Protesters scale the fence outside Thailand's Government House Tuesday in Bangkok.
BANGKOK — Thousands of anti-government protesters besieged government offices in Bangkok on Tuesday and entered the grounds of the prime minister's office in some of the most aggressive actions in months of street demonstrations.
The organizers of the protest called it their "final war" in their effort to oust the government of Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej, whom they accuse of being a proxy for former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra.
An estimated 30,000 protesters gathered outside several government ministries and briefly shut down a pro-government television station. As they entered the compound of the prime minister’s office, Mr. Samak moved a scheduled cabinet meeting to the country’s military headquarters.
Continuing protests by the same group, the People’s Alliance for Democracy, weakened Mr. Thaksin before he was ousted in a military coup in September 2006.
He fled abroad but returned to Thailand in February. Ten days ago he fled again, to London from Beijing, where he was attending the Olympic Games, to evade court dates for corruption cases in Thailand. He and his wife Pojaman are reported to have asked for political asylum in Britain.
Although it was unclear what their exact motives were, the demonstrators appeared to be seeking to create a chaotic situation that could provoke the army to intervene with strong military action.
The army commander, Gen. Anupong Paochinda, however, said that the military would stay away from the demonstrations. “The army will not launch a coup,” he said. "The people can be assured.” He said it was the police’s role to control the demonstrations.
Mr. Samak said he had placed the police under the direct command of the interior minister, Police General Kowit Wattana, but stopped short of declaring a state of emergency.
He struck a defiant tone, saying: "I will stay to protect the country and I will not step back. I am not afraid of these people."
He added: "The government’s endurance has come to an end. The government has been patient and gentle all the time. I would like to tell the people who are out there, if you don’t want yourself or your family to be in trouble, please go home."
Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/27/world/asia/27thai.html?em
P.S. Can you see the stormy skies above the protestors? I see a storm brewing, and seriously doubt that there is a silver lining behind those clouds. ............Arsenio
