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Opposition says Thaksin is still pulling strings

Opposition groups said yesterday that they would revive street protests against Thailand's outgoing prime minister, accusing him of controlling the government from behind the scenes despite having handed power to a deputy.

Months of street protests forced Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra to step aside and appoint an acting prime minister.

However, the People's Alliance for Democracy, which led the anti-government street protests, laid out a new calendar for demonstrations in the coming weeks after a pause around recent elections and the traditional Thai New Year holiday, which ended on Sunday.

"We are fighting to root out Thaksin's regime from politics," said an alliance spokesman, Parnthep Pourpongpan. "Even though he has declared a break from politics, he is pulling the strings behind the acting government, and we cannot accept that."

Parnthep said the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) had planned a rally yesterday in the eastern province of Sa Kaeo and more in the south over the next two weeks until May 2, when a major rally is planned in Bangkok.

Thaksin had called an April 2 snap election to defuse the anti-government protests. But the vote -- boycotted by the opposition -- raised new complaints.

The PAD and opposition groups filed two complaints to the Election Commission before the election, accusing Thaksin and his party of fraud in the run-up to the vote.

Thaksin's opponents subsequently filed a complaint to the Administrative Court, seeking to nullify the vote due to alleged fraud at polling stations.

Thaksin handed power to his longtime friend and Deputy Prime Minister Chitchai Wannasathit, who will be acting prime minister until the convening of Parliament and the formation of a new government.

Meanwhile, one of the key leaders of the protests has defied a subpoena over an alleged insult to the king, police said yesterday.

Media tycoon Sondhi Limthongkul, a one-time Thaksin ally who became his most vocal critic, had been ordered to meet police yesterday for questioning over his statements during a rally last month.

Instead, Sondhi sent his lawyer Suwat Apaipakdi, who brought a letter denying that he had insulted the king along with evidence and nine proposed witnesses in his defense.

Suwat said Sondhi could not comply with the subpoena because he was leading a new anti-Thaksin rally in the eastern town of Sa Kaew.

He asked that his appearance before police be postponed to May 17, but police refused the request.

"We will issue another subpoena for Sondhi but the exact date has yet to be decided. If he fails this time, he will face arrest," said Vinai Thaongsaeng, head of the Central Investigation Bureau.

Suwat accused police of making a politically motivated move against Sondhi.

"It's clear that politicians are trying to discredit Sondhi," he said.

Sondhi's remarks appeared in a Thai-language newspaper last month. The paper apologized for publishing the comments and suspended publication for five days as it pleaded for royal clemency.

Repeating an insult to the king is a crime in Thailand.
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