Thaksin supporters present petition seeking pardon

BANGKOK, Aug 17 (TNA) –  Representatives of the ‘Red Shirt’ United Front for Democracy Against Dictatorship (UDD) movement on Monday presented five million collected signatures and their petition seeking a royal pardon for ousted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra to His Majesty the King’s Deputy Principal Private  Secretary.

Earlier Mr Thaksin had telephoned his supporters, saying he was a ‘victim of injustice’.

The self-exiled ousted prime minister complained to his supporters gathering at Sanam Luang, thanking them for petitioning on his behalf to seek a royal pardon for him, saying he was a victim of injustice and a so-called double standard.

Mr Thaksin telephoned his supporters at 11am before they were due to submit the petition to the Office of His Majesty’s Principal Private Secretary at the Grand Palace at 1pm.

“I was the victim of a smear campaign and that led my brothers to gather to seek His Majesty’s clemency,” said Mr Thaksin.

The ousted premier said he did not want to see divisiveness in the country as Thais are divided into two groups, the Red Shirt group of his supporters and the Yellow Shirt group, which opposes him.

“We want to see unity and reconciliation in our country.  No matter what colour we wear, don’t let people who are indulged with power to make us fight each other. We must cling to unity for the King, so he won’t be worried,” Mr Thaksin said.

He then took an oath that he and his family would be loyal to the King and the royal family until the last day of his life and led his supporters to sing a song in honour of the King.

About 1,500 police provided security at the capital’s Sanam Luang royal ceremonial ground as tens of thousands of the anti-government ‘Red Shirts’ from upcountry added numbers to the gathering.

Mr Thaksin, ousted in a coup in 2006, was sentenced in absentia last October by a Bangkok court to two years imprisonment for abuse of power by helping his then wife acquiring a parcel of prime Bangkok commercial property at a price far below the market the market value. (TNA)