A Change of Guard

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Tuesday 5 July 2011

Thailand general election: Thais choose the party of the man in the paddy field

Yingluck Shinawatra, leader of the opposition Pheu Thai party, attends a news conference at  party headquarters in Bangkok, Thailand
Yingluck Shinawatra, leader of the opposition Pheu Thai party, attends a news conference at party headquarters in Bangkok, Thailand Photo: Bloomberg

The Thai electorate has spoken and again chosen the party of the man in the paddy field not the palace corridor.

By Ian MacKinnon in Bangkok
The Telegraph, UK
BST 03 Jul 2011

There is an irony that the real object of this vote is there billionaire former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra lives 3,000 miles away in a palatial splendour.
However the rural poor will not be rebuffed in their belief that he can deliver in their interests.

Out going leader, Abhisit Vejjajiva, who urged the electorate to remove the "Thaksin toxin" from Thai politics.

Yingluck Shinawatra and the Pheu Thai party – slogan "Thaksin thinks, Pheu Thai acts" – enabled the rural poor to thumb their noses at the elite.

There are still limits to how far the Thaksin camp can take their victory.

An amnesty for Mr Thaksin, 61, that would see his imminent triumphant return to Thailand would provoke immediate retaliation, perhaps tanks on the streets once more.

While Mrs Yingluck talks in general terms about "justice for all", not just her brother, the party probably accepts that Mr Thaksin will not be gracing Thai shores any time soon.

The former telecoms tycoon's nearly £1 billion assets, seized by the Thai courts, won't be restored any time soon either.

The military is concerned, too, about "revenge" for last year's Red Shirt crackdown that left 91 – most civilian demonstrators – dead, and against the plotters of the 2006 coup that ousted Mr Thaksin.

Again the Pheu Thai approach is likely to be cautious even though there has been talk of beefing up a "truth and reconciliation committee" examining the events of May last year's Red Shirt demonstrations

Persistent rumours – denied by Ms Yingluck – suggest that Pheu Thai intermediaries have already been in contact with the senior armed forces establishment figures guaranteeing no retaliation or reshuffling of the military's top brass.

In the short term Pheu Thai is likely to be allowed to govern, but dramatic shifts would mean all bets were be off.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

She looks meek...But her head and heart may be different..?

Anonymous said...

An old word used to said...When you see someone talking so sweet, meekness, watchout!!!!

Anonymous said...

Thai's still has the same policy...just different face..