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Published on August 6, 2007

Political polarisation in Thailand could worsen if the junta leader decided to stand for parliament, a veteran politician warned yesterday.

General Sonthi Boonyarat-glin had pledged to build bridges after the coup in September, but Pracharaj Party leader Snoh Thienthong said the exact opposite would happen.

Known as a kingmaker in Thailand politics, Snoh pointed to the case of General Suchinda Kraprayoon, who became the unelected prime minister following the first election after the February 1991 coup.

Snoh, who has helped three proteges become prime minister including Thaksin Shinawatra, said Suchinda was doomed from the start because he had failed to listen to him. He was forced to step down after the deadly May 1992 anti-government riots.

Snoh, speaking at a symposium entitled "Political parties' role under the convention on political development" at a democracy fair at Muang Thong Thani, said if the Council for National Security (CNS) had a party set up for them as a political vehicle, it would give the old power clique a chance to strike back and regain power.

He said supporters of ousted prime minister Thaksin Shina-watra would claim that their leader had been persecuted because the military wanted political power.

"[Anti-coup leaders] who are being detained at Bangkok Remand Prison will come out to say that the CNS leaders are real dictators.

"They will say their boss had been persecuted and the military did not stage the coup for the sake of the people but for themselves because a political party is set up to let the coup makers retain power. Wait and see," the veteran politician said.

Snoh said a lesson had been learnt from the case of the Samakkhitham Party.

The Samakkhitham Party was set up to contest the first election in 1992 after the 1991 coup. The party won control of the House and invited Suchinda to become the prime minister.

Snoh said he had warned Suchinda against entering politics and wanted to give a similar warning to the CNS leaders.

Speaking to reporters after the symposium, Snoh said he had concerns for CNS chairman General Sonthi following reports he might contest the next election as a Rak Chart Party candidate.

"I am not worried that Sonthi will become my political rival. But I've warned several times that it's not the time for Sonthi and the CNS leaders to play politics," Snoh said.

He said the CNS needed to carry on working to keep the country secure and to ensure that it would have genuine democracy by making sure the next election was clean and fair.

"I don't believe Sonthi will play politics now, although the environment seems to be prepared for him. I would like to warn him like a brother. It's not his turn now," Snoh said.

He said if Sonthi entered politics now, it would create a severe rift in the country because Thaksin's supporters could then claim that the former prime minister was ousted because the CNS leaders wanted power for themselves.

The rift would affect the country's image and render the money being spent campaigning for voters to take part in the public referendum on the draft constitution a waste, he said.

Snoh said it was fine for Gen Pallop Pinmanee, an adviser to the Internal Security Operations Command, to run in the next election.

"No problem, because Wallop is not a CNS member," Snoh said, reacting to Pallop's announcement yesterday that he would contest the election from Bangkok as a Rak Chart candidate.

Pallop said he wanted to enter politics to help solve the unrest in the three southernmost provinces.

Pallop said Rak Chart was not a party of the military since it had only a few retired military officers as members.

Sonthi yesterday denied he had been approached to become a member of the Rak Chart Party.

He said he had only recently met Captain Khajit Hapnanont, a Rak Chart founder, but had not discussed joining the party with him.

"It's not time for me to make a decision on my political future yet," Sonthi said.

Asked which party he would be interested in, the CNS leader said he used to like the Thai Rak Thai and Democrat parties, but did not have much knowledge about Rak Chart.

Asked which factors might make him decide to enter politics, Sonthi repeated he had not yet made up his mind on the matter.

Meanwhile, a prominent democracy activist called on Pallop to resign as Isoc adviser and from all military posts because he might be suspected of using these military positions for political advantage.

Suriyasai Katasila, secretary-general of the Campaign for Popular Democracy, said the fact that Gen Ruangroj Mahasaranont, former military supreme commander and former CNS chief adviser, planned to contest the next election as a member of the People Power Party indicated he had used the armed forces as a springboard to enter politics. This did not bode well for the military, he said.