Call for Phuket people to join anti-Thaksin rally

PHUKET: The People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD) is urging the people of Phuket to join in a massive rally planned for Saturday at Sanam Luang in Bangkok, where protesters will demand that caretaker Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra resign.

Amnuay Koombaan, a vice-president of the Phuket PAD, told the Gazette that he and other alliance members will leave Phuket at 6 pm on Friday.

They will first travel to Surat Thani, where they will join forces with other PAD members from the South, then traveling on to Bangkok to join the rally, which starts Saturday morning.

“At first we planned to travel in cars, but because of the weather, and because it will be more comfortable, we will go by bus. We have already organized one 40-seat bus,” he said.

PAD rallies are held nightly at Saphan Hin, he added, “So we will know this evening how many people will join us and we will organize more buses if they are required.

“There are already about 1,000 people from Phuket waiting for us in Bangkok. Overall we expect to get about 2,000 or 3,000 Phuket people at the rally – about the same number as attended the last big rally, on March 5. We will spend all day at Sanam Luang, with some of us returning to Phuket on Sunday.”

Asked who would be paying for people to travel to the rally, K. Amnuay said they must pay their own expenses.