Thailand’s Cabinet agreed yesterday to hold a referendum on a civic group’s street campaign to oust the prime minister, which has paralyzed the government for the last 10 days and raised fears of violence and economic chaos.
The decision came hours after a defiant Thai Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej went on national radio and vowed he would not step down.
His combative speech intensified the deadlock with the People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD), whose supporters in their thousands have taken over the sprawling lawns of Samak’s office compound since storming through the gates on Aug. 26.
PHOTO: AP
Describing the alliance as an anti-democratic group and their actions as a shameful embarrassment for the country, Samak said he would not bow to its demands.
“I will not abandon the ship, and I will take responsibility for the crew on board,” Samak said, peppering his speech with folksy language. “I am not resigning. I have to protect the democracy of this country.”
A referendum could show a way out of the deadlock.
Thai Culture Minister Somsak Kietsuranond told reporters that no date had been set for the referendum and the exact topic also remained unclear.
But the possible questions that would be asked include whether the government should resign, whether it should dissolve Parliament and what people think about the ongoing protest, he said.
“The Cabinet just agreed in principle for now,” he said, referring to the fact that there was yet no law providing for referendums.
“Whether it can be done and when it can be done depends on when the organic law on public referendums is passed by the Senate,” deputy government spokesman Nattawut Sai-gua said.
The announcement was met with skepticism from the anti-government protesters camped in the compound of Samak’s office, Government House.
“This is just a political game the government is trying to play. The government is not fixing the problems the PAD is talking about. This protest is about making sure the government corrects its mistakes,” said Pichet Pattanachote, a former vice president of the Senate who has joined the alliance.
The protesters are living under makeshift tents, and organizers have set up a high stage from which leaders deliver regular speeches between music concerts that keep the protesters entertained.
The alliance has already helped force one prime minister from power — staging demonstrations in 2006 that paved the way for the bloodless military coup that removed Thaksin Shinawatra.
Thaksin, a telecommunications tycoon, recently fled to Britain to escape corruption charges. The protesters say Samak is Thaksin’s stooge and is running the government for him by proxy. They accuse Samak’s government of corruption and making unconstitutional decisions.
Bloody rioting between supporters of Samak and the alliance left one person dead and dozens injured early on Tuesday, the only violence since the deadlock began. Samak imposed a state of emergency in Bangkok following the violence, but the military has not removed the demonstrators.
Still, the possibility of a military intervention hangs over Thailand, which has experienced 18 military coups since the country became a constitutional monarchy in 1932.
Analysts say new elections might ease the pressure on the government but won’t placate the alliance because Samak’s party is likely to return to power, thanks to the strong support it has in rural areas.
The alliance claims to be an apolitical group and is made up largely of royalists, wealthy and middle-class urban residents, and union activists.
“What they want is to eradicate Thaksin and his allies once and for all,” political analyst Panithan Wattanayagorn said.
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