Push for Plodprasop's sacking

Some 1,000 Phuket residents yesterday held a rally to demand the removal of Deputy Prime Minister Plodprasop Suraswadi over his remark that the government would not build a conference centre in the island province.

The protesters accused Plodprasop of trying to intimidate them into voting for the Pheu Thai Party, hence they demanded that Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra fire him immediately.

The protesters, led by Boonsuppa Tantai, chairman of the Phuket Conservation Club, and Rewat Areerob, Democrat MP for Phuket, gathered at Saphan Hin Park at 10am.

The protesters carried placards with messages attacking Plodprasop. One placard said: “Plodprasop, don’t look down on Phuket residents too much,” and another read: “Plodprasop, don’t look down on Phuket residents as buffaloes.”

The protesters then travelled on 300 motorcycles and in 50 vehicles past several roads to rally in front of Phuket Provincial Hall and submit a letter to the Phuket governor. The letter, demanding Plodprasop’s ousting, was submitted to Phuket deputy governor Sommai Preechasilp.

At the rally in front of the provincial hall, Boonsuppa said Phuket people were angry over Plodprasop’s speech at the Chiang Mai stadium on June 2. Plodprasop reportedly told the red shirts gathering in the stadium that the Pheu Thai government had built an international conference centre for the people of Chiang Mai who voted for the Pheu Thai. He said the government would not build an international conference centre in Phuket because the people of that province did not appreciate Pheu Thai and did not vote for the party.

Boonsuppa said the people of Phuket were infuriated by the speech and accused Plodprasop of looking down on them.

The speech also incited rifts in society and was proof of discrimination by the government. 

It was also an intimidation of the people, telling them to vote for Pheu Thai in exchange for development investment, Boonsuppa said.

Rewat told the rally that he had joined the demonstration not for political reasons, but because of Plodprasop’s Chiang Mai speech.

He said the speech had caused dismay among the people of Phuket, hence the government must remove Plodprasop from the Cabinet immediately.

Rewat said Phuket generated revenue of Bt180 billion for the government in taxes each year, so the government should fund development in the province.

The deputy governor said the provincial administration would request investment for the construction of an international conference centre but the final decision would depend on the government.

The demonstrators then moved to the Phuket Revenue Office to demand that the office safeguard the taxes paid by Phuket residents.

Kanya Warahakij, the chief revenue officer for the province, said she would forward the protesters’ demands to the Revenue Department and the Finance Ministry.