ABOUT 10,000 protesters and sympathisers converged on
Sanam Luang last night in the largest anti-government demonstration faced
by the three-year-old Chuan administration so far.
Thousands of demonstrators with different grievances,
ranging from anti-government activists seeking an immediate dissolution of
the House to laid-off industrial workers, gathered at Sanam Luang in a
show of support for Assembly of the Poor protesters yesterday.
Though the protesters and their black-clad sympathisers
were pushing for different agendas, they were united in their displeasure
with the Chuan administration.
They accused the government of having forfeited any
legitimate claim to stay in power through its disregard of the plight of
the underprivileged.
Among newcomers to the protest were workers from various
state enterprises who said they had come to show solidarity with Assembly
of the Poor protesters.
A statement read towards the end of the protest
described Chuan as a "tyrant". A parody of the violent dispersal
of trespassing Pak Mool villagers from Government House two weeks ago was
also enacted by children, to the amusement of the demonstrators.
"This protest is a spontaneous one, not an
organised one," said Somsak Kosaisuk, president of the State Railway
of Thailand (SRT) labour union. "People are getting fed up with the
government's mishandling of public issues."
Somsak said he expected workers from other state
enterprises to take part in the anti-government protest. Many
state-enterprise workers are opposed to the government's privatisation
plans. Other protest leaders included Dr Sant Hatthirat, social critic
Sulak Sivaraksa, democracy activist Phiphob Thongchai and senior NGO
leader Dej Phumkhacha.
Some 2,000 Assembly of the Poor protesters have vowed to
continue their months-long protest to pressure the Chuan government to
fully comply with their demands. They have insisted the government redress
the environmental impacts of dam construction and called for a lasting
solution to numerous land-rights disputes with the Forestry Ministry and
other government agencies.
Forty people began a hunger strike on Thursday in a bid
to pressure the government to meet all their demands. Ten hunger strikers
had already quit yesterday, while another 20 villagers had joined the
fast.
Paijit Silarak, a leader of the Assembly of the Poor,
said 169 non-governmental organisations and political-action groups had
expressed support for the protesters.
"We are protesting [at Sanam Luang] to expose the
government's attempt to deceive the public into believing that our
problems were solved by the latest Cabinet resolution," Paijit said.
On Tuesday the Cabinet agreed to some of the
recommendations made by a neutral committee to address the protesters'
grievances, including the key demand that the gates of the Pak Mool and
Rasi Salai dams be opened as part of efforts to revive river life.
But the concessions made by the government were deemed
inadequate by the protesters.
Paijit said Assembly of the Poor protesters were
prepared for a lengthy protest. "Even if this government dissolved
the House of Representatives and called an early election, we would still
insist the new government comply with our demands."
Another speaker, Phinand Chotirotseranee of Kanchanaburi
Conservation Group, advised the government to listen to the people before
embarking on any large-scale projects. She said the Petroleum Authority of
Thailand had built the Yadana Burma-Thailand Gas Pipeline against the will
of the local people and it was now running at a loss because the electric
power plant in Ratchaburi province could not be built according to
schedule. She claimed the government wanted to inveigle
electricity-consumers into absorbing a major chunk of the Bt2 billion
overheads incurred by the project's mismanagement.
"I want to know if the government wants to have the
public absorb any other losses [accruing from the Malaysia-Thai Gas
Pipeline Project]." Phinand said.
Meanwhile Nudaeng Ternkhuntod, a hunger striker who
collapsed from exhaustion on Friday, was released from Vajira Hospital,
where she had been given medical treatment overnight. She was given
medication to treat a severe stomach ache, intravenous feeding and soft
food, according to hospital officials.
Nudaeng said she intended to resume her hunger strike
once she regained her strength.
According to nurses, four other hunger strikers are
showing signs of ailing health, including low blood pressure and unusually
rapid heartbeats. They were told to quit the hunger strike to prevent
their conditions worsening but decided to continue fasting for another
day.
Hundreds of workers laid off by Thai Durable Textile
(Thai Krieng), demanding government intervention for their reinstatement,
also joined the Sanam Luang protest.
Prime Minister Chuan Leekpai said yesterday he was not
worried by the ongoing protest and insisted his government had
consistently respected protesters' rights to peaceful assembly and freedom
of expression as guaranteed by the Constitution. Six hundred law-enforcers
have been deployed to keep order, and many special-branch police were seen
mingling with the demonstrators.
"This kind of protest has been held many times
before. My only request is for protesters to refrain from causing damage
to public property," the prime minister said.
Chuan urged hunger strikers to quit, saying such action
would not sway the government's position on how to deal with issues raised
by the Assembly of the Poor.
Former Senate speaker Meechai Ruchuphan called on
protesters to exercise self-restraint and continue to give the government
the benefit of the doubt in its handling of issues raised by protesters.
He expressed concern about the volatile state of
politics at present: "The current political situation is very
confusing. No one seems to know what others are thinking or what they
want," Meechai said. "Most people don't even know what the
government has or hasn't done. People should stay calm and refrain from
all forms of violence."
Another protest has been organised for today, starting
at 4pm. Union leader Somsak said he could not tell whether it would be
feasible to prolong the protest beyond the weekend.
