Tokyo: A lawyer for Thailand's fugitive former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra says Thailand's government must hold elections soon to prove it has a public mandate after protests that left 90 dead in Bangkok.
Robert Amsterdam, who represents Thaksin, said on Wednesday that the government's handling of the "Red Shirt" protests demonstrated it does not have the support of the people and fears the return of Thaksin, whom it has called a terrorist for allegedly fomenting the unrest.
Thaksin was ousted in a 2006 coup.
New elections are a top demand of the Red Shirt movement, which is made up of urban and rural poor, democracy activists and politicians loyal to Thaksin.
