CrazyExpat Posted December 16, 2010 Report Share Posted December 16, 2010 BANGKOK — The new head of Thailand's "Red Shirts" said Wednesday the anti-government movement would step up its campaign to secure the release of its leaders with gatherings twice a month in Bangkok. "From now on Red Shirt people will rally on the 10th and 19th of every month to intensify our fight in terms of number of protesters and activities," Thida Thavornseth, acting chairwoman of the movement, said at a news conference. A two-month rally by the Reds from mid-March of this year attracted 100,000 people at its peak demanding immediate elections. More than 90 people were killed in violence sparked by the protests, which saw a series of street battles between demonstrators and armed soldiers in the heart of the capital. The rally came to a bloody end on May 19 with a deadly army assault on the Red Shirts' base, after which a small band of militant protesters set dozens of buildings ablaze across Bangkok, including a glitzy shopping mall. Senior figures in the movement, including Thida's husband Weng Tojirakarn, have been detained on terrorism charges since the end of the demonstration, awaiting possible trial. The mainly poor and working class Reds have staged a series of rallies in Bangkok in recent months, despite a state of emergency which bans gatherings of more than five people. Thousands took to the streets of the capital on December 10, eight months after deadly clashes in the city's historic district. The rally "was just the beginning", Thida said. The retired microbiology lecturer and mother told AFP in a recent interview she wanted the democracy movement to be peaceful and "use brains". For full article: http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5hptEGI4Hfq2QWaMUQweND5cHw1Xg?docId=CNG.f5101c535ed3b394f79d8c72e83edaba.201 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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