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Protesters Take Drive to Oust Government Beyond Bangkok Protesters Take Drive to Oust Government Beyond Bangkok
(about 1 hour later)
BANGKOK — Protesters seeking to overthrow the Thai government took their campaign outside Bangkok on Wednesday, massing at more than a dozen municipal buildings across Thailand and forcing the evacuation of the country’s main criminal investigative agency on the outskirts of the capital. BANGKOK — Protesters seeking to overthrow the Thai government expanded their campaign outside of Bangkok on Wednesday, massing at more than a dozen municipal buildings across Thailand and forcing the evacuation of the country’s main criminal investigative agency on the outskirts of the capital.
Protesters shut down the Finance Ministry building on Monday, and on Wednesday they marched to a large government complex and cut the electricity supply to the Department of Special Investigation, the equivalent of the F.B.I. After shutting down the Finance Ministry building on Monday, demonstrators marched to a large government complex and cut the electricity supply to the Department of Special Investigation, the equivalent of the F.B.I., on Wednesday.
“These people are trying to portray the country as a failed state,” said Charupong Ruangsuwan, the interior minister and head of the governing party in Thailand.“These people are trying to portray the country as a failed state,” said Charupong Ruangsuwan, the interior minister and head of the governing party in Thailand.
Mr. Charupong said protests flared in a third of the country’s 76 provinces, including all provinces in southern Thailand, an opposition stronghold.Mr. Charupong said protests flared in a third of the country’s 76 provinces, including all provinces in southern Thailand, an opposition stronghold.
Citing the political unrest and other unfavorable economic factors, the country’s central bank announced on Wednesday a cut in a benchmark interest rate by a quarter of a percentage point to 2.25 percent. The demonstrators say they are angry at the influence of Thaksin Shinawatra, the polarizing former prime minister ousted in a 2006 coup. Although he has lived abroad since fleeing a conviction for abuse of power in 2008, Mr. Thaksin retains a loyal following, and his party has won every national election since 2001. Mr. Thaksin’s youngest sister, Yingluck Shinawatra, is prime minister.
The government’s response has appeared impotent in the face of protesters who have traversed Bangkok and shut down key government offices. Even the military appears to have retreated. The country’s top generals decamped this week from their headquarters to the safety of a well-guarded army base on the outskirts of Bangkok. Supporters of the protests say the raiding of ministries is an attempt by an exasperated electorate to bring about a cleaner and more ethical system of government. But a rising number of critics, including many in the Thai news media, describe the protests as a blatant power grab by a minority unable to win elections.
One of the country’s most senior officials in charge of security portrayed the government’s response as a calculated effort to allow the protests to die away.
Lt. Gen. Paradorn Pattanathabutr, the secretary general of the National Security Council, said Wednesday that the number of protesters was decreasing and that the government was counting on “dialogue,” not the use of force, to end the protests.
“People are learning lessons and becoming more civilized,” he told reporters. “I believe that the people can exercise discretion and will understand the damages that could be inflicted on Thailand.”
General Paradorn said he hoped that Suthep Thaugsuban, a former deputy prime minister and the main leader of the protests, would surrender “like a gentleman.” A Bangkok court issued a warrant on Tuesday for Mr. Suthep’s arrest on charges of invading government property and breaching the peace. On Wednesday, the government asked a court to issue warrants for six other protest leaders.
As the 86th birthday of King Bhumibol Adulyadej approaches, some analysts say the government is making the risky and uncertain calculation that the protesters will disperse in the coming days.
Mr. Suthep initially portrayed the protests as short-lived, but has not said when the protesters might go home. The king’s birthday is Dec. 5, and political unrest on that day would be broadly perceived as disrespectful.
At least two dozen schools have remained closed because of the protests, but most areas of Bangkok are calm and banks and businesses are functioning normally. About two dozen foreign governments have issued warnings to their citizens, advising them to avoid protest areas.
The ire of protesters, led by top opposition leaders, centers on the role and influence of Thaksin Shinawatra, the polarizing former prime minister who was ousted by the military in a 2006 coup. Although he has lived abroad since fleeing a conviction for abuse of power in 2008, Mr. Thaksin’s legacy of popular policies has given him a loyal following in the country and his party has won every national election since 2001. Mr. Thaksin’s youngest sister, Yingluck Shinawatra, is prime minister.
Supporters of the protests say the raiding of ministries is an attempt by an exasperated electorate to bring a cleaner and more ethical system of government to the country. But a rising number of critics, including many in the Thai news media, describe the protetsts as a blatant power grab by a minority unable to win elections.
