Bill uncertainty poses problems for Democrats
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Leaders of the Democrat protests fear a conflict in their ranks if the government appears to withdraw its support for the blanket amnesty bill.
Sources referred to Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra’s announcement on stated-owned television that the government would accept the Senate’s decision on the bill.
One source said the demonstrators not only aimed to defeat the amnesty bill, but also to bring down the government. If the Democrats called off their rally when the bill was killed, they would face some serious issues with their supporters.
He said this was a key reason Democrat MP Suthep Thaugsuban decided to move the protest rally site from Samsen Railway Station to Democracy Monument on Monday.
“Actually, we had long planned to gather at Democracy Monument but not yesterday. While we took a break at Thammasat University, several protesters said they would not return to Samsen. If the leaders wanted to go back, they would go a separate way.
“Suthep met and spoke with key Democrats immediately. Then they made the decision to occupy Rajdamnoen Avenue,” the source, who is a close aide to Suthep, said.
He said Democrat MPs who had called rallies at city halls in the provinces had received complaints from their voters. They said that if the Democrat party only wanted to pressure the Senate to kill the bill, they should save their voices and go home to sleep. It was normal that a minority could not win.
He said Democrat supporters failed in the last rally when their leaders, including Abhisit Vejjajiva, Chuan Leekpai and Suthep, led them from the Urupong intersection to Parliament to protest against the amnesty bill in August. That protest came to nothing.
“In this case, Khun Chuan [Leekpai] did not agree with everything. He kept a close eye on the rally and warned leaders saying, for example, ‘please don't allow speakers to be profane in speeches on the stage.’
“He was concerned the party might be dissolved if some members acted illegally,” the source said.
