In case you have not noticed Thailand is in the news again for all the wrong reasons. For those who stay in Thailand - you can ignore this post if you want but hopefully you might find some interesting thoughts. For those not in Thailand - this may give you that much needed update since I think the foreign news outlets don’t really give you a complete picture of what is going on or why.
Before I get started and before everyone piles in about me talking about politics again - let me say I don’t care. If rawhide can have underage girls, if Thaksin was allowed to buy a football club (yes - I am aware he sold it but he should not have been allowed to buy it) and if Samak can be “democratically” elected - then I can be a political and economic analyst. So deal.
The next bitchy comment will be about this not being a P4P post. Well folks - if you have not figured out now that the glorious P4P scene is highly related to the economic, political and cultural aspects of Thailand then my suggestion is for you to stop reading now and head over to the Soi 7 beer garden and find the first FL girl you see and ask her what I am talking about it.
Good. Glad we cleared that all up.
So far we are not experiencing a coup but one has to wonder if we are getting close. Here are some prior posts on the coup to help you with your history:
- http://www.2thebigmango.com/main/2008/05/31/opening-day-and-more-coups/
- http://www.2thebigmango.com/reader-submissions/2007/06/15/coups-happen-by-werewolf/
- http://www.2thebigmango.com/main/2007/03/02/is-the-coup-losing-its-muster/
- http://www.2thebigmango.com/reader-submissions/2006/09/22/coup-hardship-tale/
- http://www.2thebigmango.com/main/2006/09/21/coup-madness/
- http://www.2thebigmango.com/the-weekly/2006/09/20/mango-weekly-coup-edition-17-september-2006/
- http://www.2thebigmango.com/main/2006/09/20/the-coup-thing/
I always get a ton of emails, SMSs and FB messages any time something goes down in Thailand. People are worried about my general safety. Let me say that I don’t fear for my life but at the same time I will not be congregating at any national monuments or joining any protest groups or going near any protest areas. Given that I think life for the most part continues on as usual. In fact some things get better. The baht is falling (continuing it downward spiral) and landlords are motivated to rent their pads. I have a friend who just got 10k per month knocked of a new lease. Nothing to motivate a landlord like the current state of emergency.
However none of this is good for Thailand’s tourism industry. Already China and HK are stopping tours and warning travelers. The fact that the moronic PAD was able to block popular airports is a new low for the Thailand tourism industry. Here is a link to the SCMP in HK - my friend there tells me that the pics you see on this link and this quote are on the printed front page - this is won’t help:
Thai protesters vow to defy emergency decree - Army in charge of Bangkok after clash; HK tours scrapped
Thailand needs another blow to its economy and tourism like a need a NEP Mamasan for a room mate. The only good that can come out of this is that it may nick the current demand drive and head off even more inflation. The baht falling will help exporters and encourage brave tourists to come anyway. Hotels will free up some and prices will follow the lack of demand. In my opinion the pricking of the current Thailand bubble is good but violence and another year of a non-government government won’t help in the long run.
To end this post I will do a quick rundown of the different players since I think those outside of Thailand may not be aware of how it all works here. For obvious reasons I will represent the teams with colors. Some colors I will explain and others I won’t but I am sure you can figure it out. I will state now that any out of line comments to this post will just be deleted. Deal. For those who want more information on Team Yellow please get your own copy of the book that shall not be named.
The teams:
- Team Yellow
- Team Green = Army
- Team Brown = Police
- Team Sticky Rice = Isaan folks
- Team Paragon = Hi-So Bkk Folks
- Team Lunatic = The PPP in the government
- Team Pretty Boy = The ever incompetent Democratic Party
- Team Commando = The PAD - AKA the People’s Alliance for Democracy but not really. I used this name because Sondhi, the glorified Jesus of the PAD, admits to not wearing underwear.
So there you go folks. There are a lot of players. I am sure a case could also be made for the media being another player but that just gets too complicated.
Team brown at the moment seems to be controlled by the government - Team Lunatic.
Team Green at the top appears to be loyal to Team Yellow but there are powerful factions within Team Green that are loyal to Team Lunatic due to his ties to Thaksin but Team Lunatic denies that. For now Team Green will be the ones to step in and takeover the authoritative slack if this emergency thing keeps going on. So in theory this could all be the makings of another coup but just done in a different way compared to last time.
