The Puea Thai Party plans to work more closely with the red shirt movement in preparations for a major rally planned for March 14 in Bangkok.
Puea Thai MP for Chiang Mai Surapong Towijakchaikul said the demonstration by the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD) was expected to be huge and would need more coordinated management.
Mr Surapong said Puea Thai MPs felt it was their duty to help the UDD organise and manage the rally.
Between 40,000 and 50,000 people from the North are expected to travel to Bangkok to participate, he said.
The rally would begin on March 12 and would reach its peak on March 14, the UDD said last week.
Mr Surapong said anti-government activities both inside and outside parliament would now intensify.
The UDD gatherings would be better organised than in the past through the support of Puea Thai MPs who will provide all provisions and facilities, he added.
Each party MP had been asked to distribute 1,000 red T-shirts that feature the image of former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra to constituents.
UDD leader Jatuporn Prompan said yesterday the UDD was planning to collect 20,000 signatures this week in an effort to impeach the nine Supreme Court judges who ordered the seizure last week of 46.37 billion baht in assets from Thaksin's family.
Mr Jatuporn has accused the judges of violating the constitution by disregarding the Constitution Court ruling that said the Thaksin government's conversion of mobile phone operators' concession fees into an excise tax was legal. He said the rulings were binding on other government bodies.
Office of the Judiciary secretary-general Virat Chinvinijkul warned that anyone who signed the petition could face a countersuit if it was proved the judges had not done anything wrong.
Natthawut Saikua, another key UDD leader, yesterday called on the government to reveal who had been blacklisted by the government for creating unrest.
Mr Natthawut said he had heard the government was planning to set up security checkpoints to stop red shirt supporters from travelling to Bangkok for the mass rally on March 14.
He claimed the government had ordered petrol stations on routes used by UDD supporters to close. The government has also ordered tour bus companies not to carry red shirt supporters to Bangkok, he alleged.
Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban said a close watch was being kept on Pornwat Thongsomboon, known as K-Thong, a close associate of army Gen Khattiya Sawasdipol, a Thaksin loyalist.
Mr Pornwat appeared in a video clip saying bomb attacks and unrest would take place in Bangkok from Feb 27 onwards. The clip was posted on YouTube.
Mr Suthep said Mr Pornwat could face legal action if it can be proved that his remarks were intended to provoke violence.
Army chief Anupong Paojinda said there was still no need to invoke the Internal Security Act in the wake of the four grenade attacks on Bangkok Bank branches at the weekend.
Gen Anupong said there were enough security forces in place to keep the situation under control.
However, he expressed concern that some areas surrounding Bangkok could be the target of possible unrest, as security personnel were focused mainly on securing the capital.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment