Post-coup Politics Expected To Be Steady, Less Stressful

Post-coup politics expected to be steady, less stressful: Poll

BANGKOK: -- Most Thai people believe the political situation in the kingdom will be steady and the national economy will recover soon after the Tuesday coup, according to a new opinion poll.

Conducted by the Research Centre of Assumption University, the "ABAC Poll" from September 20-22 interviewed 4,250 respondents in 16 provinces nationwide finding that 82.7 per cent of the respondents thought that after the Tuesday coup staged by the Council for Democratic Reform under Constitutional Monarchy (CDRM) -- the name the military council has given itself -- that Thai politics will remain calm, while 66.5 per cent anticipated national economic recovery.

When asked how concerned they were about the nation's current affairs, over one in three persons -- 36.8 per cent -- conceded that they were still worried, but the proportion was lower than that previously discovered in the survey conducted before the coup.

Prior to the military intervention, almost two-thirds of the respondents--62.5 per cent--expressed concern about the national situation.

According to the new survey, the proportion of those who developed stress over the Thai politics stood at 26.6 per cent, compared to 36.1 per cent in the last poll conducted before the coup.

Asked what they wanted the military council to do, a resounding majority of those responding--over 90 per cent--wished the coup architects to quickly resolve over ten problems the country is facing now, including the southern unrest, the public's suffering from national disasters.

They also wanted to the CDRM to restore unity of the Thai people, clean up Thai politics, and make the upcoming new constitution more accessible to the public.

Besides, a resounding 87.8 per cent of the respondents wanted the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD), the core body launching campaigns against former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, to end its gatherings.

Meanwhile, three-fourths of the respondents--74.5 per cent--said that the former Cabinet members should be prosecuted if found guilty, as accused, of corruption and abusing of power.

--TNA 2006-09-22