Political Crisis in Thailand

                        -DR. ABDUL RUFF COLACHAL 

Assault, confusion, chaos, curfew, murders, repressive arrests constitute the fall out of political battles. 

South East Asian region has never been peaceful for anti-people policies of the regimes.

Thai regime employs repressive methods as the key tool against minorities especially the Muslims.

Thailand is under political turmoil owing to the opposition leader’s demand of resignation by the ruling government and handing over power to the opposition leader Suthep Thaugsuban.

Bangkok has been in the grip of running street battles between security forces, and demonstrators. They are led by Suthep Thaugsuban, an opposition politician who's quit politics to lead a broad coalition. The protests, aimed at unseating the elected government of Yingluck Shinawatra and replacing it with a "people's council", are the latest bout of unrest in the kingdom since royalist generals ousted Yingluck's brother Thaksin Shinawatra in a coup seven years ago.

Suthep Thaugsuban, who's quit politics to lead a broad coalition of protesters, wants to replace the elected government with what he calls a People's Council. Thousands of protesters continued to besiege government buildings in Thailand, as Suthep Thaugsuban vowed to upend the country’s political system. "We demand that the government return the power to the people," says Suthep, with the backing of his old Democrat Party, wants to replace the elected government with what he calls a People's Council. It's a coded phrase for the appointment of a parliament chosen by the mob, the monarchy and the military. He makes no mention of elections.

Violence is gripping the Thai capital Bangkok, on the eve of the busiest time of year for holidaymakers. Police using rubber bullets and tear gas have been fending off demonstrators trying to overrun the office of the prime minister. Protesters are demanding the government resign today. Police, using rubber bullets and tear gas, have been fending off demonstrators trying to overrun the office of the prime minister. Protesters are demanding the government resign by today.

Police have used both tear gas and water cannon to keep protesters' out of Bangkok's metropolitan police headquarters, but after a declaration from protest leaders that they'd make certain the facility was breached today, police said they would no longer resist.

Four people have died since the protests intensified a week ago, in Thailand's worst political turmoil since the 2010 rallies.

Thailand's Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra has rejected protestors' demands to resign, but has instead vowed to find a peaceful solution to the political crisis. Four people have died since the protests intensified a week ago, in Thailand's worst political turmoil since the 2010 rallies.

The protests are the latest outbreak of civil unrest in Thailand since royalist generals ousted Thaksin Shinawatra, Yingluck's brother, seven years ago. Thaksin lives in exile in Dubai after fleeing Thailand to avoid jail for corruption, and recent moves to bring him back to the country under an amnesty lit the fuse for these troubles.

Protesters initially refused to enter what they called a regime criminal trap, but then used ropes and later a bulldozer to remove concrete barricades and walked peacefully into the facility compound cheering and singing songs. They made no attempt to enter the building itself. Police have also allowed people through barricades at government house.

The prime minister isn't having a bar of it, and she's only worried how this looks to foreigners. Some of the many thousands of Australian tourists turning up in Bangkok are seeing a very different Thai capital. The Thai government has ordered police confronting anti-government protesters in Bangkok to stand down to avoid violence. Metropolitan Police chief Lieutenant General Kamronwit Thoopkrajang said his officers would no longer try to fend off protesters at the police base.

Thai Government spokesman Teerat Ratanasevi says police have been ordered to stand down to avoid violence. "The protesters said they want to seize government buildings, but the government doesn't want to see any fighting or confrontation so we've ordered the police to back off," he said. "We want to avoid violence and confrontation." "The Metropolitan Police Headquarters belongs to the public," he said.

Thai Government adviser Sean Boonpracong says the protesters' demands cannot be met under the constitution. "You have to remember that the so-called 'People's Council' was done by one side, by those who vote for the Democrats, but not the majority of the people who voted for this government," he said. "She would offer to resign if that would be the end, because she's not tied up to power and she wants everybody to realize that. "But so far, the government has done the correct thing and there has not been any deaths caused by the government forces, so at this point, we hope that the situation can be handled."

There's a government that says it won't go, and a protest movement determined to make that happen, today. It's a question that's never too safe to answer, about a country in political deadlock run from a capital at flashpoint.

Protest leaders are talking about declaring victory and Ms Yingluck is expected to meet King Bhumibol Adulyadej on a pre-arranged visit. A Thai court has issued an arrest warrant for him for "insurrection", as Thailand's Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra rejected protestors' demands to resign. Ms Yingluck has instead vowed to find a peaceful solution to the political crisis.

The expression the People's Council confuses because the protestors do not want polls for regime change. Thaksin is deeply concerned about events. Thaksin lives in exile in Dubai. He fled Thailand to avoid being jailed for corruption. It was recent moves to bring him back to the country under an amnesty that lit the fuse for these troubles. Bob Amsterdam is lawyer and lobbyist for Thaksin and his so called 'Red Shirt' movement. To him, and many other observers, the power-play in Thailand involves the monarchy, an institution preparing for transition from a revered old king to a crown prince for whom there is palpably less regard. Bob Amsterdam, has said the current power-play in Thailand is about restoring the monarchy to power.

For the regime the opposition strike seems like simply a mask of the restoration of the monarchy. They say the age of the king weighs on the minds of many who are diehard loyalists and the other thing that people have to understand is that Suthep and the Democrats cannot win an election in Thailand.

The theatrics of what they're going on today is very clear - they want a restoration of monarchy because it is the only way that it can maintain influence.

The notion of violence to solve the monarchy problem is not the only way to restore democracy.

In order to stay in power, the government tries to be patient with the situation without promoting violence.

Political crisis in Thailand looks set to intensify. Both the current government as well as the monarchy is the target of the opposition and protesters.