Thai PM Defiant Amidst Protests
Thailand’s prime minister, Abhisit Vejjajiva, has reiterated that he will not be forced out of office by the red shirt protests. A mass rally in Bangkok today saw the number of anti-government protesters increase steadily during the day. By 18.00 local time, police estimated the number of protesters at 100,000. This may be some way short of the organizers’ predictions of 300,000, but Bangkok police chiefs expect the crowd to swell still further during the evening. There have also been simultaneous protests in various regions in the north and north-east of Thailand which have been traditional strongholds of support for ousted leader, Thaksin Shinawatra.
Earlier in the day, a crowd of red shirts marched to the residence of royal adviser, Prem Tinsulanonda, the man Thaksin accuses of being behind the 2006 military coup. Prem is the President of the Privy Council of Thailand and as such is the most senior adviser of H.M. King Bhumibol Adulyadej. It is significant that thousands of Thaksin supporters marched the 2km from Government House to the residence of Prem to openly vent their anger at the royal adviser. When Thaksin made his accusation, he was breaking the taboo which put royal advisers beyond criticism and ultra-royalists cited it as further proof that Thaksin and his supporters have a republican agenda.
With millions of Baht in frozen assets and a prison sentence hanging over him for corruption, there are suggestions that Thaksin is stoking up the red shirts simply to serve his own interests and that he is he trying to seek a deal which will see him pardoned and returned to Thailand. Whatever the truth is and whatever happens to Thaksin, there is no sign of any end to Thailand’s deep political divide.
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