Team Sticky Rice is the guys that got Team Lunatic voted in because they can’t really think for themselves and they were happy with the pay for votes scheme, the free farm subsidies, the abnormally low interest rates for buying trucks they did not need and the former head of Team Lunatic stemmed the YaBaa trade for some period of time.
Team Paragon does not know who they are for but they have to be loyal to Team Yellow and they just want to make sure Team Sticky Rice stays impoverished enough to supply Bkk with house maids, massage girls and cheap labor. There is your magical P4P link folks. So you can imagine that Team Sticky Rice and Team Paragon don’t get a long and have very different political agendas.
Team Pretty Boy seems to think there is a better way to run this place but they never seem to get elected. They are trying to come out on top of this whole game and if Team Lunatic is forced to disband they may have a shot but I am sure Team Green will have something to say about it.
Team Commando is just freaking insane. They don’t stand for democracy at all and the fact that they are willing to fuck up the tourism industry and the Thai economy over their “cause” is just insane. They should be stopped and frankly I don’t think Team Lunatic should have to stand down over this but the problem is the violence and the government paralysis is not helping. I am not sure there is a good answer at this point. FYI - Team Commando is clearly being funded by deep pockets. There is a team I have listed that fits the bill and in the future has the most to lose as Thailand continues to struggle with being a so-called democracy.
Where does that leave us? Who the hell knows. Thailand is a special place because Team Yellow, Team Green, Team Brown and some form of a government are always going to be at odds with each other. I am not sure there is an easy solution to all this but one hopes that someone will decide that the tourism biz, the economy and the safety of Thai citizens should be of paramount concern.
My suggestion to those who live here is to carry on as usual. Maybe look for a new pad. For those looking to travel here - I see no reason why you should not and apart from the airport nonsense, things are pretty much business as usual. Your money might even go farther than it did before and there should be plenty of hotel rooms and girls to fill them with.
Me - I am trying to see if I can start my own Farang centered politcal activism group - FART.
Farangs Against Ranivorous Thais
You missed:
Team Black : Included in this team not many players BUT really really HEAVY: think specops and dirty tricks (the guys actually running Team lunatic)
Team Grey : Go wherever the winds blow around the other teams eg once upon a time Samak was Team Pretty Boy
Team Roadbuilders : Banharn and Co., give us those budgets for roads…
Team Mafia : they really are mafia
View all comments by psi100th
sorry for team lunatic I meant Team commando
View all comments by psi100th
[quote]Ranivorous[/quote]
WTF? call me a pedant but dictionary.com says:
[quote]
No results found for Ranivorous
[/quote]
Now, where do I sign to join FART?
Siam Sunshine
View all comments by Siam Sunshine
After running your post through my Capt’n Crunch decoder ring a couple of times and rendering it into comprehensible prose, I was finally able to adsorb what you were saying and see that you have a pretty good handle on the current state of play. Still, I think you minimize too much one important factor.
Thai politics is never about competing principles of government. It is only about one thing: repaying old grudges and waging blood feuds. The so-called leaders of the PAD are all people with personal grudges against Thaksin himself (Sondhi’s commercial conflicts with him, for example, which go back twenty years or more) or with the Thaksin team in general (Chamlong’s perceived political humiliations at their hands).
The PAD has heretofore been insignificant since it was the creation of buffoons with obvious personal agendas, pretty much a joke all around, until the royalists realized there was no other horse for them to ride if they were to have any chance to put an end to even Thailand’s peculiar make-believe version of representative democracy by nullifying the results of yet another election in which the voters had the audacity to elect the wrong guys.
Then the aging royalists (”Give me a P! Give me a R! Give me an E!…..etc) started pouring money and organization into PAD intending to keep it turning over as an irritant to Samak and the PPP while they cranked up the courts to do the serious business of banning from politics everyone who might overshadow them and somehow get themselves popularly elected.
That was when thing started getting out of hand. After all these ‘protestors’ had been hired and organized, Sondhi and Chamlong saw their chance. By goading the mobs that had been supplied by the royalists to engage in more and more outrageous and illegal conduct, they could bring about one of two results. Either the army would crack down, make martyrs of them personally, and effectively replace the Samak government with a right-wing military one, or the army would not crack down and they could careen around doing what ever they liked, raising their own status and humiliating their personal enemies as long as they liked.
