PAD vows to fight PPP govt.

PAD vows to fight PPP govt.
Democracy group 'will do everything" to stop amnesty, return of Thaksin's frozen assets.

Published on December 17, 2007


Leaders of the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) yesterday said they would band together in a movement against the next government if it was formed by the People Power Party.

PAD leader Somsak Kosaisuk said his group felt that the military-installed government failed to showed the public the dangers of the Thaksin Shinawatra regime and the deposed prime minister's supporters had been aggressively challenging their political rivals and preparing to take revenge

The People Power Party (PPP) is made up of supporters and former members of Thaksin's disbanded Thai Rak Thai Party and is considered the premier in exile's nominee party in the December 23 general election.

Somsak said the PPP intended to give an amnesty to the 111 former Thai Rak Thai executives who have been banned from politics for five years, and dissolve the Assets Examination Committee and the National Counter Corruption Commission so that it can get back Thaksin's frozen assets.

"We will do every thing to prevent that from happening,'' he said.

Pipob Thongchai, another PAD leader, urged the "silent force", which he believed commanded about 13 million votes, to come out and vote against the PPP and other parties that aim to whitewash the Thaksin regime.

"If the silent force exercise their right, Thaksin cannot return to power. If Thaksin comes back, the country will head back towards political crisis,'' he said.

He believed that Thaksin would not be able clear himself in court if his supporters and his nominee party failed to get elected.

"First of all, whether all corruption cases against him and his cronies will get to the court or not depends on whether there is political interference in the work of prosecutors,'' he said.

If PPP wins the election, Pipop said Thaksin would use the House to amend laws so that he does not have to face trial.

"We want the silent force to tell the Thai people that it is time they have to choose democratic principles and not individuals because it is not worth depending on one person at the cost of the country's democracy,'' he said.

Suriyasai Katasila, another PAD leader, said the alliance had prepared handbooks and 500,000 stickers of six types to guide voters on whom to vote for and encourage the silent force to come out and vote. They will also put up cut-outs in four corners of the capital to urge voters to vote.

"We declare our commitment not to let politics stay above the justice system. We will not allow the results of the election to whitewash anyone,'' he said.

Somsak said his group opposed the return of Thaksin not because they feared he would take revenge on them, but because he would trample on the justice system.

"We did not do anything wrong, so we have nothing to be afraid of,'' he said.