PAD rallies to continue in Phuket

PHUKET CITY: Local members of the anti-government People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD) will continue their evening gatherings at Saphan Hin even though Khunying Pojaman Shinawatra, wife of ex-Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, was found guilty of tax evasion in court on Thursday.

Phuket PAD leader Natjarong Ekpermsup told the Gazette, “We will only stop protesting if the Bangkok protests stop.”

While the PAD sees the sentencing of Khunying Pojaman as good news, its efforts must continue because PM Samak Sundaravej is still trying to amend the Constitution to protect Thaksin and his associates, he said.

PAD leader Pipop Thongchai on Friday threatened to lay siege to Parliament if the government went ahead with its plan to rewrite the Constitution.

While the PAD is planning its “megaprotest” in Bangkok, planned PAD activities in Phuket will consist only of nightly congregations in Saphan Hin, where members will continue to meet to observe their counterparts in Bangkok on a large screen, he said.

Asked if the new Cabinet lineup would help defuse tensions, K. Natjarong said, “The new ministers are just as bad as the old ministers. New interior minister Kowit Wattana might not be as talkative as Chalerm, but he is famous for inaction. Samak appointed ministerial positions to people to whom he owes favors, which only further incites the PAD.”