Problems Snowball For Abhisit Govt

[chuenjit]

BANGKOK, July 18 — Dark clouds are gathering over Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva’s government following a period of relative calm in the last two months.

There are doubts whether his Foreign Minister, Kasit Piromya, will remain in office after terrorism charges were levelled against him for his role in last year’s crippling airport blockade.

Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban, too, is under the spotlight after the Election Commission two days ago said he and 12 other MPs had violated a ban on Members of Parliament holding shares in media companies or firms holding state concessions. The case will be forwarded to the Constitutional Court for a final ruling.

He resigned from Parliament yesterday but said he would stay on in the Cabinet, where he is in charge of security and is a key ‘manager’ of the coalition. Cabinet members do not have to be MPs.

Abhisit yesterday brushed off suggestions that his government would be disrupted, saying: “The share-holding case is a lesson for lawmakers to be more careful about their investment portfolios.”

As for Kasit, the Thai Premier has said there is no need for him to resign.

He is accused of “terrorism”, for cheering on “yellow shirt” protesters during their damaging takeover of Bangkok’s airports. He was a speaker at rallies held during the week-long blockade.

Kasit, though a veteran and respected diplomat, has been tainted by his vocal association with the royalist People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD). He has made no apology, saying he is proud to have been a pro-democracy activist.

Political observers believe the Foreign Minister may be retained for a little while longer - to see Thailand through next week’s Asean ministerial meeting and Asean Regional Forum in Phuket. Thereafter, he may be an increasing liability for the government.

The developments involving Suthep and Kasit may seem disparate, but as The Nation newspaper said in an editorial yesterday, “Ghosts of old are converging”.

It added that “assorted issues will come to a head this month as politicians desperately manoeuvre for power”.

Meanwhile two days ago, the PAD mobilised its supporters for the first time in months, holding a protest in Bangkok against the police summons for top PAD leaders and the use of the word “terrorism” to describe its protests.

On the same day, ‘red shirts’ of the United Front for Democracy Against Dictatorship protested outside a police station in Chiang Mai to secure the release of one of their number, FM radio broadcaster Niyom Leuancharoen. He was found with a gun at Chiang Mai airport and arrested.

Several police and red shirts were injured in the protest in Chiang Mai.

Red shirts also turned out in Chiang Mai yesterday to protest against a visit by Finance Minister Korn Chatikavanij.

These protests show a willingness on both sides to mobilise supporters to put pressure on officials and agencies.

They are indicative of the underlying tensions that continue to simmer and could bubble to the surface any time.

In yet another development, police investigators this week issued arrest warrants for two people for allegedly taking part in an attempt to kill PAD co-leader Sondhi Limthongkul.

Sondhi’s car was riddled with bullets on April 17. The media baron miraculously escaped with a slight head wound, and has blamed elements in the army for the incident.

One of the arrest warrants is reportedly for an elite soldier trained in counter-terrorism. The other is a police officer of the Narcotics Suppression Bureau.

All these developments are happening against the backdrop of two recent by-election losses for the ruling coalition, which bode ill for the Democrat Party’s hopes of eroding former premier Thaksin Shinawatra’s power base in the north-east. — ST

http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/index.p...or-abhisit-govt

[zaphodbeeblebrox]

How do you explain Abhisit's high job approval rating?

[grantbkk]

How do you explain Abhisit's high job approval rating?

Of course the high approval rating is manipulated by the government. However, the facts speak for themselves. This rendition of a PM has done nothing but hand out Bt2,000 checks to the poor. He is going down more slowly than his predecessors but he IS going down.

[geriatrickid]

I'm surprised PM Abhisit just hasn't just said <deleted> it, and walked away. he's not a bad or corrupt person from what I cans see (and I am no supporter of this government). His hands are tied and he has a balancing act that prevents him from getting anything accomplished. if he pushes the Reds too much, he'll have bloodshed.If he pushes the Yellows too much, he'll have bloodshed. If he upsets the men that like to wear uniforms, then he may find himself out of office. No win, thankless job. I am sort of begining to feel sorry for him. He's too decent for these people.

[rixalex]

I'm surprised PM Abhisit just hasn't just said <deleted> it, and walked away. he's not a bad or corrupt person from what I cans see (and I am no supporter of this government). His hands are tied and he has a balancing act that prevents him from getting anything accomplished. if he pushes the Reds too much, he'll have bloodshed.If he pushes the Yellows too much, he'll have bloodshed. If he upsets the men that like to wear uniforms, then he may find himself out of office. No win, thankless job. I am sort of begining to feel sorry for him. He's too decent for these people.

Couldn't agree more with all of that.

[hammered]

I'm surprised PM Abhisit just hasn't just said <deleted> it, and walked away. he's not a bad or corrupt person from what I cans see (and I am no supporter of this government). His hands are tied and he has a balancing act that prevents him from getting anything accomplished. if he pushes the Reds too much, he'll have bloodshed.If he pushes the Yellows too much, he'll have bloodshed. If he upsets the men that like to wear uniforms, then he may find himself out of office. No win, thankless job. I am sort of begining to feel sorry for him. He's too decent for these people.

