Protest songs and flag waving lent a carnival atmosphere yesterday to the crowd of thousands rallying in downtown Bangkok in a final bid to oust Thailand's prime minister ahead of next week's trouble-plagued election.
Buoyed by chants of "Thaksin, get out!" several thousand people demanding Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra's resignation began gathering near the premier's offices as protest organizers handed out fans to ward off the heat.
Tens of thousands more are expected later to join the rally, which security officials say will be the largest protest yet since anti-Thaksin crowds took to the streets early last month.
Wearing yellow headbands that have come to symbolize the anti-Thaksin movement, dozens of protesters stood in line for cups of ice water while a band on a nearby stage blared protest songs describing the struggle against authoritarian rule.
A sign written in English was posted on the fence of Government House, the heart of Thaksin's administration, reading "For Rent."
The crowd waved colorful flags with messages of solidarity for Thailand's revered king, as authorities braced for another night of street demonstrations.
"We have prepared three companies of police so in case of an emergency they can take action," said police General Chidchai Vanasathidya, Thailand's deputy prime minister.
As many as 10,000 police -- more than twice the number posted at previous rallies -- have been mobilized, with another 10,000 officers on standby, officials said.
Special Branch Police estimated up to 100,000 people might gather yesterday night as the People's Alliance for Democracy stages its final rally demanding Thaksin's resignation before next week's polls.
Thaksin called elections for April 2, three years early, in a bid to end the daily demonstrations against him and extricate Thailand from a political deadlock that threatens to push the kingdom into a constitutional crisis.
Advance voting began yesterday for those who can not make it to the polls in April. The main opposition Democrat party has said it will boycott the election, further deepening the political uncertainty.
At a separate rally on Friday night, the Democrats urged Thaksin and his Cabinet to quit and ask King Bhumibol Adulyadej to appoint an interim premier.
A US YouTuber who caused outrage for filming himself kissing a statue commemorating Korean wartime sex slaves has been sentenced to six months in prison, a court in Seoul said yesterday. Johnny Somali, 25, gained notoriety several years ago for recording himself doing a series of provocative stunts in South Korea and Japan, and streaming them on platforms such as YouTube and Twitch. South Korean authorities indicted Somali — whose real name is Ramsey Khalid Ismael — in 2024 on public order violations and obstruction of business, and banned him from leaving the country. “The court has sentenced him to six months in
Former Lima mayor Rafael Lopez Aliaga, a Peruvian presidential hopeful, gathered hundreds of supporters in Lima on Tuesday and gave authorities 24 hours to annul the first round of the country’s election over allegations of fraud. Lopez Aliaga is locked in a tight three-way race with two other candidates for second place in Sunday’s vote. The election runner-up wins a ticket to June’s presidential run-off against front-runner Keiko Fujimori. “I am giving them 24 hours to declare this electoral fraud null and void,” said Lopez Aliaga, surrounded by a crowd of several hundred supporters. “If it is not declared null and void tomorrow,
PAPAL RETORT: Pope Leo told reporters that he has ‘no fear, neither of the Trump administration nor speaking out loudly about the message of the Gospel’ US President Donald Trump has feuded with Pope Leo XIV over the Iran conflict — setting off an unholy row that could have serious political implications for the Republican leader back in the US. Trump has drawn barbs even from some allies over the attacks on the US-born pontiff, who has criticized the Trump administration over its immigration crackdown, the intervention in Venezuela and the Iran war. The president risks alienating the religious right in November’s crucial US midterm elections. So far the unprecedented clash between the leader of the most powerful military on Earth and the head of the world’s 1.4 billion
A 16-year-old boy has been charged with murder and aggravated sexual abuse in Florida in the death of his 18-year-old stepsister on a Carnival Cruise ship, the US Department of Justice said on Monday. Timothy Hudson was initially charged in February and subsequently indicted on March 10, but the breadth of the case was not known until a seal was lifted on Friday last week, weeks after US District Judge Beth Bloom in Miami said that he would be prosecuted as an adult at the request of the government. Anna Kepner had been traveling on the Carnival Horizon ship in November last
RSS