BANGKOK (AP) — Protesters rallied Saturday in the Thai capital to demand the resignation of court-suspended Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra and in support of the armed forces following a violent border dispute with Cambodia that killed more than three dozen people and displaced over 260,000.
Gathered at Bangkok’s Victory Monument despite soaring temperatures, many sang patriotic songs and listened to speeches denouncing Paetongtarn and her father , former leader Thaksin Shinawatra, and voiced their backing of the country’s army, which has always retained real power in the Southeast Asian country. Police said there were about two thousand protesters by mid-afternoon, though more were expected to join as the temperature cooled.
Some locals accuse Paetongtarn and her family of allowing the conflict, which stretches back deacdes with both sides claiming pocket of lands near the shared borders, to escalate due to their close tied with Cambodian leader Hun Sen. A court suspened the prime minster last month after Hun Sen leaked a phone call in which she she called him “uncle” and appeared to denigrate a Thai general, angering many.
The most recent clashes ended with an uneasy Malaysian-brokered ceasefire on July 29.
“Ung Ing, you need to leave,” said one well-known conservative columnist and protester, Jittakorn Bussaba, using Paetongtarn ’s nickname.“Because there’s blood on your hands. People have died because of you,” he said from the stage to general applause.
“I’m here to help oust the government and protect Thai sovereignty and to support the soldiers,” said 75-year-old Kittiwat, who only gave one name.
“Ung Ing has damaged the country. Everyone needs to help out,” said 58-year-old Ammorn Khunthong. “Thaksin and his family should not run or command this country anymore,” she said.
There were many familiar faces from a conservative, pro-royalist group once known as Yellow Shirts, longtime foes of Paetongtarn’s father, who was toppled in a military coup in 2006. Thaksin, a billionaire tycoon, entered politics by founding his own political party and buying the loyalty of local political bosses nationwide. He was often accused of bullying critics and not separating his business dealings from those of the government.
Yellow Shirts rallies had also helped oust the elected government of Thaksin’s sister, Yingluck Shinawatra, in a 2014 coup.
The army in Thailand plays a major role in politics and has staged 13 successful coups since Thailand became a constitutional monarchy in 1932, most recently just 11 years ago.
