Protesters seek to shut down Bangkok
Print Edition
Anti-government demonstrators began to occupy major intersections in Thailand’s capital yesterday in what they say is an effort to shut down Bangkok, a plan that has raised fears of violence that could trigger a military coup.
The protesters are trying to force caretaker Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra to resign and have her government replaced by a non-elected interim administration to implement reforms they say are needed to stop corruption and money politics. They want to scuttle an early general election called by Yingluck for February 2.
Since November, they have engaged in street battles with police, cut off water and electricity to national police headquarters, and occupied for a time the compounds of other government agencies. At least eight people, including a policeman, have died in violence associated with the political unrest.
The protest leaders said last week that the demonstrators would occupy seven key intersections today in Bangkok, a teeming city known for its debilitating traffic jams. They’re also threatening to occupy government office compounds.
Groups of demonstrators arrived at the venues late yesterday and erected stages.
Earlier yesterday, some demonstrators blocked a road in Bangkok’s northern outskirts, where many government offices are located, said a deputy police spokesman. There were no immediate confrontations with the authorities, who have vowed to show restraint to avoid violence.
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