黑料社

BANGKOK鈥擳hai opposition protesters besieged several more ministries in Bangkok on Tuesday to try to topple the government, as Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra faced a no-confidence motion in parliament and warned against 鈥渕ob rule.鈥�

Tens of thousands of demonstrators have rallied against Yingluck and her brother, ousted premier Thaksin Shinawatra, in the biggest street protests since 2010, when more than 90 people were killed in a military crackdown.

Demonstrators surrounded the interior, agriculture, transport, and sports and tourism ministries, ordering officials inside to leave, a day after occupying the finance and foreign ministries.

Suthep Thaugsuban, the rabble-rousing leader of the anti-government protests, called late Tuesday for demonstrators to rally at the 鈥渞emaining government ministries鈥� and provincial offices nationwide on Wednesday.

鈥淵ou must do it tomorrow, together across the country鈥� there will be no other day,鈥� he added.

The turmoil has caused international concern and raised fears of fresh street violence in a country that has been rocked by several episodes of political unrest since royalist generals overthrew Thaksin in a 2006 coup.

The billionaire telecoms tycoon-turned-politician draws strong support from many of the country鈥檚 rural and urban working class. But he is loathed among the elite and the middle classes, who accuse him of being corrupt and a threat to the monarchy.

Several thousand protesters, waving Thai flags and blowing whistles, marched to the interior ministry, which was guarded by hundreds of security personnel, according to an AFP reporter at the scene.

鈥淲e don鈥檛 dislike Thaksin鈥攚e loathe him. This is the end for him,鈥� said Dhiranut Bunna, a 43-year-old housewife from Bangkok who was among the protesters still at the finance ministry.

Apart from the interior ministry, most government buildings taken over had only a light security presence outside.

But security has been tightened on Bangkok鈥檚 streets since the expansion late Monday of the Internal Security Act, which gives authorities additional powers to block routes, impose a curfew, ban gatherings and carry out searches.

Arrest warrant

A Thai court on Tuesday approved an arrest warrant for Suthep鈥攚ho resigned from the opposition Democrat Party to head the rallies鈥攊n connection with the occupation of government buildings.

鈥淚 ask him to surrender, otherwise police can arrest him on sight,鈥� said Colonel Sunthorn Kongklam of Bang Sue police station in the capital.

In his near 90-minute speech, Suthep said he will hand himself in but added鈥攖o rapturous applause鈥斺�漬ow I am busy, let me deal with the Thaksin regime first.鈥�

Yingluck on Tuesday reiterated that authorities would 鈥渁bsolutely not use violence鈥� as she arrived at parliament, which was guarded by dozens of police.

鈥淓verybody must obey the law and not use mob rule to upstage the rule of law,鈥� she told reporters.

The no-confidence motion was introduced by the Democrats, who have not won an elected majority in parliament in about two decades, as part of a barrage of challenges to Yingluck鈥檚 embattled government.

Debate continued late into the night on Tuesday and the ruling Puea Thai party, which holds a comfortable majority, is expected to win the censure vote expected later in the week.

Recent protests were sparked by Puea Thai plans to introduce an amnesty that could have allowed the return from self-imposed exile of Thaksin.

Outrage over that plan failed to ebb after the amnesty was quashed by the Senate on Nov. 11.

Violent clashes 鈥減ossible鈥�

Former Thai diplomat Pavin Chachavalpongpun, an associate professor at the Center for Southeast Asian Studies at Japan鈥檚 Kyoto University, said there was a possibility of 鈥渧iolent clashes.鈥�

鈥淚 think the mob has become a little bit desperate now鈥� so there could be some kind of provocation against the police,鈥� he told AFP.

He said the government had so far been careful to avoid any 鈥減re-emptive action鈥� against the rallies as it faces opposition challenges in parliament and on the streets.

鈥淵ou are now seeing a kind of twin engine working to overthrow the Yingluck government,鈥� he added.

Yingluck swept to power in 2011 polls on a wave of support from the 鈥淩ed Shirts,鈥� whose 2010 protests were crushed by the then Democrat-led government.

鈥淪uthep is not trying to throw out the government鈥� he wants to throw out democracy and replace it with an ultra-royalist administration,鈥� Red Shirt leader Thida Thavornseth told AFP.

Protests by the royalist 鈥淵ellow Shirts鈥� helped to trigger the coup that toppled Thaksin, who now lives abroad to avoid a prison term for corruption that he contends was politically motivated.鈥�Thanaporn Promyamyai