Petition for Royal pardon for Thaksin gains momentum
More than 10,000 Red Shirt supporters of Thaksin Shinawatra rallied Friday as organisers said that one million Thais had signed a petition asking for a royal pardon for the fugitive former premier Mr Thaksin, who was ousted in a 2006 military coup.
He fled Thailand last August to avoid a two-year jail term for corruption, but still enjoys huge support among the rural population. A court found him guilty in a case involving government land purchases and he was sentenced to two years jail.
But government politicians say the petition drive is not legal, as a person must already be serving a prison sentence before seeking a pardon. While the petition is unlikely to have legal consequences, it threatens to renew political tension between rival political groups that have staged sometimes-violent protests over the past three years.
The protest in Bangkok took place despite warnings from the government that a pardon could only be sought by Thaksin himself or by his relatives. Billionaire Thaksin was ousted in a military coup in 2006.
More than 10,000 people had gathered at the Sanam Luang parade ground in downtown Bangkok by late afternoon. Nearly 3,000 police were at the rally site, police commander Lieutenant General Worapong Chiewpreecha said.