Suthep calls on supporters to besiege ministries, city halls

[Lite Beer]

Suthep calls on supporters to besiege ministries, city halls
The Nation

BANGKOK: -- Ex-Democrat MP Suthep Thaugsuban, a key leader of the rally against the so-called "Thaksin regime", said yesterday [Tuesday] that all orders from the government were invalid as it could not invoke the rule of law on the one hand and reject the Constitutional Court's power on the other.

"The Thaksin regime is dangerous," he announced, adding that the first thing the country needed was a fair and clear election, in which votes are not bought.

He also urged the people to root out corruption and get rid of all those who profited from it. He said, Thailand required true decentralisation of power, with elected not appointed governors in each province; a reformed police force; and civil servants who had some morals.

He also warned the government of people's power, adding that the public had the authority to impeach ministers, the prime minister and MPs. He also reminded the government that populist policies were not the answer for everything.

"I am fighting for the country, not to make myself or for Abhisit a premier. Everything is up to the people, not me or someone else," he said.

Suthep also called on his supporters to besiege government offices and city halls across the country on Wednesday, but said it should be done peacefully.

Acknowledging the arrest warrant that was issued for him earlier on Tuesday, he told his supporters: "No matter what happens to me, you should keep fighting to overthrow the Thaksin regime."

-- The Nation 2013-11-26

[Fookhaht]

This madman's rhetoric just continues to go over the top. Wish the police would get on with it, arrest him, and get him to somewhere where he will stop whipping the masses to a frenzy. Reminds me of old movies of Hitler's speeches to the masses of Berlin.

[rijb]

I will not accept if nominated and will not serve if elected … and I don't come cheap.

[whybother]

Be interesting if a few groups came out to protest in the North East.

[rijb]

Be interesting if a few groups came out to protest in the North East. alt=whistling.gif>

Maybe their 'key leader' will lead them.

[pxlgirl]

"He also urged the people to root out corruption and get rid of all those who profited from it. He said, Thailand required true decentralisation of power, with elected not appointed governors in each province; a reformed police force; and civil servants who had some morals."

<deleted>? Get rid of...? How? Do I even wanna know? And what is/are the "reformed police/civil servants" supposed to do?

[waza]

This madman's rhetoric just continues to go over the top. Wish the police would get on with it, arrest him, and get him to somewhere where he will stop whipping the masses to a frenzy. Reminds me of old movies of Hitler's speeches to the masses of Berlin.

You are so right, how dare this man want.........

"....... the first thing the country needed was a fair and clear election, in which votes are not bought. He also urged the people to root out corruption and get rid of all those who profited from it. He said, Thailand required true decentralisation of power, with elected not appointed governors in each province; a reformed police force; and civil servants who had some morals."

democracy and adherence to the rule of law and a transparent government, its just so un-Thai like.

Edited November 26, 2013 by waza

[jpeg]

He also urged the people to root out corruption and get rid of all those who profited from it. He said, Thailand required true decentralisation of power, with elected not appointed governors in each province; a reformed police force; and civil servants who had some morals.

And I want a pony

[lemoncake]

I totally agree and finally happy to see so does he.

Government can not reject court ruling it does not like, but enforce others it does.

I hope his defense team uses this in court as it would be hard to argue against it.

[bkkfaranguy]

The madman should start with his own party when it comes to rooting out corruption, he is a joke!

[crumpled]

He also urged the people to root out corruption and get rid of all those who profited from it. He said, Thailand required true decentralisation of power, with elected not appointed governors in each province; a reformed police force; and civil servants who had some morals.

And I want a pony

Your wish is granted. In time for Christmas too.

[lemoncake]

The madman should start with his own party when it comes to rooting out corruption, he is a joke!

What does corruption have to do with court rulings?

Got any examples of "his own party" rejecting court ruling?

Did you realize he no longer is part of the party?

[icare999]

This madman's rhetoric just continues to go over the top. Wish the police would get on with it, arrest him, and get him to somewhere where he will stop whipping the masses to a frenzy. Reminds me of old movies of Hitler's speeches to the masses of Berlin.

burn down BKK take tuor bottles well give you petrol throw blood over Abahist Kidnap him set up road blocks shoot at police throw grenades put your children on barricades I your dear leader will support you fully while shopping and my daily just happen to have had appointments out of the country and rest

as opposed to

stay peaceful whatever happens to me continue lets have a clean fair election without buying votes

And you still support your evil mad megalomaniac leader

Whose hate speeches are closer to Hitlers the reds and Taksin or these peaceful protests. But its not really worth trying to talk sense and truth to someone wither totally brainwashed as you or someone so naive he/she would support anything this government did or has tried to do.

