Red shirts to rally outside parliament

Red-shirt spokesman Worawut Wichaidit said the change in plan was due to fear of people with ill intention taking the opportunity to cause chaos.
The stage activities and the rally will go on until midnight today. Meanwhile, the group has set itself the goal to gather at least 20,000 signatures, to seek impeachment of the Constitution Court judges.
Red-shirt guards occupied the area around Parliament yesterday in preparation for the protests.
Red-shirt leader Korkaew Pikulthong, a Pheu Thai MP, said about 100 of the party’s MPs have signed a petition for the impeachment of the Constitution Court judges. Nonthaburi MP Apiwan Wiriyachai, also a red-shirt leader, was the first to sign.
Senators will be asked to join the petition drive, Korkaew said.
He said the red shirts are scheduled to submit the petition to Parliament President Somsak Kiartsuranon at 1pm today.
They were originally scheduled to continue the overnight rally until tomorrow.
Yesterday afternoon, the red-shirt guards erected tents for protesters to spend the night in. They also set up stalls for vendors.
National Police chief General Priewpan Damapong inspected the area and checked the security plan.
Police have prepared barricades and set up concrete barriers at intersections near Parliament, including Karn Ruean, Pichai and Rajvithi-Rama V.
The Constitution Court last Friday decided to consider petitions about the constitutionality of the charter amendment, which was originally scheduled to be deliberated in Parliament for a third and final reading this past Tuesday.
The Constitution Court also sent a letter telling Parliament to halt the deliberations until it finished considering whether there were grounds for the complaints.
Somsak has called a special House-Senate joint session tomorrow to consider the laws related to international agreements. Article 190 of the Constitution requires parliamentary approval on certain issues before the government makes deals with foreign countries. He said the charter amendment was not on the agenda.
Somsak had to cancel the House meeting last Friday due to protests by the yellow-shirt People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD), which followed the House decision to move up the vote on the reconciliation bill proposed by the Pheu Thai and coalition parties.
Yesterday, a dozen red-shirt supporters led by Chatcharin Kularb-um staged satirical skits in front of the Constitution Court office. Calling themselves the Democratic Network, they tied black ribbons to the court’s nameplate. The group also submitted a letter asking the court to review its decision.
Veera Buajeep, a red-shirt leader from Lop Buri, said 10 buses have been arranged to bring 500 supporters to Bangkok to join today’s rally.
Nisitpat Wilairat, chairman of the Democracy Lover Songkhla 52, said she would gather at least 10,000 signatures from red-shirt supporters in her province to seek the impeachment of the Constitution Court judges. Her group will also join today’s rally.
Meanwhile, the PAD outlined three conditions for it to organise its own street protests.
PAD rallies will take place if a law is enacted to lessen the royal power and if a law is passed to whitewash the conviction and punishment of former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra.
The third condition for the yellow shirts to descend on the streets is if the PAD deems it necessary to spearhead political reforms.
“PAD will not rally against the charter change because any attempts to tear up the Constitution could be blocked via the judicial process,” PAD spokesman Panthep Pourpongpan said.
Of the three conditions, the amnesty for Thaksin was viewed as the most critical.