By JTW
By Tim Schoot Uiterkamp
Tension in Thailand reached a new level this Monday as protesters have blocked major intersections in Bangkok. City trains were not affected, but it has become impossible for cars to enter the main business district of the Thai capital. The protesters are also planning to make government buildings inaccessible and cut off their electricity supply.
The protesters want Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra to resign. They allege that she is a puppet of her brother, former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who was removed by a coup in 2006 and has since been convicted of corruption and abusing his power. He fled the country and now lives in Dubai, from where the billionaire still wields considerable influence. Opinions on Thaksin and his party are starkly divided: the opposition mostly represents the urban middle class, while the government commands great support from the rural poor.
All elections since 2001 have been won by pro-Thaksin parties. Yingluck has managed to keep a delicate balance with her opponents since she was elected in 2011. This lasted until November 2013, when a proposed bill offering legal amnesty to Thaksin Shinawatra caused public outrage.
The government has called 10,000 police to the city of 12 million, and deployed 8,000 soldiers at government offices. Amnesty International has issued a statement that security forces have the responsibility to uphold the right to peaceful protest, but must also protect the public and media workers. So far, there have been no signs of clashes between government forces and the protesters. “We don’t want confrontation,” Foreign Minister Tovichakchaikul stated.
Last week, U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon spoke by telephone with Prime Minister Yingluck and opposition leader Abhisit Vejjajiv. Ban has said that he is “very concerned that the situation could escalate in the days ahead.”
The article Growing Unrest As Protesters Try To ‘Shut Down’ Bangkok – OpEd appeared first on Eurasia Review.
