Anti-government demonstrators shouts slogans at they attend a protest rally outside Government House in Bangkok. (AP photo)
Anti-government demonstrators sit near a giant poster of former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. (AP photo)
Anti-government demonstrators shout slogans against the Thai PM. (AP photo)
Anti-government demonstrators gather for the protest rally in Bangkok. (AP photo) The Times of India
8 Apr 2009
BANGKOK: Tens of thousands of protesters rallied in Bangkok today in their biggest bid yet to topple premier Abhisit Vejjajiva, sparking fears of a violent new twist to
Thailand's political crisis.
Security forces guarded key government locations as supporters of fugitive former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra massed here, one day after activists spiked tensions by attacking Abhisit's car and smashing a window.
Police said around 40,000 red-clad protesters chanting "Bring Thaksin back, Abhisit get out!" had gathered outside Abhisit's office in the capital, where demonstrators have been staging a sit-in for the last two weeks.
"We came here to expel the government," protest leader Nattawut Saikuar told the cheering crowd outside Government House.
"We want to show them that we have more people than ever."
A potential flashpoint appeared to be the protesters' plans to surround the residence of one of the revered king's top advisors, who has been accused by Thaksin of orchestrating the coup that toppled him in 2006.
Soldiers guarded the house of former premier General Prem Tinsulanonda from the early hours of the morning, a reflection of the sensitivities aroused by the role of the monarchy in Thai politics.
"It's time for us to get revenge," one protester said as he headed to Prem's residence.
British-born Abhisit warned the protesters of strong action if there was any violence, and rejected their demands to dissolve his four-month-old government and hold fresh elections.
"The government will act decisively with any provocateurs," he said.
Abhisit said that some protesters wanted to trigger "chaos on the streets", adding that the incident in which his motorcade came under attack showed that there were deliberate efforts to provoke the government.
The government is under extra pressure to keep the peace ahead of a key summit of Asian leaders due to start Friday in the resort town of Pattaya- the place where Abhisit came under attack on Tuesday.
The premier warned earlier this week that the protests risked sparking a civil war, and there has been mounting speculation that the army could try to mount another coup if the unrest continues.
Powerful army chief General Anupong Paojinda confirmed that troops had been deployed inside Prem's residence, but ruled out talk of a putsch against the government.
"No matter how the situation deteriorates, we will abide by the law and use no other extra power," he said.
The so-called "Red Shirts" remain furious about the way Abhisit took power in December, after a court decision that removed billionaire Thaksin's allies from government.
That ruling came after months of protests by rival, yellow-clad protesters claiming allegiance to the monarchy, who occupied Government House and mounted a crippling blockade of Bangkok's airports late last year.
Thaksin, who is living in an undisclosed foreign country to avoid a prison term for corruption, promised that the protests would mark a "historic day for Thailand."
"We will come peacefully but we need as many people as possible to show that the Thai people will not tolerate these politics any more," he said in a speech via videolink to supporters outside Government House late Tuesday.
Major General Suporn Phansua, a spokesman for Bangkok Metropolitan Police, said around 10,000 security forces had been deployed at major sites including Government House and Prem's residence.
The nation remains deeply divided between Thaksin's followers, mainly among the urban and rural poor, and his foes in the traditional power cliques of the palace, military and bureaucracy.
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