PHUKET: Thailand mass protest leader Suthep Thaugsuban has set Monday, January 13 as the date on which opponents of the government will ''close down Bangkok.'' Announcement of the date is likely to bring tourism cancellations and travel warnings.
Khun Suthep said on television this evening that he will walk the roads of the capital and enlist supporters as he goes. ''Please get ready,'' he said. ''Pack your bags to join me. We are going to shut down Bangkok.''
Rallies will begin on January 5 with various sites targetted, he said. Water and power would be cut off in the leadup to the January 13 shutdown showdown from 9am. Twenty stages would be set up at Bangkok intersections, Khun Suthep said.
The move is seen as the toughest test yet for caretaker Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra who has called a national election for Thailand on February 2. Khun Yingluck has promised reforms after the poll, which she and the ruling Pheu Thai party could expect to win comfortably.
However, Khun Suthep also wants Khun Yingluck and her powerful brother, former PM Thaksin Shinawatra, barred from politics in Thailand.
One side argues that democracy comes with a government elected by a majority while the other side says the Shinawatra family has corrupted the entire system over the past eight years and a fresh start must create a new democracy.
Over two months the protests in Bangkok and Thailand's provinces have been growing with deaths and injuries coming as the standoff becomes more intense.
Thaksin, once an immensely powerful figure, still wields massive influence but faces arrest and jail for an outstanding corruption conviction if he returns to Thailand.
Provinces are also being asked to help organise the January 13 shutdown showdown and Phuket is considered to be one of the key power bases for the protest movement. All 14 southern provinces are likely to be sending citizens north to Bangkok as the protest swells.
Although Thailand's tourism has been free from mass cancellations through two months of protests, the likelihood is that with Bangkok facing shutdown, visitors will aim to go elsewhere.
Phuket is fortunate in that direct flights arrive in large numbers on the holiday island. Protests have been low key compared to Bangkok.
While Phuket airport was shutdown in 2008 as a prelude to the extended occupation of Bangkok's two international airports, further airport invasions are considered unlikely.
Khun Suthep said on television this evening that he will walk the roads of the capital and enlist supporters as he goes. ''Please get ready,'' he said. ''Pack your bags to join me. We are going to shut down Bangkok.''
Rallies will begin on January 5 with various sites targetted, he said. Water and power would be cut off in the leadup to the January 13 shutdown showdown from 9am. Twenty stages would be set up at Bangkok intersections, Khun Suthep said.
The move is seen as the toughest test yet for caretaker Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra who has called a national election for Thailand on February 2. Khun Yingluck has promised reforms after the poll, which she and the ruling Pheu Thai party could expect to win comfortably.
However, Khun Suthep also wants Khun Yingluck and her powerful brother, former PM Thaksin Shinawatra, barred from politics in Thailand.
One side argues that democracy comes with a government elected by a majority while the other side says the Shinawatra family has corrupted the entire system over the past eight years and a fresh start must create a new democracy.
Over two months the protests in Bangkok and Thailand's provinces have been growing with deaths and injuries coming as the standoff becomes more intense.
Thaksin, once an immensely powerful figure, still wields massive influence but faces arrest and jail for an outstanding corruption conviction if he returns to Thailand.
Provinces are also being asked to help organise the January 13 shutdown showdown and Phuket is considered to be one of the key power bases for the protest movement. All 14 southern provinces are likely to be sending citizens north to Bangkok as the protest swells.
Although Thailand's tourism has been free from mass cancellations through two months of protests, the likelihood is that with Bangkok facing shutdown, visitors will aim to go elsewhere.
Phuket is fortunate in that direct flights arrive in large numbers on the holiday island. Protests have been low key compared to Bangkok.
While Phuket airport was shutdown in 2008 as a prelude to the extended occupation of Bangkok's two international airports, further airport invasions are considered unlikely.
One side argues democracy comes from the election of a government by the majority and the rest of the free world and it's press seem to agree with this version of democracy but no doubt you'll have a rant Miss ED as is your democratic right for now
Posted by Scunner on January 2, 2014 10:08
Editor Comment:
Making assumptions is a hallmark of the ignorant, Scunner, and you make a lot of assumptions. The values that underpin a democracy are what's important. Those who are elected must govern for everyone. Democracy for the benefit of a few is no different to North Korea.