A Thai court on Tuesday approved an arrest warrant for a top anti-government leader as thousands of demonstrators besieged Government buildings demanding beleaguered Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra’s resignation.
“We sought an arrest warrant for Suthep (Thaugsuban) and the Criminal Court just approved it,” said Colonel Sunthorn Kongklam of Bang Sue police station in the capital. “I ask him to surrender, otherwise police can arrest him on sight.” Thousands of protesters continued their siege of government buildings which began yesterday as the Parliament discussed a no-confidence motion against the Prime Minister.
Demonstrators surrounded the interior, agriculture, transport, and sports and tourism ministries, ordering officials inside to leave, a day after they broke into the finance and foreign ministries and cut off electric and water supply. Suthep, a former deputy Prime Minister and senior leader from the opposition Democrat party, vowed to “seize all ministries” after storming the finance ministry on Wednesday.
The protests raised fears of fresh street violence since 2010 as thousands of demonstrators rallied against Prime Minister Yingluck and her brother Thaksin Shinawatra, who was ousted in a 2006 coup.