Thailand’s red-shirted protesters, loyal to ousted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, said they would hold a parade today that would eclipse last week’s street events that drew 65,000 people.
The “Red Shirts” said that, to avoid any attempt to halt their action, they will not announce the parade’s route in advance and instead allow the assembled protesters to decide where to march.
“We ask all Red Shirt people to come here ... and leaders will ask our people on what our next move will be,” Reds leader Nattawut Saikua told reporters at the main rally ground in the government quarter yesterday.
“We have to make a move in order to show our power, because staying put would not be a forceful protest,” he said, adding that the street demonstrations which began on March 14 would remain peaceful.
Thaksin’s supporters were buoyed by last Saturday’s parade which saw a colorful convoy of trucks, cars and motorcycles snake through Bangkok’s teeming streets.
Nattawut said this weekend’s gathering would be bigger but, with grumbles emerging over disruption caused by the rallies, did not repeat organizers’ earlier promises to mount an event that would “shut down” Bangkok.
The Reds, largely from poor northern areas, are pushing for elections to replace the government, which came to power with army backing in a 2008 parliamentary vote after a controversial court ruling removed Thaksin’s allies.
Thaksin, who was ousted in a coup in 2006 and lives in exile to avoid a jail sentence for corruption, regularly addresses his supporters by videolink and on Thursday urged them to intensify pressure on the government.
“I pledge all of you to come out in force and fight peacefully. If they won’t listen to us then we will begin civil disobedience as Gandhi did to win against Britain,” he said.
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