Thai PM will talk to protesters, indirectly
March 22, 2010, Monday
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THAILAND'S prime minister yesterday offered to send government officials to hold talks with protesters trying to force him from power with massive demonstrations in the capital, but refused their demand to immediately call new elections.
Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said he would send two Cabinet-level officials to meet with the so-called "Red Shirts" after their massive show of strength a day earlier in which as many as 100,000 protesters drove through the streets of Bangkok in a giant caravan. He said he wants to ease tensions.
The Red Shirts, formally known as the United Front for Democracy Against Dictatorship, have rejected his overtures, saying they want to speak directly to him instead.
The Red Shirts consist of supporters of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who was ousted by a 2006 military coup for alleged corruption, and pro-democracy activists who opposed the army takeover.
They believe Abhisit came to power illegitimately with the connivance of the military and other parts of the traditional ruling class and that only new elections can restore integrity to Thai democracy.
Thaksin's allies took power in a December 2007 election but were forced out by court rulings. Abhisit's Democrat Party then rallied the support of enough lawmakers to form a coalition government in December 2008.
The Red Shirts had billed their protest - which began a week ago - as a "million-man march," but at its peak it attracted just over 100,000 by most estimates. The crowd fell by as much as half during the work week.
The group also came in for criticism for splattering their own blood at the gates of Abhisit's office, the headquarters of his ruling party and his private residence.
Thaksin fled into exile in 2008 ahead of a conviction on a corruption charge that left him with a two-year prison term. He claims he is a victim of political persecution.
Saturday's mobile demonstration rolled through 70 kilometers of city streets, meeting mostly sympathetic crowds that revealed a level of support in the capital that the Thai press had underestimated.
"I haven't seen any opposition from Bangkok people. People were thankful. They came to cheer us from all walks of life. They gave water and food to us," said Kotchawan Pim-ngern, 40, a flower seller who was riding on a pickup truck.
"Just seeing them come out made me happy. They all want democracy back."
Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said he would send two Cabinet-level officials to meet with the so-called "Red Shirts" after their massive show of strength a day earlier in which as many as 100,000 protesters drove through the streets of Bangkok in a giant caravan. He said he wants to ease tensions.
The Red Shirts, formally known as the United Front for Democracy Against Dictatorship, have rejected his overtures, saying they want to speak directly to him instead.
The Red Shirts consist of supporters of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who was ousted by a 2006 military coup for alleged corruption, and pro-democracy activists who opposed the army takeover.
They believe Abhisit came to power illegitimately with the connivance of the military and other parts of the traditional ruling class and that only new elections can restore integrity to Thai democracy.
Thaksin's allies took power in a December 2007 election but were forced out by court rulings. Abhisit's Democrat Party then rallied the support of enough lawmakers to form a coalition government in December 2008.
The Red Shirts had billed their protest - which began a week ago - as a "million-man march," but at its peak it attracted just over 100,000 by most estimates. The crowd fell by as much as half during the work week.
The group also came in for criticism for splattering their own blood at the gates of Abhisit's office, the headquarters of his ruling party and his private residence.
Thaksin fled into exile in 2008 ahead of a conviction on a corruption charge that left him with a two-year prison term. He claims he is a victim of political persecution.
Saturday's mobile demonstration rolled through 70 kilometers of city streets, meeting mostly sympathetic crowds that revealed a level of support in the capital that the Thai press had underestimated.
"I haven't seen any opposition from Bangkok people. People were thankful. They came to cheer us from all walks of life. They gave water and food to us," said Kotchawan Pim-ngern, 40, a flower seller who was riding on a pickup truck.
"Just seeing them come out made me happy. They all want democracy back."
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