|
 Police issued an arrest warrant for protest leader Suthep
Thaugsuban, a former opposition lawmaker, who led the storming of
the Finance Ministry a day earlier. But police said he would not be
arrested at the rally as part of a pledge to avoid clashes with
protesters.
Protesters say they want Yingluck, who took office in 2011, to step
down amid claims her government is controlled by her brother, former
Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who was ousted in a military coup
in 2006.
Thaksin has lived in self-imposed exile for the past five years to
avoid a two-year prison sentence on a corruption conviction.
Thousands of protesters fanned out to new targets in Bangkok on
Tuesday, emboldened by their takeover of the Finance Ministry, where
Suthep and hundreds of protesters camped overnight. The transport,
agriculture and tourism ministries were also closed Tuesday because
of their proximity to protests.
Demonstrators surrounded the Interior Ministry and then cut
electricity and water to pressure people inside to leave. Security
personnel locked themselves behind the ministry's gates, with
employees still inside.
On Sunday, more than 100,000 demonstrators took to Bangkok's
streets, uniting against what they call the "Thaksin regime."
What started a month ago as a campaign against a political amnesty
bill has morphed into a wider anti-government movement. Protest
leaders now say their ultimate goal is to uproot the Shinawatra
network from Thai politics, with no explanation of what that means.
The occupation of the ministry offices has raised fears of violence
and worries that Thailand is entering a new period of political
instability. They also recall previous protests against Thaksin and
his allies in 2008, when demonstrators occupied and shut down the
prime minister's offices for three months.
On Tuesday, the main protest group appeared to have converted the
Finance Ministry into its headquarters, and declared Tuesday a "rest
day," as protesters erected tents in the parking lot.
"Tomorrow there will be a nationwide movement," Akanat Promphan, a
protest spokesman, told reporters inside the emptied ministry. He
said the aim is to paralyze government operations by seizing offices
and state agencies so they cannot be "used as a mechanism for the
Thaksin regime."
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Separately on Tuesday, the opposition Democrat Party, which is
spearheading the protests, launched a parliamentary no-confidence
debate against Yingluck. The vote has no chance of unseating
Yingluck as her ruling Pheu Thai party controls the House of
Representatives.
Yingluck called for calm and offered to negotiate with protest
leaders.
"If we can talk, I believe the country will return to normal," she
said.
Yingluck has vowed not to use violence to stop the protests but
expanded special security laws late Monday to cover the entire
capital. The Internal Security Act was already in place for three
districts of Bangkok since August, when there were early signs of
political unrest. It authorizes officials to impose curfews, seal
off roads, restrict access to buildings and ban the use of
electronic devices in designated areas.
The anti-government campaign started last month after the ruling
party tried to pass an amnesty bill that critics said was designed
to absolve Thaksin and others of politically related offenses. The
Senate rejected the bill in a bid to end the protests, but the
rallies have gained momentum.
Thaksin's supporters and opponents have battled for power since he
was toppled in 2006 following street protests accusing him of
corruption and disrespect for the country's constitutional monarch.
The battle for power has sometimes led to bloodshed. About 90 people
were killed in 2010 when Thaksin's "Red Shirt" supporters occupied
parts of central Bangkok for weeks before the government, led then
by the current opposition, sent the military to crack down.
[Associated
Press; THANYARAT DOKSONE]
Associated Press writer
Jocelyn Gecker contributed to this report.
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