Thai premier says protest will pose no threat

Monday, August 25, 2008
The Associated Press

BANGKOK, Thailand: A big anti-government protest scheduled for Tuesday will fail to keep his administration from carrying out its work, Thai Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej said Monday.

Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej said at a news conference that his government will carry on as usual despite the prospect of anti-government demonstrators surrounding his office compound on Tuesday.

"The government is still safe and sound and the Cabinet meeting will be held at Government House tomorrow," Samak said.

The People's Alliance for Democracy has vowed to hold a massive protest Tuesday to demand that Samak's government step down. Senior protest leaders refused to say where the protest marchers would go, but others said to Samak's office, as they have done before.

The protest group led months of demonstrations that ended in former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra's ouster in a September 2006 military coup for alleged corruption and abuse of power. It resumed protests in May, contending that Samak is a proxy for Thaksin.

Pipop Thongchai, a leader of the alliance, claimed the protesters would not disperse "until we can drive this puppet government out of office."

The alliance appeared to be a threat to Samak's six-party coalition government earlier this year, but has been steadily losing influence. It alienated many Bangkok residents by disrupting already bad traffic in the capital city.

It also has lost its focus since Thaksin - who returned to Thailand when Samak's government came to power - went back into exile into England, becoming a fugitive when he missed a court appearance on one of several corruption charges pending against him. Thaksin claimed he could not get a fair trial in his homeland.

The group has hopped from issue to issue to try to rebuild its following. Last month it attacked the government for allegedly giving up Thai territory to Cambodia, and this month it has joined Bangkok residents unhappy over plans to move Parliament to their neighborhood.

A union leader allied with the protest alliance threaten to cut off essential services to the prime minister's offices.

"If the government is still stubborn, the state enterprise may use the toughest measures, to cut the power and water supply at Government House," said Sawit Khaewwan, secretary general of the State Enterprise Labor Federation.

Similar threats by state enterprise union leaders at earlier rallies were not carried out, leaving it unclear if they were actually speaking for their organizations.

Bangkok police chief Gen. Asawin Khwanmuang said police will not stop protesters from marching but will take action if they violate the law.

Sacrava's Political Cartoon: The Unknown Journey

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Cartoon by Sacrava (on the web at http://sacrava.blogspot.com)

Thai PM may face treason charge over Cambodia temple deal

Monday, July 14, 2008

BANGKOK (AFP) — Anti-government activists Monday urged Thailand's top anti-corruption watchdog to consider treason charges against the prime minister for backing a deal with Cambodia on a disputed Hindu temple.

The Constitutional Court last week ruled that Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej and his cabinet had violated the charter by signing a deal on the 900-year-old Preah Vihear temple without seeking parliament's approval.

Foreign minister Noppadon Pattama resigned over the controversy, which has raised the threat of impeachment proceedings against the cabinet.

Now royalist activists from the so-called People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) want Samak and other top officials, including deposed premier Thaksin Shinawatra, to face treason charges, which are punishable by execution.

Samak and his ruling People Power Party are closely aligned with Thaksin, who was toppled in a coup by royalist generals two years ago.

"The cabinet members, senior officials and former prime minister Thaksin committed severe crimes against the country," PAD spokesman Suriyasai Katasila told AFP.

The PAD submitted a letter Monday to the National Counter Corruption Commission, urging an investigation into the entire 34-member cabinet as well as Thaksin, top foreign ministry officials, and the Thai ambassador to France, the spokesman said.

The letter accused the cabinet of causing Thailand to lose territory to Cambodia, working to benefit a foreign state, and inciting an international conflict.

The scandal began last month when Noppadon signed a deal with Cambodia, backing its effort to win World Heritage status for the temple.

Although the World Court ruled in 1962 that the temple belongs to Cambodia, critics of the government have stoked a nationalist uproar, accusing the government of giving away Thai land to Cambodia.

The exact border around the temple has never been agreed. The dispute has raised tensions in both countries, with Cambodia closing the temple after Thai protesters tried to march to the site.

