Thailand protests Philippines’ take on crisis

Ambassador Kulkemut Singhara Na Ayudhaya said he will communicate his concerns to the Philippine Foreign Affairs Department, and reiterated the basic principle of noninterference among members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, a regional grouping that the two nations helped establish.

He was reacting to comments by President Gloria Iacapagal Arroyo’s deputy spokesman, Anthony Golez, who said last week the turmoil in Thailand was unlikely to happen in the Philippines “because our people have reached a high degree of political maturity whereby our people respect due process and the rule of law.”

The ambassador also quoted Sen. Richard Gordon as saying the crisis could not be replicated in the Philippines. Gordon denied making such a statement and said the turmoil can happen here.

“The said statements are not based on facts and may have some implication of hidden agendas,” the ambassador told a news conference. “In fact, the protest is only an indication that Thai people are free to exercise their political right based on democracy.”

He did not elaborate, but said the comments may be a warning to Filipinos to avoid similar protests in their country.

Massive demonstrations are a staple of rough-and-tumble democracy in the Philippines.

Two peaceful “people power” uprisings toppled two presidents — Ferdinand Marcos in 1986 and Joseph Estrada in 2001.

Estrada was succeeded by President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, who herself has faced down four power grabs and four impeachment complaints on accusations of corruption, vote-rigging and massive human rights violations. She has steadfastly denied any wrongdoing, but that hasn’t ended almost daily opposition rallies.

Golez denied saying the Thais lack political maturity. He said he would be happy to talk to the ambassador to explain the context of his statement.

“For the record, I did not say the Thais lack the political maturity,” he said. “I said in my interview that the Filipinos have reached a high level of political maturity.”

Victorious anti-government protesters lifted their siege of Bangkok’s two airports Wednesday after severing Thailand’s air links to the outside world for a week.

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