Protestors Flood the Streets of Thailand, but Military Denies Possible Coup
By Marnie Suss
June 4, 2008

The New York Times reports that five months after the national election in Thailand ended military control, a string of protests have filled the streets. Protestors “want to see the former prime minister, Thaksin Shinawatra, put on trial for corruption” because they feel he is a threat to the position of the monarchy. Shinawatra was overthrown in the 2006 coup and returned to Thailand as an ally to the current government, and many believe he is “influencing the government from behind the scenes” and “destroying democracy,” reports the BBC.

The protestors also are fighting the current government because they say the “poor and uneducated were ‘trapped’ into voting for the government.”

Thailand has previously experienced protests against military leaders “but unlike the antigovernment protests of previous years, the current round aims to take down a democratically elected government, not military rulers,” reports the New York Times. 

Thitinan Pongsudhirak, a professor of political science at Chulalongkorn University interviewed by the New York Times, said, “It’s a dangerous trend. I’m not a fan of the People Power Party,” he said of the governing party, “but you have an elected government, and you have 10,000 people taking to the streets who want to overthrow it.”

Protestors were forcibly removed from their post in the city center and some argue the government and prime minister should have established a dialogue with people before the opposition escalated to street protests and the possibility of another military coup.

However, the BBC reports that Army Chief General Anupong Paochinda dispelled rumors that the military would intervene in the protests and denied that a coup was a possibility.  The army would "not use force against the people," his spokeswoman said.

References:

New York Times: Protests Shake a Divided Thailand

BBC: Thai shares dip amid coup rumours

Washington Post: Coup no answer to Thailand's political mess: general

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