Thai police tighten noose round protesters

Two thousand Thai police took up positions in and around Bangkok's Government House on Wednesday. It came in a bid to tighten the noose on protesters camping outside the prime minister's office to try to topple him from power. Thai police tighten noose round protesters "The interior minister has instructed us to restore law and order as soon as possible," national police spokesman Surapol Thuanthong told Reuters, saying the demonstrators who spent the night on the premier's front lawn had broken the law. The flag-waving crowd from the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) was peaceful at the start of its second day in the compound, although 15 people were injured in the early hours of the morning in brief clashes with riot police. Their leaders, who accuse Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej and his coalition of being an illegitimate proxy for ousted premier Thaksin Shinawatra, are likely to face arrest warrants for Tuesday's invasion of ministries and a state television station. "If they want to arrest us, we will let them put us in jail and we won't seek bail," PAD heavyweight Chamlong Srimuang, a retired major-general, told reporters. "But the rally will continue. They can't arrest us all. There aren't enough jails." Earlier, another PAD leader, Anchalee Paireerak, appealed via the movement's radio and ASTV satellite television channel for more people to join the rally at Government House, the latest stunt in a three-month campaign to oust the elected government. "Those who have been following us on ASTV and radio for long, please come out and join us here to make a sea of yellow at Government House," she said. Yellow is symbolic of revered King Bhumibol Adulyadej, and represents the PAD's claims that Thaksin and the current cabinet want to turn Thailand into a republic, a view vigorously denied by the government. The PAD draws most of its support from Bangkok's royalist elite and middle classes, while Thaksin and the government enjoy a rural support base thanks in large part to policies favoring farmers and the poor. "Unjustified" Samak urged the PAD to pack up and go home, accusing them of trying to trigger bloodshed and a military coup less than two years after the army booted out Thaksin. However, the army chief said the military was not going to get involved, saying crowd control was a matter for the police. The stock market has fallen nearly 24 percent since the PAD launched its campaign on May 25 amid fears of everything from policy paralysis at a time of stuttering economic growth to bloodshed on the streets. Tuesday's crossing of the line into violent protest by the PAD helped send the baht to its lowest level against the dollar since November. It also caused a switch from broadly sympathetic coverage in the domestic press to outright condemnation. "The PAD's 'last whistle blow' is unjustified, unnecessary, provocative and illegal," the Bangkok Post said in an editorial. "If the PAD really wants to bring down the government, it should do so through the parliament. That is the proper, democratic place to do it," it continued. Early on Wednesday, hundreds of riot police clashed briefly with protesters when police changed shifts at Government House. Television footage showed police with batons and shields pushing and clubbing some protesters. Those injured had cuts on their arms or heads, although nobody was seriously hurt, PAD official Suriyasai Katasila said.

Thai police tighten noose round protesters

"The interior minister has instructed us to restore law and order as soon as possible," national police spokesman Surapol Thuanthong told Reuters, saying the demonstrators who spent the night on the premier's front lawn had broken the law.

The flag-waving crowd from the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) was peaceful at the start of its second day in the compound, although 15 people were injured in the early hours of the morning in brief clashes with riot police.

Their leaders, who accuse Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej and his coalition of being an illegitimate proxy for ousted premier Thaksin Shinawatra, are likely to face arrest warrants for Tuesday's invasion of ministries and a state television station.

"If they want to arrest us, we will let them put us in jail and we won't seek bail," PAD heavyweight Chamlong Srimuang, a retired major-general, told reporters. "But the rally will continue. They can't arrest us all. There aren't enough jails."

Earlier, another PAD leader, Anchalee Paireerak, appealed via the movement's radio and ASTV satellite television channel for more people to join the rally at Government House, the latest stunt in a three-month campaign to oust the elected government.

"Those who have been following us on ASTV and radio for long, please come out and join us here to make a sea of yellow at Government House," she said.

Yellow is symbolic of revered King Bhumibol Adulyadej, and represents the PAD's claims that Thaksin and the current cabinet want to turn Thailand into a republic, a view vigorously denied by the government.

The PAD draws most of its support from Bangkok's royalist elite and middle classes, while Thaksin and the government enjoy a rural support base thanks in large part to policies favoring farmers and the poor.

"Unjustified"

Samak urged the PAD to pack up and go home, accusing them of trying to trigger bloodshed and a military coup less than two years after the army booted out Thaksin.

However, the army chief said the military was not going to get involved, saying crowd control was a matter for the police.

The stock market has fallen nearly 24 percent since the PAD launched its campaign on May 25 amid fears of everything from policy paralysis at a time of stuttering economic growth to bloodshed on the streets.

Tuesday's crossing of the line into violent protest by the PAD helped send the baht to its lowest level against the dollar since November.

It also caused a switch from broadly sympathetic coverage in the domestic press to outright condemnation.

"The PAD's 'last whistle blow' is unjustified, unnecessary, provocative and illegal," the Bangkok Post said in an editorial.

"If the PAD really wants to bring down the government, it should do so through the parliament. That is the proper, democratic place to do it," it continued.

Early on Wednesday, hundreds of riot police clashed briefly with protesters when police changed shifts at Government House. Television footage showed police with batons and shields pushing and clubbing some protesters.

Those injured had cuts on their arms or heads, although nobody was seriously hurt, PAD official Suriyasai Katasila said.