None of this makes any sense if you try to look at it as politics. For example, the EGAT union today threatened to put off power supplies if the army didn’t take over government. I have no doubt that there is no other occasion in the long and confused history of mankind in which a left wing union threatened civil disobedience unless a right wing military government replaced the current government which was freely and legally elected.
You have to look at everything as a series of personal feuds and unlikely alliances among people who have common personal enemies. No one involved here has the good of the country at heart, even assuming anyone could figure out what that is. Neither is anyone particularly out to achieve anything for themselves, at each not in the sense most westerns would perceive that motivation.
The whole goal of virtually everyone involved in the turmoil (except for the vast body of people in the street, of course, since they’re all just working for their B500 a day) is to bring down damage on their personal enemies. That is almost always the primary motivation of any Thai who actually stirs himself to do something. For one to accomplish something worthy for one’s self is far less important than it is to rain destruction and humiliation on those who you think have wronged you. It’s called saving face and it matters more to a Thai than life itself.
And thus endeth the lesson…..
View all comments by Old Asia Hand
Psi- thanks for the additions. Makes sense,
Siam-animals or people who eat frogs.
Oah- thank god your kept your ring all there years. I used the one i got with my big bottle of fish sauce i picked up at villa. Seems the decoding system is similar.
View all comments by sideshowBOB
What you didn’t mention was the impact on tourism — the country’s bread and butter — that the protests are already having. And it could get a lot worse. If things don’t get better, Pattaya could end up losing a 200 million baht payday from this month’s scheduled port call of an aircraft carrier and destroyer.
I spent a couple hours going through all the tourism related news and put together today’s piece on the potential cancelllation of the carrier visit plus the various tour and hotel cancellations around the country:
http://www.pattayaghost.com/2008/09/03/us-aircraft-carriers-pattaya-visit-imperiled-by-pad-protests/
View all comments by The Ghost
No doubt that Old Asia Hand has called the spade a spade it’s all about face and grudges. They can’t be bothered to give a damn about democracy. Go out and ask people on the street or your fellow workers or Thai acquaintances, as long as whats going on doesn’t affect them, they could care less. It’s been the same with each and every coup in the past and with this crap today. If it doesn’t affect their rice bowl, they don’t care.
View all comments by The Man
Pg- i think i mentioned it and many times in the past. Many times people chime in to say it does not matter much. I am with u though. It is a huge problem and the slowdown started in bkk over the weekend,
The man- u are right to a point but ask the right people, those effected by tourism, and u will hear some serious complaints.
View all comments by sideshowBOB
Not The Nation has a typically nice take on it.
http://notthenation.com/pages/news/getnews.php?id=580
No mention of the Electoral Commision’s unanimous vote that the PPP should be dissolved, regardless of the protests?
View all comments by Bangkok Bad Boy
These folk just aren’t on the same page as us westernised thinkers as OAH implies. It can be frustrating to wonder why they ‘can’t see what they need to do’ - but they aren’t going to any time soon - I guess we just have to let them get on with it and hope for the best.
View all comments by doctorbond
OAH - From what you say the only out come which will bring a level of stability is a military government taking instructions in the ‘chalice from the palace with the brew which is true’. Is this correct or are there other solutions that will satisfy the various factions?
View all comments by Ed
We all know that nothing will change The big question is what will happen when The Head Coach of Team Yellow leaves the field.
Please pardon just a slight veer off the Thai topic and over to your well-known USA sympathies. Aren’t you being a little hypocritial when you bash Thai Team Sticky Rice for getting paid for Votes when in the USA your Team Red buys votes through big govermnet handouts to the USA version of Team Sticky Rice? So in your mind its ok in USA but not in Thailand.
Pardon the diverson but this observation just jumped out at me when I read your frustrations because they impact your bottom line
View all comments by 8 Ball
COORECTION sorry meant TEAM BLUE buying votes in the USA not TEAM RED
View all comments by 8 Ball
Yeah, Team Red just buy the voting machines
View all comments by Bangkok Bad Boy
@ Smitty: Damn. Excellent analogy for the various factions. Creative, and as well all know, thinking outside The Box (i.e. not using conventional western political thinking) is essential to any understanding of Thai power-playing.
@ OAH: Fabulous. I loved the way you broke it down into the essential element: damaging enemies, because, because…well, you “save face” then don’t you. Or something.
