Thaksin backers swarm Bangkok
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Supporters of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra gather for a rally in Bangkok on Sunday. Opposition leaders said the protests would be peaceful and could last for days. Chaiwat Subprasom / Reuters |
Protesters warn of crippling demonstrations if demands not met in 24 hours
BANGKOK -Tens of thousands of protesters converged in Bangkok on Sunday and gave Thailand's military-backed government an ultimatum: Call elections in 24 hours or face crippling demonstrations across the capital.
About 80,000 red-shirted supporters of former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, ousted in a military coup in 2006, arrived in trucks, cars and motorbikes from rural provinces over the weekend, carrying red flags as loudspeakers blared music about democracy and freedom.
Tens of thousands more protesters were still on their way, many by boat from rural areas.
Investors worry that any violence could derail a nascent recovery in Southeast Asia's second-biggest economy.
Protest leaders insist the rally will be peaceful even if it lasts for days. They plan to maintain pressure on Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva to dissolve parliament and call an election that Thaksin's allies would be well placed to win.
"We're asking the government to relinquish power and return it to the people," said Veera Musikapong, chairman of the protest group, United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship, setting a deadline of noon on Monday for parliament to be dissolved.
If that is not met, they will march throughout Bangkok, said another protest leader, Nattawut Saikua, raising the prospect of paralyzing many of the capital's already-congested streets.
Abhisit must go to the polls by the end of next year. In his weekly radio address on Sunday, he indicated immediate elections were unlikely, citing the tense political climate and his coalition government's parliamentary majority.
Several main roads near government offices were blocked off either by protesters' pick-up trucks and motorcycles or cordoned off by police and soldiers. This could prevent civil servants and the prime minister from going to work on Monday.
Thailand deployed 50,000 police, soldiers and other security forces across Bangkok after government warnings of potential sabotage, including bombings and arson. Several foreign embassies urged their nationals in Bangkok to be cautious.
The protesters chafe at what they say is an un-elected elite preventing allies of twice-elected Thaksin from returning to power through a vote.
Adding to their anger, Thailand's top court seized $1.4 billion of Thaksin's assets last month, saying it was accrued through abuse of power.
Reuters
(China Daily 03/15/2010 page12)
