THAILAND: Nearly 50,000 Thai protesters rally in central Bangkok calling for resignation of Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra

Record ID: 565220

  • Title: THAILAND: Nearly 50,000 Thai protesters rally in central Bangkok calling for resignation of Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra
  • Date: 14th February 2006
  • Summary: WIDE OF PROTEST LEADER SONDHI LIMTHONGKUL ON STAGE
  • Embargoed: 1st March 2006 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Thailand
  • Country: Thailand
  • Topics: Domestic Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVA88JRUVDVBXOROEWCBZTUQ0AGJ
  • Story Text: Nearly 50,000 Thai protesters rallied in central Bangkok on Saturday (February 11) demanding Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra to resign.
    Demonstrators from anti-privatisation state workers to urban middle-class and university students marched into the Royal Plaza, a block from Thaksin's Government House and not far from King Bhumibol Adulyadej's palace, defying a police ban to use it as the rally venue.
    Backing away from their claims that the rally would cause traffic jam, police then allowed the rally, but issued tickets for cars and trucks illegally parked in the area and they said they impose fines on those who illegally used loudspeakers.
    "Thaksin, Get Out," demonstrators in yellow bandannas chanted and waved national and monarchy flags as batonless riot police with glass shields looked on.
    The demonstration, which followed the largest anti-government rally in 14 years last weekend that attracted 40,000 people, went ahead, though Thaksin made the charter amendment offer -- which some analysts said was a delaying tactic to mollify detractors.
    "Right now, the way he solves the problem to poor people are not clean but it is more charitable to rich people. Poor people are getting more poor while rich people are being more rich," said a university student Yaowalak Petchakan.
    The prime minister, who won a second landslide election victory a year ago, has seen his popularity wane swiftly among the urban middle-class and academics since his family's legally tax-free sale last month of the telecoms empire he founded.
    The sale of Shin Corp to Singapore state investment company Temasek helped to bring at least 40,000 people to the Royal Plaza in central Bangkok last weekend in the biggest anti-government rally in 14 years.
    The campaign to oust Thaksin was started by friend-turned-foe Sondhi Limthongkul, whose talkshow was taken off state television in September for criticising the government.
    "We have formed the coalition of anti-Thaksin for the democracy and this coalition is real. I will be a member of this coalition as long as Thaksin is the Prime Minister. I will struggle until he quit," said Sondhi Limthongkul.
    A new anti-Thaksin alliance -- a coalition of civic and rights groups called the People's Network for Democracy -- says it will campaign to make the constitution more democratic, nullify the Shin deal and impeach Thaksin on charges of concealing assets illegally.
    Analysts say Thaksin's support in the countryside -- where 70 percent of Thais live -- is still solid, and the prime minister has dismissed his opponents as a "few worthless" people.
    The prime minister urged restraint before Saturday's rally, asking the thousands of Thaksin supporters who were also expected to show up to stay away to avoid any clashes with anti-government protesters.
    Thaksin insists the Shin share sale was legal, and he and his family have done nothing wrong.
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