Thai protesters vow to rally despite govt election plan for Dec

Thai protesters vow to rally despite govt election plan for Dec

	Published : Fri, 30 Mar 2007 06:33 By : Agencies Print this Story

BANGKOK (XFN-ASIA) - Anti-coup protesters brushed off warnings from security forces and vowed to hold the biggest rally yet against Thailand's junta, despite the announcement of elections for December.

Army-installed Premier Surayud Chulanont late yesterday laid out the most detailed plan yet for Thailand's transition back to democracy, saying a referendum would be held on a new constitution in September, followed by parliamentary polls in December.

He also rejected calls from the junta leader, General Sonthi Boonyaratglin, to declare a state of emergency in Bangkok to crack down on swelling anti-coup protests.

Nattawut Saikuar, one of the protest organizers, praised Surayud for standing up to the junta but said the demonstration will go ahead tonight to draw public attention to the 'irregularities' of military rule.

'We saw a democratic spirit in Prime Minister Surayud, in that he chose not to declare an emergency in Bangkok and in his announcement on polling dates,' he said.

However, 'even though the government is clearly trying to ease the pressure by setting election dates, there could still be a backlash because people will closely watch to see how the junta and government work to achieve that goal,' Nattawut added.

Nattawut is the director of People Television (PTV), a satellite station set up by allies of ousted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra but blocked by the military.

The station has joined with pro-democracy activists in staging a series of small but growing protests in recent weeks, with some 2,000 people rallying against the junta last weekend.

'We will speak about the irregularities under military dictatorship,' he said.

Chief among the concerns of the protesters is the new constitution being drafted by a panel hand-picked by the junta, which critics fear will merely cement the military's role in government.

'A lot of pro-Thaksin (people) have turned against the coup, understandably. But a lot of anti-Thaksin (people) have turned against the coup, the military and the government,' political analyst Thitinan Pongsudhirak said.

'This coalition (of protesters) is going to grow because the coup has gone wrong,' he added, pointing to a series of missteps by the government ranging from bungled economic policies to confusion over the management of Bangkok's new airport.

Michael Nelson, a political science lecturer at Chulalongkorn University, said the announcement of election dates would do little to appease them.

'For them, the problem is the coup government. Its announcement of December elections is irrelevant. They want the military government to step down now,' he said.

'Given the record of this government, protesters were not convinced by Surayud's announcement,' he said.

'It's just April, and December is a long way to go. Anything can happen.'

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