Anti-government rallies continue in Bangkok

Over 100,000 protestors have descended on Bangkok in a bid to bring down Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva's 15-month-old government.

The protestors, who stand out in their red T-shirts, are staunch supporters of former leader, Thaksin Shinawatra, who was ousted in a 2006 coup and has been living in exile to avoid a two-year jail term for corruption.

His populist policies while he was in office earned him long-lasting support among Thailand’s poor and working class.

Mr Anand, who did not want to give his full name, was keen for him to return to politics: "The people want Thaksin to come back to Thailand because he helped poor people all over the country. Not like this government which doesn’t help the poor. This government only helps the rich."

However, Thailand’s urban middle classes say Thaksin is guilty of corruption and abuse of power. They criticize his government's open attacks on the media and accuse him of human rights abuse during a crackdown on drugs that left over 3,000 people dead.

Fears of violence

There have been fears that this week’s protests, led by the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD), could erupt into violence. They are the largest rallies since April last year, which ended when violence broke out and the government declared a state of emergency.

Jaran Ditthapichai, one of the organizers, said both sides were aware of the consequences violence would have. "If the government decides to disperse the protests violently, there will be violence. But we will not start because we know if we do we will lose. During the past two days, all the Red Shirts have been able to pass checkpoints easily because the government does not want to use violent means."

Although there was an isolated incident of violence late on Monday when two soldiers at a military base on the outskirts of Bangkok were injured as grenades were hurled from a passing vehicle, the situation has been generally calm. The government said it had made some arrests in connection with the attack.

Government will do its "best" to ensure safety

Over 35,000 police and military officers have been deployed to oversee general security during the rallies. Government spokesman Panitan Wattanayagorn said that they were doing their “best”.

"Of course, none of us knows the future but we are quite certain that with the measures that we have put in place we will be able to manage the security, peace and safety of all people living in Thailand. We will contain those small numbers of people using violence during the demonstrations."

Prime Minister Abhisit said on Monday that the dissolution of the parliament was only one of several solutions that could avoid a serious political crisis or resolve the conflict in the parliament. However, he also conceded the current political conflict was moving beyond him and his government.

A joint sitting of parliament has been scheduled for Tuesday.

Author: Ron Corben (Bangkok)
Editor: Anne Thomas