Premier aims to wear down protesters

 Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej has resorted to psychological warfare and all legal possibilities to wear down the protesters camping inside the Government House compound before hoping to round them up peacefully.

In the meantime, there has been growing paranoia inside the compound as the protesters are constantly on alert over security and the possibility of riot police storming the compound to disperse the crowd and arrest their leaders.

Unlike the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) rally stage at the Makhawan Rangsan Bridge, to which supporters have access from different routes, Government House has become an enclosure for the protesters. Once they make their way inside, it is practically impossible to leave because the PAD's guards have erected barriers and employed tight security measures in fear of police infiltration.

A photographer from Nation Multimedia Group was trapped inside the Government House compound on Wednesday. Reporters covering the rally said they had been verbally and physically abused by the PAD's guards.

Members of the PAD took over the Government House compound on Tuesday. One of its leaders, Sondhi Limthongkul, urged protesters to hang on until August 31, by which time, he added, they would have achieved victory against the Samak government.

Sources inside the People Power Party said that at a meeting with party members on Wednesday, Samak said he intended to use force to quell the PAD members, but most party members put a brake on any attempt to rely on force, arguing that the prime minister should employ psychological tactics to wear down the protesters and explore all legal possibilities as well, the sources said.

They also told Samak that since the government would be holding a ceremony at Government House on August 30 to build national unity - an event to be presided over by HRH Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn - it would be necessary for the protesters to leave the compound. If not, the protesters would be looked upon as disloyal.

Following a complaint by the Office of the Prime Minister, the Civil Court late Wednesday evening issued an order for the PAD to evacuate the Government House compound immediately. Yesterday, the Civil Court followed up with another order by appointing legal-execution personnel to evict the protesters.

The police were also putting barricades around Government House, declaring it a no-entry zone.

Earlier the Criminal Court issued arrest warrants against nine core leaders of the PAD on police charges of having committed an act of high treason against the state. More than 30 senators and most academics have protested that charges of treason are too severe since the protesters only want the government to resign and do not want government power for themselves.

Unlike in the first few days of the Government House takeover, Samak was in a good mood all day yesterday. He sent out conciliatory signals, saying that the police would not use force to disperse the protesters.

Samak thanked the Civil Court for issuing the injunction ordering protesters to vacate the compound, saying the court had given the government "a sword" and that authorities would enforce the court order with care.

He said he had already given approval for police to evict the crowds but changed his mind because he did not want violence to erupt. He said he wanted the PAD leaders to surrender themselves instead of facing arrest. He said there was still time to settle the confrontation in a peaceful manner.

Samak also yielded one more step by deciding to change the venue for the national unity event from Government House to Suan Amporn Auditorium. He added that the ceremony tomorrow would go ahead as scheduled.

Surin Pitsuwan, the secretary-general of Asean, said he was afraid that the political turmoil might hurt Thailand's leadership of Asean over the next year and a half. He called for the Thai Foreign Ministry and the Commerce Ministry to clarify the political situation for Thailand's trading partners as quickly as possible.