Thailand's Political Crisis: A Carnival of Reaction paralyses the Thai political process

03 July 2008
Giles Ji Ungpakorn
Asia Sentinel (Hong Kong)

In the 1960s the site was claimed by the Thai military regime, but the Word Court ruled against the Thai government. The present ridiculous row arises because the Cambodian and Thai governments want it designated a World Heritage site. The PAD scream that this is a "loss of Thai sovereignty". This idiotic accusation is without foundation. The temple was clearly built by the Khmer, not the Thais, who were under-developed at the time. The site has officially been in Cambodian territory for 45 years. Nevertheless national chauvinists do not care about mere facts.

The term "Carnival of Reaction" was first used by the Irish Marxist James Connolly when referring to the defeat of socialist politics in Ireland and the rise of reactionary Catholicism and reactionary Protestantism either side of the partition border.

Thailand's political crisis after the September 2006 coup and the December 2007 elections is also becoming a carnival of reaction. On the one hand we see the deterioration of Thai Rak Thai from a modernizing capitalist party with pro-poor policies, but a dreadful human rights record, into the Peoples Power Party, headed by ultra Right-wing Prime Minister Samak Suntarawej. His cabinet is staffed with gangsters and sleazy politicians.

On the other hand, we see the so-called Peoples Alliance for Democracy (PAD), which organized large demonstrations in 2005 and 2006 to oust Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. The movement started as a coalition between Peoples Movement leaders and the right-wing royalist businessman Sonti Limtongkul.

This movement was never particularly progressive in its demands, but it has now degenerated into a proto-fascist organization. First they called for the king to sack Thaksin and appoint a new prime minister back in 2006. Then they supported and welcomed the military coup. They supported the idea of appointed senators, rather than elections for the upper house. They backed, and continue to defend, the military's anti-democratic constitution.

Now they are raising the ultra right-wing slogans of "Nation, Religion and King" while playing fascist nationalist songs from the 1970s. In late June they started a row to try and whip up crude nationalist sentiment over the Khmer temple Preah Vihear. This hill-top temple was built by the Khmer (Cambodians) at the time of Ankor. It now sits on the modern border between Thailand and Cambodia.

In the 1960s the site was claimed by the Thai military regime, but the Word Court ruled against the Thai government. The present ridiculous row arises because the Cambodian and Thai governments want it designated a World Heritage site. The PAD. scream that this is a "loss of Thai sovereignty". This idiotic accusation is without foundation. The temple was clearly built by the Khmer, not the Thais, who were under-developed at the time. The site has officially been in Cambodian territory for 45 years. Nevertheless national chauvinists do not care about mere facts.

The reason the PAD felt the need to use demagogic nationalist politics was because they have tried all means to get rid of Thaksin's Thai Rak Thai party which was transformed after the coup into the Peoples Power Party. Repeated demonstrations, a coup, a court-inspired dissolution of Thai Rak Thai and a military constitution have all failed to dent the electorate's support for the parties. That is why the PAD have now suggested that parliamentary elections be scrapped for 70 percent of MPs. The poor obviously "cannot be trusted with the vote".

The opposition Democrat Party under the twin leadership of young, Oxford educated, Abhisit Vejjajiva and Korn Chatikavanij, also favors authoritarian means. Its extreme neo-liberal policies are not popular with the poor who are the majority of the population. They supported the 2006 coup and the PAD and want though Internet censorship on alternative news websites like Prachatai. Recently they spent much time in their parliamentary debate attacking the government for "selling Thailand's sovereignty" down the river over Preah Vihear. The adoption of infantile chauvinism comes from having nothing of substance to say.

The mainstream English language and Thai language press are no better. The Bangkok Post and the Nation actually take the issue of Preah Vihear seriously without question. In the carnival of reaction, intellectual faculties have been surgically removed from some people's brains.

