Minister to Resign Immediately and Without Condition
The People’s Alliance for Democracy has been rallying continuously since May 25, 2008 for 2 main objectives;
1. To prevent the rewriting of the 2007 Constitution by the proxy government of ousted premier Thaksin Shinawatra who are trying to amend the charter to whitewash the crimes committed by Thaksin and his cronies and to destroy the country’s judiciary system. The PAD also strives to prevent the proxy government from abolishing the Privy Council, a move which the PAD considers to be a direct violation of His Majesty the King’s authority.
The current Thai Parliament is also considered to be under Thaksin’s complete control. It has committed various wrongdoings and violated election laws, yet continues to claim it represents the people of Thailand. But in truth, the proxy Parliament is a sale to any highest bidding politician. The Constitution court’s imminent deliberation of a various party dissolution cases against several of the government coalition partners is proof enough of the fact that Thakin’s proxy government is not a truly ‘constitutional’ government of Thailand.
2. To drive out the killer government that has shamelessly acted as a nominee for fugitive Thaksin Shinawatra. The government is clearly behind the ruthless killings of Thai citizens, manipulated state media, supports the destruction of the Thai judiciary system, exploits the country’s national budget, condones lese majeste actions, lacks any ethical standing and therefore is deemed to be an illegitimate government which is not fit to administer the Kingdom.
For the above reasons the People’s Alliance for Democracy has been rallying peacefully and without arms, a right which is sanctioned by the 2007 Constitution Article 63. Article 70 stipulates that a Thai citizen has the responsibilities to protect the 3 pillars of the country; the nation, religion and the King and the nation’s constitutional monarchy.
However, during the course of the rally the lives and safety of supporters of the People’s Alliance for Democracy have been in constant jeopardy. The government is also clearly involved in masterminding various violent attacks against the PAD. It has also turned a blind eye when the PAD was attacked with weapons of war on more than 10 occasions. The ruthless attacks have resulted in countless injuries and 4 deaths. Several attacks were also targeted at the ASTV headquarters in an attempt to prevent that station from broadcasting live the PAD rally. The government has yet to take any responsibility for the underhanded sabotage attempts.
Three Senate committees, tasked with investigating the violence and bloodshed of the October 7th incident, have found that the PM Somchai Wongsawat and his Cabinet ministers are to be held responsible for the injuries and deaths of the protesters. Their findings coincide with that of the National Human Rights Commission. Premier Somchai must take responsibility for the tragedy by resigning immediately and without any condition.
The People’s Alliance for Democracy has called for a final mass rally to stop the traitorous government and proxy Parliament on November 23, 2008 at 2 p.m. The final rally is well into its 50th hour and the supporters of the PAD have been pressuring the traitorous government to step down with peaceful means. Armed with only the plastic hand clappers, the PAD protesters have marched to various key locations including Parliament, Finance ministry, the Metropolitan Police Bureau and the government’s temporary seat at Don Muang Airport. However, to no avail, the proxy government has failed to show any sign of remorse or any intention to step down as demanded by the PAD. In addition, it continues to cling on to power and is determined to amend the charter for the interests of its puppet master and his associates.
The People’s Alliance for Democracy is left with no choice but to step up its peaceful rally by blocking off access to the Suvarnabhumi Airport. This is considered to be an ultimatum for Somchai Wongsawat and the Cabinet to resign immediately and without any condition.
The people’s alliance apologizes for any inconvenience the closure of the Suvarnabhumi Airport may cause to the public and international visitors to the Kingdom of Thailand. But the PAD believes the measure is crucial to bring an end to the traitorous-killer government.
The PAD is calling for the public from all walks of life to join the PAD movement and call for the current administration to resign immediately to protect Thailand from more harm and to restore morals to the Thai society without any further delay.
With deepest respect, People’s Alliance for Democracy Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Letter from PAD Supporter to Clarify Rally
Anti democracy PADsy
On November 26, a young woman, dressed in a yellow shirt, was seen walking around the PAD rally site at Suvarnabhumi Airport, distributing a message in English to help clarify the PAD rally.
This is to clarify the situation here in Thailand as I believe the foreign press have formed the conclusion that the PAD has little chance of winning this final battle to topple the Nominee Government of Somchai Wongsawat, the brother-in-law of former PM Thaksin Shinawatra.
