CRISIS
PAD stays put, PM moves royal function
POST REPORTERS
Exhausted riot police officers bed down on their shields inside the compound of Government House in the early hours of yesterday. |
Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej yesterday softened his stance against the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) in a move which showed his confidence in taking control of the situation.
Despite the Civil Court's injunction for the demonstrators to vacate the Government House compound, the prime minister showed no rush to disperse the protesters, including nine PAD leaders for whom arrest warrants have been issued on four serious charges, including mounting an insurrection.
They are tightly guarded by supporters who have formed human shields and put up barricades made of tyres and barbed wire to keep police away.
The prime minister earlier demanded the protesters immediately vacate the Government House compund, as the place was needed for a ceremony on national unity tomorrow.
The 116 Days from Mothers' Day to Fathers' Day function will be presided over by His Royal Highness Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn.
A demonstrator takes a nap in the middle of the crowd in the early hours of yesterday despite widespread rumours of a violent crackdown against the protesters. |
Mr Samak decided yesterday to move the event to Amporn Garden nearby after the protesters refused to leave.
His revised stance came as thousands of PAD demonstrators defied the Civil Court's order and continued with their siege of Government House for a third consecutive day.
Mr Samak said he had had second thoughts about breaking up the rally.
''After careful consideration, I think it will be dangerous to do so. We have been maintaining the situation, so I have decided against it,'' he said.
''I told police to encourage them to surrender and not to break up the rally.'' He thanked the Civil Court for issuing an injunction on Wednesday night, ordering the protesters to leave Government House.
He said the court's order was like arming the government with a ''sword'', but gave assurances that the government would proceed with care.
''The court has given us a sword, but we will not just walk straight to them with it,'' he said.
Mr Samak declined to predict how long the situation would continue, but insisted the government would try its best not to complicate matters.
Narong Boonsuanfan, of Chulalongkorn University's social science faculty, said the government's decision to seek court action to deal with the PAD protest helped it maintain legitimacy.
''The government may be losing face, but it is not losing legitimacy,'' he said.
''This is not a defeat, and if the government allows the siege to prolong, the PAD will be pushed into a corner because of the court's orders.''
Political analyst Surachai Sirikrai of Thammasat University called on the government and the PAD to hold talks to seek and end to the stand-off.
He said the longer the siege continued, the more likely it would lead to bloodshed.
''The PAD's goal is to force Mr Samak out, but the government is trying to turn the tables by charging them with insurrection _ an over-the-top charge to which they will not yield.
''And if you know Mr Samak, he is obstinate and quite rash. The country will be left without a way out,'' he said.
Siriphan Noksuan, of Chulalongkorn University's political science faculty, said it was hard to predict how the situation would turn out, as she doubted the prime minister would step down, as demanded by PAD.
''It is like a chess game now. We need to see who moves first,'' she said.
PAD core leaders vowed to stay on at least until Sunday and urged their supporters at Government House to wait for victory.
The PAD called the prime minister a ''proxy'' of ousted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra.
PAD coordinator Suriyasai Katasila repeated the group's position that protesters would not leave until the Samak administration quit.
''There will be no relocation of demonstrators. Government House is the last bastion of the protest,'' he said.
Mr Suriyasai said the government's attempt to pressure the PAD through court action was not right.
''If the government resigns, I believe we can move forward,'' he said.
''It will allow society to think about what it wants to do.
''If the government remains stubborn, it will create a new problem, namely a coup, that even the PAD does not want to see.''
Meanwhile, the Civil Court yesterday appointed a legal executor to enforce the injunction to evict the protesters from the Government House premises.
The appointment was made at the request of the Secretariat of the Prime Minister after the PAD refused to comply with the injunction.
Methi Jaisamut, representing the PM's secretariat, said arrest warrants may be sought if the PAD ignores the eviction order.
The PAD yesterday lodged an appeal with the Civil Court, requesting a review of Wednesday's injunction. The appeal was accepted for consideration.
Mr Suriyasai also said PAD lawyers will today petition the Criminal Court to revoke the warrants for the arrest of nine PAD leaders on insurrection charges. If the court rejects its request, the PAD will immediately petition the Appeal Court, he added.
| Settling in at Govt House |
Protesters dry their laundry on the balcony of the Santi Maitree building. |
Steel fences and bars put up in front of the First Army headquarters gate by PAD demonstrators in a bid to disrupt the movements of police standing guard inside the compound. |
PAD leaders Somsak Kosaisuk, Sondhi Limthongkul and Maj-Gen Chamlong Srimuang stage a press conference. |
Food supplies arrive at Government House. |
Protesters continue to dance and sing as the siege enters its third day. |
A boy is about to kiss his father as they camp inside the Government House compound. |
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| Monks from Santi Asoke sect don raincoats as they form human shields to protect PAD leaders. |
A PAD supporter washes himself near the Government House car park. |
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