PAD continues rally against reconciliation bills
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Some 1,000 supporters of the yellow-shirt People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) continued their rally against the government-backed reconciliation bills for the second day yesterday as speculation grew about how things would pan out in the next few days
Vichai, a 60-year-old PAD supporter, said perhaps “someone” would come out to help just like they did in 2006, when a military coup ousted Thaksin Shinawatra. However, he said he has given up on the Army top brass because they seem to be getting cosy with Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, adding that perhaps less senior officers might become their beacon of hope.
“This protest in itself won’t work, but it will push someone to come out [to intervene],” Vichai said.
Uan, a 40-something yellow-shirt supporter from Bangkok who chose not to reveal her real name, said that since the military was no longer with the PAD, the people themselves would have to do something to oust this government.
“They [the Army] have all been bought, so we have to come out by ourselves. What else can we do?” Uan asked.
Another person who seems to have lost his trust in the Army is Varin At-nark, deputy leader of the Prachatippatai Mai Party or the New Democratic Party, a little-known party with just one party-list MP. He was at Parliament yesterday to protest against the chaos that took place at the Lower House on Wednesday night and to voice his support for the reconciliation bill put forward by General Sonthi Boonyaratglin.
“I’m worried about the Army. We must watch their movements closely, because in Thailand anything can happen. The yellow shirts will gradually raise the [political] temperature and might resort to violence,” he told The Nation.
On Bangkok’s U-Thong Road, a large lorry blared out the royalist song, “The Highest Dream”, and sported a large banner saying: “Part Three of Square-Face [Thaksin]: the Beginning of Civil War”.
At about 11am yesterday, a red-shirt news agency reported that red-shirt supporters from Chiang Mai were heading to Bangkok to “protect” the Parliament from their rivals, the yellow shirts.
Some 3,900 police officers were deployed yesterday in addition to the 2,000 already stationed around the Parliament complex on Wednesday.
The security detail has also built concrete barriers and put up barbed wire around the building.
Kannan Kanokpornpaiboon, a 55-year-old Bangkokian, said that experience had taught the PAD that the government would not listen. “We have to come out, no matter what, to stop them from their evil deeds,” Kannan said, adding that he trusted the PAD leadership to come up with “measures” that will block the reconciliation bills.
However, 68-year-old Lek from Bangkok’s Bang Kapi district said that to her national reconciliation meant that all sides would come together to discuss matters and not impose a one-sided bill.
“Thaksin must serve his time [in prison] first. Be it five or 10 days. Then I won’t mind if he seeks a [royal] pardon,” she said.
In addition to the measures taken on Wednesday, the security detail yesterday placed two LRAD Extreme machines that can produce an 85-decibel sonic sound wave outside the Parliament building. A water truck has been parked there too.
It was reported that during PAD leader Sondhi Limthongkul’s speech, an unidentified man climbed onstage and grabbed the microphone, yelling: “We love Thaksin. Bring Thaksin back.”
PAD guards escorted the man down and detained him.
