Thai ruling party leader vows tough response to protests
Iran Press TV
Sun Feb 23, 2014 4:42PM GMT
A senior leader of the ruling Puea Thai party has vowed a tough response to anti-government protesters paralyzing several parts of Bangkok.
Jatuporn Prompan, a leader of the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD) and senior member of Puea Thai party said the government would effectively "deal with" anti-government protest leader Suthep Thaugsuban.
"This fight will be harder than any other ... You must think how we can deal with Mr Suthep and those supporting him," Prompan told thousands of cheering supporters in Bangkok on Sunday.
Analysts believe the remarks will set the scene for a further confrontation between pro- and anti-government groups.
The remarks come after at least one person was killed and more than 40 others injured in an attack against an anti-government demonstration in eastern Thailand.
The rally was held by the People's Democratic Reform Committee in the province of Trat. The assailants shot and throw grenades into the crowd. Several people including an eight-year-old girl are in critical condition.
Meanwhile, thousands of supporters of Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra are planning to hold a demonstration in support of the government.
Thailand held a general election on February 2 in an attempt to curb the protests, which were triggered in October 2013.
However, the protesters disrupted the polls by preventing thousands of polling stations from opening mainly in opposition strongholds in Bangkok and the south.
The demonstrators want Yingluck to quit, so that an unelected "people's council" could enact reforms.
Opponents see her as a proxy for her elder brother Thaksin Shinawatra, a former prime minister toppled in a military coup in 2006.
JR/PR
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