“Accept it, what’s going on has nothing to do with reform,” Prayong Doklumyai, a longtime advocate for the poor, was quoted as saying in an opinion column in The Bangkok Post on Wednesday. “It’s a battle for political power, plain and simple.”“Accept it, what’s going on has nothing to do with reform,” Prayong Doklumyai, a longtime advocate for the poor, was quoted as saying in an opinion column in The Bangkok Post on Wednesday. “It’s a battle for political power, plain and simple.”
Mr. Suthep has pointedly said fresh elections are not his goal — he and the opposition Democrat Party would very likely lose a general election. Instead Mr. Suthep has called for a “people’s council,” a seemingly utopian plan that would effectively suspend the country’s democratic system and select “good people” to lead the country. He has not offered specifics on how the council would be selected, beyond saying it would represent people from “all professions.” The government’s response to the demonstrations has been seen as weak, and even the military appears to have retreated. The country’s top generals decamped this week from their headquarters to the safety of a well-guarded army base on the outskirts of Bangkok.
Another protest leader, Thaworn Senniam, said on Thai television Wednesday that Thais should “not focus too much on elections.” A senior official in charge of security portrayed the government’s response as a calculated effort to allow the protests to die away. The official, Lt. Gen. Paradorn Pattanathabutr, secretary general of the National Security Council, said Wednesday that the number of protesters was decreasing and that the government was counting on “dialogue,” not the use of force, to end the protests.
“I don’t think elections fully represent democracy, and it would be an excuse to have a slave parliament controlled by one individual,” he said, an apparent reference to Mr. Thaksin. “People are learning lessons and becoming more civilized,” he told reporters. “I believe that the people can exercise discretion and will understand the damages that could be inflicted on Thailand.”
In a country known for its smiles, many Thais are exuding gloom as the protests wear on. A Bangkok court issued a warrant on Tuesday for the arrest of Suthep Thaugsuban, a former deputy prime minister and the main leader of the protests, on charges of invading government property and breaching the peace. General Paradorn said he hoped Mr. Suthep would surrender “like a gentleman.”
On Wednesday, the government asked a court to issue warrants for six other protest leaders.
As the 86th birthday of King Bhumibol Adulyadej approaches, some analysts say the government is making a risky calculation that the protesters will disperse in the coming days. Mr. Suthep initially portrayed the protests as short-lived, but has not said when the protesters might go home. The king’s birthday is Dec. 5, and political unrest on that day would be broadly perceived as disrespectful.
At least two dozen schools have remained closed, but most areas of Bangkok were calm and banks and businesses were functioning normally. About two dozen foreign governments have issued warnings to their citizens, advising them to avoid protest areas.
Mr. Suthep has pointedly said fresh elections are not his goal — he and the opposition Democrat Party would very likely lose a general election. Instead he has called for a “people’s council,” a seemingly utopian plan that would effectively suspend the country’s democratic system and select “good people” to lead the country. He has not offered specifics on how the council would be selected, beyond saying it would represent people from “all professions.”
Another protest leader, Thaworn Senniam, said on Thai television on Wednesday that Thais should “not focus too much on elections.”
“I don’t think elections fully represent democracy, and it would be an excuse to have a slave Parliament controlled by one individual,” he said, in an apparent reference to Mr. Thaksin.
In a country known for its upbeat people, many Thais are exuding gloom as the protests wear on.
Pravit Rojanaphruk, one of the country’s leading commentators, said that hopes for reconciliation in such a polarized country appeared bleak and that the risk of unrest was a real concern.Pravit Rojanaphruk, one of the country’s leading commentators, said that hopes for reconciliation in such a polarized country appeared bleak and that the risk of unrest was a real concern.
“Given the country’s long track record of political violence and military coups, the current prospect is not good,” he wrote in the newspaper The Nation on Wednesday.“Given the country’s long track record of political violence and military coups, the current prospect is not good,” he wrote in the newspaper The Nation on Wednesday.
Mr. Pravit lamented what he said was an “obvious incentive for leaders from both sides to keep their supporters whipped up and hating one another” — ensuring that members of rival camps “won’t switch sides.”Mr. Pravit lamented what he said was an “obvious incentive for leaders from both sides to keep their supporters whipped up and hating one another” — ensuring that members of rival camps “won’t switch sides.”

Poypiti Amatatham contributed reporting.

Poypiti Amatatham contributed reporting.