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The disruptive protests began a month ago, when the demonstrators began pressing their demand that Abhisit dissolve Parliament and call new elections with renewed fervor. The protesters see the Oxford-educated Abhisit as a symbol -- and stooge
-- of the old guard that has traditionally ruled Thailand. They see the hand of this elite in 2008 protests by the Yellow Shirts, whose demonstrations helped topple the two elected governments
-- made up of Thaksin allies -- that took power following the coup. In the subsequent vacuum, Parliament voted in Abhisit, and the Red Shirts say it was with the connivance of the military. The Yellow Shirts took to the streets -- laying siege to the seat of government for months and shutting down the capital's airports for a week
-- claiming corruption in the governments of Thaksin and his allies undermined Thai democracy. The Red Shirts also say they are fighting for democracy, arguing that the wealthy keep vacating their wins at the polls with coups or trumped-up charges. Only new elections can restore integrity to the process, they say. Unconfirmed reports in local newspapers said political parties in the coalition government were pressuring Abhisit to compromise with the protesters by dissolving Parliament in the next six months instead of by year's end, as he had earlier proposed. He must call elections by the end of 2011. "The government should be more flexible in their attempt to resolve the situation. It's their duty to seek for a solution that's possible and acceptable for both sides," said Nogsuan Sawasdee, a political scientist at Bangkok's Chulalongkorn University. He predicted more violence in the next two weeks since "the standpoint of both sides is clear
-- that negotiation and compromise will not happen." Other observers saw political maneuvering rather than street fighting on the horizon. "Abhisit standing down would be a plus. He is discredited now, so he must decide how he can do something that is seen as in the national interest. An election is urgent," said Kevin Hewison, who heads the Asian Studies Department at the University of North Carolina.
[Associated
Press;
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