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Sunday February 26, 2:22 PMTens of thousands to demand Thai PM quit at rally despite house dissolution
Thaksin's decision Friday to dissolve parliament and hold snap elections three years early in April failed to appease the protest organisers, who have instead vowed to continue pushing for the premier to step down. "The root cause of the problem is Thaksin himself. He must quit unconditionally," said Suriyasai Katasila, spokesman for the People's Alliance for Democracy, which is made up of a variety of anti-Thaksin groups. Analysts see Thaksin's decision to call early elections as a shrewd political maneuver that will likely give the business magnate turned politician a fresh mandate to build on his landslide election victory last year. Suriyasai denounced the decision to hold new elections and urged voters to boycott the April 2 polls. "The People's Alliance for Democracy is calling for everybody to reject this election," he said. "The election will even lead to more chaos in forming government... Thaksin dissolved parliament just to conceal his faults and escape his wrongdoing. The anti-Thaksin movement gained momentum over his family's 1.9 billion dollar tax-free sale of stocks in Shin Corp -- the telecoms giant he founded before entering politics -- to foreign investors in January. The Alliance mobilised 50,000 people for a February 4-5 rally in Bangkok in the biggest anti-government protest since Thaksin took office in 2001. A week later, 20,000 people gathered in the capital. Suriyasai said he expected as many 100,000 people to turn out Sunday as opposition politicians join a wide cross section of Thaksin critics, from student unions to anti-privatisation advocates intent on unseating the premier. Government authorities admit Sunday's rally could be larger than previous demonstrations and have warned rally organisers to police their own protesters amid fears of violence. "The police asked the People's Alliance for Democracy to prepare and supervise its own protesters and implement clear communications during the rally," said Lieutenant General Nawin Singhaphalin, deputy National Police Chief for Special Affairs. Some 4,700 unarmed police officers will be mobilised for Sunday's demonstration, with another 1,200 on standby, officials said, adding that fire engines will be deployed to key government facilities. One police source who did not want to be named said authorities were concerned over more militant Thaksin opponents who have joined the Alliance, including Chamlong Srimuang, who led bloody demonstrations in 1992 against the military-backed government in which at least 52 people were killed. Chamlong has vowed to continue demonstrating until his former political protege steps down. "Police will closely monitor Chamlong's movements since he is the key factor on the ground," the source said. "He set the condition that he will not give up if Thaksin does not quit... he may employ new tactics to put more pressure to government." |
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