Protesters descend on Bangkok shopping district

TCC be careful....

Title : Protesters descend on Bangkok shopping district
By :
Date : 20 October 2008 1411 hrs (SST)
URL : http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp_asiapacific/view/384054/1/.html

BANGKOK: About 1,000 anti-government protesters marched past Bangkok's upmarket shopping malls on Monday accusing police of brutality, upping pressure on the increasingly-isolated prime minister.

In a repeat of a similar rally on Friday, supporters of the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) handed out leaflets and CDs showing graphic images of protesters injured in a deadly clash with police earlier this month.

"The police try to distort the truth. I insist that what we bring is the whole truth," Somsak Kosaisuk, one of the PAD leaders, told crowds of people dressed in yellow shirts, which shows loyalty to the revered Thai king.

Two people were killed and nearly 500 injured on October 7 when police fired tear gas to prevent thousands of PAD supporters from blocking parliament, prompting some protesters to fight back.

A police officer at the scene Monday estimated that about 1,300 protesters had turned out, blocking much of the traffic on a normally-busy road. About 300 police officers stood on the sidelines.

The PAD are trying to bring down the democratically-elected People Power Party (PPP) government, accusing it of running the country on behalf of ousted and exiled premier Thaksin Shinawatra, who they accuse of corruption.

Although the PAD rally was sedate, Thai newspapers on Monday warned of possible clashes with pro-government groups.

Somyos Prueksakasemsuk, a pro-government activist, told AFP that they planned to gather supporters on Monday outside the National Police Headquarters, not far from the shopping district where the PAD are rallying.

"We will ask police to come and fight back if the army stages a coup... and we want to give moral support to police," Somyos said.

"We do not have the means to create violence because we are innocent people who will come out without weapons. We just want to keep our democratic system."

Thailand's powerful army chief on Thursday strongly hinted that Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat should step down and dissolve parliament to take responsibility for this month's clashes.

Somchai - Thaksin's brother-in-law - has only been in his post for a month after a court decision removed his predecessor Samak Sundaravej, and has insisted he will carry on in his role for the time being.

- AFP/yb