BANGKOK, Dec 18 – Protest leader Suthep Thaugsuban on Tuesday night announced that the anti-government protesters would rally on Thursday and Friday before another mass demonstration on Sunday to pressure
caretaker Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra to resign.
Ms Yingluck however posted a message on her Facebook page this morning, reiterating that she would not resign but would continue working until the mission to coordinate with the Election Commission to hold a free and fair general election on February 2 is complete.
Her work would be finished when she has handed over the administration duties to the new cabinet, she said.
Ms Yingluck said that this did not mean that she wanted to remain as premier and would never resign but that she was ready to listen to public comment but everything should be in accordance with legal principles.
Mr Suthep, in his statement to protesters at the Democracy Monument last night, said the anti-government People’s Democratic Reform Committee (PDRC) would hold rallies across the capital city of Bangkok
on Thursday and Friday to invite Bangkokians to join forces with the PDRC movement.
He said that another mass demonstration on Sunday would pressure Ms Yingluck to resign as caretaker prime minister.
Mr Suthep, former Democrat MP from Surat Thani, said Thailand has only two options – either Ms Yingluck and her cabinet agree to resign and a good person will be selected to be the country’s new prime minister
and a People’s Council would be set up for national reform.
But if Ms Yingluck refused to resign, he said, the PDRC had no choice but to use the people’s sovereignty to run the country.
The former Democrat MP said the first option was seem to be impossible as Ms Yingluck has reiterated that she would not resign. He said her action is considered an intentional challenge to the general public.
The PDRC will focus from now on to pressure Ms Yingluck to resign and the pressure will continue until she calls it quits.
The next mass demonstration for this purpose was on Sunday, but rallies around Bangkok will be held tomorrow and Friday to invite Bangkok residents to join the move, he said.
Mr Suthep said that on Sunday, he would seek women volunteers to bring flowers to Ms Yingluck’s home to apply “women’s talk” to persuade her to resign.