Before I say anything else, I’d like to stress here the the PAD’s policy is to use ONLY peaceful means and we have proved our intention by using only reason for the last six months. However, the continuous and nearly daily violence and murderous acts committed against us have come from either the Government, or its representatives, the red-shirted United Frong of Democracy against Dictatorship, which are trying everything in their power to pave the way for the return of Thaksin Shinawatra to become the first President of Thailand.
The aim of the PAD is to rebuild a country based on integrity, honesty, freedom from corruption and fairness from all Thais: all this together with the absolute determination to maintain and honour the Monarchy. We have the most wonderful and exceptional King who has reigned over his people with wisdom and love as the rest of the world is well aware.
Practically the whole of Thailand from all walks of life has converged onto Bangkok to support the PAD. We are not being paid to be here to use violence to get our way. We are not here to support a handful of corrupt politicians serving only one man who wants to divide our country. But we are here by choice, we are here to share an ideal, we are here to realize our goal which is to rebuild our country into a better place for the 60-odd million citizens. It’s actually not a question of “winning or losing” — it’s the reality of achieving what is good and right for our country — Thailand.
Commentary: Rama 9’s ends justify the means to stall democracy
2005 PM Thaksin once Sondhi's best PM in Thailand was seated on the usual seat for royalty on occassion at Wat Keo ,which Sondhi's PADSY mouth accused him of wanting to unseat monarchy. Libelous effort was to imcrimnate Thaksin in whim of hatred lese majeste laws.
By Kok Sap- 29 November 2008
Likely Rama 9 was used by Prem Tinsulanonda to undermine people power and mandates. It was known that Thaksin did not get along with General Prem who is usually over reaching in politics. Prem is King Privy Council President and intimate confidant.
May be that’s why Prem is convincing the King to endorse PAD in toppling current government. That way he whitewashes his dangerous plot against populist Thaksin Shinawatra. Other hand Thaksin and family are banished from Thailand forever.
From 2007 election, the winning People Power Party and its coalition had never been given opportunity to govern the country without obstacles. Two prime ministers and three foreign ministers in less than 6 months. Now the economy is depressed. People are in fear. Thailand enters the war with Cambodia. The serious troubles are imminent for country and monarchy.
In early September 2006, Thai police arrested five army officers, all members of Thailand’s counter-insurgency command, after intercepting one of the officers with a bomb in a car allegedly targeting the prime minister’s residence. Three of the suspects were released after the coup.
In Thailand recent history under Thaksin government, the rural seemed enjoying the equality, political, and welfare rights. They have confidence in themselves and take stance against the extremists and right wing clingers. They are angry at the coup plotters who infringed their rights and government. The rural supports for Thaksin and current government threaten the monarchy institution and its beneficiaries greatly.
- Prem, 2006 Coup d’Etat Mastermind
Many causes of 2006 coup were identified, both by the junta as well as by independent observers. Initial reasons stated by the junta were the Thaksin government’s alleged creation of an “unprecedented rift in society”, corruption, nepotism, interference in independent agencies, and insults to the King. Later reasons stated by junta leaders included Thaksin’s alleged vote buying, plans to provoke violence, and weakening of the military.
From the independent analysts, the coup was otherwise due to personal conflicts between Thaksin and King Bhumibol Adulyadej. The coup (masterminds Prem, Surayud, Sonthi) did not want Thaksin in a position to exert influence on the passing of the Chakri Dynasty mantle to Crown Prince Vajiralongkorn. The coup was due to class conflicts between the rural poor and the urban elites. Also the coup hedged unpatriotic of Thaksin conciliatory policy toward Pattani insurgency.
Royal endorsement is critical to establishing legitimacy for military rebellions – every successful coup over the past 60 years have been endorsed by Bhumibol. The only two in 1981 and 1985 against his friend,Prem, government were unendorsed by him.
The new rulers after September 19, 2006 were King personal friends,General Sonthi Boonyaratglin and General Surayud Chulanont.Under the junta rule, there were rampant corruptions and internal manipulations. In early 2008, the military and their special investigation team comprising of political opponents of Thaksin could not find any evidence supporting the corruption accusation.
To date with royal palace green light, PAD –Democrat are insistent on Thaksin being a traitor and a corruptive official. The understanding was that Sondhi Limthongkul was once Thaksin Protégé then turned personal enemy over sour business deals. With the royal signal, Sondhi is ever more belligerent in endangering Thailand.
