PAD and the Democrats aligned

The Bangkok Post (8 November 2009: “Cancel other pacts, financial aid projects to Cambodia, PAD urges”) again shows how PAD and the Abhisit Vejjajiva government come together. Leaving aside the direct linkages through dual memberships, this article has PAD calling on the government to cancel all its agreements, including bilateral aid, with Cambodia “to show its displeasure, after Cambodia hired former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra as an adviser…”.

PAD also supported the government’s decision “to cancel a memorandum of understanding on development of an overlapping maritime area in the Gulf of Thailand.”

The Democrat Party has already announced that the government will “review all MoUs signed by the Thaksin administration with Thailand’s neighbour. They must be reviewed to protect Thailand’s interests” according to Democrat spokesman Buranaj Smutharaks, who regularly speaks for PAD-like political positions. Forgetting all of the taunts by his yellow-shirted compatriots, Buranaj blames Thaksin for souring bilateral relations with Cambodia.

Update: Unlike the red shirts who are greeted with the ISA and massive police and military forces when they rally at Government House, PAD gets invited in for a chat with Abhisit (Bangkok Post, 9 November 2009: “PAD: PM must get back at Cambodia”).

PAD’s Phibop Dhongchai called on the “government to revoke all bilateral projects with Cambodia and financial assistance for the neighbouring country” and demanded that the “government drive the Cambodian army out of the disputed border area around the ancient Preah Vihear temple.”

As would be expected from this prime minister, after a 30 minute meeting, Abhisit “promised him that he will raise the group’s demands at the cabinet meeting tomorrow.”

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Tags: Democrat Party, thaksin shinawatra, Abhisit Vejjajiva, Buranaj Smutharaks, phipob Dhongchai, People’s Alliance for Democracy, Internal Security Act