Thousands rally against Thai prime minister

By Panarat Thepgumpanat and Trisanat Kongkhunthian

BANGKOK (Reuters) – Buddhist monks and nuns of the “Dharma
Army” led thousands of people at a demonstration against
embattled Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra on Sunday as
opposition parties failed to agree to boycott a snap election.

“Give our country back,” and “Ethics first,” they chanted
against Thaksin, a former tycoon accused of undermining the
checks and balances of the constitution and tailoring policy to
suit his family’s business.

The atmosphere was good natured, at least in the early
stages, despite worries the rally might turn violent after the
campaign against Thaksin was joined a week ago by retired
general Chamlong Srimuang, the man who brought him into
politics.

The ascetic 70-year-old Chamlong, leader of a successful
but bloody “people’s power” revolt against a military-led
government in 1992, began the rally with 3,000 members of his
“Dharma Army” protesters clad in the dark blue shirts of
farmers.

“Thaksin Out,” said one placard as they walked barefoot for
3 km (2 miles) in 35 degree Celsius (95F) heat to the rally
site in front of Bangkok’s glittering Grand Palace.

“We don’t want violence,” Chamlong told Reuters Television.
“But if it happens, it will be caused by government officials
and the government will lose.”

As the rally picked up pace, the opposition Democrat, Chart
Thai and Mahachon parties failed to agree on the Democrats’
call for a boycott of the snap election called on April 2.

They agreed only to call on Thaksin to sign a pact with
them on Monday to form a neutral body to recommend amendments
to the constitution.

REFORM DEMAND

“The best solution for the current political crisis is to
amend the constitution to pave the way for political reform,”
said Democrat leader Abhisit Vejjajiva. He did not say what the
parties would do if Thaksin turned down the demand.

The three opposition parties agreed on Saturday to work
together against Thaksin, who called the April 2 election a
year after winning a second landslide victory and expects to
ride rural support back into power.

A boycott would reinforce the campaign against Thaksin and
risk spilling political turmoil into the streets of a country
with a long history of coups and still relatively new to
democracy.

The organisers of the rally, a coalition of groups outside
parliament, had hoped to draw 100,000 people to Sunday’s rally.

But Friday’s announcement of a snap election would probably
mean only about 50,000 protesters — which would still be the
biggest anti-government demonstration in 14 years — would turn
out, national police spokesman Ajiravid Subarnbhesaj said.

The campaign run by the People’s Alliance for Democracy
(PAD) has caught fire since Thaksin’s relatives sold Shin Corp,
the telecommunications empire he founded, to a Singapore state
firm for a tax-free $1.9 billion last month.

The PAD has taken up Chamlong’s call for Sunday to be the
start of a mass demonstration which should continue until
Thaksin quits.

“Trust me, this is the right way,” Chamlong said. “The
important thing is people need to come to the rally. The
greater the number of people either on February 26, 27 or 28,
the higher chance we have of winning.”

Thaksin’s Thai Rak Thai (Thais Love Thais) said the
opposition would betray democracy if it boycotted the election,
which Thaksin is expected to win, albeit with fewer than the
377 of the 500 lower house seats he won a year ago.

“This means the opposition doesn’t believe in democracy, in
the existing rules of the constitution, drafted by the people,”
said party spokesman Suranand Vejjajiva. “The opposition is
tearing up the People’s Constitution.”

(Additional reporting by Prapan Chankaew and Ed Cropley)