Suthep Thaugsuban, leader of the anti-government protests, said he rejects all kind of dialogue with the government until the “Thaksin regime” is completely eliminated.
He said the final mission of the protest is to establish a “People’s Assembly” and a “people’s government” which would lead to “democracy with the King truly as Head of State”
Speaking on Thursday night at the Government Complex, one of the sites occupied by the protesters in Bangkok, Suthep said the government no longer had the legitimacy to govern since it had rejected the verdict of the Constitutional Court. A government that disrespected the Constitution should be ousted, he said.
Once the national government and the People’s Assembly are established, he said, they would carry out overall reform in the country, including reform of politics, governance and education.
“We would carry out major reforms quickly, then the country could get on the path to perfect democracy. We would not hold grudges against anyone, but our democratic system would be democracy with the King as Head of State,” he said.
“Even red shirts who do not think of overthrowing the monarchy can join us in the People’s Assembly.”
The former Democrat MP said Buddha Isara, the monk protest leader, would help mobilize up to three million protesters to completely rid Thailand of the Thaksin regime.
“I want all the people of the King to gain victory [in this battle] and present it to His Majesty as a gift within these two days,” said Buddha Isara.
Suthep also criticized Democrat MP Korn Chatikavanich, who had publicly disagreed with the Suthep-led occupation of the Ministry of Finance and other government compounds, saying that he no longer takes orders from the party.
“Please let us fight our way. Whether you fight with us or not, it’s up to you. Even though our struggle involves some illegal activities, experts on peaceful methods have confirmed that our fight follows a peaceful way,” said Suthep.
The Prime Minister earlier on Thursday
announced that the “People’s Assembly” is legally impossible under the Constitution, and offered a dialogue with the protesters to seek a peaceful solution.
