Thai opposition protesters vow no surrender as police clear barricades
Dwindling numbers of anti-government protesters in Bangkok promise to continue efforts to topple Yingluck Shinawatra as riot police remove barricades around government offices
Thai opposition protesters refused to end their rallies on Saturday as riot police prepared to try to clear another demonstration site, a day after an operation to reclaim the besieged government headquarters.
Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra’s government is attempting to seize back key state buildings after more than three months of mass protests seeking her resignation.
About 1,200 police will try to reclaim an occupied government complex in Chaeng Wattana in the north of the capital on Saturday, National Security Council chief Paradorn Pattanatabut told reporters.
“We will focus on negotiations,” he said. “I don’t know whether it will succeed or not. It depends on the situation commander.”
He estimated that only about 100 protesters were at the site, including a saffron-robed monk who has emerged as a key figure in the anti-government movement, although the rally organisers insisted the number was much higher.
An aide to the monk-turned-protest leader Luang Pu Buddha Issara said the protesters “will not give up”, setting the scene for a showdown with security forces.