NEWS Think
ANUCHA CHAROENPO
The proposal by Army Commander-in-Chief Gen Anupong Paojinda and a panel of leading figures to end the crisis gripping Thailand has received a lukewarm reception from the general public who regard it as a seemingly ineffectual measure.
Gen Anupong yesterday called an urgent meeting of representatives from state agencies, academics and the business sector to seek solutions to the political chaos, which took a dramatic turn for the worse after thousands of People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) supporters stormed into Suvarnabhumi airport, trapping thousands of passengers inside and in the process dealing a swift and savage blow to the country's image.
The panel came up with the idea of requesting a House dissolution and a new election, while demanding the dispersal of all PAD demonstrators.
It hit an immediate stumbling block when the PAD responded with a total lack of enthusiasm.
The reaction from the public was also not what the panel would have wanted. They feel Gen Anupong needs to exercise his authority and enforce the law to regain control over the mob so as to ensure lives and property are properly protected in the face of the escalation of the PAD's demonstration.
Many people fear that such an uncontrollable situation as is occurring right now can only lead to national insecurity, perhaps a civil war and widening social division.
Gen Anupong has remained adamant he will let police control the situation, but this is not happening and the situation is getting worse and doing considerable harm to the country. As things stand at the moment, the police are virtually incapacitated.
Gen Anupong, who was reportedly ordered by Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat, who has been attending the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) summit in Peru, early this week to maintain peace and order in the country, seems to be doing nothing, not even trying to stop the protesters from getting into the interim government headquarters at Don Mueang airport and then Suvarnabhumi airport.
Gen Anupong is chairman of a situation monitoring panel set up by the government.
It begs the question of whether Gen Anupong has a political agenda. How does he feel about the PAD's latest protest move to overthrow the government? Is it possible for him to show genuine leadership to tackle the crisis?
The astonishing scenes at Suvarnabhumi airport which led to its immediate closure has tarnished the reputation of the country and severely damaged the tourism industry.
All flights to and from the airport have been cancelled out of fears for public safety, with one or two exceptions.
PAD leader and Democrat party-list MP Somkiat Pongpaiboon announced from a stage at Suvarnabhumi after the terminal was overrun that the prime minister had lost legitimacy to administer the country because he was a proxy of convicted former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, as well as his brother-in-law. As soon as he arrives in the country, he must announce his resignation.
Mr Somkiat called the Suvarnabhumi operation a "Hiroshima" war. If it fails to overthrow the government, he said the PAD has a back-up plan called "Nagasaki", but he declined to disclose any details.
Given the significance of those two Japanese cities in the history of warfare, it's surely quite ominous.
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