Suthep might not be sneaky clean but compared with Taksin anything is better and i mean almost anything. At least he stands up here and fights his corner unlike your hero who hides away like some rat in a hole which is what he is. But if your master wins hell come out full of himself and his importance and of course be certain the people want him to be emperor which he will under protest do because he loves Thailand and poor so much

[HyperRai]

I like this government, because my income tax is down.:-)

[EricBerg]

Little sis will sit things out with the other puppets. Now isn't the best of times for new elections. The protesters will return home eventually. The missunderstood fugit7ve will gradually move government buildings to the northeast. Suthep is far from clean, but certainly less smart than the missunderstood fugitive. Only the army can break the power of ptp. But the army can't run the country either. So we'll just have to wait for new and decent leaders to emerge. They can try to start from scratch. Poor poor beautiful Thailand.

[EricBerg]

Little sis will sit things out with the other puppets. Now isn't the best of times for new elections. The protesters will return home eventually. The missunderstood fugit7ve will gradually move government buildings to the northeast. Suthep is far from clean, but certainly less smart than the missunderstood fugitive. Only the army can break the power of ptp. But the army can't run the country either. So we'll just have to wait for new and decent leaders to emerge. They can try to start from scratch. Poor poor beautiful Thailand.

[winstonc]

I like this government, because my income tax is down.:-)

because your selfish,if you were thai you could be an mp..then you wouldnt pay any..

[Sunderland]

Well it seems to have started. City halls seized in Satun and Trang in the south.

Edited November 26, 2013 by Sunderland

[rwdrwdrwd]

Well it seems to have started. City halls seized in Satun and Trang in the south.

Indeed, looks like a lot of people at Trang, especially considering it is midnight. Not sure about Satun

Edited November 26, 2013 by rwdrwdrwd

[surangw]

I'm supprised no one has plugged this nut yet

[PeterSmiles]

I'm supprised no one has plugged this nut yet

RT@แก้วมาลา Kaewmala@Thai_Talk: Abhisit distances self & DemParty from Suthep, saying S has gone "beyond the goal". Told Dem MPs not to violate law. khaosod.co.th/view_newsonlin…

To me this says the same as, you can have him.

[khunsiam]

The madman should start with his own party when it comes to rooting out corruption, he is a joke!

What does corruption have to do with court rulings?

Got any examples of "his own party" rejecting court ruling?

Did you realize he no longer is part of the party?

LOL!

[noitom]

They issued an arrest warrant for Suthep while they let the Red Bull cop killer run free with impunity. Typical Thai hypocrisy.

[jdinasia]

I'm supprised no one has plugged this nut yet

RT@แก้วมาลา Kaewmala@Thai_Talk: Abhisit distances self & DemParty from Suthep, saying S has gone "beyond the goal". Told Dem MPs not to violate law. khaosod.co.th/view_newsonlin…

To me this says the same as, you can have him.

Don't be silly. this is exactly why Suthep stepped down and no current Dem MP's are seen on the grounds of the government buildings. They resigned with the party's approval to make sure that the entire party could not be dissolved due to the actions that they knew were forthcoming.

[webfact]

ANTI-GOVERNMENT PROTEST
Occupy state offices: Suthep
The Nation



Ready to fight arrest warrant, says battle against 'Thaksin regime' will continue unabated

BANGKOK: -- Suthep Thaugsuban, leader of a mass rally aimed at "rooting out the Thaksin regime", last night called on his supporters to occupy all ministries in Bangkok as well as provincial halls upcountry.

Addressing the crowds camped out at the Finance Ministry compound since Monday, Suthep said state officials should "stop being a tool for the Thaksin regime".

He also called for changes that will ensure free and fair elections where votes are not bought, a society that is free of corruption and true decentralisation of power, including the election of governors in all provinces.

The former Democrat MP also said that he would today have his lawyer file petition with the Appeals Court to fight a lower court's decision yesterday to issue an arrest warrant for him.

He told his supporters that even if he were arrested, they should continue fighting against the "Thaksin regime".

Earlier yesterday, the Criminal Court approved the arrest warrant in connection with the occupation of government buildings. Suthep recently resigned as an opposition Democrat Party MP to head the rallies.

Police charged him with involvement in an illegal gathering and trespass on a government agency.

A political battle took place on two fronts yesterday with anti-government protesters besieging more government ministries and the opposition beginning its no-confidence onslaught against Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra in the House.

Thousands of demonstrators, protesting against a government-backed bill for blanket amnesty in political cases and vowing to "root out the Thaksin regime", yesterday surrounded the ministries of Interior, Agriculture, Transport, and Sports and Tourism.

On Monday, the protesters began their occupation of the ministries of Finance and Foreign Affairs, and the Public Relations Department.

Yesterday's siege forced officials at the centres to leave work early. Protesters locked the gates of the ministries of Agriculture, Transport, and Sports and Tourism with chains before moving to besiege the Interior Ministry, according to Metropolitan Police spokesman Maj-General Adul Narongsak.

The protesters surrounding the Interior Ministry left the area at around 6pm.

In the House, opposition and Democrat leader Abhisit Vejjajiva launched a no-confidence motion against Yingluck with an attack on her government's rice-pledging scheme. He also questioned her integrity following failures to keep promises on policy platforms.