The current parliament and government offices are held hostage by PAD-Democrat’s doing since August. In appearance, their actions are grounded for treason and incitation of anarchy. Heraclitus said,” day by day what you choose, what you think, and what you do is who you become. Your integrity is your destiny.”
In Thailand drama, King Rama 9 may end up paying for his doings to infringe democracy and people rights. After all he’s a man first. By all means men and women are created equal and endowed with alienable rights to pursue life, liberty and happiness. It has been 76 years, Thailand has not been granted full human rights yet. People are getting weary of elitism and special interests. The outside world is pity for Thailand cry for true democracy.
Grenade blast wounds 46 protesters in Bangkok
Anti-government demonstrators carry a wounded woman to safety near the Government House in Bangkok November 30, 2008. (REUTERS/Stringer)
By Ed Cropley
BANGKOK (Reuters) – A grenade blast wounded 46 anti-government protesters in Bangkok, hospital officials said on Sunday, the latest escalation in the country’s increasingly violent political crisis.
The blast occurred around midnight at Government House, where thousands of supporters of the People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD), who have occupied the prime minister’s compound since August in a bid to unseat him, were attending a rally.A spokeswoman for the Erawan Medical Centre said at least 46 people had been wounded.
Channel 3 television showed footage of the wounded being rushed to hospital in pickup trucks. It said at least two people were in critical condition.
“I had come down from the stage about 30 minutes before the grenade dropped into a crowded area,” PAD leader Suriyasai Katasila told Channel 3.
He blamed pro-government supporters for the attack, which came as the PAD’s dramatic blockade of Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi international airport entered its fifth day.
The sit-ins at Suvarnabhumi, and the city’s old airport Don Muang now used for domestic flights, are part of the PAD’s “final battle” launched on Monday to unseat Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat.
They accuse the prime minister of being a puppet of his brother-in-law, former leader Thaksin Shinawatra, who was ousted in a 2006 coup and lives in exile.
Somchai, who has refused to quit, imposed emergency rule at the airports two days ago but police have made no moves to evict the thousands of protesters.
Somchai effectively sacked his police chief on Friday, blaming him for mishandling the protests, Thai media said.
The unrest has paralysed flights at both airports, stranded thousands of passengers and sparked rumours of a military coup, even though the army chief has said he will not seize control.
“SHOOT THEM BACK”
In Saturday night’s clash at Suvarnabhumi, 150 riot police fled their checkpoint after they were attacked by PAD militants armed with iron rods, slingshots and hurling firecrackers.
The onslaught lasted 15 seconds but left the five-lane highway, the main access route to the $4 billion airport, littered with broken glass and discarded police helmets and truncheons.
Earlier, about 2,000 PAD members forced riot police to abandon another checkpoint near the airport. There was no violence, but one police officer was detained by PAD “security guards”, the Nation newspaper reported on its website.
PAD supporters have vowed to “fight to the death”, and youths armed with iron stakes manned barricades, scanning the horizon with binoculars for signs of police or pro-government gangs.
“If they come, we’ll not open the door. If they shoot us, we’ll shoot them back. We’ll die if that makes the country better,” PAD leader Sondhi Limthongul told supporters, the most explicit admission yet by the movement that they are armed.
The airport closures have crippled the tourism industry during the peak end-of-year season.
Deputy Prime Minister Olarn Chaipravat said the damage to Thailand’s tourist image may cut arrivals by half in 2009 from an expected 13.5 million this year, and threaten one million jobs.
The government will spend $30 million over the next month to help stranded tourists, he told reporters, including giving them free hotel rooms and a daily stipend of $56.
“It has been very frustrating,” said Ian Fraser, an Australian who was due to return home on Wednesday after a month of lectures in Thailand.
The government is shuttling tourists to U-Tapao, a Vietnam War-era naval airbase 150 km (90 miles) east of Bangkok, as an alternative landing site for airlines, but travellers have complained of massive delays and confusion.
The crisis has increased pressure on the army to oust the prime minister, as they did Thaksin in 2006, after Somchai rejected military calls to quit this week.
But army chief Anupong Paochinda has said he would not take over, arguing the military cannot heal fundamental political rifts between the Bangkok elite and middle classes, who despise Thaksin, and the poor rural and urban majority who love him.
