By Sopon Onkgara
The Nation
THE 12-HOUR long protest rally at Sanam Luang, together with a march to Government House on Saturday by some 30,000 red-shirted opposition demonstrators and politicians, originally perceived as a formidable threat to the Abhisit Cabinet, turned out to be a flash in the pan without lasting effect. The bite was not as harmful as the loud bark.
Led by cronies and minions of Thaksin Shinawatra, who is in self-imposed exile and on the run from jail, the gathering was surprisingly large, taking up almost half of Sanam Luang. There were fiery tirades unleashed by orators angered by the recent political twist that elevated the Democrat Party to head the new coalition.
The march from Sanam Luang to Government House, blocked at intervals by barriers and police lines, was relatively peaceful - a marked change from previous unruly and violent incidents. The red-shirts' leaders understood that this time, law enforcers were not on their side as in the past.
They forced their way to Government House and declared victory after reading demands to the soldiers and police guarding the premises. Chiefly, they want a House dissolution and a snap election. Before that, they want Prime Minister Abhisit to remove Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya from his post.
Their accusation? That Kasit was an "international terrorist" who seized Suvarnabhumi International Airport as part of the leadership of the People's Alliance for Democracy during the then opposition movement's 193-day rally against the Samak and Somchai administrations.
Why should the red-shirted mob want Kasit out? Why is he singled out as an "international terrorist" when he was among thousands during the rally at the airport terminal along with musicians and ordinary people? The red-shirts and Thaksin's cronies are actually worried about Kasit even more than they are about Abhisit. How come?
Well, with full legal authority, Kasit can cause a lot of trouble for Thaksin, starting with the cancellation of his passport and requesting foreign governments to cease and desist from allowing the disgraced ex-prime minister to travel in exile and to engage in activities harmful to Thailand.
Since his self-imposed exile, Thaksin has continued his campaign to regain political power by bad-mouthing his homeland, which served as the land of opportunities for him to amass immense wealth through business monopolies, abuse of political power. The enrichment of his family and the benefits to his cronies resulted in structural decay for the entire nation.
With periodic phone-ins to TV programmes organised by his foot soldiers, Thaksin remains, to a certain extent, a pivotal factor in Thailand's political situation. He has a direct bearing on whether there is peace or chaos, politically and socially, though the significance of his influence is gradually waning.
Even after just a month in office, there is grudging recognition among the opposition politicians and their red-shirted allies that the longer Abhisit can stay in power, with growing popularity, the more he becomes a powerful accelerator for Thaksin's decline into obscurity. That's why they mobilised to flex their political muscle and send signals to Abhisit that his administration will not see peace as long as their demands are not met. Thaksin, at the same time, bleats that he must be accorded justice the way he likes it - free from any guilt or criminal proceedings.
The demand that Abhisit must dismiss Kasit is both ridiculous and pathetic. Those hecklers don't even understand who should be labelled an "international terrorist" or what activities should fit that description.
Speaking at a peaceful anti-government rally cannot be described as terrorism. Words don't generally kill people, except for some poor souls who might succumb to heart attacks if they cannot stand the exposures and truth about their own scandals and misdeeds.
The red-shirted accusers are no match for Kasit in terms of stature, track record or moral standard. His long years in the foreign service and international diplomacy have been spotless. Even Cambodia's supreme boss, Hun Sen, grudgingly welcomed him with a good heart to Phnom Penh, though Hun Sen was a target of verbal attacks during the PAD rally.
Kasit's accusers, on the contrary, are tainted by a shady past and sinister motives. They are fighting for Thaksin in exchange for personal gain. They have never fought for the public cause.
The other demand for Abhisit to dissolve the House is naive and preposterous. It is just an excuse for the red-shirt leaders to organise another rally, again for personal gain, on behalf of those who want to see the government in trouble.
The warning that the protest would be protracted if the demands are not met should not be taken seriously. Without continued funding, it will be just another flash in the pan. For Thaksin's political cronies and fat cats, organising protest rallies serves as a way to make good money.
Led by cronies and minions of Thaksin Shinawatra, who is in self-imposed exile and on the run from jail, the gathering was surprisingly large, taking up almost half of Sanam Luang. There were fiery tirades unleashed by orators angered by the recent political twist that elevated the Democrat Party to head the new coalition.
The march from Sanam Luang to Government House, blocked at intervals by barriers and police lines, was relatively peaceful - a marked change from previous unruly and violent incidents. The red-shirts' leaders understood that this time, law enforcers were not on their side as in the past.
