Protesters blockade Thai parliment
- 00:00:47
- ITN
Protesters blockade Thai parliment
Thousands of anti-government protesters have blockaded the Thai parliament. Kokaew Pikulthong, a leader of the Democratic Alliance Against Dictatorship (DAAD) which backs former leader Thaksin Shinawatra, vowed to keep up the pressure on Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva to call fresh elections. "We don't accept the process of how this government was formed by the intervention of the military," he said. Some of the protesters carried pictures of Mr Thaksin and placards that read "Thaksin We Love You" and "We are ready to protect Thaksin". The blockade meant Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva was forced to delay his maiden policy speech as the economy teeters on the brink of recession. Under the constitution, a new government cannot start work officially until it delivers its policy statement to a joint sitting of the House of Representatives and Senate. The new government's plan to bolster a struggling export and tourism driven economy is now expected early on Tuesday after talks failed to end the latest siege of parliament in Thailand's long-running political crisis. "The government will not use violence to disperse the protesters. We will continue to negotiate," Mr Abhisit said after his speech was postponed. Thailand has seen four prime ministers this year and months of street protests, including a week-long blockade of Bangkok's main airports, which have scared away tourists and shaken the confidence of foreign investors. The political impasse, which began three years ago when yellow-shirted protests led by Bangkok's royalist and business elite triggered Mr Thaksin's removal in a 2006 coup, shows no sign of being resolved anytime soon. Supporters of the exiled telecoms billionaire accuse the Oxford-educated Mr Abhisit of "stealing" power after the military coerced smaller parties to join his coalition two weeks ago, a charge he denies. The previous government, led by Mr Thaksin's brother-in-law, was forced out after a court disbanded three parties in the coalition found guilty of vote fraud in a December 2007 poll.
ITN | December 29, 2008
