Don't stall petition : Jutuporn warns PM

[Faustian]

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2009/08/20/politics/politics_30110198.php

 

More threats from the Thaksin adoration society....more manipulation attempts as well....

 

Some scary suggestions in this article too...a civil war? Might be time to up stakes at that point...

 

Don't stall petition : Jutuporn warns PM

By The Nation

Published on August 20, 2009

 

 

A leader of the red shirts threatened yesterday to stage a mass rally and begin a signature campaign to seek the PM's impeachment if the government drags its feet on their petition for a royal pardon for ex-premier Thaksin Shinawatra.

 

Jatuporn Phrompan, an MP for the Pheu Thai Party and a leader of the pro-Thaksin red shirts, said comments by government figures suggested they may try to withhold or shoot down the petition.

 

"If the government wants trouble with the red shirts, we will find trouble for the government and Abhisit [Vejjajiva]. We will start a signature campaign to seek the premier's impeachment. He will be aware how many people dislike him," he said.

 

The petition was submitted to the Office of His Majesty's Principal Private Secretary on Monday and sent to Cabinet yesterday for recommendation on what to do.

 

Abhisit said the process of verifying signatures and preparing recommendations for the Palace would take at least 60 days, which was standard. "In cases of people with grievances who file uncomplicated petitions, it takes 60 days to process. Why does Jatuporn have to be given privilege? There must be examination, which is usual," he said.

 

"I instructed the relevant agencies to treat this case like they do others," the PM said. He noted he had sued Jatuporn in two defamation cases for "speaking untruth".

 

Is the petition a bid to politicise the monarchy, and split the land?

 

The country is going through a delicate phase as politics takes a dangerous twist - with the red shirts and Thaksin Shinawatra clamouring, even begging for a royal pardon. It could drive the country on the path to civil war.

 

For many, the threat that Thailand will be "a nation lost" is real. The division among Thais is clearly getting out of hand, tak-ing into account actions from both the government and Thaksin's side.

 

The move to seek a royal par-don for Thaksin is clearly politi-cally motivated and his possible motive may be to politicise the monarchy. Thaksin knows well the government cannot give a recommendation in his favour if the petition does not meet legal criteria - he or his family must be the petitioner and he must be serving a jail term. He and his key family members did not care to meet these criteria.

 

Thing is, the Ratchadapisek land purchase is far from the only corruption charge Thaksin faces. He has a host of graft cases pending. What the former PM wants to do is try to wipe the slate clean. According to his ear-lier statements, to achieve that, Parliament must pass a law granting an amnesty for politi-cians accused or convicted of wrongdoing.

 

To force the government to take that path, Thaksin must put the country on the verge of break-up by mobilising his sup-porters to back his political game of a royal petition. Many fans who truly wish for his return have pent-up hope he actually comes back. Thaksin's camp claims three million people signed the petition.

 

The government naively responded by summoning local leaders to gather a bigger num-ber of people to oppose the peti-tion. It was an embarrassing political blunder. The govern-ment realised later that mobilis-ing the masses to crush the dream of Thaksin's supporters would only aggravate the situa-tion. In other words, it has fallen into Thaksin's trap. That is why the anti-petition move was quickly shelved.

 

Once the red shirts submitted the petition, they dropped an allegation that the government was trying to shoot it down. To avoid another trap, the govern-ment should heed the call from Sunai Pasuk, Thailand consult-ant for New York-based Human Rights Watch, to appoint a politi-cally-neutral body to explain to the public the process of filing a royal petition.

 

He suggested the Royal Institute as suitable, since it has people knowledgeable about this task. Heeding this advice and carrying out an effective cam-paign to bring about public understanding on the issue may help prevent further claims against the government.

 

While the government is trying to resolve the issue through the legal system, Thaksin has dili-gently continued his phone ins to convince supporters not to accept the system, insisting he is innocent and the law is unac-ceptable because "it has been interpreted to destroy political rivals".

 

Whatever action Thaksin and his supporters take after this is expected to culminate in con-frontation and conflict, brought about by delicate issues after involving the monarchy in poli-tics.

 

The government must tread carefully to avoid further errors that could put the country at risk of a civil war, by causing deep division to a point where things are not able to be cured.