Protestors blockade PM's office in Thailand

Bangkok, Mar 14: Thousands of protestors today blockaded the seat of Thai government, insisting they will not move until caretaker Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra quits.

The mammoth protest began overnight at a public ground and about 50,000 people marched peacefully through capital Bangkok's main central avenue early this morning for nearly three hours to reach Government House about 4 km away.

The protest rally -- second such anti-government demonstration in Thailand in 14 years -- had raised fears of a repeat of the violent May 1992 confrontation during the pro-democracy street protests against the then military ruler.

Apprehensions were heightened after the surprise Sunday night telecast by state-run television stations of the historic footage of Thailand's revered king intervening to end the so-called Black May crisis of 1992.

In a statement this morning, the caretaker Prime Minister said he would not hesitate to declare a state of emergency if today's protests turned violent.

Leaders of the anti-government coalition of civil society groups, the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) declared they would not move until the interim Prime Minister resigns.

The blockade was timed with today's weekly meeting of the Thai Cabinet, but Mr Thaksin would not be present in person there and instead participate via a teleconference link.

Mr Thaksin, at the centre of a snowballing political storm unleashed by the late January sale of his family's telecom business to a Singapore state company for a tax-free 1.9 billion US dollars, is campaigning in the rural areas for the April 2 snap elections he called in late February.

The three main Thai parliamentary opposition parties are boycotting the elections, arguing these will not be free and fair.

The Opposition leaders have rejected Mr Thaksin's offer of closed door talks insisting they will meet him only on a public platform.

Mr Thaksin's opponents question his sincerity to constitutional reform which he has promised to initiate after the April 2 elections.

They want the premier to step down and make way for a neutral transitional administration to supervise the constitutional reform.

The caretaker premier's Thai Rak Thai won 375 seats in the 500-member parliament in general elections last year, returning to office for a record second term. Political analysts expect Mr Thaksin to remain in office after the snap poll, although with a reduced majority.

Opposition parties are demanding basic changes in Thailand's 1997 Constitution to ensure institutional checks on an unprecedentedly strong executive under Mr Thaksin.

UNI