The Associated Press
BANGKOK, Thailand: A big anti-government protest scheduled for Tuesday will fail to keep his administration from carrying out its work, Thai Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej said Monday.
Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej said at a news conference that his government will carry on as usual despite the prospect of anti-government demonstrators surrounding his office compound on Tuesday.
"The government is still safe and sound and the Cabinet meeting will be held at Government House tomorrow," Samak said.
The People's Alliance for Democracy has vowed to hold a massive protest Tuesday to demand that Samak's government step down. Senior protest leaders refused to say where the protest marchers would go, but others said to Samak's office, as they have done before.
The protest group led months of demonstrations that ended in former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra's ouster in a September 2006 military coup for alleged corruption and abuse of power. It resumed protests in May, contending that Samak is a proxy for Thaksin.
Pipop Thongchai, a leader of the alliance, claimed the protesters would not disperse "until we can drive this puppet government out of office."
The alliance appeared to be a threat to Samak's six-party coalition government earlier this year, but has been steadily losing influence. It alienated many Bangkok residents by disrupting already bad traffic in the capital city.
It also has lost its focus since Thaksin - who returned to Thailand when Samak's government came to power - went back into exile into England, becoming a fugitive when he missed a court appearance on one of several corruption charges pending against him. Thaksin claimed he could not get a fair trial in his homeland.
The group has hopped from issue to issue to try to rebuild its following. Last month it attacked the government for allegedly giving up Thai territory to Cambodia, and this month it has joined Bangkok residents unhappy over plans to move Parliament to their neighborhood.
A union leader allied with the protest alliance threaten to cut off essential services to the prime minister's offices.
"If the government is still stubborn, the state enterprise may use the toughest measures, to cut the power and water supply at Government House," said Sawit Khaewwan, secretary general of the State Enterprise Labor Federation.
Similar threats by state enterprise union leaders at earlier rallies were not carried out, leaving it unclear if they were actually speaking for their organizations.
Bangkok police chief Gen. Asawin Khwanmuang said police will not stop protesters from marching but will take action if they violate the law.
Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej said at a news conference that his government will carry on as usual despite the prospect of anti-government demonstrators surrounding his office compound on Tuesday.
"The government is still safe and sound and the Cabinet meeting will be held at Government House tomorrow," Samak said.
The People's Alliance for Democracy has vowed to hold a massive protest Tuesday to demand that Samak's government step down. Senior protest leaders refused to say where the protest marchers would go, but others said to Samak's office, as they have done before.
The protest group led months of demonstrations that ended in former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra's ouster in a September 2006 military coup for alleged corruption and abuse of power. It resumed protests in May, contending that Samak is a proxy for Thaksin.
Pipop Thongchai, a leader of the alliance, claimed the protesters would not disperse "until we can drive this puppet government out of office."
The alliance appeared to be a threat to Samak's six-party coalition government earlier this year, but has been steadily losing influence. It alienated many Bangkok residents by disrupting already bad traffic in the capital city.
It also has lost its focus since Thaksin - who returned to Thailand when Samak's government came to power - went back into exile into England, becoming a fugitive when he missed a court appearance on one of several corruption charges pending against him. Thaksin claimed he could not get a fair trial in his homeland.
The group has hopped from issue to issue to try to rebuild its following. Last month it attacked the government for allegedly giving up Thai territory to Cambodia, and this month it has joined Bangkok residents unhappy over plans to move Parliament to their neighborhood.
A union leader allied with the protest alliance threaten to cut off essential services to the prime minister's offices.
"If the government is still stubborn, the state enterprise may use the toughest measures, to cut the power and water supply at Government House," said Sawit Khaewwan, secretary general of the State Enterprise Labor Federation.
Similar threats by state enterprise union leaders at earlier rallies were not carried out, leaving it unclear if they were actually speaking for their organizations.
Bangkok police chief Gen. Asawin Khwanmuang said police will not stop protesters from marching but will take action if they violate the law.
No comments:
Post a Comment