A majority of people believe there is a possibility of civil war because the country has long been plagued with unrest and violence, according to Suan Dusit Poll.
The poll was carried out between Apr 1-5 on 1,434 people throughout the country.
Asked whether they thought the ongoing "political conflict in Thailand" would escalate into civil war as had happened in many other countries, the majority, or 68.55% of the respondents, believed the chance was high because use of lethal weapons was prevalent in many places and violence looked likely to escalate beyond the ability of the government to control it. About a quarter, 24.81% were uncertain, saying the situation was hard to predict; and 6.64% thought the chance for civil war to happen was slim because the Thai people were unlikely to do harm to their own country and fellow Thais.
Asked to advise what should be done to prevent the political conflict from turning into civil war, 48.36% said the government and protesters should resort to holding talks, 22.74% said neither side should resort to using force and dangerous weapons, 14.79% said law enforcing soldiers and police must adhere to international standards in keeping the situation under control, and 13.93% said the people must not become a political tool of either side in the conflict.
Asked what they thought about caretaker Prime Miniser Yingluck Shinawatra being scrutinised over several political issues, 44.60% wanted her to be grilled in a straightforward and fair manner, 34.53% wanted those examining the prime minister to explain to the people for a better understanding of all issues involved, and 20.87% wanted to see the results of the examination and to know whether she had done anything wrong as alleged.