By Terry Fredrickson
Huge crowds flocked to the anti-government rally at Democracy Monument (photo) to prepare for today's planned marches while pro-government red-shirts hold their own mass rally at Rajamangala stadium.
This is going to be a busy news day and I'll have updates as the events happen. Here is a start with excerpts taken from stories in this morning's Bangkok Post.
9:30 Most of the 13 groups have now started their marches, with surprising large numbers of people in each. Thai PBS reports that about three groups are still waiting to leave. There are also groups of protesters waiting at each destination There was special interest at TV Channel 5 where Prime Minister Yingluck Shinwatra was supposed to arrive to tape a birthday message for His Majesty the King. Blue Sky TV has just reported that the marches are taken 25 different routes. Thai PBS reports that visit has now been cancelled. Meanwhile, at Rajamangala, red-shirt leaders are on stage commenting on the day's events, saying the marches will not succeed in creating any changes. They say they tried the same tactics against the Abhisit government and failed.
8:55 The marches have started from Democracy Monument. They appear to have had some minor difficulties getting a clear path out of the area, but the marches are on.
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Tens of thousands join anti-government rally
Anti-government protesters estimated by some in the hundreds of thousands have joined Sunday's rally at the Democracy Monument with organisers still hoping the number will swell to one million.
By Sunday afternoon, Ratchdamnoen Avenue, where the Democracy Monument is located was packed with at least 100,000 people, according to police estimates A military intelligence unit estimated 150,000 people were there.
Many had come from the provinces, mostly the South, where the opposition Democrat Party has a strong following.
Ekkanat Prompan, a spokesman for the Democrat Party-led rally said more than 400,000 people had joined the protest since Sunday afternoon and the number should increase to one million by the evening.
"Protest core members have made a million stickers to give to the people who take part in our rally and over 440,000 have already been given out to the public from Sanam Luang to Larn Luang," Mr Ekkanat said.
Rally leader former Democrat MP Suthep Thaugsuban told the crowd a House dissolution or resignation by the prime minister won't be enough to stop the Ratchadamnoen protest
Mr Suthep said the ultimate goal of the protest is to uproot the Thaksin regime and the protest will not end unless the goal is achieved.
However, Mr Suthep maintained that the battle would not last long. "This battle will end in three days," he said.
Addressing the crowd last night, Mr Suthep said protesters would break up and travel to 13 locations today, starting at 8.30am. They include five television stations, military installations the police and government premises
Meanwhile, red-shirt supporters have departed in their thousands from their home provinces, mostly the North and Northeast, to join the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD) rally at the Rajamangala Sports Stadium in Bangkok's Hua Mark area. As they poured into the stadium early Sunday evening, organisers said 100,000 had arrived, while other watchers said it was more like 40,000.
Deputy Commerce Minister Nattawut Saikuar, also a red shirt co-leader said UDD supporters will not move out of the Rajamangala Sports Stadium for fear of confrontation with opposing groups.
He said the Democrat-led protest was only a pawn in the chess game. The people behind it were playing a major role in mounting pressure on the government to eventually bring it down with methods outside the democratic system.
The Democrat Party should review its role since it was being used as a tool to destroy democracy, Mr Nattawut said.
Vocabulary
address: to speak publicly to a group of people - กล่าวปราศรัย
aerial: (of a photograph) from a plane or helicopter - ภาพถ่ายทางอากาศ
battle: a fight; serious disagreement, strong competition, etc. - การต่อสู้
chess: a game for two people, played on a board with black and white squares, using different shaped pieces, including two kings. The aim is to get the other player's king into a position where it cannot move - หมากรุก
co-leader: one of two or more leaders of a group -
confrontation: a situation in which people or groups are arguing angrily or are fighting - การเผชิญหน้า
core member: one of the most active or most important members of a group - แกนนำ
depart: to leave - ออกจาก
deputy: a person whose rank is immediately below that of the leader of an organisation - รอง
destination: the place where someone or something is going - จุดหมายปลายทาง
estimate: to say what you think an amount or value is or will be, either by using available information or by guessing - คาดคะเน
eventually: at the end of a period of time or at the end of a process - ในที่สุด
excerpt: a part of a longer story, speech, song, text, etc. - บทคัดย่อ
goal: aim; purpose - เป้าหมาย จุดมุ่งหมาย
House dissolution: the ending of the current term of the House of Representations, followed by a new election - การยุบสภา
installation: a building or structure, especially one that is important for an army, industry, or government; a place where specialist equipment is kept and used - ค่ายทหาร, ที่ทำการกองบัญชาการ
intelligence: information collected about the secret plans of an enemy, criminal organisations, competitors, etc. - ข่าวกรอง ข้อมูลลับ
located: where something is - ตั้งอยู่
maintain: to insist; to keep stating that something is true, even though other people do not agree or do not believe it - ยืนยัน, ยืนกราน
meanwhile: at the same time - ในเวลาเดียวกัน
method: a particular way of doing something - วิธีการ,วิธีดำเนินการ
monument: a statue or building that is built to honour a special person or event - อนุสาวรีย์ หรืออนุสรณ์สถาน
mounting: increasing - ที่เพิ่มขึ้น
obviously: clearly - เห็นได้ชัด, อย่างชัดแจ้ง
opposing: working, fighting, etc. against each other - ซึ่งต่อต้าน
opposition: of a political party that is not part of the government or a group which is against the government - ฝ่ายค้าน ผู้ต่อต้าน
packed: crowded; full of people or things - แน่น
pawn: a person or group whose actions are controlled by more powerful people - คนถูกเอาเปรียบ
pleased: happy and satisfied - พอใจ
pour into: (of people) to enter in large numbers - ไหลเข้า
premises: the buildings and land that a business or organisation uses - ที่ดินและสิ่งปลูกสร้าง
pressure: a force pressing against you or attempting to defeat you - ความกดดัน
protest: a meeting or rally, sometimes forceful or violent, of people who strongly disagree with something - ชุมนุมประท้วง
rally: a large public gathering of people to support someone or to protest against something - การชุมนุม
regime: a government that controls a country, especially in a strict or unfair way - รัฐบาลที่ขึ้นมาปกครองโดยการยึดอำนาจ
resignation: the act of leaving a job, position of power, etc. - การลาออกจากตำแหน่ง
review: to carefully examine or consider something - ตรวจสอบ
role: the position or purpose that someone or something has in a situation, organisation, society or relationship - บทบาท
sticker: a sticky label (paper, plastic, etc.) with a picture or message on it, that you stick onto something - สติ๊กเกอร์
stretch: to cause something to reach, often as far as possible, in a particular direction - ขยายออก, ยืดออก
swell: to increase in size or number - เพิ่มจำนวน, เพิ่มขนาด, เพิ่มปริมาณ
tactics: particular methods or plans for achieving something - กลยุทธ วิธีการในการวางแผน
the public: people in general - ประชาชน, สาธารณชน, มหาชน
tool: a thing that helps you to do your job or to achieve something - เครื่องมือ
turnout: the number of people who come to an event or take part in an activity - ผู้ที่เข้าร่วม
ultimate: final, after a series of things have happened - ท้ายที่สุด, ตอนสุดท้าย, ในที่สุด
United Front for Democracy Against Dictatorship (UDD): the group originally formed to demonstrate against the 2006 coup and which supported the Somchai Wongsawat government against the PAD and which led the fight against the Abhisit government. They are known for wearing red shirts - แนวร่วมประชาธิปไตยต่อต้านเผด็จการแห่งชาต
update: the most recent information or news about something - ข้อมูลใหม่ๆ
uproot: to force out of a place -
