Thailand: Calls for end to stalemate

[webfact]

Calls for end to stalemate
THE NATION

House Dissolution, PM's resignation, royal charter among solutions offered by experts

BANGKOK: -- CALLS emerged yesterday for all the parties involved in the current round of political conflict to come together and attempt to find a way out for the country.

Some academics suggested a dissolution of the House of Representatives or the resignation of the prime minister.

The calls for a solution came as the anti-government protesters laid siege to government offices in the capital for a third day yesterday.

The protesters besieged many ministries, calling on officials to join forces to help root out what they called the "Thaksin regime". These included the ministries of Industry, Energy, Labour, Public Health, Commerce, Natural Resources and Environment, Social Development and Human Security, Science and Culture.

The protesters yesterday con-tinued to occupy the Finance Ministry and the Government Complex.

Respected social critic Prawase Wasi said the current political situation was so volatile it could lead to chaos and turmoil. He called on the government, the opposition and the protesters to come together and find a solution for the country.

"All parties involved have to help prevent violence," he said.

Prawase called on the parties involved to hold talks to prevent the country from heading towards disaster, and urged them to sign an agreement for a peaceful solution to the crisis.

"We should not allow more lives to be lost. There should be no repetition of violence," he said.

Call for reforms

Saying that it was time for national reform, he suggested a coordination committee be formed to carry this out. "You need social pressure for reform, and now such pressure has occurred," he added.

According to Prawase, such a national reform effort covering many problem areas would be a sustainable way out of the political crisis.

Thammasat University rector Somkit Lertpaithoon urged the government to relinquish power, either through a House dissolution or the resignations of key figures.

Srinakharinwirot University vice president Chanwit Tiamboonprasert said the prime minister and the speakers of both Houses of Parliament (the Parliament president and his vice-president) should step down to accept responsibility for the unconstitutional charter-amendment drive.

Some 20 elected and appointed senators called for the rival camps to seek a resolution to the conflict through talks.

The 20 voiced concern the protests would spiral out of control.

Senator Narumol Siriwat said the government should take a lead to initiate negotiations with its opponents.

Narumol suggested the government involve leading and respectable figures to facilitate the talks.

Senator Yootana Thaipakdi called on the government to dissolve the House following the censure debate.

Leading academic Amorn Chandara-somboon said yesterday the only way out of the political turbulence was to petition for a royally bestowed Reformed Constitution.

Amorn, also an honorary member of the Mahidol University Council, said his idea was not the same as a past call for a royally appointed prime minister.

"What I mean is to petition the King to name a security committee in charge of reforming Thailand," he said.

He said the petition should also ask the monarch to appoint a legal panel comprising constitutional law experts tasked with framing a reformed charter.

The legal panel would handle the charter rewrite, while a security committee would administer and implement reforms during the transition, he said.

The Privy Council president would counter-sign the royal command for the interim administration as well as the charter rewrite, he said.

He said that without reforms, the country would never escape the recurring turbulence triggered by what he described as a domination of the parliamentary system by capitalists.

Following reforms and a charter rewrite to get rid of this capitalist dictatorship, a national referendum should be held to reflect the people's will for a "true" democracy, Amorn said.

Petitioning for royal intervention could be done in one of three ways - by Parliament, through a coup, or by soliciting four to five million signatures.

-- The Nation 2013-11-28

[Thai at Heart]

Why would anyone listen to a Thai academics advice about a peaceful way to reform democracy in thailand?

What possible first hand experience have they got of any issues concerning this?

[winstonc]

whats wrong with all these stories everyday,talking about violence and trouble and people being. armed (with whistles i might add).its like their dissapointed theres no trouble i will repeat again its a peaceful civil protest,1 german got a bitchslap mixed views on that one ..nothing else..grow up are they ex news of the world reporters..baying for trouble/blood..well i doubt it will happen unless the other side decide theyve had enough of yingy being caught out lying and embarrasing them ..(perhaps) but even ptp dont seem to care at the moment ..

[Beetlejuice]

There are certain individuals within these factions who are intent of stirring up trouble and provoking a civil war.

Why are these people not arrested and tried for high treason against the country?

First priority should be is to take the instigators off the scene and then perhaps there will be a chance for discussions and negotiations between all the parties concerned.

[smedly]

The reason this lunacy will continue is because the man calling the shots is in another country and is completely untouchable and beyond the reach of anything Thai while he remains in exile - the man is an evil coward scumbag of the highest order

[jdinasia]

There are certain individuals within these factions who are intent of stirring up trouble and provoking a civil war.

Why are these people not arrested and tried for high treason against the country?

First priority should be is to take the instigators off the scene and then perhaps there will be a chance for discussions and negotiations between all the parties concerned.

Wow, could you be any more vague and yet still say nothing?

