Thousands of protesters on Wednesday marched on ministries in Bangkok in an effort to paralyse the government.
Protest leader Suthep Thaungsuban, who has occupied the Finance Ministry with followers since Monday, was leading a march on a cluster of ministries in northern Bangkok, said organiser Sathit Wongnongtoey.The demonstrators will seek to close down the ministries of Labour, Industry, Science and Technology, Commerce and Public Health.
On Tuesday, protesters surrounded the ministries of Tourism, Agriculture and Transport.They also planned to continue occupying the Finance Ministry, including the Budget Bureau that disperses civil servants’ salaries.
Suthep, a former senior member of the opposition Democrat Party who has resigned from parliament to lead the protests, has vowed to rid the government of the influence of fugitive former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra.
Current Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra is Thaksin’s younger sister, and he is considered to be the de facto leader of the ruling party.
“Today, I ask the people to show up in great numbers again at the targeted spots,” Suthep posted on Facebook. “We will put an end to the Thaksin Regime.”