Police held back thousands of protesters attempting yesterday to punch through a cordon around Thailand’s seat of government, which the demonstrators vowed to peacefully besiege until the prime minister resigns.
A protest leader, Chamlong Srimuang, said some 10,000 demonstrators were converging on Government House in Bangkok but their numbers could not be independently verified.
The protesters, most of them gathered at a major intersection, were within sight of Government House, but police equipped with large trucks, tear gas and water cannons threw a tight ring around the compound.
PHOTO: EPA
The demonstrators, spearheaded by the People’s Alliance for Democracy movement, claimed that Thai Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej’s government is a proxy for former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who was ousted in a 2006 military coup.
One group of nearly 1,000 protesters broke through a line of about 200 police officers at barricades, but were stopped by other security forces.
Another group of several thousand pushed against a cordon of police who were armed with shields and clubs.
Reporters saw about a dozen protesters sustain minor injuries during the scuffles. But elsewhere, an almost festive atmosphere prevailed as protesters — many of them from Bangkok’s middle class — waved, cheered and chatted with security officials.
Police spokesman Major General Surapol Tuanthong said about 5,000 police were deployed to block roads and prevent “the mob” from getting near Government House, a compound of ornate buildings from the 1920s set on 4.5 hectares of land.
Samak himself was not expected at Government House yesterday. He and all his ministers, as well as other government officials who normally work in the building, were on leave or posted at other locations.
Samak, an avid cook, was scheduled to travel to a nearby province to whip up food for students in a school nutrition program, while the confrontation escalated in the heart of Bangkok with protesters squaring off against police and pro-government activists.
Government spokesman Wichianchote Sukchotrat said schools and government offices near Government House were ordered to close yesterday for safety reasons and “to allow police to work smoothly.”
The demonstrators — claiming their ranks would swell to 100,000 as reinforcements converged from across the country — have been in Bangkok’s streets for the past three weeks.
The alliance led massive demonstrations before the 2006 coup demanding Thaksin step down for alleged corruption and abuse of power.
They have recently accused Samak’s government of interfering with corruption charges against the former prime minister and trying to change the Constitution for its own self-interest.
Thailand’s revered King Bhumibol Adulyadej met Samak on Thursday in an apparent attempt to defuse political tensions.
The king urged Samak to keep his pledges to do good for the nation, but was not critical of his government.
The protesters have repeatedly asserted they are defending royal interests.
One of the military’s justifications for its 2006 takeover was a claim that Thaksin had not shown proper respect for the monarchy.
“I expect that you will do what you have promised and when you can do that, you will be satisfied,” the king told Samak.
“With that satisfaction, the country will survive. I ask you to do good in everything, both in government work and other work, so that our country can carry on and people will be pleased,’’ the king said.
Samak’s People’s Power Party won general elections in December.
His Cabinet is packed with Thaksin’s allies, and critics say rehabilitating the former leader is among the government’s top priorities.
This time around, the military has repeatedly said it would stay out of the political fray, with senior commanders trying to quash rumors of another coup.
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