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Thailand's prime minister dissolves parliament Updated Fri. Feb. 24 2006 9:11 AM ET
Associated Press
BANGKOK Thailand's embattled prime minister dissolved parliament Friday -- a move forcing national elections three years early and guaranteeing a showdown with his political opponents.
"I have decided to dissolve the parliament," Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra told reporters after meeting with the country's revered King Bhumibol Adulyadej and winning the monarch's consent for elections. The ballot for a new National Assembly will be held on April 2, according to a royal decree released late Friday.
The decree also said elections were necessary to prevent the tense political situation from turning violent.
"When a difference in opinion causes serious political divisiveness ... the common way out in democratic societies, including Thailand, is to return the political power to the people by dissolving parliament and holding a new election," the decree said.
Thaksin's move comes after months of calls for his resignation from critics who accuse him of corruption and abuse of power and just one year since the once-popular Thaksin won a landslide victory in national elections. The next election would have been held in 2009.
Thaksin's firm base among lower-income and rural supporters would be expected to return him to office, and his decision to call early elections may be a demonstration of his confidence in winning.
The opposition, however, could boost the number of seats it holds in the 500-member lower house from the current 124 to the 200 needed to legally mount a no-confidence motion against the prime minister.
Thaksin a self-made telecommunications millionaire has come under heavy fire over his family's $1.9 billion, tax-free sale last month of its controlling stake in telecommunications giant Shin Corp. to a Singaporean state-owned investment company.
Thitinan Pongsudhirak, political scientist of Bangkok-based Chulalongkorn University, said the Thai Rak Thai party or Thai Love Thai party, which Thaksin created will likely win on April 2, leaving the prime minister in power. But a victory at the polls might not quell the controversy surrounding his leadership.
"The dissolution of the house does not solve Thaksin's legitimacy problems. He still have not owned up to the Shin Corp. scandal," he said.
Several leaders of the anti-Thaksin movement, known as the People's Alliance for Democracy, said Friday that they would carry on with Sunday's rally and other protests until Thaksin resigned.
"Dissolving the house and holding a fresh election is not a solution to the problem because Prime Minister Thaksin is the center of the problem," said Suriyasai Takasila, a spokesman for the group. Students, workers, teachers and members of the middle class are expected to attend the demonstration.
Among those to lead the rally will be Chamlong Srimuang, a former politician and leader of the 1992 protests that helped to oust a military-backed government.
"We call for the prime minister to resign. As long as he does not resign, we will continue with our plans to hold a rally," Chamlong told iTV on Friday.
Government officials believe the gathering may attract more than 100,000 people and worry could lead to violence.
Defense Minister Thammarak Isarangura na Ayuthaya warned protest leaders and demonstrators that according to security intelligence, "ill-intentioned people plan to cause trouble during the mass protest, which would lead to chaos."
Thaksin has repeatedly rejected calls for his resignation, but said he would dissolve parliament if the political situation deteriorates.
Thaksin has also come under fire for mishandling of the country's most serious crisis, the Muslim insurgency in southern Thailand where more than 1,100 have died over the past two years.
He is also accused of stifling what was once one of Asia's freest media and of allowing his business and political cronies to reap enormous gains from corrupt policies.
http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20060224/thailand_election_060224/20060224?hub=World
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-P (Fleury)
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