Protesters rally outside Government House, want Thaksin back in jail
Protesters started camping out in front of Government House in Bangkok’s Dusit district on Friday, urging the government to stop giving special treatment to convicted former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra and send him back to prison to complete his one-year jail term.
Pichit Chaimongkol, leader of the Network of Students and People for Reform of Thailand, said the protesters planned to stay in front of Government House for three days and two nights.
The group planned to march to the Office of the National Anti-Corruption Commission on Tuesday (January 16) to check on the progress of their complaint filed earlier against officials of the Department of Corrections for allegedly giving special treatment to Thaksin.
Thaksin reportedly is staying in a suite on the 14th floor of the Police General Hospital building for treatment of an illness, which is undisclosed to preserve patient privacy.
The 74-year-old ex-PM was sent from the Bangkok Remand Prison to the Police General Hospital in the early hours of August 23, less than 24 hours after he returned to Thailand to face imprisonment for corruption following 15 years of self-imposed exile overseas.
Serving as prime minister from February 2001 to September 2006, Thaksin was sentenced in absentia to eight years in prison. His prison terms were reduced to one year after being given a royal pardon following his return on August 22.
Pichit said the protesters also plan to collect 20,000 signatures to submit to Parliament, asking for an investigation into the Department of Corrections allowing Thaksin out-of-jail treatment beyond the legal limit of 120 days.
Friday marked 141 days that the billionaire ex-PM had stayed out of jail.
On Friday evening, deputy National Police chief Pol General Surachate "Big Joke" Hakparn led a group of police officers to monitor the situation in the area where the protesters were camping. He urged protest leaders to refrain from using loudspeakers on Saturday to avoid disrupting Children’s Day activities at Government House.
Surachate said police estimated the number of protesters to increase during the weekend, from less than 100 on Friday.
“Officers will be deployed around the area to facilitate the flow of traffic and monitor the situation to make sure that there is no violence, either by the protesters or any third party,” he added.
