Lighten up on govt
Lighten up on govt
email:postbag@bangkokpost.co.th
The last two public opinion polls and several of your editorials would seem to indicate that people are increasingly unhappy with the interim government because it is too slow in producing results.
After many years of listening to Mr Thaksin, I really distrust grandiose promises of instant results and I am content to watch this government work at a more calm, steady, thoughtful, legalistic and moderate pace as it methodically and systematically investigates and gathers evidence to present and prosecute corruption cases (among other things). Just the fact that this government is seriously engaged in building numerous corruption cases is a huge improvement over the lip-service Mr Thaksin used to give this subject.
I think we owe it to the members of this government to show a little more patience, understanding and yes, gratitude, for taking on what appears to be a dangerous and pretty much thankless task, instead of constantly criticising them for moving too slowly and trying to pressure them into taking some precipitous action that we may all come to regret. Solid accomplishments and meaningful change take time and I think we at least owe them that.
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Junta faces charges they are too gentlemanly for their own good
Analysis: Junta faces charges they are too gentlemanly for their own good
Are the CNS and the government tough enough to ensure stability in their administration?
by Nattaya Chetchotiros
The Surayud government and Council for National Security (CNS) are
caught between a rock and a hard place. The New Year's Eve bombings
have highlighted this fact. The dilemma for the coup-makers and the
interim government is how tough they should be with the so-called "old
power" network. If they are ruthless and uproot elements associated
with former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, they risk being labelled
as power-hungry and unfair.
Should they do this in a more compromising, gentlemanly fashion - which
apparently is the path both the Surayud government and CNS have been
pursuing - then there is the greater risk that their stability will be
rocked, which is the case at present.
It has been almost four months since the Sept 19 military coup. So far,
the interim government and CNS have not effectively touched the "old
power" network which they allege was corrupt. The "clique" connotes not
only Mr Thaksin and his family but a whole network of militarymen,
policemen, bureaucrats, business and grassroots people who benefited
from the Thaksin administration's populist policies.
Somjai Phagaphasvivat, from Thammasat University's Faculty of Political
Science, says that unless the CNS and the government get tough with
these remnants of old power, they are unlikely to get their job done.
He says there are people who gained some form of benefit from the past
administration who have managed to stay on in the current one, as well
as in the CNS. Their presence makes it difficult for the coup-makers or
the government to come up with evidence against the Thaksin government
or any effective clean-up measures, as they are afraid they would be
dragged into the net too.
Besides, both the government and CNS are under pressure to be fair to
the old power. They have chosen to stick to the law and follow a lawful
and transparent - albeit slow - process of investigating corruption
allegations instead of seizing the assets first, which was what every
coup-maker did in the past. The lenient approach, however, has given
room for the old power to do some manipulative work to destabilise the
government, Mr Somjai said.
To cope with the problem at hand, he suggests that the CNS and
government toughen themselves. They must be goal-oriented. They must be
decisive. If that means they must change their personnel, so be it.
"Although [CNS chairman] Gen Sonthi insists that all the eight leading
members of the CNS are united, I believe this will remain so for no
more than two months. They will face increasing pressure from the
international community. They will face a crisis of confidence. They
will be forced to make some kind of change," Mr Somjai said.
As for the government, the political scientist suggests that it rethink
and, if possible, immediately overhaul its communications strategy,
especially its use of the mass media. Unlike the media-savvy Thaksin
government, the Surayud team has no edge in this area. Even the
government's spokesman is not well-versed in politics or capable of
explaining anything of meaning to the public.
Mr Somjai added that the government does not seem to have any long-term
plan or strategy when it comes to politics, either. At present, it
seems to be dealing with each problem as it arrives. The cabinet may be
able to boast of their overall qualities as good, decent people, but it
suffers terribly from being collectively dull as well.
In short, when it comes to political and communications strategy, the
Surayud government is outclassed by its predecessor, he says. "It may
be the case that the situation at present is too vile for a good person
like Gen Surayud. By their nature, the government and CNS may not be
suitable for the situation and that is why they have not succeeded in
managing the administrative power they have seized," Mr Somjai said.
Chaiyan Chaiyaporn, a political science lecturer at Chulalongkorn
University, however, does not believe the government or CNS can get
tough and rough things out the way coup-makers of the past might have
done. Considering the coup's lack of legitimacy in the eyes of the
international community, and the fact that the CNS and government would
not want to turn 16 million people who voted for Mr Thaksin in the past
into their enemy, the reconciliatory approach they have taken was their
only option.