Thai protesters hit police and tighten grip on airport
- Thousands are stranded in land of smiles
by Ed Cropley (Reuters) 11/29/2008
Anti-government protesters tightened their grip on Bangkok’s international airport today, attacking police checkpoints aimed at stopping more people from joining the blockade.
The government said tourism was suffering and the number of visitors to Thailand could fall by half next year.
In the latest clash, about 150 riot police fled their checkpoint near Suvarnabhumi airport after they were assaulted by protesters hurling iron rods and firecrackers from speeding cars.
The People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD) movement, which invaded the airport four days ago, then stationed guards on the expressway exit to prevent the police returning.
Earlier, about 2,000 PAD members forced riot police to abandon another checkpoint near the airport. There was no violence, but one police officer was detained by PAD “security guards”, the Nation newspaper reported on its website.
The PAD’s occupation of Suvarnabhumi, and a second older airport in Bangkok, is a dramatic escalation of their six-month street campaign against Somchai.
The airport closures have crippled the tourism industry during the peak end-of-year season. Somchai, who has refused to quit, imposed emergency rule at the airports two days ago but police have made no moves to evict the thousands of protesters.
Somchai, who is running the government from its political stronghold in the northern city of Chiang Mai, demoted his national police chief on Friday. While no official reason was given, Thai newspapers said he had been sacked for refusing to send riot police in to end the protest.
The PAD, a coalition of royalist businessmen, activists and academics who accuse Somchai of being a puppet of his brother-in-law, ousted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, seized the airports in a “final battle” to unseat the government.
At Suvarnabhumi, PAD youths armed with iron stakes and wearing police riot helmets manned barricades, scanning with binoculars for signs of police or pro-government gangs.
“If they come, we’ll not open the door. If they shoot us, we’ll shoot them back. We’ll die if that makes the country better,” PAD leader Sondhi Limthongul told supporters, the most explicit admission yet by the movement that they are armed.
His co-leader, retired general Chamlong Srimuang, said the PAD had not held talks with authorities, but was open to meet “with people directly involved in the situation such as Somchai”.
In a televised address on Friday night, Somchai said the PAD was doing massive damage to the tourism- and export-driven economy, but he would avoid violence to end the protests.
“Don’t worry. Officials will use gentle measures to deal with them,” he said, inviting rights groups and journalists to monitor the imposition of emergency rule at the two airports.
The airport sit-ins have forced hundreds of flights to be cancelled and grounded millions of dollars of air cargo.
Deputy Prime Minister Olarn Chaipravat said the damage to Thailand’s tourist image may cut arrivals by half in 2009 from an expected 13.5 million this year, and threaten one million jobs.
The government will spend $30 million over the next month to help stranded tourists, he told reporters, including giving them free hotel rooms and a daily stipend of $56.
“It has been very frustrating,” said Ian Fraser, an Australian who was due to return home on Wednesday after a month of lectures in Thailand.
The government is shuttling tourists to U-Tapao, a Vietnam War-era naval airbase 150 km (90 miles) east of Bangkok, as an alternative landing site for airlines, but travellers have complained of massive delays and confusion.
Pressure is building on the army to oust the prime minister, as they did Thaksin in 2006, after Somchai rejected military calls to quit this week.
But army chief Anupong Paochinda has said he would not take over, arguing the military cannot heal fundamental political rifts between the Bangkok elite and middle classes, who despise Thaksin, and the poor rural and urban majority who love him.
Thai protesters agree to gov’t talks
BANGKOK, Thailand—Protesters laying siege to Bangkok’s two main airports have agreed to hold formal talks today with Thai authorities following initial contacts, a police commander said.
Hundreds of police had also moved into position outside Suvarnabhumi international airport but it was “not for a crackdown,” regional police deputy commander Maj. Gen. Piya Sorntrakoon said yesterday.
Embattled Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat imposed a state of emergency around the airports on Thursday night and ordered the facilities cleared of protesters but security forces feared a raid could spark a bloody confrontation.
Leaders of the People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD), which have refused to end their siege of the Suvarnabhumi and Don Muang airports, agreed to talks tomorrow after officials said earlier that initial overtures had been conducted over the telephone.
The talks would involve the governor of Samut Prakarn province where Suvarnabhumi is located, a representative of Airports of Thailand, the chairman of the national Human Rights Commission and the media.
‘Fight to the death’
A PAD leader earlier said that demonstrators would “fight to the death” against any attempt to evict them from either airport.
