Standoff continue in Thai capital, arrest warrants awaited for protest leaders

Source: Xinhua | 08-27-2008 18:39

BANGKOK, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- The standoff between anti-government protesters led by the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) and the Bangkok continued on Wednesday, while a court deliberated on a police petition for issuing arrest warrants to nine PAD leaders.

The police were still trying to negotiate the protesters out of the Government House compound, which has been occupied by thousands of PAD protesters since Tuesday afternoon, but produced no evident results by now.

It is not clear whether the police, including more than 2,000 anti-riot police on stand-by at the compound, would use force to disperse the protesters as they were assigned by the Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej to "bring law and order back to the capital on Tuesday."

Samak warned that the government would not extend its tolerance to PAD protesters, who on Tuesday climaxed their one-month long anti-government besiege by seizing a state-run TV station, blocking main roads linking Bangkok to upcountry, and breaking into various government institutions including Government House compound, ministries' offices and the Bangkok Metropolitan Police Bureau, in a showdown effort to force the step-down of the Samak government, if they did not move out of the compound.

The police earlier said they would clear the protesters out of the compound to enable normal operation of the Government House on Wednesday, but the PAD rally continued by press time.

Meanwhile, the police has petitioned the Criminal Court to issue arrest warrants for nine PAD leaders.

The police has submitted evidence, including video footage, showing how PAD supporters intruded key state establishments on Tuesday.

The accused include the five core leaders -- Sondhi Limthongkul,Piphop Thongchai, retired Maj. Gen. Chamlong Srimuang, Somsak Kosaisuk, Somkiat Pongpaiboon, and PAD coordinator Suriyasai Katasila, as well as three other activist leaders -- Chiwat Sinsuwong, Amorn Amornrattananond and Terdphoom Jaidee.

The nine were charged with severe offences including rebellion, rebellious attempt, organizing a gathering of 10 or more people to cause a public disturbance and refusing to obey police orders.

The PAD core leaders remain defiant, vowing they will not surrender to the police.

But they has named a list of successors to carry on the protests in case of their arrests.

The successors include Sawit Kaewwan, a union leader for state enterprises, Sirichai Maingam, leader of the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand Union, and Samran Rodphet, former member of the National Legislative Assembly.

Meanwhile, the Prime Minister's Office has also petitioned the Civil Court to grant an immediate injunction ordering the PAD to move out of the Government House compound.

A few protesters were slightly injured during small clashes with the police on Tuesday and sent to hospital according to deputy national police spokesman Maj-Gen. Surapol Tuanthong.

Surapol also reaffirmed that the police have no intention to use force to disperse the protesters.

The PAD launched mass street protests from May 25 with the aim to topple the current coalition government led by Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej, which the PAD has labeled as a proxy of coup-ousted premier Thaksin Shinawatra, the PAD's consistent enemy.

In a survey by Bangkok University released on Wednesday, more than 70 percent of interviewees disagreed with the PAD's actions on Tuesday.

The survey, which questioned 1,023 adult residents in Bangkok on Tuesday, showed 72.6 percent of respondents disagreed with PAD's blocking of the roads linking Bangkok to other provinces, while about 70 percent disagreed with the group's breaking into the state-run TV station NBT and disrupting its broadcasting on early Tuesday. About 68.2 percent disagreed with the PAD's move to besiege the Government House and state institutions.

Some 42.8 percent said the government should take legal action against the PAD core leaders while 31.7 percent disagreed, according to the poll.

Almost half of the respondents said the government should not impose an emergency degree in the capital to quell the unrest while 27.6 percent said it should.

Almost 52 percent want soldiers to join hands with police forces to control the situation while 38.4 percent want them to remain neutral. About 4.5 percent want soldiers to stage a coup.

Editor:Xiong Qu