BANGKOK: A day after thousands of opposition protesters in Thailand took control of two government ministries; several more ministries were seized on Tuesday by them.
The fresh round of protest rallies by anti-government protesters began last month demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatras because her government had brought an amnesty bill which would pave the way for the former premier Thaksin Shinawatra, the brother of incumbent PM Shinawatras, to return without facing any trial.
Though the government later dropped the bill but rallied continued as the opposition protesters claimed that Prime Minister Shinawatra’s government is controlled by her brother.
Thaksin, who was ousted from power by the military in 2006 on charges of corruption and disrespect for the country’s constitutional monarch King Bhumibol Adulyadej, has been living in exile.
The opposition continued their protests on Tuesday as part of their efforts to ouster Shinawatras from power and took control of government ministries and marched to the interior ministry which was heavily guarded by police.
The protesters gave officials at the interior ministry an ultimatum to leave within one hour. Moreover, they also took control of the agriculture, transport, as well as sports and tourism ministries.
On Monday, the opposition protesters occupied the foreign and finance ministries which prompted Shinawatra, who is facing a vote of no-confidence in the parliament, to invoke the Internal security act giving authorities additional powers to block routes, impose a curfew, ban gatherings and carry out searches in Bangkok.