The protesters are calling for the resignation of the government elected in December, saying it is a corrupt proxy for former Premier Thaksin Shinawatra, who was ousted in a coup in 2006.
Thailand’s powerful Army chief on Wednesday urged Somchai to dissolve parliament and hold fresh elections but the premier refused, deepening fears of a bloody end to the airport siege.
Airlines began flying stranded air travelers out from a naval base yesterday, but tens of thousands of passengers are believed to have missed flights after four days of unrest that have badly hit Thailand’s tourist industry.
The protesters braced for an assault overnight yesterday, extending razor wire cordons to about three kilometers around the flagship Suvarnabhumi international airport and blocking access roads, witnesses said.
“We are not afraid. We will fight to the death, we will not surrender and we are ready,” one of the main protest leaders, Somsak Kosaisuk, told a crowd of supporters at Don Muang.
Police say around 4,000 protesters from the PAD—a movement backed by elements of the Palace, the Army and Thailand’s Bangkok-based elite—are occupying Suvarnabhumi for a fourth day.
Another 2,500 are at Don Muang, where the Cabinet’s temporary offices have been located since protesters seized their headquarters at Government House in Bangkok in August, calling for the government to resign.
The airport blockades are the latest twist in the PAD’s six-month campaign to unseat an elected government it accuses of being a puppet of Thaksin.
Somchai, Thaksin’s brother-in-law, has refused to quit, but policymaking has been paralyzed, intensifying concerns about the export-driven economy’s ability to cope with a global recession.
Somchai’s attempts to assert his authority by declaring emergency rule and authorizing action to clear the airports were apparently undermined by the police announcement of further talks with the protesters.
Gentle way
“We will use the gentle way first. The priority is to negotiate and not crack down immediately—we are all Thais,” said Piya.
Late Friday, Somchai’s office announced the dismissal of the national police chief, police Gen. Patcharawat Wongsuwan. The statement did not give a reason for the dismissal, saying only that the country’s top policeman had been “ordered … to move to the prime minister’s office.”
Police Maj. Gen. Prateep Tanprasert, the inspector general, has been appointed acting national police chief. The Army has already said it is opposed to the use of force against the protesters, stoking tensions between the government and the military in a nation that has seen 18 coups since the end of absolute monarchy in 1932.
The PAD has vowed not to quit until Somchai resigns, alleging that its arch-foe, exiled former Premier Thaksin Shinawatra, who was ousted in a 2006 coup, is the puppet master behind the government elected in December.
The military denied rumors on Thursday that it was planning to launch a similar putsch, following reports that Somchai was about to sack the powerful Army chief Anupong Paochinda for calling for the dissolution of the government and holding new elections.
Yet in a further sign of the civilian-military rift, government spokesperson Suparat Nakbunnam said Somchai would remain in Chiang Mai “indefinitely … for his safety.”
Possible scenarios
The following scenarios examine what might happen next:
Negotiate a way out. Police began talks with PAD leaders yesterday to try to end the sit-ins peacefully. Whether the PAD will take these negotiations seriously is doubtful.
Their leaders have said previously that Somchai must resign before any serious talks can begin. The PAD’s intention is to trigger a military coup and anarchy is its main weapon.
Police storm airports. Police have gone out of their way to avoid a fight with the PAD this week, mindful of the hundreds injured in last month’s clashes outside parliament.
Evicting the protesters by force is the “last step,” a police negotiator said yesterday. It would probably be bloody.
PAD “security guards,” armed with clubs, scythes and golf clubs, are dug in behind barricades of fire trucks, luggage trolleys and razor wire.
PAD leaders deny their members are armed, but television footage of two PAD militants firing pistols at government supporters this week suggests otherwise.
PAD backs down. The PAD has never backed down in its six-month campaign, which has seen the movement occupy Government House since August, disrupt parliamentary sessions at will, and defy court orders.
But the movement’s backers may be getting nervous.
“The longer this crisis goes on, the more exposed and compromised the PAD’s backers have become. And the PAD is continually dragging them down to the cut-and-thrust of Thai politics to their own detriment,” analyst Thitinan Pongsudhirak, a professor of political science at Chulalongkorn University, wrote this week.
The PAD, an alliance of businessmen, academics and activists, says it gets 1 million baht ($28,000) a day in support from the public.
Analysts suspect it is also bankrolled by anti-Thaksin business interests, parts of the Army and Palace figures.
