Police successfully reclaim Interior Ministry rally site

BANGKOK, 4 May 2014, (NNT) - Police have successfully reclaimed the Interior Ministry, a rally site of People’s Democracy Reform Committee (PDRC), just in time to avert a possible standoff between the protesters and the combined forces of village heads and sub-district chiefs nationwide who planned to gather at the site today.

Commissioner General, Police General Adul Sangsingkeaw, yesterday headed a team of police to negotiate with the PDRC protesters over its planned reclaiming of the rally site.

According to Royal Thai Police Spokesperson, Pol. Lt. Gen. Anucha Rommayanant, the negotiation came in the face of possible violent clashes between the protesters and tens of thousands of Interior Ministry employees, sub-district chiefs, and village heads nationwide, who are on their ways to the Ministry to reclaim the site today.

Also joining the negotiation were Deputy Metropolitan Police Bureau, Police General Adul Narongsak and MPB Division 6 Commander Pol. Lt. Gen. Wallop Patum-muang. The protesters were escorted out of the rally site safely by the officials after the negotiation had concluded.

-- NNT 2014-05-04

there were over 40k administrative workers. The bangkok post today morning was expecting some 80k.

now they should march to lumpini and tell suthep to go home. No more shutdowns

The police reclaimed ?

They reclaimed nothing the protesters left of their own free will in order not have a confrontation with the village elite.

The police reclaimed ?

They reclaimed nothing the protesters left of their own free will in order not have a confrontation with the village elite.

There were only around 200 headsmen.... Not 80,000

Suthep will be pissed about this and put them straight back there in larger numbers.

Leader of the headmen from Chiang Mai, Mr Kamoldit Rotananipat, alias Kamnan Daeng, president of Kamnan and Phuyaibaan Association of Chiang Mai, said 11,000 kamnan and village headmen from Chiang Mai would join the rally with headmen from across the country to rally at the Interior Ministry.

He said about 80,000 headmen would travel to Bangkok to demand protesters return the ministry back to officials to work.

They set off their travel in 26 buses Saturday with first stop over in Lamphun province to join village headmen there to head for Bangkok.

I hope their bus fares will be reimbursed and they will be compensated for the time they wasted.

What is going on with this report? - the protestors were leaving anyhow.

There have been live broadcasts on most channels this morning showing maybe a couple of hundred kamnan wandering around aimlessly or having their photo taken in front of the ministry, and a dozen or so of them pulling some barriers apart while the police watch from the sidelines. Silly buggers, seems they were brought in as cheap labour because there's certainly nothing else to be achieved - they're probably wondering why they're there at all.

What is going on with this report? - the protestors were leaving anyhow.

There have been live broadcasts on most channels this morning showing maybe a couple of hundred kamnan wandering around aimlessly or having their photo taken in front of the ministry, and a dozen or so of them pulling some barriers apart while the police watch from the sidelines. Silly buggers, seems they were brought in as cheap labour because there's certainly nothing else to be achieved - they're probably wondering why they're there at all.

Watch out.... If you oppose the official figure of 80,000 red shirt Londonthai will be on you with the village idiot remarks.

Yes.... There are around 200 of them. I also have seen it on TV, from all angles... no more than a couple of hundred inert protesters, and the police bluffed to PDRC that 80,000 were on their way to spill their blood.

They will be back once they see they were duped.

songhua, the mob was leaving the ministry, because they were told, that tens of thousands are comming the clear the area.

there were only 80 representatives allowed to enter the ministry compound, the rest stayed in the distance, where they were gathering from the morning.

songhua, the mob was leaving the ministry, because they were told, that tens of thousands are comming the clear the area.

there were only 80 representatives allowed to enter the ministry compound, the rest stayed in the distance, where they were gathering from the morning.

Rubbish... go to ASTV now, there is no mass gathering at all even in the district, they would be on camera if they were there at all.

That didn't take long did it...... ..................

So, will the officials go home now with 'mission accomplished" ?

I assume they will not march to Lumpini as that would be a bit provocative apart from the CAPO having warned government officials from dealings with or even joining anti-government protesters

Great headline: "Police successfully reclaim Interior Ministry rally site" . . . they just missed out the disclaimer . . . "Police successfully reclaim Interior Ministry rally site AFTER the PDRC protestors peacefully vacated the area".

Great job Police, keep up the great work. Oh, and when will you be moving on this new group of protestors?

They should have done this months ago.

It's time Suthep and his hired goons hear what the Thai people have to say.

