Thailand’s Economy No Longer Protest-Proof

[CrazyExpat]

As unrest in Bangkok mounts this week, investors and credit agencies are increasingly wary of Thailand’s prospects.

 

Two separate incidents on Thursday have exacerbated the political quagmire engulfing Thailand. Early in the morning, protesters attacked anti-government groups with guns and a grenade at the Democracy Monument near the People’s Democratic Reform Committee at Kokwua Intersection in Bangkok. The attacks left three dead and 22 wounded.

Additionally, acting Prime Minister Miwattumrong Boonsongpaisan was forced to flee an airport compound while holding meetings with election officials because anti-government protesters had stormed the premises.

The military is seeking to reassert its control over the capital and quell protest violence before it completely derails Thailand’s tenuous political predicament. With former caretaker Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra having been removed by the Constitutional Court in a controversial ruling over an abuse of power, her ruling Pheu Thai Party is desperate to ensure national elections still take place on July 20th.

Following Thursday’s attacks, military spokesman Colonel Winthai Suvari gave the army’s most explicit warning since political protests erupted last year. According to the Bangkok Post, he said that “attackers [must] immediately stop using violence against people, otherwise the army could be forced to end the violence ‘in full force’ to maintain law and order.”

The Thai Senate – half of which is appointed and half elected – said in a Thursday meeting that it had agreed with top government and military officials that the constitution allowed for the Senate to appoint an interim government given the current impasse. The Senate is expected to suggest a solution on this topic later today, and Boonsongpaisan has agreed to meet with the Senate tomorrow to discuss the crisis.

 

http://thediplomat.com/2014/05/thailands-economy-no-longer-protest-proof/