VEERA PRATEEPCHAIKUL
Bangkok Post
COMMENTARY
After a series of legal setbacks delivered by the judiciary and with a few more crushing rulings expected in the near future, Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej is fighting back with the tenacity of a cornered animal.
The besieged premier told an audience at a trade fair on Thursday that he would never bow to pressure on him to quit. A few days earlier in his Sunday television talk show, he ranted at the judiciary for overstepping its authority and vowed to rectify the situation by amending the constitution.
He also promised vengeance against government opponents. "From now on, my men will also go for the kill. We have already suffered many casualties," he was quoted as saying.
Thus began the game of tit for tat.
Hundreds of People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) demonstrators, on their way to the 11th-century Hindu temple of Preah Vihear in a convoy of buses and cars, were blocked by about 200 pro-government locals in Si Sa Ket's Kantharalak district on Thursday. The confrontation developed into scuffles which resulted in injuries to some warriors on both sides.
PAD protesters managed to break through the blockade and reach the temple's entrance where they held a brief protest against Cambodia's listing of the temple as a World Heritage site.
Although there were no serious injuries, the incident should serve as a warning that future confrontations between the opposing sides - in other words, the pro- and anti-Thaksin forces - will likely turn violent.
Frankly, both sides are to blame for provoking violence. The PAD protesters may claim they have the right to protest against Cambodia. But was it necessary to go all the way to the temple entrance to make their statement, unnecessarily heightening the already strained relations between Thailand and Cambodia? PAD has always pointed fingers at the government, accusing it of being the main culprit for the diplomatic debacle over the temple issue.
On the other hand, the Si Sa Ket locals were equally provocative, some armed with wooden clubs and steel pipes as they blocked PAD protesters.
PAD has specifically targeted protests against Interior Minister Chalerm Yubamrung, to the extent that he is unable to undertake inspection trips to the countryside, particularly in the southern provinces.
PAD's conduct in this regard has come under heavy criticism, seen by many critics as being beyond legitimate free expression.
It was reliably reported that PAD protesters would meet counter-protests by rivals at many venues in the escalating tit-for-tat strategy recently adopted by the People Power party.
The recently revived pro-Thaksin television station, known as PTV, was due to hold a rally over the weekend in Bangkok to campaign in support of the government's bid to rewrite the charter.
Meanwhile, in parliament, the ongoing attempts by a pro-Thaksin senator to ask the Election Commission to disqualify dozens of Democrat MPs and anti-Thaksin senators for holding shares in companies, with concession rights from the government, in violation of the constitution was also viewed in a broader context as part and parcel of Mr Samak's war cry against the opponents of his government.
But the battle royale will be over the current constitution. Mr Samak, who earlier backed off on the bid to rewrite the charter, appears determined to go for broke this time around.
Contrary to his earlier statement that rewriting the charter is the responsibility of parliament, he recently declared that amending the constitution would be the first item to be deliberated in the House when it reconvenes.
The government may feel emboldened that it will have more public support this time, thanks to its economic assistance package recently announced.
On the other hand, the PAD is likely to go for broke as well, because it cannot afford to have the government succeed in amending the charter.
Both sides are on a collision course, and you can guess what the consequences will be. Unless, of course, there is an intervention by an "invisible hand".
Veera Prateepchaikul is Deputy Editor-in-Chief, Post Publishing Co Ltd.
The besieged premier told an audience at a trade fair on Thursday that he would never bow to pressure on him to quit. A few days earlier in his Sunday television talk show, he ranted at the judiciary for overstepping its authority and vowed to rectify the situation by amending the constitution.
He also promised vengeance against government opponents. "From now on, my men will also go for the kill. We have already suffered many casualties," he was quoted as saying.
Thus began the game of tit for tat.
Hundreds of People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) demonstrators, on their way to the 11th-century Hindu temple of Preah Vihear in a convoy of buses and cars, were blocked by about 200 pro-government locals in Si Sa Ket's Kantharalak district on Thursday. The confrontation developed into scuffles which resulted in injuries to some warriors on both sides.
PAD protesters managed to break through the blockade and reach the temple's entrance where they held a brief protest against Cambodia's listing of the temple as a World Heritage site.
Although there were no serious injuries, the incident should serve as a warning that future confrontations between the opposing sides - in other words, the pro- and anti-Thaksin forces - will likely turn violent.
Frankly, both sides are to blame for provoking violence. The PAD protesters may claim they have the right to protest against Cambodia. But was it necessary to go all the way to the temple entrance to make their statement, unnecessarily heightening the already strained relations between Thailand and Cambodia? PAD has always pointed fingers at the government, accusing it of being the main culprit for the diplomatic debacle over the temple issue.
On the other hand, the Si Sa Ket locals were equally provocative, some armed with wooden clubs and steel pipes as they blocked PAD protesters.
PAD has specifically targeted protests against Interior Minister Chalerm Yubamrung, to the extent that he is unable to undertake inspection trips to the countryside, particularly in the southern provinces.
PAD's conduct in this regard has come under heavy criticism, seen by many critics as being beyond legitimate free expression.
It was reliably reported that PAD protesters would meet counter-protests by rivals at many venues in the escalating tit-for-tat strategy recently adopted by the People Power party.
The recently revived pro-Thaksin television station, known as PTV, was due to hold a rally over the weekend in Bangkok to campaign in support of the government's bid to rewrite the charter.
Meanwhile, in parliament, the ongoing attempts by a pro-Thaksin senator to ask the Election Commission to disqualify dozens of Democrat MPs and anti-Thaksin senators for holding shares in companies, with concession rights from the government, in violation of the constitution was also viewed in a broader context as part and parcel of Mr Samak's war cry against the opponents of his government.
But the battle royale will be over the current constitution. Mr Samak, who earlier backed off on the bid to rewrite the charter, appears determined to go for broke this time around.
Contrary to his earlier statement that rewriting the charter is the responsibility of parliament, he recently declared that amending the constitution would be the first item to be deliberated in the House when it reconvenes.
The government may feel emboldened that it will have more public support this time, thanks to its economic assistance package recently announced.
On the other hand, the PAD is likely to go for broke as well, because it cannot afford to have the government succeed in amending the charter.
Both sides are on a collision course, and you can guess what the consequences will be. Unless, of course, there is an intervention by an "invisible hand".
Veera Prateepchaikul is Deputy Editor-in-Chief, Post Publishing Co Ltd.
