Poll panel dissolves Abhisit's party
Source: Agencies |
April 13, 2010, Tuesday
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THAILAND'S Election Commission ordered the ruling party be dissolved for allegedly misusing campaign donations, in a potential victory for protesters who paraded slain comrades through Bangkok yesterday to demand the prime minister's resignation.
The decision, which must be endorsed by the Constitutional Court to take effect, came soon after Thailand's influential army chief appeared to back the protesters' call, saying new elections might be needed to resolve the country's political crisis. The standoff descended into the deadliest political clashes in nearly two decades on Saturday, when 21 people died.
Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, who was largely seen as having the backing of the powerful military, has remained defiant in his refusal to resign. But the about-face of the head of the army, which has not hesitated to stage coups during previous political instability, puts Abhisit under unprecedented pressure.
"If the issue cannot be resolved through political means, then parliament dissolution seems to be a reasonable step ... I just want peace to prevail," army chief General Anupong Paochinda told reporters. Parliament's dissolution is a necessary step for new elections. "Right now the circumstances dictate that a solution should be achieved through political means."
The latest turmoil is part of a years-long struggle for power, pitting the rural supporters of ousted Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra against members of the country's traditional ruling elite, which includes business leaders, the military brass and bureaucrats - supported by the urban middle class.
Thailand has seen three governments in the four years since a coup drove Thaksin from power in 2006. Protesters have taken to the streets each time their rivals came to power.
In 2008, anti-Thaksin protesters besieged the government headquarters for months and occupied the airports for a week. The crisis was defused by a court ruling similar to yesterday's that unseated the pro-Thaksin government. Subsequently, Abhisit became prime minister.
The repeated unrest has threatened to ruin the country's reputation as a stable haven for commerce, investment and tourism.
Yesterday's ruling could set the stage for another change in power. But it is unlikely to be the last word. It could offer a way out of the political deadlock between Abhisit's government and the Red Shirts, or it could fuel another round of counter-protests by government supporters.
The Election Commission found the Democrat Party guilty of misusing campaign donations. No date was set for the Constitutional Court to hear the case.
Raucous cheers erupted at a major protest site in Bangkok when a speaker announced the decision to his audience. "This is a victory for us. Our democracy heroes didn't die in vain," Veera Musikapong, a protest leader, said.
The Election Commission was ruling on a complaint filed by the Red Shirts that the Democrat Party received more than 258 million baht (US$8 million) in donations from a private cement firm, TPI Polene, without declaring it, as required by law, and used it for campaigning. It was also accused of misusing 29 million baht from a political fund.
The commission had scheduled the ruling for April 20, but announced it more than a week early.
The decision, which must be endorsed by the Constitutional Court to take effect, came soon after Thailand's influential army chief appeared to back the protesters' call, saying new elections might be needed to resolve the country's political crisis. The standoff descended into the deadliest political clashes in nearly two decades on Saturday, when 21 people died.
Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, who was largely seen as having the backing of the powerful military, has remained defiant in his refusal to resign. But the about-face of the head of the army, which has not hesitated to stage coups during previous political instability, puts Abhisit under unprecedented pressure.
"If the issue cannot be resolved through political means, then parliament dissolution seems to be a reasonable step ... I just want peace to prevail," army chief General Anupong Paochinda told reporters. Parliament's dissolution is a necessary step for new elections. "Right now the circumstances dictate that a solution should be achieved through political means."
The latest turmoil is part of a years-long struggle for power, pitting the rural supporters of ousted Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra against members of the country's traditional ruling elite, which includes business leaders, the military brass and bureaucrats - supported by the urban middle class.
Thailand has seen three governments in the four years since a coup drove Thaksin from power in 2006. Protesters have taken to the streets each time their rivals came to power.
In 2008, anti-Thaksin protesters besieged the government headquarters for months and occupied the airports for a week. The crisis was defused by a court ruling similar to yesterday's that unseated the pro-Thaksin government. Subsequently, Abhisit became prime minister.
The repeated unrest has threatened to ruin the country's reputation as a stable haven for commerce, investment and tourism.
Yesterday's ruling could set the stage for another change in power. But it is unlikely to be the last word. It could offer a way out of the political deadlock between Abhisit's government and the Red Shirts, or it could fuel another round of counter-protests by government supporters.
The Election Commission found the Democrat Party guilty of misusing campaign donations. No date was set for the Constitutional Court to hear the case.
Raucous cheers erupted at a major protest site in Bangkok when a speaker announced the decision to his audience. "This is a victory for us. Our democracy heroes didn't die in vain," Veera Musikapong, a protest leader, said.
The Election Commission was ruling on a complaint filed by the Red Shirts that the Democrat Party received more than 258 million baht (US$8 million) in donations from a private cement firm, TPI Polene, without declaring it, as required by law, and used it for campaigning. It was also accused of misusing 29 million baht from a political fund.
The commission had scheduled the ruling for April 20, but announced it more than a week early.
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