He agreed with Mr Somjai that this choice has its setbacks in the
bureaucratic foot-dragging, thus causing delays in exposing alleged
irregularities of the past government. The slowness may upset the
public, which is keenly waiting for results of the investigations.
Mr Chaiyan believes that the New Year's Eve bombs in Bangkok has
diverted the public's attention from the important matter at hand,
which is the ongoing corruption investigation. To regain their footing,
the lecturer suggests that the government and CNS take everyone who has
any connections with Mr Thaksin off the Bangkok bomb investigation team
- be they deputy national police chief Pol Gen Achiravit Supanpesat,
assistant national police chief Pol Lt-Gen Jongrak Chuthanont or Pol
Lt-Gen Panupong Singhara na Ayudhya who has been assigned to head the
investigation.
"These officers are known to be close to Thaksin but the government has
kept them in their jobs. The result is we haven't seen any solid
evidence or much progress in the case, which further discredits the
government," said Mr Chaiyan.
Gen Winai Phattiyakul, defence permanent secretary and
secretary-general of the CNS, said that Prime Minister Surayud's
interviews suggest that he has given a deadline for the national police
chief Kowit Wattana to come up with answers regarding the eight blasts
in Bangkok. If the deadline lapses and nothing comes up, the CNS will
miss one member, but that wouldn't be a problem.
"Our friendship remains the same. The question of professional
efficiency is not related to that," Gen Winai said. He admitted that
both the government and CNS are not yet on top of the country's
political developments. He also conceded that they will need to adjust
their planning and communications.
A source close to PM Surayud revealed that the government is perceived
as being weak because it can't put its own people in key offices,
especially in the national police force, which is seen as a seat of
power of the ousted prime minister who was a former policeman.
According to the source, calls were made to PM Surayud to fire the
police chief. But then again, the government has its hands tied in its
attempt to do things properly and not give the impression that it was
unfairly bent on firing Mr Thaksin's people.
The problem is the "old power" clique has at their disposal an almost
limitless amount of money. From now until June, when the case against
the Thai Rak Thai party will be heard, the money and old power network
can cause a lot of chaos. The government and CNS will need to make a
quick decision - whether they want to get tough, or continue to act the
gentleman.
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Barbaric attacks on public condemned
'Barbaric' attacks on public condemned
January 2, 2007
'Barbaric' attacks on public condemned
Democrat Party chief adviser Chuan Leekpai said yesterday the "old
power'' was playing an "undercurrent" game - suggesting the New Year's
Eve bombs in Bangkok were the work of the previous administration.
Chuan commented after Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont indicated
people who had lost influence from the political change had
masterminded the blasts on Sunday night.
Chuan, a former
prime minister, said the "old power" still existed like an underground
group. "Do not forget that Thaksin Shinawatra was in power for five
years. He built an empire with a process that used both money and power
as a bargaining chip,'' he said.
Asked if the old power still used their money politically, Chuan said he believed so.
"Thaksin's
money keeps rising. Do not underestimate the rich. The richest man in
Thailand is not normal. Thaksin had said that dying is better than
losing."
Chuan said the previous regime still had
significant influence. "The old power has a strong base so they can
continuously burn down schools. Some officials belong to the old power
so they are not trying to reveal the truth. Money can buy people.
People who receive money on a regular basis would naturally have a
strong bond to them,'' he said.
Even some members of the
media and some Cabinet members had links with the former heavyweights.
"Look at this government, how many members of the old power exist," he
said.
Former prime minister Chavalit Yongchaiyudh, meanwhile, condemned those responsible for the attacks and for causing public fear.
Thai
Rak Thai Party caretaker leader Chaturon Chaisang also condemned the
blasts as an evil act that lacked a sense of responsibility to the
public and country.
Campaign for Popular Demo-cracy
secretary-general Suriyasai Katasila described the bombs as the
barbaric killing of innocent people. "This operation was politically
motivated for sure, because they selected the time and the places that
would create a strong impact not only locally but internationally," he
said.
Suriyasai criticized Police spokesman Lt-General
Achirawit Supanpesat for making a personal comment about the bomb
attacks by suggesting on Sunday the previous regime was to blame.
