The protesters -- many from the impoverished northeast and north -- want Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva to call new elections, which they believe will allow their political allies to regain power. The crowd estimated by police at more than 100,000 rallied peacefully under a blazing sun. Loud pop music and rural delicacies such as spicy papaya salad competed with fiery rhetoric for their attention.
Bangkok’s notorious traffic was light and businesses were shuttered as many citizens feared a repeat of past violence during the four-day demonstrations, which officially began Sunday but have been building for two days as caravans of protesters poured into the city. The demonstrators stress they will use only peaceful means.
Many of the protesters, popularly known as the Red Shirts, back former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who was ousted by a 2006 military coup for alleged corruption and abuse of power. They believe Abhisit came to power illegitimately with the connivance of the military and other parts of the traditional ruling class who were alarmed by Thaksin’s popularity, particularly among the poor.
Police Gen. Wichai Sangprapai, commander in the main protest area, estimated the number of protesters could reach 150,000.
“We’re demanding the government give up its administrative power by dissolving Parliament and returning power to the people,” a protest leader, Veera Musikapong, told a sea of red-shirted followers. “We’re giving the government 24 hours.”
The protesters, formally known as the United Front for Democracy Against Dictatorship, said they will march on key locations in the city if the government fails to respond, including the headquarters of the 11th Infantry Regiment, where Abhisit has been living in recent days. In his weekly radio address on Sunday morning, Abhisit indicated he had no plans to dissolve the legislature.
