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Thai PM Abhisit Vejjajiva defies protesters as rally enters second day
Agence France Presse - February 25, 2009
Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva slipped past demonstrators camped outside his office and went to work Wednesday, as protesters determined to unseat his two-month-old government vowed to fight on.
Up to 10,000 supporters of ousted premier Thaksin Shinawatra dressed in their trademark red shirts surrounded Bangkok's Government House compound on Tuesday demanding fresh elections, with many sleeping outside overnight.
Protest leaders have vowed to stay as long as they have to, piling pressure on the young government just days ahead of the key regional Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit, which has already been delayed.
Police said about 2,000 protesters remained outside the heavily-fortified gates of Government House on Wednesday, and Abhisit evaded his foes and entered his offices early under the watch of hundreds of police and soldiers.
"Today the prime minister and I are able to work as normal, thanks to protesters who did not violate the law and also thanks to officials who carried out their work with patience," said deputy premier Suthep Thaugsuban.
"The duration of the protests depends on the protest leaders – they can rally for one month, that is no problem," he said, adding that the government was ready to hold talks with leaders to defuse the situation.
The "Red Shirts" have campaigned against the government since a court dissolved the pro-Thaksin former ruling party in December, paving the way for British-born Abhisit to take power in a parliamentary vote.
As well as calling for the dissolution of parliament, they are demanding Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya resign because of his links to anti-Thaksin group the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD).
They also want the constitution amended and PAD leaders charged for their occupation of Bangkok's two airports late last year, the peak of six months of protests aimed at toppling the pro-Thaksin government elected in December 2007.
"The Red Shirts are not going to negotiate with the government as proposed by Suthep until the government complies with our four demands," said Nattawut Saikuar, one of the protest group's leaders. "Protests will be prolonged."
The Red Shirts plan a splinter protest at the foreign ministry later Wednesday aimed at pressuring Kasit.
Oxford-educated Abhisit, meanwhile, left Government House after his early morning meetings.
Tuesday's rally forced the premier to move his weekly cabinet meeting to the beach resort of Hua Hin, the location of the ASEAN summit, which was originally scheduled for December but delayed after the PAD stormed the airports.
Red Shirt leaders have said they will stay outside Government House for at least three days, but have vowed not to disrupt the Hua Hin summit.
"Although we are supporting the ASEAN summit, we do not support Abhisit as the head of the Thai delegation," said Jakrapob Penkair, another protest leader.
Thailand has endured years of political upheaval rooted in a deep divide between friends and enemies of Thaksin, who was ousted in a 2006 coup and lives in exile to avoid a jail sentence for corruption.
Telecommunications tycoon Thaksin is loathed by elements of the old power cliques in the military, palace and bureaucracy – the core of the PAD's support – who felt threatened by his immense popularity with the rural poor.
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