When the top-level players behave like this, it makes minor squabbles over visa-status and indeed, just about any other “law” more quantifiable. Not comprehensible, just quantifiable.
Tourism will continue, and expats will continue to seek out Thailand as a destination. But the serious players, the guys who build manufacturing plants or sign large FDI deals? How do you think they will react to sword-waving thugs plastered across the media?
Thing is: a lot of people make their winter-vacation plans around this time of year…
JtB
View all comments by Jack the Bat
Given the current rules of the State of Emergency you are all limited to only 4somes and below - above that you could be arrested and charged with treason.
View all comments by psi100th
@8 Ball- are there any politicians who don’t buy votes in some form or another?
View all comments by Wombat
OAH tamps out his briar into the fireplace and offers us this:
“None of this makes any sense if you try to look at it as politics.”
If you look at it as what it is, Thai politics, you can certainly make some sort of sense out of it, which is what your comment does. But I’m not sure how our understanding of the current situation can help change or move or influence anything at all. You could take many lines on the current situation, and all they do is lead to one great big tangled knot. The continued ability of the Thais to shoot their own interests in the foot seems to be the only constant in Thai politics, and they will continue to do this, in ways that astonish and depress the West, no matter what our analysis might suggest to them if they cared a damn about what we thought. Basically, all our understanding and interpretation of the situation, all our political commentary, however astute, is ultimately pissing into the wind.
“Neither is anyone particularly out to achieve anything for themselves, at each not in the sense most westerns would perceive that motivation.”
Uhhhh … by this, I take it you mean that “saving face” and seeing the downfall of your enemy is the Eastern spin on self-interest? This is only partially true, surely? Thai politicians have an evident regard for self-interest in what you might call the “Western” sense of financial advantage and power acquisition. They’re in it for what they can get, and stomping their enemy’s face into the mud is merely a step on the way.
View all comments by Pants Elk
Schwarzenegger for PM! After all, he has experience taking over after an elected politician got questionably tossed. Plus, if it is all about “repaying old grudges and waging blood feuds” as OAH says who better than The Terminator to lead the country???
View all comments by pmmp
“I always get a ton of emails, SMSs and FB messages any time something goes down in Thailand. People are worried about my general safety.”
Worried about your safety? Obviously they don’t know your heritage too well (people - think Missouri Ozarks Jethrow Clampett with a dash of rural Georgia Deliverance and you get the picture).
Point: Who would want to mess with you?
I could give a serious comment, but why bother. This whole pre-coup exercise is like watching the clowns at National Finals Rodeo; funny as hell until someone gets hurt.
View all comments by Bubba
Some of us living here are paid in US dollars. These sort of goings on can only drive the value of the baht down and give me a pay rise.
Go Team Commando!!
View all comments by Red
Thanks for a useful post even if the team analogy confused me a bit………….
OAH again thanks for the analysis.
Being here in U.K. its hard to get much clear info and as I am planning a trip in a couple of weeks its good to hear this stuff.
I missed all the fall out in 1992 by about 12 hours and woke up in the morning after a Coup another year can’t remember which one.
I would’t say I am an unlucky traveller ( Worst floods in memory India 1978, Prime Minister assassinated India 1984 etc etc ) I just would’nt share a Tuk Tuk with me if offered :+).
Looking forward to visiting the Bar and perhaps meeting some people behind the posts.
View all comments by Uncle Dave
At the MICRO-ECONOMIC level…
I talked to a girl I know tonight. She is a hair dresser in Pattaya. She said for the past three days there has been close to zero business in the salon.
I mentioned that payday was just the past few days for most people, but she said that because of the news about PAD and government “ladies not make beautiful” and “not have farang so much in Pattaya like before”.
Apparently even working girls have some sense of the political goings-on.
View all comments by Werewolf
Never mind, Samak’s off in the morning:
http://www.nationmultimedia.com/breakingnews/read.php?newsid=30082501
That’ll sort the economy out - right?
View all comments by Bangkok Bad Boy
” ladies not make……..?” oh sorry, wearing the wrong clothes
View all comments by Ugly Old Skank
ahem…. “ladies not make beautiful?” - we are all doomed now
View all comments by doctorbond
Okay, the Nation is reporting a rumour. Let’s say it’s true.
