Protesters break into Government House
Published on August 27, 2008
Thousands of protesters seized Government House yesterday afternoon and demanded Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej and his Cabinet resign - or face fiercer protests.
Police looked on while thousands of yellow-shirted, flag-waving People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) members climbed the fence at Government House as part of a national effort to bring the work of the Samak government to a standstill.
Bolt cutters were finally used to break open the locks on the gates at 1.50pm, permitting thousands of noisy street protesters to march in with ease.
PAD spokesman Suriyasai Katasila said demonstrators would continue to occupy the government agencies for the next three days and that if the government refused to step down during that time, they would reassess their strategy.
"We'll consider cutting off the water and electricity," he said.
The embattled Samak, in a mid afternoon press conference, called for an end to the standoff, saying he was running out patience. Embarrassed that the Cabinet had been forced to hold their weekly meeting at the Royal Thai Armed Forces headquarters on Chaeng Wattana Road, Samak vowed to stand his ground and warned of unspecified retaliation.
He accused the PAD of going overฌboard and threatened legal action. Interior Minister Kowit Watana was assigned to oversee police operations.
But Kowit's call for protesters to vacate the Government House comฌpound by 6pm fell on deaf ears. The protesters positioned themselves for a long sit-in.
With dramas starting before the crack of dawn when NBT was seized, the day greatly resembled a military coup.
About 100 PAD activists, their faces covered by bandannas, stormed the studios of National Broadcasting Television (NBT) to disrupt broadฌcasts at an agency accused of being a government mouthpiece.
Police arrested 85 PAD protesters for breaking and entering and confiscated at least three handguns and dozens of knives and machetes.
NBT staff set up a makeshift studio at Bangkok Metropolitan Police headquarters, only to be confronted by more angry protesters who succeeded in tearing down the fence but failed to scare fleeing journalists out of the police compound.
Meanwhile, protesters blocked entry to the Education, Transport, Agriculture, Finance and Energy ministries, which were all brought to a near standstill.
Back at Government House, thouฌsands of cheering protesters declared victory, and PAD leader Chamlong Srimuang taunted the government, saying sarcastically the protesters just wanted to "take refuge from the tropical sun and use the restrooms".
Government House itself was left untouched, and the protesters said they had no intention of damaging government property.
http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2008/08/27/politics/politics_30081620.php
Published on August 27, 2008
Thousands of protesters seized Government House yesterday afternoon and demanded Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej and his Cabinet resign - or face fiercer protests.
Police looked on while thousands of yellow-shirted, flag-waving People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) members climbed the fence at Government House as part of a national effort to bring the work of the Samak government to a standstill.
Bolt cutters were finally used to break open the locks on the gates at 1.50pm, permitting thousands of noisy street protesters to march in with ease.
PAD spokesman Suriyasai Katasila said demonstrators would continue to occupy the government agencies for the next three days and that if the government refused to step down during that time, they would reassess their strategy.
"We'll consider cutting off the water and electricity," he said.
The embattled Samak, in a mid afternoon press conference, called for an end to the standoff, saying he was running out patience. Embarrassed that the Cabinet had been forced to hold their weekly meeting at the Royal Thai Armed Forces headquarters on Chaeng Wattana Road, Samak vowed to stand his ground and warned of unspecified retaliation.
He accused the PAD of going overฌboard and threatened legal action. Interior Minister Kowit Watana was assigned to oversee police operations.
But Kowit's call for protesters to vacate the Government House comฌpound by 6pm fell on deaf ears. The protesters positioned themselves for a long sit-in.
With dramas starting before the crack of dawn when NBT was seized, the day greatly resembled a military coup.
About 100 PAD activists, their faces covered by bandannas, stormed the studios of National Broadcasting Television (NBT) to disrupt broadฌcasts at an agency accused of being a government mouthpiece.
Police arrested 85 PAD protesters for breaking and entering and confiscated at least three handguns and dozens of knives and machetes.
NBT staff set up a makeshift studio at Bangkok Metropolitan Police headquarters, only to be confronted by more angry protesters who succeeded in tearing down the fence but failed to scare fleeing journalists out of the police compound.
Meanwhile, protesters blocked entry to the Education, Transport, Agriculture, Finance and Energy ministries, which were all brought to a near standstill.
Back at Government House, thouฌsands of cheering protesters declared victory, and PAD leader Chamlong Srimuang taunted the government, saying sarcastically the protesters just wanted to "take refuge from the tropical sun and use the restrooms".
Government House itself was left untouched, and the protesters said they had no intention of damaging government property.
http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2008/08/27/politics/politics_30081620.php
