Suthep declares end of Bangkok Shutdown

[george]

BREAKING NEWS
Suthep declares end of Bangkok Shutdown

BANGKOK: -- Rally leader Suthep Thaugsuban on Friday announced the end of Bangkok Shutdown on March 3. In a surprised move, Suthep said all rally sites will be disbanded except that at Lumpini.

The Shutdown started on January 13 in an attempt to bring down Yingluck Government and Thaksin Regime.

-- The Nation 2014-02-28

Thai opposition protesters to end Bangkok 'shutdown'
by Boonradom Chitradon

BANGKOK, February 28, 2014 (AFP) - Thai opposition protesters seeking to force the prime minister from office said Friday they would abandon most of their rally sites in the capital, ending their self-styled "shutdown" of Bangkok.

The move follows increasingly frequent gunfire and grenade attacks targeting the protest sites, mostly at night.

Attendance at the demonstrations has fallen sharply in recent weeks, with most sites nearly deserted for much of the day and a few thousand people joining the rallies in the evenings.

Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra has been under intense pressure to resign following four months of protests.

While the scaling back of the protests is a relief for the embattled premier, she also faces negligence charges linked to a flagship rice subsidy scheme that her critics say is riddled with corruption.

If found guilty she could be removed from office and face a five-year ban from politics.

The demonstrators have occupied several key intersections in the heart of the capital for more than a month, camping out alongside upscale shopping malls and luxury hotels.

Civilian protest guards -- many wearing body armour -- have searched cars and pedestrians at roadblocks made from tyres and sandbags, to the annoyance of some residents.

From Monday the demonstrators will consolidate into one base in Lumpini Park, their leader Suthep Thaugsuban announced on stage late Friday.

He said the move aimed to ease traffic congestion caused by the rallies.

"I feel for the Bangkok residents who joined hands to fight" alongside the protesters, Suthep said.

But he said the struggle to topple the government and end the political domination of Yingluck's billionaire family would go on.
"I will speed up to reach the end game as soon as possible ... within March," Suthep said.

- Deadly violence -

Violence linked to the rallies has left 23 people dead and hundreds wounded in recent weeks.

Four children were among those killed in two separate grenade and gun attacks on opposition rallies in Bangkok and eastern Thailand last weekend, drawing widespread condemnation.

The demonstrators have besieged a number of major state buildings including the government headquarters, forcing Yingluck to work from various temporary offices.

The unrest has caused a drop in tourist arrivals to Bangkok -- usually one of the world's most visited cities -- in a blow to the kingdom's already struggling economy.

The backdrop to the protests is a longstanding struggle between a royalist establishment -- supported by the judiciary and the military -- and Yingluck's family which has strong support in the northern half of Thailand.

Suthep said on Thursday he was ready to meet Yingluck for one-to-one talks but only if the discussions are broadcast live on national television.

Yingluck indicated she would be ready to talk if protesters agree to end their rallies.

The premier's opponents accuse the Shinawatra family of plundering the public coffers to win the votes of rural voters through populist policies such as the rice scheme.

The protesters want Yingluck to step aside in favour of an unelected "people's council" to tackle what they see as a culture of money-driven politics.

They accuse Yingluck's elder brother Thaksin Shinawatra -- a billionaire tycoon-turned-premier who was ousted from office by royalist generals in 2006 -- of running the government from overseas, where he lives to avoid a jail term for corruption.

The political violence is the worst since more than 90 people died during protests by pro-Thaksin "Red Shirts" in 2010 that sparked street clashes and a bloody military crackdown.

A general election held on February 2 failed to calm the crisis after protesters obstructed the vote in many opposition strongholds.

Election re-runs are due to be held on March 2 in five of the affected provinces.

-- (c) Copyright AFP 2014-02-28

[JesseFrank]

Isn't March 3 also the date that Yingluck officially lose the caretaker status ?

Edited February 28, 2014 by JesseFrank

[kkerry]

Hope they sold all the t-shirts...

[Dr Bruce]

Thank the lord.

Next week they will be rallying in Lumpini and the week after it will be in the phone box by Nana.

[moonao]

good riddence. i guess the number of protesters are down to... 5 ?

[seajae]

now lets see if the reds do the same, maybe they will want to keep going as long as the independant courts do not do what they or the ptp/thaksin want them too, ie, stop investigating the corruption that is the ptp and finding them guilty, not letting thaksin get off his charges and get all his money back as well as releasing all the guilty reds from 2010 or stop any further proceedings against them. Will be an interesting few weeks.

[cmiuc]

it sounds like he is trying to say he is in control of protests or not... really, after Yinglucks firm determination "until death" really shows he is the biggest loser... and he is going out before all his dignity is gone... on facebook... Yingluch has put out so many photos of what she had done and accomplished... I do not see any unhappy people in the photo's... and quite honestly(in my humble opinion) she hasn't done anything terrible to merit all this crap that these wannabe leaders accuse her of... they promote violence, she trys to promote peace... i hope she reclaims her spot and at least let her finish her term by rights and let the people vote the way they want to vote... and suthep and any of those people should work honestly if they want to gain the masses by normal and peaceful ways... that's how you win... not this forceful and childish way...