For the past few months, each time PAD has gotten what they asked for they’ve upped the stakes.
According to news reports, yesterday Sondhi put forward FOUR NEW demands that had to be met AFTER Samak resigned, as well as identifying the only two candidates that would be acceptable to him as PM.
To wit:
Sondhi continues to push the envelope and seems intent on creating policy without having any official role in government.
http://www.bangkokpost.co.th/topstories/topstories.php?id=130320
So, while it would be good to see the end of Samak, it appears that his resignation alone — if it comes — will not be enough to satisfy K. Sondhi, who seems intent on replacing Thailand’s current democracy with a new form of government.
In fact, according to the Bangkok Pundit Sondhi’s demands go beyond those reported in the Bangkok Post:
http://bangkokpundit.blogspot.com/2008/09/sondhi-ls-demands.html
And what do we learn about the PAD by reading the Bangkok Pundit? Quoting K. Thitinan we get the following concise descriptions:
There was also a great quote this week that described PAD as a combination of Royalist, Republican, Military and Bangkok business interests intent on getting rid of the current democratic system — I can’t find it now… should have copied it when I saw it.
Bottom line — Sondhi has publicly proclaimed again and again that nothing will satisfy him except the downfall of the current government. What he really means is that he wants to destroy the current democratic process in Thailand.
There seems to be only one person in Thailand who has a chance of calling Sondhi to heel before he rips the country completely in two.
View all comments by Werewolf
Historically, as far as I can tell, Teams Yellow, Green, and Paragon eventually decide that, while they might hate each other at times and about some things, dealing with each other is a damn sight better than putting up with Teams Brown, Sticky Rice, and Lunatic in charge. However, using Team Commando as an end-around seems a pretty high risk way to manage that.
Personally I find Team Paragon to be some of the most annoying people I’ve ever met, but then again I have a class chip on my shoulder, don’t I?
In the US, btw, we are watching the final act in a roughly 24 month kabuki dance during which we suffer a neverending barrage of drivel that is designed to convince us of the cataclysmic results certain to follow if eith Team Red or Team Blue wins. In reality Team Robber Barron, Team Wall Street, and Team Green will be happy no matter who wins, because those teams always win in the end anyway.
However, one piece of good news. The money that fled into commodities for the first six months of the year seems to be moving on to newer shores. That’s good news for almost everyone.
View all comments by tosh
@ Uncle Dave - so you are saying the following:
1. You are a jinx?
2. You are coming out to BKK at the same time as me?
Great !
View all comments by doctorbond
Despite everything, the pound though is falling against the baht!
How bad can things be here in the UK?
Perhaps Sondhi and his pals should next set up camp in Parliament Square
View all comments by Sarf Essex Taff
I appreciate you having the gonads to talk about this subject during these times of increased censorship. I’m about to purchase my ticket to the big mango–the city, not the bar–and I’ve been holding off because of the riots.
The blockading of the smaller airports concerned me but as long as Suvarnabhumi is not affected then I’m on my way.
From my experience of coming to the City of Angles off and on for the last 10 years I would say tourists have nothing to worry about. As long as they don’t start exploding bombs around the city again like after the last coup.
View all comments by kwai mai sabai
kwai mai sabai:
Stay away from the Government House area and there should be no issues.
Well, we now know that the Nation got it wrong — Samak continues to say that he won’t resign.
But in anticipation of his resignation, look at some of the increasingly shrill demands mooted by the leaders of the People Against Democracy (who sound as if they are no longer speaking to each other).
This latest from K. Somsak:
But Mr Somsak said none of the current cabinet ministers should succeed Mr Samak. He said a new prime minister must have a clean sheet and be prepared to face public scrutiny.
In other words, no reasonable or legal change in the leadership of the government will now satisfy the PAD and end their demonstrations… they’re having too much fun.
In case you missed it, in the second paragraph the PAD leader casually mentioned suspending part of the constitution so that a Prime Minister whoe is not elected to parliment could be appointed presumably by Team Yellow.
In rhetoric at least, these guys have gone beyond ultimatum and brinkmanship. If their words are turned into actions then we can only have one of two results: the total collapse of the current government, blood in the streets or both.
Meanwhile, no word from team yellow.
