Thailand protesters demonstrate in bid to force military out of the capital’s streets

Thailand protesters try to oust army from streets

BANGKOK — Protesters in Thailand claimed a symbolic victory Saturday after forcing soldiers to retreat from parts of Bangkok’s historic district, raising tensions in what so far has been a nonviolent bid to bring down the government.

Riding motorcycles and piled into pickup trucks, more than 60,000 red-shirted protesters clogged traffic and traveled in a noisy parade to the Bangkok zoo, Buddhist temples and a half dozen other locations being used by soldiers as temporary camps.

“We will storm the places where soldiers camp out. We’ll shake the fence. We’ll cut the barbed wire. We’ll march through the barricades. We’ll march for democracy!” a leader of the “Red Shirt” protesters, Nattawut Saikua, shouted to the crowd. “This is where we’ll end military suppression. This is where we’ll create democracy.”

Soldiers at several locations packed their duffels and left to avoid clashes, drawing raucous cheers from the protesters. Authorities said the soldiers would regroup at other locations nearby.

“What has happened is a testament to the power of the people,” said Weng Tojirakarn, another protest leader. “It is a victory of the people over the military.”

The protesters consist largely of supporters of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who was ousted by a 2006 military coup for alleged corruption, and pro-democracy activists who opposed the army takeover. Critics say the protesters are merely pawns serving Thaksin’s ambitions to return to power.

They are demanding Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva dissolve Parliament and call fresh elections, which he has repeatedly rejected. Abhisit has been sleeping and working from an army base since the protests started March 12.

The Red Shirts believe that Abhisit came to power illegitimately with the connivance of the military and other parts of the traditional ruling class and that only new elections can restore integrity to Thai democracy.

Thaksin’s allies won elections in December 2007 but the resulting governments were forced out by court rulings. A parliamentary vote brought Abhisit’s party to power in December 2008, leading the Red Shirts to complain his rule is undemocratic.

Saturday’s protest took a more confrontational stance than previous rallies. Outside Parliament, protesters cut through barbed wire and pushed past riot police before burning a copy of the constitution and then leaving.

At nightfall, protesters demanded the withdrawal of troops at the prime minister’s office, known as Government House, where a tense standoff subsided when protesters agreed to leave for the night.

Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban made a televised statement during the rally to assure that the situation was under control.

“I have ordered the soldiers to handle the situation as softly as possible,” Suthep said. “There will be no confrontation with the demonstrators, and we will try not to obstruct their movement.”

Police said at least 60,000 protesters attended the march. Earlier rallies, including one last Saturday that snaked through Bangkok, have drawn as many as 100,000 people.

Abhisit has called in thousands of troops to guard Parliament, government buildings and other key locations amid fears of violence. Protesters have denounced the show of military force as unfitting for a democracy and said their goal was to peacefully pressure the soldiers to return to their barracks.

Leaders of the protest movement — formally known as the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship — have increasingly portrayed the demonstrations as a struggle between Thailand’s impoverished, mainly rural masses and a Bangkok-based elite impervious to their plight.

Army spokesman Sansern Kaewkamnerd said the soldiers who retreated Saturday from temples and other public places would relocate to nearby government-owned facilities. He said a military presence was still needed to “prevent violent outbursts.”

He warned that “force will be used accordingly” if protesters break through barricades at Government House.Hours before Saturday’s protest began, a small explosion went off outside the Bangkok customs department without causing any injuries, The Nation newspaper reported on its Web site. It was the latest in a series of small explosions that have coincided with the protests.

While no one has claimed responsibility, the timing and targets suggest the attacks are related to the political standoff. The government has blamed the blasts on people trying to stir up tensions, while the Red Shirts say they are being carried out to discredit their movement.

The Red Shirts drew international attention earlier this month with a “blood sacrifice” in which they collected blood from supporters and splattered it at the gates of Abhisit’s office, the headquarters of his ruling party and his private residence.

Associated Press writers Jocelyn Gecker and Thanya Doksone and contributed to this report.