How did it get to this stage? One important reason is the lack of independence among peoples' organizations, NGO networks and social movements. This lack of political independence stems from a refusal to take political theory and party building seriously.

The concentration on single issues and political lobbying means that the people’s movement has sought one white knight after another, rather than building a party of the left.

In 2006, before the coup, we in The Peoples Coalition Party (and Left Turn newspaper) were constantly frustrated by the large anti-government demonstrations organized by the PAD. For years we had opposed the Thaksin government on the grounds of gross human rights abuses and privatization. Yet the PAD demands were thoroughly reactionary. We could not join them, yet we were far too small to influence the thousands that did. When the military staged a coup in September that year, we immediately came out publicly against it.

Since then we have tried to work with many in the Peoples Movement in opposing authoritarian measures. We have also played a significant part in highlighting the rightward drift of the PAD so that today, many social movements and networks have declared themselves against any new coup and have pulled out of the PAD We are busy building an independent class position in the movement, which rejects the PAD and the government. Hopefully we can be part of ending this carnival of reaction.

Cambodia closes border access to controversial Hindu temple

Thai protesters standing in front of the gate to Preah Vihear (Photo: Thailand news media)

Jun 24, 2008
DPA

Phnom Penh - Border access to Preah Vihear temple has been closed indefinitely after the potential World Heritage Site was turned in to a political football in neighbouring Thailand, Cambodian authorities said Tuesday.

Cambodian authorities decided to close a Thai-Cambodian border crossing to the ancient Hindu temple on Monday after a rally of about 100 Thai protestors gathered at the site, said Preah Vihear Authority Director General Hang Soth.

'This is Thailand's problem, because those protestors were an anti-Thai government group,' Hang Soth said in a telephone interview. But he admitted that the issue was a sensitive one on both sides of the border.

'The border was closed because both governments don't want an explosion between our two peoples,' said Hang Soth.

Preah Vihear, a centuries-old Hindu temple perched on a 525-metre high cliff that defines the Thai-Cambodian border, has been a bone of contention for the two neighbouring countries for decades.

The temple, which may be designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO next month, prompted an ownership spat between Cambodia and Thailand that led to a suspension of diplomatic relations in 1958 and eventually ended up in The Hague for an international settlement in 1962. The court ruled in Cambodia's favour, but the loss of the temple remains a national wound for many Thais.

Preah Vihear became a contentious issue for the current Thai government after it approved a Cambodian proposal to submit the temple as a possible heritage site with UNESCO next month.

Last year Thailand opposed the temple's UNESCO listing on the grounds that the Cambodian map of the site included some disputed territories. Cambodia redrew the map last month, and the Thai cabinet approved the revised siting.

Thailand's opposition Democrat Party, which launched a no-confidence motion against the Thai cabinet on Tuesday, has criticized Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej for throwing the government's approval to the heritage listing without seeking parliament's approval.

Opposition politicians have accused the government of pushing the proposal through to win Cambodian business benefits for former premier Thaksin Shinawatra, who was ousted by a military coup in September 2006 and has been banned from politics for five years.

Thaksin is seen as the behind-the-scenes backer of Samak and the People Power Party (PPP) which leads the current cabinet.

The Thai protestors dispersed peacefully at around 5:30 pm without intervention from border police on either side, according to witnesses.

The deputy governor of Preah Vihear province, Long Sovann, said the governor had closed the border after receiving orders from the Cambodian government but declined further comment.

Neither the governor nor government spokesman Khieu Kanharith were available for comment Tuesday.

The Khmer-language Koh Santepheap daily featured a front-page picture of the protestors Tuesday, showing them hoisting a yellow flag and a Thai national flag on Thai soil just 20 meters short of the border during the rally.

Some of the protestors also wore yellow shirts, a colour that has been adopted by the anti-Thaksin movement.

Like Koh Santepheap, the other two mass circulation Khmer-language dailies Rasmei Kampuchea and Kampuchea Thmey made it clear that Thai Prime Minister Samak had not approved of the protest.

