PHOTO: ASSOCIATED PRESSMore violence feared if Somchai party is declared illegal
Dec 2, 2008
By Nirmal Ghosh, Thailand Correspondent
Straits Times (Singapore)
BANGKOK - THAILAND is bracing itself for more trouble today as its Constitutional Court begins handing down a ruling that could lead to Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat's government being dissolved.
Thai police yesterday asked the military to help step up security in the capital, fearing that pro-government supporters would react violently should the ruling People's Power Party (PPP) be declared illegal for electoral fraud in last year's polls.
Already, anti-government protesters in Bangkok have come under attack in recent days. Pro-government 'red-shirts' are said to be prepared to head for the capital from the provinces in their thousands once the signal is given.
The court verdict could prove a turning point in a country roiled by months of political turmoil.
The conflict pits the yellow-shirted members of the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) against Mr Somchai and his government, seen by them as corrupt proxies of ousted premier Thaksin Shinawatra.
In their campaign to bring down the government, the PAD's supporters seized the Prime Minister's official compound in Bangkok in August and, last week, took over both Suvarnabhumi and Don Muang airports.
The airport seizures have stranded over 350,000 travellers in Thailand. Various airlines and governments were scrambling yesterday to deploy more flights to Phuket, Chiang Mai and U-Tapao to get them out.
At the same time, the PAD allowed airlines to fly about 80 empty planes out of Suvarnabhumi airport.
Meanwhile, in a switch of tactics, the PAD yesterday moved most of its supporters at Government House to the airports.
'We are not abandoning the site,' PAD spokesman Suriyasai Katasila insisted. By evening, hundreds were still ensconced in the compound.
As all sides braced themselves for the court decision, senior members of the PPP were said to be urgently considering alternatives should the party be thrown out of power.
Already its members are describing a dissolution of the party as a 'judicial coup'. The judgment could come within days, if not today
One option is for the PPP itself to dissolve Parliament before the judgment is out, and to call an election - which it is sure to win.
In this scenario, its MPs would merely switch to another party, Puea Thai, and fight the election.
Another option is for the PPP to set up a 'government in exile' and create a resistance movement nationwide, should there be a military coup.
The mechanics for this are being worked on right now, but the idea is not new: it was considered but not implemented in September 2006 when the army toppled the Thaksin government.
It is not clear where such a 'government in exile' would be based, but Thaksin is said to be in Cambodia while also working on setting up a base in Dubai.
Mr Somchai, who was asked by reporters yesterday when he would return to Bangkok, remarked that he could run the country from anywhere.
'The place is not an issue as long as I can work and get cooperation from all parties,' he added, insisting that he was not stepping down.
For the moment, Chiang Mai is his base as the northern city is home ground for him - and Thaksin - making it harder for the army to detain him in the event of a coup.
The political upheaval has also disrupted plans for Asean meetings from Dec 13 to Dec 17.
'I will propose at the Cabinet meeting tomorrow to postpone the summit to March as we can't open our airport for leaders' planes to land yet,' Foreign Minister Sompong Amornwiwat said.
Indonesia's President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono proposed his country as an alternative venue.
Indonesia and Asean Secretary-General Surin Pitsuwan were offering to hold the meeting of its foreign ministers and East Asian dialogue partners in the Asean Secretariat offices in Jakarta, while the finance ministers could meet in Bali, he said.
nirmal@sph.com.sg
Additional information from Reuters
Thai police yesterday asked the military to help step up security in the capital, fearing that pro-government supporters would react violently should the ruling People's Power Party (PPP) be declared illegal for electoral fraud in last year's polls.
Already, anti-government protesters in Bangkok have come under attack in recent days. Pro-government 'red-shirts' are said to be prepared to head for the capital from the provinces in their thousands once the signal is given.
The court verdict could prove a turning point in a country roiled by months of political turmoil.
The conflict pits the yellow-shirted members of the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) against Mr Somchai and his government, seen by them as corrupt proxies of ousted premier Thaksin Shinawatra.
In their campaign to bring down the government, the PAD's supporters seized the Prime Minister's official compound in Bangkok in August and, last week, took over both Suvarnabhumi and Don Muang airports.
The airport seizures have stranded over 350,000 travellers in Thailand. Various airlines and governments were scrambling yesterday to deploy more flights to Phuket, Chiang Mai and U-Tapao to get them out.
At the same time, the PAD allowed airlines to fly about 80 empty planes out of Suvarnabhumi airport.
Meanwhile, in a switch of tactics, the PAD yesterday moved most of its supporters at Government House to the airports.
'We are not abandoning the site,' PAD spokesman Suriyasai Katasila insisted. By evening, hundreds were still ensconced in the compound.
As all sides braced themselves for the court decision, senior members of the PPP were said to be urgently considering alternatives should the party be thrown out of power.
Already its members are describing a dissolution of the party as a 'judicial coup'. The judgment could come within days, if not today
One option is for the PPP itself to dissolve Parliament before the judgment is out, and to call an election - which it is sure to win.
In this scenario, its MPs would merely switch to another party, Puea Thai, and fight the election.
Another option is for the PPP to set up a 'government in exile' and create a resistance movement nationwide, should there be a military coup.
The mechanics for this are being worked on right now, but the idea is not new: it was considered but not implemented in September 2006 when the army toppled the Thaksin government.
It is not clear where such a 'government in exile' would be based, but Thaksin is said to be in Cambodia while also working on setting up a base in Dubai.
Mr Somchai, who was asked by reporters yesterday when he would return to Bangkok, remarked that he could run the country from anywhere.
'The place is not an issue as long as I can work and get cooperation from all parties,' he added, insisting that he was not stepping down.
For the moment, Chiang Mai is his base as the northern city is home ground for him - and Thaksin - making it harder for the army to detain him in the event of a coup.
The political upheaval has also disrupted plans for Asean meetings from Dec 13 to Dec 17.
'I will propose at the Cabinet meeting tomorrow to postpone the summit to March as we can't open our airport for leaders' planes to land yet,' Foreign Minister Sompong Amornwiwat said.
Indonesia's President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono proposed his country as an alternative venue.
Indonesia and Asean Secretary-General Surin Pitsuwan were offering to hold the meeting of its foreign ministers and East Asian dialogue partners in the Asean Secretariat offices in Jakarta, while the finance ministers could meet in Bali, he said.
nirmal@sph.com.sg
Additional information from Reuters
