|
 The 49-year-old leader of Thailand's main opposition Democrat
Party has joined street demonstrations in Bangkok aiming to force
out Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, and his party boycotted a
February 2 election, which was nullified by a court in March after
widespread disruption.
But now Abhisit appears to be putting some distance between himself
and the protesters.
Violence is threatening to increase, he told foreign media in an
interview late on Wednesday. "Given the accumulated frustration and
loss of opportunity for the country, it's really time that people
begin to speak up for the middle ground."
"I think there are many people who want to see common ground
emerging. My intention, this week, is to say that: isn't it time we
all accept the reality that neither side can get its way, and even
if it did, it couldn't bring long-lasting stability."
The protests, which attracted more than 200,000 people at their
height, have dwindled but hard-core demonstrators say they will
continue to harass the government and disrupt any new election until
Yingluck's government is toppled.
Abhisit's comments were met with skepticism by the government.
"What the Democrat Party says it will do and what it does are not
the same thing," said Sunisa Lertpakawat, a deputy government
spokeswoman.
"If he's sincere, why didn't he join Tuesday's talks aimed at
discussing a date for the next election?" she added, referring to a
meeting arranged by the Election Commission that was attended by
nearly 60 parties. Abhisit stayed away, citing security concerns.
Yingluck's opponents have taken to the courts to remove her,
alleging abuse of power and other infractions, and in response her
"red shirt" supporters say they, too, will take to the streets if
she is removed by what they say are politicized judges. Verdicts in
some of these cases could come in May.
"WE NEED TO MOVE ON"
Thailand has been in crisis since Yingluck's brother, then premier
Thaksin Shinawatra, was ousted in a 2006 military coup.
On the one side are Bangkok's middle class, the royalist
establishment and many people in the south, a Democrat stronghold,
who say the Shinawatra family is corrupt and authoritarian.
On the other side are supporters of Yingluck and Thaksin, strong in
the north and northeast, who idolize Thaksin as the first leader to
pay attention to the millions living outside Bangkok.
Protest leader Suthep Thaugsuban, a deputy prime minister under
Abhisit until 2011, has said it could be two years or more before
the country can go to the polls again.
That is a daunting prospect for a country that has spent months
under a caretaker government with diminished spending and
policymaking powers.
[to top of second column] |
"I've been urging a dialogue between the prime minister and Suthep
for months and clearly it's not happening ... It doesn't mean that I
should sit idly and look at what's going to happen or wait for
something to happen," said Abhisit. "I will do what I can to see
if we can break the stalemate."
Critics have accused the Democrat Party, which last won a general
election in 1992, of refusing to run in February because it knew it
would lose, something Abhisit denies.
In 2010, Abhisit was prime minister and Suthep his deputy when the
military cracked down on pro-Thaksin protesters demanding an early
election and they both face murder charges for their role. More than
90 people died during weeks of protests.
The current protests are a reminder of that turbulence and observers
fear Thailand could be heading towards an all-out confrontation
between pro- and anti-government groups.
"A lot of it could be rhetoric but the risks are clearly there,"
said Abhisit.
Since the protests began in November, 25 people have been killed in
politically related violence.
"No one is blameless and we are all part of the problem," said
Abhisit. "Now I'm saying that we need to move on."
In the latest violence, Kamol Duangphasuk, a poet and pro-government
red shirt activist, was shot dead in a restaurant parking lot by
unidentified gunmen on Wednesday.
Last week an ultra-royalist vigilante group, the Rubbish Collection
Organisation, said it would seek out individuals thought to be
disrespecting Thailand's monarchy.
Designed to protect the monarchy, Thailand's lese-majeste law is the
world's harshest. Thais are increasingly polarized between those who
want it reformed and those who believe the law remains necessary.
Kamol opposed the law.
(Editing by Alan Raybould, Robert Birsel and Michael Perry)
[© 2014 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2014 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. |
