Can you imagine Democrats mounting months of nationwide protests, including mass sit-ins that forced airports in major cities like Miami, New York, and Los Angeles to shut down, after Republican George W. Bush was declared the winner of the very flawed 2000 presidential election? Because that, essentially, is what has been happening in Thailand.
Recall how Thais reacted with blithe resignation to the 2006 military coup against Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra – whom they accused of massive corruption, serial abuses of power and plotting to undermine the authority of the country’s revered constitutional monarch, King Bhumibol Adulyadej.
Given this, it seems ironic that they took to the streets – defying the military and eventually taking over Thailand’s two main airports last week and stranding over 300,000 tourists – to protest against his democratically elected successors.
Specifically, Thais protested first against Samak Sundaravej – whom they accused of being a Thaksin puppet. Samak succeeded Thaksin after democratic elections in December 2007 and was ousted in September 2008 after the court ruled, somewhat expediently, that he violated conflict of interest laws.
Then they protested against Somchai Wongsawat – who succeeded Samak and whom they also accused of being too loyal to the ousted Thaksin, his brother-in-law.
[T]hat democratic Thailand has become a place where military coups are blithely tolerated but political associations (and family ties) incite national riots seems completely lost on these protesters. However, to appreciate how anathema this turn of events is, it would be as if Americans stood by as the military moved in to oust the allegedly corrupt President Richard Nixon but then rioted when word got out that his successor, Gerald Ford, was planning to pardon him.
[…Thaksin convicted of corruption, The iPINIONS Journal, October 22, 2008]
At any rate, after months of protests – growing so formidable in size and nihilistic determination that not even the country’s vaunted military could squash them – the court ruled yesterday, again somewhat expediently (not to mention belatedly), that Somchai’s governing coalition committed electoral fraud. Then, affirming mob rule, the court banned him from politics.
So here’s to hoping that Thailand’s third prime minister this year can prove beyond all doubt that he not only thoroughly hates Thaksin but is also completely loyal to the king.
Otherwise the protesters are bound to return to the streets, and to the airports, which were reopened for business today….
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