Thousands of anti-government protesters marched through the Thai capital on Sunday, a prologue to a broader action next week when they say they will shut down Bangkok in their bid to foil a February election and topple Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra.
Sunday’s march began at Bangkok’s Democracy Monument, where some supporters had gathered overnight.
According to sources, the protesters would set up stages at five rallying points through the city leading up to Jan 13.
They plan to shut down government offices in an attempt to force Yingluck’s administration to a standstill but, mindful of bloody crackdowns by police on similar protests, they have also said they will minimize the impact on ordinary Thais and will not target airports.
The crisis has dragged on for weeks and has hit the Thai economy. It pits Yingluck and her brother and their support base among the rural poor in the populous north and northeast against protesters who draw support from Bangkok’s conservative, royalist elite and middle classes and the south.
Protest leader Suthep Thaugsuban, a fiery former deputy premier from the main opposition Democrat Party, said two more marches would be held on Tuesday and Thursday leading up to the January 13 “shutdown”.
“We will keep walking, we won’t stop,” Suthep said on the march. “We will walk until we win and we won’t give up.”
The protesters, who accuse Yingluck of being the puppet of her self-exiled brother and former premier, Thaksin Shinawatra, have vowed to stop the February 2 election. Instead, they want an appointed “people’s council” to oversee reforms before any future vote.
Yingluck has steadfastly refused to bow to the protesters’ demands and is determined that the election, which her Puea Thai Party is almost certain to win, will go ahead.
The government has vowed to deploy around 20,000 police and 20 companies of troops to maintain order during the protests.
