Chaisit tells Pitak Siam to desist from anti-govt rally
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Chaisit Shinawatra, an adviser to the prime minister, led some 40 Pre-Cadet Academy graduates yesterday to protest against Pitak Siam or the protect Siam group, which is scheduled to hold an anti-government rally on November 25.
The Pre-Cadet Class 5, 7, 8, 10, 11 and 13 graduates called on rally organiser Boonlert Kaewprasit, a Class 1 graduate, to stop harming democracy by pushing for a power seizure.
“Boonlert must stop driving a wedge in society by inviting the military to stage a coup and freeze democratic rule for five years,” they said in a statement.
In his attempt to mobilise the masses, Boonlert said the political system should be frozen for five years to pave the way for reforms so the government could no longer cite popular votes to plunder the country.
Chaisit and the graduates countered that if there was another coup, it would inflict untold damage to the economy and it would regress in comparison with other Asean countries.
If this government fails to perform satisfactorily, then the next administration should be installed democratically, they said. The Pre-Cadet graduates also said that they would never condone power seizure or allow Boonlert to overthrow the government using undemocratic means.
Chaisit, who is also a cousin of former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, said he was not worried about Boonlert using the masses to pressure the government because he believes the ruling Pheu Thai Party can attract bigger crowds.
“I want to remind Boonlert to come to his senses,” he said, adding that Boonlert could not expect his group of protesters to outpace government supporters. He also said that he did not want to see Boonlert being used as a frontman for the elite.
Boonlert’s former English-language teacher, Atchara Saengprateep, said she was sad to see her pupil being led astray. “I want the country to stay on the path of democracy and hope that people with wrong ideas will change,” she said.
