Violence at PTV protests in Sanam Luang?

[Fidel]

2Bangkok.com's take on it:

 

On Saturday night protesters at Sanam Luang marched to army headquarters in an attempt to storm the premises and hopefully trigger a violent overreaction from the authorities.

Originally the final march to army headquarters was scheduled for June 24 with the unstated, but clear goal to discredit the government and capture public opinion before the final draft of the constitution is presented to the public on July 6.

 

However, once the protest schedule was announced, the government immediately responded by hinting the constitution could be completed earlier than scheduled. This means there is no time to lose for those behind the protests. There is a real risk the public will focus on the next elections, accept the new political order, and simply forget about the banned TRT executives.

 

The time for action is at hand...

[Gadfly]

...and the AEC just seized about US$1.5 billion from Thaksin.

[Flashermac]

Supposedly from his wife. It's not really his money. (Maybe it belongs to his maid or chauffeur.)

 

 

THE NATION

12 June 2007

 

 

PTV going the same way as PAD did;

 

The question now is whether the pro-Thaksin group will get support

 

 

Moves by the PTV Group are reminiscent of those made by the People's Alliance for Democracy, which played a catalytic role last year in ousting Thaksin Shinawatra from office. It is clearly an eye-for-eye engagement.

 

It started with media tycoon Sonthi Limthongkul upset that he didn't get a slot for a TV programme from the Thaksin government. Modernine TV removed his 'Muang Thai Rai Sapda' show. Undaunted, Sonthi moved his weekly talk show to the Thammasat University Auditorium to expose corruption, cronyism and nepotism in the Thaksin government. It became a Sonthi phenomenon.

 

Afterwards, Sonthi gained more followers, who liked to listen to his hard-hitting talking style at Lumpini Park.

 

The Bangkok middle class might not fully trust Sonthi as a messenger, but they liked his message because they were very uncomfortable with the Thaksin regime.

 

Sonthi's solo endeavour later on transformed into the People's Alliance for Democracy, with broad-based support from Bangkok's middle class. The PAD's core leaders also included Major General Chamlong Srimuang, Phipob Thongchai, Somkiat Phongpaiboon and Somsak Kosaisuk.

 

The group's street demonstrations were covered by Sonthi's ASTV satellite-based television group. Eventually, the PAD succeeded in cornering Thaksin by staging mass rallies at the Royal Plaza and also at Government House, which attracted crowds of up to 100,000 supporters.

 

PTV - or People's Television, which is said by some to represent Pokemon, Thaksin Vision - represents a parody of ASTV. It was created after Thaksin had been ousted from office.

 

Thai Rak Thai figures Veera Musigapong, Jakraphob Penkair, Natthawut Saikua, and Jatuporn Phromphan stood up as leaders of PTV, aiming to become an anti-military and anti-Surayud government broadcast news station.

 

But the military junta would not allow this TV station, which supports a return of Thaksin, to see daylight.

 

Initially, PTV called for equal treatment with ASTV so it could broadcast its news service. Later, it has transformed itself, with 10,000 supporters, to become a political movement aimed at toppling the military regime altogether.

 

PTV, which has been staging weekly protests against the Surayud government, has also been upset with the Constitution Tribunal's rulings, which disbanded the Thai Rak Thai Party and barred its 111 executive members from politics for five years.

 

Last week, its supporters marched on the Army headquarters to demand the resignation of Army chief Gen Sonthi Boonyaratglin. Fears of further political instability have increased. It now calls itself the 'Democratic Alliance for the Toppling of the Military Dictatorship'.

 

While the People's Alliance for Democracy aimed to remove Thaksin from political power, the Democratic Alliance for the Toppling of the Military Dictatorship has announced clearly that it wants to have Thaksin back in power.

 

While supporters of the People's Alliance for Democracy wore "yellow shirts" in their political drive, those now supporting the Democratic Alliance for the Toppling of the Military Dictatorship are also dressing themselves in yellow shirts and head bands.

 

The People's Alliance for Democracy sought to expose corruption scandals in the Thaksin government as a weapon to destroy Thaksin, but the Democratic Alliance for the Toppling of the Military Dictatorship is playing on the military's dictatorial powers gained by the coup.

