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BANGKOK: Thailand's government cancelled its weekly cabinet meeting Tuesday as protesters loyal to fugitive former premier Thaksin Shinawatra surrounded its Bangkok offices for a sixth day.
Deputy prime minister Suthep Thaugsuban said the meeting was called off to avoid clashes with the 2,000 demonstrators still remaining, but added that the government had sought a court injunction to disperse them.
Thaksin supporters, known as the "Red Shirts" because of their distinctive crimson outfits, first blockaded the compound last Thursday to press for the resgination of Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva.
"The situation is unfavourable... and also the prime minister will travel overseas, so I decided to cancel the cabinet meeting today," Suthep told reporters at Democrat Party headquarters.
"I don't want security officials to clash with protesters. The government will proceed in accordance with the law," added Suthep, whose portfolio covers security.
Police warned the protesters on Monday of further action if they continued to block access to Government House, but they remained defiant.
"If the court rules in favour of the government we will have legitimacy in implementing further measures," Suthep said, referring to the injunction being sought by the government.
Television footage on Monday showed groups of Thaksin supporters gathering in a dozen provinces across Thailand, but Suthep denied that the movement was gaining strength.
"It's not spreading. These protests were already planned, they're not because of people's faith in Thaksin," he said.
Thaksin was toppled in a military coup in 2006 and currently lives in exile to avoid a two-year jail term for corruption relating to a land deal, but he remains both influential and divisive in Thailand.
He urged protesters on Saturday night to "rise up" against the government during one of a series of video addresses that attracted tens of thousands of supporters.
Allies of the billionaire returned to power in elections the year after he was toppled, leading to a mass protest campaign by opponents which eventually resulted in Abhisit taking office in December.
Thaksin still attracts widespread support among Thailand's rural poor while the country's elite accuse him of graft and authoritarianism.
- AFP/yb
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