Military coup. It’s never wise to rule out a coup in a country that has had, on average, one successful or attempted putsch every four years since the end of absolute monarchy 76 years ago.
Army chief Anupong Paochinda again suggested Somchai should quit this week, but insisted he was not putting pressure on the prime minister.
Anupong has repeatedly said he will not seize control, and the Army could face a violent backlash from supporters of the elected administration. But some top-ranking officers do not agree with Anupong, as shown by the coup rumors swirling in Bangkok on Thursday.
King intervenes. Regarded as semi-divine by many, King Bhumibol Adulyadej carries huge informal political clout and in six decades on the throne has intervened in several disputes, favoring both elected and military administrations.
However, the 80-year-old king has stepped in previously only after major bloodshed, and his advancing years and deteriorating health raise doubts about his ability to calm any new outburst.
With the crisis affecting Thailand’s ties with the rest of the world, the secretary general of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) traveled to Thailand to assess whether the kingdom was still fit to host the Asean leaders’ summit scheduled for December in Chiang Mai.
“Part of my trip here is to discuss the Asean summit with the Thai government. I have to listen to the Thai government first,” said Asean head Surin Pitsuwan, a former Thai foreign minister, speaking by phone to AFP as he made his way overland to Bangkok from Singapore by way of Malaysia.
“The Thai government should make a decision on its readiness and the internal situation,” he said.
Thailand, which is the current Asean chair, has previously said it will go ahead with the December summit even as protesters stepped up a six-month campaign to topple the administration.
Options considered
However, Somchai told reporters on Friday that he was still considering his options. “I have not decided whether to postpone it, but to postpone it will damage our country’s image,” he said.
“If we can re-open airports I still think that we can organize the meeting in time because we have almost completed our preparations,” he said.
Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam have raised the possibility of postponing the summit due to the worsening political crisis in the country.
Cambodian Foreign Minister Hor Namhong on Friday urged Thailand to put off the summit.
“In my opinion, the postponement of the Asean summit is necessary given the current complex situation in Thailand, in which there is no one who is able to control this anarchic situation,” Hor Namhong told reporters.
Thailand announced in late October that the summit would be moved from Bangkok to Chiang Mai, a Thaksin stronghold.
The government said it was because of northern Thailand’s cooler climate, but the antigovernment protests are believed to be a key factor.
Reports from AFP and Reuters
Coup fears rise after Thai PM sacks police chief
Tai Rak Thai
(Guardian.uk) 11/29/2008
The Thai prime minister sacked the country’s police chief last night after security forces failed to evict anti-government demonstrators from Bangkok’s two airports, leaving the country all but cut off and thousands of overseas travellers stranded.
Somchai Wongsawat’s decision to remove police general Pacharawat Wongsuwan was another sign of the deepening tensions between the government and the security forces that have raised fears of another coup.
But as the airport demonstrators were given an ultimatum to leave, riot police were seen gathering at Suvarnabhumi international, suggesting that they were preparing to clear the terminal, which had been shut down for a fourth day.
In a move to rescue thousands of travellers stranded by the closures, passengers were being bussed from the nearby resort town of Pattaya to the Vietnam war-era naval airbase of U-Tapao, south of Bangkok, where 60 flights departed yesterday.
Several Asian airlines were planning further flights today to rescue staff and passengers.
The Thai tourist authority hoped the aircraft might also bring in new arrivals for the start of the tourist high season, though the capacity of U-Tapao will be a fraction of that of the main airports.
The removal of the police chief “as a result of his performance during this crisis” suggested that the four-day standoff between the government and protesters from the People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD) might be moving towards a conclusion.
As darkness fell last night PAD “guards” clad in hardhats and goggles brandishing iron bars, continued to man a razor-wire barricade checkpoint on the five-lane airport approach road. Just a few hundred metres away 200 police with batons and shields gathered and scores of ambulances were lined up, suggesting the security forces were preparing an assault that might turn bloody.
The recently appointed police chief, an opponent of former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra who was deposed in a coup in 2006, had joined Thailand’s armed services chiefs last month on television, suggesting Somchai should step down.
Despite the tough stand, the prime minister tried in another national address yesterday to reassure the public that a softly-softly approach would be used to clear the airports. “Don’t worry,” he said. “Officials will use gentle measures to deal with them.”