 

The People's Alliance for Democracy got support from the middle-class, while the Democratic Alliance for the Toppling the Military Dictatorship relies on support from people recruited from the countryside and brought to stage demonstrations in Bangkok.

 

There are some differences and similarities between the two political movements.

 

But at the end of the day, only result counts. Will the Democratic Alliance for the Toppling of the Military Dictatorship succeed?

 

Or is it only acting as a proxy for behind-the-scenes negotiations on the impending freezing of former politicians' assets.

 

[Flashermac]

THE NATION

12 June 2007

 

 

Ex-PM is 'being urged' to prevent violent protests

 

 

Several people in the public and private sectors have talked to former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra in a bid to prevent an escalation of violence in the country after Saturday night's protest by his supporters, Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont said yesterday.

 

"We must talk because if we do not, things may escalate into violence, but I will not be the negotiator," he said.

 

Surayud said government officials and people in the private sector were talking to Thaksin and also the protest leaders.

 

He said it was not necessary to impose a state of emergency because there had not been any violence.

 

"If there is violence, we have laws in place," he said.

 

Surayud was responding to questions on the government's preparations for possible clashes in the coming mass demonstration on June 16, the deadline Thaksin's supporters have set for the Council for National Security (CNS) to resign.

 

The premier said the protesters would be allowed to hold protests if they did not cause public damage or resort to violence.

 

Surayud met CNS chief General Sonthi Boonyaratglin and Defence Minister General Boonrawd Somtas and heads of security agencies for an hour yesterday.

 

Meanwhile, the Campaign for Human Rights issued a statement calling on the government and the protesters not to use members of the public as "political bait" for their own gains.

 

"The CNS and Thai Rak Thai Party supporters should especially not use violence in the protests because it could escalate into a civil war," the statement said.

 

[Flashermac]

THE NATION

12 June 2007

 

 

ANTI-JUNTA RALLY

 

Leaders incited melee: Kraisak

 

Former senator claims protest has another motive than to support Thai Rak Thai and oust the CNS

 

 

Former senator Kraisak Chonhavan said yesterday he had been assaulted by protesters at the anti-coup rally on Saturday night, and accused the organisers of inciting violence with ulterior motives.

 

"I've never encountered this kind of incident. None of the previous demonstrations against the government saw demonstrators use violence as happened last night," Kraisak said at a press conference.

 

"The leaders of the demonstration did not try to stop the attackers and apparently incited the use of force. So I would say that the organisers were irresponsible and tried to incite violence."

 

Kraisak said he went to observe the demonstration by the so-called pro-democracy front against dictatorship in front of the Army headquarters because he noticed a lot of people were taking part.

 

Kraisak said he sympathised with the many former Thai Rak Thai executives who were banned from politics for five years although they had not done anything wrong personally, and he wanted to see whether the protest was related to the ban or not.

 

He said he was speaking to foreign reporters at the rally site when someone shouted at him through a megaphone to leave the rally and go home.

 

He said he walked up to the man and told him that he simply wanted to hear the speakers at the rally but, as he was explaining this, a group of young men started kicking and punching him and throwing things at him.

 

He was rescued by some policemen, but would not file a complaint against his attackers, he said.

 

Kraisak said the organisers of the protest were not fighting for democracy or for justice for former Thai Rak Thai executives.

 

"I believe the demonstrations by this group have other, ulterior motives, and I believe that future rallies could lead to danger," he said.

 

Kraisak said his assault might be related to trips that he and other former senators had made to talk to the media and Thai students abroad about the human rights violations by the Thaksin Shinawatra government.

 

Members of the Shinawatra family had tried to prevent him from making these trips on grounds the former prime minister had given up politics.

 

Also speaking at the press conference, former senator Maleerat Kaewka advised people planning join the anti-government rallies not do so because the organisers could not control the situation.

 

Former Yasothon senator Somboon Thongburan said he had received calls from the northeastern province that canvassers had hired villagers to take part in the rallies for Bt200 a day. The villagers were being provided with free accommodation, food and transportation, he said.

 

Somboon said he feared the protest organisers might try to create a situation by having an untoward incident like a bombing occur, so the government would be forced to declare state of emergency.

 

He said Thaksin could then cite the state of emergency to seek political asylum and avoid having to return and face corruption charges.