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| Southeast Asia |
| Thousands demand early elections in Bangkok rally |
| 2010-04-04 |
| Thousands of protesters have again staged an anti-government rally in Bangkok as the political crisis sweeping Thailand continues. The protesters, known as red-shirts, took to the streets for a fourth weekend to demand that Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva step down and call fresh elections. More than 60,000 protesters participated in the mass rally on Saturday despite a heavy military presence on Bangkok's streets. Meanwhile, Vejjajiva has warned that authorities might use force to disperse the protesters. The army has also announced that it would clear the Red-Shirted demonstrators by nightfall. The Red-Shirts reject the 2006 coup that toppled former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra and accuse Vejjajiva of taking power undemocratically. Protest leaders have already rejected Vejjativa's offer to call for new elections within nine months, demanding that polls be held much sooner. Thaksin now lives in exile to avoid a jail sentence for corruption. Nevertheless, the former prime minister remains popular among the rural poor, who have staged numerous rallies for his return to power. |
| Posted by:Fred |