Phumtham: I can smell coup
 The Nation
November 23, 2005 - Deputy Transport Minister Phumtham Wechayachai said yesterday he feared a move to topple the government may begin in the next two weeks.
Phumtham said he had been able to smell the unmistakable odour of a possible coup against the government for the past three days. He called on all parties to prevent mobilisation of mass demonstrations aimed at ousting the government.
He hoped rumours that media tycoon Sondhi Limthongkul’s “Muang Thai Rai Sapda” show on Friday would be the beginning of an all-out attempt to topple the government were not true.
“I’ve heard that the gathering each Friday is a rehearsal for ousting the government. [That would mean] the gathering last Friday was their biggest rehearsal. I am very worried. Every party should be cautious, or the situation will worsen.”
Phumtham, who was a student leader during the pro-democracy uprising on October 14, 1973, said Democrat Party leader Abhisit Vejjajiva’s support for Sondhi was inappropriate, and warned Abhisit to exercise more caution when it came to joining political activities.
“Abhisit has insisted that he upholds democracy. But what he has been doing is inappropriate. When there is a gathering of large crowds, what if someone throws a bomb at them and violence spreads? It would be a tragedy.”
Phumtham also criticised Sondhi’s campaign attacking Thaksin for presiding over a religious ceremony at the Temple of the Emerald Buddha. He said Sondhi never sought to find out whether Thaksin had the King’s permission to lead the ceremony or not.
He feared that many government opponents had joined Sondhi’s show. “Some want to hear Sondhi’s accusations against the PM in relation to the monarchy.”
Phumtham defended the Thaksin government, saying if it was really dictatorial, Sondhi could never organise such an event.
Opposition whip Sathit Wong-nongtoey defended its latest moves against the government, saying it had been using parliamentary means to check the government, but they had simply been ignored.
The opposition had filed 320 interpellations, 229 of which were questions directed at the premier, Sathit said. However, Thaksin had answered only six motions, or 2.6 per cent of the total, he said.
“Thaksin should show more courage and answer questions from both the House and outside the House. He has been avoiding us, preferring rather to talk alone on his radio programme,” Sathit said.
He insisted the opposition was helping Sondhi in regard to his hosting “Muang Thai Rai Sapda” because it wanted to uphold press freedoms. “If the government believes the show has illegal content, it should take legal means [to stop it], and not use all the resources at its disposal to deal with one person,’’ he said.
Samatcha Hoonsara,
Bancha Khaengkhan
The Nation
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