Thailand protesters call on government to step down

2014-02-15 11

Tens of thousands of people take to the streets of the Thai capital Bangkok to step up efforts to oust the government and force political reforms

The protesters demanded that Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra step down ahead of elections as they marched to her residence in Bangkok.

The protest movement, led by a former senior member of the Democrat Party, Suthep Thaugsuban, is demanding that elections scheduled for next February be scrapped if Prime Minister Shinawatra stays in power.

The February 2nd elections were called largely to try and diffuse the protest movement, but many on the streets say it will not work.

"We want to let the government of Yingluck know that the people don't want her to administrate the country as the caretaker anymore," said one woman.

Mr Suthep's supporters lined the streets in downtown Bangkok, many of them handing him fistfuls of cash to support the movement.

Recent opinion polls in Thailand suggested that support for the protest movement was beginning to wane.

However, the decision last week by the opposition Democratic Party to boycott the elections has been greeted with widespread approval by those on the streets.

Source: APTN
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