The Hindu : International : "Muslim vote a wake-up call"

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Feb 08, 2005

International

International

"Muslim vote a wake-up call"

PATTANI (THAILAND), FEB. 7. Thailand's Muslim far south, where more than 500 persons were killed in militant violence last year, voted solidly against the Prime Minister, Thaksin Shinawatra, in weekend general elections.

A stunned Mr. Thaksin, who had expected victories for several of his 11 candidates in the three violence-racked provinces, said today the still unofficial results were a ``wake-up call'' for his Government.

But he insisted he would not alter his approach to what he calls a ``law and order'' problem.

``This is a disappointing result. We should have won some,'' Mr. Thaksin told reporters in Bangkok after indications that none of the 11 would make it to Parliament.

``This is a wake up call for the Government that people are not happy,'' he said.

``The Government has already altered its policies on the south, but that has not had a positive impact on people's sentiment yet.''

Mr. Thaksin had put up strong candidates well known in the region and expected a belief widespread in Thailand that only a ruling party MP has the power to change policy would see several of them elected.

But many voters said they had lost faith in Mr. Thaksin, who has refused to apologise for incidents such as the death in military custody of 78 Muslims arrested after protests in October in the village of Takbai bordering Malaysia.

Massive mandate

Mr. Thaksin emerged on Monday the winner with a powerful mandate allowing him to form a one-party government, avoid parliamentary censure and amend the reformist Constitution.

With more than 60 per cent of the vote counted, Mr. Thaksin's Thai Rak Thai Party looked set to win 374 seats in the 500-member Parliament, while the opposition Democrat party trailed a distant second with 94 seats, according to unofficial results. — Reuters, AP

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