Thais protest against junta govt in Bangkok |
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Published
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Wed, 06 Jun 2007 16:20
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BANGKOK (Thomson Financial) - Some 1,500 Thais rallied against the country's military-installed government in Bangkok today in the fifth consecutive daily protest against the junta, police said.The crowd, mainly middle-aged men and women, gathered in Sanam Luang plaza to demand an end to the government, which came to power after the army overthrew Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra in September 2006.Police said 1,500 people joined the peaceful protest, while 300 security officers stood guard around the plaza in central Bangkok.But rally organisers, linked to Thaksin, claimed that 10,000 people showed up for the protest.The numbers included an outfit called Pro-Thaksin Anti-Dictatorship Group, which consists of former members of Thaksin's disbanded Thai Rak Thai (TRT) party, organisers said.Last week Thailand's Constitutional Tribunal dissolved the TRT and barred Thaksin and 110 senior party leaders from politics for five years due to election law violations.But the same court cleared the Democrat Party, TRT's main political rivals, of similar vote fraud charges, rankling many of Thaksin's supporters.Yesterday, the government relaxed a ban on political activities, which will allow parties to prepare for December elections promised by the junta.While TRT members who were not banned can now conduct political activities, they will not be able to register a new party until a new law is passed by the junta-appointed parliament, possibly within two or three weeks.tf.TFN-Europe_newsdesk@thomson.comjagCOPYRIGHTCopyright AFX News Limited 2007. All rights reserved.The copying, republication or redistribution of AFX News Content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of AFX News.
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Some 4,000 protest Thailand's junta 