Rally renews call for King to step in

100,000 protesters turn out to increase pressure on Thaksin; donations of B15m raised; march on Sukhumvit Rd planned for today

By Post reporters
More than 100,000 demonstrators turned up at a rally against caretaker Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra last night, stepping up calls for royal intervention to end the political crisis. After hours of shouting and screaming for Mr Thaksin to step down, the fiery activities on the main stage wound down as People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) leader Sondhi Limthongkul read out a petition seeking the King's intervention.


After reading the petition, Mr Sondhi solemnly led the crowd to repeat the petition _ which appealed for the monarch to appoint an interim prime minister _ after him, line after line.


''We, the demonstrators, see no solutions to end the crisis without bloodshed other than appealing for His Majesty's help and asking him to consider invoking article 7 of the constitution and appointing an interim government,'' read the petition.


Wutthipong Priabchariyawat, Millennium Institute director, said the demonstrators placed their hope in His Majesty.


''The prime minister never listens to the people. Article 7 [of the constitution] is His Majesty's whisper, and that's the whisper in public,'' he said.


After reading the petition, the demonstrators lit candles and sang praises to His Majesty. And the intense activities on the main stage resumed once again.


The gathering of demonstrators was apparently a response to the PAD's call for a royally-bestowed government ahead of the election next Sunday.


People waving flags and placards streamed into the protest venue in the late afternoon and the crowd kept growing.


Before the five PAD leaders took the stage last night, the protesters spilled out to cover the area outside Ratchadamnoen boxing stadium.


The rally ground was jam-packed, prompting the organisers to put up more projector screens and amplifiers to broadcast the activities.


The demonstrators came in droves for the final push to oust Mr Thaksin, who yesterday visited the Motor Show in the Bang Na area.


Some 250 policemen armed with shields and teargas had to be deployed at the Thai Rak Thai headquarters on Petchaburi Road following reports a group of Ramkhamhaeng University students were planning to protest in front of the party headquarters late last night.


Some 1,000 university students were reportedly involved in the march following reports that the government had tried to prevent them from joining the anti-Thaksin rally.


The students staged a separate rally at their campus earlier in the day and were planning to join the PAD-led demonstration in the evening.


The group became angry after learning that some government figures had lobbied with van operators not to provide transportation services for them.


Suriyasai Katasila, a PAD leader, said yesterday the PAD would not lead the crowd on a march to Mr Thaksin's residence on Charan Sanitwong road to pressure him to resign, and said it would instead appeal to the people to join its call for His Majesty to appoint a new prime minister.


Around 15 million baht has been collected in donations so far by the PAD.


He said the PAD leaders would lead the protesters on a march along Sukhumvit road today to campaign for a royally-bestowed government. He said it would take three or four days to enlist public support for the proposal.


At the same time, the PAD is asking protesters to fill out a questionnaire on political reforms they want to see in the post-Thaksin era. It is the PAD's first survey of demonstrators' opinions.


Working with the NGO Coordinating Committee and the civic committee studying free trade area agreements, the PAD plans to gather the opinions of 10,000 people. The demonstrators are being asked to pick three out of 11 reforms listed in the questionnaire or make their own suggestions. Among the 11 issues listed in the survey are free-trade agreements, privatisation of state enterprises, health and social welfare, and public scrutiny of the government.

MASS MARCH IN BANGKOK

Bangkok could see the largest anti-government demonstration in its history today (Sunday), as leaders of the protest to force the resignation of Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra have called for half a million people to march on Sukhumvit Road.

The groups seeking Mr Thaksin's political head are to march today from the luxury Siam Paragon mall to the up-scale Emporium, passing through a major tourist shopping and business area on Rama I, Ploenchit and Sukhumvit Roads.

The march will be the last hurrah in a series of public protests which began last October in Lumpini Park.

Early voting in the general election for the Lower House of parliament already have begun, and the main voting day is next Sunday.

Last night, the rally drew an estimated 100,000, although police put the crowd at closer to 50,000. If organisers can get anything close to their optimistic call for 500,000 marchers today, it will be the biggest such demonstration in Thai history.

Organisers have unanimously called for a peaceful march. There has been no violence in the entire extended campaign by Bangkok opponents against Mr Thaksin.

The march is to support the latest twist in tactics to force the end of the Thaksin government - to campaign for a royally-bestowed government. Leaders say it might take three or four days to enlist public support for the proposal.

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