Fears of a street confrontation loomed Friday after a red-shirt call for a rally on Sunday to counter protests by opponents of the amnesty bill, who show no sign of scaling back demonstrations putting pressure on the government.
Staff opposed to the amnesty bill rally at the Thai Airways International head office on Friday, Nov 8, 2013. (Photo by Patipat Janthong)
Co-leader Nattawut Saikuar posted a message on Facebook announcing a rally at Supachalasai Stadium starting at 4pm on Sunday, saying it would be a demonstration of red-shirt unity.
Supporters of the red-shirt United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship gathered at Imperial Department Store in Lat Phrao on Friday in opposition to the amnesty protests, and another faction gathered in Samut Prakan some hours later.
Arisman Pongruangrong, one of the hard-core icons of the red-shirts, took to the stage at Imperial amid cheers of supporters and called for them to pool their strength to "protect democracy''.
The call for the rally came after the Pheu Thai Party, including Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, and UDD members mended fences on Thursday after the red-shirt leaders had aired their anger over the bill, which also gives amnesty to those responsible for killing the red-shirt protesters in 2011.
The gatherings demanded protesters stop their rallies against the government, or they would face a counter move by the UDD. The government had already withdrawn the six other amnesty and reconciliation related bills from the House and promised not to pursue the blanket amnesty bill now heading for the Senate.
Ekkanat Prompan, a spokesman for the Democrat Party-led rally at the Democracy Monument, called on the government to stop its attempts to put red-shirt supporters on the streets in a show of support for the bill. This only showed how insecure the government felt on this issue.
He said the demonstration by the Democrats will remain peaceful and they will avoid confrontations with the red-shirts. Police must apply the same standard in their handling of the two groups, he added.
Another rally is being held on Ratchadamnoen Avenue by the Anti-Thaksin Coalition.
Nititorn Lamlua, an adviser to the Network of Students and People for Reform of Thailand, which is a key force in he the coalition, said police must apply the same measures against the Ratchadamnoen protesters and the red-shirt protesters if they do decide to break up the rallies.
He and other coalition protest leaders remained insisistent the government, by its actions, had lost the legitimacy to govern the country.
Suriyasai Katasila, coordinator of Green Politics and a leader of the Anti-Thaksin Coalition, accused the government of using ''cruel'' tactics by giving up its push for the bill's passage through parliament while sending its supporters out on the streets for confrontation.
The government and Pheu Thai were trying to build momentum outside parliament to bring back the amnesty legislation, despite the decision to withdraw it from the parliamentary process.
Pornchai Saengpanya, a political scientist at the faculty of management science at Silpakorn University, told FM101 news programme hebelieved red-shirt move could provoke confrontations with the opponents of the bill.
Rallies against a blanket amnesty continued on Friday .
A THAI staff protest, led by the Thai Airways International Union, was held in the grounds outside the airline's head office but the estimated 1,000 participants overflowed out on to Vibhavadi Rangsit Road.
The protesters, who defied an internal memo not to become involved, blew whistles to send their message opposing the bill and demanded political reform.
"The Thai Airways International Union has announced its position in joining other civic networks against the bill to give amnesty to those who corrupted the country and the people, the union said in a statement released at the demonstration.
The union urged the public and private sector to join hands to reform the country to protect the rule of law and good governance.
"Most corruption has been taking place in state enterprises, the statement said.
Their demonstration was organised despite a company statement distributed internally to all departments calling for "cooperation" from Thai Airways staff by not holding political activities in the office or organising political events on company property.
About 100 academics, staff and students at Prince of Songkhla University in Pattani also rallied, moving from from their campus to the provincial hall to send a letter to governor Witthaya Panitchpong opposing the bill, which, they said, is against the people's will on the rule of law and good governance.
They urged the government to scrap the bill, because it favours the government's cronies and severely violates the democratic principle.