Govt MPs to mobilise supporters as guards

Wittaya Buranasiri, the chief government whip, said after a meeting yesterday that they would propose House Speaker Chai Chidchob call a weekly parliamentary meeting from October 22-23 following the cancellation of this week's session.

The cancellation was due to the absence of police and military security guards at Parliament, he said, adding that Chai had written to the police and Army chiefs seeking troops to guard the Parliament building but that they did not reply. "We'll mobilise our supporters, who love us, to be our friends and protect us outside of Parliament. We have no fear of dying, but people need us to be their representatives in the House," Wittaya said.

People Power Party MP Suchart Lainamngoen said one MP had the ability to mobilise about 1,000 people.

The chief whip will also today file a complaint with the police against the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) for obstructing MPs from attending last Tuesday's House meeting and destroying government property.

Meanwhile, Public Health Minister Chalerm Yoobamrung claimed five police generals had been behind the PAD's actions during last Tuesday's deadly clash between protesters and police.

Three of them are commanders, another is a deputy commander and one a ranking major-general, he added.

"They were all behind the PAD's plans. They made plans jointly to commit a violent protest. Some of them were the head of the PAD's security guards," said Chalerm, who was once a police inspector. He said he knew the names of the five but would not reveal them, because it was not the right time to do so.

"The PAD's protests always say they hate the police, and yet these five police generals were behind their movements on the day of the clash. So the PDA protesters should oust the five policemen from Government House, because they hate the police," he added.

Chalerm is also calling for members of the public who do not agree with the PAD to express their political standpoint by hanging posters and banners saying "Do not agree with the PAD" in front of their houses.

Meanwhile, PAD core leader Pibhop Dhongchai said they would not consider Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat's demand for protesters to remove themselves from Government House.