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1/09/2007

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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