|
 Some joined protest leader Suthep Thaugsuban on foot and others
followed in cars and six-wheel trucks as Thailand's long-running
political conflict showed no sign of ending.
Others surrounded a government office in north Bangkok where
Yingluck and two senior ministers had been holding a meeting and cut
through a barbed-wire fence. They did not enter the building and it
was unclear if Yingluck was still inside.
The protesters closed camps at two of the seven big intersections
that they have blockaded since mid-January, at Victory Monument and
Lat Phrao, and were heading for the fringes of the central oasis of
Lumpini Park.
A third camp run by an allied group at a big government
administrative complex may also be closed.
Suthep said on Sunday this was being done out of safety concerns,
but it could also be because their numbers are dwindling. Reuters
put the number of marchers at about 3,000, with hundreds surrounding
the government office.
"Suthep's movement is now crumbling, but it still has powerful
unseen backers," said Chris Baker, a historian and prominent
Thailand scholar.
"Backdoor negotiations are needed because both sides will avoid any
direct confrontation in public view. The business lobby should
revive its efforts to play the intermediary role."
Suthep's supporters on the route showed no sign of crumbling, waving
flags and handing over money.
The demonstrators blocked balloting in a fifth of the country's
constituencies on Sunday, saying Yingluck must resign and make way
for an appointed "people's council" to overhaul a political system
they say has been taken hostage by her billionaire brother and
former premier, Thaksin Shinawatra.
The election, boycotted by the main opposition party, is almost
certain to return Yingluck to power and, with voting passing off
peacefully across the north and northeast, Yingluck's supporters
will no doubt claim a legitimate mandate.
But the vote is unlikely to change the dysfunctional status quo in a
country popular with tourists and investors yet blighted by eight
years of polarization and turmoil, pitting the Bangkok-based middle
class and royalist establishment against the mostly poor, rural
supporters of the Shinawatras.
CARETAKER
The election was peaceful, apart from a few scuffles, with no repeat
of the chaos seen the previous day, when supporters and opponents of
Yingluck clashed in north Bangkok. Seven people were wounded by
gunshots or explosions.
The protesters have rallied in Bangkok since November to try to oust
Yingluck. They wanted electoral rules rewritten before any election
and have vowed to keep up the protests.
"I'm confident this election won't lead to the formation of a new
government," Suthep told supporters late on Sunday.
[to top of second column] |
Giving provisional data on Monday, the Election Commission said 20.4
million people cast their vote on Sunday, just under 46 percent of
the 44.6 million eligible voters in 68 of 77 provinces. In the other
nine provinces, no voting was possible.
Voting was disrupted in 18 percent of constituencies, 67 out of 375,
the Commission said, revising data given Sunday.
It is unclear when voting will be held there and it could be weeks
before parliamentary seats are filled, so Yingluck will remain a
caretaker premier with no policy authority, unable to approve any
new government spending.
"Having gone through more than two months of protests, the election
will strengthen Yingluck's position, but her troubles are not over
yet," said Kan Yuanyong, director of the Siam Intelligence Unit
think tank.
"We'll see a continuation of the conflict, the standoff remains and
the likelihood of more violence could increase."
The Election Commission said it expected legal challenges as early
as Monday to try to invalidate the poll and attack the legitimacy of
the government
The protesters say former telecoms tycoon Thaksin has subverted a
fragile democracy with populist politics such as subsidies, cheap
loans and healthcare to woo the poor and guarantee victory for his
parties in every election since 2001.
Thaksin's critics also accuse him of disrespecting Thailand's
revered monarchy, which he denies.
Thaksin has lived abroad since 2008 to avoid a jail term for a graft
conviction he says was politically motivated. Critics say Yingluck
is merely a stand-in for him.
Thaksin's supporters accuse the military and the establishment,
including the judiciary, of colluding over the years to oust his
governments.
The military, which has staged numerous coups since Thailand became
a constitutional monarchy in 1932, overthrew Thaksin in 2006 but has
stayed aloof this time.
(Additional reporting by Chaiwat Subprasom;
editing by Nick Macfie
and Robert Birsel)
[© 2014 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2014 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. |
