BANGKOK: In order to avoid violence and confrontation, the Thai government has ordered all police to withdraw and stop fighting with anti-government protesters, easing immense tensions following a week of protests.
“The protesters said they want to seize government buildings, but the government doesn’t want to see any fighting or confrontation so we’ve ordered the police to back off,” the government spokesman Teerat Ratanasevi said.
“We want to avoid violence and confrontation,” he added.
At least three people have been killed and 230 others have sustained injuries in a week of protests which are aimed at removing the Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra from power 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.
Meanwhile, Thai police allowed anti-government protestors to reach Prime Minister Office and removed barriers blocking anti-government protesters from entering the prime minister’s office.
It may be mentioned that police cleared the barbed wire barriers protecting Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra’s office.
The move came after Yingluck Shinawatra said she would do “anything… to make people happy… but as prime minister, what I can do must be under the constitution.”
The Thai prime minister further said she would “open every door” to find out a peaceful solution to the crisis.
On Sunday, the Thai PM was moved to a secret location after activists stormed the police sports club where she had been staying.
On the other hand, Thailand’s opposition leader Suthep Thaugsuban in an address to thousands of anti-government protesters at the finance ministry building in Bangkok late Monday said that he remained determined to continue the ‘fight’ against the government of Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra.
“If people are happy with elections and go home, I will remain here alone,” Suthep Thaugsuban said.
The opposition leader also stated that even if the prime minister dissolves parliament and fresh elections are held, he will “continue the fight… because they can always come back to suck the blood of people, steal from people, disrespect the constitution and make us their slaves.”