What factions are intent on provoking a civil war? What actions have occurred that constitute "high treason"?

and

@Thaiatheart ---- academics? Well some of them have years of running universities which are comprised of large numbers of people that do not see eye to eye. Others are experts in the fields of economics, government, culture, law etc etc P(many of whom have had real life careers before giving back more by teaching new generations. Do you think they are more qualified or less qualified than a woman that has worked for her brother in a job created for her that was promptly discarded by the company when she left?

More or less qualified than people who have hidden assets, threatened BKK, or haanded off land meant for the poor to developers?

[dyertribe]

Peaceful civil protest? I do not believe that using sling shots to fire bolts and ball bearings at police, as well as ping pong bombs to be peaceful. Taking over government offices by mob intimidation is not peaceful.

No matter which side or colour you support, you should not be blind to the facts.

I just hope that Thailand can find a way out of this mess and remember that two wrongs don't make a right.

Sent from my iPad using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[Spare]

A dissolution of the House of Representatives or the resignation of the prime minister will NOT stop the protest. Suthep have repeated this over and over again.

Suthep want to uproot the Thaksin clan (I believe he mean all with his surname + married into/out of, have to leave Thailand, and passport confiscated).

Plus set up a people council by SELECTED members of the public to rule the country.

And a people's count (I believe the Bangkok people be jury) to put the Thaksin Clan on trial.

[chooka]

"come together and attempt to find a way out for the country".

I don't this has anything to do with the country more like a few impatient people who can't wait for their turn to plunge their snouts into the trough.

[khunsiam]

A dissolution of the House of Representatives or the resignation of the prime minister will NOT stop the protest. Suthep have repeated this over and over again.

Suthep want to uproot the Thaksin clan (I believe he mean all with his surname + married into/out of, have to leave Thailand, and passport confiscated).

Plus set up a people council by SELECTED members of the public to rule the country.

And a people's count (I believe the Bangkok people be jury) to put the Thaksin Clan on trial.

the people's council with its' selected members is an idea of a PAD figurehead, not Suthep's.

[noitom]

The reason this lunacy will continue is because the man calling the shots is in another country and is completely untouchable and beyond the reach of anything Thai while he remains in exile - the man is an evil coward scumbag of the highest order

Amazing that he can command that kind of power remotely.

[kurnell]

This will never end for 2 reasons. 1 Thais are greedy and not a single politician is interested in the betterment of Thailand and Thais. Just lining their pockets is their one and only purpose. 2. Once Thais have a grievance, they never let go. Thai men never want to let go of their girlfriends that have spurned them as an example. Emotional immaturity, yes right across the spectrum.

[jaltsc]

"Some academics suggested a dissolution of the House of Representatives or the resignation of the prime minister.
The calls for a solution came as the anti-government protesters laid siege to government offices in the capital for a third day yesterday."

That's not a "solution". All it is, is creating another crisis. Thailand doesn't know the meaning of the term solution. All it knows how to do is end the present fiasco by introducing another fiasco. Great at complaining and finger pointing. Totally inept at problem solving.

[stickyrice2000]

No matter who is in charge, there will always be protesters. It is a vicious cycle. The problem with this country is the laws and fines are too loose and soft. There are high officials who can manipulate the judicial system. People do not fear of commiting crimes and can get away easily. There are double standards when it should be one for all regardless of class, race, gender and ranking.

[huahinjoe]

I know in reality its close to impossible to achieve but a workable solution on Thailand's problems (and probably many other countries) could be is to form a care-taking technocrat government where the professionals or experts may able to solve the issues without corruption and within peaceful manners. Probably we have to wait a few decades and generations to achieve this utopistic dream...

[Joe Mamma]

a purge of arrogance is needed.

[ChrisY1]

As expected, both Yingluk and Charupon have easily survived the no confidence vote by huge margins.

Where to now......?

It's dissapointing, although porobably expected, that the Dems didn't make much headway.....to my mind, they didn't provide enough factual information of corruption !!

[Bagwan]

A dissolution of the House of Representatives or the resignation of the prime minister will NOT stop the protest. Suthep have repeated this over and over again.

Suthep want to uproot the Thaksin clan (I believe he mean all with his surname + married into/out of, have to leave Thailand, and passport confiscated).

Plus set up a people council by SELECTED members of the public to rule the country.

And a people's count (I believe the Bangkok people be jury) to put the Thaksin Clan on trial.

Please explain how the Thaksin clan can defend themselves in court if they have all been expelled and their passports taken away.

[Bagwan]

I wouldn't call this a stalemate. Looks more like a work in progress at the moment.

[Slip]

As expected, both Yingluk and Charupon have easily survived the no confidence vote by huge margins.

Where to now......?

It's dissapointing, although porobably expected, that the Dems didn't make much headway.....to my mind, they didn't provide enough factual information of corruption !!

How would they not enjoy huge margins? I think you might be missing the point here.