IN BANGKOK, ANTI-GOVERNMENT PROTESTERS HAVE GATHERED BY THE THOUSANDS IN RECENT DAYS IN
AN EFFORT TO SHUT DOWN THE CITY AND FORCE THE PRIME MINISTER FROM OFFICE.
THE PROTESTS BEGAN AFTER THAILAND'S PRIME MINISTER YINGLUCK SHINAWATRA BACKED AN AMNESTY
BILL THAT COULD HAVE ALLOWED HER OLDER BROTHER TO AVOID A JAIL TERM FOR CORRUPTION.
ON ASSIGNMENT'S PHILIP ALEXIOU TALKED TO VOA BANGKOK BUREAU CHIEF BARRY NEWHOUSE FOR MORE.
HERE'S A LOOK AT THAT.
BARRY NEWHOUSE IN BANGKOK, GIVE US A QUICK UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT'S GOING ON IN THAILAND
WITH THE PROTESTERS BECAUSE IT'S A LITTLE CONFUSING TO SOMEONE WHO IS AN OUTSIDER TRYING
TO UNDERSTAND WHAT'S GOING ON.
SURE.
WELL, WE'VE HAD PROTESTS IN THE CAPITAL FOR ABOUT TWO MONTHS NOW AND IT ALL STARTED OUT
LATE LAST YEAR WHEN THE GOVERNMENT TRIED TO PUSH THROUGH THIS VERY CONTROVERSIAL AMNESTY
BILL.
NOW THIS AMNESTY BILL HAS TO DO A LOT WITH THE POLITICAL UNREST THAT'S BEEN HERE FOR
ABOUT THE LAST DECADE AND IT REALLY HAS TWO MAIN, A, SORT OF SIDES TO IT.
ONE IS THE SIDE OF THAKSIN SHINAWATRA.
HE WAS A FORMER PRIME MINISTER AND NOW HIS SISTER IS THE CURRENT PRIME MINISTER AND THEY
LEAD A VERY SUCCESSFUL POLITICAL PARTY THAT HAS WON A STRING OF ELECTIONS GOING BACK FOR
ABOUT THE LAST DECADE.
AND ON THE OTHER SIDE OF IT ARE THE DEMOCRATS AND MANY WOULD SAY THE WEALTHIER URBAN ELITE
HERE IN BANGKOK AND THEY HAVE NOT WON AN ELECTION IN ABOUT 20 YEARS BUT THEY WERE VERY MUCH
THE TRADITIONAL POWER BROKERS IN THIS COUNTRY AND ALONG WITH THE MILITARY AND THEIR ALLIES,
KIND OF WEALTHY ALLIES IN THE COUNTRY THEY SORT OF WERE THE PARTY THAT GAVE CONSENT TO
THE DEMOCRATICALLY ELECTED GOVERNMENT AND IN THE PAST WHEN WE WOULD HAVE A GOVERNMENT
THAT WOULD CLASH WITH THIS GROUP OF PEOPLE YOU WOULD SEE COUPS LIKE WE'VE HAD IN 2006
AND THE MILITARY STEPPED IN MANY TIMES BEFORE THEN AS WELL.
WE CANNOT STAND THIS GOVERNMENT ANYMORE.
WE HAVE TO TAKE THEM OUT.
THEY DO CORRUPT LIKE HELL.
BASICALLY THE SISTER, THE PRIME MINISTER BASICALLY IS A PUPPET OF HER BROTHER SO WE CAN'T DO
THIS ANYMORE.
WELL THEY DO SEEM TO HAVE A POINT BECAUSE THERE HAS BEEN CORRUPTION IN THE PAST WITH
THAKSIN SHINAWATRA, NOW HIS SISTER RUNNING THE COUNTRY IS, I GUESS THERE MAY BE AN INVESTIGATION
INTO A GOVERNMENT SUBSIDY PROGRAM FOR FARMERS WHERE THE GOVERNMENT BOUGHT RICE AT ABOVE
PRICES AND NOW THEY CAN'T SEEM TO GET RID OF IT, AND SO NOW THEY'RE COMPLAINING ABOUT
THAT NOW.
THAT'S RIGHT THE RICE-PLEDGING SCHEME IS REALLY THE NUMBER ONE ISSUE FOR THE PROTESTERS IN
TERMS OF A DEMONSTRATION OF GOVERNMENT CORRUPTION AND IT HAS BEEN A VERY BIZARRE AND VERY EXPENSIVE
PROGRAM FOR THE GOVERNMENT.
THEY SPENT SEVERAL BILLION DOLLARS EACH YEAR IN ORDER TO CONTINUE THIS SCHEME WHICH IS
BASICALLY PAYING FARMERS ABOVE MARKET RATES FOR THEIR RICE AND THEY HAVE BOUGHT ALL KINDS
OF RICE NOW THAT THEY CAN'T SELL ON THE OPEN MARKET WITHOUT TAKING HUGE LOSSES.
IT'S THESE KINDS OF POLICIES THAT THE PROTESTERS SAY SORT OF DELEGITIMIZE THE GOVERNMENT AND
ARE SUCH A BAD EXAMPLE OF GOVERNANCE THAT THEY DESERVE TO BE KICKED OUT.
THE PRIME MINISTER HAS OFFERED TO HOLD EARLY ELECTIONS FEBRUARY SECOND AND THAT EVIDENTLY
HAS NOT EVEN APPEASED, THAT'S NOT APPEASING THE PROTESTERS EITHER.
THAT'S CORRECT, THAT'S CORRECT.
THEY DO NOT WANT TO SIT DOWN WITH THE PRIME MINISTER.
THEY DON'T THINK THAT SHE'S LEGITIMATE.
OUR COUNTRY IS NOT READY FOR ELECTION AS WE KNOW, IT'S A SHAM, WHAT'S HAPPENED IS IT'S
NOT A FAIR ELECTION; IT'S NOT A FAIR FOR SURE.
SAME PEOPLE COME BACK.
AND SO THEY REFUSE TO NEGOTIATE WITH HER.
NOT TO MENTION THEIR POLITICAL ALLIES, THE DEMOCRAT PARTY IS BOYCOTTING THE NEXT ELECTION.
SO, IF THE ELECTIONS DO GO FORWARD ON FEBRUARY 2ND THERE WON'T BE ANY MEMBERS OF THE OPPOSITION
WHO COULD EVEN BE ELECTED INTO THE GOVERNMENT.
SO IT'S, WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE I THINK IS A VERY BIG OPEN QUESTION.
THIS IS NOT REALLY A STRUGGLE OVER POLICIES, THIS IS A STRUGGLE FOR POWER AND IT IS WHO
IS GOING TO BE IN CHARGE IN THE CENTRAL GOVERNMENT AND FOR ALL THE SORT OF POLICY DISAGREEMENTS
THAT YOU HEAR ON THE STREET, AT THE END OF THE DAY THIS IS TRULY ABOUT WHO'S GOING TO
LEAD THE COUNTRY.
AND AGAIN THAT WAS VOA BANGKOK BUREAU CHIEF BARRY NEWHOUSE.
PROTESTS HAVE BECOME A FAMILIAR SCENE TO RESIDENTS OF CENTRAL BANGKOK.
THREE YEARS AGO, SUPPORTERS OF THE CURRENT GOVERNMENT SET UP THEIR OWN PROTEST CAMP IN
THE CITY.