'Stakes in this conflict are high'
Charan Chong-on, 43, left, and Chaiyasit Lamoh, 42, surrender to Pathum Wan police yesterday after anti-Thaksin demonstrators brought assault charges against the pair.
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Saneh Chamarik, chairman of the National Human Rights Commission, and statesman Rapee Sagarik are concerned that violence between government opponents and supporters will intensify because a solution is nowhere to be seen.
Saneh said one should look at the problem at a structural level, adding that the country was divided because the Thai Rak Thai Party beat other parties with its policies to help the poor. "I cannot see a short-term solution because powerful figures have high stakes in this conflict. It does not concern one person but a business network and family members. Even after the election, the conflict will remain,'' he said. Rapee said Thais only want to see the result and no one thinks of the cause. Before they realise, they end up in pain. "Humans always learn after suffering the pain. But we cannot surrender to a hungry tiger. We must get up and fight. Do not be afraid of change. By being divided, the country is heading towards changes faster," he said. Democrat Party leader Abhisit Vejjajiva urged caretaker Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra to give a clear signal that state officials who use force to suppress protesters must be punished. He said the solution to the crisis was to reform politics and provide justice for everyone, while the country's leader must be honest and accept differences. Top lawyer Meechai Ruchuphan answered a question posted on his website by saying that people have the constitutional right to oust a leader if their words or actions are not violent. He did not know whether Thai culture had changed in a way that people now don't respect high-level people or whether high-level people have changed to the point Thais cannot respect them. He hoped violence would not spread like fire across the country. "Stay calm and conscious. Do not be like in the South, where people assault each other without knowing the reason why," he said. Senator designate Rosana Tositrakul urged Thaksin to sacrifice himself and step down to stop the violence. Asked if Thaksin should first ask his opponents to stop protests, Rosana said that would be rejecting the "check mechanism" performed by the public. Pracharaj Party leader Snoh Thienthong said he had lived for 70 years and never seen as big a leadership crisis. "The country's leader is the cause of the country's crisis," he said.
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