Saturday September 19

BANGKOK: Thailand's infamous red and the yellow shirted protesters rallied 560km apart Saturday, one marking the third anniversary of the coup that ousted their leader while another clashed with local villagers along the border with Cambodia.

Several thousand red shirted supporters of the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD) braved heavy rain at the Royal Plaza near Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva's office to demand an end to his 10-month military-backed government.

The gathering, watched closely by thousands of anti-riot policemen and baton-wielding soldiers guarding Abhisit's house and key government facilities, was to mark the Sept 19, 2006 ouster of former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra.

"We are here to fight for democracy, the right of the people and we want Abhisit to hand over the power to the people. We are not here to create violence," UDD leader Veera Musigapong said as military and government officials dismissed talks of another coup.

Thaksin's allies won the December 2007 election called by the then military junta, but six months of antigovernment protests by the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) last year resulted in the downfall of his two handpicked prime ministers.

Abhisit, leader of Democrat, secured enough support from smaller parties in Parliament to form a new government and remained the Kingdom's fifth premier in four years, despite conflict with military and coalition partners, as well as within his party.

The government has invoked the Internal Security Act to deal with the protesters, but the real drama unfolded in Si Sa Ket province bordering Cambodia, where thousands of yellow shirt supporters are trying to move to the controversial Preah Vihear ancient temple.

Local media reported that about 4,000 protesters in more than 500 buses, vans and pickups had arrived at the province to march to the Khao Phra Viharn national park where the temple is located.

The report said several hundred local villagers, unhappy with the planned protest, clashed with the yellow shirt supporters as police moved in to disperse the crowd.

The PAD, which blocked Bangkok's two major airports last November and seized the prime minister's office for three months, wants the Cambodian Government to withdraw troops from the disputed area.

Despite the 1962 decision by the International Court of Justice to award the temple to Cambodia, troops from both countries had clashed several times in recent months over the overlapping boundaries. - Bernama

More than 9,000 soldiers and police have been deployed throughout the city

The Red Shirts want current prime minister Abhisit Vejjajiva to resign and hold elections

The putsch of September 19 plunged the kingdom into three years of political turmoil

By Thanaporn Promyamyai (AFP)

BANGKOK — Thousands of red-shirted protesters rallied in Thailand's capital amid tight security on Saturday to mark the third anniversary of a coup against former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra.

The putsch of September 19, 2006 plunged the kingdom into three years of political turmoil which shows little sign of ending, with supporters of the exiled Thaksin leading the latest round of protests.

Tensions rose further on Saturday when rival anti-Thaksin "Yellow Shirt" demonstrators clashed with police near an ancient temple on the disputed northeastern border with Cambodia.

In Bangkok, the government imposed a draconian internal security law for the latest "Red Shirt" demonstrations and deployed more than 9,000 soldiers and police to guard key locations.

"We came here today to mark the third anniversary of the coup, which has caused huge damage to the country," Red Shirt leader Jatuporn Promphan told the crowd, as a thunderstorm drenched the protest site.

The Red Shirts want current prime minister Abhisit Vejjajiva to resign and hold elections. Massive anti-government riots in April left two people dead and derailed a major Asian summit.

Police estimated that around 5,000 people had arrived at the protest site by the middle of the afternoon and that more would come for a video or telephone speech by Thaksin scheduled for the evening.

"This will be a peaceful protest and will end by midnight if the government does not use violence," Jatuporn said.

On the Cambodian border, around 5,000 demonstrators broke through barricades and were moving towards the 11th century Preah Vihear temple, the scene of several deadly battles between Thai and Cambodian troops over the past year.

Television footage showed yellow-clad protesters armed with sticks beating local villagers and Thai riot police, who pushed back with shields.

The staunchly royalist Yellow Shirts want the government to push out Cambodian forces from an area around the temple.

The Yellow Shirts helped bring down Thaksin in 2006 and effectively toppled the previous pro-Thaksin government in December when they blockaded Bangkok's airports, but have started to turn their fire on the current administration.

In Bangkok, Abhisit said he had ordered authorities to keep the peace at both protests and said there were reports that unidentified groups of troublemakers could set off bombs in the capital to create unrest.

"I have instructed officials to be aware of inciting incidents and to closely monitor the movements of those groups. I am worried about the situation tonight and have warned intelligence agencies," Abhisit told reporters.

Thailand remains deeply divided between supporters of the twice-elected Thaksin, who are concentrated in rural areas, and his foes in the Bangkok-based power cliques of the palace, military and bureaucracy.

Powerful army chief Anupong Paojinda on Friday denied rumours the military was about to stage a coup against Abhisit, who has been weakened by a recent battle with coalition partners over the new national police chief.

Abhisit is heading to New York at the weekend for the UN General Assembly -- and it was while billionaire Thaksin was out of the country to attend the same event that the military overthrew him in 2006.

The ongoing political chaos has damaged Thailand's image as a tourist-friendly destination and affected foreign investment in an already struggling, export-dependent economy.

Writer: BangkokPost.com
Published: 19/09/2009

National army chief Anupong Paojinda on Saturday called on the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) protesters in Si Sa Ket province not to enter the Thai-Cambodian disputed border as it would be dangerous.

The yellow-shirt PAD vowed to move into 4.6 square kilometres of land around the ancient Preah Vihear temple that is claimed by both countries.

"The army will act in accordance with the government's bilateral negotiation plan. We are now working on it and we will not do anything beyond this course," Gen Anupong said.

"The protesters can say they love the country but going into the disputed area would be dangerous and there could still be landmines," he said.

He said protests can take place if it can help improve the situation.

If the protesters entered into the disputed area, they could be arrested and the Cambodian government would say Thai people were trespassing on its territory. If the Thai government refused to accept the claim, the protesters might not be released, he said.

Gen Anupong also shot down the coup rumours, saying people should stop thinking about them.

"There is no need to stage a coup because we can solve problems through understanding and cooperation. I insist that no one will stage a coup," the army chief said.