"His
comment was rather misleading than presenting the truth. Police have
the duty to find evidence and arrest the culprits," he said.
If
key members of the previous administration were responsible, police
should be able to arrest the culprits soon, Suriyasai said. "If that is
the case, the government must monitor them more closely."
He
predicted the "old power" might adjust its strategies by using the
masses to pressure the interim government. "They will not allow
themselves to be cornered easily."
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String of blasts rock Bangkok on New Years eve
String of blasts rock Bangkok, killing 3
New Year's Eve parties canceled / Rumors point to 'undercurrents' / Police,
military out in force around country
Police and military personnel were scrambling to find out who was behind what
seems to have been a coordinated bomb attack in the capital last night that left three people dead and more than 40 people injured.
Bangkok was rocked by six explosions early in the evening at widely separate parts
of the city, completely disrupting New Year's Eve celebrations. Tens of thousands of
alarmed people swarmed out of the city center hours before midnight after the
capital's major parties were canceled.
One person was killed and at least 17 injured when a powerful bomb went off at the
Victory Monument at about 6.30pm. The blast ripped through bus stops, shattering
windows at a restaurant and sent debris flying in all directions. The dead man was
identified as Songkran Kanjana. His age was not known.
"Bodies were scattered all over the place. I didn't know who to help first," an
eyewitness told TV reporters. The second fatality was Suwitchai Nakiem, 61, who was
killed by a blast near the Na Ranong intersection in the Klong Toei area. The bomb,
which was hidden in a trash can near a Chinese spirit shrine, injured three
pedestrians and caused a number of cooking-gas cylinders kept nearby to also
explode.
Two people were injured in a blast at the Saphan Kwai intersection. Witnesses said
they saw a man drop a grenade from a pedestrian bridge onto a police booth below.
Residue of C4 and TNT explosives were found at the scene, an television reporter
said, quoting an unnamed military source.
A bomb was found in a dustbin outside a gold shop on the first floor of Seacon
Square shopping mall on Srinakharin Road. It was removed to the parking lot and went
off harmlessly when no one was standing near. The blast created panic among the
roughly 10,000 shoppers in the mall at the time, who were ordered to evacuate. All
outlets in the mall were ordered to close their shutters.
There were blasts at two police booths, one at the Khae Rai intersection in
Nonthaburi province just north of Bangkok, where police said the closed circuit TV
monitors went out of action about 3 hours before. The other was at the entrance of
Sukhumvit Road Soi 62. No injuries were reported.
The explosions brought a swift reaction from police around the country. Military
personnel were called out in a number of centres to assist police with security.
Speaking at a press conference called two hours after the first bomb went off,
police spokesman Pol General Ajiravid Subarnbhesaj said the coordinated blasts were
intended to "create chaos".
Few sources were prepared to comment openly on the source of the explosions.
Speculation was rife that it was an insurgent attack from the South, given the timing
of the bombings. But most intelligence sources were emphatic that it was connected to
the "undercurrents" of post-coup political tension.
Soldiers were posted at some of the blast sites, while major shopping complexes,
including the Central Chidlom and Siam Paragon, closed their doors early.
Deputy Bangkok Governor Wallop Suwandee announced that the New Year's eve
countdown celebrations planned at Sanam Luang had been cancelled. The Central World
Shopping Centre, where another major count-down venue was designated, also canceled
the event. But revelers at the Central World plaza were reluctant to call it quits
and dragged the party on for another two hours after its cancellation.
Government Spokesman Yongyuth Malyalarp urged the public to remain calm and said
the police had been instructed to stay on high alert, especially in areas where large
gatherings of people were expected take part in the New Year countdown.
"Police reinforcements have been sent to various areas of the city. We urge the
public to remain calm, continue with the celebrations, but at the same time keep a
lookout for any irregularities," Yongyuth said.
Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont is keeping a close watch on the situation as it
develops, he said. Surayud late last night visited some of the wounded at Rajvithi
Hospital.
The New Year's eve bombings capped a year of unrest in the nation, with political
turmoil that was capped by a coup d'etat three months ago and an ongoing insurgency
in the Malay-speaking deep South.
More than 20 public schools, mostly in the North and Northeast, have been torched
in the past three months. Authorities suspect fires may have been politically
motivated arson attacks.
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