Sondhi says Thaksin's 'break' is just a show
The People's Alliance for Demo-cracy yesterday took its cause to Songkhla, where it says the overwhelming abstention vote was a plea to rid the South of "Thaksinomics".
Sondhi Limthongkul, a PAD leader, said his movement does not trust outgoing Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra's announcement on Tuesday that he would take a political break, calling it "a show''.Sondhi was speaking at Prince of Songkhla University. He said the PAD will give Thaksin one month to step down and if the House cannot be convened, it will organise a major rally to oust him. "We will not accept Thaksin remaining as Thai Rak Thai Party leader or running a proxy government from behind,'' he said. Kirangsak Liewchanpattana, an academic at the university, said what the PAD has been rallying for is for Thaksin to exit politics completely, not to take a rest. "As long as Thaksin's nominee runs the government, Thaksinomics can still dominate the country,'' he said. Most of the PAD leaders congregated in Songkhla to campaign among southerners against Thaksin and would hold a seminar on "Violence in the South under Thaksinomics'' with ex-senator Chirmsak Pinthong as a speaker. More than 30,000 people were expected to attend. In Bangkok, civic leader Chaiwat Thirapanthu also called for the dismantling of the "Thaksin system" that was installed over the past five years, saying it was devoid of checks and balances. "The problem with the Thaksin system is that it lacks transparency," Chaiwat said. "The fact he's still the party leader means he's still in charge." Chaiwat, who is the director of Bangkok Forum, said among other things, the state still has general control over the broadcast media. A royally appointed prime minister might be a better way of renewing politics instead of relying on Thaksin's Thai Rak Thai Party successor, who is likely to continue to defend Thaksin's and the party's interests, he said.
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