Kampuchea Thmey blamed the rally on Thailand's People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD), an anti-Thaksin coalition.

All three newspapers played down the incident and said that the issue of the border temple was not disputed by either the Cambodian or Thai governments.

Thailand's PM faces no-confidence motion

Anti government demonstrators gather Saturday, June 21, 2008, outside Government House in Bangkok.

BANGKOK, Thailand (AP) -- Thailand's Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej faced a fight for his political future Monday as opposition parties prepared a no-confidence debate in Parliament and thousands of protesters refused to lift their siege of his office.

Anti government demonstrators gather Saturday, June 21, 2008, outside Government House in Bangkok.

The no-confidence motion has been brought by the opposition Democrat Party in the wake of four weeks of street protests calling for the government's resignation.

Demonstrators, led by activists of the People's Alliance for Democracy, occupied the area around Government House, the seat of Thailand's government, on Friday after breaking through a police cordon.

The Senate was scheduled to begin a debate on the crisis Monday. The more powerful lower house of Parliament was to take up the no-confidence motion targeting Samak and his cabinet on Tuesday and vote on the measure Thursday.

"The senators will expose the wrongdoing of this government, to make the public aware that this government has lost legitimacy in running the country," Somchai Sawaengkan, one of 36 senators to grill the government, told The Associated Press.

In a nationwide address on government television, the embattled prime minister said he would resign if the vote went against him.

Samak's People's Power Party, whose members include many allies of military coup-ousted former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, heads a six-party government coalition that controls about two-thirds of the 480 seats in the lower house of Parliament. The Senate does not take part in the vote.

Samak's partners would have to desert him for any non-confidence motion in the lower house to succeed, but it was not certain which way the balloting would go. Even if Samak wins the vote, the debate plus tensions in the streets could pressure his backers to find a replacement as prime minister.

Thai newspapers, including The Nation, cited possible replacements in Deputy Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat and onetime Prime Minister Banharn Silipa-archa.

A defiant Samak vowed to return to his office and the demonstrators said they would not stop him.

"Prime Minister Samak, you are more than welcome to enter your office at Government House. Whether you dare to enter or not is your decision but we are not stopping you. We will pave the way for you if you want to come in," said Chamlong Srimuang, one of the alliance leaders.

The demonstrators, who began street protests four weeks ago, claim that Samak and his party are mere proxies of Thaksin, who was dismissed in a 2006 military takeover.

The parliamentary opposition, led by Democrat Party leader Abhisit Vejjajiva, is expected to bring up such claims as well as alleged wrongdoing and mistakes by the Samak administration. They allege that Samak has mismanaged the weakening Thai economy, interfered in the country's generally free press and mishandled negotiations with neighboring Cambodia over disputed territory.

"I will not bow to your pressure. I will pull out only if I am defeated by a vote in Parliament," Samak told the protesters.

A spokesman for the protesters' alliance, Suriyasai Katasila, said Samak's resignation alone would not satisfy their demands.

"The People's Alliance for Democracy believes that the government's decision to allow a no-confidence motion in Parliament is a political game to lessen tension," Suriyasai said.

The alliance led mass demonstrations before the 2006 coup demanding Thaksin step down for alleged corruption and abuse of power. They now accuse Samak's government of interfering with corruption charges against Thaksin and trying to change the constitution for its own self-interest.

Rumors have swept Bangkok since the protests began that the country's powerful military would stage another coup, something the top brass has repeatedly denied.

Samak's People's Power Party won general elections last December.

Thai Govt House seized by protesters ... Army chief urges Samak to dissolve parliament

Govt House seized

PAD declares victory as protesters breach cordons / Army chief urges Samak to dissolve parliament / All army units ordered to remain on standby
Saturday June 21, 2008
Bangkok POST REPORTERS

Army chief Gen Anupong Paojinda has advised Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej to think seriously about dissolving the House to end the turmoil on the streets of the capital.

