| Home > South-East Asia >> Thailand | |
Thailand braces for phone call from ousted PM
Associated Press - November 1, 2008
Ambika Ahuja, Bangkok – Thailand's military and police were on alert Saturday as the country braced for fugitive former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra to speak by telephone at a rally that many fear could spark more political violence.
Thousands of supporters poured into a Bangkok stadium for the seven-hour rally, with the highlight expected to be the phone call from Thaksin in the evening. Thaksin fled to Britain in August.
The rally comes after several recent outbreaks of violence in Thailand's extended political crisis, which remains focused on Thaksin despite his ouster in a 2006 military coup and a criminal conviction last month.
Thaksin remains the country's most influential politician. He is adored by the poor who benefited from his populist policies, but reviled by many of the educated elite in the cities, where his administration was seen as deeply corrupt.
Many people at the rally traveled from the north and northeast, the rural heartland where Thaksin built up a political base during his six years in power.
Several Thai newspapers reported that Thaksin had flown to Hong Kong to be closer to his supporters for the telephone call. The reports could not be immediately confirmed.
Anti-government protesters are seeking to rid Thailand of Thaksin's political legacy. They accuse current Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat, Thaksin's brother-in-law, of being his proxy.
Authorities fear the rally, organized by the pro-government United Front for Democracy Against Dictatorship, could spark trouble between the two sides.
"About 1,000 crowd-control police are deployed at the site and 2,000 more are on standby, ready for reinforcement if we see signs of trouble," said Maj. Gen. Amnuay Nimmano, Bangkok's deputy police chief.
Thai army spokesman Col. Sansern Kaewkumnerd said the military will be on alert to back up the police.
On Thursday, a grenade attack wounded 10 members of the anti-government People's Alliance for Democracy. The attack occurred near the prime minister's office compound, which has been occupied by the alliance since August.
The prime minister has been forced to work out of Bangkok's old international airport.
The Office of the Judiciary says it will monitor Thaksin's address to see if his remarks amount to contempt of court.
The Supreme Court convicted Thaksin on Oct. 21 of violating a conflict of interest law while in office and sentenced him in absentia to two years in prison. Thaksin is now a fugitive, with several arrest warrants against him. Prosecutors plan to seek his extradition.
Newspaper editorials have urged Thaksin not to speak at the rally. "This long-distance address by the ousted prime minister will be a declaration of war," The Nation newspaper said in a Saturday editorial.
On Sept. 2, a street clash between government supporters and opponents left one person dead and several others seriously hurt.
More serious violence occurred Oct. 7, when the anti-government alliance tried to blockade Parliament, and police efforts to disperse them with tear gas led to running street battles. Two people died and more than 400 were injured.
[Associated Press writer Jocelyn Gecker contributed to this report.]
See also:
 |