‘The junta is afraid’: as election looms, Thailand’s military rulers seek to curtail support for Shinawatras and their allies
- Thaksin Shinawatra and his sister, Yingluck, both served as prime minister, supported by the ‘red shirt’ movement drawing form rural provinces
- The junta has denied targeting Thaksin and his allies, saying government agencies have been proceeding legally
Battle lines are being drawn between Thailand’s military government and the populist movement led by former premier Thaksin Shinawatra as both sides attempt to outmanoeuvre the other before a general election due in 2019.
The junta has promised to hold the much-delayed election as early as February, a test of its promise to restore democracy despite widely held concerns it aims to maintain a grip on power in Southeast Asia’s second-biggest economy.
The race is again expected to pit Thaksin’s “red shirt” followers against the military and royalist establishment, which seized power in successive coups in 2006 and 2014. Thaksin’s camp, which has won every election since 2001, has been unable to assert control over non-elected bodies, particularly the judiciary and the military, prompting bouts of street protests and coups.
In a move widely seen as an attempt to cripple support for Thaksin and his allies, the junta last month ordered the Election Commission to investigate whether he is still controlling the popular Puea Thai party from exile abroad, and possibly disband it.
“They are afraid of us,” said Puea Thai veteran Watana Muangsook, referring to the junta’s efforts to undermine the influence of his party and allies. “The only way they can beat us is that they have to play beyond the rules. If they follow the rules they will lose.”