Supporters of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra sit on the road outside the Government House during an anti-government protest in Bangkok February 24, 2009. Thousands of protesters marched on Thailand's seat of government on Tuesday to demand that Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva step down, adding to his troubles as the economy slides into recession. REUTERS/Chaiwat Subprasom Supporters of an exiled populist prime minister surround a key government building in Bangkok, a move similar to one by their opponents last year that led to the current premier's being chosen.
February 24, 2009
By Charles McDermid and Thammarat Lomthong
Los Angeles Times
Reporting from Bangkok, Thailand -- Thais took their politics back into the streets of Bangkok on Tuesday, with a sea of red-shirted protesters surrounding government headquarters and demanding that Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva step down.
The prime minister responded with a pledge to defy the demonstrators by walking through them into Government House.
Protest leader Jatuporn Prompan described the siege as a peaceful protest meant to expose what he described as Thailand's dictatorship in disguise. Members of the United Front of Democracy Against Dictatorship, or UDD, known for its red shirts and fierce allegiance to deposed Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, say the 2-month-old Thai administration was not democratically elected.
The UDD is also demanding the prosecution of key figures linked to the yellow-clad People's Alliance for Democracy, or PAD, the group that occupied Bangkok's two airports for eight days in November and December, and for three months occupied the same government compound the UDD now encircles. The two groups have had violent clashes and street battles in the past.
"The real enemy of Thailand is the PAD, the government, the Democrat Party [of Abhisit] and bureaucrats," Jatuporn told the crowd outside Government House. "Today we proved Thailand is run by our UDD."
As the anti-government mob swelled to a reported 20,000, thousands of riot police and soldiers were deployed and barbed-wire barricades erected to keep back the protesters.
The current ruling coalition was formed in December after a court ruling that ousted a pro-Thaksin government. Some feel the coalition is held together only by the political poise of Abhisit, a 44-year-old Oxford-educated economist whose Democrat Party came in second in the most recent balloting at the end of 2007.
The rally came just days before the annual meeting of the 10-member Assn. of Southeast Asian Nations is set to open in Hua Hin, a beach resort about 85 miles southwest of Bangkok, the capital. After Thailand's tumultuous 2008, which included the high-profile PAD protests and a border skirmish with Cambodia, the prestigious event has been viewed as a way to reassure regional allies that Thailand is free from political turmoil.
Abhisit was in Hua Hin on Tuesday to inspect the summit's venue, but has told local media that he intends to return to work at Government House today.
"We will not use violence," Abhisit told reporters. "I am ready to walk into [Government House] as long as there are no weapons."
Thaksin, a flamboyant telecommunications tycoon, remains popular in rural areas on account of his populist programs. He was removed in a 2006 military putsch and now lives in self-imposed exile while facing charges for corruption and abuse of power.
Jatuporn told local media that the UDD would camp outside Government House before marching again to demand the resignation of Thai Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya for his links to the PAD's airport occupations.
McDermid and Lomthong are special correspondents.
February 24, 2009
By Charles McDermid and Thammarat Lomthong
Los Angeles Times
Reporting from Bangkok, Thailand -- Thais took their politics back into the streets of Bangkok on Tuesday, with a sea of red-shirted protesters surrounding government headquarters and demanding that Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva step down.
The prime minister responded with a pledge to defy the demonstrators by walking through them into Government House.
Protest leader Jatuporn Prompan described the siege as a peaceful protest meant to expose what he described as Thailand's dictatorship in disguise. Members of the United Front of Democracy Against Dictatorship, or UDD, known for its red shirts and fierce allegiance to deposed Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, say the 2-month-old Thai administration was not democratically elected.
The UDD is also demanding the prosecution of key figures linked to the yellow-clad People's Alliance for Democracy, or PAD, the group that occupied Bangkok's two airports for eight days in November and December, and for three months occupied the same government compound the UDD now encircles. The two groups have had violent clashes and street battles in the past.
"The real enemy of Thailand is the PAD, the government, the Democrat Party [of Abhisit] and bureaucrats," Jatuporn told the crowd outside Government House. "Today we proved Thailand is run by our UDD."
As the anti-government mob swelled to a reported 20,000, thousands of riot police and soldiers were deployed and barbed-wire barricades erected to keep back the protesters.
The current ruling coalition was formed in December after a court ruling that ousted a pro-Thaksin government. Some feel the coalition is held together only by the political poise of Abhisit, a 44-year-old Oxford-educated economist whose Democrat Party came in second in the most recent balloting at the end of 2007.
The rally came just days before the annual meeting of the 10-member Assn. of Southeast Asian Nations is set to open in Hua Hin, a beach resort about 85 miles southwest of Bangkok, the capital. After Thailand's tumultuous 2008, which included the high-profile PAD protests and a border skirmish with Cambodia, the prestigious event has been viewed as a way to reassure regional allies that Thailand is free from political turmoil.
Abhisit was in Hua Hin on Tuesday to inspect the summit's venue, but has told local media that he intends to return to work at Government House today.
"We will not use violence," Abhisit told reporters. "I am ready to walk into [Government House] as long as there are no weapons."
Thaksin, a flamboyant telecommunications tycoon, remains popular in rural areas on account of his populist programs. He was removed in a 2006 military putsch and now lives in self-imposed exile while facing charges for corruption and abuse of power.
Jatuporn told local media that the UDD would camp outside Government House before marching again to demand the resignation of Thai Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya for his links to the PAD's airport occupations.
McDermid and Lomthong are special correspondents.
