WORLD> Asia-Pacific
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WORLD> Asia-Pacific
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Thai police arrest summit protest leader
(Agencies)
Updated: 2009-04-12 14:44 The ongoing protests could prompt the military to intervene - a high possibility in a country that has experienced 18 military coups since the 1930s. "The situation has gotten completely out of hand. Violence and bloodshed is very much possible" if Abhisit does not resign or dissolve Parliament, said Charnvit Kasetsiri, a historian and former rector of Bangkok's Thammasat University. "If the government cannot control the situation, military intervention is not out of the question." The demonstrators say Abhisit took power illegitimately and want fresh elections. They also accuse the country's elite - the military, judiciary and other unelected officials - of undermining democracy by interfering in politics. "Right now, there are two possibilities - either a crackdown on the protesters or Abhisit dissolves Parliament," said Charnvit. "The situation has been pushed forward to a dead end."
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