Thai Leader Declares Emergency in Bangkok Scuffles Turn Deadly; Commission Wants His Party Dissolved
By Seth Mydans
The embattled government of Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej faced challenges both on the streets and in the courts Tuesday after declaring a state of emergency in Bangkok.
Samak called out the military early in the day to put down a running battle between supporters and opponents of the government, who attacked each other with sticks, swords, slingshots and firearms. At least one person was killed and dozens were injured.
Later Tuesday, the Election Commission ruled that Samak’s party had committed fraud during the December election and should be dissolved, a process that could take some time but that could ultimately bring down the government.
Labor unions representing 200,000 people at 43 state enterprises moved forward with a plan to cut water, electricity and telephone service to government offices beginning Wednesday.
Thai Airways employees said that they would delay some flights starting Wednesday and transportation workers said that they would halt service on 80 percent of Bangkok’s bus routes. Railroad workers have already crippled part of the country’s rail network.
In issuing his emergency decree, Samak said that it was “the most gentle way to bring the country back to peace” and that it would remain in effect for only a short time.
The state of emergency does not impose a curfew, but it bans gatherings of more than five people and any meetings that might disturb public order. It also bars any news reports or published materials that could “cause panic” or affect the stability of the state.
The commander of the Thai Army, General Anupong Paochinda, said that the military would not use force, would not take sides and would not stage a coup, as it did two years ago when it ousted former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra.
“I can assure every person that the Thai police and military will not use force against any civilian by any means,” he said at a news conference. “If the military uses force to stage a coup, it will create a lot more problems.”
He added: “This is a very sensitive issue, and whatever we do, we will have to be careful not to take sides. This is a situation among people in society, two groups who do not agree.”
At his own news conference, Samak sounded a plaintive note after imposing the state of emergency.
“I don’t understand why people think I’m the bad guy here,” he said. “Why isn’t anyone saying anything about the other side?”
The other side, calling itself the People’s Alliance for Democracy, is a mix of the middle class and some urban and rural poor, of democrats and of others who say democracy cannot work, all with a variety of agendas that share the common goal of bringing down the government.
Members of the People’s Alliance have held street demonstrations since May and have occupied the grounds of the prime minister’s office for more than a week, saying they will not leave until he resigns.
Inside the crowded and muddy grounds, among makeshift shelters and sleeping mats, Chamlong Srimuang, a former army general and governor of Bangkok who has led the protests, remained defiant.
“We must fight,” he said shortly after the emergency was declared. “We will be here. There are not enough prisons to detain us.”
Samak has been forced to conduct business elsewhere and according to one senior government official, speaking on condition of anonymity, he regularly changes the places he sleeps for security reasons.
The fraud ruling by the Election Commission is a continuation of a long political struggle that last year saw the dissolution of the political party of Thaksin.
Thaksin, a billionaire telecommunications tycoon, was ousted in a coup in September 2006 while he was in New York and spent more than a year in self-exile. He returned early this year once a friendly government was in place and appeared ready to contest a growing list of cases against him for corruption and abuse of power.
Last month, after his wife, Pojaman, was sentenced to three years in prison for tax evasion, Thaksin fled again to London. He is seeking political asylum on the grounds that the court cases he faces are politically motivated.
Critics of Samak call the prime minister a proxy for Thaksin, and Samak’s party, the People Power Party, is widely considered to be a reincarnation of Thaksin’s former party, Thai Rak Thai.
The five-member Election Commission voted unanimously Tuesday to ask the Constitutional Court to dissolve the People Power Party, much as Thaksin’s party had been dissolved, based on a conviction of one of its leaders in July for electoral fraud.
One of the complaints of the anti-government protesters is that Samak’s party, with a large majority in Parliament, plans to amend the Constitution both to save itself and to allow Thaksin to avoid the court cases against him.
Newspapers here have also reported that Samak’s party has prepared a shell party that could take its place if it is dissolved, much as the People Power Party has taken the place of Thai Rak Thai.
Amid the turmoil, life in Bangkok was barely affected by the street demonstrations. Pictures of the morning clashes have been broadcast repeatedly on television, but they are hardly distinguishable from reports of clashes elsewhere in the world.
Bangkok’s international and domestic airports remained open, and the airports in the southern resorts of Phuket and Krabi were operating normally after being shut down by protesters over the weekend.
But several countries have issued travel warnings about unrest in Thailand, and tourism officials say the country’s image of smiles and gentleness has been damaged.
Originally published by The New York Times Media Group.
(c) 2008 International Herald Tribune. Provided by ProQuest LLC. All rights Reserved.