BANGKOK : Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra has vowed to
prosecute protesters who broke into Government House in Bangkok
overnight and called for him to resign.
A few thousand supporters of media mogul and Thaksin arch critic
Sondhi Limthongkul rallied in a downtown park then walked to
Government House late Friday when several hundred briefly entered
its grounds.
"Regarding last night's events, it was regrettable that a former
national police chief led protesters to break the gate at
Government House, which I consider an illegal action," Thaksin said
in his weekly national radio address.
"I will prosecute all who breach the law."
Government House is Thaksin's office, where his cabinet holds its
meetings and he receives dignitaries.
Former police chief and Bangkok senator Pratin Santiprapob, who
resigned in 2005 claiming senators worked for the government and
were not neutral, joined the gathering of Sondhi's supporters in
Bangkok's Lumpini park.
"These rallies are becoming unbearable and must stop," Thaksin said
of several meetings during which Sondhi presents his "Thailand
weekly" programme and airs alleged corruption by the Thaksin
administration.
At their height, the rallies attracted tens of thousands of people,
but began waning in early December after Thaksin withdrew all six
defamation suits against Sondhi when revered King Bhumibol
Adulyadej called on public figures to accept fair criticism.
Friday's event drew fewer than 5,000 chanting people wearing yellow
t-shirts and head bands and waving Thai flags. Several hundred
anti-Sondhi demonstrators tried to stop the rally but were
unsuccessful, Thai media reported.
"There are some protesters who are hired and misled by wrong doers,
people broken-hearted by the government's refusal to grant their
wishes, people who every week invent stories and demand I step
down," Thaksin said.
Thaksin heavily criticised the protesters and vowed he would not
resign because of "mob" pressure, adding he was re-elected in a
landslide in February 2005 and had brought many benefits to
Thailand.
"I consider that they did not respect the rule of law and were
aggressive by storming the Government House gates at midnight and
calling for my resignation, accusing me that I cannot solve the
nation's problems," he said.
"More than 19 million people elected me and since I assumed office
I managed to repay the IMF's debt two years earlier than
scheduled," Thaksin said of debt to the International Monetary
Fund.
"Thailand is now a donor country, and has an historic record of
international reserves at 52.8 billion dollars," he added. -
AFP/ch