The Songkran festival was a great joy for many Thais and tourists alike. For Bangkok residents, it was also a temporary escape from the latest round of colour-coded political conflict, now entering its sixth month.
The festival is now over and it is back to business as usual, including the harsh political reality that both sides in the crisis appear as far apart as ever.
The war drum started beating once again when the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship announced on Tuesday a plan to stage yet another mass rally in Bangkok, one day before the Constitutional Court is due to deliver its ruling on Thawil Pliensri’s case against caretaker Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra.
The UDD’s rally at Utthayarn road earlier this month drew less than 100,000 supporters, which was much lower than the 500,000 touted by UDD chairman Jatuporn Prompan.
However, he said this time the red-shirt followers will not return home until they triumph.
The UDD is gathering in anticipation of a ruling which could result in the prime minister being removed from office, possibly to be joined by other members of cabinet who were jointly responsible for the decision to transfer Mr Thawil, who has since been reinstated to the job as head of the National Security Council.
In the opposite camp, the anti-government People’s Democratic Reform Committee is also promising a large turnout for the day the court delivers its ruling.
It will be just fine if the two rival groups can keep far away from each other to avoid a direct confrontation.
The UDD kept its promise to keep its previous rally peaceful. But for the sake of peace and order, both sides should stay away from the court on judgement day and let the judges do their job.
The public has the right to demand peaceful rallies. All key political players must stick to the rules of the game.
Former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra’s remarks of a possible civil war should the court deliver a finding against his sister Yingluck — which he said would be akin to the gross injustice and political double standards found in Rwanda — are far-fetched and irrelevant.
But as a key player in the crisis, if he truly believes Thailand could turn into another Rwanda, he could play a part in changing that for the better.
Ms Yingluck is stepping up her criticism of the court, suggesting it is not treating her fairly.
Although her predicament is understandable, it is inappropriate for the prime minister to criticise the court before it makes any decision.
The judges are entitled to do their jobs without undue political pressure or coercion. The prime minister’s remarks could also have the effect of undermining public confidence in the court.
In a democratic society, all parties are entitled to discuss whether the court should accept a petition for a ruling.
However, the intense debate surrounding the judgement also reflects deep public mistrust in the judiciary, a crucial issue that needs to be addressed.
Members of independent agencies and the Constitution Court should heed calls for reform when they arise. But in the end all sides must respect the court’s decision.
We can but hope society remains intact and that we are able to overcome the crisis with our heads rather than political extremism — and with respect for the rule of law.