PM rejects compromise deal to end protests
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[li]Published: 24/04/2010 at 11:51 AM [/li][li]Online news: Breakingnews[/li][/ul]Political crisis plunged back into deadlock Saturday after the government rejected a compromise offer from red-shirted demonstrators who said they were now braced for a crackdown.
Hopes for an agreement to end weeks of protests, which have been punctuated by deadly street clashes, evaporated as Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva ruled out the “Red Shirts” offer to disperse if polls were called in 30 days.
“No, I reject it. Because they use violence and intimidation I cannot accept this,” Abhisit said of the proposal which would have seen a ballot held in 90 days and was a softening of earlier demands for snap polls.
“The dissolution (of parliament) must be done for the benefit of the entire country, not just for the Red Shirts, and it must be done at the right time,” he told reporters.
In an immediate response the Reds said they would now prepare for a military crackdown to clear their heavily fortified rally encampment which has paralysed Bangkok’s upscale district for three weeks.
“Abhisit has ordered a crackdown on protesters within 48 hours, that is the information I have learned,” said Reds leader Nattawut Saikuar.
Nattawut did not say where the information came from but other Reds leaders said earlier Saturday they had learned from sympathisers in the army that troops were being mobilised despite ongoing negotiations.
Nattawut said the Reds would strip off the symbols of their allegiance – the red T-shirts and other garb they have sported for weeks – to help them fight back against the government.
He said they would stick to a policy of non-violence, but other Reds figures speaking on a stage at their sprawling camp in the heart of Bangkok promised a “guerrilla war” against the government.
The United Nations and foreign governments have urged both sides on Thailand’s political divide to find a peaceful resolution, after two bouts of street violence this month left 26 dead and hundreds injured.
“The 30-day concession is just aimed at getting the attention of foreign media. I don’t think it is the answer to the problems,” Abhisit said.
“Tomorrow everything will become more clear when I and the army chief will jointly appear on my weekly television address.”
Fears of a crackdown escalated earlier this week amid warnings from the military that protesters would face live weapons fire in any new clashes.
Army chief General Anupong Paojinda toned down the rhetoric Friday, saying that the use of force was no solution to the crisis, which has damaged Thailand’s economy and its reputation as the “Land of Smiles”.
“The best thing is to create understanding among the people. The army’s job now is to take care of the people, and not allow Thais to attack each other,” he said.
Despite Anupong’s dovish stance, army spokesman Colonel Sunsern Kaewkumnerd kept up the pressure Saturday, saying an offensive could still be launched to target Reds hardliners who he referred to as “terrorists”.
“At the appropriate time, it would not be a dispersal, it would be a crackdown on those terrorists. At the moment the conditions are not right but I’m convinced that at some point we can crush them all.”
Mr Abhisit condemned fresh violence on Thursday that saw a series of grenade blasts tear through a pro-government rally, saying the attacks, which left one dead and scores injured, “aimed to kill ordinary people”.
Tensions have been high since April 10 clashes, sparked by a failed attempt to dislodge protesters from their original rally base in Bangkok’s historic district, which triggered clashes that killed 25 and injured 800.
They condemn Abhisit’s government as illegitimate because it came to power in a 2008 parliamentary vote after a court ruling ousted allies of ex-premier Thaksin Shinawatra.
The reds are mostly rural poor and urban working class supporters of Thaksin, who now lives overseas to avoid a jail sentence for corruption.
And the red shirts’ point of view seemed to be supported Saturday by Burma opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi who said the crisis shows that a constitution drawn up by the military can never deliver stability.
Burma’s military junta produced a new constitution as part of a “road map to democracy” which includes elections due to be held later this year.
“A new government coming to power under a constitution drawn up by the military will never be stable,” NLD spokesman Nyan Win cited her as saying.
“Thaksin was an elected person. The military seized the power from an elected person.”
*Bron: Bangkok Post / www.bangkokpost.com *