View all comments by Werewolf
my vote’s for the Team Hilltribe frog croaking midget party. now if they got the ticket it would REALLY get under those team yellow dudes skin. its not such a daft idea if you think about it… theyre pretty handy with a chainsaw, got keen chinese business sense, and can grow all sorts of things that are valuable in the west
View all comments by Mr Carpet
Team Green, Team Brown, Team whatever. Why don’t you simplify things and tell it how it is - one large team: Team Bunch of Nutters!
View all comments by Nok Opayop
Two interesting takes on the Team colors concept, one from wussy Richard Barrow and the other from Absolutely Bangkok.
Barrow, who seems to have completely gone native, writes at
http://www.thai-blogs.com/index.php/2008/09/03/the-pro-government-rally?blog=5 :
Anyway, he goes on and talks about how he (stupidly) decides to go to a big Democratic Alliance Against Dictatorship (DAAD) rally in Samut Prakan, but, golly, doesn’t know what to wear.
Wuss.
More interesting is this piece from Absolutely Bangkok about how people are forsaking the Team colors and just going with black and white.
http://absolutelybangkok.com/black-white-kingdom/
View all comments by The Ghost
@ WW: “There seems to be only one person in Thailand who has a chance of calling Sondhi to heel before he rips the country completely in two.”
Uh-huh. But as this person has NEVER had Democracy on his agenda, only the continuation and reinforcement of the monarchy (by whatever means), I doubt we’ll see him calling Sondhi to heel. If Sondhi will further the Royalist agenda, he’ll get Royal support. He already has it, of course. It’s a balancing act for Team Yellow, but he’s weathered every storm so far, and will continue to do so.
View all comments by Pants Elk
Well, the few working girls (go-go, MP and the pent) that I talked to yesterday told me that business has been VERY quiet the last three days … It’s easier to bargain …
Again, all kind of rumours move around, yesterday a thai friend called me and told me to be careful because of the curfew. I had to inform this friend that there is no curfew in Bangkok and I went out as usual ….
View all comments by Gypsie King
PE: Yep… the last sentence was meant to imply all that and still comply with ssB’s request to be very cool with the comments. I concur.
View all comments by Werewolf
“I’m changing my vote. Let the protests continue”
Why?
PROTEST BABES!
Leave it to Asian Sweetheart to find the hunnies among the PAD nutties.
http://asiansweetheart.blogspot.com/2008/09/protest-babes.html
View all comments by The Ghost
8 ball - no where in my post do I mention the US or even make a comparison. So not sure how your comment is even valid in the slightest. Is it because I am an American? Well - fyi I don’t live there and I have not for 9 years. I don’t vote and I pay very little taxes so I don’t even see myself talking about American politics much except for when I want to bash McCain.
Red - I get your point kind of - but the fact that a bunch of lunatics can do this to the country is not a good sign. whether the baht drops or not.
SET - the pound is dropping against all currencies so not sure how it matter really against the baht.
ww,pe and et all - on that “thread”
Interesting WJS article but I can’t read it all.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122036126705790541.html?mod=djemITP
I had heard a rumor that the assistant coach of team yellow is supporting team commando but supposedly it went farther than anyone expected. Seems the head coach is not happy about it.
I was sitting with bkk thai folks last night in the pub and they wanted to talk about this but did not. So later when I was at home I was talking to a thai bird and her grandmother over the phone. Seems all the thais know about this assist coach supporting team commando and are not happy about it since it is wrecking business, hurting tourism and once again thwarting democracy.
Given what the future holds this all kind of makes sense cause when the head coach retires the assistant coach in this case has the most to lose.
I do not see Samak standing down so it seems something has to break but what? I am baffled but business is sharply down in the last few days and today looks to be worse.
View all comments by sideshowBOB
The most important part of this post was your buddy’s rent was reduced by 10,000 THB per month. He must have some shagging pad.
My guess is his 10,000 THB savings per month is immediately donated back into the local economy via Rainbows 2, 3 and 4.
View all comments by Cheap Charlie
cc - he he. yeah. much easier to negotiate when there is blood in the streets. this was the same in HK during SARS.
The savings will be spent in the Asoke area.
View all comments by sideshowBOB
I am sure rupert murdoch won’t mind - here is the WSJ article:
Thai Prime Minister
Resists Push to Resign
By JAMES HOOKWAY and STEPHEN WRIGHT
September 4, 2008; Page A10
BANGKOK — Thai Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej said Thursday he would stay on in
his post to defend democracy, despite growing pressure to resign after the army
refused to break up a large group of demonstrators who seized his government
headquarters in Bangkok.
