Protests put Thai government on brink

BANGKOK // Thailand's government was once again teetering on the verge of collapse after tens of thousands of protesters occupied several government offices, calling for the resignation of the prime minister and his cabinet. More than 30,000 protesters faced off against hundreds of riot police in downtown Bangkok yesterday, after previously storming a state-run television station and besieging three ministries and Government House, the centre of the government. A Thai court yesterday issued arrest warrants for nine members of the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD), the group leading the protests, on charges of treason and illegal assembly. The nine were reported to be inside Government House yesterday, surrounded by their supporters. The government appears increasingly powerless in the face of the growing demonstrations, which have escalated over the past three months. When the protesters seized Government House on Tuesday, Samak Sundaravej, the prime minister, had to take refuge in the nearby army barracks, from where he continues to run the government. He later issued a statement demanding that demonstrations end immediately. "The government's patience is nearing the end of its tether. I will give them a last chance," he said. The leaders of the protest, though, remain defiant. Protected by the throngs of protesters, they have challenged the authorities to come and get them. "If they want to arrest us, we will let them put us in jail and we won't seek bail," said Chamlong Srimuang, a retired major general and ascetic Buddhist. "But the rally will continue. They can't arrest us all. There aren't enough jails." Mr Chamlong was instrumental in the months of PAD-led protests that eventually led to a military coup that ousted the government of Thaksin Shinawatra in 2006. The protesters accuse Mr Samak of being a proxy for Mr Thaksin, who is facing corruption charges in Thailand but has skipped bail and is currently living in England, where he plans to apply for political asylum, according to reports. Many of the protesters were dressed in yellow T-shirts as a mark of loyalty to Thailand's revered King Bhumibol Adulyadej. Most of PAD backing comes from Bangkok's royalist elite and middle classes - with many big businesses allegedly financing the group. Mr Thaksin and the government enjoy the support of the capital's poor and the rural communities in the country's north and north-east, who are attracted by the party's populist policies. There has been creeping political instability in Thailand since the first PAD protests in 2005, intended to drive Mr Thaksin from power. Democratic elections last year were supposed to restore stability to Thailand, but many accuse Mr Samak and his party, made up mostly of former Thaksin legislators, of similar abuse of power. They have said they will remain on the streets until the government falls. "They [the protesters] want bloodshed in the country, they want the military to come out and stage a coup again," Mr Samak told Thai journalists on Tuesday. "I will not resign, I will stay to protect this country," he said. Overnight, riot police moved in to try to disperse protesters from Government House, but they fought back, leaving some with slight injuries. What is clear is that the protesters have been emboldened by recent events and the apparent conciliatory attitude of the police towards them. "I don't think they [the authorities] will dare to act against people whose feelings now are running high," Sondhi Limthongkul, one of the protest leaders and a media owner, said. The political uncertainty has taken a toll on the country's economy. The stock market tumbled for a second day yesterday. It has fallen almost 25 per cent since the protests started three months ago, and the local currency, the Thai baht, is now at its lowest level since November of last year. Several major streets in Bangkok have been closed because of the throngs of protesters and some schools and colleges have been closed indefinitely. Mr Samak's government has a clear majority in parliament, and he insists he retains a democratic mandate from December's election. Despite the numbers on the street, the protests are nowhere near as large as those that brought down Mr Thaksin's government, and it seems public opinion is turning against the PAD. A recent Bangkok University public opinion survey suggested 73 per cent of people in the capital disagreed with the three-month street campaign. "The problem though is that Thai society and body politic is divided as never before," said Titinan Pongsudhirak, a political scientist at Chulalongkorn University. "There are no easy answers to the current political deadlock. The confrontation will be prolonged, but Samak's government can maintain the upper hand as long as it does not overuse force to disperse the demonstrations." Despite the prime minister's public bravado, political analysts believe his administration cannot hold on for much longer. "The government is on its last legs, with the demonstrations growing daily in strength and Samak will have little alternative than to tender his resignation," said Kavi Chongittavorn, a political columnist with The Nation, an English daily. "A coup is always a distinct possibility as long as the current political instability continues and the government seems powerless to stop the protests." The top army chiefs have dismissed suggestions of a military coup, but have also told the prime minister that the police, not soldiers, must handle the protests. @email:ljagan@thenational.ae