Thai Police Vow To Arrest Government Protesters

Bangkok — Thai police said yesterday that they would arrest the leaders of demonstrations seeking the overthrow of the government after the prime minister’s residence in Bangkok was occupied for a second day.Protests by the same nationalist group in 2006 were used by the army as a pretext to oust Thaksin Shinawatra, the then prime minister, and “restore order.” But this time the military has said that it would not intervene.About 2,000 riot police surrounded Government House — the prime minister’s residence — and the interior minister entered the compound to negotiate with leaders.Brief scuffles were reported but Samak Sundaravej, who became prime minister six months ago, has pledged to negotiate an end to the crisis.Police said they planned to arrest nine leaders of the People’s Alliance for Democracy, which organized the protests.They will be charged with insurrection, which is the legal equivalent of treason and carries a maximum penalty of death or life imprisonment. No one is known to have been executed for at least 30 years on the charge.Despite calling themselves the People’s Alliance for Democracy, the protesters want to replace elected politicians with legislators appointed by the bureaucracy and the army.On Tuesday, 85 people were arrested after they occupied the offices of the state broadcaster.Sondhi Limthongkul, another PAD leader, described the events as the “final showdown” that will topple the government of Mr. Samak, an ally of Mr. Thaksin.Mr. Thaksin, who bought Manchester City football club last year, fled Thailand last month and is seeking asylum in Britain. In Thailand he faces a raft of corruption allegations relating to his time in office and could be jailed if he returns.Mr. Samak’s close links to Mr. Thaksin mean that he is also unacceptable to the PAD and its supporters.Mr. Samak told a hastily arranged meeting of foreign journalists, “They want bloodshed in the country, they want the military to come out and stage a coup again,” he said. “I will not resign, I will stay to protect this country.”Thitinan Pongsudhirak, a political scientist at Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, said that recently elected governments had threatened the status of the traditional royalist and military elite.“The PAD is the spearhead of a conservative alliance that wants to stop this,” he said.

Thai Police Vow To Arrest Government Protesters

Thai Police Vow To Arrest Government Protesters

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