Activists lay siege to Thai PM office

Thousands of anti-government demonstrators stormed into the Thai prime minister's office compound and rallied outside several ministries yesterday.

The demonstration followed the violent takeover of a state-run TV station by a masked mob from the same protest group.

The right-wing People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) said its action constituted a "final showdown" in its efforts to oust the government of Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej. The group has been protesting across Bangkok since May to demand the government's ouster.

"The people's army is victorious over the government," protest leader Sondhi Limthongkul told protestors from inside the Government House compound.

"We are now in Government House and won't move until the government resigns."

The PAD protestors remained peaceful and did not attempt to enter any of the offices on the compound, and police did not intervene.

After maintaining silence for most of the day, Samak said the government would not use force to evict the protestors, but he had no intention of resigning. The government, however, is preparing legal action against the protestors.

The prime minister accused the PAD of trying to provoke bloodshed that would spark a coup to oust his government. But he refused to declare a state of emergency.

A 6-pm deadline was set for the protestors to leave but they ignored it.

Police spokesman Maj-Gen Surapol Tuanthong said the deadline was set simply to allow authorities to start legal action against the occupiers if they overstayed.

The PAD, which has an alliance with conservative factions of the monarchy and the military, began its violent, pre-dawn raid when about 80 masked protestors raided the main studios of the government-run National Broadcasting Services of Thailand (NBT). The protesters accused the station of being a political mouthpiece of the government.

The protestors prevented the station from broadcasting any program for about an hour, after which they were arrested.

Another group of protestors took over the TV station for a second time around 8 am, breaking down a gate and rushing past policemen to occupy the offices. The NBT was again forced off the air but resumed broadcasting within an hour from another location.

No one from the second raid group has been arrested, and the protestors withdrew from the building in the evening, saying they would regroup at the Government House.

As many as 30,000 protesters lay siege to four government ministries and the Government House, Surapol said.

The state Thai News Agency, citing local police, said PAD's provincial branches had blocked roads leading to the capital from the south, north and northeast, after which police tried to divert traffic.

The PAD alleges that Samak is a proxy for former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, ousted in a 2006 coup and living in self-exile in England.

Before Thaksin was ousted in September 2006, the PAD led months of demonstrations, alleging that he was corrupt and had abused his power.

Army chief Gen Anupong Paochinda reassured people yesterday that the military was not planning another coup because the latest crisis can be solved politically.