Gen Anupong, who joined top-level security officials at the Army Club to monitor the People's Alliance for Democracy's protest march yesterday afternoon, told Mr Samak he should explore the House dissolution option, a source said. This was because the PAD demonstrators had declared victory by laying siege to Government House.

Clearing the decks would allow the people to "make a new decision" at a fresh general election.

In the meantime, Mr Samak would head a caretaker government and remain in power long enough to supervise a major military reshuffle in August.

The source added Mr Samak would help ward off any influence from former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra in the military shake-up.

"Part of the reason Gen Anupong doesn't want Mr Samak to resign is because he fears that his replacement will not be as compromising with the military. The new prime minister would only be a yes-man to Mr Thaksin," the source said.

A House dissolution, however, is technically impossible at present because the no-confidence motion filed by the opposition Democrats has been put on parliament's agenda.

Under the 2007 charter, the prime minister is not allowed to dissolve the House during a no-confidence session.

Opposition leader Abhisit Vejjajiva, however, said the opposition may "remove the lock" by withdrawing the censure motion if the government sought its cooperation.

The source said Gen Anupong ordered all army units to remain on standby and stay neutral as senators echoed calls for the military to stay in their barracks.

The number of PAD supporters, meanwhile, reached tens of thousands. The protesters started mobilising at about 10am yesterday.

Bands of protesters, mostly in yellow shirts, started their march and pushed their way past police barricades on Ratchadamnoen avenue and surrounded Government House at 3.30pm.

Maj-Gen Chamlong Srimuang, a PAD leader, then declared the victory in front of Government House.

"The PAD movement today is an historic event and a great credit to the country. In the face of such a phenomenon, the government will have to get out within a few days," he said.

It is unclear how long the PAD plans to lay siege to Government House, although there is speculation the protest could last many days.

Mr Samak yesterday declined to comment on the PAD rally, saying he would only talk about preparations for the Asean Summit to be held in Thailand in December. He presided over a meeting at the Foreign Ministry on the summit.

"Let's ask the ones who are responsible for the PAD rally," he said.

A source close to Mr Samak said the prime minister will likely convert the Defence Ministry into a temporary office and the cabinet has scheduled its weekly meeting on Tuesday at the Foreign Ministry.

Mr Samak was reportedly angry at the police's failure to hold back the protesters.

Police chief Pol Gen Patcharawat Wongsuwan said police on the front line, including border patrol officers, were told to avoid clashes with the protesters at all costs.

"I'm pleased no one was hurt," the police chief said.

It was reported Mr Samak told the security meeting yesterday one measure to get back at the protesters was to deny them mobile toilets.

During the march, police equipped with shields and protesters pushed and shoved each other briefly. Four police officers, two of them women, sustained some injuries and were treated at the Police Hospital.

The protesters managed to break through the police barriers and later regrouped outside Government House before the PAD leaders took to the make-shift stage to declare victory over the government.

PAD leader Sondhi Limthongkul said the PAD would petition the Administrative Court to order the government not to proceed with the joint communique it signed with Cambodia over the Preah Vihear temple issue.

The PAD would also file criminal action against the cabinet for endorsing the joint communique.

Thai protestors storm Government House

Anti government protesters shout slogans during a demonstration in front of the Foreign Ministry to force the resignation of Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej, in Bangkok, on June 18, 2008. Just four months after forming a government, Thailand's elected Premier Samak Sundaravej is under attack both in the streets and in parliament, raising new fears about the nation's stability. (AFP/File/Pornchai Kittiwongsakul)

Jun 20, 2008
DPA

Bangkok - Thousands of anti-government protestors marched on the Thai cabinet's headquarters Friday, demanding the immediate resignation of Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej and his ministers.

The demonstrators, organized by the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD), which led similar mass protests against former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra in 2006, broke through a blockade of about 300 riot police to push their way toward Government House.

'PAD protestors have no weapons, so if there is any shooting, it is not by us,' PAD leader Chamlong Srimuang said, urging the demonstrators not to attack police.