[seajae]

good riddence. i guess the number of protesters are down to... 5 ?

hahahahahaha, your getting the pcad protesters mixed up with the reds in front of the nacc but I am sure there arent quite that many reds there though

[TVGerry]

There was possbily some back channel talks and both sides will take a step back now. This is a good start, Hopefully the attacks on the protestors will stop now.

[TVGerry]

it sounds like he is trying to say he is in control of protests or not... really, after Yinglucks firm determination "until death" really shows he is the biggest loser... and he is going out before all his dignity is gone... on facebook... Yingluch has put out so many photos of what she had done and accomplished... I do not see any unhappy people in the photo's... and quite honestly(in my humble opinion) she hasn't done anything terrible to merit all this crap that these wannabe leaders accuse her of... they promote violence, she trys to promote peace... i hope she reclaims her spot and at least let her finish her term by rights and let the people vote the way they want to vote... and suthep and any of those people should work honestly if they want to gain the masses by normal and peaceful ways... that's how you win... not this forceful and childish way...

Seriously? You saw happy photos on Poo's Facebook and that's how you judge she's doing a good job? Who puts ugly and bad pictures on their own Facebook anyway?

Edited February 28, 2014 by TVGerry

[flashysite]

Finally some common sense, after 4 months, 23 dead, 100s injured, low income people badly effected, tourism and economy hardly hit. Thanks for easing the pain and suffering.

Sent from my iPhone using ThaiVisa app

[Hulkster]

You have to say the yellow shirts had no heart in the end. They want to overthrow the democratically elected government in a third successive coup, but didn't have the courage of their convictions. You can't overthrow a government blowing whistles and taking selfies. You have to get your hands dirty. Maybe go a day or two without using skin whiteners.

The hot season has arrived. It all got too hard for them

[casindonet]

Hope they sold all the t-shirts...

and whistles

Sent from my GT-I9200 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[Mentors]

He get a phone call i guess. Finito Duce.

[heybruce]

i wonder if the army privately told him that if they were forced to stage a coup he would be made a fall guy.

[sustento]

Thank the lord.

Next week they will be rallying in Lumpini and the week after it will be in the phone box by Nana.

[tx22cb]

Not so fast - don't dance on his g yet.

Suthep tonight declared that victory will come by end-March ... so expect further collection marches next week.

[ShannonT]

I think Suthep and his allies should be investigated.

Each one of his moves damaged the Thai economy. Could it be possible they bid against certain stocks so that if they lose value, they end up making a huge amount of money?

I wouldn't be surprised if he did that and made billions in the process.

[Donnie Brasco]

Thank the lord.

Next week they will be rallying in Lumpini and the week after it will be in the phone box by Nana.

Hmmm,

Ahem. "Rallying at Lumpini" .. . . . . is THAT what they call it now ;-?

"Sometimes, 'fuggedabowdit' just means fuggedabowdit."

[larsjohnsson]

Not so fast - don't dance on his g yet.

Suthep tonight declared that victory will come by end-March ... so expect further collection marches next week.

Yes another End Game and victory

Sent from my GT-I9152 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[djjamie]

"The move follows increasingly frequent gunfire and grenade attacks targeting the protest sites, mostly at night"

Actions speak louder than words.

The UDD got what they wanted. Through violence the PDRC retreated.

[Arkady]

Isn't March 3 also the date that Yingluck officially lose the caretaker status ?

March 4. Thaksin passed that point too in 2006 after the elections boycotted by the Dems were anulled but the coup came before his status was clarified in the Constitutional Court. I guess this time it will be clarified, since a case has been filed already.

[TVGerry]

I think Suthep and his allies should be investigated.

Each one of his moves damaged the Thai economy. Could it be possible they bid against certain stocks so that if they lose value, they end up making a huge amount of money?

I wouldn't be surprised if he did that and made billions in the process.

We're one stop closer to peace with Suthep taking a step back ending the shutdown but hey, before the protests are even 100% over, we have red idiots wanting blood and making insinuations without any proof to back it up.

[Arkady]

Deleted by Arkady

[Fat Haggis]

Poor Michael Yon, what will he do now seeing as he probabaly didn't do himself any favours with his red shirted neighbours in Chiang Mai by becoming one of Sutheps groupies

[firestar]

This was Asoke this afternoon, was hard to even call it a protest anymore.



There's more yellow shirt cheerleaders on TV than in Asoke itself

[smedly]

YL stated she would have the debate if the protests stopped - I thought that was obvious, all this speculation yet the answer is so simple, Suthep has made a step now over to you YS

[ShannonT]

This was Asoke this afternoon, was hard to even call it a protest anymore.

There's more yellow shirt cheerleaders on TV than in Asoke itself

Are they looking for volunteers to move the stages? Might not have enough people left to do it.

[thepool]

A very wise move.

The protest sites are vulnerable to violent attack.

Lumpini Park will be safer and more easily defended.

​No need for more than one protest site now the Shin reign is in its final days !

[paz]

Well, that is a clearly just a strategic move, and could have been agreed secretely with the army and industry sectors that were affected.

They still want to get to power without being elected, now it has to be seen how.