Thailand’s ‘blood sacrifice’
After four days of protests, can the Thai opposition force the prime minister to resign?
Calling it a “blood sacrifice”, protesters in Thailand are promising to throw their own blood at a government building in Bangkok as part of anti-government protests calling for new elections.
The leader of the main opposition claims that Abhisit Vejjajiva, the prime minister, once said he could not walk on the blood of his people to get to work.
Leaders of the Red Shirts have vowed to collect one million cubic centimetres of blood, the equivalent of 1,000 standard soft drink bottles, before marching to Government House.
Thousand of supporters lined up to donate their own blood for the demonstration.
At the weekend around 100,000 red-shirt protesters marched in the Thai capital demanding the dissolution of parliament.
Abhisit Vejjajiva has rejected the call and security has been stepped up in the city.
The Red Shirts claim the current government is illegitimate and is propped up by anti-democratic forces in the Thai military and elements within the traditional ruling class.
After four days of continuing protests, can the Thai opposition force the prime minister to resign? Is the current government capable of clinging on to power?
Inside Story presenter Nick Clark is joined by Sean Boonpracong, the spokesman for the United Front for Democracy Against Dictatorship representing the Red Shirts, Supong Limtanakoolis, the vice president for special affairs at the Centre for Strategic Studies at Bangkok University, and Tim Forsyth, a Thailand and Southeast Asia specialist at the London School of Economics.
This episode of Inside Story aired from Tuesday, March 16, 2010.