Suthep: Government at dead end

Suthep: Government at dead end

Anti-government protest leader Suthep Thaugsuban says the caretaker government is at a dead end, and hopes the political situation will be resolved by next week.

Mr Suthep, secretary-general of the People's Democratic Reform (PDRC) and former opposition party powerbroker, told the crowd at the Silom stage on Saturday that their fight to expel the Pheu Thai-led administration had been successful over the past four months.

The power of the government had gradually been taken away, he said, and people did not even know the whereabouts of caretaker Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, who has been reduced to making announcements on her Facebook page.

Mr Suthep repeated his intention to "hunt down" Ms Yingluck but said the aim was not to harm her but to ask her politely to step aside. This is because the majority of Thais now wanted to eradicate the "Thaksin regime" from the country, he said.

Caretaker Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra reportedly has been staying in a "safe house" for four days straight and is making announcements through her Facebook page.

"Ms Yingluck still wants to cling to her post by pressing on with an illegitimate election and buying votes so that her government will return to power but the people no longer want a two-faced government," he said.

"We have to make Ms Yingluck step down as quickly as possible to pave the way for national reform and for rice farmers to get the 130 billion baht in payments they are owed.

"I ask the public to be patient because our victory is near and the government has come to a dead end."

Mr Suthep again urged his supporters to step up the boycott of businesses linked to the Shinawatra family. He said many mobile phone users had stopped using the products and services of Advanced Info Service (AIS), which was founded by former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, Ms Yingluck's elder brother. Shin Corp, the parent of AIS, was sold to Temasek Holdings of Singapore in 2006.

AIS responded on Saturday to Mr Suthep's claims with a message to its 40 million customers, reiterating the fact that it no longer had any connection with the Shinawatra family. A boycott would only hurt AIS workers and their families, it said.
 
Mr Suthep said the protesters would rally at the offices of SC Asset, the SET-listed property arm of the Shinawatra family, on Monday. On Tuesday, they will gather at VoiceTV, an internet television business owned by Thaksin's son Panthongtae.

Mr Suthep said he would like to apologise to investors after shares of companies affiliated with the Shinawatra family tumbled last week but added: "This must done because it's one of the measures to pressure Ms Yingluck to resign."

The demonstrators will also surround all state offices next week, calling on civil servants to stop working for the caretaker government. The protests will be peaceful and without weapons, he added.

Mr Suthep also called on lawyers who have expertise in criminal law to help the PDRC take legal action against Ms Yingluck, caretaker Labour Minister Chalerm Yubamrung and national police chief Adul Saegnsingkaew for ordering police officers to disperse the protesters at Phan Fah Bridge on Tuesday, which led to loss of lives and casualties.

Mr Chalerm and Pol Gen Adul are members of the Centre for Maintaining Peace and Order (CMPO).

Witthaya Kaewparadai, PDRC co-leader and former Democrat Party MP, said the bomb attack at the Ratchaprasong rally site near the Pratunam intersection on Friday night was an outrageous act and that the government and police could be the mastermind of the incident.

"The government and police could be behind the bombing at Pratunam last night. They cannot deny the responsibility and turn a blind eye," he said.

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