An estimated 35,000 red shirt supporters held a rally at the Democracy Monument in Bangkok yesterday as political tension in Thailand continues to linger over the controversial Reconciliation Bill. At the heart of the current problems is a battle of power between the government and the legal system with the Constitutional Court expected to make a decision next month over the proposed parliamentary amendments to the Charter.
It is no coincidence that the red shirts chose June 24 for their latest rally. Eighty years ago on June 24, 1932 a coup saw the overthrow of the system of absolute monarchy. Thailand now has a constitutional monarchy, but opponents of the red shirts and critics of the government claim that the proposed amendments to the Charter will place the Thai king in a difficult position and could spark a full-blown constitutional crisis.
About Roy Cavanagh