Thailand’s Parliament angrily debates government’s handling of protests in Bangkok

Thai Parliament angrily debates protest response

BANGKOK — Thailand’s Parliament angrily debated the government’s handling of protests and violence and the ongoing curfew Wednesday, as thousands of citizens joined Buddhist monks in a mass prayer for peace.

Opposition lawmakers kept Parliament from focusing on next year’s budget as they hurled insults and accusations at the government of Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, calling him insincere and questioning his decision to put the capital and other areas under a nighttime curfew.

“The curfew has caused many problems for many people. Many people make their living at night. But now these businesses have to lose their incomes because of this,” said Surapong Tovichakchaikul, an opposition member from Chiang Mai, a northern city where support is strong for the Red Shirt protesters who led the demonstrations in Bangkok.

The curfew in the capital and 23 provinces is to remain in effect through Friday.

“Up until now, almost 100 people have died. Can you continue reading the budget and balance sheets like that? Do you have any feelings?” Surapong said.

The opposition has threatened to seek impeachment or censure of Abhisit and his top ministers, and debate over those moves is expected to take place next week.

On Tuesday, Thai authorities issued an arrest warrant for ousted Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra on charges of terrorism, alleging he was a key force behind the deadly street protests.

Thaksin, who lives in self-imposed exile but is widely supported among the Red Shirts, responded that the government should be ashamed of itself for its handling of the crisis that ended with a military crackdown last week. At least 88 people died in the crackdown and protest-related violence over two months.

Thaksin’s lawyers on Wednesday requested the arrest warrant be revoked, and the court that issued it is considering the request.

The charges underscore the emotional rift between those who support Thaksin — mostly the rural poor and urban underclass — and the conservative establishment and many in the middle class who agreed with the 2006 military coup that ousted him.

The protesters who were bidding to bring down the Oxford-educated Abhisit accuse him of being elitist and coming to power through back-room deals and military meddling.

Thaksin fled abroad ahead of a corruption conviction. Previous attempts to extradite him have failed.

At dawn Wednesday, thousands of residents prayed for peace at sites across Bangkok where people were killed and high-rise buildings torched in the worst political violence in the country’s modern history.

The chants of 1,000 Buddhist monks mingled with the prayers of Muslim imams, Christian priests and the Hindu faithful at 10 areas, including the charred hulk of one of Asia’s largest shopping malls.

“We are reciting a very powerful prayer to summon the Lord to help our country. Things are quiet now, but there is fear still within us because none of us know what can happen in the future,” said Sumitr Khorana, a Hindu community leader, reflecting a general anxiety that Thailand’s turmoil is far from over.

In a sign that another dispute continues to be a flash point, two bombs hidden in motorcycles exploded Wednesday in a Muslim area of Thailand’s south, killing two people and wounding 51, police said. A separate shooting left one more person dead.

Police said the motorcycles were parked outside a Mazda car showroom in the province of Yala. The first explosion shattered showroom windows and damaged the exterior of the building. Ten minutes later, another bomb went off as police officers were fencing off the crime scene.

Police and soldiers were among the injured, officials said. They did not have further details.

Muslim insurgents have previously targeted government workers in their separatist war in the region. More than 4,000 people have been killed since fighting erupted in 2004.