New group seeks social sanctions against TRT
Sangsit Piriyarangsan shows a print of the of the Civil Society Network to Stop the Thaksin System’s Web page.
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A group of university lecturers, students, activists and businessmen yesterday formed a new alliance to level "social sanctions" on the Thai Rak Thai Party in a bid to oust the Thaksin regime.
The alliance, which calls itself the Civil Society Network to Stop the Thaksin System (CSNSTS), promptly announced its first mission: to send letters to companies that fund Thai Rak Thai - including Charoen Pokphand, Nestle and Grammy - to stop providing financial support to the party. The founding members of the network held a press conference at The Miracle Grand Hotel yesterday to launch their campaign. Participants at the conference included Assoc Prof Sangsit Piriyarangsan who is director of doctorate programmes at Rajabhat Institute, Chan Kasem; Dr Suda Rangkuphan, from Chulalongkorn University's Arts Faculty; Karnchanee Wallayasewi, a representative of Corruption Watch; Yos Tansakul, advisor to the Students' Alliance for Democracy; and Ed Pirom, a businessman. Sangsit said the network has about 10 organisations as members. They include a teachers network, students network, a network of businessmen, non-governmental organisations and the Northeastern Salvation Front. At its first meeting yesterday, the group agreed to unite in a move to restore ethics and morality to society by getting rid of the Thaksin regime using social sanctions. These sanctions include withholding support for Thai Rak Thai. Sangsit said the CSNSTS would use different working styles and have different goals from those of the People's Alliance for Democracy. The CSNSTS would employ social sanctions, not demonstrations, to achieve their goals. He said the meeting yesterday agreed to send letters to business groups and relatives of businessmen, who have been providing financial support to Thai Rak Thai. Among the businessmen CSNSTS will contact are Dhanin Chearavanont, chairman and CEO of CP Group, Prayudh Mahagitsiri, board chairman of Nestle Group, and Paiboon Damrongchaitham, chairman of GMM Grammy Plc. The CSNSTS will also send letters to other business groups and include provincial governors and police to get their support to oust Thaksin. He said the alliance has launched a website www.stoptaksin.com as a venue to coordinate social sanctions against the Thaksin system. People can join the sanctions by getting more information from this website. He said the member organisations of the new alliance would work as equals without appointing any group as leader. Each member would shoulder its own expenses. The alliance will not seek public donations to fund its operations.
Kesinee Taengkhieo The Nation
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