Anti-govt protesters ready to discuss charter amendment

Written by Writer on Tuesday, October 28th, 2008

Anti-govt protesters ready to discuss charter amendment

BANGKOK, Oct 28 (TNA) - The mainly middle-class People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD) protesters who have occupied Government House for two months is ready to discuss the proposed constitutional changes only with officials who will be directly responsible for amending the 2007 charter, a leading PAD core leader said on Tuesday.

Former Bangkok mayor Chamlong Srimuang, a retired general and religious visionary, told journalists that the People’s Alliance for Democracy would not negotiate with the pro-government United Front of Democracy against dictatorship (UDD) or any other groups which have nothing to do with the government’s plan to rewrite the charter, dismissing it as being useless.

Chamlong said the PAD will march to the British embassy early Thursday, and then on to the Silom Road business and commercial district, giving away video discs on the protesters’ interpretation of what happened during the PAD demonstration at Parliament October 7 and what happened when the police attempted to disperse the protesters, and the peaceful protest changed to violent clashes between protesters and police.

Two persons died and nearly 500 others were injured during the nearly day-long clashes at the gates and in the vicinity of Parliament and at Bangkok Metropolitan Police headquarters.

Asked whether the protesters would show some sympathy for students by opening roads near Government House as schools have now reopened for the second term, Gen. Chamlong said he sympathised with the students but the protesters would continue to blocking roads because “police and soldiers don’t give any protection to them” (the PAD), while UDD members and other groups continued to harass the protesters.

The PAD have occpupied Government House including Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat official office — which he has never entered — since August 26 when Government House was the nerve centre of the previous government. (TNA)