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Thai military junta faces protest

P. S. Suryanarayana

SINGAPORE: Thailand's military junta and its "civilian" wing came under increasing pressure on Friday, as anti-coup activists vowed to stage a large protest rally in Bangkok. By late evening, the organisers of the rally were still mobilising their cadre.

An informal coalition had come into being, consisting of those opposed to the military coup on grounds of conscience and the political activists still loyal to the former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, whom the junta toppled last September.

In a bid to defuse the growing anti-coup sentiments among the people, the junta-appointed "civilian" Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont, a retired army general, promised to hold elections in December and restore democracy. An interim constitution would be drafted in time for this purpose, Mr. Surayud said in a nationally televised address. The ground rules for the proposed poll were not spelt out.

He said he had assumed power with the sole purpose of maintaining peace. He would not, therefore, wish to see clashes and confrontations among the people now. These remarks were interpreted by political observers as a sign of his unwillingness to declare a state of emergency in the Bangkok area to pre-empt the rally.

Mr. Surayud's address on these lines acquired importance in the context of speculation about a rift between him and coup leader Sonthi Boonyaratglin, said to prefer pre-emptive measures in his capacity as Chairman of the Council for National Security.

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