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Ousted Thai PM Thaksin to address thousands from exile
Agence France Presse - December 13, 2008
Ousted premier Thaksin Shinawatra will address a major rally from exile Saturday as political tensions rise ahead of Monday's crucial vote for a new prime minister, a rally leader told AFP.
The former premier, living in exile to escape corruption charges, will phone in to a packed Bangkok stadium Saturday evening, after his allies in government were forced out by a court ruling that has splintered their coalition. He will use his speech to accuse the army of meddling in Thai politics, said the rally leader.
"Thaksin's speech will concentrate on the current political situation, especially the forming of a new government that the army has got involved in by snatching MPs," said Jatuporn Prompan, a leader of the pro-Thaksin "Truth Today" group.
Thaksin's address will include a recorded message and live telephone conversation with another rally leader Veera Musikapong that will begin at 8pm (1300 GMT) and last about an hour, Jatuporn said.
It will be Thaksin's second public address since leaving Thailand in August. He has since been sentenced in absentia to two years in jail on corruption charges and refuses to confirm where he is living since he was forced to leave Britain in November when his visa was revoked.
Thaksin was ousted in a 2006 coup following months of protests by the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) who took to the streets again this year, accusing the government of acting as his proxy.
After six months of demonstrations that culminated in a blockade of Bangkok's airports that left 350,000 travellers stranded, the PAD finally stood down on December 3 when a court ruling forced premier Somchai Wongsawat from power and dissolved his People Power Party (PPP).
Somchai is Thaksin's brother-in-law. His allies have since regrouped under the newly formed Puea Thai (For Thais) party.
Thai television showed Thaksin's loyal supporters from the country's northeast preparing to travel to Bangkok for the rally on Saturday in their trademark red shirts.
Thaksin's address comes as lawmakers prepare to vote for a new prime minister on Monday in a special parliamentary session that looks likely to oust his allies from power.
The PPP's ruling coalition has unravelled since the court decision, with some of the party's former members defecting to the opposition Democrats along with four smaller parties.
The Puea Thai party says the political manoeuvring is down to intervention by army chief General Anupong Paojinda, who has admitted advising lawmakers on how to best resolve the crisis.
The Democrat party claims to have the support of 260 of the 438 lawmakers for Monday's vote, leaving their leader Abhisit Vejjajiva as the current frontrunner to take the premiership.
But Puea Thai have refused to admit defeat, saying they can still muster the support to form a governing coalition.
On Friday the PAD released their first statement since ending their eight-day seizure of Suvarnabhumi international airport, threatening to resume street protests if a new prime minister is chosen from the former ruling party.
The PAD is backed by elements of the military, palace and establishment, and draws support mainly from the Bangkok elite and middle classes. Thaksin, himself from northern Thailand, is a favourite of poorer, rural Thais, especially in the north and northeast.
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