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DE RUEHCHI #0080/01 1540233
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P R 020233Z JUN 08
FM AMCONSUL CHIANG MAI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 0769
INFO RUCNASE/ASEAN MEMBER COLLECTIVE
RUEHCHI/AMCONSUL CHIANG MAI 0827

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 CHIANG MAI 000080 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL:  6/2/2018 
TAGS: PGOV PHUM TH
SUBJECT: A "THIRD WAY" TO AVOID A CRISIS? 
 
REF: A. BANGKOK 1619 (CONFLICT OVER CONSTITUTION) 
 
     ¶B. BANGKOK 1612 (HOW HOT IS IT?) 
 
CHIANG MAI 00000080  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
CLASSIFIED BY: Mike Morrow, CG, ConGen, Chiang Mai. 
REASON: 1.4 (b), (d) 
 
 
 
-------------- 
Summary 
-------------- 
 
¶1.  (C) Over 130 academics from across the country have launched 
a campaign to find a way out of the current political stalemate. 
 Their plan calls for a more complete constitutional amendment 
process than the one currently underway, resulting in an 
entirely new constitution that would have to be approved by 
referendum.  Though undoubtedly a long-shot, these academics 
have previously succeeded in positively influencing the 
political process, and are hopeful they can do so again in an 
effort to bring Thailand back from the abyss they say it is 
walking into.  End Summary. 
 
--------------------------------------------- -- 
Academics Pitch a "Third Way" Out 
--------------------------------------------- -- 
 
¶2.  (SBU) On May 28, we met with two members of Midnight 
University -- a group of politically-minded academics that has 
functioned for over 10 years, and claims to be independent from 
Thailand's main political parties.  On May 27, the group held a 
press conference at Chiang Mai University during which it issued 
a statement signed by 137 professors from universities across 
the country proposing what it calls the "Third Way" out of 
Thailand's current political stalemate.  The group's proposals 
call for the establishment of a truly independent 
constitution-drafting committee with broad participation by all 
sectors of society, the drafting of an entirely new 
constitution, ample opportunity for public debate on the draft, 
and a referendum to approve that charter. 
 
¶3.  (C) Our Midnight University contacts told us that the May 27 
press conference was widely covered by both broadcast and print 
media, but that only the print media carried the story in any 
detail.  They explain this discrepancy by asserting that the 
broadcast outlets are in the camps of either the pro-government 
People's Power Party (PPP), the opposition Democrat Party (DP), 
or the anti-government People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) -- 
and therefore have so far given the "third way" short shrift. 
The group hopes, however, to turn this tide by holding a press 
conference at the Foreign Correspondents Club of Thailand in 
Bangkok sometime in the next two weeks. 
 
¶4.  (C) Midnight University has no plans to formally approach 
either the ruling PPP or the opposition DP to sell this idea. 
They told us they see the PPP as dead-set on pushing through its 
specific amendments to re-empower former Prime Minister Thaksin 
Shinawatra, and the DP and PAD as equally entrenched in their 
opposition to any amendments.  The group does, however, plan to 
get the Thai general public to focus on the third way through 
the media and by displaying green flags, stickers and ribbons, 
much as it did in the run-up to the promulgation of the 1997 
constitution.  At that time politicians were considering making 
significant changes to a draft charter that had been produced by 
a drafting assembly that included broad civil society 
representation.  That campaign against amending the 1997 
constitution was successful despite significant will on the part 
of those holding political power to amend it. 
 
¶5. (C) Despite its current efforts, Midnight University believes 
the political temperature in Thailand needs to rise further 
before the general public will give serious consideration to the 
Third Way.  Right now, our contacts asserted, the PAD rallies 
and pro-Thaksin counter-demonstrations are fairly well-organized 
and generally non-violent.  If that dynamic were to change 
significantly, they believe their campaign may gain momentum. 
 
------------------------------- 
More Coup Speculation 
------------------------------- 
 
¶6.  (C) Regarding coup speculation, the Midnight University 
President said, "The people with guns will do what they want and 
the public will accept it."  He sought to minimize PAD's role in 
the 2006 coup that ousted then-Prime Minister Thaksin, asserting 
that those who staged the coup were not prepared to assume 
political power:  a year later, he noted the military-appointed 
government and higher powers did not choose the PAD-favored 
candidate to take over as army commander, instead choosing 
General Anupong Paochinda over General Saprang Kalayanamitr. 
Had PAD worked closely with the military on the coup plot, he 
opined that the military would have been better prepared to 
assume a political role.  (Comment: It would indeed be 
inaccurate to see PAD as directing the coup and post-coup 
 
CHIANG MAI 00000080  002.2 OF 002 
 
 
governance.  Nevertheless, PAD clearly played a significant role 
in 2005-6 by legitimizing the concept of extra-constitutional 
change, signaling to military leaders that the public would 
accept a coup as a resolution to the political crisis that the 
PAD had stoked.  End Comment). 
 
¶7.  (C) Instead, Midnight University believes the most important 
factor in determining the timing of the 2006 coup and deciding 
whether to stage one at all was the annual reshuffle of military 
officers, which typically takes place in late September/early 
October.  Similarly, if there were to be a coup in 2008, 
Midnight University believes it would more likely be linked to 
military reshuffles than to the actions of PAD or pro-Thaksin 
demonstrators.  This time, however, our contacts opined that 
there would need to be significant bloodshed before the military 
would step in. 
 
----------------------------- 
Populism As An Issue 
----------------------------- 
 
¶8.  (C) Regarding how to avoid future stalemates, and why the 
current one came about, Midnight University expressed the view 
that the 2006 coup and resulting constitution failed to resolve 
the underlying tensions in Thai society.  Those who support 
Thaksin's and the PPP's populist policies will continue to clash 
with the elites, they asserted, regardless of whether there is 
another coup, because the PPP or a reincarnation of it under a 
different name will continue to score election victories. 
 
¶9.  (C) One solution they recommend is to enshrine populist 
policies in a new constitution.  Doing so would, they opined, 
reduce the PPP's public appeal by depriving it of the heart of 
the platform on which it has campaigned since Thaksin won his 
first election in 2001.  Midnight University did not have an 
answer when we asked if it had considered the long-term effects 
on the Thai economy of embodying such policies in a new charter. 
 
------- 
Comment 
------- 
 
¶10. (C) The Third Way is clearly a long-shot at this point; the 
political situation remains fluid and dynamic.  However, support 
within the governing coalition for the amendments currently on 
the table may be somewhat shaky, and an alternative proposal 
could conceivably draw some interest.  One principal difficulty 
that Midnight University and others in civil society currently 
face is that the political environment is so polarized that 
virtually any proposal for political reform will be viewed 
primarily in terms of whether it furthers the agenda of Thaksin 
or that of his opponents.  Virtually no person or group can be 
seen as disinterested and objective in advocating a way forward. 
 Although we believe Midnight University figures are genuinely 
distant from the political parties, we would also note it has a 
reputation for being on the left fringe of the political 
spectrum, and thus may have difficulty injecting its concept -- 
which appears not yet fully developed -- into mainstream 
discourse. 
 
¶11. (U)  This cable was coordinated with Embassy Bangkok. 
MORROW