Thai prime minister survives no-confidence motion on quashing of anti-government protest

Thai leader survives no-confidence motion

BANGKOK — Thailand’s prime minister survived a no-confidence motion Wednesday lodged by the opposition accusing him of brutally suppressing last month’s mass protests in the capital.

Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, defending himself during debate in Parliament on Tuesday, promised there would be an independent investigation into whether the army used undue force to clear anti-government protesters from Bangkok’s streets.

Street clashes, grenade attacks and sniper fire over a 10-week period killed 89 people and wounded some 1,800. The thousands of Red Shirt protesters had been calling for Abhisit to dissolve Parliament immediately and call new elections.

During two days of acrimonious debate, the opposition Puea Thai Party charged that the army’s use of live ammunition and armored personnel carriers to break up the protests was excessive and resulted in civilian casualties.

Members of the lower house of Parliament voted 246-186 to reject the motion against Abhisit, while others either abstained or neither agreed nor disagreed with the motion. Five government ministers also received similar votes.

The government needed at least 238 votes from a total number of 475 lawmakers to survive the motion. The six-party coalition consists of 275 lawmakers, while the opposition has 200.

The prime minister has yet to set a date for elections, saying stability has to be restored before balloting can be held.

As the military moved in to clear the protest area on May 19, rioters set fires at the country’s biggest shopping mall, the stock exchange and more than two dozen other places.

No side could claim victory when faced with such losses, Abhisit said Tuesday.

“In the end, for reconciliation’s sake, Parliament has to investigate the matter further,” he said. His government has accused a small minority of the protesters of being responsible for the violence and labeled them “terrorists.”

“Please be assured that I will definitely not influence nor interfere with the investigation,” Abhisit was quoted as saying by the state Thai News Agency.

Some analysts said they were skeptical that the country’s deepening rifts could be healed in the political arena.

“For the past 50 years, the Parliament has been inept at solving political conflicts. There’s no general acceptance from the ruling class of the parliamentary process,” political historian Charnvit Kasetsiri said.

He said anti-government movements would now “go underground and go cyberspace,” dismissing that new elections would pacify the Red Shirts.

“Those who believe in the government would continue to believe. And those who do not trust the government would continue their resistance: This is clear. The middle ground is shrinking,” he said.

The Red Shirts consist mainly of rural supporters of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra and pro-democracy activists who opposed the military coup that ousted him in 2006. They believe Abhisit’s government is illegitimate because it came to power as a result of military pressure and back-room deals after controversial court rulings ousted two elected pro-Thaksin governments.

Speaking after midnight during the first day of the debate, Jatuporn Prompan, a Red Shirt leader and lawmaker for the opposition Puea Thai Party, accused the government of framing members of his movement.

“If the government said that (Red Shirts) are behind the arson attacks, then why hasn’t it arrested and charged anyone yet?” asked Jatuporn.