The protesters shouted, 'Put Thaksin in prison,' as they took their places outside Government House, which was closed Friday.

The PAD has vowed to camp outside the seat of government until Samak and his cabinet resign, accusing them of mishandling the economy and diplomacy and of acting as 'nominees' for Thaksin and his cronies, who have been barred from power by a Constitutional Tribunal ruling last year.

'We want Samak and his cabinet to get out,' said Janikha Korkhalong, 45, one of the protestors. 'Just what this government has done on the Phra Viharn issue is enough reason for them to go.'

The Thai government this week backed a Cambodian proposal to list the Preah Vihear Hindu temple, the subject of a bitter ownership dispute more than 40 years ago, as a UNESCO World Heritage Site next month.

The decision has irked many in Thailand who still believe the ancient Khmer border temple - called Phra Viharn by Thais - belongs to their country although the International Court of Justice in The Hague passed it to Cambodia in 1962.

There is a widespread belief that the cabinet approved the Cambodian proposal as part of a Thaksin business deal. Thaksin on Wednesday announced plans to invest in a hotel-casino project on Cambodia's Koh Kong island.

The PAD began its anti-government protests May 25 after the cabinet launched a motion to amend the 2007 constitution, leading to speculation that its intent was to undermine several corruption cases against Thaksin and pave the way for his return to power.

Thaksin, a billionaire telecommunications tycoon, was prime minister from 2001 to 2006 before he was toppled in a bloodless coup on September 19, 2006.

Thaksin, whose Thai Rak Thai party won widespread backing from the rural poor through a host of populist policies, lost the trust of Bangkok's middle class and political elite in early 2006 and soon found himself the target of a military coup.

Outrage against Thaksin exploded in January 23, 2006, when his family sold its 49-per-cent equity in the Thaksin-founded Shin Corp conglomerate to the Singapore government's Temasek Holding for a tax-free 2 billion dollars.

That sale gave the PAD the ammunition it needed to mount an anti-Thaksin campaign that finally led to the military coup. Now the PAD is back on the streets for similar reasons, accusing the Samak-led government of being a proxy cabinet for Thaksin.

The PAD movement, aimed primarily at uprooting Thaksin's lingering influence in Thai politics, has gained momentum with Thailand's deteriorating economy.

Inflation peaked at 7.6 per cent in May, pushed up by rising fuel and food prices, which have sparked a series of protests and demands for subsidies.

More protests expected in Bangkok

Friday, June 20, 2008
ABC Radio Australia

Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej is under pressure after a month of persistent street protests, which got a boost this week when Thailand's most powerful unions gave their backing to the rallies.

The opposition Democrat Party has also lodged a motion of no-confidence against the Prime Minister, and there are fears of more protests by farmers and truck drivers over rising energy costs.

Another opposition party, The People's Alliance for Democracy, has called on its supporters to rally on Friday and police are on high alert.

The PAD is angry at the government's handling of the economy, oil deals with Cambodia and negotiation on the Preah Vihear Temple.

Ong-Art Khlampaibul, the spokesman for the Democratic Party, told Radio Australia's Connect Asia program the new government is already a failure.

"We think that the government cannot run the country very well it [doesn't have] enough ability to work, it cannot solve the economic crisis and now we have more," he said.

"It is our nation's problem, it is our people's problem, it's not our political party's or democratic party's problem only."

Despite the protest Mr Ong-Art does not expect another coup.

"I don't think it will end in a coup again of course because we just had one two years ago but personally it is not easy to happen again, and it should not happen again," he said.

He says the Democrats don't want to eject the government, simply to force them to to their job properly.

"It looks like Thailand decided to help Mr Hun Sen in the elections": Kraisak Choonhavan, a member of the [Thai] Democrat opposition party

Thailand heads for another political showdown

Jun 19, 2008
DPA

Bangkok - On Friday the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) will march on Government House to force the resignation of Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej and his cabinet, who have been running the country for less than six months.

