(16 October) Residents of Bangkok′s Prachae Jeen Market community have pressed charges against the anti-government protesters who have been camping at the nearby Uruphong intersection.
According to the complaint filed to Phayathai Police Station, the Students and People Network For Political Reform′s encampment is causing great nuisance to the local community.
The letter alleged that the protesters have been constantly bombarding the residential area with their loud speeches and music, especially in the night, while sewage leaking from the protesters? portable toilets has also caused foul smell to the nearby houses.
Local residents and customers of the businesses in the area have also had difficulty commuting, as the protesters continue to block the traffic around their protest site, according to the complaint.
"We the residents want the protesters to move their rally elsewhere," part of the letter said.
The Student and People Network has vowed to bring down the government of Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, accusing her of corruption and dictatorship. However, as the protest enters its second week, there is no visible evidence that Ms. Yingluck is about to step down.
Meanwhile, the government appears to be convinced that the protest, in spite of its relatively small size, is a proxy movement engineered by the opposition party to overthrow Ms. Yingluck.
For instance, Mr. Jarupong Ruangsuwan, Minister of Interior Affairs, said he has submitted a letter to the Bangkok Metropolitan Authority (BMA) to protest the reports that a BMA-issued power generator is servicing the protesters? rally. BMA Governor, Mr. Sukhumbhand Paripatra, ran for the office on the Democrat Party′s ticket.
The letter also urges the Governor to monitor the protest within boundary of the law, and to make sure every CCTV camera around the rally site is actually functional, Mr. Jarupong said.
"We don?t want dummy ones," he added, referring to the allegation that BMA has installed ?dummy? CCTV cameras in some parts of Bangkok to economise on their budget.
Mr. Jarupong said he was not surprised to see the protesters taking to the streets because "they cannot win with reason in the Parliament". He also claimed that he has already uncovered financial backers of the protests and that he will move to cut their support soon.
The protesters were visibly fewer in number today due to the heavy rains in Bangkok.
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