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Thai state sector unions to go on strike to force PM to resign
State sector unions in Thailand will begin a nationwide strike on Wednesday to force Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej from power, union leaders said on Monday.
- Agencies
- Published: 07:48 September 1, 2008
Bangkok: State sector unions in Thailand will begin a nationwide strike on Wednesday to force Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej from power, union leaders said on Monday.
The strike will first begin at state utilities and then spread to other companies, if Samak refused to step down, the head of an umbrella group representing 200,000 workers at 43 state enterprises said.
Earlier on Monday, a small explosive went off in a police booth outside the Thai prime minister's office, the sight of a weeklong anti-government protest, police said.
The blast, which occurred soon after the end of a joint parliament session initiated by Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej, shattered nearby windows but no one was injured in the attack, police said.
Police blamed agitators for the attack, saying they were attempting to discredit the authorities.
"They want to show that the government and the police are too weak to protect the people," national police spokesman Surapol Thuanthong said. "It is something we expected would have happened."
Thousands of Anti-government protesters led by the People's Alliance for Democracy (Pad) have been crammed in the grounds of the Government House since last week, demanding the resignation of the current government.
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