Thailand on Wednesday ordered thousands of protesters to leave the main government complex and issued arrest warrants for their leaders, ratcheting up the pressure to end the two-day stand-off. But as riot police stood by, the demonstrators vowed to stay inside the Government House compound until Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej bows to their demands to step down. Thailand's Civil Court granted a government request for a ruling ordering five protest leaders and their spokesperson to end the siege, deputy national police spokesman Major General Surapol Tuanthong said on Wednesday.
But members of the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) swiftly said they would not comply. The Criminal Court earlier issued arrest warrants for nine members of PAD, but police have yet to act on the warrants and are standing by at Government House. Surapol said authorities had not decided when to move in and arrest the nine PAD members. Up to 35,000 demonstrators stormed a state-run television station on Tuesday, besieging at least three ministries and finally invading the grounds of Government House, stepping up a campaign to bring down Samak's administration. Despite government pleas, the threat of arrest, and even the onset of a tropical rain storm, protest leaders refused to budge. Hundreds of protesters briefly formed a human shield around the PAD's most vocal leaders - media tycoon Sondhi Limthongkul and retired general Chamlong Srimuang - who sat on the ground in t-shirts reading "Fight for the king."
Small scuffles broke out between police and protesters early Wednesday, but for most of the day the police deployed to the compound, some armed with batons and shields, kept away from the demonstrators. One police officer who refused to be named said 2,000 police were deployed outside Government House, while 500 were inside. Police earlier estimated that 14,000 protesters had flooded the compound. The PAD movement, which has been protesting since May, says Samak is a proxy running the country on behalf of former premier Thaksin Shinawatra, who was ousted in a 2006 coup and is barred from holding office. Samak, who won elections last December and formed his coalition government in February, has said he will not resign. The premier, who was working on Wednesday from army headquarters, said on Tuesday that his approach would be "soft and gentle."
PAD protests in early 2006 helped lead to the putsch that unseated Thaksin, and the entry to government of his ally Samak infuriated the old power elites in the military and palace. Since taking office, Samak has faced his own series of setbacks. Court decisions forced three top government officials to resign, while the ongoing PAD protests have helped push the stock market down nearly 18 percent since May. [End of report]
I just dont understand what is it that the Thai people want. Firstly, they wanted to get rid of Thaksin. They got what they wanted and then they had the opportunity to choose for a new leader and they decided to choose Samak. Instead of being happy, they are asking for him to step down after taking charge for only a few months or so. I find the allegations that Samak is just a proxy running the country on behalf of former Prime Minister Thaksin completely baseless. Yes, he has admit that he is pretty close to Thaksin but that doesnt mean that he has any connection with him in how the country should be run. I believe that everything that Samak has done for the country were done by his own decision and Thaksin doesn't has any say in any of it so it is completely unreasonable to say that Samak is just running the country for Thaksin. He was elected by the Thai people, not Thaksin and it was a done in a way that is fair to every parties involved. The people voted for Samak because they believe that he and his party will do a good job, not because of his close relationship with Thaksin.
It is good to see that Samak is not bowing down to the pressure because there is no reason to even suggest that he should do that. I think that the Thai people are taking their anger on Thaksin against Samak since Thaksin is still away from the country. I dont think that is the right thing to do. You dont have to hate Samak or anyone else just because they have a close relationship with Thaksin. Since Samak took over, I dont think he has done anything wrong. I believe all of this are plots by opponents of Thaksin to overthrow the government so that they can control the power for themselves. Samak is an easy target for them to attack because of his close relationship with Thaksin and they are using him as the scapegoat for all the country's problems. All of the protests against the government are just a waste of time because I dont think they know what they are really doing. It is also good to hear that most of the Bangkok residents said that they did not agree with the Government House siege. Now whether they support the government or not, that is a different question all together.
Nevertheless, despite all the challenges that Samak is facing, I believe he is strong enough to ride the tide. I know that he is a very strong individual and is very persistant. He is the kind of person that will not change his mind or his decision once he set his mind on it. It is good for a leader to listen to its people sometime, but not this time though. He should just get on with his job and forget what others has to say about him. As long as he is doing a good job, there is no need for him to resign.
*The report was taken from AFP.
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