Anti-government protesters in Thailand took to the streets once more to revive their call to unseat Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra Thursday, December 19, according to The New York Times.
The protesters marched through the busiest segments of Bangkok streets to keep the protest going ahead of the snap elections scheduled on February 2, 2014.
Suthep Thaugsuban, former deputy prime minister and protest leader, led 20,000 protesters as a run-up of a bigger rally scheduled on Sunday, December 22. Suthep has consistently called for the snap elections, but was delayed after Shinawatra dissolved parliament last December 9.
After the dissolution of parliament, Thaugsuban called for Shinawatra's resignation and proposed an appointed government to pursue a series of reforms. His proposed new government is also intended to dilute the populist-leaning government led by supporters of the the Prime Minister's brother, former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra.
Prime Minister Shinawatra refused and instead held on to her position. It is reported that she has toured northeast Thailand this week where her brother Thaksin remains popular. In television footages, the prime minster is being shown greeted by well-wishers and supporters.
According to political experts, Thaugsuban's ability to continue attracting large number so supporters will be crucial to Thailand's current political dynamics. However, the prime minister appears well-placed to secure a second mandate if the snap elections push through next year, according to the Times.
One of the crucial pillars on Thai politics is its armed forces. Thaugsuban has encouraged its mean in uniform to join the protest, but the armed forces have avoided taking sides. Top military officials tried to mediate as a peacemaker on Dec. 14. It hosted an unusual forum of academics and members of various state agencies to hear and discuss Mr. Suthep's proposals.
"The protesters are boxed in by their demands, which aren't widely accepted, while the Democrats are constrained by the conditions set by the protesters," Yuttaporn Issarachai, a political scientist from Sukhothai Thammathirat Open University, told the Times. "It's a struggle for both groups to find a way out from this self-inflicted situation."
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