Bangkok - Thailand's prime minister Thursday said police
would not use force to remove anti-government protesters holed up in
a government compound for two days.
Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej told local media that a
meeting at Government House planned for Saturday would be moved to
another location if the protesters still occupied the compound,
signaling they would wait for them to tire and leave and not force
them out.
Police Thursday offered the protesters free rides home if they
leave the government grounds. Deputy police spokesman Major General
Surapol Thuanthong said more than 100 buses and vans were standing by
to transport them.
Thailand's criminal court has ordered the protesters to disperse
from the compound around Government House and issued arrest warrants
for nine leaders of the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD)
spearheading the demonstrations aimed at toppling the current
administration.
The court issued the nine warrants Wednesday for 'attempted
rebellion' and lesser charges and said they would serve them
Thursday.
But Samak Thursday said police would not break through the crowd
of supporters to arrest the PAD leaders and instead would give them
a chance to surrender to authorities.
Chamlong Srimuang, a PAD leader and retired army general, Thursday
called it a victory they held onto Government House through a tense
Wednesday night of worry police would raid the compound.
Chamlomg said the anti-government protest group took over several
state buildings Tuesday to try to force the administration to resign.
Tens of thousands of PAD supporters seized several government
buildings early Tuesday and held them most of the day until they
converged near the prime minister's compound Tuesday evening where an
estimated 10,000 remained Thursday.
Chamlong said earlier that he and his colleagues would not resist
arrest if police have warrants and added PAD leaders would not allow
supporters to block police from arresting them although he encouraged
those protesters to continue to demonstrate.
He said the protestors want to block the government from amending
the 2007 constitution and to pressure the administration to resign.
Earlier Samak said his government would not be forced from power
because it had been legally elected.
Two years ago PAD organized months of protests against former
prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who was eventually ousted in a
bloodless military coup in September 2006.
The PAD charged Thaksin of massive corruption, dividing the nation
and undermining democracy and the monarchy.
The PAD is now trying to bring down the government of Samak, a
political ally of Thaksin who openly campaigned as a proxy for him.
The PAD has been calling for Samak's resignation since May after
the cabinet approved a motion to amend the 2007 constitution.
Protest leaders charged the amendments are aimed at clearing
Thaksin of corruption charges and paving the way for his return to
power.
Thaksin, a former policeman turned billionaire businessman, was
prime minister from 2001 to 2006, winning a huge following among
Thailand's rural poor.
But the populist politician drew the opposition of the political
elite when his growing power led to perceived abuses for personal
gain.
After spending 17 months in exile in the post-coup period, Thaksin
returned to Thailand in February but fled again this month after his
wife was convicted of tax evasion charges. She skipped bail, and the
couple is now seeking asylum in Britain.
With Thaksin now seeking asylum overseas, the PAD has lost one of
its biggest drawing points, and some analysts said they think the
protests' days are numbered.
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