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| By Manager Online | 3 April 2010 13:28 |
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by Anusak Konglang, April 3, 2010
BANGKOK (AFP) - Tens of thousands of red-shirted protesters loyal to ousted Thai premier Thaksin Shinawatra mounted another mass rally in Bangkok Saturday, refusing to back down in their bid to topple the government.
The military has mounted a heavy security response involving 50,000 personnel for the three weeks of protests against embattled British-born Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva.
Police estimated the initial turnout for the latest demonstration in the capital's old quarter at 45,000.
Oxford-educated Abhisit has offered to hold elections a year early, at the end of 2010. But the Red Shirts, who accuse the government of being elitist and army-backed, want polls even sooner.
"We do not accept Prime Minister Abhisit's holding on to power for nine months," Reds leader Korkaew Pikulthong told protesters.
The Reds, who argue that Abhisit has no popular mandate to rule, have said the latest gathering will be the biggest since the rallies began with more than 100,000 protesters on March 14.
But authorities expected many rural Reds to stay away as the Songkran water festival, which celebrates the traditional Thai new year, approaches on April 13-15.
Last Saturday 80,000 jubilant red-shirted protesters chased troops from positions including the city's zoo and Buddhist temples.
Abhisit said Friday he was still open to further talks with protesters, but on the condition they do not intimidate other groups.
The Reds have staged a series of dramatic stunts to press their demands, including throwing their own blood at Abhisit's offices.
Hailing mainly from the rural poor north, they seek the return of the twice-elected Thaksin, a former telecoms tycoon who was ousted in a 2006 coup.
Thaksin, who lives abroad to avoid a jail term for graft at home, has sought to mobilise his supporters with a series of impassioned speeches by videolink.
The Reds say Abhisit's government is undemocratic because it came to power through a parliamentary vote after a court ruling removed Thaksin's allies from power.
While the red-shirted demonstrations have been peaceful, a series of small explosions have hit politically significant sites and army buildings, injuring more than a dozen people in the past week.
Since the coup in 2006, Thailand has been wracked by a string of protests by the Red Shirts and their rival Yellow Shirts, whose campaign in 2008 led to a crippling nine-day blockade of the country's airports.
The Red Shirts rioted in Bangkok in April last year, leaving two dead and scores injured.
The Reds mainly represent Thailand's rural poor, who benefited from Thaksin's populist policies.
Dozens of countries have issued travel advisories for Thailand because of the protests, raising fears for the country's vital tourism sector.
Asian tourists are particularly sensitive to security and many have cancelled trips for this month's famed Songkran festival, which usually attracts thousands of foreign visitors, according to industry officials.
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