Protesters Storm Government Buildings in Bangkok
The anti-government demonstrations which have been taking place in Bangkok since May took a new turn today. This morning, protesters stormed government buildings and occupied offices of the state broadcaster, NBT, forcing it off air.
The protest has been led by the PAD (People’s Alliance for Democracy) an unelected group who have strong support in Bangkok, but are not representative of the rest of the country. In the lead up to today’s actions, PAD leaders had said today would be ‘the final whistle blow’ on Prime Minister Samak and his government. The group has previously stated that they would not cease their demonstrations until Samak and his government were forced out of office. This is despite the fact that Samak and his government were democratically elected. In the last few months, the pugnacious Thai prime minister has been uncharacteristically patient by not cracking down on the protests. Today’s actions saw Samak forced to decamp from his government offices to an army base. He has held talks with military leaders who have stated there will be no military coup and Samak has once again vowed that he will not resign.
PAD has probably sensed this is the ideal time to step up their protests with Thaksin Shinawatra seemingly out of the picture. The former Thai PM is effectively on the run from Thai justice and it is Thaksin, the so-called ‘Big Boss’, who is the man who has been credited by many as pulling the strings of current PM Samak.
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