There promises to be thousands of peaceful protestors, long speeches, tents set up opposite Government House to protect people from the monsoon rains, food deliveries from unknown backers and, no doubt, a long wait before anything happens. The scene is all too familiar for Bangkokians.

The PAD, a loose coalition of disparate groups united only in their hatred for former premier Thaksin Shinawatra, staged almost daily protests in the capital for much of 2006 until the tanks rolled on to the streets on September 19, ending the political impasse.

Twenty-one months after Thaksin's political downfall and six months after a general election brought the pro-Thaksin People Power Party (PPP) to power, coup rumours are rife again.

'I think the PAD's backing goes very high up and involves military elements, because otherwise they would not be so rabid,' opined Thitinan Pongsudhirak, a political analyst at Thailand's prestigious Chulalongkorn University.

Although the military ousted Thaksin, they could not prevent the proxy PPP from winning the December 23, 2007, general election, and putting in place a 'nominee' cabinet of Thaksin allies.

The PAD returned to the streets on May 25 shortly after the current government began to push for constitutional amendments that are likely to lead to the dismissal of about 16 corruption cases against Thaksin, a billionaire telecommunications tycoon who was prime minister between 2001 to 2006.

The military justified their September coup with charges that Thaksin has been involved in mass corruption, undermined the monarchy and divided the nation.

So far, only the last charge has stuck.

Thaksin, who was banned from entering politics for five years by a constitutional tribunal ruling a year ago, continues to be at the heart of Thailand's political divide.

Although he holds no political post, the hand of Thaksin is seen in whatever the current 'nominee' cabinet does.

For instance, the government's decision this week to support Cambodia in its bid to nominate Preah Vihear, a centuries old Hindu temple on the Thai-Cambodia border as a World Heritage Site, has been seen as part of a sinister business deal, typical of the Thaksin era.

It doesn't help matters that Thai Foreign Minister Noppodon Patama is Thaksin's former lawyer and one day after he disclosed the country's support for Cambodia's Preah Vihear bid, Thaksin announced plans to build a casino-hotel complex on Koh Kong, an island off Cambodia's western coast bordering Thailand.

Pheah Vihear is a sensitive issue for most Thais. The magnificent Hindu temple was the source of a border dispute in the 1950s that ended up in the Hague's International Court. The court decided the temple belonged to Cambodia.

Thailand opposed Cambodia's proposal to list Preah Vihear temple at UNESCO last year on the grounds that the Cambodian site map included still disputed territory.

Cambodia submitted a new map last month, which Noppodon approved this week, paving the way for the temple's lisitng at a UNESCO meeting on July 2, and providing a publicity boost for Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen's party in a general election scheduled on July 27.

'It looks like Thailand decided to help Mr Hun Sen in the elections,' said Kraisak Choonhavan, a member of the Democrat opposition party.

'The government's way of handling this has created the suspicion that personal gains are more important than national gains,' added Kraisak.

That was one of the main complaints against Thaksin's two-term premiership, which increasingly looked like a runaway private gravy train.

Pent up outrage against Thaksin's self-serving government style finally exploded in January 23, 2006, when his family sold their 49 per cent equity in the Thaksin-founded Shin Corp conglomerate to Singapore's Temasek Holding for a tax-free 2 billion dollars.

That gave the PAD the ammunition they needed to mount a a popular anti-Thaksin campaign that finally led to the 2006 coup. Now the PAD is back on the streets for similar reasons.

'I think the Thaksin overhang has been constant,' said Thitinan. 'This government is not to be trusted, and Thaksin exacerbates that.'

Increasingly, with or without a coup, observers are saying that the only long-term solution for the political divide caused by Thaksin is to get Thaksin out of politics for good.

'The only solution is if a court case can quickly come out with a sentence that Thaksin is guilty, then politically he would be out,' said Kraisak.

Unfortunately, Thailand's judicial system is notoriously slow and certain elements may not be able to wait for the courts.

