Emotions often get the better of people when political questions come to the fore, and the question of stability versus needed change gets argued on that basis. Such is the situation in Thailand, at the moment. A segment of the Thai people has been protesting vociferously against the government in power, a coalition government currently headed by Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat who was elected to the post after his predecessor, Samak Sundaravej, was forced to resign after a Thai court ruled he had illegally accepted payment for TV cooking shows. Samak was already under fire from protesters who claimed he was nothing more than a puppet of his exiled predecessor, Thaksin Shinawatra, who was accused of corruption and nepotism. Although street protesters had demanded Samak's resignation, polling showed that a majority of Thais were willing to allow him to continue in power if only for the peace and quiet afforded by an apparently stable government. All signs pointed to a Thai population tired of the stress caused by all the political intrigue. The courts, however, stepped in and ruled on what would have appeared to be an inconsequential matter that turned out to be the basis for resignation. Prime Minister Somchai is the exiled Thaksin's brother-in-law, so it comes as no surprise that he and his People Power Party are also being accused of acting as puppets of Thaksin, as well. But the calls for his resignation have gone beyond the street. After an October 7 confrontation between police and protesters resulted in the deaths of two protesters and the injury of 400 more, Thailand's powerful army chief General Anupong Paojinda appeared on television last Thursday, flanked by the heads of the air force, navy and police and said that if he were Somchai, he would resign. Unsurprisingly, Somchai announced that he would not resign but would call elections once a change is made to the Thai constitution. General Anupong's statement, made while flanked by the leaders of the armed forces, should carry some weight, though there is no indication that Thais have the stomach for a military coup. Somchai said that he would not resign now as there are two royal events and a regional summit on his immediate agenda. After that, he may have to rethink his position. The armed forces, after all, seem to be giving him a heads up. __
