PHUKET: Protesters in Bangkok have shut down Thailand's capital and are now threatening to halt the Stock Exchange of Thailand from Wednesday unless Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra resigns.
The protesters - not from a group under the leadership of Suthep Thaugsuban - said they would also aim to close the aerial traffic controls over Bangkok, one of the world's busiest capitals.
The stock exchange was continuing to trade today but many government offices and schools have either closed in advance of the protest or opted to close when confronted by demonstrators this morning.
Prime Minister Yingluck and her brother Thaksin are accused of taking corruption and nepotism to new levels in Thailand and the protesters are seeking to have the Shinawatras barred from Thai politics.
Thaksin, a former PM and now a fugitive overseas, will face a two-year jail term if he returns to Thailand.
An attempt to grant him and others an amnesty under a new law is what led in November to street protests culminating in today's massive central Bangkok rally.
Suthep told a rally on Sunday that he refused to negotiate or compromise. ''The only thing that we the people want is to get rid of [the] Thaksin regime from Thailand,'' Suthep said.
''We'll either win or lose in this battle. There's no draw.'' A well-known monk, Luangpu Puttha Issara, was among the crowd at today's Bangkok protest.
On Phuket, a smaller rally was underway with hundreds of protesters streaming in to the Phuket Provincial Hall grounds in Phuket City today to ask government administrative workers to down tools and join them.
The protesters - not from a group under the leadership of Suthep Thaugsuban - said they would also aim to close the aerial traffic controls over Bangkok, one of the world's busiest capitals.
The stock exchange was continuing to trade today but many government offices and schools have either closed in advance of the protest or opted to close when confronted by demonstrators this morning.
Prime Minister Yingluck and her brother Thaksin are accused of taking corruption and nepotism to new levels in Thailand and the protesters are seeking to have the Shinawatras barred from Thai politics.
Thaksin, a former PM and now a fugitive overseas, will face a two-year jail term if he returns to Thailand.
An attempt to grant him and others an amnesty under a new law is what led in November to street protests culminating in today's massive central Bangkok rally.
Suthep told a rally on Sunday that he refused to negotiate or compromise. ''The only thing that we the people want is to get rid of [the] Thaksin regime from Thailand,'' Suthep said.
''We'll either win or lose in this battle. There's no draw.'' A well-known monk, Luangpu Puttha Issara, was among the crowd at today's Bangkok protest.
On Phuket, a smaller rally was underway with hundreds of protesters streaming in to the Phuket Provincial Hall grounds in Phuket City today to ask government administrative workers to down tools and join them.
now i have heard it all ...a monk joining protesters? ...politics is not a monks business ....
Posted by chris on January 13, 2014 12:32