PAD demonstrating against Thaksin Shinawatra. (Wikimedia Commons - GNU Free Documentation)November 7, 2009
Cassandra James
Asia Travel Examiner
According to the Bangkok Post, the PAD (People's Alliance for Democracy) is speaking out again in Thailand, now trying to
persuade Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva to cancel more contracts with Cambodia. The PAD are angry because Cambodia named deposed Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra as economic adviser to the government this week. The last time the PAD gathered strength, the end result was the closing of all Thai airports for more than a week and the stranding in Thailand of more than 300,000 foreign tourists. .
The PAD, yesterday, not only threw its support behind the Thai government's decision to cancel a memorandum of understanding between Thailand and Cambodia on an overlapping maritime area in the Gulf of Thailand, it's also now trying to persuade the Thai government to cancel more contracts with Cambodia, including all aid projects. If the government listens to the PAD, this would in effect state Thailand cannot be trusted when they sign an agreement as, in later days, if something happens Thailand disagrees with, they'll likely go back on their word and on the agreement. Would any modern government want to sign an agreement with Thailand if this were the case? Highly doubtful.
As for the PAD they are the power behind the government and not the present Prime Minister, Abhisit Vejjajiva, at least in the eyes of the poor, the majority of the population of Thailand. Support for Abhisit lies in the elite and middle-class in Bangkok and not in the rest of the country. The majority of Thai people still want the results of the military coup undone and Thaksin to be returned as Prime Minister, an office he was legally elected to twice. The PAD, on the other hand, if past actions are to be believed, will stop at nothing to make sure this doesn't happen - even going as far as closing down airports and damaging Thailand's reputation overseas.
Meanwhile, potential tourists to Thailand should watch this situation closely as, if the PAD are allowed to control the situation like they were previously and it escalates, they could end up stuck in Thailand with no way of getting home.
SOURCES: Bangkok Post - Cancel other pacts, financial aid projects to Cambodia, PAD urges
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