PAD: Thaksin may have derived business benefits in exchange for Thailand's support of Cambodia's efforts to register the Preah Vihear

A protest by any other name: PAD gathering turns multi-lingual

Thursday June 19, 2008
Thanida Tansubhapol
Bangkok Post

The People's Alliance for Democracy knows how to adapt its strategy to make sure its message hits the right target.

In a demonstration in front of the Foreign Ministry yesterday by about 2,000 protesters, the anti-government group began what PAD members called an "international rally".

"Today, we come to the Foreign Ministry. Anybody who can speak foreign languages, please show up," Anchalee Paireerak, a PAD member, said.

Protesters in the crowd took up her invitation. Normally, their protest message is delivered in Thai.

But yesterday it was in seven languages - Cambodian, German, English, French, Japanese, Chinese and even Bahasa Malay.

All foreign-language speakers had their messages translated into Thai.

The substance was basically the same in that they wanted Foreign Minister Noppadon Pattama sacked from his job.

A statement handed to permanent secretary for foreign affairs Virasakdi Futrakul by PAD member Somsak Kosaisuk, explained why Mr Noppadon, formerly a legal adviser to ousted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, is no longer suitable for his job.

Mr Noppadon, who was not at his office during the demonstration, had ordered ministry officials to return Mr Thaksin's red official passport, which was seized after the coup.

That annoyed PAD members, as did his failure to send his former client a warning after Mr Thaksin's name was widely seen, printed on a Thai flag at the Manchester City stadium in England last month.

Mr Thaksin may have derived business benefits in exchange for Thailand's support of Cambodia's efforts to register the Preah Vihear temple as a World Heritage site, the group said.

The PAD said they backed ministry staff who had tried to protect the "national interest", and called on them not to follow orders from politicians if they believe they are unlawful.

"Ministry staff must protect Thai sovereignty and reveal the facts about oil and natural gas found in the overlapping zone in the Gulf of Thailand, as well as not allow conflicts of interest to benefit former prime minister Thaksin's investments," said Mr Somsak.

Anti-Thai govt protest over Thai-Cambodia border dispute in Preah Vihear

Thousands of People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) members protest outside Foreign Ministry in Bangkok, Thailand Wednesday, June 18, 2008. Protestors accused the Thai government of yielding a disputed border region with an ancient temple to Cambodia, the latest trouble for the embattled Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej who has been facing daily protests calling for his resignation. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)
Thousands of People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) members protest outside Foreign Ministry in Bangkok, Thailand Wednesday, June 18, 2008. The protestors accused the Thai government of yielding a disputed border region with an ancient temple to Cambodia, the latest trouble for the embattled Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej who has been facing daily protests calling for his resignation. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)
Thousands of People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) members protest outside Foreign Ministry in Bangkok, Thailand Wednesday, June 18, 2008. The protestors accused the Thai government of yielding a disputed border region with an ancient temple to Cambodia, the latest trouble for the embattled Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej who has been facing daily protests calling for his resignation. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)
Thousands of People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) members protest outside Foreign Ministry in Bangkok, Thailand Wednesday, June 18, 2008. The protestors accused the Thai government of yielding a disputed border region with an ancient temple to Cambodia, the latest trouble for the embattled Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej who has been facing daily protests calling for his resignation. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

PAD supporters demand explanation on Preah Vihear

Wednesday, June 18, 2008

(BangkokPost.com) - Hundreds of supporters of People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) gathered in front of the Foreign Ministry on Wednesday morning to demand the government to clarify the Preah Vihear temple's borders.

The move came after the cabinet approved the new map of the ancient temple, clearing the way for Cambodia to propose the temple to Unesco as a World Heritage site.

The temple has been a magnet for conflicts in decades as Thailand and Cambodia have fought over its ownership.

About 200 police officers were at the ministry to step up security.

Traffic in front of the Sri Ayutthaya was heavily congested as the protesters blocked the four-lane street.