Thai protesters seeking to oust the prime minister threatened yesterday to paralyse downtown Bangkok with a new demonstration, as a new poll found dwindling support for their movement. The protesters have camped out for two weeks outside Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra's princely offices in Bangkok's historic district, calling for him to resign over claims of corruption and abuse of power.
But with just days to go till snap elections on Sunday, protest organizers said they will move their sit-in Wednesday to Siam Paragon, the city's biggest and newest mall, located along one of the most congested streets in a city notorious for its traffic. "If the protest stays there and blocks the road, traffic throughout the capital would be paralysed," traffic police chief Panu Kertlapphol told AFP. The protesters say they will not stage their sit-in on private property but will camp in the street, which Panu said would be grounds to arrest them for blocking traffic. |