Thai protesters gather to ‘kick out’ PM Prayuth on anniversary of 2006 coup that toppled Thaksin
- Thaksin Shinawatra’s ‘red shirt’ supporters were mostly from the working class but he was despised by Bangkok elites and the powerful military
- His sister Yingluck followed in his footsteps to become prime minister but she was also ousted in a coup, which was led by Prayuth in 2014
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The billionaire ex-premier – now living in self-exile – has remained a prominent figure in the country’s politics since the military deposed his government on September 19, 2006.
Unloading a massive cardboard model of a tank for their “cars against tanks” protest, rallygoers honked car horns to call for the resignation of Premier Prayuth Chan-ocha, a former army chief who came to power in a 2014 coup.
“Fifteen years have passed, we are still here to fight,” shouted Nattawut Saikuar, a politician long associated with Thaksin, to a sea of supporters waving “Kick out Prayuth” flags.
“No matter how many coups there are, it cannot stop us … No matter how good capacity their tanks are, it cannot stop the fighting hearts of the people.”
Thailand has endured more than a dozen coups since the end of absolute monarchy in 1932 by its putsch-happy military – often staged in the name of protecting the powerful royal family.
Thaksin’s juggernaut rise to power was boosted by the so-called “red shirts”, mostly working-class supporters who revere him for populist contributions such as instating a universal healthcare system. But he was hated by Bangkok elites and the powerful military, and has faced a raft of corruption accusations.
The general went on to become prime minister in 2019 elections governed under a new constitution authored by his junta.
Nattawut said the premier has had plenty of time to improve Thailand, “but the country is in recession. The economy, society and politics are collapsing”, he said.
Scrutiny of the government increased after a fresh Covid-19 wave in April snowballed Thailand’s cumulative caseload from less than 29,000 to more than 1.4 million infections in just five months, as well as a rising death toll.
Earlier this month, the premier survived a no-confidence vote – his third since 2019.
