Khamnoon Sitthisaman, appointed senator and Sondhi Limthongkul’s right-hand man, wrote in his ASTV-Manager column that Sombat Boon-ngam-anong’s symbolic activities are more dangerous than violent campaigns, as they cannot be handled by the law.

In his column on 9 Oct, entitled ‘Violence and symbolic struggles’, Khamnoon said that during the cold war the Communist Party of Thailand had only one AM radio station which was not easily accessible, but civil war still occurred, killing and injuring thousands of people for decades.  Now that there are community radios, satellite television stations, websites, dailies and weeklies, who can guarantee that another civil war will not happen, despite the failure of the red shirts’ recent rallies, he asked.

The March-April 2010 rallies seem to be a defeat, but only in the form of large public gatherings.  In contrast, illegal, underground, decentralized and guerrilla-like campaigns have pervaded.  Khamnoon believes that even if Thaksin Shinawatra wanted to order a halt, he couldn’t because he wouldn’t know who to give the order to.  It is not really an exaggeration to say that a certain number of red shirts have already gone beyond Thaksin, he said.

Violence, however, is not much of anything, as it will never lead to victory, and will only damage the red-shirt movement.  Sombat Boon-ngam-anong’s symbolic campaigns are more dangerous, he said.

‘Violence is illegal, and the government, if it boxes clever, can suppress it.  But Sombat’s campaigns cannot be prosecuted under any laws, whether the lèse majesté Section 112 or anything else.  This is a cause for concern if the government is not wise, is only buying time, or is afraid of this and that,’ Khamnoon said.             

On 10 Oct, Samran Rodpetch, Deputy Leader and acting spokesperson of the New Politics Party, said that there were three groups of people who were trying to create unrest in the country.  The first group employed violent means, including bombings and assassinations of important figures.  The second was Sombat’s group which had held activities, including one recently at the Pridi Banomyong Bridge in Ayutthaya, which had implications that subverted the monarchy, but which were difficult for the law to handle.  The last group was an anti-monarchy underground movement active on foreign and domestic websites.

Despite the current worrisome situation, Samran expressed his confidence in new Police Chief Pol Gen Wichean Potphosri who was active in dealing with the problems, and the new Army Chief Gen Prayuth Chan-ocha who was straightforward and strong.

He expressed disappointment with the government, however, which he alleged was busying itself with politics, cabinet reshuffles, and aimless reconciliation.  The Prime Minister is a good person, but lacks leadership.  He urged the PM to be strong and to tighten his grip on power in dealing more firmly with problems, particularly the anti-monarchy movement.

Suriyasai Katasila, the party’s Secretary General, urged Abhisit Vejjajiva to assume the post of the Director of the CRES himself, to shore up public confidence in national security.