Thailand's army chief told politicians that the country's revered king is displeased with the crisis over whether the prime minister should resign and wants it resolved quickly and peacefully, a spokesman said yesterday.
The comments by army commander General Sondhi Boonyaratkalin, who is believed to be well regarded by the royal palace, marked the first indication of King Bhumibol Adulyadej's stance on the political stalemate in Thailand.
The monarch has made no public comment on weeks of street protests and growing demands for Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra to step down.
PHOTO: EPA
"His majesty is possibly not happy with the conflict and the disunity of his subjects," said military spokesman Lieutenant General Palangoon Klaharn, reiterating comments made by Sondhi late on Tuesday. "His majesty will be very happy if his subjects are unified and use peaceful means to resolve the problem."
The king has stepped in to resolve political crises in the past, most recently in 1992 after demonstrations toppled a military-backed government.
The campaign to force Thaksin from office gathered steam on Tuesday when the national police spokesman, General Archirawit Suphanaphesat, said he personally believes the only way to resolve the crisis is for Thaksin to resign. The comment marked a rare departure from the police force's official impartiality.
Tens of thousands of protesters have been holding regular street rallies in Bangkok, the capital, to demand Thaksin's resignation, accusing him of corruption and abuse of power.
The anti-Thaksin campaign swelled last month after the prime minister's family sold its controlling stake in telecom giant Shin Corp to Singapore's state-owned investment company, Temasek, netting 73.3 billion baht (US$1.9 billion).
Critics allege the sale involved insider trading and tax dodges and complain that a key national asset is now in the hands of a foreign government.
Several dozen protesters demonstrated on Tuesday outside the Singaporean Embassy, holding posters that read "Thailand is not for sale," and asking the Singaporean government to cancel Temasek's purchase of the Shin stake.
Protesters have said they will rally every night until Thaksin resigns.
Thaksin has repeatedly said he would never bow to anti-government protesters.
Meanwhile, the political crisis is causing family strife with arguments breaking out in homes over whether Thaksin should resign, a new survey shows.
Some disputes are even degenerating into violence, with loved ones throwing things at each other, the survey said.
Amid anti-government protests and an early election called for April 2, the growing political tension has prompted heated arguments in 71.8 percent of families, according to an ABAC University poll published on Tuesday.
The survey found that 14.5 percent of arguments led to family members causing physical injury to each other and 9.7 percent of clashes resulting in relatives throwing objects at each other.
The political situation has been the top news story for weeks, and 76.1 percent said they followed the news daily.
The survey of 1,218 Bangkok residents over the age of 18 was conducted by pollsters who went door-to-door between last Thursday and Monday, and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percent.
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