Anti-government protesters estimated in the hundreds of thousands have joined Sundays rally at the Democracy Monument with organisers still hoping the number will swell to one million. By Sunday afternoon, Ratchdamnoen Avenue, where the Democracy Monument is located, was packed with at least 100,000 people, according to police estimates. Many had come from the provinces, mostly the South, where the opposition Democrat Party has a strong following. Ekkanat Prompan, a spokesman for the Democrat Party-led rally, said more than 400,000 people had joined the protest since Sunday afternoon and the number should increase to one million by the evening. Protest core members have made a million stickers to give to the people who take part in our rally and over 440,000 have already been given out to the public from Sanam Luang to Larn Luang, Mr Ekkanat said. Suthep Thaugsuban, the protest leader and a former Democrat MP, pledged to draw one million anti-government protesters to the venue in the heart of old Bangkok by Sunday night. I arrived yesterday in a convoy of about 40 buses from Krabi province, said Wilawan Kayathan, 53, a Thai Muslim. We want to get Yingluck (Shinawatra) out and bring in a new government. This government is untrustworthy, she said. This country needs rule of law, otherwise society is weak, said Anand Pomsuksan, 49, a factory worker in Samut Prakan province who joined the anti-government rally. I dont like the Democrats either but they are more trustworthy than the Pheu Thai Party. Bangkok governor MR Sukhumbhand Paribatra, also a Democrat member, said the number of anti-government protesters in the vicinity of the Democracy Monument was estimated at about 400,000 as of 3.30pm and continuing to grow. He said there had so far been no reports of untoward incidents. The number of people was expected to be much higher in the night, causing him to worry about traffic, public safety, and patients requiring emergency treatment. For safety reason, the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration has ordered 24 schools in Dusit, Phra Nakhon and Pomprap Sattruphai districts under its jurisdiction closed two days, Nov 25 and 26, MR Sukhumbhand added. Meanwhile, red-shirt supporters have departed in their thousands from their home provinces, mostly the North and Northeast, to join the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD) rally at the Rajamangala Sports Stadium in Bangkoks Hua mark area. In Udon Thani, Kwanchai Praipana, leader of the Rak Udon Group, said buses had been prepared to take the red shirt supporters to Bangkok, but said he was not sure how many of them would be available to join the trip since it is now the rice harvesting season. Red shirts from other northeastern provinces were also heading for Bangkok on Sunday, he said. In Nakhon Ratchasima, Somphot Prasartthai, a red-shirt leader, said no fewer than 3,000 UDD supporters from 32 districts would leave on 25 buses and 20 vans at about 2pm with belongings and enough food supplies for two to three days. Krisna Prombungram, chairman of the Red Lanna Group from eight northern provinces, said at least 10,000 red shirts would join the UDD rally at the Rajamangala Sports Stadium to protect the Pheu Thai-led government. Deputy Commerce Minister Nattawut Saikuar, also a red shirt co-leader, said UDD supporters will not move out of the Rajamangala Sports Stadium for fear of confrontation with opposing groups. He said the Democrat-led protest was only a pawn in the chess game. The people behind it were playing a major role in mounting pressure on the government to eventually bring it down with methods outside the democratic system. The Democrat Party should review its role since it was being used as a tool to destroy democracy, Mr Nattawut said. The Pheu Thai Party came to power after winning the July 2011 general election. Some Pheu Thai party insiders claim that Thaksin Shinawatra, who has been living abroad since 2008 to avoid a two-year jail term for abuse of power, is the main decision-maker in the government, an allegation denied by Prime Minister Yingluck. Although democratically elected, the governments opponents accuse the Pheu Thai administration of using their mandate to further the interests of Thaksin and his associates. Anti-government protests kicked off in Bangkok earlier this month after Pheu Thai tried to push through an amnesty bill that would have pardoned Thaksin and thousands of others involved in abuse of power and corruption cases. youtu.be/jg7enJndzBw
Posted on: Sun, 24 Nov 2013 12:30:43 +0000
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