No easy fix as conflict too deep, say academics

However, their views about whether or not the House of Representatives should be dissolved were mixed. Some academics said this was an option for easing political pressure, while others said House dissolution would only further complicate the issue.

Assoc Prof Somchai Preechasilapakul, from Chiang Mai University's Faculty of Law, said the society's structural and cultural conflicts had long been overlooked in the ongoing political strife.

"It's time to change the structure of politics and power - the two problems that could lead to bloodshed," he said during a panel discussion on the "Thai Political Path and Crisis of Legitimacy" organised at Chulalongkorn University's Faculty of Political Science.

The academic said that even though the red-shirt protesters from rural areas had failed to bring the government down with this rally, the conflict would remain and may get worse if the PM refused to dissolve the House. He said that by announcing House dissolution, the government could help ease political pressure, make way for talks between the feuding sides as well as give the Parliament a chance to amend the problematic constitutional clauses in a way that is acceptable to all sides.

Assoc Prof Puangthong Pawakaphand, a political science lecturer at Chulalongkorn University, told the panel that Thai society appeared to be attached to a time bomb and the only way to defuse it would be to remove the problems one by one.

She said lawmakers should play a more assertive role so the country's political problems can be resolved in Parliament, not on the streets as is being done these days.

However, the academic said the decision to dissolve the House was not just up to the ruling Democrat Party. "The power behind [Prime Minister] Abhisit Vejjajiva may not want to see the House dissolved," she said.

Assoc Prof Siriphan Noksuan, from Chulalongkorn University's Faculty of Political Science, said the government should consider all available options, not just House dissolution. She said she did not think that dissolving the House would end the protracted conflict though it would ensure a victory for the opposition Pheu Thai Party in the next general elections.

Pichya Pongsawat, another political science lecturer from Chulalongkorn University, said the feuding sides would never reconcile if both sides had different sets of data and different degrees of moral values.

Assoc Prof Chalidaporn Songsamphan, from Thammasat University's Faculty of Political Science, said the current conflict resulted from deep-rooted structural problems that could not be solved in a short period of time. Yet, she said, the longer these conflicts are ignored, the more complicated the problems will get.

"If the protest does not turn violent, then it's a success for society. I don't think the options of House dissolution or a coup would make things any better. We should try to think out of the box," she said.