Thailand faces public sector strikes as protest continues Wed Sep 3, 2008
BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thai public sector trade unions called for strikes on Wednesday, a day after the embattled prime minister imposed emergency rule in the capital and ordered the army to end months of anti-government protests.
Thousands of opposition protesters continued their sit-in at Prime Minister Samak's Sundaravej's official compound, vowing to continue their campaign until he resigns.
But Bangkok was calm on Wednesday after clashes early on Tuesday between pro- and anti-government supporters left one man dead and 45 injured, leading Samak to turn to the army to control the unrest.
The army has said it will not use force to evict protesters.
Traffic was light in the city of 10 million people because of the threat of public transport being disrupted by strikes. Also, schools remained closed for a second day following the imposition of the emergency.
In what the Bangkok Post newspaper headlined a "first hint of compromise", Sondhi Limthongkul, one of the leaders of the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD), said the months-long crisis that has paralyzed the government could not be resolved unless Samak left office.
"They must accept the four-point demand, and only if the prime minister is either Somchai Wongsawat or Surapong Suebwonglee," he told the newspaper, referring to Samak's education minister and finance minister respectively.
It was not immediately clear why the two men were acceptable to the opposition.
Sondhi said the government must promise not to amend the constitution; must suspend all large infrastructure projects; commit to political reform, and; accept a court decision on a temple located on land in Cambodia claimed by some in Thailand.
The protesters, calling themselves the People’s Alliance for Democracy, accuse Mr. Samak of corruption and of seeking to amend the Constitution to allow the return of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra.
Thai MPs elect Thaksin's brother-in-law as new PM AFP - Thursday, September 18
BANGKOK (AFP) - - A brother-in-law of ousted premier Thaksin Shinawatra was elected Thai prime minister by parliament Wednesday but faced immediate opposition from protesters who vowed to force him from office.
Somchai Wongsawat, 61, called for reconciliation with the protesters who have occupied the prime minister's offices for the last three weeks in a bid to topple the government.
His predecessor Samak Sundaravej was removed from the post last week by a court that found he was illegally paid for hosting TV cooking shows.
Somchai, who is married to Thaksin's politically powerful sister Yaowapa, will not take office until he is endorsed by Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej, a process that could take several days.
"It's undeniable who my relatives are, but I will do things the right way, to show my sincerity in trying to solve our problems," Somchai told reporters, after winning 298 votes in the 480-seat parliament.
"It's about time for national reconciliation in Thailand," he said.
"In the past we have had so many conflicts, but I personally don't harbour any anger or hatred against anybody," he added.
The parliamentary vote came almost exactly two years after Thaksin was toppled by the military following months of rallies by the same anti- government activists, known as the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD).
PAD quickly vowed to press ahead with their campaign to force Somchai and his entire People Power Party (PPP) out of government, with the ultimate goal of curtailing democracy in Thailand. /////////////////////// heh ..
Somchai was a respected career bureaucrat and former judge before entering public life. His wife Yaowapa was banned from politics following the coup against Thaksin.
Somchai was made a deputy PPP leader after winning a parliamentary seat, along with his daughter, in elections last December. He only became a prime ministerial candidate after Samak was removed from office last week.
The PPP leadership tried to return Samak to office in a parliamentary vote on Friday, but critics in the party boycotted the session.
All factions in the PPP and its five coalition partners say they support Somchai, despite fears his elevation will enrage the protesters and worsen a crisis that has battered the economy, with stocks down 29 percent since protests first broke out in May.
The Stock Exchange of Thailand composite index was down 0.77 percent after Somchai's election.
Opposition leader Abhisit Vejjajiva urged Somchai to step out of Thaksin's shadow and hold urgent talks with the anti-government protesters.
"The new prime minister must clearly show how he is going to ease the situation. He must work to erase any doubts," Abhisit said.
The protesters accuse the ruling party of acting as a proxy for Thaksin, whom they accuse of widespread corruption.
They want to prevent Thaksin's allies from winning power in elections by calling for a parliament where 70 percent of the seats would be appointed.
They argue this would weaken the influence of rural voters still loyal to Thaksin for delivering universal health care and low-interest loans to areas long ignored by Bangkok's elite.
Meanwhile, the Supreme Court on Wednesday issued a third arrest warrant against Thaksin, ordering him to appear before the judges to hear their verdict in a land scandal.
Thaksin and his family have fled to Britain but maintain their innocence, claiming the charges are politically motivated.
His allies in the PPP are fighting their own separate battles, including a vote fraud case that could result in the disbanding of the party.
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