Thai protesters occupy Government House as constitutional crisis deepens
Protesters take over government headquarters and discuss how to assume power without general elections, a move supporters of deposed PM Yingluck Shinawatra say could cause civil war
From ornate staterooms once used to host dignitaries including US President Barack Obama, Thailand’s opposition protesters are plotting the appointment of an unelected premier in a move government supporters warn could spark civil war.
Six months after they launched their campaign, triggering violence that has left 25 dead and hundreds wounded on both sides, demonstrators believe they have one foot inside the seat of power – and the other rooted in the street.
“It is urgent and necessary for the country to have a new prime minister and government to run the country.”
In a highly symbolic challenge to the authority of the wounded administration, the protesters have set up base inside a wing of the largely abandoned Government House, where they are now holding press conferences for the international media.
“It is urgent and necessary for the country to have a new prime minister and government to run the country,” protest leader Suthep Thaugsuban – wanted by police for insurrection – declared on Tuesday in a cavernous room adorned with chandeliers and portraits of the revered king.
Thailand’s first female premier Yingluck Shinawatra was removed from office last week along with nine cabinet ministers in a controversial court ruling denounced by her supporters as part of a “judicial coup”.
The remnants of her government are clinging to power, leaving the two sides as deadlocked as ever.