Opposition MPs accused the government of undermining economic stability though its populist policies.

Yingluck yesterday reiterated that authorities would not use violence against the protesters. "Everybody must obey the law and not use mob rule to subvert the rule of law," she told reporters.

Adding to tensions in the capital yesterday, an unexploded hand grenade was discovered outside a Democrat Party office in Phra Khanong district.

The Finance Ministry yesterday planned to use the civil service centre on Chaeng Wattana Road as its temporary office in the face of the ongoing occupation of the ministry compound by the anti-government protesters.

The permanent secretary for Finance, Rangsan Sriworasart, said yesterday the ministry and related offices had contingency plans to deal with crises such as this, to ensure that normal work routines would not be affected. Computer/data backup centres are scattered in several locations to diversify potential risks that could affect the ministry's daily operations.

The ministry has a risk-management system similar to those of commercial banks, Rangsan said. Such systems allow information/computer systems at various sites to fill in for those that cannot perform normal operations due to external factors, Rangsan said.

The ministry has several information systems and data-backup centres in various locations to ensure there is no disruption of work, including payment of salaries to ministry staff. However, instalment payments for services performed by state projects' contractors, as well as hiring, and procurements by state agencies, could be affected as they are not part of the routine automatic-payments system of the ministry, the official said.

Tourism and Sports Minister Somsak Pureesrisak yesterday ordered the movement of its two offices - the Office of the Minister and Office of the Permanent Secretary - to the Department of Physical Education to maintain its workflow after the ministry building was seized by political demonstrators.

Officials were allowed to go home and work anywhere they could be reached by telephone and online communication.

Somsak acknowledged the political demonstrations had impacted on the country's image as a tourism destination and could lead foreign tourists to postpone plans to come here.

Suwat Sitthilor, permanent secretary of the Tourism and Sports Ministry, said officials were asked to leave the ministry before its entrance was closed. They were not let back in again due to safety concerns.

Mahidol University peace expert Eakpant Pindavanija said he feared there was a high chance of bloody confrontation in the days ahead.

"The solution is hard [to find]," he admits, adding that peace groups are working behind the scenes to convince both sides not to resort to the use of force. Eakpant deplored the seizure of state offices, calling it a mistake for the anti-government protests.

Thammasat University rector Somkid Lertpaitoon yesterday suggested the government should consider a House dissolution and a fresh election as a way to restore peace in the country.

He said there had been no signs of peace in sight as the government insisted on employing legal measures to deal with the crisis.


-- The Nation 2013-11-27

[AbuBacon]

Crying shame its come to this. The yellows are setting themselves up for an almighty fall and hastening change of the hegemony . this time Dr t will be hoping they don't stop. The end in nigh

Sent from my Lenovo A516 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[waza]

This madman's rhetoric just continues to go over the top. Wish the police would get on with it, arrest him, and get him to somewhere where he will stop whipping the masses to a frenzy. Reminds me of old movies of Hitler's speeches to the masses of Berlin.

You are so right, how dare this man want.........

"....... the first thing the country needed was a fair and clear election, in which votes are not bought. He also urged the people to root out corruption and get rid of all those who profited from it. He said, Thailand required true decentralisation of power, with elected not appointed governors in each province; a reformed police force; and civil servants who had some morals."

democracy and adherence to the rule of law and a transparent government, its just so un-Thai like.

You remain vague on the vote buying issue! Are you suggesting that only one party buys votes?

I don't understand your question, I have made no mention about vote buying in my satirical post, except what is contained in the direct quote from Suthep. However, the changes to the 2007 constitution were made during the Dem administration to make vote buying less attractive, the PTP is fighting to the death to reverse those changes, draw what assumption you like from that.

Edited November 26, 2013 by waza

[Spare]

The Man in Black (Suthep) is no better that the Red Shirts leaders now. OMG. God save Thailand.

Still no violence?

[PeterSmiles]

I'm supprised no one has plugged this nut yet

RT@แก้วมาลา Kaewmala@Thai_Talk: Abhisit distances self & DemParty from Suthep, saying S has gone "beyond the goal". Told Dem MPs not to violate law. khaosod.co.th/view_newsonlin…

To me this says the same as, you can have him.

Don't be silly. this is exactly why Suthep stepped down and no current Dem MP's are seen on the grounds of the government buildings. They resigned with the party's approval to make sure that the entire party could not be dissolved due to the actions that they knew were forthcoming.

So the Democrat party publicly distancing itself from their former deputy leader is also part of the game ? I wouldn't think that is necessary to play it safe.

Maybe you overlooked the crucial part in the statement, which was " he has gone beyond the goal " .

[Deez]

This madman's rhetoric just continues to go over the top. Wish the police would get on with it, arrest him, and get him to somewhere where he will stop whipping the masses to a frenzy. Reminds me of old movies of Hitler's speeches to the masses of Berlin.

Hmmm, reminds me of Jatuporn. Did the police ever stop him?