Their leader announced for the first time that their goal is to topple the government and replace it with a non-elected council.
Suthep Thaugsuban, who resigned as an opposition lawmaker to lead the protests, said the change is necessary to eradicate the political machine of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra.
Thaksin, Yingluck’s older brother, was ousted by a 2006 military coup and fled the country to avoid a two-year prison term on a corruption conviction. He continues to sharply divide the nation, with his supporters and opponents battling for power. Pro-Thaksin parties have won every election since 2001.
The protesters began occupying and besieging several government ministries on Monday, and made the Finance Ministry their headquarters.
Police issued an arrest warrant on Tuesday for Suthep, who served as deputy prime minister under a previous Democrat Party administration, for leading the storming of the ministry. But police said he would not be arrested at the rally as part of a pledge to avoid clashes with protesters.
However, protesters on late Tuesday blocked roads near the Finance Ministry and surrounded more than 10 police vans that had stopped at a nearby gas station. The standoff extended past midnight. Protesters accuse Yingluck, who took office in 2011, of being a puppet controlled by her brother.
She fought a two-front political war on Tuesday, fending off sharp criticism during a parliamentary no-confidence debate, while protesters besieged several more ministries. She called for calm and offered to negotiate with the protest leaders.
‘If we can talk, I believe the country will return to normal,’ she said. She has vowed not to use violence to stop the protests. Demonstrators surrounded the Interior Ministry and then cut electricity and water to pressure people inside to leave. Security personnel locked themselves behind the ministry’s gates, with employees still inside. The transport, agriculture and tourism ministries were also closed Tuesday because of the presence of protesters. The anti-government campaign started last month after Yingluck’s ruling Pheu Thai party tried to pass an amnesty bill that critics said was designed to absolve Thaksin and others of politically related offenses and allow him to return home. The Senate rejected the bill in a bid to end the protests, but the rallies have gained momentum. On Sunday, more than 100,000 anti-government demonstrators staged the country’s biggest protest in years.
Suthep Thaugsuban, who resigned as an opposition lawmaker to lead the protests, said the change is necessary to eradicate the political machine of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra.
Thaksin, Yingluck’s older brother, was ousted by a 2006 military coup and fled the country to avoid a two-year prison term on a corruption conviction. He continues to sharply divide the nation, with his supporters and opponents battling for power. Pro-Thaksin parties have won every election since 2001.
The protesters began occupying and besieging several government ministries on Monday, and made the Finance Ministry their headquarters.
Police issued an arrest warrant on Tuesday for Suthep, who served as deputy prime minister under a previous Democrat Party administration, for leading the storming of the ministry. But police said he would not be arrested at the rally as part of a pledge to avoid clashes with protesters.
However, protesters on late Tuesday blocked roads near the Finance Ministry and surrounded more than 10 police vans that had stopped at a nearby gas station. The standoff extended past midnight. Protesters accuse Yingluck, who took office in 2011, of being a puppet controlled by her brother.
She fought a two-front political war on Tuesday, fending off sharp criticism during a parliamentary no-confidence debate, while protesters besieged several more ministries. She called for calm and offered to negotiate with the protest leaders.
‘If we can talk, I believe the country will return to normal,’ she said. She has vowed not to use violence to stop the protests. Demonstrators surrounded the Interior Ministry and then cut electricity and water to pressure people inside to leave. Security personnel locked themselves behind the ministry’s gates, with employees still inside. The transport, agriculture and tourism ministries were also closed Tuesday because of the presence of protesters. The anti-government campaign started last month after Yingluck’s ruling Pheu Thai party tried to pass an amnesty bill that critics said was designed to absolve Thaksin and others of politically related offenses and allow him to return home. The Senate rejected the bill in a bid to end the protests, but the rallies have gained momentum. On Sunday, more than 100,000 anti-government demonstrators staged the country’s biggest protest in years.