The police reclaimed ?

They reclaimed nothing the protesters left of their own free will in order not have a confrontation with the village elite.

There were only around 200 headsmen.... Not 80,000

Suthep will be pissed about this and put them straight back there in larger numbers.

There were strong rumors about other people with weapons, as PDRC told to leave they might never came.

songhua, the mob was leaving the ministry, because they were told, that tens of thousands are comming the clear the area.

there were only 80 representatives allowed to enter the ministry compound, the rest stayed in the distance, where they were gathering from the morning.

If you think you can spin this, you are full of absolute and unadulterated crap, or are you suggesting the rest in the distance are protesters. As usual, none of your posts ever make any sense.

Some derogatory posts (calling people idiots) and quotes of them have been removed.

from http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/723374-village-headmen-from-chiang-mai-to-challenge-anti-government-protesters-at-interior-ministry/?p=7773295:

"Although the protesters had left since Saturday night, security officers stationed there strictly prohibited the sub-district chiefs and village headmen as well as any other groups to enter the ministry. Director-General of the Department of Provincial Administration Siriphong Hantrakul asked the sub-district chiefs and village headmen to back away from the barriers of police and military officers in front of the ministry and later allowed 80 representatives of them to enter the premises."

songhua, the mob was leaving the ministry, because they were told, that tens of thousands are comming the clear the area.

there were only 80 representatives allowed to enter the ministry compound, the rest stayed in the distance, where they were gathering from the morning.

The reserve team!!!!!!!!!!!

...a victory for common sense...

Cool,

Looks good for the elections then. The Feb 2nd elections went off smoothly enough, (minus the Electoral Commissions failure to register candidates). And now there's almost no protestors, it should be easy for a non-partisan non-corrupt Electoral Commission to actually run a professional election, like their legal duty says they are required to do.

Good.

...a victory for common sense...

Oh yes...a great victory!!)

The kamnams that wished to protest wanted to do so - not in order to facilitate Pheu Thai and their idea of the strengthening of democracy - but to ensure that a reform that would challenge their own jobs would never be considered. Kamnans enjoy unfettered and unchallenged access to all sorts of spoils - generally monetary. The reform provision was to subject them to an election, rendering the institution accountable. That would be a prime item for irony for the UDD to digest, not that they're too big on irony. For those who say that the February 2 election went smoothly are awfully easy to please. An election where 64 % either didn't vote or voted " no " , where eight provinces were completely missing, where most of Bangkok's polling stations were shut down, and where a potential 387 MPs were selected out of a possible 500. Yes, that was some smooth election alright.

This shot, I make about 29*16*3 = 1392 people

That didn't take long did it...... ..................

about four months...

They should have done this months ago.

It's time Suthep and his hired goons hear what the Thai people have to say.

Which group of Thai people are you suggesting? PTP perhaps?

And on this one I'm counting

32 across
14 deep between lamposts
10 lamposts

= 4480 max

So enough to outnumber the PDRC guards, provided everyone is unarmed.

songhua, the mob was leaving the ministry, because they were told, that tens of thousands are comming the clear the area.

there were only 80 representatives allowed to enter the ministry compound, the rest stayed in the distance, where they were gathering from the morning.

Yes, admittedly the protestors did flee the scene - as would anyone on being told that tens of thousands were on their way to uproot them! One can also understand the busloads of kamnan, having completed 3/4 of their trip, not being fussed about turning back.

But I haven't personally seen anything like those numbers on this morning's live coverage (including on the red channel). And why would there be? - the protestors are gone, scared off not by the kamnan themselves but by wild stories of impending danger told by the police.

IMO, the kamnan have been used as pawns to do the BiB's dirty work.

there were over 40k administrative workers. The bangkok post today morning was expecting some 80k.

now they should march to lumpini and tell suthep to go home. No more shutdowns

YES! Lumpini has been overrun with monitor lizards.

Great headline: "Police successfully reclaim Interior Ministry rally site" . . . they just missed out the disclaimer . . . "Police successfully reclaim Interior Ministry rally site AFTER the PDRC protestors peacefully vacated the area".

Great job Police, keep up the great work. Oh, and when will you be moving on this new group of protestors?

the headline writer must have been on secondment from TAT.

Some in the street on the left too. I can't find a good shot of them, so I'll estimate it the same way the right street is at 1.4k

If these three photos are taken at the same time,you're looking at 4.5k + 1.4k + 1.4k = 7300