Thaksin rebuffs resignation calls while elite call for appointed PM

Monday, March 6, 2006

Beleaguered Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra may have offered to speak with entrenched opponents such as the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD), but defiantly refuses to give them the satisfaction of him resigning unconditionally. Instead Thaksin has promised not to take office if his Thai Rak Thai party gets fewer than 50% of the votes. With the three main opposition parties boycotting the election, a mass abstention would be required to force the PM out in this way.

Protests led by Chamlong Srimuang's Dharma Army foundation are reportedly going to continue until the caretaker PM resigns. The former Bangkok governor led a popular but bloody revolt against the military government of General Suchinda Kraprayoon in 1992; he is now one of the prominent figures staking out Sanam Luang, calling for the resignation of Thaksin, and vowing to stay until he goes. The kick-off of this extended protest was on Sunday, with protesters from southern provinces arriving as early as 11am for a protest that saw Thailand's The Nation reporting 60,000 present for a march to the Democracy monument and on to government house.

Attacks from other directions have come alongside the mass-protests. 96 members of Bangkok's elite have put their names to a petition to go before the King. Calling for the invocation of Section 7 of the constitution to appoint an interim Prime Minister, signatories include a former central bank governor, former ambassadors, and more than a dozen senators.

Related news

"Opposition may boycott Thai election; demonstrators want Thaksin out" — Wikinews, February 26, 2006
"Thai snap-election set for April 2, 2006" — Wikinews, February 24, 2006
"Leader of 1992 pro-democracy uprising joins calls for Thaksin's resignation" — Wikinews, February 20, 2006

Sources

"Social 'elite' call on King to appoint PM" — Bangkok Post, March 6, 2006

"The final showdown?" — The Nation (Thailand), March 6, 2006

Thai News Agency. "Thaksin will talk, but not quit" — Bangkok Post, March 6, 2006

Thai News Agency. "Dharma Army to stay until PM resigns" — MCOT, March 5, 2006

Thai News Agency. "Thaksin vows not to take office if his party fails to win half the votes" — MCOT, March 3, 2006

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Articles presented on Wikinews reflect the specific time at which they were written and published, and do not attempt to encompass events or knowledge which occur or become known after their publication.

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Please note that due to our archival policy, we will not alter or update the content of articles that are archived, but will only accept requests to make grammatical and formatting corrections.

Note that some listed sources or external links may no longer be available online due to age.