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Protesters fear threat to royalty, vow to die for king
Protesters trying to topple Thai Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej shrugged off his imposition of a state of emergency on Tuesday, vowing to lay down their lives for King Bhumibol Adulyadej, who they believe is under threat.
- Agencies
- Published: 23:15 September 2, 2008
Bangkok: Protesters trying to topple Thai Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej shrugged off his imposition of a state of emergency on Tuesday, vowing to lay down their lives for King Bhumibol Adulyadej, who they believe is under threat.
"I can die for my King," 53-year-old teacher Chantra Lamungtong said in the Government House compound that has been occupied by the anti-government and staunchly royalist Peoples Alliance for Democracy (PAD) for the last week.
"I think he is helping us with food and water, but he cannot show his face," she said.
Regarded as semi-divine by many Thais, the King is officially above politics but has intervened several times in disputes during his six decades on the throne. He has variously favoured military and elected administrations.
The PAD, a group of right-wing businessmen and academics, accuse Samak of being an illegitimate proxy for former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, ousted in a 2006 coup after months of PAD street protests.
However, they gain far more fervent support by painting Thaksin and the government that came to power after December's election as republicans bent on overthrowing the Chakri dynasty.
Samak and Thaksin have denied the allegation many times, but their protestations go unheard among the PAD faithful, who spend hours listening to speech after speech pumped out by massive sound systems about the threats to the monarchy.
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