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Protesters surge into Bangkok wanting new election
Source: Agencies |
March 14, 2010, Sunday
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TENS of thousands of red-shirted protesters from Thailand's rural areas swarmed the Thai capital today for protests aimed at forcing the government to dissolve Parliament and call new elections.
Protest leaders gave the government until noon today (0500 GMT; midnight EST) to accede to their demands or face mass marches on key locations in Bangkok.
The demonstrators want Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva to call new elections, which they believe will allow their political allies to regain power. They believe Abhisit came to power illegitimately with the connivance of the military and other parts of the traditional Thai ruling class who were jealous and fearful of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra's popularity while in office from 2001 until he was ousted in a 2006 coup.
Traffic was light, businesses were shuttered and social events canceled in Bangkok as many feared the four-day demonstrations, which officially begin today but have been building for two days as caravans of protesters pour in from the north and northeast, would repeat past violence. But protesters stressed they would use only peaceful means in their quest for new elections.
"If the prime minister refuses to dissolve Parliament today, we will declare new measures. We are planning to march to key spots belonging to those in power," said one protest leader, Jatuporn Prompan.
"We will ask (the prime minister) to return power to the people," he said.
Jatuporn said he expected a million people to gather by noon Sunday. But local newspapers estimated the numbers at between 80,000 and 100,000, although more were still arriving from outlying areas, traveling in trucks, buses and motorcycles.
There were no reports of violence yesterday, and Jatuporn even praised authorities for facilitating the protesters' easy entry into the capital.
Government spokesman Panithan Wattanayakorn said protesters were being provided with free bus rides from provincial areas to Bangkok.
A force of 50,000 soldiers, police and other security personnel was mobilized in the capital area.
The march is regarded by some as the last chance for Thaksin to return to Thailand.
The "Red Shirt" protesters, formally known as the United Front for Democracy Against Dictatorship, are made up of followers of Thaksin, along with other people who oppose the 2006 military coup that toppled him.
Forcing the government out of power, Thaksin loyalists say, could pave the way for his pardon and return.
Thaksin, who resides in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, faces a two-year prison term for abuse of power. But he remains especially popular among the rural and urban poor who are thankful for the cheap medical care, low interest loans and other measures his government enacted to alleviate poverty.
On Saturday night, Thaksin telephoned the protesters' People TV station to deny rumors that he had been expelled from the United Arab Emirates and was in neighboring Cambodia. Thaksin said he was currently on a visit to Europe.
Thailand has been in constant political turmoil since early 2006, when demonstrations accusing Thaksin of corruption and abuse of power began. In 2008, when Thaksin's political allies came back to power for a year, his opponents occupied the prime minister's office compound for three months and seized Bangkok's two airports for a week.
Recent polls in Bangkok indicate a large segment of the population, irrespective of their political beliefs, is fed up with the protests, which have battered the economy, including the lucrative tourism industry.
"I'm so sick of the protests. It doesn't matter who becomes prime minister. The economy is not good and neither is anything else. Every time a protest plan is announced, tourists disappear," said Yai Oat-ngam, a restaurant owner near an area popular with foreign backpackers.
The Red Shirts have vowed to keep their protest nonviolent. The group's last major protest in Bangkok last April deteriorated into rioting that left two people dead, more than 120 people injured and buses burned on major thoroughfares. The army was called in to quash the unrest.
Many embassies have warned their citizens to stay away from areas of the city where violence could erupt.
Protest leaders gave the government until noon today (0500 GMT; midnight EST) to accede to their demands or face mass marches on key locations in Bangkok.
The demonstrators want Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva to call new elections, which they believe will allow their political allies to regain power. They believe Abhisit came to power illegitimately with the connivance of the military and other parts of the traditional Thai ruling class who were jealous and fearful of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra's popularity while in office from 2001 until he was ousted in a 2006 coup.
Traffic was light, businesses were shuttered and social events canceled in Bangkok as many feared the four-day demonstrations, which officially begin today but have been building for two days as caravans of protesters pour in from the north and northeast, would repeat past violence. But protesters stressed they would use only peaceful means in their quest for new elections.
"If the prime minister refuses to dissolve Parliament today, we will declare new measures. We are planning to march to key spots belonging to those in power," said one protest leader, Jatuporn Prompan.
"We will ask (the prime minister) to return power to the people," he said.
Jatuporn said he expected a million people to gather by noon Sunday. But local newspapers estimated the numbers at between 80,000 and 100,000, although more were still arriving from outlying areas, traveling in trucks, buses and motorcycles.
There were no reports of violence yesterday, and Jatuporn even praised authorities for facilitating the protesters' easy entry into the capital.
Government spokesman Panithan Wattanayakorn said protesters were being provided with free bus rides from provincial areas to Bangkok.
A force of 50,000 soldiers, police and other security personnel was mobilized in the capital area.
The march is regarded by some as the last chance for Thaksin to return to Thailand.
The "Red Shirt" protesters, formally known as the United Front for Democracy Against Dictatorship, are made up of followers of Thaksin, along with other people who oppose the 2006 military coup that toppled him.
Forcing the government out of power, Thaksin loyalists say, could pave the way for his pardon and return.
Thaksin, who resides in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, faces a two-year prison term for abuse of power. But he remains especially popular among the rural and urban poor who are thankful for the cheap medical care, low interest loans and other measures his government enacted to alleviate poverty.
On Saturday night, Thaksin telephoned the protesters' People TV station to deny rumors that he had been expelled from the United Arab Emirates and was in neighboring Cambodia. Thaksin said he was currently on a visit to Europe.
Thailand has been in constant political turmoil since early 2006, when demonstrations accusing Thaksin of corruption and abuse of power began. In 2008, when Thaksin's political allies came back to power for a year, his opponents occupied the prime minister's office compound for three months and seized Bangkok's two airports for a week.
Recent polls in Bangkok indicate a large segment of the population, irrespective of their political beliefs, is fed up with the protests, which have battered the economy, including the lucrative tourism industry.
"I'm so sick of the protests. It doesn't matter who becomes prime minister. The economy is not good and neither is anything else. Every time a protest plan is announced, tourists disappear," said Yai Oat-ngam, a restaurant owner near an area popular with foreign backpackers.
The Red Shirts have vowed to keep their protest nonviolent. The group's last major protest in Bangkok last April deteriorated into rioting that left two people dead, more than 120 people injured and buses burned on major thoroughfares. The army was called in to quash the unrest.
Many embassies have warned their citizens to stay away from areas of the city where violence could erupt.
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