The army’s unwillingness to use force against tens of thousands of protesters who
invaded Government House on Aug. 26 has weakened the prime minister’s authority.
Army chief General Anupong Paochinda’s vow not to take sides to defend Thailand’s
democratically elected government spurred speculation that Mr. Samak would have to
resign or dissolve Parliament and call fresh elections. Some political analysts
described the army’s actions as a “silent coup.”
Mr. Samak declared a state of emergency Tuesday after violent clashes between
government supporters and antigovernment protesters left one person dead and dozens
badly injured. The decree enables Thailand’s military to help restore order to
Bangkok’s streets.
“I won’t resign — I have to stay on to protect the democratic system,” Mr. Samak
said in a radio broadcast early Thursday, referring to his opponents, who wish to
uproot Thailand’s democracy, as a dangerous cult.
Adding to his troubles, Mr. Samak confirmed that his foreign minister had resigned.
Many of the thousands of largely conservative, middle-class protesters say
corruption has flourished in Mr. Samak’s seven-month-old, democratically elected
government.
A threat from state-enterprise unions to cut power and water to government buildings
and police stations fizzled out Wednesday, partly because of the army’s request that
the unions reconsider their strike plans.
On Wednesday, Thailand’s central bank appealed for a quick resolution of the
political impasse, warning that it could hurt the economy if prolonged.
Protest leaders have targeted Mr. Samak since he formed a coalition government in
February following the restoration of democratic rule after a 2006 military coup
that ousted former premier Thaksin Shinawatra. They say Mr. Samak is a proxy for Mr.
Thaksin, a telecommunications tycoon who transformed Thailand with his populist
politics before the military, wary of his growing power, removed him. Mr. Thaksin is
now in Britain seeking political asylum to evade corruption charges brought against
him in Thailand.
Thitinan Pongsudhirak, a political-science professor at Chulalongkorn University,
suggested that new elections could provide a “clean slate.”
However, “if Mr. Samak is forced out while the PAD is still illegally occupying the
Government House compound, that would show that Thailand’s democracy is nothing,
that it’s mob rule,” Mr. Thitinan said.
View all comments by sideshowBOB
Oh, and while we’re at it, John McCain will win the US election. Because he *looks like* an American president, and Obama does not. The U.S. electorate has always voted for the candidate that looks the most “presidential”, that projects strength without taint of cleverness. Policies matter little, if it all, to the people whose votes count. The name matters, too. “John McCain” would be played by Bruce Willis, “Barack Obama” by … well, you get my point.
And now, because my recent comments have not conformed to my per-click Big Mango contract (therefore earning me zilch), I am returning to the “asinine, borderline insulting” comments for which I am employed.
View all comments by Pants Elk
Ahh… Barack Obama.
The seven-year politician against the life-time public servant. Setting up an argument for the ignorance of the American electorate already are you?
I honestly think that America is ready to vote for a black or female president — and I never thought we were in the past. I don’t think we’re ready to elect Barak Obama.
John McClain in a victory that’s cloer than it should be. He’ll die in office and the relatively unknown current governor of Alaska will become President, thus delivering to the US electorate what they are unwilling to choose at the polling booth: a president with less than a decade in politics.
Remember where you heard it first.
View all comments by werewolf
Nobody has mentioned Team Burqa, who haven’t been getting press recently but are still players. Team Burqa still have their grudge match going with Team Brown and Team Lunatic due to the grievous foul committed a few years ago and the loss of 400 odd players that somehow never got a red card.
View all comments by Cabby
nice BBC article on possible outcomes:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7598668.stm
View all comments by sideshowBOB
Sorry, I just have to share these two paragraphs from today’s Bangkok Post online:
We all remember what happened last time a Thai Prime Minister went to New York to address the UN.
It’s amazing that the head of the government has to even defend himself against the charge that he seeded the clouds directly above Government House to cause a downpour and hail on protesters.
I can say that it was pissing down rain over my building for an hour last night too. The water was 18 inches deep in the street while I stood helplessly with my umbrella in my hands waiting for a taxi to come save me.
What a country!
View all comments by Werewolf