PHUKET: A breakaway group of about 200 anti-government protesters politely occupied Phuket's main tax office today to slash the supply of cash to Bangkok.
Leader of the Rebels Love Phuket group, Surathin Lien Udom, negotiated with staff at the Revenue Department's Phuket office and agreed that the occupation would be reviewed in a week's time.
Meanwhile, he said, the group plans to make the space outside the tax office in Phuket City their rally base, setting up a stage and a large projection screen.
Another more conservative group of protesters already occupies space outside Phuket Provincial Hall, which is also in Phuket City.
Both groups support the Bangkok ''Shutdown Bangkok, Restart Thailand'' campaign by People's Democratic Reform Committee to topple the government of Yingluck Shinawatra.
''We don't want any revenue from Phuket going to help the government,'' Khun Surathin said. ''The sooner the government stands aside, the better.''
He said the group had raised 643,307.50 baht in donations around Phuket for the anti-government protesters. Many of the protesters in Bangkok are from Phuket and other southern provinces, where 28 electorates failed to take votes during the national election on February 2.
Observers believe physical conflict will be inevitable if the government tries to hold by-elections across the south using an extension of the Emergency Decree which now applies in and around Thailand's capital.
Leader of the Rebels Love Phuket group, Surathin Lien Udom, negotiated with staff at the Revenue Department's Phuket office and agreed that the occupation would be reviewed in a week's time.
Meanwhile, he said, the group plans to make the space outside the tax office in Phuket City their rally base, setting up a stage and a large projection screen.
Another more conservative group of protesters already occupies space outside Phuket Provincial Hall, which is also in Phuket City.
Both groups support the Bangkok ''Shutdown Bangkok, Restart Thailand'' campaign by People's Democratic Reform Committee to topple the government of Yingluck Shinawatra.
''We don't want any revenue from Phuket going to help the government,'' Khun Surathin said. ''The sooner the government stands aside, the better.''
He said the group had raised 643,307.50 baht in donations around Phuket for the anti-government protesters. Many of the protesters in Bangkok are from Phuket and other southern provinces, where 28 electorates failed to take votes during the national election on February 2.
Observers believe physical conflict will be inevitable if the government tries to hold by-elections across the south using an extension of the Emergency Decree which now applies in and around Thailand's capital.
Apparently the protestors have not yet been introduced to the computer age...tax payments and transfers are done electronically these days.... ;-)
Posted by Sailor on February 10, 2014 11:42