Thaksin rallies thousands against Thai government
BANGKOK (AFP) – Fugitive former premier Thaksin Shinawatra criticised Thailand's "weakened democracy" Thursday in a video speech to thousands of red-shirted anti-government supporters rallying in Bangkok.
Police said around 17,000 demonstrators massed for the latest in a series of protests against current leader Abhisit Vejjajiva, who took office a year ago after protests by rival "Yellow Shirts" drove Thaksin's allies from power.
The demonstration at Democracy Monument in downtown Bangkok was being held to mark Constitution Day, a public holiday which marks the formation of Thailand's first constitution in 1932, organisers said.
"In Thailand, democracy is weakened and politics is unstable," Thaksin, who is in self-imposed exile to avoid a jail term for fraud, said over a live video-link from an unknown foreign location.
"There are several countries like France, Italy or Japan which sometimes also have political instability but they have strong democracies."
Thaksin said that if his political allies won elections due by 2011 then they would scrap the current constitution forced through by a military government in 2007, one year after the army ousted Thaksin in a coup.
"Today is a very significant day, the day we got our first constitution 77 years ago. If the red shirts win the election, we will bring back the 1997 constitution and amend it and throw out the 2007 constitution."
Thaksin said that he supported the constitutional monarchy, in a riposte to critics who have accused him of disloyalty to Thailand's revered King Bhumibol Adulyadej.
His 40-minute address was followed by the lighting of candles in honour of the king's 82nd birthday on Saturday.
The Red Shirts had called off plans to hold days of protests in late November and early December after Thaksin said the protests were too close to the birthday of the king, the world's longest-reigning monarch.
Thailand remains deeply divided between Thaksin's supporters centred in the country's poor northeast and the Bangkok-based elite linked to the royal palace, military and bureaucracy.
He has fired up the Red Shirts from abroad at numerous protests over the past year with speeches calling for fresh elections and the resignation of Abhisit.
The Red Shirts started their protest campaign shortly after Abhisit took power on December 15 last year. In April they disrupted an Asian summit in Thailand and rioted in Bangkok, leaving two people dead and scores injured.
Abhisit took office after a clause in the 2007 constitution, which allows the banning of political parties found to be involved in vote fraud, was used to topple Thaksin's brother-in-law Somchai Wongsawat as premier.
Somchai's disqualification from office came after the royalist Yellow ShirtsSoutheast Asia's second-biggest economy. blockaded Bangkok's airports in late 2008, stranding hundreds of thousands of travellers and hitting
Speakers at Thursday's rally earlier gave speeches attacking Prem Tinsulanonda, the top aide to the king, saying that the former army chief and premier had orchestrated the putsch against Thaksin.
King Bhumibol has been in hospital for nearly three months, causing concern as he is widely viewed as a stabilising force in a politically volatile country.
BANGKOK (AFP) – Fugitive former premier Thaksin Shinawatra criticised Thailand's "weakened democracy" Thursday in a video speech to thousands of red-shirted anti-government supporters rallying in Bangkok.
Police said around 17,000 demonstrators massed for the latest in a series of protests against current leader Abhisit Vejjajiva, who took office a year ago after protests by rival "Yellow Shirts" drove Thaksin's allies from power.
The demonstration at Democracy Monument in downtown Bangkok was being held to mark Constitution Day, a public holiday which marks the formation of Thailand's first constitution in 1932, organisers said.
"In Thailand, democracy is weakened and politics is unstable," Thaksin, who is in self-imposed exile to avoid a jail term for fraud, said over a live video-link from an unknown foreign location.
"There are several countries like France, Italy or Japan which sometimes also have political instability but they have strong democracies."
Thaksin said that if his political allies won elections due by 2011 then they would scrap the current constitution forced through by a military government in 2007, one year after the army ousted Thaksin in a coup.
"Today is a very significant day, the day we got our first constitution 77 years ago. If the red shirts win the election, we will bring back the 1997 constitution and amend it and throw out the 2007 constitution."
Thaksin said that he supported the constitutional monarchy, in a riposte to critics who have accused him of disloyalty to Thailand's revered King Bhumibol Adulyadej.
His 40-minute address was followed by the lighting of candles in honour of the king's 82nd birthday on Saturday.
The Red Shirts had called off plans to hold days of protests in late November and early December after Thaksin said the protests were too close to the birthday of the king, the world's longest-reigning monarch.
Thailand remains deeply divided between Thaksin's supporters centred in the country's poor northeast and the Bangkok-based elite linked to the royal palace, military and bureaucracy.
He has fired up the Red Shirts from abroad at numerous protests over the past year with speeches calling for fresh elections and the resignation of Abhisit.
The Red Shirts started their protest campaign shortly after Abhisit took power on December 15 last year. In April they disrupted an Asian summit in Thailand and rioted in Bangkok, leaving two people dead and scores injured.
Abhisit took office after a clause in the 2007 constitution, which allows the banning of political parties found to be involved in vote fraud, was used to topple Thaksin's brother-in-law Somchai Wongsawat as premier.
Somchai's disqualification from office came after the royalist Yellow ShirtsSoutheast Asia's second-biggest economy. blockaded Bangkok's airports in late 2008, stranding hundreds of thousands of travellers and hitting
Speakers at Thursday's rally earlier gave speeches attacking Prem Tinsulanonda, the top aide to the king, saying that the former army chief and premier had orchestrated the putsch against Thaksin.
King Bhumibol has been in hospital for nearly three months, causing concern as he is widely viewed as a stabilising force in a politically volatile country.
