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Re: CAT 3 FOR EDIT - THAILAND - PM willing to resign - 100311

Released on 2012-10-19 08:00 GMT

Email-ID 1270127
Date 2010-03-11 18:50:00
got it, fact check at 1:00

On 3/11/2010 11:47 AM, zhixing.zhang wrote:

Hope it addresses all comments, and remaining questions will be
addressed through discussion

Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said parliament on Mar.11 that
Thailand will overcome political volatility through security measures,
and he will be willing to resign or dissolve the House to help solving
the country's conflicts. While government is trying every tactic to ease
the tension, amid the pro-Thaksin group, the Red Shirts planned massive
rally from Mar.12-14 that is estimated to draw anywhere from 100,000
(estimated by the government) to 600,000 (estimated by the Red Shirts
leaders) people, this statement reflected an increasingly heating up
political situation in Thailand.

The protest following Feb.26 Supreme Court ruling that the government
would confiscate 60 percent of Thaksin's frozen family assets, and the
upcoming protests, allegedly calling for 600,000 Thaksin's supporters,
aims to pressure the Prime Minister to resign and dissolve parliament,
and call for a new election. The Red Shirts point out that current
government took the power through parliamentary reshuffle rather than
general elections. Meanwhile, the pro-Thaksin Peau Thai, the leading
opposition party in the parliament, is also increasing pressure on the
Prime Minister to hold elections. Having won the past two general
elections, and maintaining support in rural Thailand,
Thaksin's proxy party, the Peau Thai hope to be reelected to power as
soon as possible. Prime Minister Abhisit and the Democrat Party broadly
speaking have the backing of the military and the Bangkok bureaucracy,
but are trying to delay elections until a more opportune time.

The Democrat Party-led Thai government appears to be in crisis mode to
manage the protest so as to maintain authority and prevent violence. The
Red Shirt protest looks to be as big or bigger than the April 2009
"Songkran crisis" that nearly caused the government to dissolve.
The government predicts that turn out for the demonstrations could be
around 100,000. Despite the fact that protesters insist the
demonstrations will be peaceful, the government claims violence could
reach high levels like in 2009,
for instance involving masses of protesters driven into Bangkok on
buses, pitched battles in the streets between protesters and police and
military troops, blockades, fires, small bombs and grenades, vandalism
and civilian deaths. Media reports allege that caches of weapons have
been stolen from police and army bases ahead of the protests.

The government has taken a variety of advance security measures to
prepare for the situation. It invoked tougher Internal Security Act to
allow deployment of 30,000 military troops ahead of the protest, in
addition to 20,000 riot police that will be deployed and 10,000
volunteers. Blockades are being formed leading into Bangkok and at
various locations within the city to prevent protesters from using
taxis, buses and farm vehicles as part of the protests. Tough measures
have been announced to punish protesters that invade government
buildings, provoke security forces, or cause violence, as well as
against migrant workers who join protests.

Bangkok 's notoriously congested traffic is expected to grind to a halt
on Friday, with schools canceling class and businesses closing.
Transportation is expected to be paralyzed by the combination of
protesters and government checkpoints. The urban train system, including
the elevated train in downtown Bangkok, could be affected. Safe houses
have been prepared for government leaders (no doubt with the attack on
the prime minister's calvacade last year in mind
). It appears that the city is battening down for what could be several
days of unrest -- even beyond the date when protests are supposed to
culminate on March 14 -- if the events of April last year are any

Yet questions remain as to how high the Red Shirt turn out will be,
whether the protesters are exaggerating the force they can command, or
whether the government is exaggerating the threat to justify preempting
it with tough security measures. As is frequently the case in Thailand,
there are rumors that the military could launch a coup
-- rumors given some credence by Abhisit's statement that he would be
willing to resign rather than allow extra-constitutional actions to
force him from power. Given the parliamentary debate context, Abhisit
was likely referring to the protest itself as a potential "coup," rather
than the idea of a military coup.

In fact the Thai army's top generals have broadly supported the Democrat
Party leadership and in fact had helped Abhisit in power, and the army
has been crucial in quashing Red Shirt protests, contrary to its
refusing to crackdown on protests against the pro-Thaksin government in
2008 by the so-called Yellow Shirts
Hence Army chief General Anupong Paojinda's statements on March 11,
following Abhisit's comments, that neither he nor the navy or air force
leaders would resort to holding a coup. The military has been extremely
reluctant to intervene in politics since ousting Thaksin from the
premiership in 2006, one of the major contributing causes to the Red
movement and Thailand's ongoing political and civil convolutions.

Nevertheless Thai military leaders have overthrown civilian governments
of whatever stripe on previous occasions, so the possibility cannot be
dismissed. The question is whether the government and military will
succeed in maintaining law and order, or whether the protests will
generate enough instability that the military decides it must take full
control of the situation. The possibility of new elections bringing a
Red-sympathizing and pro-Thaksin government to power is not palatable
for many top generals. Moreover, with the weakening health condition of
the Thai king, who has served as a uniting figure for the country for
more than half a century and a source of stability when interest groups
colllided, Thailand is entering uncharted waters.

Mike Marchio