Earlier in the day police began negotiations by phone with the protesters’ leaders, who are demanding that Somchai’s government step down unconditionally. Officers hinted of sterner measures if the demonstrators did not leave quietly.
“We are asking them to allow the airport to resume operations,” said Lieutenant General Suchart Muenkaew, the chief negotiator. “We will keep talking, but if it fails we will take other steps. The last step will be to disperse them.”
Somchai had declared a state of emergency on Thursday evening at Suvarnabhumi and Bangkok’s second airport, Don Muang, leading to expectations that police and some military units were on the brink of evicting the protesters by force.
Yet after a night when rumours swept the Suvarnabhumi protesters’ ranks that a police invasion was imminent, the government backed off and said it would seek to get them out in a “peaceful manner”.
A similar emergency rule order declared by the previous prime minister, Samak Sundaravej, in September to clear the demonstrators occupying the grounds of Government House also fell flat when the military refused to intervene.
The inaction after the latest emergency rule declaration raised questions about whether Somchai was in total control, a suspicion amplified by his decision to remain in the northern city of Chiang Mai among his bedrock supporters because of tensions with the military.
The sacking of the police chief was clearly an attempt to wrest back the initiative. It prompted renewed speculation that the prime minister would also remove army chief Anupong Paochinda because of his criticism of Somchai, a scenario categorically denied earlier.
But the new tougher stance drew a stern response from PAD, whose members said they were prepared to “fight to the death” if they did not get their way. “We are ready to defend ourselves against any government’s operations to get us out of those places,” a spokesman said.
Thai Government Demotes National Police Chief After Airport Siege
Sign of troubles
AP-Friday, November 28, 2008
BANGKOK, Thailand — Thailand’s government demoted the national police chief on Friday after he failed to end a siege of the capital’s airports by anti-government protesters.
Hundreds of demonstrators, demanding the government’s ouster, stormed Suvarnabhumi international airport on Tuesday and took over the smaller Don Muang domestic airport a day later. The capital remains completely cut off from air traffic, stranding thousands of travelers and dealing severe blows to the economy.
Government spokesman Nattawut Sai-Kau said National Police Chief Gen. Pacharawat Wongsuwan has been moved to an inactive post in the prime minister’s office.
Nattawut declined to comment on the order, issued by Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat.
It was not clear if Pacharawat was removed because the police failed to evict the protesters, but it could be because he apparently made no attempt to negotiate a peaceful end to the crisis, as the government had asked.
Interior Minister Kowit Wattana met with police at a precinct near Suvarnabhumi on Friday.
About 200 police, carrying riot gears and shields, were seen outside airport offices, which are about 400 yards (meters) from the terminal where the protesters are camped out.
The airport takeover capped months of demonstrations by the protesters, who belong to the People’s Alliance for Democracy. They took over the prime minister’s office three months ago, virtually paralyzing the government.
They say they won’t give up until the government steps down.
“We are ready to defend ourselves against any government’s operations to get us out of those places,” said Parnthep Wongpuapan, an alliance spokesman.
Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat declared a state of emergency around the capital’s two main airports, which would allow security forces to oust thousands of anti-government protesters from the terminals.
Somchai accused the protesters of “holding the country hostage and the public hostage.”
“I do not have any intention to hurt any members of the public,” he added, though the imposition of the measures raised the possibility that violent clashes could break out as authorities moved on Suvarnabhumi international airport and the city’s older, smaller Don Muang airport.
The declaration empowers the government to suspend some civil liberties, including restricting the movement of people and prohibiting mass assembly in certain locations.
The People’s Alliance for Democracy, which has been demanding the resignation of Somchai and his government, seized control of Suvarnabhumi international airport on Tuesday, forcing the cancellation of all flights in and out of the capital and sending thousands of tourists to hole up in Bangkok hotels.
The standoff, which began three months ago when the group occupied the prime minister’s office compound, has paralyzed the government, battered the stock market, spooked foreign investors and dealt a serious blow to the tourism industry.
Government Spokesman Nattawut Sai-kua earlier called the seizure of the airports “a terrorist act.”
“The prime minister says we have to use peaceful means,” he said. “(Security officials) will negotiate (with protesters) first and we will go step by step, adhering to international standard and the law.”
The protesters are seeking the resignation of Somchai, whom they accuse of being a proxy for former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. Thaksin, who is Somchai’s brother-in-law, is in exile, a fugitive from a conviction for violating a conflict of interest law.
