Translated material
"People's Army" against the Thai government
“The “people’s army” is defeating the government,” said NAD leader Sondhi Limthonkul to his supporters, who broke through the fence of the prime minister’s residence in the evening. “We are now in the Government House and will not leave here until the cabinet resigns,” he promised. The government itself had previously taken refuge in the capital's military barracks.
The opposition accuses the prime minister of corruption and mismanagement. The Cabinet does not intend to make concessions. The prime minister promised in a televised address to “do everything to return the situation to normal,” adding that the time to use the army “has not yet come.”
The opposition believes that Samak Sunthawet is a “confidant” of ex-Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. Thaksin was the first head of government in Thailand who managed to serve the entire four-year term from 2001 to 2005. He was very popular in rural areas, but was in conflict with the political elite and military elite. In September 2006, the military, with the support of the opposition, removed Thaksin Shinawatra, who had begun his second term as prime minister, accusing him and his wife of abuse of power and corruption.
In early August, the Supreme Court allowed the Shinawatras to attend the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games in Beijing on August 8. However, after this, the ex-prime minister refused to return to his homeland and, instead of appearing in court on August 11, arrived in the UK.
Yesterday, the Russian Embassy in Thailand recommended that Russian citizens in Bangkok “refrain from being in close proximity to government institutions, avoid places of mass gatherings of demonstrators, and exercise caution.” Thailand consistently ranks first among ASEAN countries in terms of bilateral trade with Russia ($2.12 billion in 2007). The head of the Thai government is expected in Moscow this fall.