Agreed and I think he is starting to realise that what he thought he could achieve in his big deal is actually not going to be achieved because of what you outline.

[CaptHaddock]

I'm surprised PM Abhisit just hasn't just said <deleted> it, and walked away. he's not a bad or corrupt person from what I cans see (and I am no supporter of this government). His hands are tied and he has a balancing act that prevents him from getting anything accomplished. if he pushes the Reds too much, he'll have bloodshed.If he pushes the Yellows too much, he'll have bloodshed. If he upsets the men that like to wear uniforms, then he may find himself out of office. No win, thankless job. I am sort of begining to feel sorry for him. He's too decent for these people.

Complete nonsense. What is decent about being the spokesman for the military and royalists who removed the democratically elected govt?

[Ferwert]

How do you explain Abhisit's high job approval rating?

Must have been a rating assigned by the Thai English Language media. Or was it a poll taken amongst the majority pro-democracy Red Shirts - a large voting Thai majority. An organization pushing well past a million registrants in a national petition. A petition that is comprehensively discussed in the Thai media???? It is this popularity that seems to be behind his impetus to rush to another election. It is this popularity that also enables him to travel about the country without military and "Iran type basij" militia protection...............................................dam_n, I hate cynics like me.

[Ferwert]

I'm surprised PM Abhisit just hasn't just said <deleted> it, and walked away. he's not a bad or corrupt person from what I cans see (and I am no supporter of this government). His hands are tied and he has a balancing act that prevents him from getting anything accomplished. if he pushes the Reds too much, he'll have bloodshed.If he pushes the Yellows too much, he'll have bloodshed. If he upsets the men that like to wear uniforms, then he may find himself out of office. No win, thankless job. I am sort of begining to feel sorry for him. He's too decent for these people.

Some truth to that. Having highly touted education repeatedly referenced by the media, just in case we forget, from a western country with deep Democratic traditions, I was also surprised why he would allow himself to be tainted through being hoisted into the PM job by decidedly anti-democratic forces. The Democrat party is also a minority party, and his selection of that group with whom to throw in his lot, was also a bad decision.

[hammered]

I'm surprised PM Abhisit just hasn't just said <deleted> it, and walked away. he's not a bad or corrupt person from what I cans see (and I am no supporter of this government). His hands are tied and he has a balancing act that prevents him from getting anything accomplished. if he pushes the Reds too much, he'll have bloodshed.If he pushes the Yellows too much, he'll have bloodshed. If he upsets the men that like to wear uniforms, then he may find himself out of office. No win, thankless job. I am sort of begining to feel sorry for him. He's too decent for these people.

Some truth to that. Having highly touted education repeatedly referenced by the media, just in case we forget, from a western country with deep Democratic traditions, I was also surprised why he would allow himself to be tainted through being hoisted into the PM job by decidedly anti-democratic forces. The Democrat party is also a minority party, and his selection of that group with whom to throw in his lot, was also a bad decision.

Sometimes people think they can do good from within a tainted situation. That is my kind of impression of Abhisit. However, the deals you have to make and the pressures you encounter usually preclude anything worthwhile coming from it. No doubt Abhisit cannot do what he would like, but that brings us back to the why doesnt he just......

Funnily I was recently up in the North of the country for some time. Most although not all people I spoke to were anti-government and liked Thaksin but Abhisit still wasnt really disliked. Banharn, Suthep and Newin and even (maybe not surprisingly) Chalerm on the other hand! Abhisit was even vaguely liked in many cases. Strange. These werent super red shirts or anything just ordinary and mostly poor people. Abhisit has something baout him anmd it doesnt look as though ti is ability to govern effectively. Mind you Chuan also always remained to be seen as honest and good if innefective. The Democrats.

[emancipationthailand]

I'm surprised PM Abhisit just hasn't just said <deleted> it, and walked away. he's not a bad or corrupt person from what I cans see (and I am no supporter of this government). His hands are tied and he has a balancing act that prevents him from getting anything accomplished. if he pushes the Reds too much, he'll have bloodshed.If he pushes the Yellows too much, he'll have bloodshed. If he upsets the men that like to wear uniforms, then he may find himself out of office. No win, thankless job. I am sort of begining to feel sorry for him. He's too decent for these people.

Ohh, he's sure enjoying the enormous profits under the table as of now. For instance, do you know that to deal with the southern-most problem, far bigger portion of the budget has poured into expensive advertisings, compare to the portion to carried out the local operations, which, perhaps, there hasn't been a single day that the seperatist couldn't kill a victim. Now, dig for your own for fishy details.

[emancipationthailand]

Hmm? What do your foreigners know about Aphisit's past work experiences or what's the news about him in the past ten years? I doubt that you know what i'm talking about, judging from the uniformed POVs.