Red shirts ready to take to the streets to support Ms. Yingluck

The red shirts said they were ready to prove that the majority of Thai people still supported Ms. Yingluck.

Supporters of caretaker Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra said on December 11 that they may take to the streets to show support for the current administration after anti-government protesters pressured her to dissolve the House of Representatives, paving the way for an early election.

Thai protesters outside the Government House in Bangkok on December 10 (Photo: Reuters)

In an interview with Reuters, the leader of the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD) (often known as the “red shirts” in Thailand) Jatuporn Promphan affirmed: “The mission of UDD is to mobilize red shirts and people who love democracy to oppose Mr. Suthep’s measures. We will have many more people than the number of people Mr. Suthep has mobilized.”

Despite the Government's moves to calm the situation, protest leader Suthep Thaugsuban on December 10 led about 160,000 people to surround the Government building, demanding that Ms. Yingluck have only 24 hours to resign.

After Ms. Yingluck's firm statement that she would not resign, Mr. Suthep said that the police should arrest Ms. Yingluck on charges of "treason" for not responding to the opposition's demands.

“If she doesn’t listen, we will intensify the protests until she and the Shinawatra family can no longer stand,” Mr. Suthep said.

Rejecting Mr Suthep's threats, Thida Thawornseth, one of the top leaders of the UDD, said: "When Suthep speaks, he should remember that there are millions of Thais who support Mr Thaksin and support the Shinawatra family."

“On what basis can Mr. Suthep claim that he represents all Thai people? Mr. Suthep said that wherever Ms. Yingluck goes in Thailand, she will only receive insults. What about him? He is the one who should be worried,” Ms. Thawornseth added.

UDD leader Jatuporn said the “red shirts” would immediately take to the streets if the protesters led by Suthep used violent acts to seize power. However, Mr. Jatuporn stressed that the goal of the “red shirts” was not to confront anti-government protesters, but only to show that the majority of Thais still supported Ms. Yingluck.

The wave of anti-government protests in Thailand broke out more than a month ago, with the goal of establishing a "People's Council". The protesters believe that this is the only solution to completely eliminate the influence of the Shinawtra family in general and Mr. Thaksin in particular in Thai politics./.

According to VOV