10,000 Thais rally to support PM Chavalit<\/p>\n
BANGKOK (AFP): Thousands of farmers and Thai villagers rallied
\nin the country's capital yesterday in a show of support for
\nembattled Premier Chavalit Yongchaiyudh, police and witnesses
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
The crowd gathered in front of Government House as the cabinet
\n-- led by Chavalit -- held its weekly meeting amid fears that an
\napparent split in the ruling coalition could topple the premier.<\/p>\n
\"About 10,000 people were brought into Bangkok by bus to show
\ntheir support for the prime minister,\" a police officer told AFP,
\nadding the demonstration \"lasted only a short time\".<\/p>\n
But witnesses to the brief gathering said only between 2,000
\nand 3,000 villagers turned up at the meeting, and said the crowd
\n-- which was bussed in from around the country -- soon packed up
\nand headed back home.<\/p>\n
The farmers waved banners and chanted slogans of support for
\nthe prime minister who is fighting a tough battle for political
\nsurvival as his shaky coalition appears to show signs of giving
\nway.<\/p>\n
The premier appeared on the steps of the government building
\nto thank the villagers, many from Chavalit's native northeastern
\nThailand, for giving him their backing during the country's
\npolitical crisis.<\/p>\n
Chavalit also vowed before the crowd that he would not resign
\nor dissolve parliament and call snap election as a trying no-
\nconfidence vote and a key parliamentary vote on a new anti-sleaze
\ncharter loom next week.<\/p>\n
Villagers offered him a yellow garland made of sunflowers, the
\nsymbol of his New Aspiration Party, and wished him luck in his
\nbattle to survive, reports said.<\/p>\n
Speculation is growing that Chavalit, who has presided over
\nthe country's worst economic slump since 1945 and who is walking
\na political tightrope over the explosive new constitution, will
\nbe forced from power in the coming days.<\/p>\n
He had called an emergency meeting of leaders of the coalition
\nfor yesterday night, amid reports that the second largest party
\ncould bring him down.<\/p>\n
Chavalit is reportedly nervous that the Chart Pattana Party,
\nled by ex-premier Chatchai Choonhavan, may pull out of his six-
\nparty coalition as differences over the constitution appear to
\ngrow as the censure debate draws closer.<\/p>\n
The constitution enjoys huge popular support from corruption-
\nweary urban Thais who want to see an end to vote buying, but the
\npowerful political old guard is resisting any changes that could
\ncurb its influence.<\/p>\n
Newspaper reports and some political figures have called on
\nthe premier to resign, accusing him of economic mismanagement.<\/p>\n
But he holds the trump card of being able to dissolve
\nparliament in a bid to avert political humiliation in the censure
\ndebate.<\/p>\n
But the premier has repeatedly promised not to resort to the
\ntactic that analysts have said could hold up efforts to boost
\neconomic recovery under an International Monetary Fund bail out
\nscheme.<\/p>\n
In the often opaque and complex world of Thai politics,
\ndemonstrators have in the past frequently been brought in from
\nthe provinces to support or protest a particular cause with the
\npromise of some spending money.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/10000-thais-rally-to-support-pm-chavalit-1447893297",
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