Yingluck Shinawatra's government opens doors to protesters in bid to defuse tension ahead of Thailand king's birthday
In a surreal turn of events amid a week of simmering political tensions, Thai police swapped teargas and water cannons for hugs and red roses on Tuesday in the capital, Bangkok, after the embattled government opened up its doors to protesters in a possible truce after days of fighting left at least five dead and hundreds more injured.
The largely tactical move was seen as an attempt to defuse political tensions ahead of King Bhumibol Adulyadej's 86th birthday on Thursday. But protest leaders said that a truce was only temporary, and that fighting would carry on "as long as it takes" until Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra's government is ousted from power.
After a night of fighting between anti-government demonstrators and police in which rubbish trucks and bulldozers rammed into barriers and fireworks and rockets were fired at police, the on Tuesdaymood yesterday, in turn, was jubilant. Police stood down and dismantled barriers and razor wire, resulting in protesters wandering freely among previously secured buildings and snacking on the lawn of the prime minister's offices. Policemen handed out red roses, posed for photos and sang love songs on ukuleles, while others snoozed in the shade. "We're done here," one policeman said with a smile. "We're going home."
Suthep Thaugsuban, the organiser behind the protests that have rocked Bangkok for more than a week, called this only a "partial victory".
"You cannot go back home yet," he told protesters at a rally. "We must continue our struggle."
Suthep, along with his Civil Movement for Democracy, aims to remove Yingluck's democratically elected government and install a "people's council" of unelected representatives, with the king – seen as the single unifying force in the country – serving as head of state.
Protesters view Yingluck as a puppet of her brother, Thaksin Shinawatra, the former PM who was ousted in 2006 from his post in a military coup. He now lives in Dubai in self-imposed exile to avoid a corruption conviction which he claims is politically motivated.
Angered by an amnesty bill which would have allowed Thaksin to return and quashed his corruption conviction, protesters rallied in their thousands to call for an end to the "Thaksin regime", although their numbers have dwindled as the days have worn on.
Suthep, a former lawmaker in the opposition Democrat party who served as deputy premier in the last government, has planned further rallies on Wednesday and told the Guardian that full demonstrations would resume after the king's birthday, only ending "when we reach our goals".
"This isn't about political parties, it's about the people," he said. "The ultimate goal is to rid the Thaksin regime completely from Thailand."
Yingluck has offered to negotiate several times. On Tuesday said she hoped "all sides" would come together for talks.
However, Suthep has said that his movement will not stand for any negotiation. Nor will it abide by a dissolution of parliament, any form of coalition, or a new appointment, vetted by Yingluck and approved by the protesters, for prime minister, Suthep added.
His reasons for an unelected people's council formed of "good people", he said, were clear. "From a western point of view, 'democracy' is an elected government serving as the people's representative. Unfortunately, elections in Thailand do not represent people's [real] choices because their votes are bought."
It is unclear just what will happen next, with rumours circling of army involvement in the crisis, and many waiting for the king's expected speech on Wednesday for any insinuation of political unity or strategy.
Still, analysts claim Suthep's brazen lack of negotiation could spell disaster for Thailand's fragile democracy, putting it at potential risk of total upheaval.
"If he succeeds in his plans [to oust Yingluck], we will see huge turmoil in Thailand," says political scientist Thitinan Pongsudhirak of the Thai Institute of Security and International Studies. "When he refers to the 'people', he is not talking about the 67 million people in Thailand or the eligible voters among them. He's talking about a lot of people in Bangkok, and some in the south; so this is a big problem. If he somehow succeeds with this people's council, we will see a backlash." Reported by guardian.co.uk 7 hours ago.
In a surreal turn of events amid a week of simmering political tensions, Thai police swapped teargas and water cannons for hugs and red roses on Tuesday in the capital, Bangkok, after the embattled government opened up its doors to protesters in a possible truce after days of fighting left at least five dead and hundreds more injured.
The largely tactical move was seen as an attempt to defuse political tensions ahead of King Bhumibol Adulyadej's 86th birthday on Thursday. But protest leaders said that a truce was only temporary, and that fighting would carry on "as long as it takes" until Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra's government is ousted from power.
After a night of fighting between anti-government demonstrators and police in which rubbish trucks and bulldozers rammed into barriers and fireworks and rockets were fired at police, the on Tuesdaymood yesterday, in turn, was jubilant. Police stood down and dismantled barriers and razor wire, resulting in protesters wandering freely among previously secured buildings and snacking on the lawn of the prime minister's offices. Policemen handed out red roses, posed for photos and sang love songs on ukuleles, while others snoozed in the shade. "We're done here," one policeman said with a smile. "We're going home."
Suthep Thaugsuban, the organiser behind the protests that have rocked Bangkok for more than a week, called this only a "partial victory".
"You cannot go back home yet," he told protesters at a rally. "We must continue our struggle."
Suthep, along with his Civil Movement for Democracy, aims to remove Yingluck's democratically elected government and install a "people's council" of unelected representatives, with the king – seen as the single unifying force in the country – serving as head of state.
Protesters view Yingluck as a puppet of her brother, Thaksin Shinawatra, the former PM who was ousted in 2006 from his post in a military coup. He now lives in Dubai in self-imposed exile to avoid a corruption conviction which he claims is politically motivated.
Angered by an amnesty bill which would have allowed Thaksin to return and quashed his corruption conviction, protesters rallied in their thousands to call for an end to the "Thaksin regime", although their numbers have dwindled as the days have worn on.
Suthep, a former lawmaker in the opposition Democrat party who served as deputy premier in the last government, has planned further rallies on Wednesday and told the Guardian that full demonstrations would resume after the king's birthday, only ending "when we reach our goals".
"This isn't about political parties, it's about the people," he said. "The ultimate goal is to rid the Thaksin regime completely from Thailand."
Yingluck has offered to negotiate several times. On Tuesday said she hoped "all sides" would come together for talks.
However, Suthep has said that his movement will not stand for any negotiation. Nor will it abide by a dissolution of parliament, any form of coalition, or a new appointment, vetted by Yingluck and approved by the protesters, for prime minister, Suthep added.
His reasons for an unelected people's council formed of "good people", he said, were clear. "From a western point of view, 'democracy' is an elected government serving as the people's representative. Unfortunately, elections in Thailand do not represent people's [real] choices because their votes are bought."
It is unclear just what will happen next, with rumours circling of army involvement in the crisis, and many waiting for the king's expected speech on Wednesday for any insinuation of political unity or strategy.
Still, analysts claim Suthep's brazen lack of negotiation could spell disaster for Thailand's fragile democracy, putting it at potential risk of total upheaval.
"If he succeeds in his plans [to oust Yingluck], we will see huge turmoil in Thailand," says political scientist Thitinan Pongsudhirak of the Thai Institute of Security and International Studies. "When he refers to the 'people', he is not talking about the 67 million people in Thailand or the eligible voters among them. He's talking about a lot of people in Bangkok, and some in the south; so this is a big problem. If he somehow succeeds with this people's council, we will see a backlash." Reported by guardian.co.uk 7 hours ago.