They forced their way to Government House and declared victory after reading demands to the soldiers and police guarding the premises. Chiefly, they want a House dissolution and a snap election. Before that, they want Prime Minister Abhisit to remove Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya from his post.
Their accusation? That Kasit was an "international terrorist" who seized Suvarnabhumi International Airport as part of the leadership of the People's Alliance for Democracy during the then opposition movement's 193-day rally against the Samak and Somchai administrations.
Why should the red-shirted mob want Kasit out? Why is he singled out as an "international terrorist" when he was among thousands during the rally at the airport terminal along with musicians and ordinary people? The red-shirts and Thaksin's cronies are actually worried about Kasit even more than they are about Abhisit. How come?
Well, with full legal authority, Kasit can cause a lot of trouble for Thaksin, starting with the cancellation of his passport and requesting foreign governments to cease and desist from allowing the disgraced ex-prime minister to travel in exile and to engage in activities harmful to Thailand.
Since his self-imposed exile, Thaksin has continued his campaign to regain political power by bad-mouthing his homeland, which served as the land of opportunities for him to amass immense wealth through business monopolies, abuse of political power. The enrichment of his family and the benefits to his cronies resulted in structural decay for the entire nation.
With periodic phone-ins to TV programmes organised by his foot soldiers, Thaksin remains, to a certain extent, a pivotal factor in Thailand's political situation. He has a direct bearing on whether there is peace or chaos, politically and socially, though the significance of his influence is gradually waning.
Even after just a month in office, there is grudging recognition among the opposition politicians and their red-shirted allies that the longer Abhisit can stay in power, with growing popularity, the more he becomes a powerful accelerator for Thaksin's decline into obscurity. That's why they mobilised to flex their political muscle and send signals to Abhisit that his administration will not see peace as long as their demands are not met. Thaksin, at the same time, bleats that he must be accorded justice the way he likes it - free from any guilt or criminal proceedings.
The demand that Abhisit must dismiss Kasit is both ridiculous and pathetic. Those hecklers don't even understand who should be labelled an "international terrorist" or what activities should fit that description.
Speaking at a peaceful anti-government rally cannot be described as terrorism. Words don't generally kill people, except for some poor souls who might succumb to heart attacks if they cannot stand the exposures and truth about their own scandals and misdeeds.
The red-shirted accusers are no match for Kasit in terms of stature, track record or moral standard. His long years in the foreign service and international diplomacy have been spotless. Even Cambodia's supreme boss, Hun Sen, grudgingly welcomed him with a good heart to Phnom Penh, though Hun Sen was a target of verbal attacks during the PAD rally.
Kasit's accusers, on the contrary, are tainted by a shady past and sinister motives. They are fighting for Thaksin in exchange for personal gain. They have never fought for the public cause.
The other demand for Abhisit to dissolve the House is naive and preposterous. It is just an excuse for the red-shirt leaders to organise another rally, again for personal gain, on behalf of those who want to see the government in trouble.
The warning that the protest would be protracted if the demands are not met should not be taken seriously. Without continued funding, it will be just another flash in the pan. For Thaksin's political cronies and fat cats, organising protest rallies serves as a way to make good money.
5 comments:
Oh my, Thailand is no longer having political stability.
They will encounter a lot of chaos in near future. Cause Thaksin had been advised from HUN SEN about the tactic to regain power in Thailand. He will come back.
Thailand is going into a brink of civil unrest.
They will face many political upheaval.
Khmer-Thai,
Please continue till end of its kingdom. Thailand arrogant and heartless acts toward its neighbors will come to hunt them. Ill kindred-though is not holly, but for the Thai, it justify.
Thailand is no longer a democracy. It is a dictatorship prodded by the military and the King. The party that won in the last election, the PPP was illegally stripped of power.Cambodia was a victim of Thai poltical power play.
This article is trying to glamorize the people in power by power grabbed. I suggest this so called Thai newspaper leave Cambodia alone. We have nothing to do with your country.
Siamese show us their opera, We're watching them closly. they're trying to extend more negociation time possible. They are waiting for the right moment to invad Cambodia deeper, their gaol objective is to negociate with Vietnamese instead of Cambodian GV'T. In this moment their secrets service working tirelessly with the others two nations to bring the Hun Sen's GV'T down, then they invad to occoupied Cambodia. VNG'T and SIMG'T, their eyes are badly irtitated when Khmer is allive. now they keep dancing, we're watching causciously.
May god bless khmer all!
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