Main road south blocked
More than 7,000 anti-government protesters yesterday blockaded Phetkasem Road, the major link between the southern provinces and central part of the country.
The blockade on the south-bound traffic lanes caused serious congestion while traffic on the north-bound lanes was unaffected. The protest leaders said that the blockade would continue until Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra resigned. Sunthorn Rakwong, who heads the Chumphon chapter of the People's Alliance for Democracy, said that as Chumphon was the gateway to the South, it was the perfect place to stage a rally "to declare that the South is free from the Thaksin regime". The protesters, who were from several southern provinces, formed a barricade using lorries and other vehicles parked on the road near the entrance to the Khao Phang National Park, in Tha Sae district. A stage was also erected with protest leaders taking turns to criticise the prime minister and his government. Some of the protesters shouted anti-Thaksin slogans to passing vehicles. Maj-General Visan Plengkham, commander of the Chumphon police, said that the protesters would not be allowed to block all the lanes of the road in order to ensure that the traffic flow would continue. About 500 police officers were present at the protest site. Veera Sriwattanatrakul, deputy governor of Chumphon, said detours were prepared for vehicles to pass the blockade.
The Nation Chumphon
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