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| Southeast Asia |
| Thai police surround protesters |
| 2008-08-28 |
| Riot police in Thailand have surrounded Bangkok's Government House, where thousands of protesters are camped out after storming the compound to demand Samak Sundaravej, the prime minister, step down. Thousands of police massed outside Thailand's seat of government early on Wednesday, Channel Seven, an army-run television station, said. The interior minister was reported to have entered the compound to negotiate with protest leaders. A Thai court also issued arrest warrants for nine leaders of an anti-government campaign on charges of inciting unrest and trying to overthrow the government. "The court has approved the arrest warrants as requested by the police," Narach Imsuk, Bangkok Criminal Court secretary, told reporters on Wednesday. The protests have been led by the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD), which is aligned with conservative factions of the monarchy and the military. The group has been protesting across Bangkok, the capital, since May to demand the Samak's resignation. The prime minister confronted the protesters, refusing their calls for his resignation. "There is no way that a country of 63 million, like Thailand, will let a group of five people form a street gang to seize control," he said. |
| Posted by:Fred |