Former ‘Red-shirt’ leader Natthwut Saikua claimed today that dissolving the House, to pave way for a general election, would not resolve Thailand’s political conflict.
He cited two historical political incidents:
• When former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra dissolved the House on February 24, 2006. Then, the now defunct People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD) held prolonged street protests, including blockades of airports in Bangkok for about seven months, culminating in the coup of September 19, 2006, which overthrew the Thaksin administration.
• The second was during the administration of Yingluck Shinawatra. She dissolved the House in 2013, following prolonged protests, led by the People’s Democratic Reform Committee. The protest group called for a public boycott of the election, prompting the military to step in to overthrow the lame duck administration.
Nattawut, currently an advisor to Prime Minister Paetongtarn, said he respects the right of the protesters to call for her resignation.
He insisted, however, that the prime minister has the right to make her own decisions, claiming that there are still many people who support her.
The former ‘Red-shirt’ leader said, in his Facebook post, that the big crowd at Saturday’s rally at the Victory Monument was not beyond his expectation, noting that he had observed networking activities and movements ahead of the rally.
He noted, though, that many of the protesters were middle-aged and elderly.
He predicts that the protests are not over yet and will continue, even if Paetongtarn is replaced by Pheu Thai party’s Chaikasem Nitisiri.
He suggested that both the government and the opposition work together to maintain the democratic system and to protect national interests.
