Anti-Thaksin group protest at British Embassy in Bangkok

Thai protesters led by People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) march to the British Embassy in Bangkok on August 19, 2008, demanding the British government to extradite fugitive Thaksin Shinawatra and his wife back to Thailand. Ex-premier Thaksin is seeking asylum in England. About 10,000 people were said to have demonstrated in front of British Embassy yesterday.

In the picture below protesters carry posters that contain pictures of Thaksin and his wife with the caption "Most Wanted" along with handcuffs below, looking like an arrest warrant


(Photo credit: adaptorplug)

Sondhi Limthongkul, a key figure of the People's Alliance for Democracy, led the protesters during their march to Ploenchit Road in front of the embassy. The demonstrators, lifting anti-Thaksin banners written in several languages and shouting slogans, marched from the Central World shopping center located at the heart of Bangkok to the embassy. The British ambassador sent officials to receive a letter from the PAD leaders at about 11:10 am. Several main streets' traffic was forced to be closed.


(Photo credit: Craig Martell)

About 500 commando police were deployed to keep security outside the British embassy ahead of the protest. Manager Online reported that police started setting up barricades around the embassy before the PAD would rally at the embassy at 10 am.