Thai Yellow Shirt Party Picks Leader

[webfact]

Thai 'Yellow Shirt' party picks leader

BANGKOK (AFP) -- The political wing of Thailand's pro-royalist "Yellow Shirt" protest movement appointed a new leader on Saturday as the party gears up for a general election expected next year.

The New Politics party backed Somsak Kosaisuk, a former leader of the powerful Yellow Shirt group, whose protests helped to topple two governments allied to fugitive former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra.

"We will discuss how to make our party a truly mass party and our place in Thai politics, as well as to map out our strategy for the next election," Suriyasai Katasila, the party's secretary-general told reporters.

Thailand recently saw two months of deadly demonstrations by the anti-government "Red Shirt" group, whose members are largely loyal to Thaksin.

Ninety people were killed and nearly 1,900 injured during the rallies, which ended in a bloody military crackdown in May.

Somsak was one of the main leaders for the Yellow Shirt People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD), which helped to drive Thaksin out of office in 2006.

The group later launched an economically devastating siege at two airports in late 2008, stranding hundreds of thousands of tourists and eventually pushing Thaksin's allies from government.

The group set itself up as a political entity in the guise of the New Politics party last year, vowing to take votes from the same support base behind current Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva.

Somsak, who was New Politics' first interim leader, replaces Thaksin's arch enemy Sondhi Limthongkul, after his resignation in May.

-- (c) Copyright AFP 2010-07-03

[Thailand]

A leader proud to have helped toppled two governments and occupied 2 airports seriously damaging the economy, quite a CV.

[landofthefree]

A leader proud to have helped toppled two governments and occupied 2 airports seriously damaging the economy, quite a CV.

Another power hungry rich Thai politician who doesn't give a rats arse about the country:angry:. Same same in LOS

[kissdani]

A leader proud to have helped toppled two governments and occupied 2 airports seriously damaging the economy, quite a CV.

Another power hungry rich Thai politician who doesn't give a rats arse about the country:angry:. Same same in LOS

That is so not true.

You could say that he represents the working class faction of the PAD. Former leader of state enterprise labour union. And one of the so called senior social activist. During the May 1992 in the same team together with Chamlong and Mo Weng. Chamlong went into politics. Somsak and Weng kept their style of being 'activist' and critical of every government ever since, like many others from the PAD. But with the coup 2006 they went different ways.

[landofthefree]

A leader proud to have helped toppled two governments and occupied 2 airports seriously damaging the economy, quite a CV.

Another power hungry rich Thai politician who doesn't give a rats arse about the country:angry:. Same same in LOS

That is so not true.

You could say that he represents the working class faction of the PAD. Former leader of state enterprise labour union. And one of the so called senior social activist. During the May 1992 in the same team together with Chamlong and Mo Weng. Chamlong went into politics. Somsak and Weng kept their style of being 'activist' and critical of every government ever since, like many others from the PAD. But with the coup 2006 they went different ways.

so he is not rich then? Check out your facts before you answer he is just the same as all power hungry self serving politicians filthy rich.

[sirchai]

A leader proud to have helped toppled two governments and occupied 2 airports seriously damaging the economy, quite a CV.

Another power hungry rich Thai politician who doesn't give a rats arse about the country:angry:. Same same in LOS

Is that an old Bavarian speech?

[eggomaniac]

Do they hold their meetings in provinces where the law has no jurisdiction over them? Surely they must travel into BKK from time to time. By not bringing these terrorists to justice, Thailand will forever show the World how they care to be thought of by the International Community. Abhisit, at one point, 100% agreed with the need real justice in Thailand, as this Wiki article shows, but he has been shown to be powerless to go against the forces of Corruption.

Prosecution of Peoples Alliance for Democracy Abhisit promised to enforce the rule of law and prosecute the 21 Peoples Alliance for Democracy leaders who were responsible for seizing Don Muang and Suvarnabhumi Airports. As of February 2010, arrest warrants had not been issued for the airport seizures.On 24 February 2010, government prosecutors deferred a decision for the 8th time to decide whether to indict the nine leaders of the PAD over the 7-month long seizure of Government House. The prosecutors claimed that they could not make the decision because the PAD leaders "were busy in other provinces" at the time.