An estimated 700 people yesterday evening marched from Bangkok's Sanam Luang to the nearby Democracy Monument on Rajdamnoen Nok Avenue to protest against the Council for National Security (CNS).

The protesters demanded the CNS return power to the people immediately - eight months after the coup was staged by the CNS.

The protesters, led by the newly formed People's United Front Against the Coup, also covered the central structure of the Democracy Monument with black cloth, making the dramatic statement that Thailand is now under military dictatorship.

The newly-formed People's United Front is composed of 22 organisations and marks a new level of struggle. It includes the pro-Thaksin Shinawatra People's Television (PTV) group, and a majority of the protesters appeared to be supporters of former prime minister Thaksin.

This has led to deep soul-searching amongst those who opposed Thaksin but who are also against the coup.

 "I decided to decline the offer to be moderator of the event," said Chanakarn Phandermwong, co-coordinator of the 19 September Network Against the Coup, which is not part of the United Front.

Others who joined the United Front, such as national human-rights commissioner Jaran Dita-apichai, took the opportunity to address the crowd against the junta.

Other speakers included former Thai Rak Thai executive Veera Musikhapong. Some 150 police kept a close eye on the protest, which also marked the 15th anniversary of the May 1992 uprising. To what extent the anti-Thaksin and anti-coup protesters will work with the pro-Thaksin and anti-coup groups remains to be seen.

 Kittipumi Chutasmit, director of Phu Sing Hospital in Si Sa Ket province, came to join the protest and has addressed the crowds on several occasions in the past.

"I think there's a chance that the movement may fall into the trap of success at all costs and may not be afraid of violent confrontation. When compared to the first protest led by the 19 September Network Against the Coup, it was purely against the coup and not bent toward violence.

"Now many groups have joined and though I don't know if they will succeed or not, if the victory is at the cost of more people killed like the May 1992 uprising then we gain nothing."

As for the differing stances about Thaksin amongst the anti-coup protesters, Kittipumi said: "If we stand firm on the principle of rational debate, some of those protesters must also criticise Thaksin on the grounds of his human-rights violations and conflicts of interest, but we must also admit some of the progressive achievements of Thaksin, which have enabled rural villagers to improve their lives."

 Uchaen Cheang-San, an anti-Thaksin, anti-coup protester and a Thammasat University student, said the new battle no longer lay in uniting many protesters but in opposing the draft constitution during the referendum, which would be a de facto rejection of the junta.

"I think there are some anti-democratic elements within the anti-constitution or anti-coup groups, such as those calling for the inclusion of Buddhism as a national religion in the charter or those calling on Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont to take drastic action in the southern provinces.

Subhatra Bhumiprabhas,

Pravit Rojanaphruk

The Nation