Hundreds Rally in Bangkok Over Cambodian Border Dispute

Photo: Reuters

A supporter of the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) gestures during a rally outside the Government House in Bangkok, 25 Jan 2011

Hundreds of Thai nationalists staged a rally in Bangkok Tuesday to demand the government take a stronger line in its border dispute with Cambodia.

About 2,000 to 3,000 members of the People's Alliance for Democracy, also known as the Yellow Shirts, took to the streets under the watchful eyes of nearly 4,000 security forces to demand that Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva revoke an agreement on the handling of border issues with Cambodia. The protesters' ranks included two smaller nationalist groups.

Five men in possession of unauthorized firearms and explosives were arrested the night before the rally.

The PAD has been generally supportive of Mr. Abhisit's government, which is backed by the military and the monarchy. But they feel it responded too weakly to the arrest by Cambodian forces of seven Thai nationals in a contested border area last month.

Five of the seven were given suspended jail sentences and have returned to Thailand. But an organizer from the nationalist Thai Patriots Network and his secretary remain in Cambodia facing espionage charges.

PAD leaders want the prime minister to renounce a 2000 memorandum of understanding on the handling of border disputes with Cambodia, withdraw from the United Nations cultural agency UNESCO and pressure Cambodian nationals to move out of disputed border areas. UNESCO lies at the heart of a separate border dispute over land near the Preah Vihear temple, which has been declared a world heritage site.

PAD has pledged to continue protests indefinitely, but Mr. Abhisit has already rejected their demands as impractical.

The Yellow Shirts occupied Government House for three months in 2008, departing only when Mr. Abhisit's predecessor was ousted by a court ruling.

PAD is rivaled by the so-called "Red Shirts" who are loyal to former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, overthrown in 2006 in a bloodless coup. As many as 27,000 to 30,000 Red Shirts held a rally of their own on Sunday

Photo: Reuters A supporter of the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) gestures during a rally outside the Government House in Bangkok, 25 Jan 2011 Hundreds of Thai nationalists staged a rally in Bangkok Tuesday to demand the government take a stronger line in its border dispute with Cambodia. About 2,000 to 3,000 members of the People's Alliance for Democracy, also known as the Yellow Shirts, took to the streets under the watchful eyes of nearly 4,000 security forces to demand that Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva revoke an agreement on the handling of border issues with Cambodia. The protesters' ranks included two smaller nationalist groups. Five men in possession of unauthorized firearms and explosives were arrested the night before the rally. The PAD has been generally supportive of Mr. Abhisit's government, which is backed by the military and the monarchy. But they feel it responded too weakly to the arrest by Cambodian forces of seven Thai nationals in a contested border area last month. Five of the seven were given suspended jail sentences and have returned to Thailand. But an organizer from the nationalist Thai Patriots Network and his secretary remain in Cambodia facing espionage charges. PAD leaders want the prime minister to renounce a 2000 memorandum of understanding on the handling of border disputes with Cambodia, withdraw from the United Nations cultural agency UNESCO and pressure Cambodian nationals to move out of disputed border areas. UNESCO lies at the heart of a separate border dispute over land near the Preah Vihear temple, which has been declared a world heritage site. PAD has pledged to continue protests indefinitely, but Mr. Abhisit has already rejected their demands as impractical. The Yellow Shirts occupied Government House for three months in 2008, departing only when Mr. Abhisit's predecessor was ousted by a court ruling. PAD is rivaled by the so-called "Red Shirts" who are loyal to former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, overthrown in 2006 in a bloodless coup. As many as 27,000 to 30,000 Red Shirts held a rally of their own on Sunday