Word: wongsawat
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Thousands of protesters swarmed Thailand's parliament Nov. 24, disrupting a legislative session and calling for the resignation of Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat. The demonstrators, who call themselves the People's Alliance for Democracy, surrounded government buildings, cut electrical lines and declared the rally to be the "final push" of their six-month campaign to oust the ruling party. The protests came at the same time as an announcement that Thailand's economy, which has been badly hit by the global financial crisis, is in even worse shape than had previously been predicted...
...billionaire populist Thaksin Shinawatra, who was deposed as Prime Minister in a 2006 army coup. After surrounding Parliament and forcing lawmakers to abandon their work, the PAD moved on to Bangkok's old airport, where a VIP lounge now serves as the makeshift headquarters of current Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat. A brother-in-law of Thaksin, Somchai was evicted from his real office by the protesters, who have besieged Government House for the past three months. (See pictures of Thai people boxing their way out of poverty and prison...
...return home, he still enjoys wide support among many Thais, particularly those from the impoverished northeast. It was their votes in last December's elections that brought to power the People?s Power Party, a reconstituted version of Thaksin's banned party. Thailand's current Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat is Thaksin's brother-in-law and is considered by government critics as little more than a puppet. Indeed, the opposition alliance that has occupied Thailand's seat of power, Government House, for more than two months, vows to continue its siege until a leader they consider independent of Thaksin...
...Thaksin in jail," after the verdict was announced. Their ongoing fight against the former PM also helped push Thaksin ally Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej out of power in August. The PAD now claims the current democratically elected government, led by Thaksin's brother-in-law Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat, is acting under orders from Thaksin, and is demanding his resignation...
...between police and anti-government protesters turned violent on Oct. 7, leaving at least two people dead and hundreds injured. The riots started when police used tear gas to clear a path through a crowd of about 5,000 people blockading the Thai parliament, where new Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat was attempting to give his first policy address...