Thais Majority Backs Government’s Crackdown
May 29, 2010
(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - Most people in Thailand agree with the way the government forced protesters out of a camp in Bangkok earlier this month, according to a poll by Suan Dusit University. 51.3 per cent of respondents support the government’s actions, but 40.2 per cent reject them.
Thailand has experienced more than three years of political instability, including the dissolution of the lower house, a cancelled national election, a military coup and the enactment of a new constitution. In December 2007, Thailand held a legislative ballot. Final results gave the People’s Power Party (PPP) 232 of the 480 seats, followed by the Democratic Party (PP) with 165 mandates. In January 2008, PPP leader Samak Sundaravej became prime minister.
Samak’s government faced fierce opposition and major street protests led by the civic organization People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD). The group accused Samak of being a puppet of former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who was deposed in a 2006 military coup.
In August 2008, the PAD occupied the Government House in Bangkok, demanding Samak’s resignation. Samak stepped down in September after the national Constitutional Court found that he violated conflict of interest laws when he received payments for hosting two television cooking shows. Then deputy prime minister Somchai Wongsawat took over as acting head of government.
In November, PAD yellow-clad activists took over Bangkok’s international airport—where the government had been working from after its offices were invaded in August—demanding Somchai’s resignation. The airport was forced to shut down entirely, stranding thousands of tourists.
In December, the Constitutional Court ordered the PPP and its two coalition partners, the Machima Thipatai Party and the Chart Thai Party, to disband after it found them guilty of voter fraud in the 2007 ballot. The court also banned Somchai and executives from the three parties from participating in politics for five years. Somchai accepted the verdict and stepped down. Protesters at the airport ended the siege. PP leader Abhisit Vejjajiva became prime minister, with the support of 235 lawmakers in the House of Representatives.
In March 2009, Thaksin accused Privy Council president Prem Tinsulanonda of masterminding the 2006 military coup, and openly called for a "people’s revolution" to topple the Abhisit government.
In April, the National United Front of Democracy Against Dictatorship (UDD)—an extension of the Puea Thai Party led by Thaksin and whose followers wear red shirts—organized protests in Bangkok and Chonburi.
In June, the PAD’s Yellow Shirts formally created a political party, the New Politics Party, and chose labour activist Somsak Kosaisuk as its leader.
On Mar. 12, 2010, the Red Shirt movement took control of Ratchaprasong, an area in the heart of Bangkok’s commercial district, demanding early legislative elections and the resignation of prime minister Abhisit.
On May 13, after issuing several public warnings, the government ordered the military to enter the Red Shirts’ camp in Ratchaprasong and disperse the dissidents. Power, water and food supplies were cut from the camp. Eighty-five people died in the confrontations, which went on for days. The Red Shirts eventually surrendered. As they were leaving, some of them lit 36 buildings on fire, including a major shopping mall, and looted stores and banks. Another 54 people died in these events.
On May 25, a Thai court issued an arrest warrant against Thaksin on terrorism charges for his alleged participation in the Red Shirts’ actions. Through his Twitter account, the deposed prime minister responded to the warrant saying, "As I was fighting peacefully for justice for the return of my robbed assets, I was slapped with terrorism charges."
Polling Data
Which of these statements comes closest to your own point of view?
I agree with the government’s move to reclaim Ratchaprasong by cutting the power, water and food supplies to the protest venue as the country and the economy could be further damaged if it persisted
51.3%
I disagree with the government’s move as it has resulted in the loss of lives and properties, and damaged the country’s image
40.2%
Source: Suan Dusit University
Methodology: Interviews with 1,387 adults in Thailand, conducted in May 2010. No margin of error was provided.
angus-reid.com
Headline and questions asked don't quite match ......................
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