Published: April 12, 2010
Two days after repulsing a blood-soaked military crackdown, the protesters cheered jubilantly at the announcement that Thailand’s Election Commission had recommended that the party of the prime minister, Abhisit Vejjajiva, be disbanded on charges of receiving an illegal donation.
“This government’s time in power is nearly over,” Veera Musikapong, a protest leader, said to throngs of protesters in the commercial heart of the city. Mr. Veera and other opposition figures said they would maintain their demonstrations to press Mr. Abhisit to resign.
The announcement by the Election Commission came hours after the head of the army, Gen. Anupong Paochinda, appeared to rule out further military action to remove protesters, saying, “The situation requires that the problem be solved by politics.”
General Anupong also described the dissolution of Parliament, the main goal of the protesters, as “a reasonable step.” The general’s comments were a stinging blow to Mr. Abhisit, who is portrayed by protesters as a puppet of Thailand’s elite and who came to power 16 months ago as part of a coalition brokered in part by the military.
For the past month, Mr. Abhisit’s besieged government has operated from a military base on the outskirts of Bangkok, the capital, as protesters, many of them farmers from the provinces, expanded their street protests.
Mr. Abhisit has appeared increasingly isolated following the failure of the military to dislodge protesters on Saturday after running battles that killed 21 people and made parts of Bangkok resemble a war zone. Former supporters of the government accused Mr. Abhisit of being powerless while the opposition decried the deaths.
Protesters have put important portions of Thailand’s capital beyond the government’s control. Armed with sticks and poles, red-shirted protesters have erected checkpoints at major intersections, blocking the police and the military. Although not quite anarchy, the protests have created a vacuum of law and order.
Even outside the two large protest sites, some police officers say they have stopped issuing traffic tickets, despite an increase in the number of motorists running red lights, driving down the wrong side of the road and parking where they wish.
“If I can stop them, I will. But if it puts us in danger, we will let them be,” said Lt. Col. Dejapiwat Dejsiri, a senior police official at a precinct in the wealthy Sukhumvit area of Bangkok. “It’s like there is no law anymore.”
The Election Commission’s announcement on Monday may tip the scales toward the opposition movement, but it is unlikely to resolve the country’s underlying political crisis.
The commission’s recommendation will be forwarded to the attorney general and ultimately to the country’s Constitutional Court. If found guilty, Mr. Abhisit’s Democrat Party, the country’s oldest, could be dissolved and its leaders, including Mr. Abhisit, could be barred from politics for five years.
The Democrat Party would be the third political party in three years to be dissolved.
“The system of political parties is on very shaky ground,” said Gothom Arya, a former election commissioner. “There is no stability.” Mr. Gothom, among others, has called for revision of the law that holds an entire party accountable for electoral offenses.
The two parties disbanded earlier were affiliated with Thaksin Shinawatra, the former prime minister removed in the 2006 military coup. Mr. Thaksin is a hero and inspiration for many in the current antigovernment protest movement, but is despised by some members of the elite who see him as corrupt.
The stalemate between protesters, known as the Red Shirts, and the government is a reflection of deep divisions in Thai society that revolve around issues of income inequality and the power of unelected institutions like the powerful bureaucracy, the military and the royal entourage.
These tensions have existed for years, but one major stabilizing force in Thailand, King Bhumibol Adulyadej, has often been able to bridge divisions in the country. Many Thais are hoping that King Bhumibol, who is 82 and ailing, will intervene to resolve the stalemate.
Thai television carried remarks Monday by Sumet Tantivejkul, the secretary general of a charitable foundation, who has worked with the king on many projects.
“His Majesty the King has always warned, ‘Don’t demolish the house,’ ” Mr. Sumet said. “The house is now close to collapse. We have to protect the country.”
Signs of the protesters’ continued impunity were amply evident Monday. The Thai news media reported that one group of Red Shirts abducted the head of CAT Telecom, the state-owned telecommunications company. Several hundred protesters “guarded” a government satellite station, Thai news outlets also said.
Both actions were meant to prevent the army from carrying out orders to take an opposition-run television station off the air.
On the eve of the traditional Thai New Year, large convoys of Red Shirts paraded coffins through Bangkok symbolizing the protesters killed on Saturday, to illustrate what they said was the brutality of the government.
Law enforcement in Thailand has always been patchy, and the freewheeling nature of Thai society has often been seen as an attribute of the country’s economic dynamism. But the lawlessness of protests has frightened foreign investors and raised questions about the stability of the country.
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