Thai Deputy PM resigns amid protests against government

BANGKOK, Oct 7 (TNA) - Realising that his attempts to mediate with the
anti-government People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) has become futile now following violent clashes between the demonstrators and police beginning early Tuesday, Thailand's Deputy Prime Minister Gen. Chavalit Yongchaiyudh resigned Tuesday with immediate effect.

Gen. Chavalit, a former prime minister and Army commander who joined the
coalition government and assumed the deputy prime minister's post
September 25, was assigned by embattled Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat
to mediate with the PAD whose members and supporters have occupied
Government House since August 26.

But the situation worsened rapidly when at least 93 protesters were
injured shortly after dawn Tuesday when police fired tear gas canisters at
the demonstrators blocking entrances to Parliament in their attempt to
block Mr. Somchai from delivering his government's policy statement to
lawmakers.

In his resignation letter which was signed at 9 am Tuesday, Gen. Chavalit
said he would take personal responsibility for the damages as he had
ordered police to take stringent measures both to guard the parliamentary
premises and to open the way to the building which was blocked by the
demonstrators.

He said he had ordered that actions must be taken without any loss and
that police should halt their actions if they could not implement.

"But (police) actions went against the policy although police had put a
lot of effort, causing great losses," the letter said, adding that as his
mission to restore peace to the Thai society as quickly as possible had
failed, he decided to resign from his post immediately.

As tensions continue rising, Sondhi Limthongkul, a core leader of the PAD,
told the demonstrators at Government House that the PAD would continue to
hold peaceful rallies against the government.

Mr. Sondhi told the cheering crowds not to leave the demonstration site
because it is about to "end soon".

Thailand's military leaders reiterated they would not come out from their
barracks to help police contain the demonstrations, which are now taking
place at three locations – Government House, Parliament and at Bangkok
Metropolitan Police headquarters – unless requested by the police
themselves, according to an army spokesman.

The pledge was made during a luncheon meeting between Supreme Commander
Gen. Songkitti Jaggabatara and commanders of the three armed forces.

The Lawyers Council of Thailand (LCT), meanwhile, issued a five-point list
of demand denouncing the government of using teargas against the
protesters in front of Parliament, saying that the government and police
must be jointly held responsible if force is continued to be used against
the demonstrators.

In its statement, the council charged that the use of teargas by police
against the demonstrators had caused many to suffer from injuries and
mentally and the actions were "over-reactions".

Charging that the present government lacked "credibility" to administer
the country, the LCT demanded that the Royal Thai Police stop using force
against the unarmed demonstrators, most of whom are women.